ARCHIE SHEPP Quintet –  demo, 33 1/3 rpm, (USA), 1960/61 ?

 

One demo copy pressed on vinyl!!!

 

This is nothing else then a SENSATION! And rarer then…everything….

Free jazz at its absolute peak with a line up of Archie Shepp in best possible form on tenor sax, Steve Lacy (!) on a very very  creative soprano sax,  Roswell Rudd on trombone,  the mighty Dennis Charles on drums and Arthur Harper on bass —- what a line up!!!! Classic early free jazz!

Recorded in New York at the Bell Studios in early 60´s, judging the way the musicians play and the overall sound of the recording.

The music starts off a bit tentatively for a few seconds but then you are tossed straight back to the best of the 60´s free jazz scene. This is simply as good as it can get and it is very sad that it was never released officially. It is without a doubt Shepp´s date but with great support from Lacy and Rudd.  This recording which most certainly exists in only one copy……. Steve Lacy was contacted years ago about this session, but unfortunately he had no memories of the session.

A lost historical recording…. With KICK ASS music with a mindblowing version of Sophisticated Lady… they way it shold be played…

The  period before free jazz were established as a “music form”…. its all about research… and improvising…

What more is there to say ??? How would a cover have looked like to such an insane object?

our guess: pretty fuckin GOOD!!!!

 

Archie Shepp – tenor sax

Steve Lacy – soprano sax

Roswell Rudd – trombone

Arthur Harper – bass

Dennis Charles – drums

from the Björn Thorstensson Collection