What About? - Andrew Cyrille [BYG - Actuel 16]

The great Andrew Cyrille's solo drums & percussion record from 1969 on BYG/Actuel.

Despite his 'youth' (he was 30) - he plays beautifully here. Strong, but without hitting hard. Subtle and quiet ideas on 'From Whence I Came', incorporating exhaled breath and vocal sounds. 'Rims and Things', suggestive in its title of it's range of sound-sources and textures. The 2 pieces opening each side are more orthodox trap kit workouts - but each with a strong sense of the progression of rhythmic and melodic ideas, and an unfailing sense of control. 'Pioneering' has Cyrille getting out some 'little instruments' - playing whistle, slide-whistle and finger cymbals in counterpoint to snare & toms. This is the only overdubbed track I think - the moving of the slide whistle plunger whilst holding the press roll would seem to preclude any other explanation on a solo recording. (I stand to be corrected by any dextrous drummers out there though..)

Cyrille has since appeared on dozens and dozens of recordings, almost all of which are inevitably enlived by his playing presence. Well over a dozen recordings have come out under his own leadership as well, since this first one came out in 1970. He was probably paid about 27 dollars for this record, and has not seen a penny since.

He has a web presence at http://www.geocities.com/amelodie1/index.html .

I'd urge buying something if you can. Not just because it's 'worthy' and indicates respect - but because it will sound GOOD !

Although this was issued - like almost all BYG/Actuel material - on an English Affinity LP, it has never been on CD to my knowledge.

Side 1

What About?

From Whence I Came

Side 2

Rhythmical Space

Rims and Things

Pioneering

Andrew Cyrille - drums & percussion, whistles

Rec. August 11, 1969

Now, give the drummer some !

Dewey Redman -'Tariq' 1969 , FLAC

thanks to Kinabalu.....for the reminder of this albums existence and for generating the impulse to actually listen to it.

No self respecting jazz fan should be without this, it is one of the gems of the late 60's and the BYG.... label.more specifically.

Ive always enjoyed Redman's playing ...and this surely features one of the hottest rhythm sections (convened ad hoc for this occasion only)...EVER!!
Often referred to as a careful and conservative radical , even a cursory listen to Tariq reveals otherwise....

Redman simply tears through half the tracks here (check out tariq itself ..a tour de force which begins fast enough ... and soon shifts into double time with Redman gradually contorting/transforming the melody, accentuating the trance with growls and non pitched effects... ... OVER EVER FASTER WINDING BREAK NECK RHYTHMS)

on half the tracks Redman showcases his double reed Musette an instrument very similar to the Indian shanai( and just as difficult to play!!)on which he also occasionally performed , though seldom with the passion and forceful sweep as on this record.


As often with Redman's best records there is a lyrical dream like free improv..... this one's a corker ( related and un related vibrations ,the closer... featuring Favors only extended solo one of his distinctive free arco variations.....affair's..mmmmmmm)

Great as Redman is ...IT IS the rhythm section's inventive,propulsive.. Drive .. which for me makes this so EXHILARATING!

Behind all the theatrics and make up , Favors was one of the most innovative inventive bassists ever.
a pity all three are long gone ... just when the world most needs its wizened shamen & master Griot's


the record is in good nick ... though it has to be said that AFFINITY pressings were always inferior tending to sound somewhat dull( they were after all little more than bootlegs!!!!!).. not to mention pressing faults etc


ENJOY!!

BTW/ A BRIEF NOTE ON FILE FORMAT.... It's starting to seem ludicrous to post in both FLAC, and Lame format's .... particularly when Flac is so prevalent in file sharing terms... most people ought to have the required codecs to convert to lame ,

in any case as i see it we are providing raw material wart's and all ..which can be imported into sound forge, audacity , wave lab and any number of d-clicking program's ... or converted at will

Africanasia - Arthur Jones / Claude Delcloo [BYG-Actuel 6]

The*other* Arthur Jones LP on BYG - Africanasia.
Co-billed with Claude Delcloo. And - as noted in comments to Scorpio - quite different as a record in character
It's very much the drummer's album, but Arthur has 2 sections to twist and soar. His solo on side 2 allows some cable to unwind rather beautifully ..

The flute trio of Joseph Jarman, Roscoe Mitchell & Kenneth Terroade are pervasive as 'a section' in their recurrent capitulation of the theme [which in its simplicity will stick in your head if you haven't heard this before] , but don't seem to fully capitalise on their [one] chance for a flute collective dialogue that's allowed them.
Mal Favors is wonderful - not playing bass - but 'log drums'.
Whilst it's exciting to see the name of the much under-recorded Clifford Thornton here - on congas, not either of 'his instruments' [trombone & trumpet] - it has to be said that he doesn't add a huge amount to proceedings here, other than some textural colour.

Claude Delcloo was so much a ubiquitous presence throughout the BYG Actuel catalogue that it'd be easy to assume they had trouble keeping him off drumming on the Sunny Murray albums or Andrew Cyrille's solo percussion record.

Editor of 'Le Jazz' component of the Actuel magazine that [partly] gave these records their imprint name, BYG/Actuel seems to have been Delcloo's brief golden summer as a player. He went on to produce French pop, soul, jazz (etc) until at least the late 70's. After then, I know not..
Some European visitors here may be able to shed more light on M. Delcloo?

And *anybody* know more of Arthur Jones than the shadow of a sketch of his life and career that we have ?



Anecdotally, Delcloo is still alive and living in Northern France, whilst Arthur Jones died in 1998 in New York. Don't go copy n pasting that onto other blogs etc etc folks - it may - or may not - be accurate.

As per Scorpio previously, this is my rip - and to FLAC.
The otherwise quite fine 192MP3s at 'Nothing Is..' have some needle skips which can grate...
This has one sonic artifact at approx 9.47 on Side 1.
That aside, it's a perfectly good 40 year old crappy old BYG LP pressing.
Cover scans included.


Africanasia
- Arthur Jones, Claude Delcloo -

1. Africanasia Part 1
2. Africanasia Pert 2

Arthur Jones - alto
Kenneth Terroade - flute
Roscoe Mitchell - flute
Joseph Jarman - flute
Clifford Thornton - conga drums
Malachi Favors - log drums
Earl Freeman - gong, bells, percussion
Claude Delcloo - drums

Rec August 22, 1969

Scorpio - Arthur Jones [BYG-Actuel 50]

Mid-1969 and a whole bunch of 'new music' free American musicians are in France.
The Art Ensemble of Chicago, Archie Shepp, Anthony Braxton, Leroy Jenkins, Alan Silva, Grachan Moncur, Don Cherry, Jimmy Lyons, Burton Greene, Andrew Cyrille, Sunny Murray, Steve McCall ....
The turbulent events of May 68 are fresh in the consciousness of young people in France - arguably, all over Europe.
A trumpet player called Jacques Coursil comes over to Paris with another guy - an alto player - whose name is Arthur Jones.

This is Arthur's record.

A personal rip - not the badly distorted 192kbps MP3s that you may know from 'around the place'...