Jazz Archives

On this 1967 Impulse release, tenor saxophonist Archie Shepp unleashed his 18-minute tour de force "The Magic of Ju-Ju," combining free jazz tenor with steady frenetic African drumming. Shepp's emotional and fiery tenor takes off immediately, gradually morphing with the five percussionists -- Beaver Harris, Norman Connor, Ed Blackwell, Frank Charles, and Dennis Charles -- who perform on instruments including rhythm logs and talking drums. Shepp never loses the initial energy, moving forward like a man possessed as the drumming simultaneously builds into a fury. Upon the final three minutes, the trumpets of Martin Banks and Michael Zwerin make an abrupt brief appearance, apparently to ground the piece to a halt. This is one of Shepp's most chaotic yet rhythmically hypnotic pieces. The three remaining tracks, somewhat overshadowed by the title piece, are quick flourishes of free bop on "Shazam," "Sorry Bout That," and the slower, waltz-paced "You're What This Day Is All About."

:::Review by Al Campbell:::

Archie Shepp - The Magic Of Ju-Ju (1967)

1. The Magic Of Ju-Ju 18:34
2. You're What This Day Is All About 1:47
3. Shazam 4:43
4. Sorry 'Bout That 10:08

Credits
Bass - Reggie Workman
Drums - Beaver Harris , Norman Connor
Percussion - Dennis Charles
Percussion [Rhythm Logs] - Eddie Blackwell
Percussion [Talking Drums] - Frank Charles
Saxophone [Tenor], Written-by - Archie Shepp
Trumpet, Flugelhorn - Martin Banks
Trumpet, Trombone - Michael Zwerin

Recorded with a who's who of fusion titans including trumpeter Eddie Henderson, bassist Stanley Clarke, and keyboardist Herbie Hancock, Dance of Magic channels the lessons drummer Norman Connors learned in the employ of Pharoah Sanders, Sam Rivers, and Sun Ra, marshaling Latin rhythms, electronic textures, and cosmic mysticism to create nondenominational yet deeply spiritual funk-jazz. The sprawling 21-minute title cut spans the entirety of the record's first half, capturing a monumental jam session that explores the outer edges of free improvisation but never steps past the point of no return. Connors' furious drumming is like a trail of bread crumbs that leads his collaborators back home. The remaining three tracks are smaller in scale but no less epic in scope, culminating with the blistering "Give the Drummer Some."

:::Review by Jason Ankeny:::

Norman Connors - Dance Of Magic (1972)

A. Dance Of Magic (21:00)
B1. Morning Change (6:29)
B2. Blue (10:20)
B3. Give The Drummer Some (2:22)

Credits:
African Percussion, Baliphone - Anthony Wiles
African Percussion, Congas - Nat Bettis
African Percussion, Shakers - Babafemi (tracks: A)
Alto And Soprano Saxophones - Gary Bartz
Bass - Cecil McBee (tracks: A, B1) , Stanley Clarke
Drums - Norman Connors
Flute - Art Webb
Percussion - Airto Moreira (tracks: B1, B2, B3) , Alphonse Mouzon (tracks: A, B2) , Billy Hart (tracks: B1, B2, B3)
Piano, Fender Rhodes Electric Piano - Herbie Hancock
Producer - Dennis Wilen , Skip Drinkwater
Tenor And Soprano Saxophones - Carlos Garnett
Trumpet - Eddie Henderson
Vocals - U.B.F. Singers, The (tracks: A)

By 1971 Pharoah Sanders's playing essentially alternated between two moods: ferocious and peaceful. This live LP (whose contents have not yet been reissued on CD - as far as I know it has, in Japan obviously - by jazzlover) gives one a good example of how the passionate tenor sounded in clubs during the early '70s. Sanders is joined by an impressive group of players: trumpeter Marvin "Hannibal" Peterson, flutist Carlos Garnett, Harold Vick on tenor, pianist Joe Bonner, the basses of Stanley Clarke and Cecil McBee, drummers Norman Connors and Billy Hart and percussionist Lawrence Killian. On the 20-minute "Healing Song," the lengthy "Memories of J.W. Coltrane" and the two-part "Lumkili," Pharoah Sanders is heard in top form.

:::Review by Scott Yanow:::

Pharoah Sanders - Live At The East (1971)

1. Healing Song (21:43)
2. Memories Of J. W. Coltrane (12:51)
3. Lumkili (08:33)

Credits:
Bass - Cecil McBee , Stanley Clarke
Congas, Percussion [Bailophone] - Lawrence Killian
Drums - Norman Connors , William Hart
Flute, Voice - Carlos Garnett
Piano, Harmonium - Joseph Bonner
Saxophone - Pharoah Sanders
Tenor Vocals - Harold Vic
Trumpet - Marvin Peterson