A classic bit of avant Shepp for Impulse – recorded in the mid 60s, at the same time as the Live in San Francisco album, with the same quintet, but not issued until years later! The album is in a different vein than the San Francisco album – one that shows the band stretching out more on two long cuts – "Three For A Quarter" and "One For A Dime" – that each cover a side apiece, with the Way Ahead feel that Shepp was searching for at the time! LP, Vinyl record album

An unusual package – one that features the full album The Way Ahead, plus tracks from other late 60s Archie Shepp sessions too! The Way Ahead has tenor giant Archie Shepp in prime form – working with a sextet that's awash in avant freedoms, but which always shows a great sense of restraint – just the right power gained from the new modes of jazz expression, as the players dance together beautifully on a razor's edge of personal creativity and ensemble exploration. Players here include Grachan Moncur on trombone, Jimmy Owens on trumpet, Ron Carter on bass, and Beaver Harris and Roy Haynes on drums – and the album also features the first piano player on most of the Shepp albums on Impulse – Walter Davis Jr, making a rare outside appearance with the group! Titles include the classic track "Frankenstein", plus "Fiesta", "Damn If I Know (The Stroller)", and "Sophisticated Lady" – all nice and long! Next are two tracks from the Kwanza album – with a lineup that includes Charles Davis on baritone, Grachan Moncur on trombone, Jimmy Owens on trumpet, and Dave Burrell on piano – on the titles "New Africa" and "Bakai". Last on the CD is the side-long gem "Magic Of Juju" – a set that has an unusual group with Martin Banks on trumpet, Michael Zwerin on trombone, Reggie Workman on bass, and both Norman Connors and Beaver Harris on drums – plus Ed Blackwell on rhythm logs, Franck Charles on talking drums, and Dennis Charles on added percussion! CD

A very late session from trumpet legend Chet Baker – recording here in the very unusual company of tenorist Archie Shepp – a player that few could have imagined working together a few years before! By the time of the date, Shepp had become more of a traditionalist, but still with an ear for the modern edge that graced his earlier work – and while Chet had gotten more modern in his music, the direction was very different than Archie's – in part because of some of the physical changes Baker had gone through. At some level, the session's maybe more one in the mode of Shepp in Europe during the 80s, with Baker along for a guest – as the rhythm section is more suited to Shepp too – with work from Horace Parlan on piano, Herman Wright on bass, and Clifford Jarvis on drums. Both Archie and Chet sing a bit, and titles include "My Ideal", "When Lights Are Low", "Confirmation", "Dedication To Bessie Smith's Blues", "My Foolish Heart", and "How Deep Is The Ocean". CD

Sublime overseas work from these two legendary musicians – both players from different scenes in the US, and who never would have crossed paths back in the day – but who really sparkle here with a sense of brilliance that brings out the best in both artists! There's no other accompaniment at all – just the piano of Horace Parlan alongside the tenor and soprano sax of Archie Shepp – right at that point when Shepp was exploring more conventional structures of jazz, but with all the knowledge he'd learned from the avant scene – which makes for wonderfully soulful ballads here that are unlike anything you might expect. Parlan is great too – stretching out in the very resonant space of the recording – and titles include "Deep River", "Goin Home", "Amazing Grace", "Go Down Moses", and "My Lord What A Morning". LP, Vinyl record album

A mindblowing little record – one of those jazz meetings you might never have thought possible, and every bit as great as you'd expect! By the time of this set, Lars Gullin had already reached the heights of jazz in Scandinavia – one of the hippest players of the 50s, ready to branch out into even new ideas and expressions in the 60s! Enter Archie Shepp, quite young at the time, but already a fiercely creative talent on the tenor – blowing here alongside Gullin in the relaxed, open format of a live date at the Club Montmartre in Copenhagen – a well-recorded performance that was done for Swedish radio, and which has both players taking very long solos. It's great to hear Lars really stretch out – sounding looser and grittier than on some of his studio work – and Shepp's really on fire blowing through the standards on the date – almost hinting at that approach he'd use in the late 70s, but with all the burning quality of his youth! Other players include Tete Montoliu on piano, Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass, and Alex Riel on drums – and titles include "You Stepped Out Of A Dream", "The House I Live In", "I Should Care", and "Sweet Georgia Brown". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little record in the sort of format that always worked well for Archie Shepp during this point in his career – a new take on older modes, and one that balances the tenorist perfectly between his avant jazz roots and that new appreciation of standards that started to take hold in the late 70s! The format is very lean – just the bass of Richard Davis for accompaniment – and Davis' round tone provides a lot of grounding that lets Archie stretch out, soar, and bring in all these raspy edges that really keep things interesting, and which keep the record on very soulful footing throughout! Tracks include "Body & Soul", "Pannonica", "Round Midnight", and "Things Ain't What They Used To Be". LP, Vinyl record album

Duets between pianist Siegfried Kessler and Archie Shepp on saxophone and vocals. Tracks include "Le Matin des Noirs", "Lush Life", "Steam", and "Ujaama". CD

An essential piece of 60s avant garde jazz that often gets overlooked because the album is split between two different leaders – but with John Coltrane and Archie Shepp at the helm, what leaders they be! Shepp leads a quartet that includes Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, Barre Phillips on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums – and the music is some of his best from the 60's. Hutcherson is haunting, and Shepp plays in a beautifully restrained style that brings out all of his best elements, without any of the indulgence that sometimes mars his playing. The group plays all original tracks, including "Rufus", "Le Matin Des Noire", and "Scag". Coltrane's quartet with Tyner, Garrison, and Jones adds one additional long track to the album, the lively "One Down One Up". A great set, and one not to pass up! CD

An essential piece of 60s avant garde jazz that often gets overlooked because the album is split between two different leaders – but with John Coltrane and Archie Shepp at the helm, what leaders they be! Shepp leads a quartet that includes Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, Barre Phillips on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums – and the music is some of his best from the 60's. Hutcherson is haunting, and Shepp plays in a beautifully restrained style that brings out all of his best elements, without any of the indulgence that sometimes mars his playing. The group plays all original tracks, including "Rufus", "Le Matin Des Noire", and "Scag". Coltrane's quartet with Tyner, Garrison, and Jones adds one additional long track to the album, the lively "One Down One Up". A great set, and one not to pass up! CD

A set that features music from three different sessions recorded by trumpeter Bill Dixon in the mid 60s – all pretty groundbreaking work, even all these many years later! First up is a quartet co-led by Archie Shepp and Bill Dixon – easily one of the greatest modern jazz pairings of the 60s! If you only know Shepp from his later work, you'll hear something very different here – as his tenor's often brought into tight focus with the trumpet of Dixon – in a blend of arrangement and freedom that's like that of Ted Curson and Bill Barron, but a lot more powerful overall! The tunes still have a sense of structure – and get great help from the bass of Don Moore and drums of Paul Cohen – but there's also some tremendously unbridled energy from the leaders, especially Dixon, who might not have sounded this great ever again. Titles include "Quartet" and "Trio". Next up is one side of an album that Dixon split with Shepp for Savoy – and Dixon's material here features a septet, with a great lineup that includes Ken McIntyre on alto and oboe, George Barrow on tenor, and both Hal Dodson and David Izenzon on basses. Titles include "Winter Song 1964" and "The 12th December". Last up is the seminal Intents & Purposes record – one of the few rare records cut by Bill Dixon during the 60s, and a perfect example of "new thing" jazz in action. Trumpeter Dixon plays in 3 different ensembles – a nonet, a quintet, and a duet – with players like Byard Lancaster, Reggie Workman, Robert Pozar, and Jimmy Garrison. The tracks are long, with an approach that begins with compositional structures, but which also showcases the avant solo talents of the players – in a manner that's similar to some of the Blue Note work by Anthony Williams or Grachan Moncur III. A darn tough record to find – and with the tracks "Voices", "Nightfall Pieces I & II", and "Metamorphosis". CD

2 landmark Archie Shepp albums in one package! Blase is filled with long, spiritual tracks that comprise some of his best European recordings of the decade, and the titles include "There is a Balm in Gilead", "Touareg", and "My Angel". The group includes Jeanne Lee on vocals, plus Lester Bowie, Malachi Favors, Dave Burrell, and Philly Joe Jones – and the whole thing has that great Paris spiritual free jazz party feel to it! Live At The Pan-African Festival was recorded in Algiers during the Pan-African Festival in 1969. The recording is a very unique one, and features Shepp's group with Grachan Moncur, Clifford Thorton, and Dave Burrell – plus lots of Algerian musicians! The sound is haunting, and the record really stands apart from Shepp's other BYG albums. Titles include "We Have Come Back" and "Brotherhood at Ketchaoua". CD

A dream of a set from Archie Shepp – a back to basics record that has Shepp blowing standards with an amazing sense of soul! Archie plays both tenor and soprano sax – in a group that also features Walter Davis on piano, Earl May on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. CD

Archie Shepp returns to some of the hippest, most righteous modes of his early 70s album for Impulse Records – especially those post-Paris sessions that often brought in singers and an expanded instrumental lineup! The performance here is a live one, and features beautiful vocals from Amina Claudine Myers, Marion Rampal, and Cecile McLorin Salvant – who sometimes work in a righteous chorus mode, sometimes sing solo, to bring out this depth in the compositions that we really love. Shep's on tenor and soprano sax, and sings a bit too – and there's a larger ensemble that features Famadou Don Moye on drums and percussion, plus guitar, trumpets, trombones, and even some added strings. Jimmy Owens conducts, and titles include a very cool reworking of the classic "Blues For Brother G Jackson" – plus "Quiet Dawn", "Cry Of My People", "Arms", "Attica Blues", "Mama Too Tight", and "Goodbye Sweet Pops". CD

A brilliant late Impulse Records album from Archie Shepp – material recorded on a variety of dates at the end of the 60s, but packaged together as an extremely soulful set in the mid 70s! There's a feel here that rivals some of the best moments of the Attica Blues years – a mix of spiritual soul jazz and bolder modern moments – reigned in nicely from the freer Shepp sound of a few years before, and given a really righteous focus by the addition of vocals on some tracks. Archie sings a bit himself, and one number features Leon Thomas singing with Tasha Thomas and Doris Troy – a very odd meeting in the studio! Players include Woody Shaw, Jimmy Owens, Dave Burrell, Grachan Moncur III, and Wally Richardson – and the tracks even get a bit funky at times! Titles include an excellent version of "New Africa", which was recorded later in Paris by Grachan Moncur III – plus "Back Back", "Spoo Pee Doo", "Slow Drag", and Cal Massey's "Bakai". CD

A really cool collaboration between tenor legend Archie Shepp and keyboardist Jasper Van't Hof – two players who worked together before this album, and come back nicely with a really inventive sort of sound! You may know Jasper from his wilder, wiggier electronic work of the 70s – and here, he uses some of those elements in the music, mixed with acoustic piano – but often at a level that seems really well-tuned to Archie's spirit, which wouldn't have been the case with his work of the past. There's a really great sense of variety going on here – from the electronic theme "The Hunter", to a sublime mellow acoustic take on "Naima", to a strange Shepp vocal performance on "Down Home In New York" – next to other cuts that include "Pulse Of The Roots", "In A Decent Way", and "5th Of May". CD

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The duo of Archie Shepp and Mal Waldron come together beautifully here – in a mode that echoes some of the duets that pianist Waldron recorded with other reedmen in the 70s and 80s, but which has an especially wonderful contribution from Shepp! Archie blows both tenor and soprano sax – and the warmth of his horn in later years is really perfect here – especially as the album's sometime of an update of Waldron's earlier Left Alone classic, recorded after the death of Billie Holiday at the end of the 50s. As with that one, the tunes here include some numbers very strongly tied to Billie's legacy, but the vibe is very different, and very personal along the lines of the spirit of Shepp and Waldron. Titles include "Lady Sings The Blues", "Left Alone", "Easy Living", "Everything Happens To Me", "When Your Lover Has Gone", and "Blues For 52nd Street". CD

Reggie Workman on bass, Andrew Cyrille on drums, Archie Shepp on tenor saxophone, piano & vocals, Grachan Moncur III & Roswell Rudd on trombone & Amiri Baraka receiting poetry. CD

A landmark meeting from one of the two greatest talents in jazz on the 70s European scene – vocalist Karin Krog and saxophonist Archie Shepp – both coming together in an extremely evocative session! The work has a very moody feel – as Krog's singing in a spacious tone that allows for plenty of tenor work by Shepp – done in a mode that colors in the spaces between the words, and made all that much better by support from his regular group members Charles Greenlee and Beaver Harris. Shepp was hitting a more traditional tone at this point in his career – but as with his other recordings of the same time, there's still a strongly modernist undercurrent that shines through nicely. Combined with Krog's vocals, the result is a beautiful approach that really opens up jazz standards like "Soul Eyes", "Solitude", and "Hi Fly" – and which is matched perfectly for Shepp's "Steam" and Carla Bley's "Sing Me Softly Of the Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

A really incredible record, and one that stands as a strong testament to both of the players involved – as they work together with open-ended improvisational energy that's really incredible throughout! The set follows a style that drummer Max Roach would soon revisit on other labels – but is maybe the first session to showcase his incredible ability to open up and improvise, in ways that hadn't shown up on most of his other, earlier recordings – perfectly matched by the energy of Archie Shepp on tenor, who's still very much in the throes of his more avant years – sounding incredible as he spins out these bold solos with a deep sense of imagination and meaning. The set features the three part "Sweet Mao" – with titles that include "La Preparation", "La Marche", and "Le Commencement" – followed by the side-long "Suid Afrika 76". Just drums and tenor, nothing else – and brilliant! LP, Vinyl record album

A classic of spiritual, soulful jazz – and one of Archie Shepp's greatest albums! The set was recorded in New York after a few free and festive years in Paris, and it's an amazing about-face that has Archie stepping into a world of righteous, full-on, political, and funky themes – the likes of which are far more outspoken than any of his previous recordings. The group on the set is quite a large one – hip New York underground players, a small string ensemble, and even a few singers – like soul diva Joshie Armstead and vocalist Joe Lee Wilson. Overall, the sound's somewhere in the same place as the Art Ensemble of Chicago's amazing Les Stances A Sophie – in that the record comes from a free jazz tradition, but moves into a more rhythmic focus in order to communicate its message. The added vocals and recitations are wonderful – very moving, and much less hippy-dippy than on other Shepp records of the time – and the whole thing holds together with a unique sound and substance that's made it a treasure that holds up again and again. A true gem, and one we'll never part with! Tracks include "Quiet Dawn", "Goodbye Sweet Pops", "Steam (parts 1 & 2)", "Attica Blues", "Blues For Brother George Jackson", and "Ballad For A Child". CD

A classic of spiritual, soulful jazz – and one of Archie Shepp's greatest albums! The set was recorded in New York after a few free and festive years in Paris, and it's an amazing about-face that has Archie stepping into a world of righteous, full-on, political, and funky themes – the likes of which are far more outspoken than any of his previous recordings. The group on the set is quite a large one – hip New York underground players, a small string ensemble, and even a few singers – like soul diva Joshie Armstead and vocalist Joe Lee Wilson. Overall, the sound's somewhere in the same place as the Art Ensemble of Chicago's amazing Les Stances A Sophie – in that the record comes from a free jazz tradition, but moves into a more rhythmic focus in order to communicate its message. The added vocals and recitations are wonderful – very moving, and much less hippy-dippy than on other Shepp records of the time – and the whole thing holds together with a unique sound and substance that's made it a treasure that holds up again and again. A true gem, and one we'll never part with! Tracks include "Quiet Dawn", "Goodbye Sweet Pops", "Steam (parts 1 & 2)", "Attica Blues", "Blues For Brother George Jackson", and "Ballad For A Child". LP, Vinyl record album

Blue blowing from Archie Shepp – a great set of ballads from later years, recorded at a time when Shepp had stepped back inside considerably from his styles of the past – but still brought a great depth of soul to his recordings! The tunes here are mostly familiar numbers, but Archie blows them with a tone and timing that's amazing – an approach that's almost comparable to the late years of Coleman Hawkins, at least for its understated brilliance. Other group members are great too – and include John Hicks on piano, George Mraz on bass, and Idris Muhammad on drums – the last of whom is wonderfully restrained on the date. Titles include "More Than You Know", "Little Girl Blue", "Blue & Sentimental", "If I Should Lose You", and "Alone Together". CD

One of the most righteous albums ever from Archie Shepp – a beautiful late Impulse set of grooves, and a record that matches the genius of Attica Blues! Shepp's working with a losse collective of players that includes Charles Greenlee, Harold Mabern, and Beaver Harris – plus vocalists like Joe Lee Wilson and Peggie Blue – all to craft a set of tunes that are as righteous and political as they are spiritual and soulful! The great Cal Massey handled arrangements on a number of the tracks on the set – bringing together the players with a wonderfully unified feel, pushing away the easy spirituality of earlier records to forge a massively powerful sound – and Shepp matches his great efforts by blowing some of his most soulful lines on record! Titles include the wonderful "African Drum Suite (parts 1 & 2)", plus "A Prayer", "Cry Of My People", "The Lady", "All God's Children Got A Home In The Universe", and "Rest Enough". CD

An amazing Impulse debut from Archie Shepp – easily one of his boldest musical statements ever, and a key announcement to the world that a new generation of modernists was on the rise! The album was co-produced by John Coltrane – who brought Shepp to the label, and almost gets out-done by Archie's sharply crafted musical vision on the set. The style here is that mix of freer lines and tighter conception that Shepp used with the New York Contemporary Five – and players include John Tchicai on alto from that group, plus Roswell Rudd on trombone, Alan Shorter on flugelhorn, Reggie Workman on bass, and Charles Moffett on drums. The lack of piano in the album is striking – and allows for plenty of horn interplay, but in a way that's much more cutting and dark than any of the piano-less horn dates from the 50s. Titles include 4 Coltrane compositions ("Syeeda's Song Flute", "Mr Syms", "Cousin Mary", and "Naima"), as sort of a tribute to Trane – plus Shepp's excellent "Rufus (Swung, his face at last to the wind, then his neck snapped)". LP, Vinyl record album

Some of Archie Shepp's most freewheeling material of the 60s – a long, extended, single-song album recorded at the Donaueschingen festival a few years before his classic work for BYG/Actuel – and very much in the same bold spirit as his recordings for that label! The single tune – "One For The Trane" – is opened up, stretched out, and run freely by Shepp on tenor, Roswell Rudd and Grachan Moncur on trombones, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Beaver Harris on drums – a very unique lineup that benefits not just from the presence of two trombones, which gives the record a very deep, rich sound – but also from the creative rhythms of Garrison and Harris, a really great team for a session like this! Shepp is wonderful – still with this inherent sense of soul that also ties the performance to some of his brightest moments for Impulse Records – this structure, even when blowing free, that creates an amazing sense of swing somewhere back in the music. LP, Vinyl record album

A great counterpart to some of Archie Shepp's studio albums for Impulse – a live date recorded in San Francisco, with a slightly freer, sharper edge! The sound is almost free at times, but always with that strong sense of focus that Archie brought to his brilliant work of the time – and the group's a well-honed ensemble who really understand each others motivations and inspirations – Roswell Rudd on trombone, Donald Garrett and Lewis Worrell on bass, and Beaver Harris on drums – all almost working at an ESP level together. Shepp plays a bit of piano on the record – in sharply angular tones that are almost more modern than his tenor – and titles include "The Wedding", "Wherever June Bugs Go", "Sylvia" and "Keep Your Heart Right". CD

Beautifully balanced 60s work from Archie Shepp – a record that mixes newer freedoms with sharper vision – all wrapped up with some wonderfully intense solo work! As with some of Shepp's other great dates for Impulse at the time, the group's a largeish one – a nonet of players who are arranged tightly at some moments, but set loose on their own at others – in a style that many other leaders would copy in years to come, but never really match as strongly! Trumpet is by Martin Banks and Michael Zwerin, the latter of whom also plays trombone – and other players include Reggie Workman on bass, Beaver Harris and Norman Connors on drums, and added percussion from Ed Blackwell, Frank Charles, and Dennis Charles. Shepp wrote all titles for the date – and there's a great mixture of soulful undercurrents and more angular modern edges in every tune. Titles include "The Magic Of Ju Ju", "You're What This Day Is All About", "Shazam", and "Sorry 'Bout That". CD

Great live material from Shepp – not out or crazy, but also not spiritual or hippy dippy, either. The record's kind of a perfectly soulful straight ahead set – in a mode that hints at the traditional direction Shepp would take at the time, but with a lot more interesting moments. The group's a quartet with Charles Greenlee on trombone, Dave Burrell on piano, Cameron Brown on bass, and Beaver Harris on drums – and the tracks feature Shepp soloing with a lot of soul, and criss crossing styles from track to track. "U-jamaa" is a strong straight number – and the 3 other titles are "Lush Life", "Crucificado" and "Miss Toni". CD

Archie Shepp on tenor saxophone, Richard Davis on bass, and Sunny Murray on drums. CD

Definitely the way ahead in jazz – back in the 60s, and well into the 21st Century too! Archie Shepp's in prime form here – working with a sextet that's awash in avant freedoms, but which always shows a great sense of restraint – just the right power gained from the new modes of jazz expression, as the players dance together beautifully on a razor's edge of personal creativity and ensemble exploration. Players here include Grachan Moncur on trombone, Jimmy Owens on trumpet, Ron Carter on bass, and Beaver Harris and Roy Haynes on drums – and the album also features the first piano player on most of the Shepp albums on Impulse – Walter Davis Jr, making a rare outside appearance with the group! Titles include the classic track "Frankenstein", plus "Fiesta", "Damn If I Know (The Stroller)", and "Sophisticated Lady" – all nice and long! CD also features 2 bonus tracks – "New Africa" and "Bakai". CD

A tremendous bit of jazz history – 2 classic Archie Shepp albums on 1 CD! Yasmina features Archie Shepp at his spiritual best – recording in Paris in 1969, and absorbing a heck of a lot of pan-African influences! The centerpiece of the album is the amazing "Yasmina" – a long track that builds with passion and fire, pulsing with an intensity that you'd expect more from Pharoah Sanders than Shepp himself. Next up is "Sonny's Back", a wonderful straight jazz groover with Archie and Hank Mobley on twin tenors upfront – making a rare and memorable recorded appearance together! The set's capped off by a mellow version of "Body & Soul", one that points towards the more soulful side of Shepp's work in the 70s. Poem For Malcolm is one of Shepp's most memorable LPs for BYG. Side one has him playing with Burton Greene, Alan Silva, Philly Joe Jones, and Claude Delcloo on the extended Mamarose/Poem For Malcolm. The track starts out with very free playing, then moves into a more subdued passage, with Shepp's recitation of his "Poem For Malcolm". Side two has a great lineup that includes Grachan Moncour III, Malachi Favors, and Hank Mobley, who gives one of the wildest performances of his life! The group runs through the 20 minute track Rain Forest/Oleo, and begins with a dark, spare performance, then leaps into a reading of "Oleo" that's filled with fire. CD

Sublime overseas work from these two legendary musicians – both players from different scenes in the US, and who never would have crossed paths back in the day – but who really sparkle here with a sense of brilliance that brings out the best in both artists! There's no other accompaniment at all – just the piano of Horace Parlan alongside the tenor and soprano sax of Archie Shepp – right at that point when Shepp was exploring more conventional structures of jazz, but with all the knowledge he'd learned from the avant scene – which makes for wonderfully soulful ballads here that are unlike anything you might expect. Parlan is great too – stretching out in the very resonant space of the recording – and titles include "Deep River", "Goin Home", "Amazing Grace", "Go Down Moses", and "My Lord What A Morning". LP, Vinyl record album

The duo of Archie Shepp and Mal Waldron come together beautifully here – in a mode that echoes some of the duets that pianist Waldron recorded with other reedmen in the 70s and 80s, but which has an especially wonderful contribution from Shepp! Archie blows both tenor and soprano sax – and the warmth of his horn in later years is really perfect here – especially as the album's sometime of an update of Waldron's earlier Left Alone classic, recorded after the death of Billie Holiday at the end of the 50s. As with that one, the tunes here include some numbers very strongly tied to Billie's legacy, but the vibe is very different, and very personal along the lines of the spirit of Shepp and Waldron. Titles include "Lady Sings The Blues", "Left Alone", "Easy Living", "Everything Happens To Me", "When Your Lover Has Gone", and "Blues For 52nd Street". CD

A great little record in the sort of format that always worked well for Archie Shepp during this point in his career – a new take on older modes, and one that balances the tenorist perfectly between his avant jazz roots and that new appreciation of standards that started to take hold in the late 70s! The format is very lean – just the bass of Richard Davis for accompaniment – and Davis' round tone provides a lot of grounding that lets Archie stretch out, soar, and bring in all these raspy edges that really keep things interesting, and which keep the record on very soulful footing throughout! Tracks include "Body & Soul", "Pannonica", "Round Midnight", and "Things Ain't What They Used To Be". CD

Sublimely spiritual work from trombonist Charles Greenlee – a player who's best remembered for work as a sideman with Archie Shepp, but who really sparkles as a leader on this rare Japanese set! The vibe here is totally great – a righteous approach to soul jazz that rivals the best work of the Strata East scene in the US, but which is carried off with the poise and power of some of the best mid 70s Japanese-only dates of this type – clearly a great deal of respect and freedom given to Greenlee in the studio, but also some good help in putting together the record in as solid a way as possible. Jean Carn makes a great appearance singing on 3 tracks here – with a quality that's even more righteous than her work with Doug Carn on Black Jazz – and one more number features the great Joe Lee Wilson on vocals too. Players include Hubert Eaves and Art Matthews on piano, Charles Sullivan on trumpet, Archie Shepp on tenor and soprano, Buster Williams on bass, and either Charlie Persip or Beaver Harris on drums – and titles include "I Know About The Life", "He's Gone", "Steam", "Someday", "Crusificado", and "Miss Barbara". CD

A wonderfully moody album from Abbey Lincoln – one that's a bit more laidback than some of her other efforts, but no less soulful! There's kind of a broken, jagged sound to the record – a late nite vibe that's blue and melancholy, and which gets some great support from the tenor sax of Archie Shepp – which often gets a chance to solo on most tracks! The rhythms are gentle, often a bit spare – and handled by Hilton Ruiz on piano, Jack Gregg on bass, and Freddie Waits on drums – and the set also features work from trumpeter Roy Burroughs. Tracks include three original compositions, "Painted Lady", "Throw It Away", and "Caged Bird", plus a sublime version of Stevie Wonder's "Golden Lady". Also includes Ellington's "Sophisticated Lady", and Michel Legrand's "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life". LP, Vinyl record album

The set's billed as a "tribute to Charlie Parker", but it's got a heck of a lot more to offer than that – as the album's one of the best of Archie Shepp's late 70s efforts, and has a gentle soulfulness that goes way beyond just duplicating Bird! The tunes are all numbers associated with Charlie Parker, to be sure – but Archie's working here in a mode that's often less boppish than it is searingly soulful – in that great later Shepp way of hitting the reed of the tenor with a nice degree of "rasp", voicing things with a bit more dirt than Parker ever would have – and eschewing deftly cutting lines for more personally introspective modes. The group features Everett Hollins on trumpet, Siefried Kessler on piano, Bob Cunningham on bass, and Clifford Jarvis on drums – and titles include "Now's The Time", "Lover Man", "Au Privave", and "Parker's Mood" – all in nice long versions. CD

Archie Shepp is one of the most unique players in jazz – an artist who started out completely avant at the beginning of his career, then moved to spiritual jazz explorations, then to straighter jazz material in later decades – but always with all that knowledge of the edges and farther realms of jazz he explored in his other music! That's definitely the case here – as Shepp takes on a host of ballads, but with all these edges and dark passages that are completely different than you'd hear from any other player – cast beautifully with help from Horace Parlan on piano, Wayne Dockery on bass, and Steve McRaven on drums. Shepp blows alto and tenor, and in addition to the titles "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", "Lush Life", "Angel Eyes", "All Too Soon", and "Embraceable You" – the set also features Shepp originals "Deja Vu" and "I Know About The Life". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible collective of musicians – all recording here under the mighty leadership of Archie Shepp! The feel of the session is a highly collaborative one – far more so than even Shepp's other Paris work for the BYG/Actuel label – as a richly varied lineup that includes Leroy Jenkins, Sonny Murray, Clifford Thornton, Noah Howard, and Dave Burrell come into play with Shepp's work on soprano sax, and some additional work by bluesmen Chicago Beau and Julio Finn. Finn plays some airy harmonica lines next to spare viola from Jenkins – setting a spacious mood for the album's two longer tracks as the rest of the players come into the mix to fill things out in a mode that builds with rhythmic intensity. The album features the tracks "Black Gypsy" and "Epitaph Of A Small Winner" – plus the shorter modal number "Pitchin Can". CD

A crucial album from Archie Shepp – one that finds him enjoying new freedoms on the French scene at the end of the 60s – which then helps him take off from his earlier Impulse Records modes, at a level he'd then bring back to the label in the early 70s! There's a very free-thinking sense of combination here – as Shepp is breaking down from his idea of a more unified sound in the material – and opens the door at points to work from Jeanne Lee on voice and Chicago Beau and Julio Finn on harmonicas – in a lineup that also includes Malachi Favors on bass, Dave Burrell on piano, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. These are long, spiritual tracks that comprise some of his best European recordings of the time, and the titles include "There is a Balm in Gilead", "Touareg", "Blase", and "My Angel" – plus a strong reading of "Sophisticated Lady" – which maybe points the way towards some of the Shepp experiments in the late 70s. CD

One of the most righteous albums ever from Archie Shepp – a beautiful late Impulse set of grooves, and a record that matches the genius of Attica Blues! Shepp's working with a loose collective of players that includes Charles Greenlee, Harold Mabern, and Beaver Harris – plus vocalists like Joe Lee Wilson and Peggie Blue – all to craft a set of tunes that are as righteous and political as they are spiritual and soulful! The great Cal Massey handled arrangements on a number of the tracks on the set – bringing together the players with a wonderfully unified feel, pushing away the easy spirituality of earlier records to forge a massively powerful sound – and Shepp matches his great efforts by blowing some of his most soulful lines on record! Titles include the wonderful "African Drum Suite (parts 1 & 2)", plus "A Prayer", "Cry Of My People", "The Lady", "All God's Children Got A Home In The Universe", and "Rest Enough". CD

A very different album from Archie Shepp – and an introspective record that shows a whole new side of his talents! For the session, Shepp plays piano, not tenor – an instrument he handles with an angular, modern tone – one that seems to echo bits of Herbie Nichols and Thelonious Monk, but with a wider range of sounds too – and a definite sense of spirit that shows Archie's larger growth as a musician in the 70s. The tunes are often familiar numbers, but they're recast in weird ways here – odd phrasing on piano, offbeat rhythms, and some hip backing from Bob Reid on bass and Muhammad Ali on drums. The great Alan Shorter joins the group on flugelhorn for a few numbers – bringing in a freer Paris jazz feel – and titles include "Doodlin", "Invitation", "Coral Rock", "More Than You Know", and Shepp's own "Worried About You". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic stuff – easily one of Archie Shepp's greatest albums, and certainly one of the pivotal points of 60s avant garde jazz! The album features Shepp leading a crack "new thing" line up that includes Ted Curson on trumpet, Marion Brown on alto, Joe Chambers on drums, Reggie Johnson on bass, and the lesser-known Joseph Orange on trombone – all playing in a beautifully poised manner, never too far out and free, but with all the dynamic energy of the best jazz changes of the 60s! There's a vibe here that's similar to some of the Blue Note "new thing" work by players like Grachan Moncur, Jackie McLean, and Tony Williams from the time – but there's a vision that's also wider and deeper, too, given the size of the group and the way they interact. Titles include "Hambone", "Los Olvidados", "Malcolm Malcolm–Semper Malcolm", and an insane cover of "Girl From Ipanema". You can't go wrong with this one – trust us! CD

Fantastic stuff – easily one of Archie Shepp's greatest albums, and certainly one of the pivotal points of 60s avant garde jazz! The album features Shepp leading a crack "new thing" line up that includes Ted Curson on trumpet, Marion Brown on alto, Joe Chambers on drums, Reggie Johnson on bass, and the lesser-known Joseph Orange on trombone – all playing in a beautifully poised manner, never too far out and free, but with all the dynamic energy of the best jazz changes of the 60s! There's a vibe here that's similar to some of the Blue Note "new thing" work by players like Grachan Moncur, Jackie McLean, and Tony Williams from the time – but there's a vision that's also wider and deeper, too, given the size of the group and the way they interact. Titles include "Hambone", "Los Olvidados", "Malcolm Malcolm–Semper Malcolm", and an insane cover of "Girl From Ipanema". You can't go wrong with this one – trust us! LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic stuff – easily one of Archie Shepp's greatest albums, and certainly one of the pivotal points of 60s avant garde jazz! The album features Shepp leading a crack "new thing" line up that includes Ted Curson on trumpet, Marion Brown on alto, Joe Chambers on drums, Reggie Johnson on bass, and the lesser-known Joseph Orange on trombone – all playing in a beautifully poised manner, never too far out and free, but with all the dynamic energy of the best jazz changes of the 60s! There's a vibe here that's similar to some of the Blue Note "new thing" work by players like Grachan Moncur, Jackie McLean, and Tony Williams from the time – but there's a vision that's also wider and deeper, too, given the size of the group and the way they interact. Titles include "Hambone", "Los Olvidados", "Malcolm Malcolm–Semper Malcolm", and an insane cover of "Girl From Ipanema". You can't go wrong with this one – trust us! LP, Vinyl record album

A rare gem from Archie Shepp – really wonderful, and still pretty darn spiritual! The record features 2 long tracks – "Lybia" and "My Heart Cries Out To Africa" – each a side long, and each with a soulful fire missing from many of Shepp's other recordings from the time (save for a few gems, like Sea Of Faces). The group is a quintet, and features Charles Greenlee on trombone, Dave Burrell on piano, David Williams on bass, and Beaver Harris on drums. Very nice stuff! LP, Vinyl record album

A rare live set – recorded in Algiers during the Panafrican Festival in 1969, featuring a set of work that is some of Shepp's rootsiest of the 60s! The recording features a core group of Shepp, Grachan Moncur, Clifford Thorton, and Dave Burrell – all joined by a host of Algerian and Touareg musicians – playing percussion in a way that creates a heavy drone-like quality to the record, expanding Shepp's jazz sound with a spacious ethnographic vision. The sound is haunting, and the record really stands apart from Shepp's other work of the time. Features the extended tracks "We Have Come Back" (Pts 1 & 2) and "Brotherhood at Ketchaoua". LP, Vinyl record album

Growing brilliance from the young Archie Shepp – a record that's not just about Archie's own amazing work on the tenor, but also his keen modern vision as a leader! The combo here is an ensemble that features some of the hippest modernists of the 60s – Roswell Rudd and Grachan Moncur on trombone, Perry Robinson on clarinet, Howard Johnson on tuba, Charlie Haden on bass, and Tommy Turrentine on trumpet – making a rare non-bop appearance here, and further enforcing our already-high estimation of his talents! The style's somewhat in the "new thing" mode of the period, but it's also a bit more tightly arranged too – almost hitting Mingus-like modes for the bigger ensemble – balancing the force of the group together with very free, bold solo impulses from the players. Side one features the extended "Portrait Of Robert Thompson (As A Young Man)" – and side two features "Mama Too Tight", "Theme For Ernie", and "Basheer". LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant second volume to this classic series of live recordings from Archie Shepp – and a record that shows both ways he could really shine in the 70s! The record's got a wonderful 28 minute take on Archie's classic "Blues For Brother George Jackson" – an Attica Blues-era number that's possibly the closest thing that Shepp ever wrote to a groover – played here in a really open, free way that has a lot more edges than the famous studio version – including some amazing sharp lines from Shepp on tenor sax – over rhythms from Siegfried Kessler on piano, Bob Cunningham on bass, and Clifford Jarvis on drums. The rest of the album showcases Shepp's return to tradition – a new love of bop that he didn't actually even show in his earliest recordings in the US – but which marked Archie's reinvention of himself as an equally straight tenorist at the time – on titles here that include long takes of "Donna Lee" and "Round Midnight". CD

An overlooked treasure from Archie Shepp – a set recorded for the Enja label with a profile that's not as bold as some of his other albums, but a great later session that has some surprisingly wonderful moments! Perhaps the best of these is the album's long workout on "Mama Rose" – done here as a free-flowing modal number with some great soprano sax lines from Archie – blown beautifully over soaring rhythms from Kenny Werner on piano, Santi DeBriano on bass, and the great Marvin Smitty Smith on drums. The track really cooks wonderfully – and is followed by the more sensitive "Soul Song", the hard-blown tenor cut "Geechee", and a laidback take on "My Romance". Both "Geechee" and "Mama Rose" dominate the record – and are perfect examples of the later soulful sound of Shepp in the post-Impulse years! CD

An overlooked gem in the career of tenorist Archie Shepp – one of those fantastically soulful European recordings that sometimes get missed, given that Shepp was recording so much and in so many ways overseas during these later years! The style here is a wonderful distillation of the modes he was exploring in his post-Impulse years – a small group rendition of the spiritual ideas of that earlier moment, but refined with more of a focus on Shepp's tremendous tone on tenor – even more maturely expressive here than before, at a level that makes us really love this period more and more as the years go on! The group features Horace Parlan on piano, Clifford Jarvis on drums, and Harry Emmery on bass – the last of whom does a wonderful job of filling the space left empty by Wilbur Little, with round tones that echo the soulfulness of Archie's tenor, and really live up to the tribute promised in the title. Tunes include a really wonderful reading of "Steam" – plus "Arrival", "Manhattan", and "Reflexions". CD

A later set from Archie Shepp and a real lost gem – quite different from his earlier works, especially the better known late 60s sessions – and a surprisingly nice album that runs through some truly excellent longer takes – filled with warmth and tenderness you wouldn't expect! Steam was recorded in early 1976, in a stripped down setting, with Cameron Brown on bass and Beaver Harris on drums. The group wonderfully rolls through Ellington's "Solitude", Shepp's "Steam", and the epic "A Message From Trane", a tremendous number written by the great Cal Massey – and Shepp plays both tenor and piano on the record. The CD reissue includes bonus tracks not on the original album – "Ah Leu Cha" and "52nd Street Theme". CD

Three great albums in one package! Steam is a later set from Archie Shepp and a real lost gem – quite different from his earlier works, especially the better known late 60s sessions – and a surprisingly nice album that runs through some truly excellent longer takes – filled with warmth and tenderness you wouldn't expect! Steam was recorded in early 1976, in a stripped down setting, with Cameron Brown on bass and Beaver Harris on drums. The group wonderfully rolls through Ellington's "Solitude", Shepp's "Steam", and the epic "A Message From Trane", a tremendous number written by the great Cal Massey – and Shepp plays both tenor and piano on the record. CD reissue includes bonus tracks not on the original album – "Ah Leu Cha" and "52nd Street Theme". Lover Man is an overlooked treasure from his years as a straight jazz musician – a time we come to appreciate more and more as the years go by! The Shepp heard here is one who's still got all the raw tone and bite of the old days, but also finds a way to swing things on a set of familiar standards – so that he's cutting these great raspy lines out of tunes you might already know – but which are taking on a whole new life in the process. The small combo also features Dave Burrell on piano – another player who could go out, but instead here hangs inside, yet uses all the knowledge of his reach to keep things interesting. A few of the tracks feature vocals from Anne Lowman – with Shepp alongside on tenor – and the rest of the group features Herman Wright on bass and Steve McCraven on drums. Titles include "Brand New World/Breaking A New Day", "My Funny Valentine", "Stars Are In Your Eyes", "Lush Life", and "Yesterdays". Something To Live For is a set of standards from Archie Shepp – but one that's done in a much less traditional way than you might expect – that new standard of returning to roots, but doing them differently that Shepp first began in the 70 – and which really colored the rest of his recording career in a really strong way! Shepp plays tenor, but also vocalizes on many tracks – almost more talking than singing at times, with a raspy, almost bluesy style – but not blues at all – an element that's warmed up by the sparkling trumpet and flugelhorn of Eddie Henderson, whose role in the lead is equally as important as Archie! The rest of the group features John Hicks on piano, George Mraz on bass, and Idris Muhammad on drums – all players who make great contributions in more subtle ways – on tunes that include "You're Blase", "California Blues", "My Foolish Heart", "A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing", and "Something To Live For". CD

Great small combo work from Archie Shepp – still somewhere in the territory of his return to tradition in the late 70s, but played with a tremendously adventurous tone throughout! The group here features Amina Claudine Myers on some wonderfully expressive piano – an element that gives the record an even deeper degree of soul than usual – as Archie carves these sublime lines on soprano and tenor sax, alongside Cameron Brown on bass and Ronnie Burrage on drums. Titles include a great reworking of Shepp's "Kwanza" – plus "Tomorrow Will Be Another Day", "It's All Right", "Mama Rose", "Call Him", and "The Stars Are In Your Eyes". CD

Definitely the way ahead in jazz – back in the 60s, and well into the 21st Century too! Archie Shepp's in prime form here – working with a sextet that's awash in avant freedoms, but which always shows a great sense of restraint – just the right power gained from the new modes of jazz expression, as the players dance together beautifully on a razor's edge of personal creativity and ensemble exploration. Players here include Grachan Moncur on trombone, Jimmy Owens on trumpet, Ron Carter on bass, and Beaver Harris and Roy Haynes on drums – and the album also features the first piano player on most of the Shepp albums on Impulse – Walter Davis Jr, making a rare outside appearance with the group! Titles include the classic track "Frankenstein", plus "Fiesta", "Damn If I Know (The Stroller)", and "Sophisticated Lady" – all nice and long! LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked session – and as nice as you'd expect! The magical later work of Shepp combines with the evocative piano lines of Dollar Brand – creating spare tracks that echo with a soul that spans continents of music and memory. Shepp plays tenor, alto, and soprano sax – and the album includes a great reading of Dave Burrell's "Fortunato", plus the tunes "Barefoot Boy From Queenstown", "Left Alone", "Moniebah", and "Ubu Suko". CD

Beautifully soulful duets – just Horace Parlan on piano and Archie Shepp on tenor and soprano sax! CD

Archie Shepp meets the Mihaly Dresch quartet for a set of originals by Dresch, plus a new take on Shepp's "Steam". CD

A seminal live set from tenorist Archie Shepp – and some of his freest, least-structured material ever! Shepp's still a righteous force here on his horn, but there also seems to be equal emphasis on the contributions of all members of the group – woven together in a really rich tapestry of sound, but with less of the structuring righteous concepts of some of Archie's other work – especially his sides for Impulse. Shepp had really been experiencing some new freedoms on the French scene of the late 60s – even more so than in the US avant outfield – and you can definitely hear him taking flight here, with a like-minded group of players that includes Clifford Thornton on trombone and shenai, Alan Shorter on flugelhorn, Joseph Dujean on guitar, Beb Guerin on bass, and Claud Delcloo on drums. This first part of the live set features one long track – "The Early Bird" – a slow building number that goes increasingly outside as it progresses, featuring some very over the top solo work from Shepp, who also plays a bit of piano on the set! Piano returns on "Huru" – another long track that has Shepp laying down these beautiful blocky passages that are surprisingly personal amidst the freer energy of the group. CD

Seminal work from the duo of Archie Shepp and Bill Dixon – easily one of the greatest modern jazz pairings of the 60s! If you only know Shepp from his later work, you'll hear something very different here – as his tenor's often brought into tight focus with the trumpet of Dixon – in a blend of arrangement and freedom that's like that of Ted Curson and Bill Barron, but a lot more powerful overall! The tunes still have a sense of structure – and get great help from the bass of Don Moore and drums of Paul Cohen – but there's also some tremendously unbridled energy from the leaders, especially Dixon, who might not have sounded this great ever again. Titles include "Quartet", "Peace", and "Trio". LP, Vinyl record album

Seminal "new thing" work by Bill Dixon and Archie Shepp! The album is divided in two – so that one side features work by Dixon, playing in a group with Ken McIntyre; and the other side features Shepp leading a combo that includes Ted Curson, John Tchicai, and Don Cherry. Both sides are some of the most seminal "new thing" sessions ever recorded, and they have a fantastic quality that far outstrips later work by both artists. Titles include "The 12th December", "Winter Song, 1964", "Where Poppies Bloom", and "Consequences". Plus, the CD features 2 previously unissued alternate takes! CD

One of the best records from Shepp's "new tradition" late 70's period devoted to the exploration of Charlie Parker. The album features extended readings of tracks that are either Parker originals, or which were strongly associated with him – and titles include "Donna Lee", "lady Bird", "Now's The Time", and "Relaxin At Camarillo". Shepp's actually right at home in this setting, and his "out" background really brings a new twist to a traditional understanding of Bird. The rest of the group is made up of Jaki Byard, Cecil Mc Bee, and Roy Haynes. LP, Vinyl record album

Features Archie Shepp on piano, Herman Wright on bass, and Clifford Jarvis on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

A later set from Archie Shepp and a real lost gem – quite different from his earlier works, especially the better known late 60s sessions – and a surprisingly nice album that runs through some truly excellent longer takes – filled with warmth and tenderness you wouldn't expect! Steam was recorded in early 1976, in a stripped down setting, with Cameron Brown on bass and Beaver Harris on drums. The group wonderfully rolls through Ellington's "Solitude", Shepp's "Steam", and the epic "A Message From Trane", a tremendous number written by the great Cal Massey – and Shepp plays both tenor and piano on the record. LP, Vinyl record album

Duo recordings of standards made famous by Charlie Parker, with titles including "Moose The Mooche", "Ornithology", "Billie's Blues", "Yardbird Suite" and more. CD

Incredible work from one of the greatest groups of the New York avant scene of the 60s! This French set (probably from the late 60s or early 70s) brings live tracks recorded in Copenhagen in 1963 – and which rarely every show up in any form, even on reissue. The group features Shepp, Don Cherry, John Tchicai, Don Moore, and JC Moses – and the work ranks with some of Shepp's best-ever, and has that dark well-managed "new thing" sound of his best early work on Impulse. In fact, we'd rank these two LPs right up there with some of the best avant garde jazz of the 60s – which is a shame when you consider how rare it is to find. Titles include "Mik", "The Funeral", "Cisum", and "When Will The Blues Leave". US issue of the original recording by Polydor. LP, Vinyl record album

Cecil Taylor and Archie Shepp – two key modern figures of the 60s, working here together in a seminal session recorded at the start of the decade! The album's approach is definitely dictated by Taylor – as the tunes have a piano-driven quality that's quite different than most music Shepp would later record – although Archie still manages to get in plenty of great moments on tenor! You can really hear Cecil breaking out of his earlier sound on the record – stretching forth in some of the more freely expressive ways that would dominate later, yet never too free – almost with a hint of modern swing at some points. Other players include Buell Niedlinger on bass and either Sunny Murray or Dennis Charles on drums – and titles include "Air", "Eb", and "Port Of Call". LP, Vinyl record album