THE Art Emsemble of Chicago doesn't sound like a typical jazz-band name. But then the members of the band don't play what most conventional critics call jazz.
At London's Queen Elizabeth Hall earlier this month, a packed house heard them play equal precision African drum music and free jazz to smooth melodies and Big Band swing.
The only analogy that seems appropriate for their music is Jimi Hendrix's 'It's like the waves of the ocean. It's constantly moving all the time.?
A blues solo on Malachi Favors' bass rises with a swell of African percussion and flute from the other musicians. A hurricane of imranging association, provised sound, with no one instrument discernible, settles into a calm and moving saxophone or trumpet solo.
Don Moye's drum and percussion solo continually varies speed and sounds.
While noted for their influential role in the most free and improvised jazz - the new music Art Ensemble's repertoire contains tributes to all strands of Afro-American music.
The band emerged ten years ago from the Association for the Advancement of Creative Music, an organisation established by black jazz musicians in Chicago in 1965. The which still exișts, drew together musicians interested in playing the more freeBlack Music', refers not only choirs of Africa.' cussion and form, improvisational, new music, and at the same time promoted black pride in Afro-American culture and music.
The Art Ensemble call their work 'Great which they told Val Wilmer to the designated as jazz, but to the Church music of singers like Mahalia Jackson and the drumUsing a stage packed with an array of perinstruments, many of them African, traditional jazz instruments, Ensemble members gave a powerful visual and musical demonstration of this claim.
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D Fowler S Hughes L Austin Lambeth IMG £25.00 Total 2.00 2.00 3.50 Not only does the Ensemble reflect the Chicago blend of new music inspired by the advancement association, but the heritage of the city as the capital of urban blues gives the group There is no period of 'Great Black Music' which is not skilfully honoured by the Ensemble. And just as the link with Africa shows Just how old their 'new' music is, many of their new techniques are old memories they have revived.
Trumpeter Lester Bowie is known for his low-register (almost saxophone-like) playing But he is said to have learned it from an oldtook his trumpet off him demonstrated a method of playing that had Attracted to the new music by the advancement association, Bowie began his career as a 2.00 1.00 30.00 100.00 £165.50 Cumulative total so far:- £366.47