Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Archie Shepp Attica Blues Orchestra: I Hear the Sound

Archie Shepp Attica Blues Orchestra: I Hear the Sound

By Jack Bowers
December 2, 2013
View read count

Archie Shepp Attica Blues Orchestra: I Hear the Sound

Saxophonist

Archie Shepp

saxophone, tenor
b.1937

" data-original-title="" title="">Archie Shepp wrote "Attica Blues" in 1972, not long after a five-day uprising at that New York state prison left thirty-nine people dead, twenty-nine of whom were inmates. Now, more than forty years later, Shepp's Attica Blues Orchestra (comprised for the most part of French musicians) has resurrected the "Blues" and made it the linchpin of a new album, I Hear the Sound, which includes five more compositions by Shepp, three by Cal Massey, one by pianist

Amina Claudine Myers

piano
b.1942

" data-original-title="" title="">Amina Claudine Myers and

Duke Ellington

piano
1899 - 1974

" data-original-title="" title="">Duke Ellington's "Come Sunday," arranged by

Ernie Wilkins

arranger
1922 - 1999

" data-original-title="" title="">Ernie Wilkins.

The strident, toe-tapping "Blues," which opens with guitars and hand-clapping, has a lyric that pivots around the phrase "I got a feelin.'" There are other words, largely incomprehensible, that no doubt have earnest meaning in the context of Attica. Myers' "Arms," which follows, is a love song, not a serenade to the Second Amendment, and that may be Myers singing (no credits are given). Again, the lyric is no doubt heartfelt but otherwise prosaic. A second blues, this one for "Brother G. Jackson," has a nice beat, some fastidious choral work and a trustworthy tenor solo, presumably by Shepp. The tenor is front and center again on a slow-moving version of "Come Sunday," which sounds about as charming as it ever has, thanks in part to admirable vocals by Shepp, Marion Rampal and Cecile McLorin-Savant (the last two are educated guesses).

Trumpeter

Ambrose Akinmusire

trumpet
b.1982

" data-original-title="" title="">Ambrose Akinmusire is a welcome guest on Massey's "The Cry of My People," another dirge-like hymn that underscores the album's purposeful gravity. Massey wrote the tasteful "Quiet Dawn," which uses a small string section, and "Goodbye Sweet Pops," also with strings, a straight-ahead swinger on which Shepp (apparently) switches to soprano sax. Nice solos all round from (two) trumpets, trombone and piano. Shepp's other originals—"D��j�� Vu," "Steam," "Ballad for a Child," "Mama Too Tight"—have their moments, especially the Gospel-inflected "Mama," on which Shepp's robust tenor sets the pace for animated solos by trombone and trumpet. Splendid work by the ensemble (a constant throughout) and vocalists. For those who appreciate big-band jazz that is resolutely modern even as it embraces the inbred heritage of the blues.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Attica Blues; Arms; Blues for Brother G. Jackson; Come Sunday; The Cry of My People; Quiet Dawn; D��j�� Vu; Steam; Goodbye Sweet Pop��s; Ballad for a Child; Mama Too Tight.

Personnel

Archie Shepp Attica Blues Orchestra

Archie Shepp: tenor and soprano saxophones, voice; Amina Claudine Myers: piano, voice; Tom McClung: piano; Famoudou Don Moye: drums, congas; Reggie Washington: bass; Darryl Hall: bass (5); Pierre Durand: guitar; St��phane Belmondo: trumpet; Izidor Leitinger: trumpet; Christophe Leloil: trumpet; Olivier Miconi: trumpet; Ambrose Akinmusire: trumpet (5); S��bastien Llado: trombone; Simon Sieger: trombone; Romain Morello: trombone; Micha?l Ballue: trombone; Rapha?l Imbert: alto saxophone; Olivier Chaussade: alto saxophone; Fran?ois Th��berge: tenor saxophone; Virgile Lefebvre: tenor saxophone; Jean-Philippe Scali: baritone saxophone; Manon Tenoudji: violin; Steve Duong: violin; Antoine Carlier: viola; Louise Rosbach: cello; Marion Rampal: voice; C��cile McLorin Salvant: voice.

Album information

Title: I Hear the Sound | Year Released: 2013 | Record Label: Archie Ball Records

PREVIOUS / NEXT

London Jazz Festival 2013
< Previous

Christian Pincock: Plentiful Excite...
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.