WILDFLOWERS 2 – The New York Loft Jazz Sessions (Douglas / LP2-1977)

Label: Douglas – NBLP 7046

Series: Wildflowers: The New York Loft Jazz Sessions – 2

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album / Country: US / Released: 1977

Style: Free Jazz, Free Improvisation

Recorded May 14 thru May 23, 1976 at Studio Rivbea, 24 Bond Street, New York.

Engineer [Assistant] – Les Kahn

Engineer [Chief] – Ron Saint Germain

Engineer [Remote Assistant] – Matt Murray

Executive-producer – Harley I. Lewin

Liner Notes – Ross Firestone

Mastered By – Ray Janos

Photography By – Peter Harron

Producer – Alan Douglas, Michael Cuscuna, Sam Rivers

A1 - Flight To Sanity – The Need To Smile .................................................. 10:47

         Bass – Benny Wilson

         Congas – Don Moye

         Drums – Harold Smith

         Piano – Sonelius Smith

         Soprano Saxophone – Art Bennett

         Tenor Saxophone – Byard Lancaster

         Trumpet – Olu Dara

A2 - Ken McIntyre – Naomi ............................................................................ 6:00

         Congas, Percussion – Andy Vega

         Flute – Ken McIntyre

         Percussion [Multiple] – Andrei Strobert

         Piano – Richard Harper

B1 - Anthony Braxton – 73°-S Kelvin ............................................................. 6:30

         Alto Saxophone, Clarinet, Contrabass Saxophone – Anthony Braxton

         Bass – Fred Hopkins

         Drums – Barry Altschul

         Guitar – Michael Jackson
         Piano – Anthony Davis

         Percussion – Phillip Wilson

         Trombone – George Lewis

B2 - Marion Brown – And Then They Danced ............................................... 7:00

         Alto Saxophone – Marion Brown

         Bass – Jack Greg

         Congas – Jumma Santos

B3 - Leo Smith & The New Delta Ahkri – Locomotif N°6 ............................. 6:00

         Alto Saxophone – Oliver Lake

         Bass – Wes Brown

         Drums – Paul Maddox, Stanley Crouch

         Piano – Anthony Davis

         Trumpet – Leo Smith

Note:

A1. Due to technical live recording problems, the beginning of "The Need To Smile" was not properly recorded. The producers felt the performance strong enough to include it with a logical beginning at the soprano saxophone solo.

B1. "73°-S Kelvin" is an excerpt of a continuous performance.

B2. "And Then They Danced" is presented here in its entirety. It fades rather than ends with applause because it was part of a continuous set where one composition followed into the next.

... Free jazz being almost synonym of Jazz during short period of late 60s-early 70s disappeared from American jazz scenes blown away by fusion.Yesterday stars trying to survive changed their music to more accessible (as Archie Shepp)or moved to Europe where free jazz stayed alive founding its niche in small clubs for years.In late 70s though American free jazz experienced some renaissance in a form of so called "loft jazz scene" - avant-garde jazz musicians activities based around New York Soho district former industrial lofts, refurbished to musicians studios. One of central such studio was Sam Rivers Studio Rivbea. Lot of concerts took a place there and some cult albums were recorded as well...

The second volume in this seminal series from the mid 70s – one that did a great job of documenting some of the formative underground playing that was happening in the New York loft scene, almost more creative work than in previous generations, thanks to a lack of commercial venues, and hence, commercial constraints on the music. Tracks include "And Then They Danced" by Marion Brown, "Locomotif" by Leo Smith, "Naomi" by Ken McIntyre, and "The Need To Smile" by a group with Byard Lancaster, Sonelius Smith, Don Moye, and Olu Dara.

If you find it, buy this album!