SHAMEK FARRAH – First Impressions (Strata-East – SES-7412 / LP-1974)

Label: Strata-East – SES-7412

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album / Country: US / Released: 1974

Style: Soul-Jazz, Contemporary, Free Jazz

Recorded and mixed at Sound Ideas Studio, New York City.

Artwork [Graphics] – Jerry Harris

Photography By [Liner Photo] – Richard Hinson

Engineer [Recording] – Geoff Daking, George Klabin

Producer – Shamek Farrah / Janfar Productions

Matrix / Runout (Side A Etched): SES-7412-A

Matrix / Runout (Side B Etched): SES-7412-B

A1 - Meterologicly Tuned ................................................................................... 11:20

A2 - Watch What Happens Now .......................................................................... 5:43

Shamek Farrah – alto saxophone

Norman Person – trumpet

Kasa Mu-Barak – piano

Milton Suggs – bass

Clay Herndon – drums, percussion

B1 - Umoja Suite ................................................................................................. 7:26

B2 - First impressions ....................................................................................... 10:30

Shamek Farrah – alto saxophone

Norman Person – trumpet

Sonelius Smith – piano

Milton Suggs – bass

Ron Warwell – drums

Kenny Harper – percussion

Calvert "Bo" Satter-White – conga

Fantastic piece of free improvised groove jazz. The players are kind of doing there solos together at the same time, but never loose touch to that bassline groove, outstanding, free, but never too free, just really soulful interaction and a mysterious ancient vibe to it.

One of the hardest to find records on Strata East, and one of the best – a darkly-crafted session of pure beauty, one that lives up to all the best promise of the label! The tracks are long, the sound is bold, and the whole thing moves at a pace that none of the bigger jazz labels were matching at the time – the most righteous, most expressive side of jazz in the mid 70s! Alto player Shamek Farrah is at the lead of a unique group that features Norman Person on trumpet, Milton Suggs on bass, and Sonelius Smith on piano – plus lots of additional drums and percussion, especially on side two of the album, which features some really righteous numbers! Titles include the massive bass sample track "First Impressions" – a symphony of dark, descending chord structures – plus "Meterologicly Tuned", "Watch What Happens Now", and "Umoja Suite". Incredible good! 

(Dusty Groove, Inc.)

If you find it, buy this album!

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!