A Jackson In Your House, Message To Our Folks Media Book

All of the material on these three original albums was recorded in Paris during 1969, when the group was still a quartet, before Don Moye joined up. There's an amazing variety of different musics here, as well as plenty of the freeform improvisations for which they are known. Check out their takes on rock, Dixieland, spoken-word, gospel and straight-ahead bebop. These guys are never less than interesting. I sometimes think of the Art Ensemble as a great sonic palate cleanser or a righteous karmic brain flush. Regardless of how strange or off-putting their music might sound to folks used to more "straight-ahead" jazz, I guarantee you that once you get hit in your soul, there ain't no turning back.

A pair of classic albums from Art Ensemble Of Chicago, from the early 70's. Great music here, and well worth having as a double CD. I just wish it had been packaged in a jewel case, instead of this sort of book style package.

This package includes three works, "A Jackson in Your House", "Message to Our Folks", and "Reese and the Smooth Ones"---all created in 1969, when the Art Ensemble was in Paris and produced eight different albums in the course of a year. I score the albums like this: "A Jackson..." FIVE STARS "Message to Our Folks" FOUR STARS "Reese and..." THREE STARS. "Reese and the Smooth Ones" is an album-long improvisation, and it has periods of monotony. I find that I usually enjoy the Art Ensemble more when the compositions are shorter and more variable, as on "A Jackson..." and "Message...". These albums were recorded when the Art Ensemble was "finding its feet" creatively, and they are remarkable. The Art Ensemble was a group that combined jazz with 20th Century classical modernism. Unlike other jazz "avant-gardists", they didn't just screech furiously... they were unusually playful in their approach, and notable for making "spatial music". They functioned as conjurers and griots, believing that every sound carries associations and meanings. As to the individual cuts: "A Jackson in Your House" is like a musical version of Bill Cosby. There's a chortling recitation: "One, two, three, there's a Jackson in your house, and he will never catch a mow-how-house!" A "Jackson" refers to a ne'er do well. The verse is recited over a sea shanty rhythm, then the tune veers into New Orleans' style hothouse jazz. "Get in Line" is an all out jungle stampede by the horns, while Malachi Favors shouts "get in line!" like a drill sergeant. Anarchy prevails. "The Waltz" is a miniature, a satire of sleepy ballroom music. It teeters along, then crashes. "Ericka" is a recited poem with moody accompaniment, expressing anxiety about social upheaval and a young girl's future. "Can we endure?" the narrator asks. The music, embellished with thumb piano, harmonica, chimes and various jangles, evokes breezes blowing through an empty room. "Song for Charles" is dedicated to the memory of Charles Clark, a talented double bass player who died prematurely. It starts lyrically and then becomes dark and gothic. You'll wonder how Malachi Favors got those sounds out of his acoustic bass. "Old Time Religion" relates to prayer meetings-- a preacher shouts biblical rants over a heaving arco bass rhythm, and bestial responses resolve into the tune, "Give Me That Old Time Religion", relating religion to slavery. The impression is dark, like one of the archetypal scenes the artist Kara Walker creates. "Dexterity" is straightforward be-bop jazz, but taken into the territory of Eric Dolphy and Albert Ayler. "Rock Out" is a mixture of James Brown and Captain Beefheart. Malachi Favors lays down some fleet-fingered funk, while Joseph Jarman adds some very abstract guitar fills. A marvel (and highly danceable). " A Brain for the Seine" is more musical Dadaism, a room of enchanted little instruments that seem to be expressing themselves while their masters are away. These improvisations intersect with jazz, but depart from that definition considerably. They will challenge any listener, but remain stimulating. The Art Ensemble with these compositions forces a kind of deeper listening---which in itself is rewarding.

Three albums from 1969 by the Art Ensemble of Chicago, recorded when the quartet were based in Paris; the personnel on all sessions are Lester Bowie, trumpet, Joseph Jarman and Roscoe Mitchell, saxes/clarinets and Malachi Favors Maghostut, bass and percussion; all the musicians play percussion, found instruments etc., as is usual in the ensemble. If one is aware of the work of the group, you'll know what to expect; it's an episodic, anarchic, amusing, sarcastic and lyrically mythological mix of avant garde jazz, Black ethnic culture and free improvisation. In a way it's very dated now, but anyone just encountering these albums may well be intrigued by the mix and there is certainly some lovely moments and themes to be found in this set. I knew the first album “A Jackson In Your House” from the original BYG LP but was new to the other recordings. TAEOC have probably always been an acquired taste and are very much of their time, but to the open minded, they are still an interesting and inspired listen. This 2-CD set is a handsome package with a hardback dig-pack-style case and an attached booklet with notes, lyrics and photographs. The CDs have playing times of 74.26 minutes and 40.59 minutes; go to the mp3 download page (click on the see all formats and editions strap above) to hear the sound samples.

1969年6月〜8月 Paris録音 L：BYG Actuel アート・アンサンブル・シカゴの初期作品。この頃の彼らのエネルギーはすごく、1969年の6月 から1970年の８月にかけて13枚分の録音を行っている。 フリー・ジャズは、1959年にオーネット・コールマンがNYに来て、大爆発が起こり、セシル・ テイラー、ジョン・コルトレーンらを含む人々の個性化が始まり、バンドのメンバーたちも 互いに交流する。その受容と発達の期間を経て、1964年から65年にかけて、『Nefertiti, the Beautiful One Has Come』『スピリチュアル・ユニティ』『アセッション』といった名盤が、 続々とリリースされる。 アート・アンサンブル・オブ・シカゴは、名前の通りにシカゴ派で、その源流である、サン・ラは 1961年にシカゴからNYに拠点を移し、『The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra』を録音。1965年に 彼らの最初の達成『Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra 1』をレコーディングする。 多くのミュージシャンは、自分（バンドだとリーダー）の音楽性の表現としてのアルバム制作となる。 集団即興を展開したサン・ラにしても、サン・ラの強い個性が求心力の中心にある。それに対して AECは、マルチ・ミュージシャンたちが結集しているので、音出しの動機がまるで違う。どのタイ ミングで、どの楽器を使い、どんな演奏をするか。自由度が飛躍的に高まる。それは通常の楽曲 というフレームを外れて、「音楽的呪術・祭儀」のような様相に近づく。 と同時に彼らは大学で作曲法を学んだエデュケーショナルな人々でもあるので、例えば３人の作曲家 （＝ミュージシャン）が集まった時に、それぞれが「無調」「セリー的な音列」「12音階」をベース に作曲し、アイデアを交換するということも行っていた。 このアルバムには、そうした彼らの初期作品３作が集められている。

La quintessenza dell'Art Ensemble. Musica profonda e leggerissima, umorismo, furia, satira, esecuzioni perfette e fantasiose. Non è musica facile, è musica onesta. Sconsigliato a chi cerca il jazz di sottofondo: questi dischi vanno ascoltati a VOLUME ALTO.

Excellllllent!

Finalmente in un doppio cd gli storici 3 lp del gruppo di Chicago riuniti insieme per la prima volta. Da sottolineare la cura della pubblicazione di un esauriente libretto esplicativo.