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Archie Shepp - Derailleur: The 1964 Demo


colinmce

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New release from Triple Point Records. Vinyl only as usual, but affordable for once:

 

Previously unissued 1964 studio demo featuring Steve Lacy, Roswell Rudd, and Denis Charles

Archie Shepp’s world has always been filled with fire music, and eventually Fire Music. Before that landmark LP, Shepp made Four for Trane—his August 1964 beachhead with Impulse. And even before that, as it turns out, came this one blip—the earliest Shepp leader project yet on record. Under supervision of the artist, this previously unissued demo recording is now available from Triple Point Records.

As the cover of Derailleur suggests, Shepp tries out some surprising combinations for the session. The playlist includes two of Archie’s earliest documented compositions—the jagged 5/4 statement “Viva Jomo” and a shuffling blues named for his Florida homeland. And an homage to Maestro Ellington of course.

Archie had already defined his voice while a sideman and co-leader; now he was looking for his team. Shepp momentarily adopted the quartet that Steve Lacy and Roswell Rudd led in the Village. This assemblage delivered a spontaneous demo, and engineer Art Crist captured it in a mono studio session. Buried in Archie’s tape archive was this batch of music that was all but forgotten; now Triple Point has polished it into crisp perfection.

Archie Shepp (tenor saxophone)
Roswell Rudd (trombone)
Steve Lacy (soprano saxophone)
Arthur Harper (bass)
Denis Charles (drums)

https://triplepointrecords.com

Tracklist:

side A

1. Dunbar Days & Miami Joys (Archie Shepp) take –4 (6:53) 

2. Viva Jomo (Archie Shepp) take –4 (10:05) 

3. Sophisticated Lady (Duke Ellington) take –1 (8:53) 

 

side B

Viva Jomo 

1. take –1 [breakdown] (1:04) 

2. take –2 [complete] (6:42) 

3. take –3 [complete] (7:43) 

 

Dunbar Days & Miami Joys 

4. take –3 [complete] (5:46) 

5. take –1 [false start] and take –2 [breakdown] (1:28)

Archie Shepp (tenor saxophone);
Roswell Rudd (trombone);
Arthur Harper (bass);
Denis Charles (drums)

Recorded probably spring 1964
Bell Sound Studios, New York City

 

Edited by colinmce
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Incredible music -- I just about fell over when I dropped the needle on the first side. "Dunbar Days & Miami Joys" is somewhere in between "Things Ain't What They Used To Be" and "Wherever Junebugs Go" in the Shepp lexicon. I was floored, still am. 

"Viva Jomo" is driving and beautiful, and could easily fit in the NYC5/ASBD playbook (and indeed I think it did). 

Highly, highly recommended album. Glad to finally be able to hear this; I first became aware of it through an image of a surviving acetate (with less music I presume) in a collection much, much deeper than mine...

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yeah, it's kinda funny: when Triple Point started, they were somewhat of an outlier, doing boutique vinyl-only versions of rare/otherwise unavailable music. Now they have a lot of competition in that regard but at least the work is presented in tip-top sonics & you know that each release is done entirely above board. I do feel like the lack of digital versions, whether downloadable FLACS or CDs or whatever, is kind of odd but they must know what they're doing to keep the bottom line in check.

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Fixed income carpeing strategizes differently than ongoing paychecks carpeing.

It would be SO much easier if I knew how long I was going to live. 

I mean, yeah Lacy/Shepp, of course. But it's three tunes + an alternat and some breakdowns for $40.00.

The intrinsic attraction is definitely there. But the fiscal attraction is not.

A few years ago, yeah. But that was then... 

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19 hours ago, JSngry said:

Fixed income carpeing strategizes differently than ongoing paychecks carpeing.

It would be SO much easier if I knew how long I was going to live. 

I mean, yeah Lacy/Shepp, of course. But it's three tunes + an alternat and some breakdowns for $40.00.

The intrinsic attraction is definitely there. But the fiscal attraction is not.

A few years ago, yeah. But that was then... 

understood!

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On 11/9/2023 at 1:20 PM, colinmce said:

affordable for once.

So not their usual $100 for a double LP... 

I get that they're about producing high quality editions of music with a finite audience but it would take them 30 minutes to make this stuff available as a $10 Bandcamp download. At the moment the label has a distinct whiff of elitist gatekeeping.

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1 hour ago, paulfromcamden said:

So not their usual $100 for a double LP... 

I get that they're about producing high quality editions of music with a finite audience but it would take them 30 minutes to make this stuff available as a $10 Bandcamp download. At the moment the label has a distinct whiff of elitist gatekeeping.

People who want the LP will pay for it. People who don't might well pay for a download. I know I would.

But I guess they don't want my money. So be it. I will probably end up getting it for free at some point then. 

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definitely on my hit list - have previously got the NYA4 box plus the two Cecil Taylor doubles from Triple Point. Still considering the Lowe double.

These items would normally be well out of my price range but they made themselves accessible when I unexpectedly came into some $$

Edited by romualdo
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