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Revolutionary Ensemble
Revolutionary Ensemble: Vietnam
by Raul d'Gama Rose
The release of this 1971 recording of Revolutionary Ensemble's Vietnam ought to have a special significance. Two wars are being fought, and the children of many families are being put in harm's way. The stamping out the terrorism" that violently assaulted the USA provides justifiable reason for conflict. Still the specter of Vietnam looms large. Almost 50 years after the event, the word Vietnam" sends chills down the spine. So much more when the horrors of that conflict are brought ...
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by Jerry D'Souza
The seeds for the Revolutionary Ensemble were sown when Sunny Murray introduced violinist Leroy Jenkins to Sirone. The two found common musical ground that took off from several genres and became encapsulated in one body. At first they worked with Frank Clayton, but the drummer was ultimately replaced by Jerome Cooper.
Vietnam is the group's first recording. Divided into two parts the music moves across a wide expanse. Fluidity and fractured movement are put into a melting pot. What emerges ...
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by Clifford Allen
It could easily be argued that the loft jazz" era of the '70s was a direct product of Chicago's Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), both in its moral structure and its eventual fragmentation. Loft spaces, artist-produced concerts and artist-owned labels were self-reliance projects, a cornerstone of the AACM. Furthermore, the relocation of many AACM musicians to New York necessarily changed the sonic waters, toward spaciousness and somewhat chamber music-like aesthetics in the bustling free music of lower ...
read moreThe Revolutionary Ensemble: And Now ...
by Jerry D'Souza
The recordings the Revolutionary Music Ensemble made in the '70s were adventurous and daring. Having stamped their credentials, the members of the group went their separate ways before that decade came to a close and pursued individual careers. Now, more than twenty years after their groundbreaking recording of The People's Republic, they stir the waters once again.
If there is one trait is in evidence here, it is the accessibility of the compositions. Though they ascend from the ...
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by Andrey Henkin
When the Revolutionary Ensemble reformed at the last Vision Festival after 27 years, it was a special occasion, a novelty. It was felt that this could be more than a one-off reunion and that the band that spearheaded the chamber jazz movement could make a more permanent go of it. To that end, Pi Recordings brought them into the studio. The result is the group's sixth record for their sixth record label, one run by individuals still in adolescence when ...
read moreRevolutionary Ensemble: The Psyche
by Rex Butters
When Leroy Jenkins brought his AACM ways with him to New York, he altered that city’s musical landscape forever. Bringing the New Thing as the Chicagoans played it, he formed a trio that survived through the ‘70’s. On bass, Sirone brought an authority and skill level that landed him in Cecil Taylor’s band. Multi-dimensional drummer Jerome Cooper occasionally rose from the drum stool to sit the piano bench, a walk he later eliminated bringing synthesizers into his drum set. Here, ...
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by Andrey Henkin
When the Revolutionary Ensemble formed in the early ‘70s, the New Thing in jazz, disbursed mainly through the ESP label, had flamed brightly, been co-opted by political influences and developed into a more violent strain of free improvisation, a move from which it has yet to recover. What was happening concurrently was a total acceptance of any instrument into the jazz fold. Beneficiary of this benevolence was Leroy Jenkins, heir to the heritage of Stuff Smith but also the first ...
read moreThe Revolutionary Ensemble celebrating their new CD "And Now..." at Joe's Pub Sat., Oct. 30, 2004 at 9:30PM
Source:
All About Jazz
The Revolutionary Ensemble Concert celebrating their first new CD release in 25 years, And Now..." on Pi Recordings Joe's Pub 425 Lafayette Street (at Astor Place) New York, NY 10003 Saturday, October 30, 2004 at 9:30PM sharp Tickets: $20 Tickets at: Tele-Charge (212) 239-6200 or on-line at www.telecharge.com or at the box office, open 1pm-7:30pm or call Joe's Pub at ...
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