Blase / Live at the Pan-African Festival [Live]

Archie Shepp | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 16, 2001)
• Original Release Date: 1969
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Live
• Label: Varese Sarabande
• ASIN: B00005QK26
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #604,399 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. My Angel

2. Blase

3. There Is A Balm In Gilead

4. Sophisticated Lady

5. Touareg

Disc: 2

1. Brotherhood At Ketchaoua

2. We Have Come Back

Editorial Reviews

Digitally remastered reissue for the jazz giant combines the 1969 albums, Live at the Pan-African Festival & Blase together on one CD. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars two seemingly different albums packaged together, March 11, 2002

By 

A. Benjamin (Goodwell, OK United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blase / Live at the Pan-African Festival (Audio CD)

The first disc, BLASE, is a studio effort with a number of co-conspirators including several members of the AACM crowd, a drummer more known for his hard-bop playing, some blues cats on harmonica, and some absolutely gorgeous female vocals. As an attempt to simultaneously pay homage to jazz's roots (in the blues) and to look ahead to the future. On those terms the album succeeds nicely, and musicians who seem like they might clash work together well as a unit.

The second disc is a live recording which pairs Shepp and crew with a number of Algerian and Tuareg musicians. The sound quality is a bit dodgy, but the two lengthy tunes are filled with plenty of passion and joy, and one in which Shepp and crew get their point across: jazz's roots ultimately are in the traditional musics of Africa.

If there is a common theme to both discs, it is simply this: an attempt to pay homage to one's roots, and incorporate them into the then-present avant-garde scene. Worth checking out as an interesting historical document and as an engaging, mind-expanding, forward-looking set of tunes in their own right. Definitely recommended.