Mama Too Tight [Import, Limited Edition, Original recording remastered]

Archie Shepp | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 23, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import, Limited Edition, Original recording remastered
• Label: Universal Import
• ASIN: B000062UXH
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #890,992 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Portrait of Robert Thompson (As a Young Man): Prelude to a ...

2. Mama Too Tight

3. Theme for Ernie

4. Basheer

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a fascinating album, June 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Mama Too Tight (Audio CD)

archie shepp, like pharoah sanders, came up through the john coltrane experiments. Shepp dove straight into free jazz as this album attests. The side long (on vinyl) opener(the first four tracks listed here) is a collage of colors and sounds, sounding at times like something charles ives might have conceived as an exploration of american folk music, but with a modernist twist. there is always something new to discover with each repeated listening as layer after layer unfolds. the second side opens with some downright funky stuff. 'mama too tight' wiggles its rear all the way through, even though the soloists push the limits of the song form as far as it will go. the bass/drums never lose the beat, though. 'theme for ernie' i think is a tribute to ernie watts, but i'm not sure. whomever it is for, it carries a solid r-n-b base to some out there places. it's a lot of fun, all the way through. The album closes with a churning chant that builds in its intensity, but remains a fascinating sculpture of sound. a really fine album.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Free but Funky, October 20, 2005

By 

directions "neuralbuddhist" (Space Time Foam) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mama Too Tight (Audio CD)

This is free jazz but real free jazz, not aimless improv. Basically you get classic Coltrane style free jazz combined with Horace Silver style soul jazz. This is jazz that takes chances but is not afraid to swing. During the middle of the first piece, in the midst of a free jazz storm, the band suddenly breaks into King Cotton. This is a statement about the emerging civil rights/black power movement and the origins of jazz without going into arch and obvious statements like Shepp's later Poem for Malcolm. And with an (at least to a person knowledgable about jazz)all star line up including the legendary Grachan Moncur III and Charlie Haden from Ornette Coleman's band what is not to enjoy?

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Unique and varied recording from Shepp., March 30, 2005

By 

Michael Stack (North Chelmsford, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mama Too Tight (Audio CD)

"Mama Too Tight" is an album whose original vinyl sides served as a proper division-- the first side is among the most difficult to digest, but like many of the more complex free jazz works, bears rewards with repeated listens, the second side is much more accessible, moving through moods on the three different tunes. What makes this record difficult is the odd instrumentation-- Shepp blows his tenor, and adds to this clarinet (Perry Robinson), trumpet (Tommy Turrentine), two trombones (Grachan Moncur III and Roswell Rudd), tuba (the mighty Howard Johnson, and a pianoless rhythm section (bassist Charlie Haden and drummer Beaver Harris). This unusual instrumentation is partially responsible for the difficulty in digesting the material on "Mama Too Tight".

In particular, on the first side, "A Portrait of Rober Thompson (as a young man)". While it feels like free improv, there appears to be a highly concrete structure, as Shepp states, restates, and exposes various themes (mostly gospel, march and swing influenced) throughout the piece. But it is tough, because it feels at times like an incoherent mess. Patience is the key to this one-- early on, the more conventionally structured second side will be soothing in comparison. Over time, the piece will come to make sense, but patience and repeated focused listening will be required.

The second side is definitely more conventional, "Mama Too Tight" is a funky blowout, Mingus-like in its voicing and gospel-tinged hard bop styling, with some stunning soloing on the part of all the musicians involved. Like Mingus' gospel-oriented work, this is just a lot of fun, a great great song, and actually is one of the most straightforward pieces on any early Shepp record-- only his solo shows any real signs of the "Fire Music" sound. The ballad, "Theme for Ernie", played passionately by Shepp with brass support voiced in an orchestral fashion, shwocases the leader's ability to invoke mood and emotion through his playing. Shepp's tone is thin and airy and has a plea of pain in it-- this is really among the most beautiful work he's ever done. "Basheer", continuing the thread of more conventional sounds, has a big band does the blues feel to it-- the playing is somewhat more "out" than the previous two, and once again, Shepp just wails away. its a really interesting piece.

Overall, this is a really great album, and probably a good jumping in point for Shepp's work-- it can be a bit difficult at first, but there's a lot of great material here and its well worth the listen.