The Entourage Music & Theatre Ensemble - 1973 - The Entourage Music & Theatre Ensemble

The Entourage Music & Theatre Ensemble

1973

The Entourage Music & Theatre Ensemble

01. Piece For E-Flat Soprano Saxophone, Guitar, And Thumb Piano 4:12

02. Jattle Boxes... 2:02

03. Composition For Viola, Electric Keyboard, & Percussion 3:57

04. Michael's Song 8:00

05. Solo For Electric Viola 2:42

06. Giraffes... 3:45

07. Percussion Dance 4:59

08. Episode 1:19

09. Silver Drum 5:25

Drums, Percussion\, Thumb Piano – Michael Smith

Soprano Saxophone, Keyboards, Piano, Percussion – Joe Clark

Viola, Recorder, Guitar, Percussion – Rusti Clark

The Entourage Music & Theatre Ensemble was a visionary group of musicians and dancers from Baltimore, Maryland. Though they likely had no idea, they were musical contemporaries of LaMonte Young's Theatre of Eternal Music, Terry Riley, Oregon, Harold Budd, Steve Reich, John Cale, and Brian Eno. The group developed a musical style based on the flow of energy and the dream state experience. They employed long, improvised acoustics and later, electronic works. While they performed as a unit, their music was often used as live accompaniment for avant-garde theater and dance troupes.

The outfit was founded in 1970 by musical director, saxophonist, and pianist Joe Clark, a conservatory-trained musician who had played in the U.S. Navy Band with Wayne Shorter. Clark held the Saturday after-hours slot at the Bluesette Nightclub, where he played an RMI Electra-piano in addition to black lacquer soprano and sopranino saxophones. He presided over an ensemble that included guitarist Wall Matthews, whose work was equally influenced by folk and jazz à la Bert Jansch and Davy Graham, a rock rhythm section, a self-taught conguero, a street poet, and a second pianist who also wailed/sang. Clark was also musician-in-residence for the Dance Department of Bennett College in Millbrook, New York. Eventually, the strain of commuting ended the first incarnation of Entourage.

While in Millbrook, Clark assembled a trio that included violinist and guitarist Rusty Clark and jazz drummer Michael "Smitty" Smith, the latter had played with Mose Allison, Steve Kuhn, and bassist Terry Plumeri. This ensemble recorded the first of their two albums for Moses Asch's Folkways label with 1973's Entourage Music and Theatre Ensemble.

On his own, Matthews had written several pieces he hoped to record, and he wanted Joe Clark for the sessions. Clark agreed and brought some of the recordings that would end up on that first album, including "Piece for E-flat Soprano Saxophone, Guitar, and Thumb Piano," with Rusty Clark on guitar. Shortly after the debut album was completed, Clark had an idea for yet another version of Entourage, conceived when he relocated to New London, Connecticut to accept a teaching job at Connecticut College.

The Entourage Music & Theater Ensemble created a free, fluid, often dark-droning precursor to ambient music. Joe Clark's vision encouraged and included artists of diverse personal and musical backgrounds; he allowed them free play within the collaborative ensemble experience. In its infancy, the group's sound was chaotic and kinetic: It was music that challenged audiences and players alike. But as personnel shifted, the music matured into a nearly seamless musical flow that reflected the shared inspirations of nature, physical movement (dance), and an undefined but unmistakable spirituality. Entourage developed an approach steeped in jazz, folk, blues, classical, and world music roots, but freed of most of its identifiable elements. The group's performances also included dancer/choreographers. Combining music and dance was purposeful -- it intended to create an immersive dream state for listeners.

Essential springtime listening – total gooseflesh, honestly. regardless of how much of this was improvised, this recording still feels very communal – you can tell these musicians are very comfortable playing with each other.

This one is a must for anyone who was once swept up by italian minimalists like Luciano Cilio, Lino Capra Vaccina or Giusto Pio, but it also has the same balance of ruminative textures and playful, folky experiments with tape delay and space overall that draws me to john cale's productions on Desertshore or don cherry's more spiritual work of the 70s (i'm thinking Organic Music Society in particular).

If this record is for you, it's definitely for you