Black Artist Group - 1973 - In Paris, Aries

Black Artist Group

1973

In Paris, Aries

01. Echos

02. Something To Play On

03. Re-Cre-A-Tion

04. OLCSJBFLBC Bag

Drums, Percussion – Charles W. Shaw, Jr. (Bobo)

Reeds, Flute, Percussion – Oliver Lake

Trombone, Percussion – Joseph Bowie

Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Percussion – Baikida E.J. Carroll

Trumpet, Voice, Percussion – Floyd LeFlore

This music recorded with memory of Kada KAHAN

Featuring 3 of the 4 founding members of the World Saxophone Quartet (Julius Hemphill, Oliver Lake, and Hamiet Bluiett), this record is some strong rarely-heard free jazz that should appeal to fans of the aforementioned as well as acts like the Art Ensemble of Chicago. Doesn't have the fire of Ayler or the crazed experimentation of someone like David Murray, but is an excellent example of how free jazz could contort itself to fit within more conventional structures. In this sense, it's a lot like something Strata-East Records might have put out.

This outstanding free jazz session was recorded in 1973 in Paris by Chicago outfit. It was Lester Bowie, trumpeter with the Art Ensemble of Chicago, who suggested that the Black Artists Group should head for Paris. In 1972, several members took his advice and flew to France for an extended stay. The following year, a concert featuring saxophonist Oliver Lake, trumpeters Baikida Carroll and Floyd LeFlore, drummer Charles Bobo Shaw and trombonist Joseph Bowie (Lester's younger brother) was recorded and subsequently issued as In Paris, Aries 1973, a limited LP on the group's own label. Since their formation in 1968, the home of the collective had been St Louis, the city where the Bowies had grown up. It was there that Lester started to play, before moving, to Chicago in 1966, where he joined the recently-established Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM). His close friend Lake visited, attended AACM concerts and meetings and was inspired by their artistic vision, integrity, and organization. In June 1969, the Art Ensemble had taken their music to France, with its reputation for audiences that were open-minded and receptive to the music of innovators such as Cecil Taylor, Ornette Coleman, and others. In Paris, Aries 1973 offers a fascinating glimpse into that phase of BAG's existence. The album is dedicated to the memory of Kada Kayan, a bassist who had hoped to make the trip from St Louis but had grown ill and died. His absence adds special poignancy to the sound of the bass when it appears on this recording, played by Carroll. In Paris, Aries 1973 reveals BAG's musical affinities with the Art Ensemble of Chicago. Both groups preserved an independently-minded approach to the notion of free jazz and a carefully filtered awareness of pan-African musical practices, while their creative interest in space, mobile structure, chance occurrences and simultaneity also suggests parallels with the concerns of leading experimental composers working at that time. These performances in Paris of Shaw's "Something to Play On" and Lake's "Re-Cre-A-Tion," plus two collective compositions/improvisations, display the dedication to structural fluency and sensitivity to coloration that accompanied BAG's unorthodox group dynamics and their unconventional instrumental combinations. This is not a showcase for solos, but a shape-shifting and multi-centered statement of togetherness and discovery.

One of the best records ever from this famous St Louis collective – recorded in Paris a few years after the AACM made their big splash on the city – and done with a very similar feel! The instrumentation is loose, open-ended, and incredibly creative – a wonderful array of sounds, textures, and shapes – played by a lineup that includes Oliver Lake on saxes and flute, Baikida Carroll on trumpet, Joseph Bowie on trombone, Floyd LeFlore on trumpet, and Charles Bobo Shaw on drums and percussion – with additional percussion help from all the other group members, too!