Archie Shepp - Mama too Tight (1966)

The octet Archie Shepp surrounded himself with in 1966 was filled with new and old faces. The twin trombones of Roswell Rudd and Grachan Moncur III embodied this, but so did bassist Charlie Haden and trumpeter Tommy Turrentine, while familiar figures like drummer Beaver Harris and tubaist Howard Johnson had been part of Shepp's regular band. There are four tracks on Mama Too Tight, all of them in some way acting as extensions of the opening three-part suite, "A Portrait of Robert Thomson (As a Young Man)." Shepp had hit his stride here compositionally. The track is, at first, a seeming free jazz blowout, but then traces the history of jazz, gospel, and blues through its three sections. Certainly there is plenty of atonality, but there is plenty of harmonic and rhythmic invention too. The piece, almost 19 minutes in length, has an intricate architecture that uses foreshadowing techniques and complex resolution methods. The title track is a post-bop blues swinger with a killer front-line riff turning in and out as the trombones go head to head. And finally, "Basheer," with its Eastern modality that transposes itself toward blues and folk music, becomes a statement on the transitional ties the '60s were ushering in musically. Here again, lots of free blowing, angry bursts of energy, and shouts of pure revelry are balanced with Ellingtonian elegance and restraint that was considerable enough to let the lyric line float through and encourage more improvisation. This is Shepp at his level best.

by Thom Jurek in All Music Guide

Styles:
Avant-Garde
Free Jazz

Tracks:
01 - A Portrait Of Robert Thompson: A. Prelude to a Kiss / B. The Break Strain-King Cotton / C. Dem Basses (18:57)
02 - Mama Too Tight (5:25)
03 - Theme for Ernie (3:21)
04 - Basheer (10:38)

Line-up:
Archie Shepp: tenor saxophone
Tommy Turrentine: trumpet
Grachan Moncur III: trombone
Roswell Rudd: trombone
Howard Johnson: tuba
Perry Robinson: clarinet
Charlie Haden: bass
Beaver Harris: drums

Charlie Haden - Liberation Music Orchestra (1969)

A fascinating reissue that comfortably straddles the lines of jazz, folk, and world music, working up a storm by way of a jazz protest album that points toward the Spanish Civil War in particular and the Vietnam War in passing. Haden leads the charge and contributes material, but the real star here may in fact be Carla Bley, who arranged numbers, wrote several, and contributed typically brilliant piano work. Also of particular note in a particularly talented crew is guitarist Sam Brown, the standout of "El Quinto Regimiento/Los Cuatro Generales/Viva la Quince Brigada," a 21-minute marathon. Reissue producer Michael Cuscuna has done his best with the mastering here, but listeners will note a roughness to the sound -- one that is in keeping with the album's tone and attitude.

by Steven McDonald in All Music Guide

Styles:
Experimental Big Band
Avant-Garde

Tracks:
01 - The Introduction (1:15)
02 - Song of the United Front (1:52)
03 - El Quinto Regimiento/ Los Cuatro Generales/ Viva la Quince Brigada (20:58)
04 - The Ending to the First Side (2:07)
05 - Song for Ché (9:29)
06 - War Orphans (6:42)
07 - The Interlude (Drinking Music) (1:24)
08 - Circus '68 '69" (6:10)
09 - We Shall Overcome (1:19)

Line-up:
Charlie Haden — bass
Perry Robinson — clarinet
Gato Barbieri — clarinet, tenor saxophone
Carla Bley — piano, tambourine
Sam T. Brown — guitar, thumb piano
Don Cherry — flute, cornet
Andrew Cyrille — percussion, drums
Howard Johnson — tuba
Michael Mantler — trumpet
Paul Motian — percussion
Bob Northern — percussion, French horn
Dewey Redman — alto saxophone, tenor saxophone
Roswell Rudd — trombone