Sonny Sharrock - Black Woman (1969)

Black Woman documents Sonny Sharrock's temporary departure from the confines of Herbie Mann's always invaluable patronage. Around the time of recording, Sharrock was struggling to express his own musical ideas within the rigid framework of the successful Mann bands. Black Woman marks an early opportunity for Sharrock's own voice to be heard; he composed all the songs except "Bailero" and personally chose the band to reflect his own interests. The music is full of Sharrock's skittering, trademark clusters of notes and remains at a consistently high-intensity level with Linda Sharrock, Milford Graves, and Teddy Daniel on board. At times the music reaches for the sublime as on "Peanut" with its mandolin-like, vibrato theme and otherworldly improvisations; can music evoke visions like Dante's Rings of Hell? The beauteous "Bialero" with piano and bass figures oscillating around Linda's lilting yet unpredictable voice and "Portrait of Linda in Three Colors, All Black" are Sonny Sharrock in glory. Linda Sharrock's vocals could be alarming to the uninitiated; she doesn't enunciate a single word throughout, except on the traditional "Bialero," instead using her instrument, her voice to express, like her husband does, the inexpressible: those emotions, passions, or exaltations that cannot be rationally shared, only referred to comparatively vaguely by the "knower." The results in this instance were later dubbed "energy music" by some well-intentioned critic. This album is not for everyone, even Sonny Sharrock fans may find the music beyond their wildest expectations.

By Wilson McCloy in All Music Guide

Styles:
Free-Jazz
Avant-Garde
Spiritual

Tracks:
01 - Black Woman (05:16)
02 - Peanut (09:16)
03 - Bialero (04:52)
04 - Blind Willy (03:22)
05 - Portrait of Linda in Three Colors, All Black (08:34)

Line-up:
Sonny Sharrock - guitar
Linda Sharrock - volcals
Teddy Daniel - trumpet
Dave Burrell - piano
Norris Jones - bass
Richard Pierce - bass
Milford Graves - drums

Wayne Shorter - Super Nova (1969)

This CD reissue brings back an important transitional album for tenor-saxophonist Wayne Shorter. Doubling on soprano (which he had recently begun playing), Shorter interprets five of his originals (including "Water Babies" which had been recorded previously by Miles Davis) and Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Dindi." He definitely used a forward-looking group of sidemen for his "backup band" includes guitarists John McLaughlin and Sonny Sharrock, Walter Booker (normally a bassist) on classical guitar for "Dindi," bassist Miroslav Vitous, both Jack DeJohnette and Chick Corea (!) on drums and percussionist Airto; Maria Booker takes a vocal on the touching version of "Dindi." The influence of Miles Davis' early fusion period is felt throughout the music but there is nothing derivative about the often-surprising results. As with Wayne Shorter's best albums, this set rewards repeated listenings.

by Sctott Yanow in All Music Guide

Styles:
Post-Bop
Fusion

Tracks:
01 - Supernova (04:45)
02 - Sweet Pea (04:35)
03 - Dindi (09:45)
04 - Water Babies (04:50)
05 - Capricorn (07:45)
06 - More Than Human (06:10)

Line-up:
Wayne Shorter — soprano saxophone
John McLaughlin — acoustic and electric guitar (1, 2, 4 & 5)
Sonny Sharrock — electric guitar
Miroslav Vitous — bass
Jack DeJohnette — drums, thumb piano
Chick Corea — drums, vibes
Airto Moreira — percussion
Walter Booker — acoustic guitar (3)
Maria Booker — vocals (3)