Two more from Chicago

1 8 Bold Souls, Sideshow (Arabesque, 1992)
2 William Parker/In Order To Survive, The Peach Orchard (Aum Fidelity, 1998)
3 Greg Osby, Banned in New York (Blue Note, 1998)
4 Myra Melford Extended Ensemble, Even the Sounds Shine (hatHUT, 1995)
5 Douglas Ewart and Inventions Clarinet Choir, Angles of Entrance (Aarawak, 1990/1998)
6 Anderson/Crispell/Drake, Destiny (OkkaDisk, 1994)
7 Jon Jang, Two Flowers on a Stem (Soul Note, 1995)
8 Horace Tapscott, Thoughts of Dar Es Salaam (Arabesque, 1997)
9 Charles Gayle, Touchin’ on Trane (FMP, 1993)
10 Anderson/Kowald/Drake, Live at the Velvet Lounge (OkkaDisk, 1999)

Continuing on through my '90s list, I'm going to talk about the other two albums that hail from Chicago, 8 Bold Souls - Sideshow, and Douglas Ewart and Inventions Clarinet Choir - Angles of Entrance.

The 8 Bold Souls is:

Ed Wilkerson Jr - tenor, alto and bass saxophones,  clarinet and alto clarinet
Mwata Bowden - clarinet, baritone, and tenor
Robert Griffin - trumpet and flugelhorn
Isaiah Jackson - trombone
Aaron Dodd - tuba
Naomi Millender - Cello
Harrison Bankhead - bass
Dushun Mosley - drums and percussion

Let's talk about timbre for a second. Baritone and bass saxophone, trombone, tuba, cello, bass....yep, this is definitely a low-end heavy lineup. Mingus had a penchant for the lower end of the register. When I think of groups that dealt with the deep sounds, the rock band Morphine always comes to mind, with the slide bass, baritone sax, and rumbling vocals. I've heard it described as low rock. This is low jazz.

This is my favorite recording from this group. It opens with the 17 minute Black Herman, named after the most prominent early African American magician in the United States. It starts off quiet and meditative, with a steady pulse and fascinating writing, highlighting Mr. Wilkerson's impeccable taste in orchestration and composition. Like other tracks on the album, in turns into a deep swinging piece with great solos and fantastic backgrounds that really frame the whole affair in a meaningful manner. The songs that Ed Wilkerson writes have topography, taking advantage of the full range of tones, dynamics and sound combinations.

This album also has my favorite cover of Ornette Coleman's Lonely Woman, arranged for the octet, and turning into a 17 minute jam session. It opens with a statement of the main theme on the cello, solo, a beautiful interpretation that is soon joined by the bass, leading to some fantastic arco interplay. The arrangement of the melody for the whole band is absolutely stunning, and spirals upwards both density and dynamics before leading seamlessly into the solos.

As a whole, Sideshow features some absolutely fantastic writing from Mr. Wilkerson and equally as inspired playing from the band. I love the possibilities with the octet and the 8 Bold Souls take advantage of the full range.

The second album hailing from the windy city I'm going to discuss is Douglas Ewart and Inventions Clarinet Choir - Angles of Entrance. I always thought of the title as conceptually akin to Point of Departure. We all have to start somewhere. I must admit, this was one of two albums I suspected might not show up on any other lists, because it was released on Mr. Ewart's own small label Arawak and didn't enjoy wide distribution. I was pleasantly surprised to see Peter Breslin included it on his list.

Lester Bowie had his Brass Fantasy. Anthony Braxton had his tuba orchestra. Douglas Ewart has his clarinet choir. Maybe it's something in the water here in Chicago.

The incredible lineup is:

Douglas Ewart, Mwata Bowden, Anthony Braxton, J.D. Parran, Roscoe Mitchell, Henry Threadgill, Ed Wilkerson Jr., and Don Byron (only on the last track) on every clarinet under the sun, joined by Malachi Favors on bass.

When I say every clarinet under the sun, that includes: Bb bass, Bb contra bass, Eb contra alto, Bb soprano, Eb alto, and also the B natural Ewartophone.

The first 4 tracks were recorded live in Atlanta. The final two tracks feature a solo clarinet piece from Mr. Ewart and a track from Merkin Hall in New York.

I wonder if there is a fascination with both the character of instruments and with timbre that leads to creating a band of clarinets. It certainly creates an otherworldly sound. The album features some great compositions and improvisations, the former of which are all attributed to Mr. Ewart, and the latter of which is to be expected with a lineup like this.

Track four, Red Hills, has become somewhat of an AACM anthem, often played when the AACM Great Black Music Ensemble convenes. The title of track three, One Love, is most likely a reference to Mr. Ewart's land of birth, Jamaica, which he still carries with him in both his accent and persona. He also has a nyabinghi drum choir that performs on occasion in Chicago.

I don't have much to say about this album, since there aren't many words that come to mind. It's absolutely singular listening experience and I enjoy it thoroughly every time I put it on. Maybe Mr. Breslin can chime in with his thoughts on the album at some point.

I haven't decided which albums to tackle next. I'm going to try and determine another thread of commonality so I can write about a few at once, but if not, I'll just lump them together.

More later....