Archie Shepp Band - The Geneva Concert

Jazz giant caught live in ’94

Florida-born Shepp, who celebrates his 70th birthday later this year, started out as an R&B saxophonist before becoming a leading light of the jazz avantgarde in the 60s. An acolyte of John Coltrane, with whom he also played, Shepp seasoned his distinctive brand of politicised, message-laden new wave jazz with blues, funk and soul flavours (the potent musical stew he created is epitomised by the classic 1972 album, Attica Blues).

In recent years, Shepp has begun exploring the roots of jazz and, in particular, blues music, the idiom’s bedrock. But as this excellent new DVD illustrates, the saxophonist has not toned down his political side. The lyrics Shepp penned for Things Ain’t What They Used To Be, which he sings in an ululating yodel a la Leon Thomas, are perfectly in tune with the radical black nationalism of his old Impulse albums. Shepp is supported by fine piano playing from the late Horace Parlan, who counterpoints the saxophonist’s growling phrases with his deft finger work.

In addition to the music there’s a revealing interview with the reedman, who talks eloquently about his life and describes both the triumphs and travails of being a jazz musician.

3 stars 3 stars 3 stars

New Morning | INAK 6461 DVD

Reviewed by Charles Waring
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