Archie Shepp • Four for Trane

 

Review
by Thom Jurek  
From 1964, Archie Shepp's first date as a leader featured -- as one would expect from the title -- four tunes by John Coltrane, his mentor, his major influence, and his bandleader. The fact that this album holds up better than almost any of Shepp's records nearly 40 years after the fact has plenty to do with the band he chose for this session, and everything to do with the arranging skills of trombonist Roswell Rudd. The band here is Shepp on tenor, John Tchicai on alto, Rudd on trombone, Trane's bassist Reggie Workman, and Ornette Coleman's drummer Charles Moffett. Even in 1964, this was a powerhouse, beginning with a bluesed-out wailing version of "Syeeda's Song Flute." This version is ingenious, with Shepp allowing Rudd to arrange for solos for himself and Tchicai up front and Rudd punching in the blues and gospel in the middle, before giving way to double time by Workman and Moffett. The rawness of the whole thing is so down-home you're ready to tell someone to pass the butter beans when listening. Rudd's arrangement of "Naima" is also stunningly beautiful: He reharmonizes the piece for the mid-register tone of Shepp, who does his best Ben Webster and adds a microtonal tag onto the front and back, dislocating the tune before it begins and after it ends, while keeping it just out of the range of the consonant throughout. Wonderful! The only Shepp original here is "Rufus (Swung, His Face at Last to the Wind, Then His Neck Snapped)." It's not a terribly sophisticated tune, but it works in the context of this band largely because of the soloing prowess of all the members -- particularly Tchicai -- here. There is barely any melody, the key changes are commensurate with tempo shifts, and the harmonics are of the sliding scale variety. Still, there are the blues; no one can dig into them and honk them better than Shepp. When it came to sheer exuberance and expression, he was a force to be reckoned with in his youth, and it shows in each of the tunes recorded here. Four for Trane is a truly fine, original, and lasting album from an under-celebrated musician.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/four-for-trane-mw0000197826

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Reseña
por Thom Jurek  
De 1964, la primera cita de Archie Shepp como líder incluía -- como cabría esperar por el título -- cuatro temas de John Coltrane, su mentor, su mayor influencia y su líder de banda. El hecho de que este álbum se mantenga mejor que casi cualquiera de los discos de Shepp casi 40 años después tiene mucho que ver con la banda que eligió para esta sesión, y todo que ver con la habilidad para los arreglos del trombonista Roswell Rudd. La banda está formada por Shepp (tenor), John Tchicai (alto), Rudd (trombón), el bajista de Trane, Reggie Workman, y el batería de Ornette Coleman, Charles Moffett. Incluso en 1964, esto era una potencia, comenzando con una versión bluesed-out wailing de "Syeeda's Song Flute". Esta versión es ingeniosa, con Shepp permitiendo a Rudd arreglar solos para él y Tchicai al frente y Rudd metiendo el blues y el gospel en el medio, antes de dar paso al doble tiempo de Workman y Moffett. La crudeza del conjunto es tan hogareña que, al escucharlo, uno está dispuesto a decirle a alguien que le pase las judías con mantequilla. El arreglo de Rudd de "Naima" también es asombrosamente bello: rearmoniza la pieza para el tono de registro medio de Shepp, que hace su mejor Ben Webster y añade una etiqueta microtonal en la parte delantera y trasera, dislocando la melodía antes de que empiece y después de que termine, mientras la mantiene justo fuera del rango de la consonante en todo momento. Maravilloso. El único original de Shepp aquí es "Rufus (Swung, His Face at Last to the Wind, Then His Neck Snapped)". No es un tema terriblemente sofisticado, pero funciona en el contexto de esta banda en gran parte por la destreza en los solos de todos los miembros, especialmente Tchicai. Apenas hay melodía, los cambios de tonalidad son proporcionales a los cambios de tempo, y los armónicos son de la variedad de escala móvil. Aún así, hay blues; nadie puede hincarles el diente y tocarlos mejor que Shepp. Cuando se trataba de pura exuberancia y expresión, era una fuerza a tener en cuenta en su juventud, y se muestra en cada una de las melodías grabadas aquí. Four for Trane es un álbum realmente bueno, original y duradero de un músico poco celebrado.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/four-for-trane-mw0000197826

Tracks:
1 - Syeeda's Song Flute 8:26
2 - Mr. Syms 7:38
3 - Cousin Mary 7:11
4 - Naima 7:06
5 - Rufus (Swung, His Face At Last To The Wind, Then His Neck Snapped) 6:23


Credits:
    Alto Saxophone – John Tchicai
    Art Direction – Hollis King
    Bass – Reggie Workman
    Drums – Charles Moffett
    Engineer [Recording] – Rudy Van Gelder
    Graphic Design – Christine Lee
    Liner Notes – LeRoi Jones
    Photography By – Chuck Stewart
    Producer [Original Sessions Produced By] – Bob Thiele
    Reissue Producer – Michael Cuscuna
    Remastered By [Digitally] – Erick Labson
    Tenor Saxophone – Archie Shepp
    Trombone – Roswell Rudd
    Trumpet – Alan Shorter

Note:
Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on August 10, 1964.

Label: Impulse! – IMPD 218
Original Release: 1965
Released: 1997
Genre: Jazz
Style: Hard Bop, Free Improvisation
https://www.discogs.com/master/43608-Archie-Shepp-Four-For-Trane

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