Archie Shepp • For Losers

 

Review by Rob Ferrier
At the time this record was recorded, Shepp was bouncing back and forth between Paris and New York. He also bounced between the Impulse! and BYG labels. He also bounced between styles. For BYG, his music reached to grasp the bare beginnings of black music, back to Africa and the blues. His music for Impulse! tried to embrace the contemporary sounds of R&B, with very mixed results that to this day divide his fans. This record is a transitional one. For the traditionalists, there's his shattering and amusing cover of "I've Got It Bad" performed by the usual suspects one would think to find on an Archie Shepp record, including Cecil Payne and Joe Chambers. For those enraptured by albums like Attica Blues, songs like "Stick 'Em Up" will fascinate, as Shepp's raspy tenor is joined not only by a legion of avant-garde brethren (including names like Beaver Harris and Grachan Moncur), but also by the funky wood of electric bass, guitar, and organ. Some will find those later tracks a bit hard to take. Some will even find themselves snickering. But for anyone wishing to understand the music and career of this brilliant musician, this is an undervalued piece of the puzzle.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/for-losers-mw0000552954

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Reseña de Rob Ferrier
Cuando se grabó este disco, Shepp iba y venía entre París y Nueva York. También oscilaba entre los sellos Impulse! y BYG. También oscilaba entre estilos. Para BYG, su música buscaba los orígenes de la música negra, en África y el blues. Su música para Impulse! intentó abrazar los sonidos contemporáneos del R&B, con resultados muy dispares que a día de hoy dividen a sus fans. Este disco es de transición. Para los tradicionalistas, está su estremecedora y divertida versión de «I've Got It Bad» interpretada por los sospechosos habituales que uno pensaría encontrar en un disco de Archie Shepp, incluidos Cecil Payne y Joe Chambers. Para aquellos embelesados por álbumes como Attica Blues, canciones como «Stick 'Em Up» fascinarán, ya que al rasposo tenor de Shepp se une no sólo una legión de hermanos vanguardistas (incluyendo nombres como Beaver Harris y Grachan Moncur), sino también la madera funky del bajo eléctrico, la guitarra y el órgano. A algunos les costará aceptar los últimos temas. Incluso habrá quien se ría a carcajadas. Pero para cualquiera que desee comprender la música y la carrera de este brillante músico, ésta es una pieza infravalorada del rompecabezas.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/for-losers-mw0000552954


 

www.archieshepp.org ...

Colaborador / Contributor:  Pierre

Tracks:
1 - Stick 'Em Up
Alto Saxophone – Martin Kenyatta*
Bass [Fender] – Albert Winston, Wilton Felder
Drums – Beaver Harris
Guitar – Bert Payne
Organ, Guitar – Mel Brown
Piano – Andrew Bey*
Tenor Saxophone, Written-By – Archie Shepp
Trombone – Grachan Moncur*
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Martin Banks
Vocals – Doris Troy, Leon Thomas, Tasha Thomas 2:04

2 - Abstract
Alto Saxophone – James Spaulding
Baritone Saxophone – Charles Davis (2)
Bass [Fender] – Bob Bushnell
Drums – Bernard Purdie
Guitar – Wally Richardson
Organ – Dave Burrell
Tenor Saxophone, Written-By – Archie Shepp
Trombone – Grachan Moncur*
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Jimmy Owens 4:21

3 - I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
Alto Saxophone – Clarence Sharpe
Bass – Wilbur Ware
Drums – Joe Chambers
Piano – Cedar Walton
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Archie Shepp
Vocals – Chinalin Sharpe
Written-By – Duke Ellington, Paul Webster* 5:15

4 - What Would It Be Without You
Baritone Saxophone, Flute – Cecil Payne
Bass – Wilbur Ware
Drums – Joe Chambers
Piano – Cedar Walton
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Archie Shepp
Written-By – Cal Massey 4:05

5 - Un Croque Monsieur (Poem: For Losers)
Alto Saxophone – Clarence Sharpe
Baritone Saxophone – Cecil Payne
Bass – Wilbur Ware
Drums – Joe Chambers
Piano – Cedar Walton
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Written-By – Archie Shepp
Trombone – Matthew Gee
Trumpet – Woody Shaw
Vocals – Chinalin Sharpe

Notes:
1: recorded at RCA Studios, New York City, September 9, 1968.
2: recorded at RCA Studios, New York City, February 17, 1969.
3, 4, 5: recorded at RCA Studios, New York City, August 26, 1969.

Label:    Impulse! – AS-9188, ABC Records – AS-9188
Country:    US
Released:    1970
Genre:    Jazz, Funk / Soul
Style:    Free Jazz, Funk
https://www.discogs.com/release/1400543-Archie-Shepp-For-Losers

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