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| R E L E A S E D E T A I L S >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> |
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| |
| Charles_Brackeen_Quartet-Bannar_(1987)-WEB-2018-SOUNDz |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| |
| Artist______________ Charles Brackeen Quartet |
| Title_______________ Bannar |
| Label_______________ Silkheart Records |
| Genre_______________ Jazz |
| Year________________ 2018 |
| Release Date________ 2021-03-15 |
| Street Date_________ 2018-06-18 |
| Source______________ WEB |
| Encoder_____________ MP3 / LAME |
| Quality_____________ CBR 320kbps 44.1kHz |
| Size________________ 124.7MiB |
| Playtime____________ 0:54:21 |
| URL_________________ https://amazon.com/dp/B07DQB55VT/ |
| |
| |
| 1. Three Monks Suite: Chaos / Sugar Doll / Waltz With Me / Snow 08:52 |
| 2. Open 08:01 |
| 3. Allah 08:30 |
| 4. Stone Blue 09:42 |
| 5. Story 09:35 |
| 6. Open (Take 2) 09:41 |
| |
| |
| R E L E A S E N O T E S >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> |
| ------------------------- <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< |
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| |
| "Gonzalez, Favors and Fielder play key roles on Bannar, the first |
| recording in 15 years by Brackeen, a former Texan with something of |
| Coleman's emotionally fortright delivery and rustic accent." |
| Francis Davis, Philadelphia Enquirer, April 7, 1988 |
| |
| "There is nothing studied or academic about this music; if anything |
| Brackeen's compositions have a beautiful folk quality to them which |
| is all the more aided by an ensemble of players who convey a deep |
| sense of regional and spiritual place." |
| Ludwig Van Trikt, Cadence, September 1988 |
| |
| To better understand or pinpoint an artist's musical approach, most |
| listeners are bound to make comparisons that will give them an easy |
| starting point. Such is the case with saxophonist Charles Brackeen. |
| Let listeners hear Charles' wide vibrato in the altissimo range, and |
| he or she will say, "Well, he plays like Albert Ayler." Or, play |
| Charles' Rhythm X LP with Charlie Haden, Don Cherry and Edward |
| Blackwell, and the same listeners might say, "Charles sounds a lot |
| like Ornette Coleman." Although Brackeen acknowledges both Ayler and |
| Coleman as influences, there can be no such comparison. After |
| listening to this album, it becomes apparent that Charles Beackeen |
| carries his own Bannar. |
| |
| Charles Brackeen was born in Eufaula, Oklahoma on March 13, 1940, |
| where he lived until he was 11. Charles began his musical studies at |
| the age of 6 when he started taking piano lessons, and soon |
| thereafter gravitated to the violin and finally to the saxophone at |
| age 10. |
| |
| When he moved to Paris, Texas at age 11, Charles' stint in the |
| Gibbons High School marching band gave him the confidence he needed |
| to continue on saxophone. When Charles moved to New York City at age |
| 12, he spent his weekends playing in dance bands, rock and roll |
| bands, and whatever else he could get involved with. According to |
| Charles, "Music always paid off for me." |
| |
| Charles' big move, however, came at age 16 when he first moved to Los |
| Angeles. He soon married and met ambitious musicians such as Don |
| Cherry, Charlie Hayden, Billy Higgins, Ornette Coleman, Paul Bley and |
| Art Farmer, among many others. It was in California that Brackeen |
| became immersed in the New Jazz scene, learning concepts that remain |
| in his music until this very day. |
| |
| Moving back to New York, Charles kept experimenting with new styles, |
| but at the same time continued to play all sorts of music. "I wanted |
| to feel that I could call myself a musician; that I could play all |
| types of music," says Charles, "I realized that I couldn't put any |
| one type of music above any other." |
| |
| Because of his adventurous concepts and his friendships with Cherry |
| and Haden, Charles recorded Rhythm X in 1969 and in due course this |
| appeared on the Strata East label (SES-19736). Although the quartet |
| sounds on the surface much like one of Ornette Coleman's mid-60's |
| ensembles, Brackeen's own saxophone playing shines through with a |
| fresh lyricism that was a unique parallel development, not merely a |
| copy of the master. |
| |
| The quartet disbanded (to become 'Old and New Dreams' a good many |
| years later, with Dewey Redman) and nothing further was heard of |
| Brackeen until he joined forces with drummer Paul Motian. "It was |
| wonderful!" exclaims Motian, "I thought he played my music really |
| well." This association, which lasted for five years, produced two |
| fine Paul Motian LPs for ECM, Dance (1977) and Le Voyage (1979). |
| |
| Aside from the association with Motian, Charles stayed active on the |
| New York jazz loft scene and recorded an unreleased album with the Ed |
| Blackwell Quartet in 1982, which proved to be Brackeen's last record |
| date until the 1987 sessions in Dallas. |
| |
| Brackeen recorded Bannar after receiving a call from Dennis Gonzalez. |
| "When Dennis called, the idea felt good to me," says Brackeen, "I |
| listened to his voice and the things that he said. He seemed to be |
| warm and friendly, the type of person I like to deal with." Upon |
| hearing Dennis' music, Charles became increasingly excited about |
| working with Dennis and the other musicians on the session. |
| |
| Not that it was easy. When the group first began rehearsing, there |
| was some uneasiness in the air as the quartet began dealing with |
| Brackeen's more complex compositions. Although drummer Alvin Fielder |
| had played with both Gonzalez and bassist Malachi Favors on different |
| occasions in the past, the four had never worked together as a group. |
| After the initial discomfort, however, the musicians quickly became a |
| distinctly identifiable unit. There is something folkish about |
| Charles' compositions, a kind of logical transparency. The material |
| on Bannar is challenging and melodic. |
| |
| "Three Monks Suite" is a study in structure; a completely scored tune |
| with no improvisation. Almost nine minutes in length, this piece is |
| made up of seven different segments, each of varying content, which |
| maintain musical continuity throughout. |
| |
| "Chaos" begins the suite, sounding very much like classical chamber |
| music filtered through a shufflet Brackeen's soprano, sounding very |
| clarinet-like, is bright, fresh, and piercing, much like the first |
| ray of sunlight through a window at dawn. "Sugar Doll" is a delicious |
| tango, featuring Favor's arco responses to Brackeen's melodic call. |
| |
| Ushering a time change from 4/4 to 3/4, "Waltz With Me" is |
| irresistible, an eminently danceable section. "Snowshoes" is also |
| stunning; a playful, vibrant segment that swings softly but |
| fervently. "Hush and Stop" also swings; featuring an exchange of |
| fours between the group and Fielder. "Cas-Ba" acts as a bridge to |
| "Cheers," a happy-go-lucky ending with a lyricism that's almost |
| child-like. |
| |
| Although fellow musicians could probably point to a strict use of |
| form for the tune's inspiration, Charles sees the street people with |
| whom became in contact in the last several years in New York and Los |
| Angeles as his motivation for writing "Three Monks Suite". "It's folk |
| music; people music," says Charles. "Understanding all races and |
| nationalities of people taught me a lot of mysterious things about my |
| musical approach. People like music that can talk to them; it's more |
| universal." |
| |
| "Open" not only talks - it screams with delight. With its ascending |
| head chart and fast, intense pace, the track gives the musicians a |
| chance to stretch their knowledge and musical conceptions to the |
| fullest. Brackeen's solo here is free and urgent but is somehow also |
| well mapped-out when Charles explores many of his tenor's sounds. |
| Dennis Gonzalez solos with equal vigor, splicing triple-tonguing |
| techniques and slurs with deep melodic concepts. Alvin Fielder also |
| solos on "Open". Here, Alvin's playing reconciles the thrashing, |
| sensitive abandon reminiscent of Sonny Murray with the precise |
| polyrhythmic approach first associated with Elvin Jones. |
| |
| Echoing his faith in the Creator, "Allah" is Brackeen's model of a |
| jazz spiritual. Although it's the simplest tune on this release, |
| "Allah" has much going for it. Over a gospelish bass vamp, Brackeen |
| and Gonzalez stretch long, impassioned notes using both horns and |
| voices. Solo-wise, Gonzalez especially impresses; his "gotta testify" |
| approach on muted trumpet consists of high, staccato blasts which |
| warm the soul. |
| |
| "Stone Blue" is a blues soaked track with an element of American |
| Indian tribal music in the head melody, perhaps reflecting some of |
| Albert Ayler's endeavors. Brackeen's solo on this tune has a dark |
| sonority about it, as Charles explores the middle registers of his |
| tenor. Bassist Malachi Favors offers a rhythmically buoyant solo, |
| echoing the essence of the beautiful melody. As with the Art Ensemble |
| of Chicago, Favors remains true to a tune's intent and purpose. |
| |
| Brackeen and Gonzalez create a wonderful harmonic frame for "Story", |
| which possesses a marvelous out-of-unison melody line. During his |
| solo, Charles makes use of the tenor's entire range, displaying his |
| subtle altissimo and occasionally dipping into the lower reaches of |
| the instrument. Gonzalez's solo is equally bold. Using the tune's |
| spirit (as opposed to its structure), Dennis contributes gutteral |
| growls and sublime snippets of gospelish melody. |
| All in all, Charles Beackeen's banner waves high. With its organic, |
| natural, and spiritual approach, this recording is sure to move all |
| who listen, while melting away any musical preconceptions of a true |
| individual. |
| |
| |
| Charles Brackeen - soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone, vocals |
| Dennis Gonzalez - trumpet, vocals |
| Malachi Favors - bass |
| Alvin Fielder - drums |
| |
| Produced by Charles Brackeen. |
| Recorded on February 13, 1987, at Omega Audio, Dallas, Texas. |
| Recorded and mixed by Paul Christensen. |
| |
| |
| YOU KNOW YOU HAVE TO BUY THIS SHIT IF YOU LIKE IT RIGHT?! |
| |
| |
| . . |
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