Artist.......: Joe PcPhee
Album........: Survival Unit II with Clifford Thornton N.Y. N.Y.1971bel........: Hat Hut Records Ltd.
Genre........: Jazz
Catnr........: hatOLOGY 624
source.......: CDDA
rip.date.....: Jan-15-2007
str.date.....: Feb-28- 2006
quality......: VBR/44,1Hz/Joint-Stereo
Url..........: www.hathut.com
track title time
01. Announcement 1 00:34
02. Black Magic Man 06:25
03. Announcement 2 00:35
04. Nation Time 14:11
05. Song For Lauren 13:17
06. Announcement 3 00:34
07. Message From Denmark 13:33
08. The Looking Glass I 15:59
09. Harriet 13:36
Runtime 78:44 min
Size 100,5 MB
Release Notes:
Without quesion, Joe McPhee is an American national
treasure, and this recording offers proof that the
idiosyncratic free jazz icon been one for over
thirty years now. This disc documents a radio
broadcast from at a time when the US was undergoing
political and cultural upheavals, and the music is
both reflective of such a time and the product of a
proudly singular musical intelligence. The three
announcements which were part of the original
recording amount to just 1:43 out of a total
playing time of almost 79 minutes.
The absence of a bass lends this quintet music a
light and airy feel, even at its most heated
moments, as on the lengthy ôNation Time,ö where
McPhee proves he was able to blow up a storm with
the best of the tenor players, and Byron Morris
proves himself a worthy musician on soprano, though
he has sadly escaped the attentions of posterity.
Baritone horn player Clifford Thornton brings his
own weirdly stately but deeply satisfying approach
to bear here as well.
öSong For Laurenö is an example of a sort of
lyricism that has arguably been downgraded in
McPhee's music in more recent times, but it reveals
what a multifaceted composer and musician he can
be. This is just as it should be with any national
treasure.
Pianist Mike Kull's work is, in its way, just as
fascinating as that of any of the musicians here.
His distance from Cecil Taylor's rolling thunder is
as pronounced as his distance from, say, the
insistent minimalism of the mature Mal Waldron. He
also manages to avoid every hackneyed phrase in the
book. One can't help but wonder what has become of
Kull over the decades.
The sound restoration that has effectively brought
this music back to life is exemplary enough to
satisfy everyone except the most finicky of
audiophiles. Besides, its shortcomings lend the
music a certain urgency that wouldnÆt have been
preserved in a pristine studio environment. As for
the rest of us, this is a great opportunity to
check in with McPhee on street level and follow his
musical journey chronologically from there. Live a
little and savour the challenge.
Producer's note: I first heard these tapes during
my visit to the U.S.A. in 1974. The occasion was my
first meeting with Joe McPhee and Craig Johnson of
CJR Records. That meeting and the impact the music
of these and other unreleased tapes had on me, are
the reason I became a record producer. Originally
this release was planned for 1988 on LP. Due to the
rapid rise of the CD medium, the original plan was
postponed and was eventually forgotten. 1996, 25
years later, this music/concert has been made
available in a limited edition for the collectors
of Joe McPhee's creations. 2006, 35 years later,
this newly remastered version is the sole release
to celebrate the 30th year of Hat ù Hut Records.
Werner X. Uehlinger, October 2005