Archie Shepp | |
|---|---|
 Archie Shepp inWarsaw, 2008 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Archie Shepp |
| Born | (1937-05-24)May 24, 1937 (age 87) Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States |
| Genres | Jazz,free jazz,avant-garde jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer, educator |
| Instrument(s) | Tenor saxophone,soprano saxophone,alto saxophone,piano, vocals |
| Years active | 1960–present |
| Labels | Impulse!,SteepleChase,Denon,BYG Actuel,Marge |
| Website | www |
Archie Shepp (born May 24, 1937) is an Americanjazz saxophonist, educator and playwright who since the 1960s has played a central part in the development ofavant-garde jazz.[1]
Shepp was born inFort Lauderdale, Florida, but raised inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania. He began playingbanjo with his father, then studiedpiano andsaxophone while attending high school in Germantown. He studied drama atGoddard College from 1955 to 1959.[2]
He played in aLatin jazz band for a short time before joining the band of avant-garde pianistCecil Taylor. Shepp's first recording under his own name,Archie Shepp - Bill Dixon Quartet, was released onSavoy Records in 1962 and featured a composition byOrnette Coleman.[3] In 1962, he performed with Dixon at the8th World Festival of Youth and Students in Helsinki, Finland.[4] Along with alto saxophonistJohn Tchicai and trumpeterDon Cherry, he formed theNew York Contemporary Five.[5]John Coltrane's admiration for Shepp led to recordings forImpulse! Records, the first of which wasFour for Trane in 1964, an album of mainly Coltrane compositions on which he was joined by Tchicai, trombonistRoswell Rudd, trumpeterAlan Shorter, bassistReggie Workman and drummerCharles Moffett.[6]
Shepp participated in the sessions for Coltrane'sA Love Supreme in late 1964, but none of the takes he participated in were included on the final LP release (they were made available for the first time on a 2002 reissue).[5] However, Shepp, along with Tchicai and others from theFour for Trane sessions, then recordedAscension with Coltrane in 1965, and his place alongside Coltrane at the forefront of theavant-garde jazz scene was epitomized when the pair split a record (the first side a Coltrane set, the second a Shepp set) entitledNew Thing at Newport released in late 1965.
In 1965, Shepp releasedFire Music, which included the first signs of his developing political consciousness and his increasingly Afrocentric orientation. The album took its title from a ceremonial African music tradition and included a reading of an elegy forMalcolm X.[5] Shepp's 1967The Magic of Ju-Ju also took its name from African musical traditions, and the music was strongly rooted in African music, featuring an African percussion ensemble. At this time, manyAfrican-American jazzmen were increasingly influenced by various continental African cultural and musical traditions; along withPharoah Sanders, Shepp was at the forefront of this movement.The Magic of Ju-Ju defined Shepp's sound for the next few years:freeform avant-garde saxophone lines coupled with rhythms and cultural concepts from Africa.
Shepp was invited to perform inAlgiers for the 1969 Pan-African Cultural Festival[7] of theOrganization for African Unity, along withDave Burrell,Sunny Murray, andClifford Thornton. This ensemble then recorded several sessions in Paris at theBYG Actuel studios.
Shepp continued to experiment into the new decade, at various times including harmonica players and spoken word poets in his ensembles. With 1972'sAttica Blues andThe Cry of My People, he spoke out forcivil rights; the former album was a response to theAttica Prison riots.[5] Shepp also writes for theater; his works includeThe Communist (1965)[7] andLady Day: A Musical Tragedy (1972).[8] Both were produced byRobert Kalfin at theChelsea Theater Center.[9]
In the late 1960s, Shepp began his teaching career as a professor of African-American Studies atSUNY inBuffalo, New York.[10] In 1971, Shepp was recruited to theUniversity of Massachusetts Amherst byRandolph Bromery,[11] beginning a 30-year career as a professor of music. Shepp's first two courses were entitled "Revolutionary Concepts in African-American Music" and "Black Musician in the Theater".[12]
In the late 1970s and beyond, Shepp's career went between various old territories and various new ones. He continued to explore African music, while also recordingblues, ballads, spirituals (on the 1977 albumGoin' Home withHorace Parlan) and tributes to more traditional jazz figures such asCharlie Parker andSidney Bechet, while at other times dabbling inR&B, and recording with various European artists includingJasper van't Hof, Tchangodei andDresch Mihály.
Shepp is featured in the 1981 documentary filmImagine the Sound, in which he discusses and performs his music and poetry. Shepp also appears inMystery, Mr. Ra, a 1984 French documentary aboutSun Ra. The film also includes footage of Shepp playing with Sun Ra's Arkestra.
Since the early 1990s, he has often played with the French trumpeterEric Le Lann. In 1993, he worked withMichel Herr to create the original score for the filmJust Friends.
In 2002, Shepp appeared on theRed Hot Organization's tribute album toFela Kuti,Red Hot and Riot. Shepp appeared on a track entitled "No Agreement" alongsideRes,Tony Allen,Ray Lema,Baaba Maal, andPositive Black Soul. In 2004 Archie Shepp founded his own record label, Archieball, together with Monette Berthomier. The label is located in Paris, France, and includes collaborations withJacques Coursil, Monica Passos, Bernard Lubat, and Frank Cassenti.
Archie Shepp onBandcampArchie Shepp discography atDiscogsArchie Shepp discography atMusicBrainz