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Fire Music (Archie Shepp album)

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Fire Music
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 1965[1]
RecordedFebruary 16 and March 9, 1965
StudioVan Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ
GenreJazz
Length40:30
LabelImpulse!
A-86
ProducerBob Thiele
Archie Shepp chronology
Four for Trane
(1964)
Fire Music
(1965)
On This Night
(1965)
Alternative cover

Fire Music is a studio album by jazz saxophonist Archie Shepp released on Impulse! Records in 1965. "Malcolm, Malcolm Semper Malcolm" is dedicated to Malcolm X, whilst "Los Olvidados" is a homage to the 1950 film of the same name. Featured musicians include trumpeter Ted Curson, trombonist Joe Orange, alto saxophonist Marion Brown, bassist Reggie Johnson and drummer Joe Chambers.

Reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Down Beat[3]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide[4]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings[5]

The AllMusic review by Scott Yanow states: "This particular early Archie Shepp recording has its strong moments, although it is a bit erratic... Overall, this set, even with its faults, is recommended".[2]

Writing for All About Jazz, Robert Gilbert called Fire Music "an often-fascinating album, rich in compositional and improvisational prowess", and commented: "Shepp puts together a record that is both challenging and accessible to most listeners... Fire Music is an album that belongs in any serious jazz fan’s collection."[6]

Track listing

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  1. "Hambone" (Archie Shepp) – 12:29
  2. "Los Olvidados" (Shepp) – 8:54
  3. "Malcolm, Malcolm - Semper Malcolm" (Shepp) – 4:48
  4. "Prelude to a Kiss" (Ellington, Gordon, Mills) – 4:50
  5. "The Girl from Ipanema" (DeMoraes, Gimbel, Jobim) – 8:36
  6. "Hambone" [Live] – 11:53 Bonus track on CD, recorded live at the Village Gate on March 28, 1965

Personnel

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Billboard". September 11, 1965.
  2. ^ a b AllMusic review
  3. ^ Down Beat: December 2, 1965 vol. 32, no. 25
  4. ^ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. pp. 179. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
  5. ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 1289. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
  6. ^ Gilbert, Robert (November 3, 2002). "Archie Shepp: Fire Music". All About Jazz. Retrieved April 22, 2021.