Archie Shepp - Yasmina, A Black Woman - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

This premium edition revives a historic 1969 Paris session from the iconic BYG/Actuel catalog-an essential statement from a visionary musician and activist, now reissued in it's best quality ever. Restored & remastered from the original tapes by Nick Robbins, it features a new and insightful essay by author & music journalist Kevin Le Gendre.The CD edition comes in a deluxe digi-sleeve that captures the essence of the original LP, complete with a 16-page booklet and printed inner wallet.Awarded Audiophile Album of the Month by Jazzwise, March 2023, and hailed as InchA must for Shepp fans as well as free-jazz aficionadosInch by Kevin Whitlock - Jazzwise.Among the many African-American jazz musicians who arrived in Paris in the late '60s, saxophonist Archie Shepp was arguably the most influential. Still residing in the French capital today, he became a key figure in the European jazz scene, forging strong collaborations with artists like German pianist Joachim Kühn. Archie Shepp recorded several landmark albums for BYG, with Yasmina, A Black Woman standing out as one of the most compelling-both musically and intellectually.The title track is a powerful tribute to a Inchsoul sisterInch with an Afro-Arabic name, signaling a deliberate shift away from Eurocentric narratives. Shepp's impassioned performance is matched by an extraordinary lineup that bridges hard bop and the avant-garde. Saxophonist Hank Mobley and drummer Philly Joe Jones-two hard bop legends-share the stage with boundary-pushing soloists like pianist Dave Burrell, trumpeter Lester Bowie, and saxophonist Roscoe Mitchell, both of whom were members of the Art Ensemble of Chicago. The result? A true jazz supergroup.This remarkable ensemble delivers a dynamic repertoire that reflects Shepp's deep engagement with the entire spectrum of Black American music, from blues and swing to free improvisation, while embra

Album Tracks 1. The Early Bird - Part 1 2. The Early Bird - Part 2 3. Huru - Part 1 4. Huru - Part 2

This premium edition revives a historic 1969 Paris session from the iconic BYG/Actuel catalog-an essential statement from a visionary musician and activist, now reissued in it's best quality ever. Restored & remastered from the original tapes by Nick Robbins, it features a new and insightful essay by author & music journalist Kevin Le Gendre.The CD edition comes in a deluxe digi-sleeve that captures the essence of the original LP, complete with a 16-page booklet and printed inner wallet.Awarded Audiophile Album of the Month by Jazzwise, March 2023, and hailed as InchA must for Shepp fans as well as free-jazz aficionadosInch by Kevin Whitlock - Jazzwise.Florida-born saxophonist, composer, poet, actor, and playwright Archie Shepp was one of the most powerful voices of politicized Black culture in the late '60s-a time of radical thought and social upheaval.After relocating to Paris, Shepp recorded a series of groundbreaking albums, including Blasé, which explored themes of freedom, racial equality, and the deep roots of African-American music. Blending gospel, blues, and avant-garde jazz, the album featured the mesmerizing vocals of Jeanne Lee and members of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, creating a powerful fusion of jazz, poetry, and radical politics.Blasé defies categorization, moving fluidly across eras and influences-what Shepp called Inchpre-jazzInch as much as Inchfree jazz.Inch From a graceful reprise of Duke Ellington's Sophisticated Lady to the propulsive rhythms of Touareg, inspired by his transformative experience at the 1969 Pan-African Festival in Algiers, Shepp's vision was always expansive.Black music has a dynamic relationship with it's past-what was once old becomes new again, resonating across generations. If Blasé teaches us anything, it's that younger artists will always feel the spirit of their predecessors, both in life and beyond. As Duke Ellington