Sam Rivers Music

the orchestration here is more traditional than i expected, what with an assemblage of horn blowers associated with free jazz, though free jazz is sometimes a code meaning for strong improvisers, as is the case here with the ribvea all-star orchestra. the brilliance of this recording is in the orchestral scaffolding and how it supports the soloists, all blowing over the top what seems like a composed jam session, individual horns often on the tail of one another, completing a single idea by the previous player, as though rivers devised a set a musical problems, provided the setting, and turned loose a group of horn players to work out solutions. from song to song, from space to space (was it sun ra who said space is the place?), i had the feeling that whenever a player was struck with inspiration to say something he seized the moment, that each moment was a new possibility in an unnumbered series of possibilities.

Rivers is a great soloist and good writer, but too many soloists are crammed into these pieces, so they all end up sounding the same--strings of solos broken up with chunks of orchestral writing. The spark of Rivers's 1974 "Crystals" LP is missing. For better big band music from "free" players, try William Parker's "Sunrise in the Tone World" or any of Cecil Taylor's large ensemble projects (e.g. "Melancholy").

Big bands = dynamics & discipline? Combos = creativity & emotional range? Those limits don't apply here!

You've got to be willing to show how good you are to play in one of Rivers' bands.

If you bring something with you, this is the stuff to listen to. Not for a Top-40 sensibility - it's never ever "jazz lite".

Very sound-driven, the politics of instrumental ensemble playing have rarely been presented in a manner so varied and clear to this listener.

This music is completely extreme. Its way too dischordant and only seems to resolve itself once every 40 bars, and then only for one beat. I can't believe this was recommended to average jazz browsers as the best of 99. Its the musical equivalent to Jackson Pollock and Henry Bacon making a piece of art together. Bacon laying down some twisted sculpture whilst Pollock sellotapes canvas on parts and flicks paint all over it. If you put this as background music to a film, the screen would have to be split into twelve with manic cinematography in ten of them, a beautifully edited, touching play in one, and an annoying flickering strobe light in the twelvth. Ironically, despite hating 98% of it, this is one hell of an inspiration.

I am a very fortunate man. Why? Is it because I have finally found a pair of shorts that don't ride up? No, no, no. It's because I live in the same town as Sam Rivers. I have had the great oppotunity to see Mr. Rivers on several occasions both with his regular trio and in various big band outtings. The big band groups have always held special status for me. I have never seen a musician "play" a group the way Sam Rivers does. He has the extraordinary gift of being able to pull the most amazing performaces from the other players. His own playing is always astounding, ranging from brash to playfull. What, you ask, is all the big hooplah about? Grab this disc and find out. Be warned though, if your idea of "jazz" is John Tesh, you're in for a rude awakening. This music will grab you by the collar and not let go! So, bring your ears. You'll be glad you did.

The theme of this album is songs of social consciousness, which means that the compiler was looking for historical relevence, rather than overall good tunes. But there are at least two songs here that any fan of the 19th century popular song must have: "The Song of the Red Man," by Henry Clay Work, and "The Hand that Holds the Bread" by Root. Work's piece is simple, but driving and compelling, like all his best songs. The song by Root is just another fine, rousing melody by this exellent pop composer. Performance-wise, the soloists are a mixed bag, but they are sincere, and the chorus is superb throughout.

I highly recommend this 1998 re-issue of 1973 Sam Rivers material!! Any issuance of his back-catalog is a welcome addition to his largely overlooked discography. For those interested in learning more about his catalog, I've put together some info on why THE TRIO LIVE disc is only a portion of his 1973 series of compositions involving hues and color related titles:

According to producer Ed Mitchell the album issued in 1975 by Impulse! as HUES "...is made up of selections from various Sam Rivers performances, some recorded by Impulse! and some from Rivers' own tapes...titles are... given to sections of live performance after the fact, for LP purposes." The first three titles ("Amber," "Turquoise," and "Rose") were recorded at the Jazz Workshop in Boston, MA; on February 13, 1971. The fourth ("Chartreuse") is from the same workshop the next day; February 14, 1971. The next two tracks ("Mauve" and "Indigo") are "...excerpted from a live performance, tape of which runs 40:20, and includes a section with Rivers on flute and soprano saxophone, and which has vibes, or possibly bell chimes played by the drummer, as well as raps on "Spontaneous Creativity" and "Composition through Improvisation," according to Impulse! session producer Ed Michel. This ends Side A of the 1975 HUES LP, none of which is on THE TRIO LIVE (1998) CD...but read on.

Side B of HUES, is comprised of "Onyx" and "Topaz" (aka the "Suite for Molde - Part One"); recorded at Molde Jazz Festival, Molde, Norway; August 3, 1973. This material was re-issued as THE TRIO LIVE (1998)CD; which also contains "Suite for Molde - Part Two" (an 11:16 track) which features Rivers on the tenor (and was not on the original 1975 vinyl). This is followed by "Ivory" and "Black" on the LP, which are programmed into the middle of the "HUES OF MELANIN" Suite that's the other major feature of this 1998 TRIO LIVE CD re-issue. The rest of the "HUES OF MELANIN" Suite, for all practical purposes, has nothing to do with the HUES LP issued in 1975. HUES (1975) has a seriously funky rhythm section (featuring: Cecil McBee - bass & Norman Connors - drums) in comparison to other tracks that have been issued from this period of Rivers' hue-titled compositions; and is well worth aquiring for this reason alone. The TRIO LIVE (1998) re-issue is also worth owning, not just for it's clean quality, but for being able to hear some of these Rivers sessions uninterrupted; as the original vinyl chopped things into bite-sized pieces. If you're a Rivers fan, they've got you over a barrell, as no one has undertaken the daunting task of sorting out and re-issuing the vast majority of his material in any kind of comprehensive format. But if they can put out a 9 disc set of Albert Ayler's unreleased home recordings; they can do this.

The original vinyl HUES program:
1. Amber 4:26
2. Turquoise 4:01
3. Rose 5:13
---
4. Chartreuse 3:17
---
5. Mauve 4:17
6. Indigo 1:28
--
7. Onyx 4:04
8. Topaz 4:02
--
9. Ivory
10. Black

In the attached linear notes, Rivers says two super important things:
1.You can't last on spontaneity alone - you must develop your knowledge if you want to last.
2.Rivers listened to whatever everybody else was playing - so he can avoid playing like anyone else but himself.

This CD shows Rivers to be an amazing spontaneous improviser, a knowledgable theoretician, a master of structure and sound, and one of the most versatile saxophone players I have ever heard.
First - his sound on tenor does not resemble either Coltrane, Rollins, Gordon, or anyone else. His control of the high and low registers is unparalelled.
On the soprano I find him to be even stronger than Coltrane - and I dont mean to take anything away from Trane by that.
Rivers abilty to sustain both energy and interest in long solos is admirable. His tenor playing on the Molde suite is one of the high points of creative Jazz as far as I am concerned.
I was surprised to hear Rivers play the piano beautifully (on track 2), and less surprised to hear his great flute playing.
This CD is definately the best trio performance I know of, as the rest of the group provides Rivers with sympathetic support.

Rivers has been a giant of American music for the past 25 years but has not enjoyed wide or even mediocre recognition. This is not something the general public should be proud of.

At a time when most of his more-famous contemporaries were desperately trying to maintain commercial viability by imitating rock-music conventions, Sam Rivers recorded these live performances and stuck tenaciously to the avant-garde traditions that many critics blamed for running off the jazz market. Listen to what this trio was able to accomplish, though, and you'll have no doubt that the structural freedom of "free jazz" cannot be the sole reason why interest in the music ebbed. They may not be following the old rules, but Rivers and his bandmates are firmly rooted in musical tradition -- jazz, yes, but also what today we would call "world music" -- and the results are captivating and (especially impressive for such a serious-minded genre) fun. The group never loses its tunefulness and it's percussive in a way that does not sound like pandering.

No desription with words will do this CD justice. Forced to make a comparison, I'd have to pick Coltrane's late recordings on the same label (Impulse) -- an organic composition that sends the waves of sound crashing over you, as well as an awareness of African and Eastern musical forms -- but there really is no comparison. It's music that engages your mind but also is infused with a sense of humor, as though Rivers is simultaneously an intellectual and a delightful/delighted child. He shifts around his various instruments, mostly woodwinds but also piano and vocal eruptions -- an approach that often can feel like a gimmick even in the hands of talented musicians -- but it's obvious that Rivers has a body of sound in his head and he's just grabbing at the various tools in front of him as they're needed.

A side note: I can only imagine how hard it was for such an uncompromising artist to survive the lean years, and his lack of fame or critical attention may mean that the lean years never really ended for Sam Rivers, but as of less than 10 years ago he still hadn't lost it -- live or in the recording studio. Check out his CD's issued under the self-owned RivBea label.

In the attached linear notes, Rivers says two super important things:
1.You can't last on spontaneity alone - you must develop your knowledge if you want to last.
2.Rivers listened to whatever everybody else was playing - so he can avoid playing like anyone else but himself.

This CD shows Rivers to be an amazing spontaneous improviser, a knowledgable theoretician, a master of structure and sound, and one of the most versatile saxophone players I have ever heard.
First - his sound on tenor does not resemble either Coltrane, Rollins, Gordon, or anyone else. His control of the high and low registers is unparalelled.
On the soprano I find him to be even stronger than Coltrane - and I dont mean to take anything away from Trane by that.
Rivers abilty to sustain both energy and interest in long solos is admirable. His tenor playing on the Molde suite is one of the high points of creative Jazz as far as I am concerned.
I was surprised to hear Rivers play the piano beautifully (on track 2), and less surprised to hear his great flute playing.
This CD is definately the best trio performance I know of, as the rest of the group provides Rivers with sympathetic support.

Rivers has been a giant of American music for the past 25 years but has not enjoyed wide or even mediocre recognition. This is not something the general public should be proud of.

Sam Rivers is going on 80, and is finally getting some long overdue public recognition for what his fellow musicians have always known -- he is a master of his craft. These trio recordings from 1973 are Rivers at his finest, as he moves from tenor to soprano sax, piano, and wordless vocals. The drums and bass are absolutely outstanding throughout -- it is truly telepathic engagement. Rivers' great '60s Bluenote records are currently available only as a Mosaic box (well worth looking for!), and need to be reissued so Sam can continue to reach the listeners now hearing his big band compositions and these searingly brilliant improvisations from the days before the deadly neoclassical "impulse" set in like a toxic cloud over the ever-searching essence of jazz!

60 Years Of Music America Hates Best is Spike Jones` masterpiece and a scream! When my dad was stationed in France around 1960 he would go to the base exchange and buy trippy albums like this for us kids. We completely trashed it, of course, but not until it had seen about a million spins. In 1990 I was in hog heaven when I found a SEALED vinyl copy at a used record store. Now it's out on CD and my life is complete. Thank you Taragon Records!

After Spike's original comedy band, the City Slickers, broke up (as happened to all the swing bands of the same vintage), Spike's recordings took a different approach. Here we have in beautiful stereo two projects based on two different themes. "Omnibust" is a parody of television shows of the early 60s, including westerns, kid shows, travelogues, soap operas, sports events, and plenty of "commercials." Note that this is more of a "comedy sketch" than the musical craziness Spike is identified with. The "60 Years..." album is a collection of songs from the 1920s, 30s, 40s, and 50s -- from ragtime to rock n' roll -- with Spike-Jones-type sound effects tossed in. It's not the old City Slicker band, but quite amusing never-the-less. Two nostalgic items with a sense of humor!