Art Ensemble of Chicago - The Spiritual
Lester Bowie: trumpet, percussion instruments
Malachi Favors Maghostut: bass, percussion instruments, vocals
Joseph Jarman: saxophones, clarinets, percussion instruments
Roscoe Mitchell: saxophones, clarinets, flute, percussion instruments
1 LP, standard sleeve
Original analog Master tape : YES
Heavy Press : 180g
Record color : black
Speed : 33RPM
Size : 12”
Stereo
Studio
Record Press : Pallas
Label : ORG Music
Original Label : Freedom
Recorded at Polydor Studios (Dames II), Paris on June 26, 1969
Engineered by J. P. Dupuy, P. Quef
Produced by Alan Bates, Chris Whent
Remastered by Dave Gardner at Infrasonic Mastering
Originally released in 1972
Reissued in 2019
Tracks :
Side 1
Side B: The Spiritual
Reviews :
"Originally a double LP, this stunning 1974 album, THE SPIRITUAL, finds the Art Ensemble of Chicago at their artistic height. Reduced to an unusual drummerless quartet for this session (reedsmen Joseph Jarman and Roscoe Mitchell, horn player Lester Bowie and bassist/banjo player Malachi Favors all double on various types of percussion), the group explores one of the main stems of jazz, New Orleans gospel and second-line music, without sacrificing its freer sounds. Indeed, without a traditional drummer, the group is free to play at its most unrestrained, unfettered by conventions of tempo.
Yet somehow, there's a basic earthiness to this music, especially on the magnificent title track and the mysteriously beautiful "That the Evening Sky Fell Through the Glass Wall and We Stood Alone Somewhere?," which keeps the Art Ensemble grounded. Listening to THE SPIRITUAL is an experience akin to reading Ishmael Reed's vividly ironic lampoon of Western culture, MUMBO JUMBO." AllMusic Review by AllMusic
Ratings :
AllMusic 4/5 , Discogs 4.43/5