Cecil McBee Sextet - Music From The Source
ORDER LIMITED TO ONE ITEM PER CUSTOMER
Cecil McBee - bass [click here to see more products featuring Cecil McBee]
Joe Gardner - trumpet, flugelhorn
Chico Freeman - tenor saxophone, flute
Dennis Moorman - piano
Steve McCall - drums
Famoudou Don Moye – congas
1LP, standard sleeve
Limited edition
Original analog Master tape : YES
Heavy Press : 180g
Record color : Black
Speed : 33 RPM
Size : 12'’
Stereo
Live
Record Press : unspecified
Label : Pure Pleasure
Original Label : Enja Records
Recorded live on August 2, 1977 at Sweet Basil, New York City by Bob Cummins
Mixed by David Baker
Produced by Cecil McBee
Remastered by Cicely Baston at Alchemy/Air Mastering
Originally released in 1978
Reissued in 2021
Tracks:
Side A:
- Agnez
Side B:
- God Spirit
- First Song In The Day
Reviews:
“Double bassist and Oklahoma native Cecil McBee has enjoyed a brilliant career as a sideman and occasional band leader. He has played with Dinah Wahington, Paul Winter, Miles Davis, Keith Jarrett, Jackie McLean, Wayne Shorter, Freddie Hubbard and Charles Lloyd. Many of the groups he has played with have recorded and performed his compositions. He is a regular member of Saxophone Summit and The Cookers. As with other jazz artists, McBee is actively involved with teaching, most notably as a Distinguished Professor Of Improvisation at The New England Conservatory in Boston. Additionally, he has taught master classes at Harvard University.
Pure Pleasure Records has released a re-mastered 180-gram vinyl of Cecil McBee’s 1977 release with Enja Records, Music From The Source. This artistic sextet interact with complex and moody textures in a live set, featuring extended jams (only three songs on the album) to create deep spiritual jazz. There are many exotic motifs expressed on the lone Side A track, “Agnez”. After an ethereal opening with a nimble McBee double bass solo, the group picks up steam at the 3:44 mark with Moorman and the rhythm section in the pocket. Chico Freeman’s passionate tenor play helps to articulate the hard-edged Afro-Cuban polyrhythms. Freeman pushes the tonal boundaries and the musical intensity increases. Don Moye shines on conga adding texture and flexible timing on his lengthy solo. Both Freeman and trumpeter Joe Gordon display innate chemistry. Pianist Dennis Moorman uses the bass notes to bring the song to a hushed close. His quiet elegance opens “God Spirit”. Utilizing sparse phrasing and notation, there is an eventual uplifting shift with arpeggios and flowing resonance. Then Gordon injects delicate, melodic horn runs that mesh well. His play complements the airy dynamics of the track. McBee’s double bass solo is compelling and enhances the atmospheric modality.
In what feels like bebop, the finale (“First Song In The Day”) showcases a tighter arrangement. Freeman’s crisp inflection and fluid runs permeate the energetic performance with hard-driving drum work from Steve McCall. There are occasional piercing tones that add to the freneticism and color. Gordon slides in on trumpet with equal ferocity and punctuated accents. McBee, Moorman, McCall and Moye combine for an unrelenting tempo. They also integrate smoother exchanges. Moorman delivers a soulful piano with spirited chording and exuberance. The final solo goes to McBee as he combines speed and lyrical finesse on bass. The sextet finishes with palpable free jazz aesthetics.
Pure Pleasure Records continues its stellar tradition of re-mastering obscure jazz label releases to 180-gram vinyl. This overall mix is vibrant and cleaner with most ambient live “noise” eliminated. The stereo separation is excellent.” Robbie Gerson, Audiophile Audition, September 2021
“Other than a 1974 set for Strata-East, this post-bop effort was bassist Cecil McBee's earliest recording as a leader. With Chico Freeman (heard on tenor and flute) as the most impressive soloist, McBee performs two originals and a piece by Hal Galper in a sextet that also includes trumpeter Joe Gardner, pianist Dennis Moorman, drummer Steve McCall and Don Moye on conga. The music is spiritual in nature, sometimes quite modal and in the adventurous genre of John Coltrane without being derivative. A fine live set, one of two recorded within a two-day period at New York's Sweet Basil.” AllMusic Review by Scott Yanow
Ratings :
AllMusic : 4.5 / 5 ; Discogs : 4.42 / 5 ; Audiophile Audition : 4.5 / 5