Once branded musical insurrectionists when they burst on the scene in the late sixties, the two surviving members of the Art Ensemble of Chicago (AEC) original quintet, deliver an all-encompassing resurrectionist statement by expanding to a chamber orchestra on this live 2-CD recording, The Sixth Decade, From Paris to Paris. The album was recorded in France in 2020 at the Son d’hiver festival, coming full circle to where the group was first formed in 1968. The two founding members, saxophonist/composer Roscoe Mitchell (sopranino and alto) and drummer/percussionist Famoudou Don Moye not only expanded the band but have reshaped its sound, primarily through the addition of arguably today’s most dramatic spoken word artist, Moor Mother. In addition, in-demand avant-garde cellist Tomeka Reid and violinist Jean Cook join together with semi-regulars – trumpeter Hugh Ragin, flutist Nicole Mitchell, and bassist Jaribu Shahid.
Those players are essentially the core unit but in keeping with the philosophy of the AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians), Mitchell and Moye invite a diverse group to expand the unit to seventeen members. They are free style pianist Brett Carson, French trombonist Simon Sieger, Puerto Rican bass vocalist Roco Cordova, violaist Eddy Kwon, and the operatic soprano Erina Newkirk. In addition, an array of bassists and percussionists round out the ensemble. Also, keep in mind that The Art Ensemble, despite the term resurrectionist, has remained vital through the six decades with an acclaimed appearance at the 2019 Big Ears Festival and a subsequent double album We Are on the Edge, some material of which is performed here. Insurrection and resurrection are just integral parts of the band’s DNA.
They have always boasted temerity for uncharted waters. Set in Paris, we have the confluence of American and European musical forms from string quartets to art songs, to chorales, spoken word declarations, and even touches of opera. Mixed in, you’ll still hear the Mitchells (no relation) squawks and birdcalls, and from the group at large boundaryless free jazz, African percussion, and full-fledged exploration. Reid says no two shows are ever the same, owing to the leader, 82-year Roscoe Mitchell’s improvisational nature. In recent years, Mitchell has also become a prominent composer for string ensembles, which is on clear display within.
The performance begins on Disc One with droning strings and intermittent woodwinds underpinning the deeply emotive words of Moor Mother (“Come rejoice in a higher place”) backed by the echoing soprano of Newkirk and the string quartet and chorale on the multi-faceted “Leola.” Trombonist Sieger begins a capella, later joined by Nicole Mitchell on flute and various bleats from Roscoe in the experimental “Introduction to Cards” which is two and half times longer than “Cards” which adds strings and percussion to the mysterious mix. This segues into three more brief consecutive improvisations – “Improvisation One,” “Ritual – Great Black Music,” and “Kumpa,” mostly featuring Shadid’s acoustic bass along with the two Mitchells. The latter is steeped in African chanting and percussion.
In “Stormy Weather” Moor Mother invokes the names of Lester Young, Sun Ra, and others while the outstanding “New Coming” pulsates with percussion woodwinds, brass, and Moor Mother name-dropping more jazz royalty. “Jigiba” continues to feature African percussion from as many as five percussionists until it becomes a bed for the trombonist and the declarative Moor Mother (“the anthropology of dance, the story of the drum”) in “I Feel Like Dancing.” Audience applause follows and presages Mitchell’s flute on top of the African percussion for the closing “Bulawayo Korokokoko,” which also features riveting bass playing,
Ragin’s trumpet clarion call introduces “We Are On the Edge” in Disc Two, yielding next to the string quartet before Sieger’s trombone introduces a free jazz segment that precedes the infectious percussion and Moor Mother’s incantation “We are on the edge of victory” which sets off her political rant encompassing slavery, democracy, housing, and a myriad of issues backed by angst driven instrumentation. By contrast, the majestic string-oriented “Variations and Sketches from the Bamboo Forest” follows with its intriguing mix of tonality and atonality before we hear the stirring bass vocal of Cordova followed by a freewheeling piano sequence from Carson that’s part Monk, part Cecil Taylor. Cordova and the strings return to bring it to a conclusion.
The percussion takes the spotlight again, backing Moor Mother in yet another dramatic, emphatic “I Greet You with Open Arms.” It’s compelling, edge-of-your-seat poetry mixed with a NOLA/African infused march vibe as the entire ensemble kicks in. AEC favorite “Funky AECO” features multiple bassists and percussionists with Sieger on tuba setting an arresting groove, over which Moor Mother delivers her spoken word, beckoning the full ensemble to join in the euphoria. The lengthiest pieces of both CDs follow with “Odwalla” and “Improvisation Two.” The former begins with a chorale over a throbbing percussion bed as Roscoe introduces members of the ensemble, each of whom steps forward with soulful, individual statements for this swinging tune. The latter, presumably an encore, begins with ethereal underpinning of strings and dissonant trombone for the vocals of Cordoba and the startling, disarming operatic wordless vocals from Newkirk paired with Reid’s cello. Moor Mother has the final say over a free-stretching full ensemble, so moving that it eventually prompts the audience to join in rhythmic clapping.
Rarely, if ever will you find a performance with so many colors, tones, textures, and rhythms that range from easily accessible to anything but. That said, the creative force of the AEC makes this an early candidate for one of 2023’s best.
