Search - Archie Shepp, Roswell Rudd :: Live in New York

Roswell Rudd & Archie Shepp: Live in New York is a reunion, recalling the collaboration between trombonist Rudd and tenorist Shepp in the 1960s. Toward the end of that decade, Grachan Moncur III provided a second trombone in their combo, and he's conveniently present for this date, too. The leaders divide composition credits equally, their selections drawn from the last four decades. Shepp had developed a sideline in singing whilst sitting at the piano, leading to a supper-club coast during "Steam" and "Déjà Vu," almost a show-bizzy approach that will come as a shock to old fans. The juggernaut barging of "Pazuzu" is more typical, with all three hornmen generating a big, blustery sound that might frighten off the more sedate listener. Adding to the variety is Amiri Baraka's beat poetry on his own "We Are the Blues." "Slide by Slide" draws attention to the sonic similarities between free-blowing and old-time New Orleans street-parading, showing that slurs, honks, and bleats are all part of a common vocabulary. --Martin Longley