The Andrew Cyrille Quintet Ode To The Living Tree 180g LP (Vinyl)

A Feeling Of Trane Meets Sun Ra on 180g LP!

Drummer Andrew Cyrille and his group including David Murray on tenor sax and bass clarinet, Oliver Lake on alto sax, keyboardist Adegoke Steve Colson and bassist Fred Hopkins, recorded this set during a stay in Senegal. Featuring two original compositions by Cyrille, the quintet also performs John Coltrane's "Acknowledgement" and "Resolution" sections from "A Love Supreme".

Willard Jenkins of Jazz Times writes that Cyrille is "a vital and very much underrated percussionist and bandleader" who "always brings a sense of the Motherland to his music, whether exploring free landscapes, or structured outings like most on this date... There is a feeling of Trane meets Sun Ra at the corner of Murray & Lake on this date as the spirits of those two grand masters are in the air."

"In December 1994, a 55-year-old Andrew Cyrille made his first trip to Africa. First, Cyrille and a group of fellow jazzmen traveled to Ghana to perform at a festival. Then they ventured to Senegal, where they recorded Ode to the Living Tree in a Dakar studio. It isn't every day that jazz improvisers from the U.S. record in Senegal; most of the music that is recorded there is either contemporary African pop or traditional African tribal music. But then, African-American music (jazz as well as blues, rock, and funk) has greatly influenced African pop -- so it makes perfect sense that a studio in Dakar would roll out the carpet for visiting musicians from the United States. According to Cyrille, this historic CD was the first jazz session ever recorded in Senegal, where the drummer leads an inspired, cohesive quintet that employs David Murray on tenor sax and bass clarinet, Oliver Lake on alto sax, Adegoke Steve Colson on electric piano, and Fred Hopkins on bass. With such a cast, Ode could have easily been very left of center. But the performances are generally quite melodic; in fact, Ode is essentially an album of inside/outside post-bop (in the John Coltrane/Jackie McLean/Yusef Lateef vein) rather than ultra-radical, ultra-dissonant free jazz. Murray's tenor is downright lyrical on the peaceful ballad 'So That Life Can Endure...P.S. With Love.' Coltrane's music is a priority; the musicians bring a lot of passion to a 19-minute medley consisting of 'Acknowledgment' and 'Resolution' (both from A Love Supreme). Although not as radical as some of Cyrille's other work, Ode to the Living Tree is an excellent CD that he should be proud of." - Alex Henderson, allmusic.com

Features:
• 180g Vinyl LP
• Mixed and Mastered By Tetsuo Hara
• Made in Japan

Musicians:
David Murray, tenor saxophone, bass clarinet
Oliver Lake, alto saxophone
Adegoke Steve Colson, electric piano
Fred Hopkins, bass
Andrew Cyrille, drums

Selections:
Side A:
1. Ode To The Living Tree
2. So That Life Can Endure..., P.S. With Love
Side B:
1. A Love Supreme "Acknowlegement & Resolution"

Recorded at XIPPI Studios in Dakar in December 1994