Recorded on September 6-8, 1973
This 1973 studio session is the Art Ensemble of Chicago (AEC) disc that I pull from the shelf most frequently.
By consciously disregarding convention and seeking new forms of expression, the AEC dramatically expanded the potential and vocabulary of jazz.
Ironically, like a handful of other great musical revolutionaries, the AEC's outward trajectory is comes out of a deep love and abiding respect for the tradition in which they're rooted. The way that they deconstruct forms and approach sounds that are familiar and rebuild them in kaleidoscopic, otherworldly ways reminds me of Charles Ives. Of course, Ives was coming out of very different musical traditions (Western classical music, Protestant hymnody, etc.), compared to the AEC. Nonetheless, in both instances of listening to their music, we're forced to (re)encounter sounds that seems both familiar and strange, prompting us to re-assess arbitrary boundaries and conventions while simultaneously paying homage to what has come before.
The following tracks are the first four cuts on the album. Each is composed by a different member of the ensemble: Favors, Bowie, Mitchell, and Jarman, respectively.
I like Scott's analysis, which puts this music into a new perspective for me. Good to see where this form of improvisation comes from. I find the AEC very enjoyable, never routine, and deeply engaging. The "little instruments" make a big impression, as does the creation of space (literally silence) in many tracks. Urban Bushmen LP from 1980 is my personal favorite.
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