Archie Shepp Quartet True Ballads (2 LP)

Venus Masterpice Collection Limited Edition 180g Vinyl Double LP!
The eloquent and controversial tenor saxophonist, composer and singer Archie Shepp was a passionate advocate of "free jazz" in the 1960s and 1970s. In the 1990s, he surprised Japanese jazz fans with a series of ballad albums on Venus Records, starting with "Blue Ballads" in 1995 and "True Ballads" in 1996.
Venus LPs are pressed only once. After the first edition has been sold, the titles will be removed from the catalogue. Collectors should therefore consider buying in good time.
Intelligent, articulate and controversial tenor sax player, composer and singer Archie Shepp was a strong advocate of "free jazz" in the 1960s and 1970s. He surprised Japanese jazz fans in the 1990s when he released a series of ballad albums from Venus Records, beginning with Blue Ballads in 1995 and True Ballads in 1996.
"As evidenced here on the opening number alone, a smoky, steamy rendition of 'The Thrill Is Gone' that could have ended up in anybody's film noir, Shepp's fire may not burn angrily, but it burns low, deep, and hot just the same. The tenor player once said that you could hear every minute of every hour a musician put into practice when he played a ballad. That's certainly true here, and the answer is more than you could ever imagine. The inflection of Shepp's horn that moves somewhere between the deep, robust speech of John Coltrane and the shimmering soulful whisper of Ben Webster." - AllMusic

Features:

• Limited Edition
• Venus Masterpiece LP Collection
• 180g Vinyl
• Double LP
• Mixed and Mastered by Tetsuo Hara
• Venus Hyper Magnum Sound Direct Mix Stereo
• OBI Strip
• Made in Japan

Musicians:

• Archie Shepp, tenor saxophone
• John Hicks, piano
• George Mraz, bass
• Idris Muhammad, drums

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