''A Jackson in Your House'' is a 1969 album by the
Art Ensemble of Chicago
The Art Ensemble of Chicago is an avant-garde jazz group that grew out of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians ( AACM) in the late 1960s. The ensemble integrates many jazz styles and plays many instruments, including "little ...
recorded for the French
BYG Actuel
BYG Records was a French record label known for the Actuel series specializing in free jazz. However, the label released a handful of non-jazz recordings by artists such as Musica Elettronica Viva, Freedom and Gong.
History
BYG Records was found ...
label. It features performances by
Lester Bowie
Lester Bowie (October 11, 1941 – November 8, 1999) was an American jazz trumpet player and composer. He was a member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians and co-founded the Art Ensemble of Chicago.
Biography
Born in t ...
,
Joseph Jarman
Joseph Jarman (September 14, 1937 – January 9, 2019) was an American jazz musician, composer, poet, and Shinshu Buddhist priest. He was one of the first members of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians and a member of the ...
,
Roscoe Mitchell
Roscoe Mitchell (born August 3, 1940) is an American composer, jazz instrumentalist, and educator, known for being "a technically superb – if idiosyncratic – saxophonist". ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' described him as "one of the key figures ...
and
Malachi Favors Maghostut
Malachi Favors (August 22, 1927 – January 30, 2004) was an American jazz bassist who played with the Art Ensemble of Chicago.
Biography
"Favors's tendency to dissemble about his age was a well-known source of mirth to fellow musicians of his g ...
. When issued on CD by Affinity in 1989, the track "The Waltz" was replaced by a six-minute live excerpt (of unknown provenance) entitled "Hey Friend" which has never reappeared on any subsequent reissue.
Reception
The
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
review by Thom Jurek awarded the album 4 stars noting that "''A Jackson in Your House'' is not the finest or most revelatory recording by the Art Ensemble of Chicago, but it is one of their more entertaining and carefree outings".
Dominique Leone of ''
Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...
'' called the music "a direct indication of the kind of projects the musicians had previously been involved with: free improvisation; counterpoint and modern European classical music; traditionally minded attempts to integrate African music into their sound; a significant theatric influence" and concluded, "This is heady stuff, and though I can hear the dedication in the performance, sometimes the feeling loses me".
Reviewing the 2013 reissue, Lloyd Sachs of ''
Jazz Times
''JazzTimes'' is an American magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1970 by Ira Sabin as the newsletter ''Radio Free Jazz'' to complement his record store.
Coverage
After a decade of growth ...
'' said, "''A Jackson in Your House'' is highlighted by the circus-like title track; 'Ericka', a coolly charged, marimba-dappled, spoken-word declamation on '60s themes; and 'Song for Charles', a long, lyrical tribute to the band's recently deceased compadre
Charles Clark".
Track listing
''All compositions by Roscoe Mitchell except as indicated''
Personnel
*
Lester Bowie
Lester Bowie (October 11, 1941 – November 8, 1999) was an American jazz trumpet player and composer. He was a member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians and co-founded the Art Ensemble of Chicago.
Biography
Born in t ...
: trumpet, percussion instruments
*
Malachi Favors Maghostut
Malachi Favors (August 22, 1927 – January 30, 2004) was an American jazz bassist who played with the Art Ensemble of Chicago.
Biography
"Favors's tendency to dissemble about his age was a well-known source of mirth to fellow musicians of his g ...
: bass, percussion instruments, vocals
*
Joseph Jarman
Joseph Jarman (September 14, 1937 – January 9, 2019) was an American jazz musician, composer, poet, and Shinshu Buddhist priest. He was one of the first members of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians and a member of the ...
: saxophones, clarinets, percussion instruments
*
Roscoe Mitchell
Roscoe Mitchell (born August 3, 1940) is an American composer, jazz instrumentalist, and educator, known for being "a technically superb – if idiosyncratic – saxophonist". ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' described him as "one of the key figures ...
: saxophones, clarinets, flute, percussion instruments
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson In Your House, A
Art Ensemble of Chicago albums
1969 albums
BYG Actuel albums