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Archie Shepp (born May 24, 1937) is an American
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...
saxophonist, educator and playwright who since the 1960s has played a central part in the development of
avant-garde jazz Avant-garde jazz (also known as avant-jazz and experimental jazz) is a style of music and improvisation that combines avant-garde art music and composition with jazz. It originated in the early 1950s and developed through to the late 1960s. Orig ...
.


Biography


Early life

Shepp was born in
Fort Lauderdale A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
, Florida, but raised in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
. He studied
piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a musica ...
, clarinet and alto saxophone before narrowing his focus to
tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while ...
. He occasionally plays
soprano saxophone The soprano saxophone is a higher-register variety of the saxophone, a woodwind instrument invented in the 1840s. The soprano is the third-smallest member of the saxophone family, which consists (from smallest to largest) of the soprillo, so ...
as well. He studied drama at Goddard College from 1955 to 1959. He played in a
Latin jazz Latin jazz is a genre of jazz with Latin American rhythms. The two main categories are Afro-Cuban jazz, rhythmically based on Cuban popular dance music, with a rhythm section employing ostinato patterns or a clave (rhythm), clave, and Afro-Brazil ...
band for a short time before joining the band of avant-garde pianist Cecil Taylor. Shepp's first recording under his own name, ''
Archie Shepp - Bill Dixon Quartet Archie is a masculine given name, a diminutive of Archibald. It may refer to: People Given name or nickname *Archie Alexander (1888–1958), African-American mathematician, engineer and governor of the US Virgin Islands * Archie Blake (mathematici ...
'', was released on Savoy Records in 1962 and featured a composition by
Ornette Coleman Randolph Denard Ornette Coleman (March 9, 1930 – June 11, 2015) was an American jazz saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter, and composer known as a principal founder of the free jazz genre, a term derived from his 1960 album '' Free Jazz: A Col ...
. Along with alto saxophonist John Tchicai and trumpeter Don Cherry, he formed the
New York Contemporary Five The New York Contemporary Five was an avant-garde jazz ensemble active from the summer of 1963 to the spring of 1964. It has been described as "a particularly noteworthy group during its year of existence -- a pioneering avant-garde combo" and "a ...
.
John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Born and rai ...
's admiration for Shepp led to recordings for Impulse! Records, the first of which was '' Four for Trane'' in 1964, an album of mainly Coltrane compositions on which he was joined by Tchicai, trombonist Roswell Rudd, trumpeter Alan Shorter, bassist
Reggie Workman Reginald "Reggie" Workman (born June 26, 1937 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American avant-garde jazz and hard bop double bassist, recognized for his work with both John Coltrane and Art Blakey. Career Early in his career, Workman work ...
and drummer Charles Moffett.


Early career

Shepp participated in the sessions for Coltrane's '' A Love Supreme'' in late 1964, but none of the takes he participated in were included on the final LP release (they were made available for the first time on a 2002 reissue). However, Shepp, along with Tchicai and others from the ''Four for Trane'' sessions, then recorded '' Ascension'' with Coltrane in 1965, and his place alongside Coltrane at the forefront of the
avant-garde jazz Avant-garde jazz (also known as avant-jazz and experimental jazz) is a style of music and improvisation that combines avant-garde art music and composition with jazz. It originated in the early 1950s and developed through to the late 1960s. Orig ...
scene was epitomized when the pair split a record (the first side a Coltrane set, the second a Shepp set) entitled '' New Thing at Newport'' released in late 1965. In 1965, Shepp released '' Fire Music'', which included the first signs of his developing political consciousness and his increasingly Afrocentric orientation. The album took its title from a ceremonial African music tradition and included a reading of an elegy for
Malcolm X Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little, later Malik el-Shabazz; May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965) was an American Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figure during the civil rights movement. A spokesman for the Nation of ...
. Shepp's 1967 ''
The Magic of Ju-Ju ''The Magic of Ju-Ju'' is an album by Archie Shepp released on Impulse! Records in May 1968. The album contains tracks recorded by Shepp, trumpeter Martin Banks, trombonist Mike Zwerin, bassist Reggie Workman and percussionists Norman Connors, Fr ...
'' also took its name from African musical traditions, and the music was strongly rooted in African music, featuring an African percussion ensemble. At this time, many
African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
jazzmen were increasingly influenced by various continental African cultural and musical traditions; along with Pharoah Sanders, Shepp was at the forefront of this movement. ''The Magic of Ju-Ju'' defined Shepp's sound for the next few years: freeform avant-garde saxophone lines coupled with rhythms and cultural concepts from Africa. Shepp was invited to perform in Algiers for the 1969 Pan-African Cultural Festival of the
Organization for African Unity The Organisation of African Unity (OAU; french: Organisation de l'unité africaine, OUA) was an intergovernmental organization established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with 32 signatory governments. One of the main heads for OAU's ...
, along with Dave Burrell, Sunny Murray, and Clifford Thornton. This ensemble then recorded several sessions in Paris at the
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 ...
studios. Shepp continued to experiment into the new decade, at various times including harmonica players and spoken word poets in his ensembles. With 1972's '' Attica Blues'' and ''
The Cry of My People ''The Cry of My People'' is an album by avant-garde jazz saxophonist Archie Shepp released in 1972 on the Impulse! label. The album features performances by Shepp with gospel singers, big bands, quintets, sextets, and chamber orchestras. The AllM ...
'', he spoke out for
civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life ...
; the former album was a response to the
Attica Prison riots The Attica Prison Riot, also known as the Attica Prison Rebellion, the Attica Uprising, or the Attica Prison Massacre, took place at the state prison in Attica, New York; it started on September 9, 1971, and ended on September 13 with the high ...
. Shepp also writes for theater; his works include ''The Communist'' (1965) and ''Lady Day: A Musical Tragedy'' (1972). Both were produced by Robert Kalfin at the Chelsea Theater Center. In 1971, Shepp was recruited to the
University of Massachusetts Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst, UMass) is a public research university in Amherst, Massachusetts and the sole public land-grant university in Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded in 1863 as an agricultural college, it ...
by Randolph Bromery, beginning a 30-year career as a professor of music. Shepp's first two courses were entitled "Revolutionary Concepts in African-American Music" and "Black Musician in the Theater". Shepp was also a professor of African-American Studies at SUNY in
Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...
. In the late 1970s and beyond, Shepp's career went between various old territories and various new ones. He continued to explore African music, while also recording blues, ballads, spirituals (on the 1977 album '' Goin' Home'' with Horace Parlan) and tributes to more traditional jazz figures such as
Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...
and
Sidney Bechet Sidney Bechet (May 14, 1897 – May 14, 1959) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer. He was one of the first important Solo (music), soloists in jazz, and first recorded several months before trumpeter Louis Armstrong. His ...
, while at other times dabbling in R&B, and recording with various European artists including Jasper van't Hof, Tchangodei and
Dresch Mihály Dresch et Cie (1920–1949) was one of France's more important motorcycle manufacturers.The Illustrated Directory of Motorcycles. Micro De Cet, Mirco De Cet. MotorBooks International, 13 Feb 2003 It was founded in Étampes, France by the eccentric ...
.


Later career

Shepp is featured in the 1981 documentary film '' Imagine the Sound'', in which he discusses and performs his music and poetry. Shepp also appears in ''Mystery, Mr. Ra'', a 1984 French documentary about
Sun Ra Le Sony'r Ra (born Herman Poole Blount, May 22, 1914 – May 30, 1993), better known as Sun Ra, was an American jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, and poet known for his experimental music, "cosmic" philosophy, prolific ou ...
. The film also includes footage of Shepp playing with Sun Ra's Arkestra. Since the early 1990s, he has often played with the French trumpeter
Eric Le Lann The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse ''* ain ...
. In 1993, he worked with Michel Herr to create the original score for the film '' Just Friends''. In 2002, Shepp appeared on the Red Hot Organization's tribute album to Fela Kuti, ''
Red Hot and Riot ''Red Hot + Riot'' (a.k.a. ''Red Hot + Riot: The Music and Spirit of Fela Kuti'') is the fourteenth in a series of music compilation projects produced by Paul Heck and John Carlin of the Red Hot Organization and Grammy-winning music producer Andr ...
''. Shepp appeared on a track entitled "No Agreement" alongside
Res Res or RES may refer to: Sciences Computing *Russian and Eurasian Security Network *Spanish Supercomputing Network (''Red Española de Supercomputación'') Energy * RES - The School for Renewable Energy Science * US Renewable Electricity ...
, Tony Allen, Ray Lema, Baaba Maal, and Positive Black Soul. In 2004 Archie Shepp founded his own record label, Archieball, together with Monette Berthomier. The label is located in Paris, France, and includes collaborations with Jacques Coursil, Monica Passos, Bernard Lubat, and Frank Cassenti.


Discography


References


External links

*
Official site
* Stewart Smith
"Archie Shepp interview"
Summerhall, July 31, 2012. * Phil Freeman
"Interview: Archie Shepp on John Coltrane, the Blues and More"
, Red Bull Music Academy, August 25, 2014. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shepp, Archie Avant-garde jazz musicians African-American pianists Jazz musicians from Florida Musicians from Philadelphia Goddard College alumni American jazz tenor saxophonists American male saxophonists American jazz pianists American male pianists American jazz composers American male jazz composers Savoy Records artists Enja Records artists SteepleChase Records artists Prestige Records artists Arista Records artists Freedom Records artists Impulse! Records artists MPS Records artists BYG Actuel artists 1937 births University of Massachusetts Amherst faculty Living people 20th-century American pianists 21st-century American saxophonists Jazz musicians from Pennsylvania New York Contemporary Five members Sackville Records artists Black & Blue Records artists 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians