''Church Number Nine'' is an album by saxophonist Frank Wright. It was recorded in Paris on March 7, 1970, and was released in 1971 by

Odeon Records Odeon Records is a record label founded in 1903 by Max Straus and Heinrich Zuntz of the International Talking Machine Company in Berlin, Germany. The label's name and logo come from the Odéon-Théâtre de l'Europe in Paris. History Straus an ...

in Japan. On the album, Wright is joined by saxophonist

Noah Howard Noah Howard (April 6, 1943 – September 3, 2010) was an American free jazz alto saxophonist. Biography Born in New Orleans, Howard played music from childhood in his church. He first learned trumpet and later switched to alto, tenor and sopran ...

, pianist

Bobby Few Bobby Few (October 21, 1935 – January 6, 2021) was an American jazz pianist and vocalist. Early life Few was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and grew up in the Fairfax neighborhood of the city's East Side. Upon his mother's encouragement, he stud ...

, and drummer

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. The French label Calumet reissued the album in 1973.

Reception

In a review for

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 ...

, Dan Warburton called "Part 1" an "explosion of holy-rolling free gospel," and praised Few's playing as "particularly volcanic." Regarding "Part 2," Warburton stated that, while Howard's solo begins in a "florid" manner, "the rhythm section's relentless attack and Wright's preaching vocals and percussion eventually blast him into the upper atmosphere." Phil Freeman of ''Burning Ambulance'' described the recording as having "two album-side-long tracks during which saxophonists Wright and Noah Howard attempt to out-shout both each other and pianist Bobby Few," and commented: "If gospel music sounded like this, I'd go to church." A reviewer for the ''Listen Records'' newsletter remarked: "This record is heavy, ecstatic, and mind-blowing! ''Church Number Nine'' is without a single doubt one of the greatest free-blowing jazz discs ever to be put down on wax." A writer for ''Paris Transatlantic'' suggested that the use of supplemental percussion instruments on the album "is a habit Wright evidently picked up from his brief stint with Coltrane," and stated that on "Part 2," Wright's solo consists "of tight bursts of energy, mauling and ripping notes to pieces like a famished lion before finally settling on one and doing it to death."

Track listing

# "Church Number Nine Part 1" – 26:01 # "Church Number Nine Part 2" – 19:32

Personnel

* Frank Wright – tenor saxophone *

– alto saxophone *

– piano *

– drums

References

{{Authority control 1971 albums Frank Wright (jazz musician) albums Odeon Records albums