''Commandment (For the Sculpture of Alain Kirili)'' is a live solo album by violinist

Billy Bang Billy Bang (September 20, 1947 – April 11, 2011), born William Vincent Walker, was an American free jazz violinist and composer. Biography Bang's family moved to New York City's Bronx neighborhood while he was still an infant, and as a ...

. It was recorded on March 30, 1997, at the loft of sculptor

Alain Kirili Alain Kirili (29 August 1946 – 19 May 2021) was a French-American sculptor. He was recognized for his Postminimalism, post-minimalist abstract sculptures in forged iron and his large-scale Public art, public sculptures. His work has been the su ...

and photographer

Ariane Lopez-Huici Ariane Lopez-Huici (born August 5, 1945) is a photographer living between New York and Paris. Her work has been successfully presented internationally in institutions – Instituto Valenciano de Arte Moderno, Spain, Musee de Grenoble, France, PS1 ...

in New York City, and was released later that year by No More Records. Kirili and Lopez-Huici began sponsoring programs of free jazz in their loft during the 1980s, and went on to present seven or eight concerts a year. Other than Bang, guest musicians included

Steve Lacy Steve Lacy may refer to: Music * Steve Lacy (saxophonist) (1934–2004), American jazz saxophonist and composer * Steve Lacy (singer) (born 1998), American musician Other occupations *Steve Lacy (coach) (1908–2000), American college sports coach ...

Cecil Taylor Cecil Percival Taylor (March 25, 1929April 5, 2018) was an American pianist and poet. Taylor was classically trained and was one of the pioneers of free jazz. His music is characterized by an energetic, physical approach, resulting in complex ...

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 ...

, Archie Shepp,

Sunny Murray James Marcellus Arthur "Sunny" Murray (September 21, 1936 – December 7, 2017) was an American musician, and was one of the pioneers of the free jazz style of drumming. Biography Murray was born in Idabel, Oklahoma, where he was raised by an ...

, and Roswell Rudd. On the album, which was conceived as a dialogue between Bang and Kirili, the violinist can be heard responding to aspects of Kirili's sculptures as he walked among them.

Reception

In a review for AllMusic, Chris Kelsey wrote: "Bang does a remarkable job building his performance. Ideas flow and are elaborated upon and transformed. Every track has an individual character; each can stand on its own, yet works as part of the whole. His dexterity is extraordinary, yet as fluent as Bang is, it's his passion that carries the day." The authors of '' The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings'' stated: "The sheer physicality of this solo date... is astonishing." John Murph of '' JazzTimes'' commented: "With the program geared towards Alain Kirilli's oblique sculptures, it's understandable why much of this performance opts for rhythmically challenging passages versus curvaceous contoured etchings. But despite such esoteric angularities, ''Commandment'' is a worthy listen." ''La Folias Steve Koenig remarked: "On ''Commandment'', Bang speaks about the difference between hardness and softness, water and flow, his southern roots, faith, and these all come out in the music... Sit in your chair, listen, enjoy the photos of the sculpture and the space, and feel blessed." A writer for ''

Coda Coda or CODA may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * Movie coda, a post-credits scene * ''Coda'' (1987 film), an Australian horror film about a serial killer, made for television *''Coda'', a 2017 American experimental film from Na ...

'' called the album "an intimate affair with the violinist calling tunes as though you were sitting in his living room in Harlem on a cool spring evening."

Track listing

# "Intro" (Billy Bang) – 1:04 # "Pieta" (Billy Bang) – 7:57 # "'Bama Swing" (Billy Bang) – 7:14 # "Commandment" (Billy Bang) – 7:15 # "Daydreams" (Billy Bang) – 12:39 # "

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" is an African-American spiritual song and one of the best-known Christian hymns. Originating in early oral and musical African-American traditions, the date it was composed is unknown. Performances by the Hampton Singer ...

" (Traditional) – 8:59 # "'Bama Swing Again" (Billy Bang) – 7:31 # "They Plan to Leave" ( Sun Ra) – 11:32 # "Music For the Love of It" (Billy Bang/Lawrence Douglas) – 7:09

Personnel

– violin

References

{{Reflist 1997 live albums Billy Bang live albums Live free jazz albums