''Jam for Your Life!'' is an album by percussionist

Famoudou Don Moye Donald Moye, Jr. (born May 23, 1946), known as Famoudou Don Moye, is an American jazz percussionist and drummer. He is most known for his involvement with the Art Ensemble of Chicago and is noted for his mastery of African and Caribbean percuss ...

. It was recorded at Sparrow Sound Design and North Shore Studios in Chicago, Illinois. An initial version, with material recorded in September 1985, was released on cassette later that year by

AECO Records AECO Records is a record label started by the Art Ensemble Of Chicago. Discography * AECO 001: Don Moye – ''Sun Percussion Volume One'' * AECO 002: Joseph Jarman – ''Sunbound Volume One'' * AECO 003: Brother Malachi Favors Magoustous – ''Nat ...

, a label founded 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 ...

. In 1991, AECO reissued the album, with material recorded during 1983–1991, on CD with a different track order and an additional track. On the album, Moye is joined by multi-instrumentalist

Ari Brown Ari Brown (born February 1, 1944) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist and pianist. Biography Brown grew up in Chicago and attended Wilson College, where he met musicians such as Jack DeJohnette, Henry Threadgill, Roscoe Mitchell, and Joseph J ...

, vocalist Luba Raashiek, and nearly a dozen additional musicians.

Reception

In a review for

JazzTimes ''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 ...

, Willard Jenkins described the album as "an Afro-centric outing laden with percussion and the AACM sense of music with a theatrical bent that serves the dual purpose of exploration and entertainment," and wrote: "At the helm Moye's percussive colors, from djembe to traps, are lush and penetrating and the cast is a well-integrated bunch." Jeff Potter of ''

Modern Drummer ''Modern Drummer'' is a monthly publication targeting the interests of drummers and percussionists. The magazine features interviews, equipment reviews, and columns offering advice on technique, as well as information for the general public. ''Mo ...

'' stated: "From ancient to future, primal to complex, Moye's music retains a positive, on-the-spot urgency with all the right roots grit intact."

CD Track listing

# "Two City Suite: Sidi Ifni / Rokupuhr"" (Don Moye) – 8:17 (bonus track on CD) # "Solomon / Jam for Your Life" (Luba Raashiek) – 10:08 # "One for Skip" (Ari Brown) – 6:03 # "Black Nile" (

Wayne Shorter Wayne Shorter (born August 25, 1933) is an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Shorter came to prominence in the late 1950s as a member of, and eventually primary composer for, Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. In the 1960s, he joined Miles Davi ...

) – 4:17 # "Kamsar" (Don Moye) – 4:14 # "Richard's Tune" (Ari Brown) – 10:05 # " My Romance" (

Richard Rodgers Richard Charles Rodgers (June 28, 1902 – December 30, 1979) was an American Musical composition, composer who worked primarily in musical theater. With 43 Broadway musicals and over 900 songs to his credit, Rodgers was one of the most ...

Lorenz Hart Lorenz Milton Hart (May 2, 1895 – November 22, 1943) was an American lyricist and half of the Broadway songwriting team Rodgers and Hart. Some of his more famous lyrics include " Blue Moon", " The Lady Is a Tramp", "Manhattan", "Bewitched, Both ...

) – 9:14 # "Miles Mode" (

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of br ...

) – 4:13 * Tracks 2, 4, 6 (second part), and 7 were recorded at North Shore Studios in Chicago during 1983–85. Tracks 1, 3, 5, 6 (first part), and 8 were recorded at Sparrow Sound Design in Chicago during 1986–91.

Personnel

– drums, congas, percussion, gong, vocals *

– soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, clarinet, piano (tracks 1–4, 6–8) * Luba Raashiek – vocals (tracks 2, 4, 7, 8) * Sela Allen – wooden flute, vocals (track 1) * Bill Brimfield – trumpet (tracks 2, 4, 7) * Sonny Covington – trumpet (track 6) * Ken Prince – piano (tracks 3, 6, 8) * Thomas Palmer – bass (tracks 3, 6) * Rollo Radford – bass (tracks 2, 4, 7, 8) * Kewu – congas (track 8) * L.T. Beauchamp – harmonica (track 1) * Enoch Williamson – talking drum, vocals (track 1) * Sura Ramses – bass tambourine, vocals (track 1) * Joel Brandon – whistling (tracks 1, 5)

References

{{Reflist 1985 albums Don Moye albums Percussion music