''Life in the Sugar Candle Mines'' is the debut album by Black Host, a free jazz quintet led by drummer Gerald Cleaver, who is joined by alto saxophonist Darius Jones, guitarist Brandon Seabrook, pianist

Cooper-Moore Cooper-Moore (born Gene Y. Ashton; August 31, 1946) is an American jazz pianist, composer and instrument builder/designer based in New York City. Early life At age 12, Cooper-Moore was recruited by community leaders to be the piano player for ...

and bassist Pascal Niggenkemper. It was released in 2013 on the

Northern Spy The Northern Spy, also called 'Spy' and 'King', is a cultivar of domesticated apple that originated on the farm of Oliver Chapin in East Bloomfield, New York, in about 1840. It is popular in upstate New York. The Northern Spy was one of four app ...

label.''Life in the Sugar Candle Mines''
at

Reception

The ''

Down Beat ' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chi ...

'' review by Areif Sless-Kitain notes that "the drummer’s credit for 'sound design' hints at his ringleader role, yet Cleaver functions more as a conduit than a featured player."Sless-Kitain, Areif. ''Life in the Sugar Candle Mines'' review. ''Down Beat'' August 13: page 81. Print. In his 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 ...

'' Steve Greenlee states "Anyone who still thinks free jazz is unpleasant random noises needs to hear ''Life in the Sugar Candle Mines'', 78 minutes of loosely structured but highly conceived music by some of the best in the avant-garde game."Greenlee, Steve
''Life in the Sugar Candle Mines'' review
at ''

Track listing

:''All compositions by Gerald Cleaver except as indicated'' # "Hover" – 16:10 # "Ayler Children" – 11:23 # "Citizen Rose" – 8:04 # "Test-Sunday" – 6:35 # "Amsterdam / Frames" (Jones/Seabrook/Ashton/Niggenkemper/Cleaver) – 6:01 # "Gromek" – 12:58 # "Wrestling" (

Béla Bartók Béla Viktor János Bartók (; ; 25 March 1881 – 26 September 1945) was a Hungarian composer, pianist, and ethnomusicologist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century; he and Franz Liszt are regarded as H ...

) – 5:59 # "May Be Home" – 10:28

Personnel

* Darius Jones -

alto sax The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in E, smaller than the B tenor ...

*Brandon Seabrook –

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

–

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 keyboa ...

synth A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and f ...

*Pascal Niggenkemper –

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

* Gerald Cleaver -

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

sound design Sound design is the art and practice of creating sound tracks for a variety of needs. It involves specifying, acquiring or creating auditory elements using audio production techniques and tools. It is employed in a variety of disciplines including ...

References

External links

Gerald Cleaver: Surrendering to the Experience, by Troy Collins at Point of Departure
{{Authority control 2013 albums Gerald Cleaver (musician) albums Northern Spy Records albums