''Live in San Francisco'' is a live solo piano album by

Marilyn Crispell Marilyn Crispell (born March 30, 1947) is an American jazz pianist and composer. Scott Yanow described her as "a powerful player... who has her own way of using space... She is near the top of her field." Jon Pareles of The New York Times wrot ...

. It was recorded at

New Langton Arts New Langton Arts (active 1975 – 2009) was a not-for-profit arts organization focusing on contemporary art founded in 1975 and located the South of Market neighborhood in San Francisco, California. Part of the first wave of alternative art spaces ...

in San Francisco, California in October 1989, and was released in 1990 by

Music & Arts Music & Arts is a classical and jazz record label founded in Berkeley, California by Frederick Maroth. It began in 1984 as a classical music label before adding jazz and world music. The catalog includes classical composers and musicians Milto ...

. A pair of tracks labeled "samples of two other Music & Arts CDs in which Marilyn Crispell appears as a performer" follow the solo piano recordings on the disc.

Anthony Braxton Anthony Braxton (born June 4, 1945) is an American experimental composer, educator, music theorist, improviser and multi-instrumentalist who is best known for playing saxophones, particularly the alto. Braxton grew up on the South Side of Chica ...

's "Composition 136" previously appeared on the album '' Duets Vancouver 1989'', and was recorded on June 30, 1989, at the

Vancouver International Jazz Festival The Vancouver International Jazz Festival is an annual summer event in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The festival grew out of a local jazz scene that centred on Vancouver Co-op Radio ( CFRO-FM), a community radio station, in the early 1980 ...

. "Wha's Nine?", by

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 worke ...

, previously appeared on the album ''Images: The Reggie Workman Ensemble'', and was recorded on July 8, 1989, at

The Knitting Factory The Knitting Factory is a nightclub in New York City that features eclectic music and entertainment. After opening in 1987, various other locations were opened in the United States. The Knitting Factory gave its audience poetry readings, perform ...

in New York City.

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 ...

, Scott Yanow wrote: "This is the Marilyn Crispell CD to start out with. The avant-garde pianist... explores eight selections during a dynamic live set. In addition to five originals, Crispell plays very fresh (and unpredictable) versions of 'When I Fall in Love,' Thelonious Monk's 'Ruby, My Dear,' and John Coltrane's spiritual 'Dear Lord'... Invigorating music.". The authors of the ''

Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' is a reference work containing an encyclopedic directory of jazz recordings on CD which were (at the time of publication) currently available in Europe or the United States. The first nine editions were compiled by ...

'' stated: "Recorded shortly after the Californian earthquake of 1989, it alternates the subdued aftershocks and beatific restorations of her own 'Tromo' and Coltrane's 'Dear Lord' with some unexpectedly light and romantic touches. 'When I Fall in Love' has a hesitant shyness that makes the theme statement all the more moving; the same applies to the humour of Monk's 'Ruby, My Dear', which underlines Crispell's impressive rhythmic awareness."

Track listing

Solo piano

# "Penumbra" (Crispell) – 12:02 # "Zipporah" (Crispell) – 5:52 # "

When I Fall in Love "When I Fall in Love" is a popular song, written by Victor Young (music) and Edward Heyman (lyrics). It was introduced in the film '' One Minute to Zero'' as the instrumental titled "Theme from One Minute to Zero". Jeri Southern sang on the fir ...

" (

Victor Young Albert Victor Young (August 8, 1899– November 10, 1956)"Victor Young, Composer, Dies of Heart Attack", ''Oakland Tribune'', November 12, 1956. was an American composer, arranger, violinist and conductor. Biography Young is commonly said to ...

) – 6:41 # "

Ruby, My Dear This is a list of compositions by jazz musician Thelonious Monk. 0-9 52nd Street Theme A contrafact based loosely on rhythm changes in C, and was copyrighted by Monk under the title "Nameless" in April 1944. The tune was also called "Bip Bop" b ...

" (

Thelonious Monk Thelonious Sphere Monk (, October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including " 'Round Midnight", "B ...

) – 6:39 # "Misconception" (Crispell) – 8:28 # "Tromos" (Crispell) – 5:43 # "Dear Lord" (

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 ...

) – 6:19 # "Encore" (Crispell) – 1:30 * Recorded live on October 20, 1989, at

, San Francisco, California.

Personnel for tracks 1–8

– piano

Samples of two other Music & Arts CDs in which Marilyn Crispell appears as a performer

"Composition 136" (

) – 10:10 # "Wha's Nine?" (

) – 5:30 * Track 9 recorded on June 30, 1989, at the

Vancouver Jazz Festival The Vancouver International Jazz Festival is an annual summer event in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The festival grew out of a local jazz scene that centred on Vancouver Co-op Radio ( CFRO-FM), a community radio station, in the early 1980 ...

, Vancouver, Canada. Track 10 recorded on July 8, 1989, at

in New York City.

Personnel for tracks 9–10

– piano *

– saxophone (track 9) *

Don Byron Donald Byron (born November 8, 1958) is an American composer and multi-instrumentalist. He primarily plays clarinet but has also played bass clarinet and saxophone in a variety of genres that includes free jazz and klezmer. Biography His mother w ...

– clarinet (track 10) *

Jeanne Lee Jeanne Lee (January 29, 1939 – October 25, 2000) was an American jazz singer, poet and composer. Best known for a wide range of vocal styles she mastered, Lee collaborated with numerous distinguished composers and performers who included Gunter ...

– vocals (track 10) *

– bass (track 10) * Michele Navazio – guitar (track 10) *

Gerry Hemingway Gerry Hemingway (born March 23, 1955) is an American drummer and composer. Hemingway was a member of the Anthony Braxton quartet from 1983 to 1994. He has also performed with Ernst Reijseger, Anthony Davis, Earl Howard, Leo Smith, George E. ...

– percussion (track 10)

References

{{Reflist 1990 live albums Marilyn Crispell live albums Music & Arts live albums