''Smoke'' is an album by pianist

Alexander von Schlippenbach Alexander von Schlippenbach (born 7 April 1938) is a German jazz pianist and composer. He came to prominence in the 1960s playing free jazz in a trio with saxophonist Evan Parker and drummer Paul Lovens, and as a member of the Globe Unity Orchest ...

and drummer

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 ...

. It was recorded on October 6, 1989, at FMP-Studios in Berlin, and was released in 1990 by

FMP/Free Music Production Free Music Production (FMP) is a German record label that specialises in free jazz. Origins FMP originated from the New Artists Guild, which was an informal cooperative of musicians in the mid-1960s. In 1968, The New Artists Guild sponsored the T ...

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 ...

, Thom Jurek stated that the album "reveals with startling clarity the inherent musical courage it takes to play freely with another musician you have never encountered... von Schlippenbach abdicates his normal responsibilities as a leader and becomes a collaborator. Murray, never really anybody's sideman, takes the reins and turns his rhythmic chops on in such a way that the pianist cannot help but to respond in a like manner... when it's over, in the silence, the listener will most assuredly sit for a while in disbelief at what just transpired." 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 ...

'' awarded the album a full 4 stars, calling it "an intriguing collaboration, in which both men hang up their 'free music' armour and get down to what sounds like a set of phantom standards." Author Todd S. Jenkins called the recording session a "dream opportunity" with "appealing" results, and commented: "Murray's deliberate tuning of his drums plays a vital role in settings like this, permitting him to function as melodically as Schlippenbach's forceful piano approach casts him in a ecilTayloresque percussive role." The authors of ''Jazz: The Rough Guide'' remarked: "After the furor of 1960s free jazz, we now have ''Smoke'' drifting over the scene. Schlippenbach and Murray have mellowed and there is a beguiling thoughtfulness and lyricism in this music."

Track listing

# "Smoke" (Schlippenbach, Murray) - 9:55 # "Down the Mission" (Schlippenbach) - 19:17 # " Trinkle Tinkle" (

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 ...

) - 3:09 # "Akiko Ma Non Troppo" (Schlippenbach) - 7:22 # "Angel Voice" (Murray) - 5:31 # "Khumbu" (Schlippenbach) - 7:30 # "Top Dogs Attack" (Murray) - 12:36 # "The Shadow of the Man" (Murray) - 5:19

Personnel

* Alexander von Schlippenbach – piano *

– drums

References

{{Reflist 1990 albums Alexander von Schlippenbach albums Sunny Murray albums FMP/Free Music Production albums