''Spirit House'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist

Jemeel Moondoc Jemeel Moondoc (August 5, 1946 – August 29, 2021) was a jazz saxophonist who played alto saxophone. He was a proponent of a highly improvisational style. He was born in Chicago, Illinois, United States, and studied clarinet and piano before s ...

, which was recorded live in 2000 at the Magic Triangle Jazz Series organized by the

University of Massachusetts Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst, UMass) is a public research university in Amherst, Massachusetts and the sole public land-grant university in Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded in 1863 as an agricultural college, it ...

and released on the

Eremite A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Ch ...

label.''Spirit House''
at Eremite It was the debut recording by the Jus Grew Orchestra, a large ensemble founded by Moondoc in the early 80s. For this concert Moondoc studied

Butch Morris Lawrence Douglas "Butch" Morris (February 10, 1947 – January 29, 2013) was an American cornetist, composer and conductor. He was known for pioneering his structural improvisation method, ''Conduction'', which he utilized on many recordings. B ...

's ''conduction'' techniques of guided improvisation with hand gestures. Morris was the original conductor of the band.Interview: Jemeel Moondoc
at ''Burning Ambulance''

Reception

In his 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 ...

, Steve Loewy states "Some listeners may be reminded of some of Henry Threadgill's non-electric, early group efforts, which combined quirky melodies with non-swinging bursts of flaming brass. Moondoc translates the concept to a larger structure, with his own individual stamp and raucous ensemble writing." '' The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' notes that the live sound is inadequate, but says "This is a bustling, often teeming music, brought vividly to life and, given a full and flattering sound, the tremendous blow-out of 'Spirit House' itself would really shake the timbers." In a double review for '' JazzTimes'', Daniel Piotrowski also remarks the deficient sound mix, but states "The band is handed great compositions and make the most of them by changing speeds adeptly, without making the music seem too hectic. The 26-minute title track is an excellent example of the agile band, which joins together for brief interludes and then passes the baton from soloist to soloist."Piotrowski, Daniel
''Spirit House'' review
at '' JazzTimes''

Track listing

:''All compositions by Jemeel Moondoc'' #"Quick Pick" - 10:47 #"Brass Monkeys" - 9:08 #"Flora" - 14:54 #"Spirit House" - 26:32 #"End Game" - 3:17 #"In Walked Monk" - 9:14

Personnel

- alto sax, conduction *Lewis 'Flip' Barnes -

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

* Roy Campbell - trumpet *Tyrone Hill -

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the Standing wave, air column ...

* Michael Marcus -

baritone sax The baritone saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of instruments, larger (and lower-pitched) than the tenor saxophone, but smaller (and higher-pitched) than the bass. It is the lowest-pitched saxophone in common use - the bass, contra ...

*Zane Massey -

tenor sax The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while th ...

*Codaryl Moffett -

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 ...

Bern Nix Bern Nix (September 21, 1947 – May 31, 2017) was an American jazz guitarist. He recorded and performed with Ornette Coleman from 1975 to 1987, notably with guitarist Charlie Ellerbee in Coleman's Prime Time group on their key recordings, inc ...

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 ...

* Steve Swell - trombone *John Voigt -

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 ...

References

{{Jemeel Moondoc, state=autocollapse 2001 live albums Jemeel Moondoc live albums Eremite Records live albums