Universal Congress Of are an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

ensemble from Los Angeles, formed in 1986.

History

The project was started by Joe Baiza and continued to develop his own fusion of

free jazz Free jazz is an experimental approach to jazz improvisation that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s when musicians attempted to change or break down jazz conventions, such as regular tempos, tones, and chord changes. Musicians duri ...

and punk rock after his previous band, Saccharine Trust, went on hiatus. Congress' approach to

has earned them comparisons to Ornette Coleman and

James Blood Ulmer James "Blood" Ulmer (born February 8, 1940) is an American jazz, free funk and blues guitarist and singer. Ulmer plays a Gibson Byrdland guitar. His guitar sound has been described as "jagged" and "stinging". His singing has been called "ragg ...

, while the group themselves have pointed to

Albert Ayler Albert Ayler (; July 13, 1936 – November 25, 1970) was an American avant-garde jazz saxophonist, singer and composer. After early experience playing R&B and bebop, Ayler began recording music during the free jazz era of the 1960s. Howev ...

as a primary source of inspiration. The band's name was chosen "to reflect the open-ended nature of its music." The original line-up consisted of Baiza, Ralph Gorodetsky (bass), Jason Kahn (drums), Steve Moss (saxophone). Moss had played in an earlier incarnation of Baiza's previous band, Saccharine Trust.

Legacy

In an issue of ''Mountain Bike'', bassist

Tim Commerford Tim Commerford (born February 26, 1968) is an American musician, best known as the bassist and backing vocalist for rock band Rage Against the Machine, and supergroup (music), supergroups Audioslave and Prophets of Rage. Since 2013 and 2015, he ...

Rage Against the Machine Rage Against the Machine (often abbreviated as RATM or shortened to simply Rage) is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commer ...

spoke of his admiration of the band's funky and jazz tinged style.

Discography

;Studio albums *'' Joe Baiza & The Universal Congress Of'' (1987, SST) *'' Prosperous and Qualified'' (1988, SST) *''

The Sad and Tragic Demise of Big Fine Hot Salty Black Wind ''The Sad and Tragic Demise of Big Fine Hot Salty Black Wind'' is the third album by free jazz ensemble Universal Congress Of, released on October 17, 1991 by Enemy Records. Track listing Personnel Adapted from ''The Sad and Tragic Demi ...

'' (1991,

Enemy An enemy or a foe is an individual or a group that is considered as forcefully adverse or threatening. The concept of an enemy has been observed to be "basic for both individuals and communities". The term "enemy" serves the social function of d ...

) *'' The Eleventh-Hour Shine-On'' (1992, Enemy) ;EPs *'' This Is Mecolodics'' (1988, SST) ;Live albums *'' Sparkling Fresh'' (1998, Hazelwood)

References

External links

allmusic Biography 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 ...

American jazz ensembles from California Musical groups established in 1986 Musical groups from Los Angeles Enemy Records artists SST Records artists 1986 establishments in California Jazz musicians from California {{US-jazz-band-stub