Here's a wonderful concert by the great Arthur Blythe in his prime.
One of my favourite concert albums of all time has always been the Grip/Metamorphosis set on India Navigation from a few years before this concert.
Arthur has been around forever, and has recently (last 10 years) made a spate of great records for diverse labels.
For a time it looked like he was floundering after being picked up by cbs, for whom he made a couple of great records which didn’t sell, and are only now being rediscovered for the gems they are.
Label executives have never been terribly tolerant of artists intentions, unless they can make money.
So it seemed to a lot of Arthurs fans for a time that he was being manicured , and given a commercial makeover that didn’t suit him at which a lot of his virtues and integrity were sacrificed, to recoup the big advances and initial cost of that manicure.
But Arthur's back in full force,
And heres a potent souvenir from the glory days of that great period from the mid seventies to the early eighties.
Thanks to the original seeder/trader
[I'm sorry I don’t have the flacs for this one! > now available in Flac]
Arthur Blythe Quintet
Jazz festival –Montreal Quebec
July 1981
Track list
1)intro, announcement
2)?
3)?
4)hip tripper
5)illusions
6)faceless woman
7) short solo- by Arthur
8)?
(see comments for an improved track list)
Personnel-
Arthur Blythe - alto sax
Bob Stewart - tuba
Abdul Wadud - cello
Kelvyn Bell - guitar
Bobby Battle - drums
check out arthur's recent recordings!!
