Spring is hitting hard already and I type with itchy eyes and a snotty nose, but with a keen sense of hope, the sun on my back and the warm breeze clearing the winter blues I bring you March. I have been transforming my record collection of late, trading records I haven’t listened to in years allowing me to plug some gaps in my jazz and electro-acoustic collections. I want to dive straight into another jazz mix as it’s bought me such a great deal of joy in terms of hunting second hand record stores and also discovering artists and labels new to me. I am no jazz head so forgive my naivety on the subject.
This is a wild ride and I had so much fun selecting the nine featured tracks.
Up first is a cut from Charles Tyler’s Ensemble in the shape of ‘Return from the East’ which has steadily risen in one of my favourite pieces I’ve recently discovered. It was recorded in 1974 and includes Arthur Blythe, Earl Cross, Ronnie Boykins, and Steve Reid. Every twist and turn is glorious painting a swathe of rich colours and never feels beyond one’s grasp, fully embracing the listener in snake-like forms. What a beauty and sounding like it erupted from the desert through a stargate into your living room.
Next up we have Grachan Moncur III’s killer Evolution LP. This sounds at once both classic Blue Note, and then trips you up with some absolutely sublime free jazz interplay, notably between Moncur and Bobby Hutcherson on vibraphone. The list of artists on this record is stellar and includes greats such as Lee Morgan and Anthony Williams. Just after the confusion of the middle section it perfectly drifts into tranquility, soon to be whipped up into a fierce bop thanks to Lee Morgan.
Black Jazz Records has been such a rich seam of great music for me, and I’m so happy to have nabbed some great LPs from my local record stores. I was turned on to this label via Doug Carn, who will be on my next jazz focussed mix. Black Jazz Records was a US spiritual jazz label founded in Oakland, CA, by Gene Russell in 1971, and active until 1975. The label was founded in order to showcase black musicians, invoking a more political and spiritual tone. I partly grabbed this LP for the cover alone as it definitely looks like an inspiration for Kendrick Lamar’s ‘To Pimp a Butterfly’. That aside, this is a glorious piece of music full of deep relentless grooves that never outstay their welcome.
A slight shift of gear now and to one of the best innovators and a man with a truly intense vision. Sadly this recording is showing signs of age but it also gives it a sense of ‘lived-in-ness’ that I appreciate. Clifford Thornton played with Sun Ra, Archie Shepp and Phoaroah Saunders. You can definitely feel those voices in his work, but more as a kinship than a stepping stone of inspiration. You can feel his academic nature, but this doesn’t detract from the wildly inventive playing and direction he has over this large ensemble. I can’t wait to uncover more of his work. The balance between soft horns and all out big band improvisation is awe inspiring. Shout out to Carla Bley for her piano playing on this and Marvin Peterson’s trumpet work is electric.
Next up is a revelation for me. I’m a massive percussion fan and during my recent deep dive into Jazz I have fallen for drummers like Louis Moholo, Milford Graves and Sunny Murray. This is 13 mins of some of the fiercest and most incredible drumming with a simple kit I’ve ever heard. And this was laid down live in 1969. I mean that’s so incredible. I could listen to this all day, but it might just raise my blood pressure too much. Its scope is so focussed yet entirely free and brings to mind a lot of performances I witnessed in the early 2000s from young percussionists trying to find their feet in the free jazz and experimental improv world. For me Andrew Cyrille is a master of the art and his discography is simply breathtaking, working with greats like Anthony Braxton, Mary Lou Williams and Jeanne Lee. Wow. There’s not much I can say about this other than listen and grab the record as the rest is also fabulous and uses space in such an incredible way that words fail me. Classic.
No time to breathe now. Clint Jackson III and Byard Lancaster co-lead on this outstanding side of free jazz with some outstanding bass from Jean-François Catoire. This is a feral and deeply uncomplicated but rich blast of free jazz. Its scale is huge and never lets up over 16 minutes of blistering squeals, bass grooves and erupting reed fog. It’s an exhausting listen but takes you on a real trip. As soon as everyone disconnects they immediately clamber back on board to find new ways of interconnecting. This is one piece that makes me think of Keiji Haino’s approach to let things disintegrate, then rapidly gather pace to find new languages to convey some special sauce.
I never intended to include someone from this year’s opening mix, but I love Archie Shepp and this is a different beast from The Magic of Ju-Ju. Plus anything released on BYE is simply worth the entrance fee and so much more. This is insanely raw and the slab of wax I picked up sounds its 60 years of age. Only in tone and decay though. The music is forward thinking and feels more like a late 70s political avant punk project and it’s fucking great. Imagine early Don Cherry with Black Power emotions played with the ferocity of angry German free jazz of the 70s. It’s caustic perfection. The decay in the media gives me the sense of time travel and paints a vivid picture of a moment in history. Uncomfortable – yes, brilliant – yes.
OK, a bit of a change here and over to the UK. I really wanted to grab something on Ogun records and the line up for this Elton Dean record sold it to me. Plus the artwork is nuts and reminded me of Eden’s Beauty and the Beat; a very different beast indeed. In terms of this mix it harkens back to Clifford Thornton’s epic in terms of big band, but feels much more like something Max Roach or Jack DeJohnette would have dropped. It’s just full of hope, experiment and breadth. Another kinda crazy live recording, and to be honest; forgive it’s quality as the live setting gives it such a vibrancy and truly sets it apart from the final track of this mix which is way over produced. The next track, a decade after everything else, is laid down in a production style that feels more Squarepusher than sound stage at the 100 Club. This piece does so much more in its four and a half minutes than many achieve over entire sides of wax.
So as mentioned before here is a bit of a fork in the road, but I think it punctuates this month’s episode perfectly. Rawkus and sexy early 80s avant funky jazz from Ronald Shannon Jackson. This is from an incredibly odd and wonderfully extravagant record that even has a track called ‘Sperm Walk’. I mean, kinda sums it up. This guy has played with some of my favourites including Sonny Sharrock, (who would be on here but it’s impossible to get any of his records for under $100), Bill Laswell and Peter Brotzmann. But this is no free jazz noise face melt, it’s a seductive trip dripping with fluids and an 80s perm. Count me in. Thank you and good night.
All these tracks are recorded from vinyl of varying quality and ages so embrace the crackle.
Ear Control 1
Return to the East
Charles Tyler Ensemble
Voyage from Jericho
LP on Frederiksberg Records (r. 2026)
1975
Ear Control 2
Air Raid
Grachan Moncur III
Evolution
LP on Blue Note (r.2022)
1964
Ear Control 3
What Was
Henry Franklin
The Skipper at Home
LP on Black Jazz Records (r.2021)
1974
Ear Control 4
Agbadza
Clifford Thornton
The Gardens of Harlem
LP on JCOA Records
1975
Ear Control 5
What About?
Andrew Cyrille
What About?
LP on Affinity (r. 1982)
1969
Ear Control 6
We the Blessed
Clint Jackson III, Byard Lancaster
Mother Africa
LP on SouffleContinu Records (r. 2026)
1974
Ear Control 7
Fall in Free
Elton Dean’s Ninesense
Oh! For the Edge
LP on Ogun
1976
Ear Control 8
Mamarose – Poem for Malcolm
Archie Sheep
Poem for Malcolm
LP on BYG Records
1969
Ear Control 9
City Witch
Shannon Jackson & The Decoding Society
Street Priest
LP on Moers Music
1981
Inside No. 9 is an attempt to share unique narratives through the mixing of 9 songs. Every episode will showcase a new theme, opening up new tributaries of discovery. Inside No. 9 is presented by Peter Taylor, a former features writer for Foxy Digitalis from back in the late 2000s. Peter is a visual artist and musician and has been creating music as MAbH since 2008.
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