At the time of this recording Famoudou Don Moye was not yet a member of the Ensemble. All members of the ensemble play percussion on this album. AMG gives the album 5 stars and says "This is the finest live recording by the Art Ensemble, and documents the first tour of a legendary band that created new standards not only for improvisation but for performance as well." It is my favorite Art Ensemble of Chicago album and it has never given me a headache.
Sounds like it was recorded with one microphone in front of Don Moye's percussion. All the other instruments sound as if they are far away. May cause headaches. Especially when he plays anything metallic. Very disapointing.
Finally out, and worth the wait: George Lewis's sprawling book on the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians — the Chicago musicians'cooperative that spawned Lewis, Anthony Braxton, the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Henry Threadgill and many more valued improvisers and composers. Power Stronger than Itself: The AACM and American Experimental Music is very dense but very readable, filled with fascinating stories, capsule bios and rewarding side trips. Lewis has a gift for explaining abstruse… more »
