Archie Shepp
Archie Shepp, born in Fort Lauderdale in 1937 and raised in Philadelphia, made the tenor saxophone speak with a huge, vibrato-laden tone that carried both the blues and the anger of the 1960s. He played in Cecil Taylor's early groups and the New York Contemporary Five, then on Impulse! recorded Four for Trane (1964), Fire Music and Attica Blues (1972), records where free jazz, poetry and Black history are the same subject. A playwright and essayist as well, he taught at the University of Massachusetts for three decades and has never separated the music from its Afrocentric roots.
Archie Shepp, born in Fort Lauderdale in 1937 and raised in Philadelphia, made the tenor saxophone speak with a huge, vibrato-laden tone that carried both the blues and the anger of the 1960s. He played in Cecil Taylor's early groups and the New York Contemporary Five, then on Impulse! recorded Four for Trane (1964), Fire Music and Attica Blues (1972), records where free jazz, poetry and Black history are the same subject. A playwright and essayist as well, he taught at the University of Massachusetts for three decades and has never separated the music from its Afrocentric roots.
Live At The Donaueschingen Music Festival
Donaueschingen, 21 October 1967. Archie Shepp with Roswell Rudd and Grachan Moncur III on trombones, Jimmy Garrison on bass, Beaver Harris on drums. One piece, One for the Trane, forty-three minutes, three months after Coltrane's death, opening with a seven-minute Garrison solo and ending in The Shadow of Your Smile.
Echo (LP)
Original 1971 Italian edition on BYG Records' "Actuel" series of the 1969 album featuring Alan Silva, Clifford Thornton, Sunny Murray, Archie Shepp and Grachan Moncur III.
Hommage To Africa
Promotional copy of the original Japanese edition of the 1970 album on BYG's "Actuel" series featuring Roscoe Mitchell, Alan Silva, Clifford Thornton, Dave Burrell, Archie Shepp, Grachan Moncur III, Lester Bowie and Malachi Favors.
Art Ensemble of Chicago, Archie Shepp, Clifford Thornton, Grachan Moncur III, Sunny Murray, Burton Greene
History Of Jazz: Vol. 10 (LP)1970 French compilation on Byg's "History Of Jazz" series with tracks from several albums released in 1969 on the label's "Actuel" series.
The World Of (LP)
1971 Japanese re-issue on Candid of the 1961 album featuring Archie Shepp. With insert.
New York City R&B (LP)
Original US edition on Barnaby Records' "Candid Series" of the 1972 album with recordings from 1961 featuring Steve Lacy, Archie Shepp and Roswell Rudd.
Ascension (LP)
1974 re-issue on Impluse! of the Edition I of the 1966 album featuring Archie Shepp, Pharoah Sanders, John Tchicai, Marion Brown, Jimmy Garrison, Elvin Jones and McCoy Tyner.
Force (2LP)
Original 1977 Japanese edition with different cover of the 1976 double-album. With insert and obi.
Fire Music (LP)
1995 US limited edition re-issue on Impulse!'s "The Impulse! Reissue Series" of the 1965 album featuring Marion Brown and Ted Curson. With original innersleeve.
Four For Trane (LP)
1973 US re-issue on Impulse!/ABC of the 1965 album featuring John Tchicai. With original innersleeve.
The Magic Of Ju-Ju (LP)
1973 US re-issue on Impulse!/ABC of the 1967 album.
Three For A Quarter One For A Dime (LP)
Original US edition on Impulse!/ABC of the 1969 album with a live recording from 1966. With original innersleeve.
Blasé (LP)
1978 UK re-issue with different cover on Affinity of the 1969 album featuring Malachi Favors, Dave Burrell and Lester Bowie.
Montreux One (LP)
1978 original Japanese edition on Freedom/Trio of the 1976 album with a live recording from 1975 featuring Dave Burrell. With insert.
Trouble In Mind (LP)
Original 1982 Japanese edition of the 1980 album. With obli and insert. With insert and obi.
Hi-Fly (LP)
1985 Japanese re-issue on Compendium Records of the 1976 album. With insert and obi.
Four For Trane
August 10, 1964. Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. A young saxophonist from Philadelphia enters the studio to record his first album as a leader for Impulse! Records. At his side, as co-producer, stands the man to whom he owes everything: John Coltrane. Archie Shepp was twenty-seven years old when Four For Trane was recorded - an age that in 1964 jazz still meant being an emerging voice. Born in Fort Lauderdale but raised in Philadelphia - the same Philadelphia as Coltrane, eleven…
Live in France March 18th, 1989
The final chapter of the legendary Brotherhood of Breath unfolds in this captivating live recording from the Banlieues Bleues festival in France, March 18th, 1989. This release is a historic testament to the dynamic fusion of South African jazz influences with broader jazz traditions, capturing the band at a pivotal moment. Adding palpable excitement to this installment is the presence of the iconic Archie Shepp, who delivers compelling performances on tenor saxophone throughout the concert and …
Mama Too Tight
Originally released in 1967, Mama Too Tight stands as one of the most daring and structurally innovative albums from Archie Shepp, a pivotal figure in the free jazz movement and African-American cultural protest of the 1960s. Distinct from his more explosive works, this album showcases a refined compositional complexity, featuring avant-garde marching-band-style arrangements, masterful horn orchestrations, and a unique blend of humor and improvisational tension.
The title track, Mama Too Tight, …
A Sea of Faces
2025 stock ** Recorded in Milan (Italy) and originally released in 1975, Sea of Faces stands as one of Archie Shepp's strongest recordings of the Seventies. A highly varied program, covering Shepp's entire spectrum and performed by an all-star line-up featuring Archie Shepp - tenor & soprano sax, piano, vocals, Charles Greenlee - trombone, tambourine, vocals, Dave Burrell - piano, Cameron Brown - bass, Beaver Harris - drums, tambourine, vocals, Rafi Taha - vocals, Bunny Foy - vocals, maracas, pe…