Yusef LATEEF - Live at Pep's Volume Two 1964

Yusef LATEEF - Live at Pep's Volume Two 1964
Label: Polygram / Impulse!
Audio CD: (October 19, 1999)

Jazz

Recorded live at Pep's Lounge in Philadelphia on June 29th, 1964, we hear Lateef at his best. He combines his proclivity for musical eccentricity with a number of hard-swinging tunes. As usual, he plays not only tenor saxophone, but flute, oboe, and a very obscure instrument called an argol (a double clarinet that resembles a bassoon). He's backed by Richard Williams on trumpet, Mike Nock on piano, Ernie Farrow on bass and James Black on drums, and this group really shines on bluesy versions of "Brother John" and "Nu-Bouk."

The ballads, "I Loved" and "I Remember Clifford" are lovely, subtle and filled with brilliant climaxes and melodious tenderness. Other tracks such as "The Magnolia Triangle" and "Listen to the Wind" push the boundaries of hard bop, as Lateef and crew experiment with moments of harsh dissonance bordering on atonality. An extremely creative and well-conceived set of music, LIVE AT PEP'S delves into the very heart of jazz, for it seeks to push the envelope of spontaneity and improvisation and stretch one's concept of structure and form.
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Thankfully Impulse had the good sense to complete the entire Live at Pep's evening by releasing Volume 2 in 1999. Impulse has been notoriously slow to release Yusef Lateef's material that he recorded for them in the 1960s onto CD (shamefully, only the two Live at Pep's albums were domestically available in 1999). Volume Two carries on this document of a live Yusef hard bop date in much the same fashion as Volume One. Both are particularly incredible in their recording quality and the performances of each player. The selections and the energy that is put into each and every song is especially moving, but shines specifically bright on "P-Bouk" and "Yusef's Mood," -- both showcase Yusef's highly personal and breathy approach to the flute. If you've got Volume One, Volume Two is an absolute, unquestionable must-have. If you don't have Volume One (or any Yusef Lateef recordings for that matter), buy them both.
By Jack LV Isles, All Music Guide.
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Yusef Lateef- (Tenor Sax, Oboe, Argol, Tambourine);
Richard Williams- (Trumpet);
Mike Nock- (Piano);
Ernie Farrow- (Bass);
James Black- (Drums).
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01.Brother John (9:10)
02.P-Bouk (4:30)
03.Nu-Bouk (7:40)
04.Yusef's Mood (6:40)
05.I Remember Clifford (6:12)
06.Listen To The Wind (4:44)
07.I Loved (4:28)
08.Delilah (10:15)
09.The Magnolia Triangle - Alternative Version (5:17)
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