The Lester Bowie

Lester Bowie (October 11, 1941–November 8, 1999) was an American jazz trumpet player and composer. Although seen as part of the avant-garde, Bowie embraced techniques from the whole history of jazz trumpet, filling his music with humorous smears, blats, growls, half-valve effects, and so on. His affinity for reggae and ska is exemplified by his composition "Ska Reggae Hi-Bop", which he performed with the Skatalites on their 1994 "Hi-Bop Ska", and also with James Carter on "Conversin' With The Elders".

Two very different sessions are combined on this two-LP set. Trumpeter Lester Bowie and a quintet also including Ari Brown on tenor and soprano, pianist Art Matthews, bassist Fred Williams, and drummer Phillip Wilson, are often used to accompany the soulful and gospel-oriented vocals of Fontella Bass and David Peaston (in addition to taking colorful solos). The 12-minute "For Louie" and a suite that is dominated by an emotional version of "Everything Must Change" are highlights; also memorable is a brief version of Albert Ayler's "Ghosts." The second album is quite a bit different, a set of unaccompanied trumpet solos by Bowie that are often quite humorous.

From the 1970s until his death in 1999, Lester Bowie was the preeminent trumpeter of the jazz avant-garde – one of the few trumpet players of his generation to adopt the techniques of free jazz successfully and completely. Indeed, Bowie was the most successful in translating the expressive demands of the music – so well suited to the tonally pliant saxophone – to the more difficult-to-manipulate brass instrument. Like a saxophonist such as David Murray or Eric Dolphy, Bowie invested his sound with a variety of timbral effects; his work had a more vocal quality when compared with that of most contemporary trumpeters…

Lester Bowie's projects apart from the Art Ensemble of Chicago tread a high wire between challenging improvised music and R&B-pop. This seeming dichotomy purports a universally appealing sound close to selling out, but speaks more to the whimsy and farcical elements Bowie sees in the hypocrisy of life. The Great Pretender is a perfect title for this effort, a mix of funk and humor, gospel and jazz, with no small points of reference to Dizzy Gillespie, early doo wop, Mahalia Jackson, James Brown, and Sun Ra. The lengthy title track modernizes the Buck Ram hit on many levels, as Bowie's sly, ribald, and comedic trumpet playing hits every nerve over a head nodding church hued backbeat, accented by the ooh-ooh vocals of Fontella Bass and David Peaston…

Lester Bowie's projects apart from the Art Ensemble of Chicago tread a high wire between challenging improvised music and R&B-pop. This seeming dichotomy purports a universally appealing sound close to selling out, but speaks more to the whimsy and farcical elements Bowie sees in the hypocrisy of life. The Great Pretender is a perfect title for this effort, a mix of funk and humor, gospel and jazz, with no small points of reference to Dizzy Gillespie, early doo wop, Mahalia Jackson, James Brown, and Sun Ra. The lengthy title track modernizes the Buck Ram hit on many levels, as Bowie's sly, ribald, and comedic trumpet playing hits every nerve over a head nodding church hued backbeat, accented by the ooh-ooh vocals of Fontella Bass and David Peaston…

Lester Bowie - The Complete Remastered Recordings On Black Saint & Soul Note (2010) {3CD Set Cam London BXS 1006 rec 1978-1988}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 814 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 329 Mb
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© 1978-88, 2010 Cam London | BXS 1006
Jazz / Modern Creative / Avant-Garde Jazz / Trumpet

As Black Saint and Soul Note continue their boxed set "Complete Recordings Of" series in 2011, this volume by Lester Bowie is one of the most diverse. Containing three discs cut over a decade, it reflects the numerous dimensions in Bowie's musical persona, from fiery improviser to post-modern formalist and engaged ensemble member, and above all, his love for the entire jazz, blues, and gospel music traditions. The first disc in the collection is 1978's 5th Power. It's the only title here that showcases Bowie actually leading an ensemble under his own name. His session personnel for the date were saxophonist Arthur Blythe, pianist Amina Claudine Myers (who also sings on the rousing gospel-jazz of "God Has Smiled on Me"), bassist Malachi Favors, and drummer Philip Wilson.