Magic ju ju

At various times in his long career, saxophonist, composer, playwright, and educator Archie Shepp has been regarded as a musical firebrand, cultural radical, soulful throwback to the jazz tradition, contemplative veteran explorer, and global jazz statesman…

At various times in his long career, saxophonist, composer, playwright, and educator Archie Shepp has been regarded as a musical firebrand, cultural radical, soulful throwback to the jazz tradition, contemplative veteran explorer, and global jazz statesman…

At various times in his long career, saxophonist, composer, playwright, and educator Archie Shepp has been regarded as a musical firebrand, cultural radical, soulful throwback to the jazz tradition, contemplative veteran explorer, and global jazz statesman…

At various times in his long career, saxophonist, composer, playwright, and educator Archie Shepp has been regarded as a musical firebrand, cultural radical, soulful throwback to the jazz tradition, contemplative veteran explorer, and global jazz statesman. During the '60s, he was viewed as possibly the most articulate and intense member of the free jazz generation, issuing records such as Fire Music, The Way Ahead, and The Magic of Ju-Ju to speak hard truths about social injustice and the anger he felt. His tenor sax solos are searing, harsh, and unrelenting, played with a vivid intensity. During the mid-'70s, his work employed a fatback/swing-based R&B approach evoking Duke Ellington and Ben Webster (exemplified on Body and Soul and On Green Dolphin Street), while in the '80s, on recordings such as Mama Rose, he mixed straight bop, ballads, and blues that displayed little of the fury and fire of his earlier days…

The Platters sold more records, played more venues, and appeared in more films than any other vocal group of the time. They truly had the Magic Touch. By 1962, the Platters had placed an astonishing 35 songs on the American pop charts. The lead singer, Tony Williams, influenced an entire generation of singers - black and white. This is one of the most impressive legacies in black music. Virtually all of the Platters' classic recordings from 1955 to 1964 were made for one label, Mercury Records, and they're here complete for the first time.