Art Ensemble of Chicago with Fontella Bass first pressing 1971 Vinyl LP

	£		22
	$		29

Art Ensemble of Chicago with Fontella Bass

Original 1971 French pressing   (US version was 1972)

Vinyl - VG+ / Cover - VG+

I have replaced the shop stamped inner sleeve that it came to me in, with a new anti static sleeve.

Have you ever heard men blowing their guts out through their horns? Oh, yeah, I know it’s supposed to happen in jazz all the time but the emotion is so often contrived that you tend to forget where, how and why jazz and the blues were spawned. Their parents, after all wore neither tuxedo or dashiki and they lived a long, long way from velvet-curtained stages. The music came from the other side of the tracks and it’s only when it relates to that heritage that it pulls you to it and makes your heart throb along with its rhythm.

Five men from Chicago recently gathered in Paris to talk about life as it really is, life as it has been and life as it’s going to be- and don’t nobody step in its way. Five men and one woman- one fine and beautifully coiled spring of dynamism and soul, Fontella Bass. Resurrected from the oblivion that followed her single releases, Rescue Me and Soul of the Man, Fontella comes out there to tell it loud; to shout, scream and spew out her mind about blackness and pride. And she can make you weep with her intensity.

Joseph Jarman, acting as spokesman, explains about black music and black culture and how the enemies of the new music protest that it no longer resembles the human voice. “The critics have called it avant garde, they’ve called it the New Thing” , he said “ but we have only one name for it: Great Black Music”. And that, along with showing how the music still echoes the black American’s struggle for survival, is what this record is concerned with.

Jarman and Mitchell play too many instruments to annotate in detail. The whole unit takes over two hours to set up, a fact that in itself, is a fair indication of the extent of their total involvement. These five men really live music and you can’t apply that praise to many groups these days. There is always a sense of tradition combined with the urgency of freedom in their playing, a virtue shared equally by Miss Bass who is Mrs. Bowie in private life.

You hear a lot of idle talk nowadays about “Power to the People”- the slogan has even been annexed by John Lennon- but only a handful of those who proclaim it, attempt to put it into practice.

The Art Ensemble are a long way from being revolutionaries in any political sense- “the Panthers did their thing in a completely different way to how music is done”, Roscoe Mitchell has said- and yet their music represents another interpretation of Black Power. Although the dedicated bunch of Chicagoans are artists first and foremost, they come closer to realizing that slogan than some of their brothers do, simply through playing the people’s music.

“We miss the stimulation of the ghetto”, wrote Lester Bowie after a spell of exile in France and you can read their earthy folklore from the music. The people are the ghetto, the ghetto people are the music.

Valerie Wilmer

I couldn’t have put it any better. THAT is the album on offer.

£3 Discount for each additional ‘Buy It Now’ album purchased at the same time. (Listed items that include multiple albums will only attract a single £3 discount)

Near Mint (NM or M-)

A nearly perfect record. A NM- record has more than likely never been played, and the vinyl will play perfectly, with no imperfections during playback. I am unlikely to ever use this grading for vinyl quality unless I KNOW a record to be new, unplayed and probably still wrapped.

A 45 RPM or EP sleeve should have no more than the most minor defects, such as any sign of slight handling. An LP cover should have no creases, folds, seam splits, cut-out holes, or other noticeable similar defects. The same should be true of any other inserts, such as posters, lyric sleeves, etc.  

Very Good Plus (VG+)

A Very Good Plus record will show some signs that it was played and otherwise handled by a previous owner who took good care of it. Defects should be more of a cosmetic nature, surfaces may show slight scuffs or very light scratches that don't affect one's listening experiences.

The label may have some ring wear or discoloration, but it should be barely noticeable. Picture sleeves will have some slight wear, lightly turned up corners, or a slight seam split. An LP cover may have slight signs of wear, and may be marred by an indentation or sample distribution cut. In general, if not for a couple of minor things wrong with it, this would be Near Mint. 

Very Good (VG)

Many of the defects found in a VG+ record will be more pronounced in a VG disc. Surface noise will be evident upon playing, but will not overpower the music otherwise. Groove wear will start to be noticeable, as with light scratches that will affect the sound.

Labels may be marred by writing, or have tape or stickers (or their residue) attached. The same will be true of picture sleeves or LP covers. However, it will not have all of these problems at the same time.

Good (G), Good Plus (G+)

In truth I wouldn’t usually bother listing vinyl in this condition, that is with ‘noticeable surface noise and ticks’ although I would consider listing an unusual record with a cover in this condition where ‘seam splits, especially at the bottom or on the spine. Tape, writing, ring wear, or other defects will be present’