TCHANGODEI — Tchangodei / Archie Shepp / Mal Waldron Trio : Three for Freedom. Volume 3 (review)

TCHANGODEI — Tchangodei / Archie Shepp / Mal Waldron Trio : Three for Freedom. Volume 3 album cover Album · 1987 · Avant-Garde Jazz Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
snobb
Tchangodei is a mystic figure on French jazz scene, self-taught pianist who was born in former French colony of Dahomey but moved to France in early age. Since that, he released more than fifteen albums as leader (predominantly on his own Volcanic label, established in 1981), became an owner of tiny jazz club in Lyon and established himself as painting artist.

Never an active member of French domestic jazz community, he collaborated mostly with brightest American ex-expatriates, based in France, including Archie Shepp, Steve Lacy, Mal Waldron, recorded with France-based Japanese trumpeter Itaru Oki.

"Three For Freedom" is one such album - recorded on Tchangodei's Volcanic label unorthodox trio of two pianists and sax player. Where second pianist's role takes Mal Waldron and the reedist is true - Archie Shepp. Five compositions are all bluesy and smokey, but differently from let say some Archie Shepp's recordings of that time, this album is hardly oriented on hard-bopish ballads fan.

Album's longest track (over ten minutes long) is "The Seagulls Of Kristiansund"(titled here "The Seagulls Of Kristian") - excellent Mal Waldron composition, recorded by him more than once. On original vinyl release it's placed on side B, but it smartly opens CD reissue edition. Tchangodei quite minimalist this song's version contains renown Waldron piano drones instead of regular bass/drums section, Tchangodei's lite dancing staccato melody and Shepp's rich smokey sax soloing all the way, bluesy but quite free (as for late 80s).

"Space Blues" is album's shortest composition, marching optimistic hymn with Archie filling all the space with his tenor."Africa Struggle" sounds quite as Waldron song, with Shepp's soloing going high octave. "Driftin' Blues", the standard, is played mid-tempo, with Shepp demonstrating so-rare distortion sax soloing.

"Ma Mission",album's closer is another hymn-like song,which opens with long piano duo and contains adding African vocalize just to turn on to two pianists fast and angular dueling on a second part. Shepp's sax is missed on this track.

In all -true obscurity, unorthodox trio's album is less conformist than both Waldron and Shepp own works of the time. Being bluesy and really accessible , it demonstrates that creative side of early free jazz which has been almost missed already in late 80s. Give it a chance if you'll find one.
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