For the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Third Decade marked both the end of their relationship with the ECM label and the beginning of a more streamlined stretch of music making.
The band would cut back on their once predominant, free-form explorations to make room for more bebop and crossover material, like "Funky AECO" and the Caribbean-tinged bop tune "Zero," straightforward genre pieces the band still undermine with playful "found sounds" (bike horns, sirens, chimes, etc.).
Along these more traditional lines, the lovely, '20s-style jazz ballad "Walking in the Moonlight" is also included.
The group stretches out on more open-ended pieces like Joseph Jarmen's dirge-like opener "Prayer for Jimbo Kwesi" and Mitchell's magisterial number "The Bell Piece," but even here the group's traditionally frenetic playing is kept in check.
This is not necessarily bad, considering the Art Ensemble's consistently top-notch and provocative solo work, straight-ahead or otherwise.
The band does end the album, though, with the decidedly frenetic and free "Third Decade," as if to say they are equally adept at a variety of styles and so should not be restricted to only one.
The point is well taken with this varied yet cogent set.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Funky AECOLester Bowie, The Art Ensemble of Chicago, Joseph Jarman, Malachi Favors Maghostus, Roscoe Mitchell, Famoudou Don Moye | The Art Ensemble of Chicago, Lester Bowie, Joseph Jarman, Malachi Favors Maghostus, Roscoe Mitchell, Famoudou Don Moye | Play | 07:43 | 17 MB | 45 MB |
| 2 | Walking In The MoonlightRoscoe Mitchell | The Art Ensemble of Chicago, Lester Bowie, Joseph Jarman, Malachi Favors Maghostus, Roscoe Mitchell, Famoudou Don Moye | Play | 04:11 | 9 MB | 19 MB |
| 3 | The Bell PieceRoscoe Mitchell | The Art Ensemble of Chicago, Lester Bowie, Joseph Jarman, Malachi Favors Maghostus, Roscoe Mitchell, Famoudou Don Moye | Play | 06:08 | 14 MB | 31 MB |
| 4 | ZeroLester Bowie | The Art Ensemble of Chicago, Lester Bowie, Joseph Jarman, Malachi Favors Maghostus, Roscoe Mitchell, Famoudou Don Moye | Play | 06:00 | 13 MB | 35 MB |
| 5 | Third DecadeLester Bowie, The Art Ensemble of Chicago, Joseph Jarman, Malachi Favors Maghostus, Roscoe Mitchell, Famoudou Don Moye | The Art Ensemble of Chicago, Lester Bowie, Joseph Jarman, Malachi Favors Maghostus, Roscoe Mitchell, Famoudou Don Moye | Play | 08:19 | 19 MB | 43 MB |
| 6 | Prayr For Jimbo | Art Ensemble of Chicago | Play | 09:52 | 22 MB | 48 MB |
| 42 mins | 96 MB | |||||
| 42 mins | 223 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Art Ensemble of Chicago | Composer, Primary Artist |
| 2 | Lester Bowie | Composer, Cymbals, Drums, Drums (Bass), Flugelhorn, Multi Instruments, Primary Artist, Trumpet |
| 3 | Manfred Eicher | Producer |
| 4 | Malachi Favors | Multi Instruments |
| 5 | Joseph Jarman | Bells, Clarinet, Clarinet (Bass), Composer, Conch Shell, Congas, Drums, Drums (Bass), Flute, Gong, Horn, Multi Instruments, Piccolo, Primary Artist, Sax (Alto), Sax (Baritone), Sax (Bass), Sax (Soprano), Sax (Tenor), Siren, Sopranino, Synthesizer, Tom-Tom, Whistle (Human), Whistle (Instrument) |
| 6 | Malachi Favors Maghostus | Balafon, Bass (Electric), Composer, Cymbals, Melodica, Percussion, Primary Artist, String Bass |
| 7 | Roscoe Mitchell | Bells, Bongos, Chimes, Clarinet, Composer, Congas, Cover Art, Drums (Bass), Flute, Glockenspiel, Gong, Horn, Multi Instruments, Piccolo, Primary Artist, Sax (Alto), Sax (Bass), Sax (Soprano), Sax (Tenor), Whistle (Instrument), Wood Block |
| 8 | Roscoe Mitchell & the Sound Ensemble | Bells, Bongos, Clarinet, Congas, Cover Art, Flute, Glockenspiel, Gong, Horn, Pandeiro, Piccolo, Sax (Alto), Sax (Bass), Sax (Soprano), Sax (Tenor), Whistle (Human), Wood Block |
| 9 | Famoudou Don Moye | Balafon, Bendir, Bongos, Chekere, Chimes, Composer, Conch Shell, Congas, Cymbals, Djembe, Djun-Djun, Donno, Drums, Horn, Multi Instruments, Percussion, Primary Artist, Timpani, Trap Kit, Whistle (Human), Whistle (Instrument), Wood Block |
| 10 | Martin Weiland | Engineer |
| 11 | Martin Wieland | Engineer |
| 12 | Barbara Wojirsch | Design |
Art Ensemble of Chicago
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |