Wright, Frank / Complete Esp-Disk Recordings, The
Album: Complete Esp-Disk Recordings, The   Collection:Jazz
Artist:Wright, Frank   Added:Sep 2005
Label:Esp  

A-File Activity
Add Date: 2005-09-04 Pull Date: 2005-11-06 Charts: Jazz
Week Ending: Nov 6 Oct 30 Oct 9 Oct 2 Sep 25 Sep 18 Sep 11
Airplays: 1 1 1 1 1 2 3

Recent Airplay
1. Oct 25, 2016: Clean Copper Radio
No End
4. Oct 03, 2005: The Panoply
Jerry
2. Nov 04, 2005: Memory Select
The Lady
5. Sep 30, 2005: Memory Select
The Earth
3. Oct 28, 2005: Memory Select
The Moon
6. Sep 23, 2005: Memory Select
No End

Album Review
Craig Matsumoto
Reviewed 2005-09-05
'60s recordings featuring free jazz pioneer Wright on tenor sax. Tempos aren't so fast, but that's balanced by Wright's forceful, almost violently emotional style. Definite jazzy feel throughout; many tracks use a catchy theme to quickly launch into wild solos.

At first glance, Wright's playing seems less agile and adept than that of some contemporaries; his sax becomes more of a blunt instrument than a surgical tool. He has the right ideas and attitude, though, and gets some good support from the other horns on Disk 2. All told, this is a satisfying and uplifting document of some deserving '60s work.

Disk 1 includes several interview tracks with Bernard Stollman, founder of the ESP-Disk label, and Wright. Stollman is eloquent; Wright is, um, sometimes difficult to follow.

DISK ONE -- Henry Grimes on bass!
1- Slow. Gruff, burly sax over a cool-handed bass & drums. Bass solo for about 1/2 the track.
2- Midtempo, bouncy, boppish. With aggressively growling sax.
3- Midtempo. Again, lots of heavy, burly sax
4-12- Interviews: (4,8) Stollman discusses his discovery of Wright. (8,9,10) are about how the European market is so much kinder to these musicians. (9) includes vibist Khan Jamal.
(11)- has one *FCC*, right near the end.

DISK TWO -- quintet w/two other horns
1- Mid/slow, grand theme
2- Midtempo start but high energy buzzing soon after
3- Fast. Parade-like horn theme, then massive fast blowing
4- Busy fast.
5- Slow, reverent, but still with that forceful sound

Track Listing
1. The Earth   10. Europe Vs. America (Part Two) [Interview]
2. Jerry   11. Other Recordings, Books, And More [Interview]
3. The Moon   12. All Is Said [Interview]
4. Bernard Stollman Meets Frank Wright [Interview]   13. The Lady
5. Recording [Interview]   14. Train Stop
6. The Voice Of Life [Interview]   15. No End
7. Playing With Other Musicians [Interview]   16. Fire Of Spirits
8. Bernard Advises Frank On Europe [Interview]   17. Your Prayer
9. Europe Vs. America (Part One) [Interview]   .