Search - Art Ensemble of Chicago :: Nice Guys

Nice Guys
Art Ensemble of Chicago
Nice Guys
Genres: Jazz, Pop
 
  •  Track Listings (6) - Disc #1

The Art Ensemble has endured as long as it has because of its members' ability to support fully one another's often diverse musical impulses. On this 1978 studio recording they come together on Joseph Jarman's edgy, boppis...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Art Ensemble of Chicago
Title: Nice Guys
Members Wishing: 5
Total Copies: 0
Label: Ecm Import
Release Date: 9/12/2000
Album Type: Original recording reissued, Import
Genres: Jazz, Pop
Style: Avant Garde & Free Jazz
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 042282787620

Synopsis

Amazon.com
The Art Ensemble has endured as long as it has because of its members' ability to support fully one another's often diverse musical impulses. On this 1978 studio recording they come together on Joseph Jarman's edgy, boppish, post-Ornette Coleman tune "597-59" as if it were their essential style, but they bring the same focus and commitment to the pointillist shards of Roscoe Mitchell's "C Y P." Similarly, the comic eruption into a group calypso vocal on Lester Bowie's "Ja" is a shared joke, while the sound play of Don Moye's "Folkus" is fully a group creation. Jarman's frequently explored "Dreaming of the Master" is heard in one of the group's finest performances, played with a taut nobility and a collective rhythmic spring that seems as natural as breathing. --Stuart Broomer

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CD Reviews

My personal favorite AEC
Russell Reising | Toledo, Ohio United States | 05/20/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Nice Guys reveals the many dimensions of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, from their crystalline delicacy, through their wry humor, to their unmitigated heaviness ("Dreaming of the Master"). It also reveals their core philosophy of creation, which combines their own eruptive originality and their homage to what they called "Great Black Music."I saw the AEC about 20 times from 1976 through 1983, and I was lucky enough to catch them at an AACM festival shortly after the release of Nice Guys. Never did I see them any better, from Don Moye's astonishing work on drums to their thundering entry into "Dreaming of the Master" near the end of their set.Nice Guys does it all, albeit it a slightly tamer way than those who love the earlier "A Jackson in Your House" AEC. Take the plunge and enjoy your own dreams of these masters."
A Great Introduction to the Art Ensemble of Chicago
m_noland | 03/12/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)

"If you are interested in the Art Ensemble of Chicago, I would reccomend checking this out. This was the first album I ever heard of the Art Ensemble, and immediately I was hooked by the first track "Ja". Beautiful solos, amazing improvisation, and great rythm all make this release a pleasure."
A different conception of beauty
m_noland | Washington, DC United States | 11/24/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a wonderful disk. I am saddened and astonished to see that the only cut that one cannot hear a sample of is "Dreaming of the Master," Joseph Jarman's homage to Miles Davis, the standout cut on this album, and a staple of the AEC's live shows. The music is highly varied from the reggae of the opening "Ja," to the Ellingtonia of "Nice Guys" to the percussion piece "Folkus." The really standout piece though is "Dreaming of the Master" with its elegant counter-melody and double time break. Since unfortunately you cannot hear a sample, think Oliver Nelson's "Stolen Moments" played by free jazzers. This cut alone is worth the price of the disk."