Fire Music
Studio album by
Archie Shepp
ReleasedSeptember 1965[1]
RecordedFebruary 16 and March 9, 1965
StudioVan Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ
GenreJazz
Length40:30
LabelImpulse!
A-86
ProducerBob Thiele
Archie Shepp chronology
Four for Trane
(1964) 		Fire Music
(1965) 		On This Night
(1965)
Alternative cover

Fire Music is a studio album by jazz saxophonist Archie Shepp released on Impulse! Records in 1965. "Malcolm, Malcolm Semper Malcolm" is dedicated to Malcolm X, whilst "Los Olvidados" is a homage to the 1950 film of the same name. Featured musicians include trumpeter Ted Curson, trombonist Joe Orange, alto saxophonist Marion Brown, bassist Reggie Johnson and drummer Joe Chambers.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Down Beat[3]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide[4]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings[5]

The AllMusic review by Scott Yanow states: "This particular early Archie Shepp recording has its strong moments, although it is a bit erratic... Overall, this set, even with its faults, is recommended".[2]

Writing for All About Jazz, Robert Gilbert called Fire Music "an often-fascinating album, rich in compositional and improvisational prowess", and commented: "Shepp puts together a record that is both challenging and accessible to most listeners... Fire Music is an album that belongs in any serious jazz fan’s collection."[6]

Track listing

  1. "Hambone" (Archie Shepp) – 12:29
  2. "Los Olvidados" (Shepp) – 8:54
  3. "Malcolm, Malcolm - Semper Malcolm" (Shepp) – 4:48
  4. "Prelude to a Kiss" (Ellington, Gordon, Mills) – 4:50
  5. "The Girl from Ipanema" (DeMoraes, Gimbel, Jobim) – 8:36
  6. "Hambone" [Live] – 11:53 Bonus track on CD, recorded live at the Village Gate on March 28, 1965

Personnel

References

  1. ^ "Billboard". September 11, 1965.
  2. ^ a b AllMusic review
  3. ^ Down Beat: December 2, 1965 vol. 32, no. 25
  4. ^ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. pp. 179. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
  5. ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 1289. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
  6. ^ Gilbert, Robert (November 3, 2002). "Archie Shepp: Fire Music". All About Jazz. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
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