Jon Jang - Jang

Following our earlier postings of United Front and George Sams, here is another musician who was to become an important part of the Asian Improv scene, Jon Jang. Of Chinese extraction, his contribution has been one of Americanizing Chinese folk melodies and to make visible the experience of being an immigrant with attachments to two different communities on opposite sides of the Pacific. As such, his work is part of a distinct West Coast scene where the links to the Asian continent are stronger than elsewhere than in the US, with the possible exception of other major towns on the American continent. The Asian Improv scene and record label is a concrete manifestation of a story that deserves wider recognition. The handcuffs on the front cover are symbolic of restrictions on Chinese immigration, in particular the adoption of the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882 which was in force until 1943 and only completely repealed in 1965 with the Immigration and Naturalization Act which abolished the old system of national quotas.

This was his debut release on the RPM label which also released both of the United Front records we have posted earlier. The Asian influence may not be as strong as on later releases. What's here is a quite diverse selection of tunes, some live piano solo performances ranging from contemporary classical to standards to spirituals, one is a straight-laced jazz guitar - piano duet and two are really United Front tunes with piano and guitar augmentation. I'm not sure if Jang is even on the opening piece. All in all, a debut release that is very promising, if somewhat lacking in artistic direction.

Jon Jang

"Jang"

RPM Records RPM-3

recorded live, Santa Cruz, CA November 1979*

and studio, San Francisco,  February 1982

Jon Jang, piano

Baird Miller, guitar

Lewis Jordan, alto sax

George Sams, trumpet

Mark Izu, bass

Anthony Brown, percussion

Side A

For sister Deeana  8:10

Two selections from Five Pieces for Piano 5:21*

Lester Leaps Out (Dolphinology) 3:45

Sweet, Sweet Spirit 2:06

Side B

Le Chocard des Alpes from Catalogue d'Oiseaux (Messiaen) 9:29

The Ballad of the Bluebird Boogie  4:09

Goodbye Porkpie Hat/Giant Steps (Mingus/Coltrane)  6:17*

Jon Jang

"Jang"

RPM Records RPM-3

recorded live, Santa Cruz, CA November 1979*

and studio, San Francisco,  February 1982

Thanks to Arcturus for supplying the digital files. I've put in an order for the second release by Jang on RPM, "Are you Chinese or Charlie Chan".  It'll be interesting to see how it compares with this one. As of writing, I've no idea. As far as I know, these records are long out of print and only obtainable on the second hand market.

George Sams - Nomadic Winds

Following up earlier postings of the first two albums by United Front as well as Riccardo's posting of their set  at Moers in 1979, here is a solo album by George Sams, the trumpeter of the group. The title track was also featured on their second album "Ohm - Unit of Resistance" and the live set. New here is India Cooke on violin, Andre St. James on electric bass and Abdul Waahid on percussion. Anthony Brown joined UF by the time of their second album and George Sams assumes piano duties on the title track.

Perhaps not as swinging and boisterous as the United Front albums. I sense more of a subdued and wistful ambience on this record, possibly having to do with the presence of the violin. Sams engages in tortuous sounds on the track of the same name (not unlike Lester Bowie), supplies yearning piano chords on the title track and mixes trumpet in with the chamber group feel on the final track with light percussion added, hinting at worlds and continents beyond the American west coast. All in all, a beautiful listen, I thought.


George Sams – Nomadic Winds (1982)

A1  Nomadic Winds 8:25
A2  Tortuous 6:10

B1  In Search 8:10
B2  The Path With A Heart From Africa 8:10

Bass – Andre St. James
Drums – Anthony Brown
Percussion – Abdul Waahid
Trumpet, Piano, Producer – George Sams
Violin – India Cooke

Recorded May 1981 at John Altmann Recording, San Francisco

hat MUSICS – hat MUSICS 3506

Vinyl, LP

Thanks to Arcturus for supplying this fine thing. Not available on cd. Further background in the info files.

United Front - Live in Moers '79

As promised, here is my recording of the United Front in Moers '79.
Note that in the Festival program, this group was listed as "Lewis Jordan Quartet".

Rec. live at the 8th Moers Jazz Festival, Moers, Germany, on Sunday,
June 3, 1979 (mics recording)

Lewis Jordan,alto sax
George Sams,trumpet & flugelhorn
Mark Izu,bass
Carl Hoffman,percussion

1. Intro by Burkhard Hennen (0:37)
2. Nothing Is More Precious Than Independence And Freedom (09:54)
3. Nomadic Winds (12:43)
4. Unknown (08:12)
5. Unknown (13:21)
6. Unknown (09:57)
7. Unknown (06:41)
8. Unknown [encore] (04:03)

Total Time 1:05:32

Nomadic Winds (excerpt)

United Front - Ohm: Unit of Resistance

United Front - Ohm: Unit of Resistance

RPM Records RPM 2 (1981)

Here is the second album from United Front, following up the posting of their first below. One notable change in the meantime; Anthony Brown has replaced Carl Hoffmann on drums/percussion and Jason Michaels has been added on piano on a couple of tracks. Otherwise, I don't hear any major changes from their first. One difference is that this album appears more coherent and consolidated. It's very well composed and arranged. The Art Ensemble of Chicago touch is still there, I feel; witness the poetry and musical theatre on "Nothing is More Precious than Independence and Freedom", the serenity of "Ichi Ni San" (meaning one two three in Japanese) and the confident swagger of "What I Heard Once".

I was gratified to learn in a comment to the earlier post that several members are active in the San Francisco area. Shall we hope for a united front again? In any case, these early records have made me curious to explore what these fellows have done later on.

Side 1

1. Nomadic Winds (G. Sams)
2. Nothing is More Precious than Independence and Freedom (L. Jordan)
Words by Frederick Douglas

Side 2

1. I Will Be Free (M. Izu)
2. Ichi Ni San (L. Jordan)
3. What I Heard Once (G. Sams)

Produced by United Front

Anthony Brown - multiple percussion
Mark Izu - bass
Lewis Jordan - alto, voice
Jason Michaels - piano on a1 and b1.

Recorded May 5 and 7, 1981 at John Altmann's Studio, San Francisco
Recording and mixing engineer - John Altmann

United Front - Path with a heart

West Coast jazz has not been getting the attention it deserves and has by and large been overshadowed by the latest on the East Coast. So to rectify that unfortunate situation, we'll be posting a few left coast records largely centered on this quartet. This was the first record out on RPM, a San Francisco-based label which remained active up to the end of the 80s, succeeded by Asian Improv records.

Not easy to find much info on this disc, also noted in a Downbeat review by resident vinyl freak John Corbett which can be found here:

http://www.downbeat.com/digitaledition/2009/DB1109/_art/DB0911.pdf

In the review, he drew an interesting parallel with the Art Ensemble of Chicago and with the Black Artists Group in the use of little instruments, notably at the beginning of the A-side, and also with Anthony Braxtion in the odd march tune starting up the B-side. There is something of the genre-breaking habitus of the AACM crowd here, also heard on Izu's "Forgotten Spirits", calling forth the link between the US west coast and the East Asian continent which was eventually to be known as Asian Improv.

As Corbett concudes: "This release remains incredibly rare, so much so that a Google search barely yields anything. If that is the measure of things that are truly obscure nowadays, this album does not deserve to be hidden from view". Sound like the right thing to post, then.

Thanks to "Arcturus" for making me aware of this very fine band. More to come!


Basic info:

United Front - Path with a heart
RPM Rpm-1 (1980)

Tracks:

a1_Feel free (C. Hoffman)
a2_Don't lose your soul (M. Izu)
a3_And so it goes (L. Jordan)

b1_march in ostinato (G. Sams - dedicated to Lawrence Carroll and Norman Saunders)
b2_Forgotten spirits (M. Izu)
b3_Jazz piece
a. Now and then (L. Jordan)
b. Here and there (L. Jordan)
c. In an hour or two days (R. Wood, L. Jordan)

Carl Hoffman - percussion
Mark Izu - bass, sheng
Lewis Jordan - alto saxophone
George Sams - trumpet, miscellaneous instruments

Recorded July 28 and August 1 at John Altmann's stdio, San Francisco
Recording and mixing engineer - John Altmann

Produced by United Front