Revolutionary Ensemble And Now... CD

In the 1970s and early '80s, the Revolutionary Ensemble lived up to its name. One of the major free improvising groups to emerge from Chicago's AACM, the unit featured stirring solos, tight but spontaneous ensembles and a unique sound formed by the blending of violinist Leroy Jenkins, bassist Sirone and drummer-percussionist Jerome Cooper. Twenty years after its last performances, the Revolutionary Ensemble came back together in 2004. Happily, the three musicians' fire, adventurous nature and determination to express themselves through their highly original music was still very much intact. And Now... has Jenkins, Sirone and Cooper performing a piece with forward momentum ("Berlin Erfahrung"), a dirge, a one-chord drone, the thoughtful "Light" and a whimsical and surprisingly gentle number ("Ism Schism") that pays tribute to Western classical music. Fans of the group can rejoice that nothing has been lost through the years. ~ Scott Yanow

Live Recording

Audio Mixers: Jon Rosenberg; Michael Marciano.

Recording information: Systems Two Studios, Brooklyn, NY.

Editors: Jon Rosenberg; Michael Marciano.

Photographers: Stefania Zamparelli; Larry Fink.

Unknown Contributor Role: Jerome Cooper.

Revolutionary Ensemble: Sirone (double bass); Jerome Cooper, Leroy Jenkins.

Personnel: Leroy Jenkins (violin, harmonica, bells); Jerome Cooper (keyboards, balafon, drums, bass drum, cymbals); Sirone (acoustic bass).

The Wire (p.73) - "Jenkins's playing is particularly hypnotic, working high, precisely articulated lines into repeating cantorial arcs that recall the sorrows of Eastern European klezmer music."
Down Beat (p.74) - 4 stars out of 5 - "Violinist Jenkins has continued making fantastic music...his inimitable phrasing and alchemical intonation an endless source of pleasure."
JazzTimes (p.112) - "[T]he band still exhibits an affecting sensitivity. They improvise with a keen ear to form and structure, timbre and dynamics."