Ask the Ages explained

Ask the Ages
Type:Album
Artist:Sonny Sharrock
Cover:Ask the Ages.jpg
Released:1991
Genre:Jazz, post-bop
Length:45:18
Label:Axiom Records
Producer:Bill Laswell, Sonny Sharrock
Prev Title:Faith Moves
Prev Year:1991
Next Title:Space Ghost Coast to Coast
Next Year:1996

Ask the Ages is the final album recorded by jazz guitarist Sonny Sharrock during his lifetime (though albums of earlier material would be issued posthumously). It was produced by Bill Laswell and released in 1991 on his Axiom Records label. It features saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, bassist Charnett Moffett and drummer Elvin Jones.[1] [2]

Critical reception

In a contemporary review for the Chicago Tribune, Greg Kot said Ask the Ages was a thrilling and essential album for fans of the guitar: "Despite the volcanic power of his playing, Sharrock's majesty is in the lyricism and warmth he finds in even the most abrasive alleyways."[3] Rolling Stone magazine said it sounded like a "classic free-blowing jazz album from the Sixties had been recorded with the clarity and punch of today's rock".[4] In The Village Voice, Robert Christgau gave it an "honorable mention" and described it as "Bill and Elvin's excellent jazz record". He singled out "Little Rock" as the highlight.[5] In the Pazz & Jop, an annual poll of prominent American critics, Ask the Ages was voted the 15th best album of 1991.[6]

In a retrospective review, AllMusic's Steve Huey cited Ask the Ages as Sharrock's best work: "the most challenging jazz work he recorded as a leader, and it's the clearest expression of his roots as a jazz player, drawing heavily on [John] Coltrane's modal post-bop and concepts of freedom." In the Spin Alternative Record Guide (1995), the record was ranked 88th on a list of the "Top 100 Alternative Albums".[7]

Track listing

  1. "Promises Kept"  - 9:43
  2. "Who Does She Hope to Be?"  - 4:41
  3. "Little Rock"  - 7:12
  4. "As We Used to Sing"  - 7:45
  5. "Many Mansions"  - 9:31
  6. "Once Upon a Time"  - 6:26

(all compositions by Sonny Sharrock)

Personnel

External links

Notes and References

  1. Ask the Ages by Sonny Sharrock . Billboard . Aug 24, 1991 . 103 . 34 . 64.
  2. News: Point . Michael . Sharrock breaks limits of jazz guitar . Austin American-Statesman . 8 Aug 1991 . Onward . 13.
  3. Greg Kot, "Sonny Sharrock Ask the Ages", Chicago Tribune http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1991-09-05/features/9103060677_1_sonny-sharrock-star-pharoah .
  4. Rolling Stone. New York. September 19, 1991. none. Reviews.
  5. Web site: Robert Christgau: Consumer Guide Jan. 28, 1992. www.robertchristgau.com. 2015-08-18. 2016-03-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20160303172318/http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv192-92.php. live.
  6. Web site: Robert Christgau: Pazz & Jop 1991: Critics Poll. www.robertchristgau.com. 2015-08-18. 2006-05-07. https://web.archive.org/web/20060507034515/http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/pnj/pjres91.php. live.
  7. Book: Weisbard. Eric. Marks. Craig. 1995. Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. New York. 0-679-75574-8. Sonny Sharrock", "Top 100 Alternative Albums. Spin Alternative Record Guide.