In the Spirit (Joe McPhee album) explained

In the Spirit
Type:Studio
Artist:Joe McPhee Bluette
Cover:In the Spirit (Joe McPhee album).jpg
Released:1999
Recorded:March 17–18, 1999
Studio:The Spirit Room in Rossie, New York.
Genre:Jazz
Length:63:31
Label:CIMP CIMP 199
Producer:Robert D. Rusch
Chronology:Joe McPhee
Prev Title:The Dream Book
Prev Year:1998
Next Title:No Greater Love
Next Year:1999

In the Spirit is an album of spirituals performed by multi-instrumentalist Joe McPhee's Bluette, recorded in 1999 and released on the CIMP label.[1]

Reception

AllMusic reviewer Steve Loewy states: "An important contribution to the discography of the spiritual, McPhee gives it a new perspective, but one that is entirely respectful of the tradition. Performed gracefully and tastefully, the group tastes free form without losing sight of the melodies". On All About Jazz, Derek Taylor wrote: "In a career stamped by a continuous string of transcendent recordings this is one of McPhee's best to date, a vital testament that lovingly embraces the indelible tradition of spirituals and expertly applies them to the setting of creative improvisation".[2] In JazzTimes, Harvey Pekar suggested: "Maybe one more extroverted track would have helped the CD, which sometimes gets too subdued, but it's a fine effort nevertheless".[3]

Track listing

  1. "Deep River" (Traditional) – 9:32
  2. "People Get Ready" (Curtis Mayfield) – 12:01
  3. "God Bless the Child" (Billie Holiday, Arthur Herzog, Jr.) – 11:44
  4. "Birmingham Sunday/Come Sunday" (Joe McPhee/Duke Ellington) – 14:19
  5. "Astral Spirits" (Joe McPhee) – 8:32
  6. "Just a Closer Walk With Thee" (Traditional) – 7:23

Personnel

Notes and References

  1. http://joemcphee.com/in-the-spirit.html Joe McPhee discography
  2. Taylor, D., All About Jazz Review, April 1, 2000
  3. Pekar, H., JazzTimes Review, July/August 2000