Th (album) explained

Th
Type:album
Artist:The Glenn Spearman–John Heward Group
Cover:Spearman_Heward_th.jpg
Border:yes
Released:1997
Recorded:May 21 and 22, 1997
Studio:The Spirit Room, Rossie, New York
Genre:Free jazz
Label:CIMP
148
Producer:Robert D. Rusch
Chronology:Glenn Spearman
Prev Title:Surya: Up
Prev Year:1996
Next Title:Let it Go
Next Year:1997

Th is an album by the Glenn Spearman–John Heward Group, led by saxophonist Spearman and drummer Heward, and featuring saxophonist Christopher Cauley, violinist David Prentice, and bassist Dominic Duval. It was recorded on May 21 and 22, 1997, at the Spirit Room in Rossie, New York, and was released later that year by the CIMP label.[1] [2] [3]

Reception

The authors of The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings called the group "remarkable," and praised the track titled "Summoning," describing it as "extraordinary" and having no precedent in Spearman's or Heward's work to date.

Duck Baker of JazzTimes wrote: "The instrumentation and approach sometimes evoke Ayler groups, which would be dangerous in the case of lesser players, but here all comparisons end favorably... For a time it seemed as if the cathartic first flowering of free jazz couldn't for some reason sustain further growth. This beautiful record is spectacular evidence to the contrary."[4]

In a review for All About Jazz, Derek Taylor stated: "The malleability of the players' associations reflects directly on the music they create. Each man is comfortable contributing to the ensemble space just as easily as he is pulling out the stops through individual solos. What this translates into for the disc is an unflagging level of diversity in its contents."[5]

Track listing

  1. "Irreversible Blues" (Spearman) – 10:42
  2. "Gathering the Ancestors" (Heward) – 7:51
  3. "3 For John" (Spearman) – 8:59
  4. "Summoning" (Spearman/Heward) – 5:04
  5. "Arista Africanapata" (Spearman) – 9:30
  6. "Moment in Time" (Duval) – 10:01
  7. "Stone Soup" (Heward) – 6:17
  8. "Initiation" (Spearman) – 5:39
  9. "The Natural Thing" (Cauley, Prentice, Duval, Spearman, Heward) – 7:17

Personnel

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Glenn Spearman: Th . AllMusic . February 8, 2023.
  2. Web site: The Glenn Spearman – John Heward Group - th . Jazz Music Archives . February 8, 2023.
  3. Web site: CIMP discography: main series: 101-199 . JazzLists . February 8, 2023.
  4. Web site: The Glenn Spearman-John Heward Group: th . Duck . Baker . May 1, 1998 . JazzTimes . February 8, 2023.
  5. Web site: Glenn Spearman- John Heward Group: Th . Derek . Taylor . May 1, 2000 . All About Jazz . February 8, 2023.