THE WAY AHEAD - ARCHIE SHEPP
Impulse A-9170

“Damn If I Know” is fine. A slow leisurely blues, nothing bizarre. This is a perfect setting for Shepp’s wail, his blues cry, as was “Mama Too Tight”. It’s like this — the setting may be painfully familiar (Davis’ piano drags it a bit — we’ve heard all this before many, many times) but instead of hearing Lou Donaldson blowing the same old lifeless licks we have Shepp screaming a new song. More violent. His blues are not pretty nor are they soothing. This cut is good for those who want the player to bring it home now and then or always thought Shepp was “faking it” or some shit like that.

“Frankenstein” is Moncur’s weird waltz, recorded before on Jackie McLean’s “One Step Beyond”. Shepp improvises, then is joined by the ensemble playing the melody. As usual, most of Shepp’s statements seem arbitrary in relation to any melodic line. His phrases are fragmented, repeated, distorted, hinted at a third time, incorporated into new phrases, then suddenly gone. The sound of a thought being tortured, dissected, enjoyed.