The Squid's Ear Magazine

Sounds of Liberation

Unreleased (Columbia University 1973)

Sounds of Liberation: Unreleased (Columbia University 1973) (Corbett vs. Dempsey)

Originally formed by vibraphonist Khan Jamal in 1970 in the Germantown section of Philadelphia (the homefront of Sun Ra's Arkestra) and expanded to a septet when saxophonist Byard Lancaster joined, the band only released one official LP, this soulfully funky, upbeat and lyrical album extending their output with a well-recorded album captured at Columbia University in 1973.
 

Price: $14.95


Quantity:

Out of Stock

Quantity in Basket: None

Log In to use our Wish List
Shipping Weight: 3.00 units

Sample The Album:





product information:

Personnel:



Byard Lancaster-alto saxophone

Billy Mills-bass

Rashid Salim-congas

Dwight James-drums

Monnette Sudler-guitar

Omar Hill-percussion

Khan Jamal-vibraphone


Click an artist name above to see in-stock items for that artist.




UPC: B07S7LBL2D

Label: Corbett vs. Dempsey
Catalog ID: CvsDCD0057
Squidco Product Code: 27746

Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2019
Country: USA
Packaging: Cardboard Gatefold
Recorded at Columbia University in New York City, New York, in 1973, by Kevin Przybylowski.

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

"Hailing from the Germantown section of Philadelphia, well known as the site of the Sun Ra Arkestra communal homestead, Sounds of Liberation were at the forefront of seventies black liberation music. After a series of gigs in elementary schools, prisons, and community centers, in 1973 the band travelled along with their manager George Gilmore (father of Linc Gilmore of Breakwater fame) to NYC for a recording session at Columbia University. This five-song session has never been heard until now. Had it ever been issued, it would have followed on the band's debut, New Horizons, released in an edition of 500 copies on Dogtown Records, now a highly prized item in creative music collector circles.

Sounds Of Liberation formed in early 1970, initially lead by vibraphonist Warren Robert Cheeseboro, aka Khan Jamal, but it wasn't until the eventual arrival of Byard Lancaster that the band's prospects started to take off. Lancaster was a master at making a deal (with or without the band's approval). This deal-making lead to more gigs and more recognition, especially from local newspapers.

Sounds Of Liberation was more of a community than a band at times and because of that spirit there was a strong desire by the entire group to work with schoolchildren as well as inmates. They did just that, and continued to do so throughout the early to mid-seventies. Released briefly last year as a special edition of 100 copies by Brewerytown Beats, who have forged positive working relationships with the living members of the band and the estates of those passed, the music on Sounds of Liberation has never been heard before, which is especially strange given how wonderful and accessible it is. Shoulder-deep in groove juice, it's a record with heavy ostinati and beautiful backbeats, including the mellowing influence of Jamal's vibes and the incisive guitar of Monette Sudler, the final track featuring an unidentified vocal group singing a stone-cold soul hit, also featuring some searing saxophone courtesy of Mr. Lancaster.

A treasure for fans of so-called spiritual jazz and free funk, Sounds of Liberation is a snapshot of its era and equally an inspiration in ours. The package comes with never seen photos of the band and a cover design by artist LeRoy Butler, who worked with the SOL in the era, at the same time he was designing records for Sun Ra. With music lovingly coaxed from long-unplayed original tapes, Sounds of Liberation is a new line item in the soul improvisation pantheon."-Corbett vs. Dempsey


Artist Biographies

"Byard Lancaster (August 6, 1942 Ð August 23, 2012) was an avant-garde jazz saxophonist and flutist.

He attended two colleges, one for music, before attending the Berklee College of Music. He moved to New York City and participated in jam sessions which included saxophonist Archie Shepp and drummer Elvin Jones.

In 1965, he recorded Sunny Murray Quintet with the album's eponymous musician in New York, performed in the Parisian Actuel festival with him in 1969, and continued to work in the drummer's groups throughout his career. By the 1970s, Lancaster had played with musicians such as McCoy Tyner, Khan Jamal, and Sun Ra, as well as some outside of jazz, such as blues pianist Memphis Slim and blues guitarist Johnny Copeland.

Near the end of his life he performed regularly with cellist David Eyges and recorded as a leader and sideman for the record label Creative Improvised Music Projects. He died of pancreatic cancer on August 23, 2012."

-Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byard_Lancaster)
11/20/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

Billy Mills is a Philadelphia bassist known for the groups Sounds Of Liberation and The Khan Jamal Creative Arts Ensemble.

-Discgos (https://www.discogs.com/artist/725320-Billy-Mills)
11/20/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"Rashid Salim, aka Rashid Salim IV, aka William Brister, was a percussionist with the Sun Ra Arkestra from 1969 until 1971."

-Discogs (https://www.discogs.com/artist/719647-Rashid-Salim-IV)
11/20/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"Dwight James is a Philadelphia-born and bred, drummer, percussionist and educator. He has devoted much of his life to the study of drums and has presented concerts and educational workshops all around the globe. He has shared the stage with many performers including, blues singer Jimmy Reed, R&B crooners The Flamingos and the Jazz-Blues ensemble, The Hylarks, as well as Jazz artists like, Ted Curson, Odean Pope, Grachan Moncur III, Oliver Lake and many others.

As a youngster, Dwight James was influenced by his neighbors, who were professional Philadelphia Jazz musicians. Artists like tenor saxophonist Odean Pope, percussionist Robert Kenyatta, and drummer Sherman Ferguson were his mentors. James, developed and became a member of Philadelphia's adventurous musical front during the 1970s and 80s and was also associated with artists like Byard Lancaster, The Visitors, Sounds Of Liberation, Khan Jamal and Monnette Sudler. He is featured on many of the classic recordings from this community including, Khan Jamal Creative Art Ensemble's 1972 recording, Drum Dance To The Motherland, Sounds Of Liberation's 1972, self-titled debut album, Most important however, is his own first album as a leader, the Cadence Jazz Records' 1983 release, "Inner Heat." "

-Philadelphia Jazz Project (http://www.philajazzproject.org/index.php?post=mysterious-traveler-dwight-james#.WjqbsUtG2V4)
11/20/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"Monnette Sudler (born June 5, 1952) is an American jazz guitarist from Philadelphia.

Sudler was born Monnette Goldman in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her mother, Lea Goldman, married Truman W. Sudler in 1957.

Her first exposure to jazz was listening to her great-uncle play piano. When she was fifteen, she took lessons on guitar at the Wharton Center in Philadelphia. She can play drums and piano, and she composes, arranges, sings, and writes poetry. Early in her career she worked with vibraphonist Khan Jamal in the Sounds of Liberation. In the 1970s she studied at Berklee School of Music in Boston and in the 1980s at Temple University.

During her career, she has worked with Kenny Barron, Hamiet Bluiett, Arthur Blythe, Dameronia, Sonny Fortune, Dave Holland, Freddie Hubbard, Joseph Jarman, Hugh Masekela, Cecil McBee, David Murray, Sunny Murray, Trudy Pitts, Odean Pope, Don Pullen, Sam Rivers, Shirley Scott, Archie Shepp, Leon Thomas, Steve Turre, Cedar Walton, Grover Washington Jr., and Reggie Workman."

-Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monnette_Sudler)
11/20/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

Omar Hill is a Philadelphia-area percussionist, best known for the group Sounds Of Liberation, and his album with Art Webb

-Discogs (https://www.discogs.com/artist/1393925-Omar-Hill)
11/20/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"Khan Jamal (born July 23, 1946, Jacksonville, Florida) is an American jazz vibraphone and marimba player. Ron Wynn describes Jamal as "a proficient soloist when playing free material, jazz-rock and fusion, hard bop, or bluesy fare."

Jamal began playing vibraphone during the mid-1960s. Later in the decade, he joined Cosmic Forces, then co-founded Sounds of Liberation with Byard Lancaster during the early 1970s. During the 1970s, Jamal studied at Combs College of Music and joined Sunny Murray's group Untouchable Factor. In addition to leading his own groups, Jamal has performed with Ronald Shannon Jackson's Decoding Society, Joe Bonner, Billy Bang, Charles Tyler and others."

-Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khan_Jamal)
11/20/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.


Track Listing:



1. Thoughts 4:03

2. Keno 3:51

3. Sweet Evil Mist 7:09

4. Badi 5:17

5. New Horizons 10:44

Related Categories of Interest:


Improvised Music
Jazz
Free Improvisation
NY Downtown & Metropolitan Jazz/Improv
Septet recordings
Melodic and Lyrical Jazz

Search for other titles on the label:
Corbett vs. Dempsey.


Recommended & Related Releases:
Other Recommended Releases:
Graves, Milford / Don Pullen
The Complete Yale Concert, 1966
(Corbett vs. Dempsey)
Originally issued in two volumes on their own SRP Records in 1966 & 67 as In Concert At Yale University and Nommo, the duo of drummer/percussionist Milford Graves and pianist Don Pullen are heard live in in this excitingly energetic and revelatory concert at Yale University, redefining the roles of their instruments during the most exploratory period of free jazz.
Graves, Milford
Babi [2 CDs]
(Corbett vs. Dempsey)
Recorded in 1976 at WBAI-FM/Free Music Store in New York, drummer percussionist Milford Graves goes head to head with two reedists, Arthur Doyle and Hugh Glover, an absolute stunner of percussive momentum and force, drawing the reeds into a frenzy of unbridled free playing; issued with a 2nd CD of a private recording of Graves plus unpublished photos.
Lacy, Steve
Stamps [2 CDs]
(Corbett vs. Dempsey)
Originally released on the Hat Hut label in 1979, this 2-CD set of saxophonist Steve Lacy's quintet with Steve Potts on saxophone, Irene Aebi on cello, voice & violin, Kent Carter on bass, and Oliver Johnson on drums, are heard live in two tour-de-force concerts, first at the 1977 Jazz Festival, in Willisau, Switzerland, then in 1978 at Jazz Au Totem in Paris, France.
Bang, Billy
Distinction Without a Difference
(Corbett vs. Dempsey)
The late American violinist Billy Bang's first album, originally issued on Hat Hut Records, is reissued with an additional track, plus 4 previously unissued solo tracks recorded in Tilberg, Netherland in 1978, demonstrating this great artist's broad range of innovative techniques, mixing free-form and melodic passages in extended and joyful improvisations.
McPhee, Joe / Andre Jaume
Nuclear Family
(Corbett vs. Dempsey)
In 1979 saxophonist/cornetist Joe McPhee met French reedist Andre Jaume in Paris to record this exceptional album of standards, drawing on works from Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk, Duke and Ellington, and Ornette Coleman; melodic, poignant, emotional and insightful jazz.
Lyons, Jimmy
Push Pull [2 CDs]
(Corbett vs. Dempsey)
Originally issued on the Hat Hut label as a 3-LP set, this 1978 recording of Cecil Taylor compatriot, saxophonist Jimmy Lyons, performing live at Collective for Living Cinema in New York in a unique band with Karen Borca (bassoon), Munner Bernard Fennel (cello) and Roger Blank (drums).
Wilson, Phillip
Esoteric
(Corbett vs. Dempsey)
Recordings from the late 70s from the duo of Art Ensemble of Chicago drummer Phillip Wilson and trumpeter Olu Dara, an intimate and intelligently reserved session that includes a 3 part tribute to Lester Bowie, originally released on Hat Hut records.
McPhee, Joe
Alone Together: The Solo Ensemble Recordings 1974 & 1979
(Corbett vs. Dempsey)
In 1979 Joe McPhee, working with CJR produced Craig Johnson, recorded this set of overdubbed recordings of himself performing on saxes, trumpet and flugelhorn over original compositions showcasing solo, duo, trio and quartet contexts, an album of virtual McPhee ensembles!
Lacy, Steve / Steve Potts
Tips
(Corbett vs. Dempsey)
Recorded in Paris in 1979, Steve Lacy (soprano sax) and Steve Potts (alto sax) perform music for the aphorisms of Georges Braque, as sung by Irene Aebi; originally issued on Hat Hut records, this reiusse remasters the original release and includes images from the score.
Brotzmann / van Hove / Bennink
1971
(Corbett vs. Dempsey)
Unreleased material from legendary European players Peter Brotzmann (sax), Fred Van Hove (piano) and Han Bennink (drums), captured live in 1971 for intensely heavy playing at the 2nd Internationales New Jazz Meeting Auf Burg Altena, and in detailed studio work at Radio Bremen.
McPhee, Joe
Variations on a Blue Line / 'Round Midnight
(Corbett vs. Dempsey)
A much-needed reissue of McPhee's 1979 Hat Hut LP documenting his 1977 concert at Salle Ste Croix des Pelletiers, performing 3 original compositions and Monk's "Round Midnight" with incredible skill and inventiveness.



Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought:
Karayorgis, Pandelis / George Kokkinaris
Out From Athens
(Driff Records)
An active and well-balanced duo between Greek pianist based in Boston, Pandelis Karayorgis, and Greek bassist, concert organizer and publisher, George Kokkinaris, both from Athens and recording in the studio in that city, drawing on elements of contemporary music and free jazz in a mix of spontaneous dialogs, one solo improvisation from each, and three Karayorgis compositions.
Zajc, Rebeka Rusjan
Introducing Rebeka Rusjan Zajc
(Clean Feed)
Clean Feed introduces listeners to Slovenian pianist living and working in Amsterdam, Rebeka Rusjan Zajc, through 5 CD-length "Piano Operas" of real-time compositions recorded in the studio — Fictus; Functio; Factum; Fabula; Furor — each illuminating aspects of the virtuosic artist's unique take on the tradition of solo improvised piano.
Rempis / Karayorgis / Heinemann / Harris
Truss
(Driff Records & Aerophonics)
Three label leaders come together for this extraordinary 2023 concert at Elastic Arts in Chicago--Aerophonic's Dave Rempis on alto, tenor & baritone saxophones; Driff Records' Pandelis Karayorgis on piano; Amalgam Records' Bill Harris on drums--along with bassist Jakob Heinmann, this exceptional free jazz performance cementing the bond between Boston and Chicago with a hope for more!
Roebke, Jason
Four Spheres
(Corbett vs. Dempsey)
Brilliantly unusual approaches to jazz scores from Chicago bassist Jason Roebke in a quartet with legendary saxophonist and clarinetist Edward Wilkerson Jr., pianist Mabel Kwan and drummer Marcus Evans, all four also performing on metronome, and Roebke providing low-fi cassette interruptions, a fascinating merging of jazz forms and methods of making the music stop.
Lytton, Paul / Erhard Hirt
Borne on a Whim: Duets, 1981
(Corbett vs. Dempsey)
The first release from Corbett vs. Dempsey drawing on the Paul Lytton Archives, this recording of electronic & acoustic improvisation from UK percussionist Paul Lytton and German guitarist Erhard Hirt was recorded in Belgium in 1981 for the German Po Torch label, founded in 1976 by Paul Lovens & Paul Lytton to release forward-looking forms of free improvisation.
Howard, Noah Quartet To
At Judson Hall Revisited
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
Saxophonist Noah Howard's move from New Orleans to New York City brought him into the circle of early 60's free jazz players including Albert Ayler, joining Sun Ra's Arkestra, and performing at Slug's Saloon; this release reissues two ESP albums, his working band's 1966 Quartet album, and the extended and interestingly orchestrated sextet album, At Judson Hall.
Coleman, Ornette
Ornette At 12, Crisis & Man On The Moon, Revisited
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
Reissuing and remastering two Impulse! albums from saxophonist Ornette Coleman: 1969's Ornette At 12 with Dewey Redman, Charlie Haden and his then 12-year-old son Denardo on drums; 1972's Crisis adding Don Cherry on trumpet; and a lesser-known 1969 EP, Man On The Moon, with electronics from Dr. Emmanuel Ghent and Ed Blackwell on drums.
Large Unit (Paal Nilssen-Love)
Clusterfuck
(PNL)
One of a pair of albums--New Map and Clusterfuck--recorded in the studio in Oslo, Norway by percussionist and composer Paal Nilssen-Love's Large Unit, a 15-piece, incredibly flexible and open-minded ensemble, here improvising over a work of graphic notation where the composed structures are balanced with blocks of improvisation, allowing for quick dynamic shifts in direction.
Large Unit (Paal Nilssen-Love)
New Map
(PNL)
One of a pair of albums--New Map and Clusterfuck--recorded in the studio in Oslo, Norway by percussionist and composer Paal Nilssen-Love's Large Unit, a 15-piece, incredibly flexible and open-minded ensemble, here performing a work where the improvisers are provided with a series of open-form "cells"--concrete ideas, notes and directions--to which they must respond.
Guy, Barry and Friends
Krakow 2018 [5 CD BOX SET]
(Not Two)
Two days of concerts in 2018 at Alchemia Club, in Krakow, Poland and a recording at Radio Krakow the next day from English composer, band leader and a bass player Barry Guy, in varying configurations at Alchemia of duos & trios with some of Europe & The UK's leading improvisers, culminating in an 11-piece ensemble at Radio Krakow performing the large work "For To End Yet Again".
London Jazz Composers Orchestra
Krakow 2020 [6 CD BOX SET]
(Not Two)
To celebrate its 50th year since bassist Barry Guy assembled the London Jazz Orchestra for its first 1970 performance on BBC Radio, the now multinational band convened in Poland in 2020 for a series of concerts at Alchemia Club and Manggha Hall in configurations of duos to quintets, culminating in a full ensemble performance of two magnificently powerful works: "Flow" and "Harmos-Krakow".
Mateen, Sabir (w/ Steve Swell / Matt Lavelle / Matthew Heyner / Michael Thompson)
Prophecies Come To Pass
(577 Records)
Saxophonist Sabir Mateen's NY based Shapes, Textures, and Sound Ensemble with Steve Swell on trombone, Matt Lavelle on trumpet, Matthew Heyner on bass and Michael T.A. Thompson on drums, run though a gamut of post-bop and collective, creative jazz forms with energy, incredible dexterity, and tremendous group interplay, a great example of the modern spirit of jazz.
Schlippenbach Quartet
Three Nails Left
(Corbett vs. Dempsey)
Remastered and with the original cover, the expanded Schlippenbach Trio of pianist Alexander Von Schlippenbach, saxophonist Evan Parker on soprano & tenor, drummer/percussionist Paul Lovens, and German double bassist Peter Kowald, a stellar group captured in two incredibly inventive concerts at Third New Jazz Festival Moers and at Quartier Latin in 1974 & 1975.
Rivers, Sam Trio feat Dave Holland / Barry Altschul
Ricochet
(NoBusiness)
Captured live in San Francisco in 1978, the lastest in the NoBusiness Sam Rivers Archive series finds the masterful wind player in peak form with the trio of Dave Holland on bass & cello, and Barry Altschul on drums, Rivers on tenor & soprano sax, flute & piano, in the 52 minute free jazz epic "Ricochet", a high-energy work of diverse mood and character; superb!
Toyozumi, Sabu / Simon Tan / Rick Countryman / Yong Yandsen
Voices Of The Spirit
(ChapChap Records)
Recorded during a series of concerts reuniting alto saxphonist Rick Countryman with mentor and friend, drummer Sabu Toyozumi, this live concert at Tago Jazz Cafe in Philippines includes acoustic bassist Simon Tan and free improvising Malaysian tenor saxophonist Yong Yandsen, in an adventurous set of extended performances of intertwining reeds and rhythm; superb!



The Squid's Ear Magazine

The Squid's Ear Magazine

© 2002-, Squidco LLC