Revolutionary Ensemble - The People's Republic

Revolutionary Ensemble - The People's Republic

REVOLUTIONARY ENSEMBLE:
Leroy Jenkins: violin, viola, percussion, vocals
Jerome Cooper: drums, percussion, piano, bugle, vocals
Sirone: bass, percussion, trombone, vocals

As previous one's file can not open title 4 "People's republic", I took my lp and ripped in mp3.

http://www.multiupload.com/W679TDLM1Y

Revolutionary Ensemble - Beyond the Boundary of Time

REVOLUTIONARY ENSEMBLE:
Leroy Jenkins: violin
Sirone: bass
Jerome Cooper: percussion, balafon, chiramia, keyboard

2008 BEYOND THE BOUNDARY OF TIME
Review

Revolutionary Ensemble - And Now ...

REVOLUTIONARY ENSEMBLE:
Leroy Jenkins: violin, harmonica, bells
Sirone: bass
Jerome Cooper: drums, percussion, keyboard

2004 AND NOW ...
Review

Revolutionary Ensemble - Manhattan Cycles

REVOLUTIONARY ENSEMBLE:
Leroy Jenkins: violin, viola
Sirone: bass
Jerome Cooper: drums, percussion, flute, bugle

1972 MANHATTAN CYCLES (LP)

Revolutionary Ensemble - Revolutionary Ensemble

REVOLUTIONARY ENSEMBLE:
Leroy Jenkins: violin, flute, kalimba
Sirone: bass, flute
Jerome Cooper: drums, percussion, flute, piano

1977 REVOLUTIONARY ENSEMBLE (LP)

Revolutionary Ensemble - Vietnam

REVOLUTIONARY ENSEMBLE:
Leroy Jenkins: violin, viola, harmonica
Sirone: bass, cello, wooden flute
Jerome Cooper: percussion, bugle

1972 VIETNAM
Review

Revolutionary Ensemble - The Psyche

REVOLUTIONARY ENSEMBLE:
Leroy Jenkins: violin, viola
Sirone: bass
Jerome Cooper: drums, piano

When the Revolutionary Ensemble formed in the early ‘70s, the New Thing in jazz, disbursed mainly through the ESP label, had flamed brightly, been co-opted by political influences and developed into a more violent strain of free improvisation, a move from which it has yet to recover. What was happening concurrently was a total acceptance of any instrument into the jazz fold. Beneficiary of this benevolence was Leroy Jenkins, heir to the heritage of Stuff Smith but also the first to apply the dulcet tones of violin to a more experimental setting (at least in jazz).

After work with Archie Shepp and Alan Silva, and as a member of the woefully short-lived Creative Construction Company, Jenkins hooked up with bassist Sirone (né Norris Jones, who had been with Pharoah Sanders, Marion Brown, Gato Barbieri and others) and younger drummer Jerome Cooper (fresh from Rahsaan Roland Kirk’s group). They formed the Revolutionary Ensemble and began working on “chamber jazz.” What this entails usually is an emphasis on string instruments (a reaction to the screeching saxophones that overpowered everything in their midst) and jazz-cum-classical compositional forms.

Sadly, for such an influential group, their five albums were released on five different labels, all out of print until now. Originally self-released, The Psyche was the third and thus far most accessible with three long pieces, one by each participant, featuring Jenkins’ cerebral tone, Sirone’s rich arco and Cooper’s percussion and surprisingly understated piano.

Though two of the three compositions are lengthy (accounting for 39 of the 47 minutes), you can focus on the subtle interactions between Jenkins and Sirone rather than struggling through the usual soup of a horn-based avant-garde session.

This review originally appeared in AllAboutJazz-New York .

1975 THE PSYCHE

Revolutionary Ensemble - The People's Republic

REVOLUTIONARY ENSEMBLE:
Leroy Jenkins: violin, viola, percussion, vocals
Jerome Cooper: drums, percussion, piano, bugle, vocals
Sirone: bass, percussion, trombone, vocals

1975 THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC