Bobby Few October 21, 1935 - January 6, 2021
From early sessions with Albert Ayler to his most recent recordings with Waclaw Zimpell and his own discography, Bobby Few was a singular voice in the free jazz area. Still lyrical in the middle of the stormy twin team of Frank Wright and Noah Howard, his music was the real reflect of himself, a quiet guy, peaceful. Trained in classical music and gospel, his touch on the key was immediately recognisable.
Here is a breath taking performance in solo. I have added to the file an interview that I’ve realised for radio campus Paris in May 2017, it is the original conversation in english before an editing and translate with addition of music for the program in french.
1 Continental Jazz Express
2 Beautiful Africa
3 China
4 The Journey Continues
5 Like A Waterfall
6 En Route
7 Continental Jazz Express
Recorded in live performance at the Vision Festival, New York City, on May 27, 2000.
Boxholder Records BXH026 cd
.jpg)
9 comments:
https://1fichier.com/?q29hzwqcbj4ckwf8e5i4
GREAT!...
HUGE THX!...
Merci mille fois !
Few could ever play like Few.
Thank-you so much
Correct silence. I agree that this is a great performance. I have this cd also.
But I really appreciate the interview. Fascinating to hear.
I am half way through it now. Enjoying it.
I will really miss Bobby. He was incredible in every situation / band he ever played with..... And I agree, he had an unmistakable sound.
Thank you
Sad news to hear he's passed away. Not too many years ago, he was featured in a Heineken beer comercial that got a lot of play on TV. Bobby was shown at the piano with one arm in a sling (or a cast?), and it was a nice surprise to see a jazz hero in that spot. I'd only seen him perform live once, with Steve Lacy group, but always enjoyed his work on so many great records. Will miss you Bobby Few !
@Jeff thank you for your positive feed back. After a recommandation by Ernst here is a link to an article written by Pierre Crepon about Bobby Few that describes very well is musical and personal mood:
https://www.thewire.co.uk/in-writing/essays/let-it-rain-bobby-few-1935-2021
Pierre is telling in the right way the impressions that I had each time I meet Bobby and the feeling I wanted to share by posting this interview. Of course Pierre's article goes farther than the interview because it is famous that in the radio we never have time. This interview has of course not been broadcasted like this but with music and translation, one hour of program means that you have to do less than half an hour of conversation.
I knew Bobby Few back in Cleveland in the middle 60s and occasionally ran into him afterward when he was visiting his family. Some years ago (can't remember when, but I might have a note about it somewhere). He played a club (Nighttown, important jazz club during the last 20 or 30 years, currently closed and waiting for a change in ownership, unknown whether the jazz policy will continue) with Greg Abate I think it was. Other than that and an appearance with Steve Lacy maybe in the 1980s he had spent all his time in Europe, maybe with some work in NYC. One of the nicest, friendliest guys I ever met. It is true that his "East Jazz Trio" was THE hot group in Cleveland in the late 50s and early to middle 60s. He also frequently attributed his move (and that of Cevera Jeffries, a great bassist, who died young, who returned to Cleveland leaving Few in NYC) to New York to the urging of Albert Ayler. It is also true that Ayler was not really appreciated during his time in Cleveland even if the rest of the world (avant-garde division)did. I really don't know what happened between Ayler and Wright, but the one time I met Wright in a pizza take out when I was with Ayler, they were polite, but later it seemed that both Albert and Don did not have a high opinion of him or more specifically of his playing. You could hear in the recording I made of Albert's performance at La Cave that on the last of 3 nights, Albert let Frank sit in on the last tune. Albert blew him off the stand by comparison. Yet Wright had a fairly successful recording and playing career in Europe. Not much in the U.S. however. Thanks for publishing this interview. Really interesting to me. If you have anything with even greater detail, I'd love to see it.
Link is down, here's a replacement if anyone is interested (missing the interview unfortunately) https://mega.nz/folder/8mpUDSjC#4jtrEl2rh-PVZG5AFBXpLQ (320)
Post a Comment