An overlooked treasure from Archie Shepp – a set recorded for the Enja label with a profile that's not as bold as some of his other albums, but a great later session that has some surprisingly wonderful moments! Perhaps the best of these is the album's long workout on "Mama Rose"– done here as a free-flowing modal number with some great soprano sax lines from Archie – blown beautifully over soaring rhythms from Kenny Werner on piano, Santi DeBriano on bass, and the great Marvin Smitty Smith on drums. The track really cooks wonderfully – and is followed by the more sensitive "Soul Song", the hard-blown tenor cut "Geechee", and a laidback take on "My Romance". Both "Geechee" and "Mama Rose" dominate the record – and are perfect examples of the later soulful sound of Shepp in the post-Impulse years!
Tracks:
01. Mama Rose (Horace Parlan/Archie Shepp)
02. Soul Song (Archie Shepp)
03. Geechee (Archie Shepp)
04. My Romance (Lorenz Hart/Richard Rodgers)
ARCHIE SHEPP soprano & tenor saxes
KENNY WERNER piano
SANTI DeBRIANO bass
MARVIN SMITH drums
Recorded December 1, 1982 at Studio N, Cologne, W. Germany
Enja Records 4050 2