The Milwaukee Tapes Vol. 1

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The Milwaukee Tapes Vol. 1
Live album by
Released2000
RecordedJanuary or February, 1980
Milwaukee
GenreJazz
Length70:16
LabelAtavistic
ProducerJohn Corbett
Fred Anderson chronology
Fred Anderson Quartet Volume One
(1999)
The Milwaukee Tapes Vol. 1
(2000)
2 Days in April
(2000)

The Milwaukee Tapes Vol. 1 is an album by American jazz saxophonist Fred Anderson recorded live in 1980 but not issued until 2000 by Atavistic as part of their Unheard Music Series.

Background[edit]

Anderson took his working quartet with trumpeter Billy Brimfield, bassist Larry Hayrod and drummer Hamid Drake to play somewhere in Milwaukee in early 1980 and made arrangements to have a professional 8-track recording made of the concert. 20 years later, when Anderson started to garner attention issuing records more frequently, producer John Corbett released the tapes.[1]

Anderson and Brimfield collaborated since the beginning of the 1960s when they had a pre-AACM quartet. Hayrod was a newcomer to the quartet, replacing Steven Palmore. Anderson and Drake enjoyed a close relationship dating back to the early 1970s.[1]

Reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz[3]

In his review for AllMusic, Stewart Mason states "Anderson and compatriots are at the top of their game singly and collectively."[2] The Penguin Guide to Jazz says that "there is a tendency to meander through solos in what sounds like a second-gear version of late Coltrane."[3]

In a multiple review for JazzTimes, Harvey Pekar notes that "This is not a free-jazz date; it features five varied and impressive compositions by Anderson and Drake and contains solos based on preset structures."[4]

The PopMatters review by Imre Szeman says that the album "not only allows us to get a glimpse of Anderson in the midst of one of the most exciting periods in his career, but also gives us a chance to hear this Olympian jazz man play live in all his glory."[5]

Track listing[edit]

All compositions by Fred Anderson except as indicated
  1. "A Ballad for Rita" - 17:01
  2. "The Bull" - 19:22
  3. "Black Woman" - 13:26
  4. "Bombay (Children of Cambodia)" (Hamid Drake) - 10:05
  5. "Planet E" - 10:22

Personnel[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b The Milwaukee Tapes vol. 1 original liner notes by John Corbett
  2. ^ a b Mason, Stewart. Fred Anderson – The Milwaukee Tapes Vol. 1: Review at AllMusic. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
  3. ^ a b Cook, Richard; Brian Morton (2002). The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD. The Penguin Guide to Jazz (6th ed.). London: Penguin. p. 43. ISBN 0-14-051521-6.
  4. ^ The Milwaukee Tapes Vol. 1 review by Harvey Pekar at JazzTimes
  5. ^ The Milwaukee Tapes Vol. 1 review by Imre Szeman at PopMatters