Sold Date: November 17, 2018
Start Date: August 22, 2018
Final Price: $60.00 (USD)
Seller Feedback: 4192
Buyer Feedback: 272

Baron Elmo proudly presents a mighty document of New Thing jazz, chiselled into beauty by the ART ENSEMBLE OF CHICAGO: Les Stances a Sophie, released by the band's own Nessa label in 1970. This is one of the Art Ensemble’s all-time finest explorations of Great Black Music, cut soon after Don Moye signed on as the group’s full-time percussionist, cementing what would be the group's definitive lineup. For this very special occasion the band broke format to add the fiery voice of soul singer extraordinaire Fontella Bass (best known for her sizzling Sixties hit “Rescue Me” on the Chess label) to the mix. It was a bold, audacious experiment that paid enormous dividends, both for group and listener. Precious few groups in any genre have explored the ins and outs of sound like the Art Ensemble, taking their music to strange and wonderful worlds damn near every time they pick up their instruments, and Fontella's fierce vocals add a thread of fire to the proceedings that'll have you riveted. (She would go on to participate on one more Art Ensemble LP, the equally brilliant Art Ensemble of Chicago With Fontella Bass.) Lester Bowie, Malachi Favors and Fontella Bass have since moved on to the next plane of existence; but the music of the AEC will ring through the ages – and Les Stances a Sophie, the soundtrack to a French film of the same name, is a crucial entry in their discography. The record shows very slight wear, but looks great and plays beautifully, while the cover is in superlative shape but for tiny dents on the left hand corners.

Track listing
Theme De Yoyo    
Theme De Céline    
Variations Sur Un Theme De Monteverdi (i)    
Variations Sur Un Theme De Monteverdi (ii)    
Proverbes (i)    
Theme Amour Universal    
Theme Libre    
Proverbes (ii)