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Don't let the LIVED IN cover fool you because the Vinyl itself is SUPER NMINTY CLEAN .... PLAYS TOTALLY CLEAN !!!

Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on August 10, 1964.
Green labels.
Four for Trane Review

by Thom Jurek FIVE STARS ****

From 1964, Archie Shepp's first date as a leader featured -- as one would expect from the title -- four tunes by , his mentor, his major influence, and his bandleader. The fact that this album holds up better than almost any of Shepp's records nearly 40 years after the fact has plenty to do with the band he chose for this session, and everything to do with the arranging skills of trombonist . The band here is Shepp on tenor, on alto, on trombone, Trane's bassist , and 's drummer . Even in 1964, this was a powerhouse, beginning with a bluesed-out wailing version of "Syeeda's Song Flute." This version is ingenious, with Shepp allowing to arrange for solos for himself and up front and punching in the blues and gospel in the middle, before giving way to double time by and . The rawness of the whole thing is so down-home you're ready to tell someone to pass the butter beans when listening. 's arrangement of "Naima" is also stunningly beautiful: He reharmonizes the piece for the mid-register tone of Shepp, who does his best and adds a microtonal tag onto the front and back, dislocating the tune before it begins and after it ends, while keeping it just out of the range of the consonant throughout. Wonderful! The only Shepp original here is "Rufus (Swung, His Face at Last to the Wind, Then His Neck Snapped)." It's not a terribly sophisticated tune, but it works in the context of this band largely because of the soloing prowess of all the members -- particularly -- here. There is barely any melody, the key changes are commensurate with tempo shifts, and the harmonics are of the sliding scale variety. Still, there are the blues; no one can dig into them and honk them better than Shepp. When it came to sheer exuberance and expression, he was a force to be reckoned with in his youth, and it shows in each of the tunes recorded here. Four for Trane is a truly fine, original, and lasting album from an under-celebrated musician.

– Four For Trane Label: – AS-71Format: , LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo, Gatefold Country:Released:Genre:Style: A1
Syeeda's Song Flute Written-By – 8:25A2
Mr. Syms Written-By – 7:56B1
Cousin Mary Written-By – 7:10B2
Naima Written-By – 7:10B3
Rufus (Swung, His Face At Last To The Wind, Then His Neck Snapped) Written-By – 6:22 Recorded At – Pressed By – Designed At – Published By – Published By – Alto Saxophone – Bass – Design [Cover] – * Drums – Engineer – Liner Notes – Photography By – * Producer – , Tenor Saxophone – Trombone – Trumpet –