''Black Suite'' is an album by trumpeter and composer
Jacques Coursil
Jacques Coursil (March 31, 1938 – June 26, 2020) was a composer, jazz trumpeter, scholar, and professor of literature, linguistics, and philosophy.
Early life
Coursil was born in Paris, France, of Martinican parents. At age nine, he began study ...
. It was recorded in Paris in June 1969, and was released in 1971 by
BYG Records
BYG Records was a French record label known for the Actuel series specializing in free jazz. However, the label released a handful of non-jazz recordings by artists such as Musica Elettronica Viva, Terry Riley, Freedom and Gong.
History
BYG Reco ...
as part of their Actuel series. On the album, Coursil is joined by saxophonist
Arthur Jones, contrabass clarinetist
Anthony Braxton
Anthony Braxton (born June 4, 1945) is an American experimental composer, educator, music theorist, improviser and multi-instrumentalist who is best known for playing saxophones, particularly the alto. Braxton grew up on the South Side of Chi ...
, pianist
Burton Greene
Burton Greene (June 14, 1937 – June 28, 2021) was an American free jazz pianist born in Chicago, Illinois, though most known for his work in New York City. He explored multiple genres, including avant-garde jazz and the Klezmer medium.
Biogra ...
, bassist
Beb Guérin Bernard "Beb" Guérin (December 22, 1941 in La Rochelle – November 14, 1980 in Paris) was a French jazz double-bassist.
Beb Guérin first began playing bass at age 23, working in the 1960s with Sonny Criss, Jacques Coursil, François Tusques, Al ...
, and drummer Claude Delcloo.
Reception
In a review for
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
, Eugene Chadbourne wrote: "As kind of the lost voice of the trumpet in modern jazz, Coursil is not only a great discovery for the modern jazz fan, but a fine creative vintage that holds up to repeat visits over the years. His control of the difficult horn and totally original melodic thinking really makes his playing stand out among the admittedly thin ranks of avant-garde trumpet players. None of the players who have Coursil's technical mastery play with as much heart and soul." He concluded that the album "is one of the best examples of just how beautiful modern jazz can be."
Cam Scott, writing for ''Music & Literature'', called the album "spacious and contemplative," and commented: "the player's voices feel almost completely independent of one another, detachable from the whole, and they interact as such throughout, forming any number of collaborative modules. Beb Guérin's bowing drones heavily below the purr of Braxton's clarinet, recalling the highly textural music of Giacinto Scelsi, as Coursil sputters a series of athematic fanfares throughout."
In an article for the ''
London Review of Books
The ''London Review of Books'' (''LRB'') is a British literary magazine published bimonthly that features articles and essays on fiction and non-fiction subjects, which are usually structured as book reviews.
History
The ''London Review of Book ...
'', Adam Shatz stated that the album demonstrates the fact that Coursil "was fascinated by the relations between sound and silence, density and sparseness – and by the possibility of creating complex new forms that blurred the line between notation and improvisation."
Todd S. Jenkins remarked: "Braxton's presence seems to be inspirational to everyone, since Jones rises to the occasion admirably and Greene holds onto the reedman's coattails to great effect. Coursil reaches his pinnacle as a trumpeter, crafting original melodic phrases out of thin air that few others could have imagined."
Track listing
Composed by Jacques Coursil.
# "Black Suite - Part 1" – 18:00
# "Black Suite - Part 2" – 13:00
Personnel
*
Jacques Coursil
Jacques Coursil (March 31, 1938 – June 26, 2020) was a composer, jazz trumpeter, scholar, and professor of literature, linguistics, and philosophy.
Early life
Coursil was born in Paris, France, of Martinican parents. At age nine, he began study ...
– trumpet
*
Arthur Jones – alto saxophone
*
Anthony Braxton
Anthony Braxton (born June 4, 1945) is an American experimental composer, educator, music theorist, improviser and multi-instrumentalist who is best known for playing saxophones, particularly the alto. Braxton grew up on the South Side of Chi ...
– contrabass clarinet
*
Burton Greene
Burton Greene (June 14, 1937 – June 28, 2021) was an American free jazz pianist born in Chicago, Illinois, though most known for his work in New York City. He explored multiple genres, including avant-garde jazz and the Klezmer medium.
Biogra ...
– piano
*
Beb Guérin Bernard "Beb" Guérin (December 22, 1941 in La Rochelle – November 14, 1980 in Paris) was a French jazz double-bassist.
Beb Guérin first began playing bass at age 23, working in the 1960s with Sonny Criss, Jacques Coursil, François Tusques, Al ...
– bass
* Claude Delcloo – drums
References
{{Reflist
1971 albums
BYG Actuel albums
Jacques Coursil albums