''Solo'' is a live album by violinist / composer
Leroy Jenkins. It was recorded in October 1992 at the Contemporary Arts Center in
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe ( ; , literal translation, lit. "Holy Faith") is the capital city, capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Santa Fe County. With over 89,000 residents, Santa Fe is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, fourt ...
, and was released by
Lovely Music Lovely Music (full name: Lovely Music Ltd.) is an American record label devoted to new American music. Based in New York City, the label was founded in 1978 by Mimi Johnson, an outgrowth of her nonprofit production company Performing Artservices In ...
in 1998.
The album documents a solo concert that featured nine original compositions, some of which had appeared in his solo performances for years but were never previously recorded, plus pieces by
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie ( ; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improvisation, improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy El ...
and
John Coltrane
John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the Jazz#Post-war jazz, history of jazz and 20th-century musi ...
. This is Jenkins's second solo record, the first being ''Solo Concert'' (
India Navigation
India Navigation was an American record company and independent record label that specialized in avant-garde jazz in the 1970s and 1980s. It was founded by Bob Cummins, a corporate lawyer who helped jazz musicians with legal matters. Its catalogu ...
, 1977).
When asked about his interest in presenting solo recitals, Jenkins acknowledged the influence of
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 ...
, stating: "It was his idea at first to do this. You know that recording he did for Delmark? He did this solo album
'For Alto''">For_Alto.html" ;"title="'For Alto">'For Alto'' I thought he was crazy when he did it, boy, but it turned out so beautifully. It's a great idea. So as a result of that, I went into it."
Concerning the concert venue, Jenkins remarked: "That's typical of what I do a lot. I play a lot of contemporary museums, alternative performance spaces. I do quite a bit of that throughout America. Not too much in Europe, but throughout America. In just about every little town and big town..."
Regarding his performance of "Giant Steps (composition)">Giant Steps
''Giant Steps'' is a studio album by the jazz musician John Coltrane. It was released in January or February 1960 through Atlantic Records. This was Coltrane's first album as leader for the label, with which he had signed a new contract the previ ...
", Jenkins commented: "I kept the melody in my head... I played my version of that tune. My version was not about playing the chord changes. Don't get me wrong, I love the piece. I love to hear Coltrane playing it. It's personal to Coltrane's ideology at that time. But, my version isn't about that. I probably had more fun playing it than Coltrane did."
The authors of the ''Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings'' awarded the album 4 stars, stating: "There is a grizzled majesty... a confident conflation of traditions. Tackling 'Giant Steps' and Dizzy's 'Wouldn't You' on solo fiddle and viola bespeaks some courage, but Jenkins skates across those familiar harmonics with breathtaking ease. The recording is up-close and very personal, and anyone who has not encountered his work previously will be captivated."
All compositions by Leroy Jenkins except where indicated.
# "Blues #1" - 6:42
# "Um Cha Chi Chum" - 3:58
# "Hipnosis" - 3:37
# "Big Wood" - 7:48
# "Folk Song" - 5:41
# "Off The Top Of My Head" - 4:52
# "Wouldn't You" (
) - 3:27
# "Dive For The Oyster, Dip For The Pearl" - 4:15
# "Keep On Trucking Brother" - 2:50
# "Festival Finale" - 5:31
# "
) - 4:07
* Recorded October 24, 1992 at the Contemporary Arts Center, Santa Fe, New Mexico