''Unity'' is a live album by saxophonist Frank Wright. It was recorded at the

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in Moers, Germany on June 1, 1974, and was released in 2006 by

ESP-Disk ESP-Disk is a New York-based record company and label founded in 1963 by lawyer Bernard Stollman. History Though it originally existed to release Esperanto-based music, beginning with its second release (Albert Ayler's '' Spiritual Unity''), ESP ...

. On the album, Wright is joined by pianist

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, bassist

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, and drummer

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Reception

In a review for

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, Scott Yanow wrote: "The two selections are continuous, never run out of intensity, and feature some intense playing, particularly from Wright and Ali. Free jazz collectors will definitely want this powerful performance." The authors of ''

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'' stated that "the music comes across strongly," and noted that "the real star of 'Unity: Part One' is Silva, whose arco solo is a model of form and concentration." Writing for

Jazz Times ''JazzTimes'' is an American magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1970 by Ira Sabin as the newsletter ''Radio Free Jazz'' to complement his record store. Coverage After a decade of growt ...

, Scott Verrastro commented: "The ensemble communicates with the effortless interaction of four men who have been playing together for years, with each instrument naturally weaving in and out of the mix. The solos even reflect this unbound energy... Though the unadventurous and faint-of-heart would surely disagree, there is much beauty to discover here, as is usually the case with such demon-exorcising music." Derek Taylor of Paris Transatlantic remarked: "True believers are likely to have already heard these sounds on crackle-dusted xth generation tape dubs. But for a completely new audience of free jazz listeners this disc delivers the goods, and at a reasonable asking price to boot."

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's Steve Holtje called the album a "gem," and stated: "They create quite a ruckus; this remained 'in the can' for over three decades not because of any lack of quality, but because of the label's struggles. It's fully up to the high standards of most of Wright's work."

Track listing

# "Unity Part I" – 27:28 # "Unity Part II" – 29:00

Personnel

* Frank Wright – tenor saxophone *

– piano *

– bass *

– drums

References

{{Reflist 2006 live albums Frank Wright (jazz musician) live albums Live free jazz albums ESP-Disk live albums