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Details
Format: LP
Label: Strata East
Year: 2024
Media Condition: New
Sleeve/Cover Condition: New
TRACKS:
A1. Bitchin
A2. Hopscotch
A3. In a Funky Way
B1. Two Is One
B2. In His Presence Searching
Originally released in 1974. This 50th anniversary re-issue from Strata East gets the full "Tone Poet Series" treatment, with all-analog remastering, 180g vinyl, a sturdy gatefold tip-on jacket, and updated notes and photos.
PERSONNEL:
Charles Rouse - tenor saxophone, bass clarinet
George Davis, Paul Metzke - guitar
Calo Scott - cello
Martin Rivera, Stanley Clarke - bass
David Lee - drums
Azzedin Weston - congas
Airto Moreira - percussion
With Two Is One, revered sax man and DC native Charles (better known as Charlie) Rouse departs from his big band and bop roots and long tenure as a sideman to legendary composer/pianist Thelonius Monk. Released on Strata East, the artist-run label where creativity and pushing boundaries were at the forefront, it's an LP of funky, soulful spiritual jazz with a small combo that notably lacks a pianist. A statement of independence, perhaps, but more likely a tribute of sorts to Monk and their one-of-a-kind connection.
1974 saw a whole slew of artists stretching the boundaries of what jazz music could be, combining elements from the past two decades into electric jazz adventures. The piano-less group that Rouse put together is a funky one, with lots of rhythmic playing behind either the searching solos of Rouse on the tenor or some inventive electric guitar work, or what sounds like an electrified cello, an unusual instrument for modern jazz to be sure, but one that manages to fit in just fine here.
The first side of the album is all slow-burning soul-jazz. The second side is where the group gets more inventive, particularly on the title track where they mix some post-bop madness with the soul-jazz sound.
Label: Strata East
Year: 2024
Media Condition: New
Sleeve/Cover Condition: New
TRACKS:
A1. Bitchin
A2. Hopscotch
A3. In a Funky Way
B1. Two Is One
B2. In His Presence Searching
Originally released in 1974. This 50th anniversary re-issue from Strata East gets the full "Tone Poet Series" treatment, with all-analog remastering, 180g vinyl, a sturdy gatefold tip-on jacket, and updated notes and photos.
PERSONNEL:
Charles Rouse - tenor saxophone, bass clarinet
George Davis, Paul Metzke - guitar
Calo Scott - cello
Martin Rivera, Stanley Clarke - bass
David Lee - drums
Azzedin Weston - congas
Airto Moreira - percussion
With Two Is One, revered sax man and DC native Charles (better known as Charlie) Rouse departs from his big band and bop roots and long tenure as a sideman to legendary composer/pianist Thelonius Monk. Released on Strata East, the artist-run label where creativity and pushing boundaries were at the forefront, it's an LP of funky, soulful spiritual jazz with a small combo that notably lacks a pianist. A statement of independence, perhaps, but more likely a tribute of sorts to Monk and their one-of-a-kind connection.
1974 saw a whole slew of artists stretching the boundaries of what jazz music could be, combining elements from the past two decades into electric jazz adventures. The piano-less group that Rouse put together is a funky one, with lots of rhythmic playing behind either the searching solos of Rouse on the tenor or some inventive electric guitar work, or what sounds like an electrified cello, an unusual instrument for modern jazz to be sure, but one that manages to fit in just fine here.
The first side of the album is all slow-burning soul-jazz. The second side is where the group gets more inventive, particularly on the title track where they mix some post-bop madness with the soul-jazz sound.