The Art Ensemble of Chicago

Great Black Music

The one-hour programme on the Art Ensemble of Chicago, documentary and performance of improvised jazz 'ancient to modern'.

Great Black Music - extract

Short extracts of two compositions from the production, recorded live played by the Art Ensemble of Chicago.

Avant-garde Jazz

"So what we were doing with that face painting was representing everyone throughout the universe, and that was expressed in the music as well. That's why the music was so interesting. It wasn't limited to Western instruments, African instruments, or Asian instruments, or South American instruments, or anybody's instruments"
Joseph Jarman

Musicians

The line-up of five musicians who each play several instruments together in every piece performance within the recording of this production.

The group

Malachi Favours Maghostut

Running Order

Funky Aeco
Pan Burundi (part one)
Duffy Pels
Last Dance in Casamance (featuring Belophone)
Non Cognitive Aspects of the City
Egwaunwu
The Key
There's A Jackson in the House
Cyp Cards
Tobago Tango
Pan Burundi (part two)
Odwalla

Composition and improvisation

A selection of screen-shot images from the studio recordings. Each piece is a structured jazz composition and yet is largely improvised within that framework and therefore can take different directions and duration for all sections. Each and every performance is therefore unique.

Stills photography

Black and white photos edited into the show taken when visiting the artists in their Southside neighbourhood, exploring their roots, learning more about where they come from, the visual and aural motivations and inspiration.

About the show

The Art Ensemble of Chicago is an avant-garde jazz group that grew out of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians in the late 1960s. The ensemble integrates many jazz styles and plays many instruments, including "little instruments": bells, bicycle horns, birthday party noisemakers, wind chimes, and various forms of percussion. The musicians wear costumes and face paint while performing.

Our understanding was that the Art Ensemble of Chicago do not perform in studio very. Not only that, it can be remarkably difficult to record improvisation which can use several tonnes of acoustic instruments of all kinds.

This commission gave us a very special opportunity to produce the whole thing in Chicago, to rehearse and record the improvised jazz compositions in studio through several days, to interview the guys and allow them to introduce themselves, and also to go with them into their community and neighbourhood in Southside Chicago to learn more about their motivation, their inspiration, and their roots.

The tricky thing was to edit it into a one hour show for transmission for UK audiences. However, to much relief this did receive the blessings of Andy Park, Commissioning Editor, Channel 4. We understand it did fulfil the brief and although it was for a minority viewing audience it did receive favourable notices from the music press.

On a personal note, it was hugely challenging but also a joy to work on, the guys were great to hang-out with and it was a privilege to be welcomed into their world and their music.

Neil Anthony, Producer