Videotaped and edited entirely in Chicago, Illinois

Facilities organised by Swell Pictures Inc., N Cityfront Plaza Dr., Chicago IL 60611
Andy Park: Commissioning Editor, Channel 4 TV.

Great Black Music

Performed
by
​
Malachi Favours Maghostut
Joseph Jarman
Roscoe Mitchell
Lester Bowie
Famoudou Don Moye

Musicians

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

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 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

Notes:

As mentioned already mentioned, these stills are taken from a VHS tape recording of the production, they are of poor quality.  As producer of the programme, I stress these are purely illustrative of the content of the show.
However, if there is a demand to republish this show, we are prepared to consider the logistics of digitally remastering the production in its entirety and making the show available on DVD and possibly to stream.  

It is generally recognised that studio recordings of the Art Ensemble of Chicago are rare and it was thought this production had been lost.  ​If you may be interested and/or feel you would be prepared to support the remastering, we would be pleased to hear from you so that we can to gauge some sense of appeal for this show in the 2020s.   Do please let us know >>