Chico Freeman – Spirit Sensitive

An adventurous musician turns to melody

Chico Freeman grew up in a Chicago musical family and in a community where jazz continually explored its possibilities. His father, Von Freeman, played tenor saxophone; Chico developed his own direction through the AACM scene and a move to New York. Released by India Navigation in 1979, Spirit Sensitive brings that curiosity to ballads and standards.

The recordings were made in New York in October 1978 and January 1979. Bob Cummins, the founder of India Navigation, produced and engineered them. Closely associated with the free-jazz scene, the label here documented a musician placing familiar melodies at the centre of his work and revealing another aspect of his musical personality.

Saxophone and bass begin the conversation

“Autumn In New York” opens the album with Freeman and Cecil McBee. Published reviews describe it as a duet: tenor saxophone and bass, two voices with space between them. The reduced setting offers an opportunity to hear a familiar song through the relationship between two players. McBee also contributes the composition “Close To You Alone”.

John Hicks adds piano to the ensemble. Billy Hart plays drums on the four middle selections, while Famoudou Don Moye takes over for the closing “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore”. The two drummers belong to different recording sessions. Their careers also suggest the wider musical connections around this album, from Herbie Hancock’s circle to the Art Ensemble of Chicago.

Six pieces given time

“Autumn In New York” is followed by Horace Silver’s “Peace” and “A Child Is Born”. The second side moves through “It Never Entered My Mind” and McBee’s “Close To You Alone” before reaching Duke Ellington. The programme connects American song tradition with compositions by jazz musicians. It offers a rewarding starting point for following melodic lines, pauses and instrumental relationships.

In later liner notes, Freeman discusses the importance of an individual sound and Gene Ammons’ example as a ballad player. That outlook suits a programme in which familiar pieces receive personal attention. This LP contains the six original selections; the additional tracks found on later CD editions are outside its programme.

The Analogue Productions edition

The edition described here is AAPJ 151, a single 180-gram LP pressed at Quality Record Pressings and housed in a Stoughton Printing tip-on gatefold jacket. Its cut traces back to Gavin Lurssen and Ron Lewter’s work at The Mastering Lab in 1994, connecting this pressing with the earlier Analogue Productions edition.

The label does not identify a specific master-tape source for this version. The available documentation does allow the original recording, earlier cut and current pressing to be distinguished. The heart of the record remains Freeman’s invitation to spend time with six melodies, finding pleasure both in discovery and in recognition.

You order from Michael 45 in Germany. We arrange the US import and dispatch from Hilden. Editions not currently in stock are dispatched after the goods arrive.

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Musicians

Participants and documented credit status. Track references correspond to the tracklist.

• Chico Freemantenor saxophone, bandleader
  Soprano saxophone: track assignment unconfirmedParticipation: Album personnel
• Cecil McBeebassParticipation: Album personnel
• John HickspianoParticipation: A2, A3, B1, B2, B3
• Billy HartdrumsParticipation: A2, A3, B1, B2
• Famoudou Don MoyedrumsParticipation: B3

Chico Freeman (tenor saxophone; soprano saxophone per the reissue credits, not assigned to a track), Cecil McBee (bass), John Hicks (piano; A2–B3), Billy Hart (drums; A2, A3, B1, B2), Famoudou Don Moye (drums; B3). A1 “Autumn In New York” is a Freeman/McBee duet. Recorded October 1978 and January 1979 at India Navigation Studio, New York. Producer and engineer: Bob Cummins. Photos: Beth Cummins. Liner notes: Bob Cummins (December 1994). Mastering: Gavin Lurssen and Ron Lewter, The Mastering Lab (1994). Pressing: Quality Record Pressings. Executive producer: Chad Kassem.