THING INNER VIEW 1972 FREE JAZZ FUNK LP ARNIE CHEATHAM

$

538

HERE IS A JAZZ LP FROM THING. THIS IS THE ORIGINAL 1972 PRIVATE PRESS VERSION ON INNER VIEW RECORDS 1 STEREO. I HAVE FOUND SOME INFO ON THIS LP THAT I HAVE INCLUDED AFTER THE DESCRIPTION. THE COVER IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION WITH SLIGHT WEAR. THERE ARE NO SPLIT SEAMS, AND ITS VERY VERY CLEAN WITH THE ORIGINAL SHRINK STILL AROUND IT. THE LP IS IN NEAR MINT- CONDITION WITH NO SCRATCHES. THERE ARE NO SKIPS, AND IT PLAYS WITH LITTLE TO NO SURFACE NOISE. SOUNDS EXCELLENT!!! SUPERB OVERALL COPY OF THIS HOLY GRAIL RARE JAZZ LP!! THERE IS NO RESERVE AND I INVITE ANY QUESTIONS. THANKS Musicians: Arnie Cheatham – Alto sax, soprano sax, flute, misc. percussion Wil Letman – Trumpet Vagn Leick – Electric piano David Saltman – Electric Bass Kiah Nowlin – Drums Congas – Dorian McGee Bob O’Connell - Guitar (on “Sketch”) Song List: 1. Sketch pt. 1 2. Sketch pt. 2 (listen) 3. Sketch pt. 3 4. Sketch pt. 4 (listen) 5. Road Through the Wall pt. 1 (listen) 6. Road Through the Wall pt. 2 7. Road Through the Wall pt. 3 (listen) 8. Road Through the Wall pt. 4 Arnold Cheatham "Thing" This powerful 1972 performance by Arni Cheatham’s group provides a unique glimpse of the jazz scene in Boston. The group borrowed the most innovative characteristics of jazz and rock, but never sounded derivative. This is early seventies “jazz fusion” of the highest order, before the term evolved to mean a light, commercially acceptable genre. As with many innovative jazz forms, the recording was made at one of the many local universities, Harvard. The resulting album was pressed in scant numbers and remains obscure even to Beantown jazz buffs. Percussionist Dorian McGhee remembers the group grew from informal live performances. In an interview from after he returned to Denmark, Vagn Leick recalls the source of the group’s name. "We did a couple of those jam sessions for a few Saturdays in a row, and slowly the group was formed… it got the name Thing, because whoever was recording the tapes wrote "Arnie's Thing" on them.” This rare album consists of sprawling, spacey jazz tempered with bristly funk. Few points of comparison for the group exist in the Boston jazz world, then or now, but several influences predominate. The album primarily stands in the shadow of electric jazz pioneers Miles Davis and Weather Report. Vagn Leick’s dark chords are straight out of “Live Evil” or “Agharta.” Drummer Kiah Nowlin keeps the beat steady, culminating in a drum break on “Road Through the Wall pt. 3” that is reminiscent of “125th Street Congress” by Weather Report. The most aggressive moments on the album are on the last half of “Road Through the Wall,” where Leick’s keys and Saltman’s bass are overdriven through amplifiers, resulting in a glorious wall of noise. The group made business cards to drum up business, which read "a new direction.” Although Cheatham was listed as bandleader, he says now that he followed as much as led. "The music is absolutely not about me," he says to explain how he guided the group. "I allow for maximum flexibility for the individuals. I'll explain the concept and, if there is one, the story behind a piece of my music before we play a single note. I feel that if the players know the emotion behind or the statement that a piece of music is built upon, they will absolutely be better able to get 'inside' the piece and move around among the molecules of the music." Vagn Leick agrees that Cheatham's improvisational methods opened up new spaces for the group. "Arnie just told us to play," he says simply. "We came together with the attitude that no note was wrong if it felt right within the context. It gives you an enormous freedom in your musical expression when you have that level of acceptance and the limits of what you are allowed to play are very wide." The rare album released by Cheatham’s first group “Thing” consists of two sprawling songs of jazz tempered with bristly funk. Few points of comparison for the group exist in the Boston jazz world, then or now, but several influences predominate. The album certainly stands in the shadow of Miles; Vagn Leick’s dark chords especially are straight out of “Live Evil” or “Agharta.” The most aggressive moments on the album are on the last half of “Road Through the Wall,” where Leick’s keys and Saltman’s bass are overdriven through amplifiers, resulting in a glorious wall of noise. Kiah Nowlin keeps the beat more than steady, culminating in a drum break on “Road Through the Wall pt. 3” that has to be heard to be believed. This group effort led by Cheatham puts you in the audience of a powerful 1972 performance, providing a unique glimpse of the jazz scene at that time. As with many more innovative jazz forms, the recording was made at one of the many local educational establishments, Harvard University. The group borrowed the most innovative characteristics of jazz and rock, but never sounded derivative. This is early jazz-fusion of the highest order, before the term was taken to mean a light, commercially acceptable form of the genre. The group had a set of cards made to drum up business, which read "a new direction.” Cheatham was listed as the band leader, but if you asked him, he would say that he followed as much as led. Cheatham let the group play within boundaries, but he knew when to bring the song back with a nimble and expressive playing. "The music is absolutely not about me," he says to explain a guiding concept. "I allow for maximum flexibility for the individuals. I'll explain the concept and if there is one, the story behind a piece of my music before we play a single note. I feel that if the players know the emotion behind or the statement that a piece of music is built upon, they will absolutely be better able to get 'inside' the piece and move around among the molecules of the music." It is fitting that the group’s name is ambiguous. In an interview from after he returned to Denmark, Vagn Leick recalls the source of the group's name. "We did a couple of those jam-sessions for a few Saturdays in a row, and slowly the group was formed, and it got the name Thing, because whoever was recording the tapes wrote "Arnie's Thing" on them.” Vagn Leick discussed how Cheatham's improvisational methods opened up new spaces for the group: "Arnie just told us to play," he said simply. "We came together with the attitude that no note was wrong if it felt right within the context. It gives you an enormous freedom in your musical expression when you have that level of acceptance and the limits of what you are allowed to play are very wide."

www.rerelease.net Here is the web address that I have received this information. Please check them out!!!! They are one of the only ones who have reviewed this obscure LP!!!!