By Ferruccio Martinotti
Paris in the 1920s, with Picasso, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Gide and Gertrude Stein sitting at the Shakespeare & Co.; the Bauhaus with Oskar Schlemmer's theater and the themed parties; the boppers at Minton's Playhouse on 118th Street; the CBGB's in 1976. In a word: The Scene. Is anyone indifferent to its call? Certainly not us. In many cases, it arises from the suggestions of historians, journalists, and/or enthusiasts who shape it “ex post”, but who cares? Thinking of a group of people, in a specific historical and social context, sharing a common cultural sentiment, simply generates unparalleled fascination. Just a few years before the explosion of the punk supernova of the Ramones, Television, and Patti Smith, around the same geographic perimeter (Village, Lower East Side, Soho), seismographs recorded a new artistic ferment. Inspired by the AACM in Chicago and the Black Artists Group in St. Louis, a group of musicians, writers, and actors repurposed abandoned spaces such as lofts, warehouses and industrial buildings into creative hubs in which to live, play, record, teach, discuss: Loft Jazz was born. Wise Old Man Wadada Leo Smith summarized it this way: “There's the mainstream, and you're not part of it, so you have to build your own reality. And that reality is not a protest against, but something for ourselves.”
There are two main hotspots: the hottest is Studio Rivbea at 24 Bond St., where Sam Rivers lives with his wife, Bea; then Ali's Alley at 77 Greene St., Rashid Ali's home, club, recording studio, and headquarters of his Survival Records. Contributing to the cause are James DuBois and Juma Sultan with Studio We; Warren Smith with Studio WIS; David Murray and Stanley Crouch with Studio Infinity; the theater/music space La MaMa and The Soundscape. Without predefined aesthetics or boundaries of any kind, the rules of engagement are crystal clear: Community and Freedom. This extraordinary bonfire of creativity spanned almost the entire 1970s, extinguishing in 1979. For those who didn't experience it firsthand, the reference bible has always been the five Wildflowers albums recorded at Rivbea in 10 days in May 1976, featuring all the key players. The records have become difficult to find, even in the 3-CD version, but don't despair, because in Lithuania, NoBusiness Records' mission is to soothe our regrets and to grant our wishes. And they do so with Loft Jazz as well. First and foremost, with the 2009 box set "Muntu Recordings," celebrating saxophonist Jemeel Moondoc, then with the “Rivbea Live” series by Oliver Lake, Jimmy Lyons, Arthur Blythe, and Maurice McIntyre, recorded at Rivbea, which take us back to Downtown, allowing us to relive the magic of that extraordinary season. Four unmissable albums, period.
From a chronicles perspective, to date, the only one who has dealt with that scene is Michael Heller with “Loft Jazz: Improvising New York in the 1970s.” As an ethnomusician, Heller focuses his analysis on the economic, social, and urban aspects of early 1970s New York, crucial to generating the breeding ground without which the scene would never have taken shape. We said “to date”, because NoBusiness Records draw a line, putting an end to the topic, now and ever. It does so with Ed Hazell, a Boston musicologist and curator of Sam Rivers' musical legacy, who, with "Energy Center," provides us with the ultimate book on the Loft movement and its epicenter, Studio Rivbea.
The work is divided into two parts that represent the axes along which the author's exegesis moves. The first 100 pages lead us to the Loft through the personal and musical journey of Sam Rivers and his wife Beatrice, whose centrality to the story comes finally to light in all its entirety. If you think you already know everything about the subject, our humble advice is to not skip a single line; we're sure you’ll find something worth reading. The next 200 pages are the book's cornerstone and hallmark: the sessionography. A mind-blowing session history, detailed by date and musicians, will satisfy even the most compulsive completist, providing the reader with vivid evidence of what an incredible musical powerhouse Rivbea was. The list of recordings released at the Studio completes such a philological, gigantic labor of love. A word more about the iconographic content. The photographs, many previously unpublished, are astonishing and, in their timeless, b&w beauty, confirm, once more, how much jazz owes to photography and vice versa. Still not enough? Then take a look at the reproductions of dozens and dozens of ads, brochures, and flyers related to Rivbea's activities: a golden cornucopia that will bring tears to your eyes. Could you ask for more from a book? Honestly, NO. File under: Holy Grail.
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2 comments:
Thank you for the review, Ferruccio. My book is on the way, I'm looking forward to reading it - all the more after this text. You're right that Michael Heller's “Loft Jazz: Improvising New York in the 1970s" is the only book that deals with Loft Jazz exclusively, nevertheless I'd like to recommend Will Hermes' Love Goes To Buildings On Fire", in which Loft Jazz plays an important role. Hermes describes the New York music scene from New Year's Day 1973 to New Year's Eve 1977 in front of its socio-economic background. What is more, the book is really interesting to read and gives a wonderful insight in the different musical scenes of the time and how they influenced each other.
Martin, yours is a precious footnote, as usual but the excellent Love Goes, one of the most vivid chronicles of those amazing days I read, deals with Loft for a very few pages, out of the 360 of the book. With Heller and, above all, Hazell, we're playing in another league.
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