Holiday in Paris, Where Else?

Featured here is the short-lived (1968 - 1973)St. Louis, Missouri based Black Artists Group, a group playing music similar to the more well known The Art Ensemble of Chicago. BAG only recorded this one album. It was only released in France on a label named after the group. In Paris, Aries 1973 was, as the name implies, recorded live in Paris in 1973 in memory of Kada Kayan (bassist who was to be part of the group in Paris, he died of encephalitis before their departure) with a lineup including: Joseph Bowie - trombone, conga, & miscellaneous instruments; Baikida E.J. Carroll - trumpet, flugelhorn, bass, log drum, cowbells, & miscellaneous instruments; Charles 'Bobo' Shaw - drums, woodblocks, gong, & miscellaneous instruments; Floyd LeFlore – vocals, trumpet, & miscellaneous instruments; & Oliver Lake - saxophones, flute, marimbas, mud drums, & miscellaneous instruments.

In France the group received a warm welcome. They played many gigs throughout France (usually under the moniker Oliver Lake BAG Ensemble). Oliver Lake would later join the renowned World Saxophone Quartet while Joseph Bowie (Art Ensemble's Lester Bowie's brother) formed the group Defunkt.

This is squeaky squawky Free Jazz perfectly highlighting the greatness of the early 70s sound. The album was a limited release, with only a few hundred copies pressed. This album was re-released on vinyl only in March 2011 by Rank & File Records of Berlin with a limited number of 500 albums. That re-release has already sold out. The album is once again out of print.

 

Black Artists Group - In Paris, Aries 1973, Black Artists Group BAG 324 000, 1973.

decryption code in comments

Program 1

Echos (Bowie, Lake, Shaw, Le Flore, Carroll)
Something to Play On (Shaw)

Program 2

B1 .

Re-Cre-A-Tion (Lake)
OLCSJBFLBC (Bowie, Lake, Shaw, Le Flore, Carroll)

Enjoy,

NØ