Jack DeJohnette’s Special Edition - Tin Can Alley (1981 German Vinyl LP)

Jack DeJohnette’s Special Edition - Tin Can Alley | Vinyl LP, 1981 German ECM (ECM 1189 / 2301 189)

• The second Special Edition album, with Chico Freeman and John Purcell replacing David Murray and Arthur Blythe in the front line, and Peter Warren continuing on bass and cello, recorded at Tonstudio Bauer in September 1980
• DeJohnette on drums, piano, congas, organ, timpani and vocals across five tracks that range from modal jazz to a touch of funk, with Freeman and Purcell doubling across tenor, alto, baritone, bass clarinet and flute
• Original German pressing produced by Manfred Eicher, engineered by Martin Wieland, printed in West Germany

Jack DeJohnette started Special Edition in 1979 as a vehicle for his composing and bandleading, separate from his work with Keith Jarrett and as a sideman. The first album featured David Murray and Arthur Blythe, two of the most prominent voices in the New York loft jazz scene. For Tin Can Alley, both were replaced: Chico Freeman, a Chicago tenor saxophonist and AACM member (and Von Freeman’s son), took over the tenor chair while also playing bass clarinet and flute; John Purcell played alto, baritone and flute. Peter Warren, the only holdover from the debut, plays bass and cello. The double reed front line gives the album a different texture from the first Special Edition record: Freeman’s tenor is warmer and more soulful, Purcell’s baritone and alto more angular, and together they create combinations of timbres that shift from track to track depending on which instruments they pick up.

DeJohnette plays drums throughout and adds piano on “Pastel Rhapsody” (the longest track at fourteen and a half minutes), congas, organ and timpani on “The Gri Gri Man” (a short percussion piece), and vocals on “I Know.” “Riff Raff”, the only piece not written by DeJohnette, is Peter Warren’s composition, featuring Warren on cello and Freeman on bass clarinet. The album was recorded at Tonstudio Bauer in Ludwigsburg in September 1980, with a production note that reads “Authentic Willisau applause originally prepared at Willisau Jazz Festival August 1980”, meaning that audience applause from the Swiss festival was added to the studio recording. Produced by Manfred Eicher, engineered by Martin Wieland, with design by Barbara Wojirsch and photography by Roberto Masotti: the standard ECM production team. This is the original German pressing. Catalogue number ECM 1189.