The Art Ensemble Of Chicago - Urban Bushmen (1982 Japanese ECM 2LP)

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The Art Ensemble Of Chicago - Urban Bushmen Double Vinyl LP - 1982 Japanese ECM/Trio Records Release

The Art Ensemble of Chicago's sprawling double album Urban Bushmen captures the legendary free jazz collective at peak form during a May 1980 concert at Amerika Haus in Munich. Recorded by ECM Records and released in Japan in 1982 by Trio Records/Victor, the album showcases the quintet's unique approach to collective improvisation, incorporating hundreds of instruments from around the world alongside extended techniques on conventional jazz horns. The personnel credits read like an inventory of global percussion and wind instruments: congas, djembes, steel drums, conch shells, balafon, alongside multiple saxophones, clarinets, flutes, and brass. This commitment to sonic exploration, combined with the group's theatrical presentation and political consciousness, made the Art Ensemble one of free jazz's most significant and distinctive voices.

The compositions range from brief thematic statements to extended collective improvisations. "Uncle" stretches across two sides (tracks C3 and D1), demonstrating the group's ability to sustain invention and intensity over long durations. Pieces like "Bush Magic / Urban Magic" and the "Promenade: Cote Bamako" tracks that open and close the album reference African traditions while incorporating American avant-garde jazz innovations. The group's motto "Ancient to the Future" is audible throughout, their music simultaneously honouring global musical traditions and pushing toward unexplored sonic territories.

Each member brings distinct strengths: Lester Bowie's trumpet work balances virtuosic technique with theatrical wit, Roscoe Mitchell and Joseph Jarman's multi-instrumental prowess creates shifting timbral landscapes, Malachi Favors' bass provides both harmonic foundation and melodic invention, while Famoudou Don Moye's percussion creates polyrhythmic complexity drawing from African and jazz traditions. Engineered at Tonstudio Bauer and pressed by Victor Company of Japan, this double LP captures the concert's energy and sonic detail across four sides.