Biography of Archie Shepp

Once the embodiment of the free, experimental, and often enraged generation, Archie Shepp has evolved into one of the revered and respected elders of jazz. Shepp studied piano, clarinet, and alto as a child before switching to tenor and soprano. He worked as a teen in R&B bands, and many attribute his fondness for poetic inclusions and spoken monologs in his music to the fact that Shepp has a degree in drama. Shepp worked with Cecil Taylor in 1960, then got involved with Bill Dixon and a short-lived but excellent group called The New York Contemporary Five, with John Tchicai and Don Cherry. Shepp later worked and recorded with John Coltrane and had a series of albums in the 60s on Impulse that featured lengthy, spiraling solos, slashing rhythms, and Black Nationalist themes. In the 70s and 80s, Shepp's playing, which always had a swing/mainstream grounding, became warmer and often more engaging, though he could still offer furious lines and phrases when so moved. But his best work in the 70s and 80s has been in a bluesy or ballad setting, where his thick, lush tone, and sentimental side are best presented. His more stark Impulse releases are being slowly reissued. ~ Ron Wynn