Blasé

Jeanne Lee (vocals), Archie Shepp (tenor sax), Chicago Beau and Julio Finn (armonica), Dave Burrell (piano), Malachi Favors (bass) and Philly Joe Jones (drums). From the album Blasé (1969).

In 1967, while in Europe, Jeanne Lee met the German multi-instrumentalist and composer Gunther Hampel, with whom she married and recorded more than 20 albums over 20 years. In 1971 she participated in Carla Bley’s masterpiece Scallator Over the Hill, which is like a jazz opera. During the 1970s she recorded with Enrico Rava, Marion Brown, Andrew Cyrille and Anthony Braxton, and worked with Cecil Taylor. In the 1980s she recorded with Urszula Dudziak, Jay Clayton, A. R. Penck, Marilyn Crispell, Peter Kowald and Lauren Newton.

She also began to compose widely and rendering her original material, which contained poetic and dance elements. Most of her recordings were made with independent or European labels. In the 1990s she led the Jeanne Lee Ensemble, which mixed poetry, music and dance, and recorded and toured with Mal Waldron. She also taught at two European music conservatories for several years. She died in 2000 of colon cancer at 61 years of age.

The introduction is made by Burrell repeating two chords accompanied by Favors at a slow tempo. Next, Shepp incorporates a sad and melancholic melody. At one point Jones also enters playing freely. Shepp tells his sorrows to anyone who wants to listen to him and sends a cry of despair in search of consolation. Then comes Lee reproaching his misfortune with her song tired of life interrupted by Shepp with short phrases in between. Also Beau and Finn have the opportunity to express themselves by playing together a passage to which later Shepp joins in. Then Lee returns with her expressive voice accompanied by Beau, Finn and Shepp. After a while Lee is left alone with Favors, who goes crazy while she continues her speech until Shepp reappears to finish the dissertation.