Ethnic Stew and Brew

Ethnic Stew and Brew

ASIN: B00005AMOA

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
It is for good reason that trumpet trios are rare in jazz: few horn players have both the tonal resources and rhythmic acuity to color and animate the open spaces. A notable exception to that rule, Roy Campbell has forged a distinctive sound with his Pyramid Trio by relying on simple structures that facilitate a vibrant, free-flowing give and take among the players. On Ethnic Stew and Brew, he basks in the ocean-deep support of the hard-toiling bassist William Parker and marvelously attuned drummer Hamid Drake, a Chicago veteran who joined the Pyramid after playing with Campbell and Parker in German saxophonist Peter Brötzmann's Die Like a Dog quartet and Chicago Tentet. The songs, which provide plenty of room for soloing, are simultaneously expansive and grounded. The well-traveled leader, a Bronx native who studied with hard-bop prince Lee Morgan, went to school with internationalist Don Cherry, and lived for a time in Rotterdam, is a sneaky stylist on trumpet, flugelhorn, and pocket trumpet. Whether applying stubby squibs or Miles-like purrs, shrieking multiphonics or Spanish lace, he plays with self-effacing strength. With the extraordinary Drake providing a shimmying groove, the music dances even when the social commentary of "Malcolm, Martin and Mandela" and "Amadou Diallo" comes into play. --Lloyd Sachs

Product Description
Features William Parker - critically acclaimed New York City bassist and Campbell's long time collaborator - as well as Chicago's premier percussionist Hamid Drake, who the duo met while participating in Peter Brötzmann's Die Like a Dog. This release is both hip and widely appealing, and the chemistry between these three musicians is amazing.

Ethnic Stew and Brew

Tracks:

Tazz's Dilemna
Malcolm, Martin And Mandela
Imhotep
Impressions Of Yokahama
Ethnic Stew And Brew
Heavenly Ascending
Amadou Diallo

Amazon.com

It is for good reason that trumpet trios are rare in jazz: few horn players have both the tonal resources and rhythmic acuity to color and animate the open spaces. A notable exception to that rule, Roy Campbell has forged a distinctive sound with his Pyramid Trio by relying on simple structures that facilitate a vibrant, free-flowing give and take among the players. On Ethnic Stew and Brew, he basks in the ocean-deep support of the hard-toiling bassist William Parker and marvelously attuned drummer Hamid Drake, a Chicago veteran who joined the Pyramid after playing with Campbell and Parker in German saxophonist Peter Brötzmann's Die Like a Dog quartet and Chicago Tentet. The songs, which provide plenty of room for soloing, are simultaneously expansive and grounded. The well-traveled leader, a Bronx native who studied with hard-bop prince Lee Morgan, went to school with internationalist Don Cherry, and lived for a time in Rotterdam, is a sneaky stylist on trumpet, flugelhorn, and pocket trumpet. Whether applying stubby squibs or Miles-like purrs, shrieking multiphonics or Spanish lace, he plays with self-effacing strength. With the extraordinary Drake providing a shimmying groove, the music dances even when the social commentary of "Malcolm, Martin and Mandela" and "Amadou Diallo" comes into play. --Lloyd Sachs

Album Description

Features William Parker - critically acclaimed New York City bassist and Campbell's long time collaborator - as well as Chicago's premier percussionist Hamid Drake, who the duo met while participating in Peter Brötzmann's Die Like a Dog. This release is both hip and widely appealing, and the chemistry between these three musicians is amazing.

Customer Reviews:

Sonically astounding........2005-01-06

It's really hard to believe this is just a trio record. Roy Campbell's horn is so big here, he easily fills up the space and makes it sound like a full horn section. William Parker's bass playing and Hammid's drums are loud, forcefull and excceptional.

The ending drum solo mimicing the shots on Amadou Diallo is profound and emotional. This one was well worth picking up.

Flowing, bopping jazz of today........2004-04-18

This is great stuff. Also check out the trio centered on jazz violinist Billy Bang on William Parker's "Scrapbook" from 2003 on the Thirsty Ear label. Ethnic Stew and Brew is the best Roy Campbell I have heard and is jazz that lives and breathes today. I find the same logic on "Scrapbook", which also has William Parker and Hamid Drake. These cats (or lions) are making exceptional music for jazz fans who are not tied to the past.

The Best Modern Jazz I Own.......2002-08-21

I first heard this album late at night on my local public radio station. As soon as i heard the Shakuhachi (japanese flute if you don't know) i was sold. The bassist's performance on this instrument is far from virtuosic, but thats exactly what tipped me off to how great this music is.

The performers here are concerned chiefly with lyricism and character, and as mentioned in other reviews... soul. That is not to say there isn't plenty of virtuosity, but it never supercedes the spiritual, unprocessed emotion and experimentation here. The title is very apt--listening to this album is like touring the world. If there were jazz clubs buried under the pyramids of Giza, this is what you'd hear shaking the sand.

If you listen to "yuppie jazz" you are probably barking up the wrong tree, but if you have even a slight interest in free jazz, you MUST own this album. It sits on my top shelf right next to Kind of Blue and a couple of Shivkumar Sharma albums.

Avant garde + soul = instant classic.......2002-07-02

Trumpeter Roy Campbell, who has studied under Lee Morgan and played with Peter Brotzmann's band of sonic terrorists, Die Like A Dog, is typical of a group of latter-day Free Jazzers who are dedicated to pursuing advanced musical experimentation without losing sight of passion and soulfulness. It's a pity that jazz labels don't release singles; for, while much of this genre will always remain a minority taste, some of it surely ought to be able to reach a mass audience. Case in point: the title track of this, the most recent and best of Campbell's three albums with his Pyramid Trio. Combining an irresistible reggae beat with a catchy tune and a fiery trumpet solo, "Ethnic Stew and Brew" ought to have people dancing in the streets all over the world. Other standout tracks: "Heavenly Ascending", which wouldn't be out of place on an ECM chamber-jazz disc, and "Impressions of Yokahama", which opens with bass player William Parker on shakuhachi (Japanese wooden flute) backed by Hamid Drake on bells; when Parker switches to bass, the music takes off on a joyous romp reminiscent of a classic Art Blakey Blue Note session. These three pieces add up to a solid 20 minutes that can stand with the best jazz (the best music, period) ever recorded.

Mindbending Jazz!.......2001-09-02

One of the most exhilerating modern Jazz cd's I have heard! Roy's playing is deep and soulful and he is provided a very invigorating rhythm section courtesy of William Parker and Hamid Drake. Various World beat influences really take hold of the listener while the soloing guide's you on a musical trip. Play them often on The Crazy Coyote Blues and Jazz Power Show at 1490 KOTY in southcentral Wa. state.

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