Cohran, Philip & Artistic Heritage Ensemble / Malcolm X Memorial, The
Album: Malcolm X Memorial, The   Collection:Jazz
Artist:Cohran, Philip & Artistic Heritage Ensemble   Added:Jul 2007
Label:Katalyst Entertainment  

A-File Activity
Add Date: 2007-07-29 Pull Date: 2007-09-30 Charts: Jazz
Week Ending: Sep 30 Sep 2 Aug 26 Aug 12 Aug 5
Airplays: 1 2 1 1 2

Recent Airplay
1. Sep 28, 2007: Memory Select
El Hajj Malik El Shabazz
4. Aug 23, 2007: Emphysema For Emphasis
Malcolm X
2. Sep 01, 2007: Late Night Jams
Detroit Red
5. Aug 10, 2007: No Cover, No Minimum
Detroit Red
3. Aug 31, 2007: No Cover, No Minimum
Malcolm Little
6. Aug 03, 2007: Memory Select
Malcolm Little

Album Review
Fo
Reviewed 2007-07-28
PHILIP COHRAN & ARTISTIC HERITAGE ENSEMBLE
“The Malcolm X Memorial: A Tribute in Music”

Reissue of a brilliant 1968 suite commemorating the life of Malcolm X. Each of the four movements reflects a stage of Malcolm’s life, with a sound appropriate to that particular time and place. This is a live recording, and you can definitely feel the room. There were also dancers on stage, so sometimes there's applause when you don't expect it.

Cohran is a little-known Chicago figure who had a brief association with Sun Ra and helped found the AACM before starting this group -- a full brass band plus conga, flute and vocals (on #3,4).

All tracks highly recommended, but if you have a problem with the line "white man you just ain’t no good," skip #3... :-)

1. 7:40 – solo blues guitar into a lowdown drag: soulful flute solo, good tuba

2. 10:09 – swinging theme, hipster sound, strolling solos sound a bit muddy w/lots of room echo. Second sax solo, cornet, bass are quite good.

3. 5:16 – powerful, confident stride, chanted black-power vocal, stirring cornet

4. 8:16 – uptempo, exotic theme & solo for “Chinese musette” (a modified suona straight horn), crazy bass & percussion, then a slow elegy with fem vocal, pained harmonies… EXPLODES at the end.

[ Fo ] 28-Jul-07

Track Listing
1. Malcolm Little   3. Malcolm X
2. Detroit Red   4. El Hajj Malik El Shabazz