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| Steve Tintweiss WKCR Albert Ayler Birthday Broadcast Sun, Jul 13 4-6PM + NEW CD The Purple Why Live in Tompkins Square Park Steve Tintweiss will be a guest on WKCR's Annual Albert Ayler Birthday Broadcast Sunday, July 13th between 4 and 6 pm. He will play and discuss the music from the Albert Ayler Revelations box set from the complete French Radio recordings at Fondaťion Maeght 1970. Listen on WKCR 89.9 FM metro NY or WKCR.org from Columbia University. The complete birthday broadcast is Sunday July 13, 2pm -midnight ET. Live In Tompkins Square Park is a previously unheard free jazz gem featuring bassist Steve Tintweiss and his Purple Why in 1967. The sextet with clarinetist Perry Robinson and two drummers performs passionate ensembles along with Tintweiss' catchy melodies, bringing back the unique ambiance of the late 1960s avant-garde jazz scene. Available from Original Vinyl Records Artist: STEVE TINTWEISS AND THE PURPLE WHY Title: LIVE IN TOMPKINS SQUARE PARK 1967 Artist Website: www.originalvinylrecords.com/inkydot Release Date: August 7, 2025 Label: Inky Dot Media Catalog Number: IDM 004 UPC Code: 7 98576 33879 4 TRACK LISTING 1. warm-up and announcement 0:23 2. Water 4:15 3. Land 5:41 4. N.E.S.W. Up/Down 7:35 5. Are You Lonely? 2:02 6. Waltz of Eternity 7:07 7. Space Rocks 6:34 8. California Sandra 10:46 9. To Angel with Love 2:15 10. Ramona, I Love You 10:47 11. D-Drone 1:18 12. Y Interlude 7:17 13. The Purple Why 5:27 TOTAL CD TIME 1:11:27 All compositions by Steve Tintweiss (Inkwhite Productions/ASCAP) except track 9 "To Angel with Love" by Randy Kaye Recorded August 7, 1967 in Tompkins Square Park, New York City THE PURPLE WHY: Steve Tintweiss - double bass, melodica, vocals, composer, leader, Jacques Coursil - trumpet, Perry Robinson - clarinet, Joel Peskin - saxophone, Randy Kaye - drums, Laurence Cook - drums, James DuBoise - trumpet (sit-in tracks 12, 13) Steve Tintweiss, who played bass on innovative and explorative albums by Albert Ayler, Patty Waters, Frank Wright and Burton Greene during 1965–70, made relatively few released recordings with his groups despite being active in New York's avant-garde for 60 years. Fortunately, he taped many sessions by his bands and in recent times nearly 400 tapes have been digitized. The bassist is gradually releasing some of the most rewarding performances through his Inky DoT Media label. Tintweiss led the Purple Why during 1966–71. Many players passed through the pioneering free jazz group during that time including saxophonists Sam Rivers, Mark Whitecage, Byard Lancaster, and Jim Pepper, trumpeters Earl Cross, John Marshall and Barbara Donald, trombonist Marty Cook, pianist Burton Greene, drummers Rashied Ali, Shelly Rusten and Billy Mintz, and vocalists Judy Stuart and Amy Sheffer. Live In Tompkins Square Park is from early in the Purple Why's existence. The Aug. 7, 1967 concert performance has Tintweiss leading a sextet that also includes trumpeter Jacques Coursil, clarinetist Perry Robinson, Joel Peskin on tenor and bass clarinet, and both Randy Kaye (who also plays a bit of piano) and Laurence Cook on drums. The final selection, "The Purple Why, " adds trumpeter and Studio We Loft Jazz founder James DuBoise. While some of the performances are ensemble blowouts such as the opening "Water, " others utilize a theme that the musicians play off of. "Land" has a two-bar rhythm that the sextet digs into during enthusiastic and often-wild ensembles. "N.E.S.W. Up/Down" has a six-note pattern followed by a nine-note riff that forms the basis of the piece. The mixture of a folklike theme with adventurous improvising recalls Albert Ayler's music at times. "Are You Lonely?" is a brief workout for the drummers, Tintweiss has a fine solo on "Waltz Of Eternity" before the ensemble joins in, "Space Rocks" is slower with a prominent four-note pattern, and Randy Kaye's "To Angel With Love" (the only piece not composed by the bassist) is a concise ballad featuring Peskin on tenor. The most extensive performances are "California Sandra" which has an infectious melody and swings a bit, and "Ramona, I Love You" which features passionate solos from each of the horns. Also included are the brief "D-Drone, " a heated "Y Interlude" (which concludes with the three horns interacting closely with each other) and "The Purple Why" theme song. Steve Tintwess, who was born in Brooklyn, New York, as a teenager enjoyed seeing early free jazz groups performing in New York coffeehouses. Although he attended Queens College, his most important lessons took place on the bandstand. He made his recording debut in late 1965 on Patty Waters innovative version of "Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair, " worked and recorded with Burton Greene, Frank Wright and Marzette Watts, and toured France with Albert Ayler in 1970, resulting in Ayler's final recordings. In addition to leading the Purple Why during 1967–71, he led his Spacelight Band during 1975–2003, composed many pieces, and produced a countless number of concerts during the past 50 years. Since 2019, his Inky DoT Media label has been releasing vintage music from his career including a 1967 free jazz jam session, a set of two concerts by The Purple Why from 1968, and releases by his Spacelight Band from 1980 and 1992. He was recently profiled in the JazzTimes Overdue Ovation column write your comments about the article :: © 2025 Jazz News :: home page |