American saxophonist Archie Shepp is performing his seminal 1972 album Attica Blues with a new orchestra in an evening of Jazz at the Barbican at the end of November.
The band will be mesmerising us with one of the greatest jazz albums, Attica Blues, alongside some newly added compositions.
Here are 5 reasons why we’re excited about going:
1) Archie Shepp is an inspiration, he is not only an acclaimed saxophonist, pianist and vocalist but also a political activist, he released jazz masterpiece Attica Blues, as a stand for black civil rights in America, following the Attica Prison riots in 1971 which ended with the death of over 30 inmates – most of which, if not all, were black and involved with the civil rights movement.
2) Shepp is a music legend, revisiting an album first released over forty years ago – on Impulse! Records, which was also home to Ray Charles. He brings with him a big band composed of a mix of experienced artists and young musicians from all over theworld.
3) If you ever wanted to do something so wrong it’s right; Shepp is your man. He has been described as a saxophonist with possibly the worst embouchure, “Shepp smothers the mouthpiece as if to fully embrace the instrument producing ecstatic shrieks and gargoyle grimaces” Jazzwise Magazine
4) Jazz is good for your health. It’s true, a paper in the U.K. Journal of Advanced Nursing states that listening to jazz can relieve chronic pain and migraines, reduce blood pressure, accelerate post-stroke recovery, improve memory, boost immunity and induce relaxation. The study claimed that listening to all music can can boost your spirits, energy level and increase productivity but too much pop, rap or hard rock can also make you more jittery, distracted and less productive where as jazz had no negative side effects.
5) There is a lot of love for Shepp, his latest album was funded by his fans on Kickstarter which is a new way to fund creative projects. Everything from films, games, and music to art, design, and technology. Projects, big and small are brought to life through the direct support of people like you. Since their launch in 2009, 5.1 million people have pledged $850 million, funding 50,000 creative projects.
Get your ticket NOW from http://bit.ly/18yArXL
If you don’t know the album, you can hear it here: http://www.barbican.org.
We have also teamed up with the Barbican to give one lucky reader a chance to win a pair of tickets to see them LIVE on 24th Nov here: bit.ly/18yArXL
Simply fill out the form below for your chance to win
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