The Giuseppi Logan Quartet

Almost always judge an album by it's slammin' good cover art. Definetly true in this case. Great cover art leads to great LP leads to great story. In fact, the intigue that lead me to this post has been more about the man than the music - but don't hear me wrong, the music is stellar! Here's the short skinny: Giuseppi Logan, a multi-instrumentalist from outside the scene emerges from the shadows into the New Thing/Avante Garde/Free Jazz movement that was thriving in New York City in the mid-sixties. With the help & musical assistance of Milford Graves (more on him in the coming weeks) he lays down his first ever recording session (as a leader nonetheless) along with Don Pullen & Eddie Gomez (this was the first recording session for all four players). From the many articles I've read, it seems that Logan was always perceived as his own man with his own approach to both people and his many instruments - unpredictable seems a good word. He lead two other sessions, one of which has never received a pressing, and sat in on a handful of others before disappearing back into the shadows in the early seventies. Gone. Decades without even a word. Incarcerated, homeless, locked away in mental institutions, thought dead, only to re-emerge from thin air in 2008 with a bushy white beard & a passion to get back on top in the world of Jazz music. Thus far he's released one live session with the same label he started with - ESP. Giuseppi Logan is very endearing & there's so much more to this story. If you're intrigued, please dig around. Signal To Noise put out a fantastic article in the Spring of 2009.

In terms of the album, if you're into the genre, I couldn't recommend it more. From 1964, it has an incredible rythme section & is very free. Track one, Tabla Suite is perhaps more outside than the other four tracks, it includes a Tabla, a Pakistani Oboe, and a strummed piano & is a highlight for me - it definetly speaks of things to come with Milford Graves. Dialogue is also highly recommended along with Bleeker Partita which you'll find below. The later is accessible while containing the fullness of diversity that you get from the other four numbers. Just below, please check out a bit from a short documentary on Logan from 1966 and be sure to check recent footage in the side panel of the youtube page.
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Bleeker Partita - The Giuseppi Logan Quartet
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