Yasmina, A Black Woman - Archie Shepp (1LP Vinyl)

Yasmina, A Black Woman by Archie Shepp.

In the summer of 1969, Archie Shepp brought his horn to Paris and cut a session that still crackles with intent. Recorded on August 12 of that year, "Yasmina, A Black Woman" captures Shepp at a moment when the boundaries between free jazz, blues, and African rhythmic tradition were dissolving into something raw and searching. This is music made with purpose, and it arrives housed in a handsome gatefold jacket that gives the record the presentation its ambitions deserve.

The album's centerpiece is its title piece, "Yasmina," which stretches across the entire first side. It is a sprawling, immersive work, the kind of extended statement that Shepp used to build tension and release over long arcs of sound. Percussion, horns, and voice-like phrasing weave together into a piece that feels less like a single song and more like a journey. Giving the whole of side one to a single composition was a bold decision, and it rewards the listener who is willing to sink into its full length without interruption.

Flip the record over and the mood shifts. "Sonny's Back" opens the second side with a different kind of energy, a nod to the fraternity of tenor players and the ongoing conversation of the music. Here Shepp works within a more concentrated frame, letting the piece breathe while keeping the fire that runs through the entire session.

The set closes with "Body And Soul," the great standard that has tested and defined tenor saxophonists for generations. To place such a familiar ballad at the end of a record this adventurous is a statement in itself. Shepp approaches the tune on his own terms, honoring its lineage while bending it toward his personal language. It is a fitting way to bring the album home, tying Shepp's forward-looking vision back to the deep well of jazz tradition.

Paris in 1969 was a gathering point for American musicians pushing the boundaries of the form, and this recording carries the atmosphere of that particular time and place. There is a sense of freedom in these performances, a willingness to follow the music wherever it leads. The result is a document that feels both of its moment and timeless, an artifact of a period when jazz was expanding in every direction at once.

For collectors drawn to Shepp's most exploratory work, this is an essential piece. The gatefold presentation, the daring side-long title track, and the mix of original composition with a treasured standard make it a record to be lived with, returned to, and studied.

Pressing Details:
Issued in a gatefold jacket.

Recorded on August 12, 1969 in Paris.

Track Listing:
A. Yasmina
B1. Sonny's Back
B2. Body And Soul

Artist: Archie Shepp

Format: 1LP

Genre: Jazz

Label: BYG Records

Catalog Number: 529.304

Release Year: 2024

Country: United States

Condition: Sealed (New)