The New York Art Quartet: Old Stuff

The New York Art Quartet was formed in 1964 by trombonist Roswell Rudd and alto saxophonist John Tchicai. Rudd was a member of another quartet, completely devoted to the music of Thelonious Monk, and wanted an outlet for his own compositions. The Danish-born Tchicai had hit New York the previous year and had quickly made an impact with an oblique style that somehow combined Lee Konitz cool and Ornette Coleman heat in equal measure. Rudd’s boisterous ’bone was a perfect foil. The NYAQ soon produced one of the definitive recordings of the free-jazz era, and then in 1965 Tchicai returned to Europe to scout for work. Rudd went also, but it was necessary to replace the seemingly irreplaceable rhythm section of Lewis Worrell on bass and drummer Milford Graves. Luckily, Danish bassist Finn von Eyben and South African drummer Louis Moholo proved up to the task. The release of Old Stuff adds 70 minutes of great live music—in some ways the best of their European recordings—to the painfully small output of this seminal group. Surprisingly good sound and the inclusion of several tunes the group didn’t record elsewhere make this a must for free-jazz fans.