Michael Musillami recorded this album back in 1990, and in 2000 it was reissued by the guitarist's own Playscape label as part one of a trilogy. (The trilogy also includes 1992's Mar's Bars and 1994's Groove Teacher.) All three albums are eloquent statements from a fine guitarist and composer, but they're also vital documents in the tragically shortened career of the late alto saxophonist and flutist Thomas Chapin. On part one, Archives, Musillami and Chapin are joined by pianist Kent Hewitt, bassist Nat Reeves, and drummer Steve Johns. The wholly original program kicks off with the title track, its unusual half-time, walking tempo setting a tone that hints at the avant-garde. Musillami's tone is trebly, his attack pointed and well-defined. Chapin's solo is characteristically free jazz in spirit, even as he makes every one of the chord changes. Hewitt brings it back around to a more subdued, hard bop vibe during his solo. Much of the rest of the album is a bit more consonant, or what jazzers call "inside." Chapin's flute is a delight on the brisk waltz "Beijing," the beautiful ballad "Emmett Spencer," and the relaxed Latin piece with the manifesto-like title, "I Still Do It for the Music." Toward the end of the ballad in particular, you can hear Chapin's breath as he pauses between the last few held notes, and this sound is precious indeed. Beginning with a rubato introduction, "The Young Child" then kicks into a fast, driving Latin feel, setting up a soaring, passionate melody played in unison on guitar and alto sax. Another of the more energetic tunes is "Ry-Bop," a swinging event that gets off the ground with a burning solo by Hewitt, followed by Musillami and finally a screaming, riotous round from Chapin. "Mohawk Mountain," an ultra-fast line based on "Cherokee," closes the album; the group plays it down once, making for a concise, 51-second conclusion.
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