New Release Round-up, New Archival Recordings from Sam Rivers

NoBusiness Records have recently launched an archival series from composer and multi-instrumentalist Sam Rivers, produced in collaboration with his daughter Monique and the Sam Rivers Estate. Rivers, who passed away in 2011, was not only an accomplished jazz composer but also skilled with many different instruments; though often pictured with his saxophone in hand, Rivers also played flute, piano and viola. The likes of BB King, Miles Davis and Wilson Pickett were amongst his past collaborators, his contemporaries Coltrane and Coleman. Appearing on Davis’ Miles in Tokyo in 1964, he made his bandleading debut on Blue Note with 1965’s Fuschia Swing Song, featuring Davis’ tried-and-true rhythm section, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams.

Already testing the limits of hard bop as it was, it was working with Cecil Taylor in the late 60s that further evolved his compositional and improvisational leanings. A key figure in the fierce and avant-garde ‘loft jazz’ scene in 1970s New York, Rivers primarily played with a trio of himself, drums and bass, with bassist Dave Holland being a particularly frequent collaborator, who can be heard on many of these archival recordings. Much of Rivers’ 70s output was with labels dotted around Europe, as well as Impulse! Records in the US, ranging from larger composed pieces to total free-improvisation. Featuring collections from Rivers’ personal archive, including many unreleased performances and sessions Rivers kept close right up to his passing, it’s anticipated that the series will eventually comprise 8 full CDs of music. You can check out the first four volumes below, which span live sessions from the 1970s, recorded in both the United States and Germany.