Streets

Charles Gayle's 'Streets' is a profound and evocative album that delves into the depths of free jazz, avant-garde, hard bop, and traditional jazz. Released on 19 March 2013 via Northern Spy Records, this hour-long masterpiece showcases Gayle's unique ability to craft a sonic landscape that is both intensely personal and universally relatable.

The seven tracks that comprise 'Streets' - 'Compassion I', 'Compassion II', 'Glory & Jesus', 'Streets', 'March of April', 'Doxology', and 'Tribulations' - demonstrate Gayle's remarkable range and versatility as a musician. From the poignant and introspective moments to the more frenetic and experimental passages, 'Streets' is an album that defies easy categorisation, instead embracing the complexities and nuances of the human experience.

Throughout the album, Gayle's innovative approach to jazz is on full display, as he seamlessly blends disparate elements to create a rich and compelling sound. The result is an album that is at once challenging, rewarding, and deeply moving, one that will resonate with fans of free jazz and avant-garde music, while also inviting newcomers to explore the genre. With 'Streets', Charles Gayle has created a work of lasting beauty and significance, one that will continue to inspire and provoke listeners for years to come.

Charles Gayle was a titan of free jazz, renowned for his fierce and unruly sound on the tenor saxophone. Born in Buffalo, New York, in 1939, Gayle's musical journey was as tumultuous and captivating as the city streets that inspired his music. He spent decades honing his craft in obscurity, even living and performing on the streets of New York before gaining prominence in the 1990s. Gayle's music was a raw, visceral reaction to the urban landscape, with his saxophone evoking the rumble of subway cars, the hiss of buses, and the wail of sirens. His performances were not just concerts but spiritual experiences, steeped in the rich history of African and African American music. A multi-instrumentalist, Gayle also excelled on piano, bass clarinet, bass, and percussion. His uncompromising artistry and deeply spiritual outlook made him an iconic figure in the downtown New York City jazz scene. Gayle's legacy endures as one of the greatest free jazz saxophonists of the last half-century.

Streets

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