"Previously the only record of Rivers' early 70's Impulse trio sessions available on compact disc was STREAMS (now deleted?). Through a resurgence of re-issues & new releases & a heavy touring schedule Samuel Cawthorne Rivers is finally receiving his due place in the jazz pantheon after years of mainstream critical ambivalence and ignorance. This album is evidence of his enormous stature. TRIO-LIVE follows the same basic format of STREAMS, featuring a series of Rivers' improvisations on tenor & soprano saxophones, flute, piano and primitve vocalese backed by the able & active support of Barry Altschul (a vast improvement over the clumsy traps-work of a pre-disco Norman Conners on STREAMS) & at various times Cecil McBee, Arlid Anderson & Lewis Worrell on double-bass. Each of the tunes are lengthy improv numbers with Rivers' punctuating his shifts among his arsenal of instruments with raucous howls & whoops. Rivers manages to touch upon the whole history of improvised musical expression, from passionately simple cathartic screams, to incredibly intricate runs of saxophonic genius that utilize all registers of his horn. This is a highly kinetic set that never slows down even during the more meditative passages when Rivers blows soulfully on his flute. A beautiful taste of the early 70's loft jazz esthetic."
The Master at work
nadav haber | jerusalem Israel | 04/22/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"In the attached linear notes, Rivers says two super important things:
1.You can't last on spontaneity alone - you must develop your knowledge if you want to last.
2.Rivers listened to whatever everybody else was playing - so he can avoid playing like anyone else but himself.This CD shows Rivers to be an amazing spontaneous improviser, a knowledgable theoretician, a master of structure and sound, and one of the most versatile saxophone players I have ever heard.
First - his sound on tenor does not resemble either Coltrane, Rollins, Gordon, or anyone else. His control of the high and low registers is unparalelled.
On the soprano I find him to be even stronger than Coltrane - and I dont mean to take anything away from Trane by that.
Rivers abilty to sustain both energy and interest in long solos is admirable. His tenor playing on the Molde suite is one of the high points of creative Jazz as far as I am concerned.
I was surprised to hear Rivers play the piano beautifully (on track 2), and less surprised to hear his great flute playing.
This CD is definately the best trio performance I know of, as the rest of the group provides Rivers with sympathetic support.Rivers has been a giant of American music for the past 25 years but has not enjoyed wide or even mediocre recognition. This is not something the general public should be proud of."
Pure improvisational genius
R. Hutchinson | a world ruled by fossil fuels and fossil minds | 06/15/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Sam Rivers is going on 80, and is finally getting some long overdue public recognition for what his fellow musicians have always known -- he is a master of his craft. These trio recordings from 1973 are Rivers at his finest, as he moves from tenor to soprano sax, piano, and wordless vocals. The drums and bass are absolutely outstanding throughout -- it is truly telepathic engagement. Rivers' great '60s Bluenote records are currently available only as a Mosaic box (well worth looking for!), and need to be reissued so Sam can continue to reach the listeners now hearing his big band compositions and these searingly brilliant improvisations from the days before the deadly neoclassical "impulse" set in like a toxic cloud over the ever-searching essence of jazz!"
Stunning free jazz
C. Oberst | Arlington, VA United States | 02/15/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Good god this is a fiery dose of free jazz. So why the heck is it currently out of print?
This album documents two shows during Sam Rivers' early '70s Trio period. With nothing but drums and bass churning along behind him continuously, he would spend up to an hour switching between tenor and soprano sax, piano, and flute. And he is a virtuoso on ALL of them. Possibly the most amazing musician I've ever heard.
His free playing has a wonderful sense of line to it--an internal logic that almost makes it sounds like he's playing something organized. In fact, it's all off the top of his head.
To anyone who likes avant-garde jazz, I give this the highest possible recommendation. Get yourself a used copy. Also check out Sam's album "Streams", which is another document of his early '70s trio, but currently available only on a pricey Japanese mini-sleeve edition. "Streams" might feature even hotter playing, but the performances on "Trio Live" are probably slightly more compelling. Get 'em both!"
THE TRIO LIVE is essential, but then so is the original 1975
Sambson | North Carolina | 04/12/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I highly recommend this 1998 re-issue of 1973 Sam Rivers material!! Any issuance of his back-catalog is a welcome addition to his largely overlooked discography. For those interested in learning more about his catalog, I've put together some info on why THE TRIO LIVE disc is only a portion of his 1973 series of compositions involving hues and color related titles:
According to producer Ed Mitchell the album issued in 1975 by Impulse! as HUES "...is made up of selections from various Sam Rivers performances, some recorded by Impulse! and some from Rivers' own tapes...titles are... given to sections of live performance after the fact, for LP purposes." The first three titles ("Amber," "Turquoise," and "Rose") were recorded at the Jazz Workshop in Boston, MA; on February 13, 1971. The fourth ("Chartreuse") is from the same workshop the next day; February 14, 1971. The next two tracks ("Mauve" and "Indigo") are "...excerpted from a live performance, tape of which runs 40:20, and includes a section with Rivers on flute and soprano saxophone, and which has vibes, or possibly bell chimes played by the drummer, as well as raps on "Spontaneous Creativity" and "Composition through Improvisation," according to Impulse! session producer Ed Michel. This ends Side A of the 1975 HUES LP, none of which is on THE TRIO LIVE (1998) CD...but read on.
Side B of HUES, is comprised of "Onyx" and "Topaz" (aka the "Suite for Molde - Part One"); recorded at Molde Jazz Festival, Molde, Norway; August 3, 1973. This material was re-issued as THE TRIO LIVE (1998)CD; which also contains "Suite for Molde - Part Two" (an 11:16 track) which features Rivers on the tenor (and was not on the original 1975 vinyl). This is followed by "Ivory" and "Black" on the LP, which are programmed into the middle of the "HUES OF MELANIN" Suite that's the other major feature of this 1998 TRIO LIVE CD re-issue. The rest of the "HUES OF MELANIN" Suite, for all practical purposes, has nothing to do with the HUES LP issued in 1975. HUES (1975) has a seriously funky rhythm section (featuring: Cecil McBee - bass & Norman Connors - drums) in comparison to other tracks that have been issued from this period of Rivers' hue-titled compositions; and is well worth aquiring for this reason alone. The TRIO LIVE (1998) re-issue is also worth owning, not just for it's clean quality, but for being able to hear some of these Rivers sessions uninterrupted; as the original vinyl chopped things into bite-sized pieces. If you're a Rivers fan, they've got you over a barrell, as no one has undertaken the daunting task of sorting out and re-issuing the vast majority of his material in any kind of comprehensive format. But if they can put out a 9 disc set of Albert Ayler's unreleased home recordings; they can do this.