muzycy:
Joe McPhee, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone; tenor saxophone, alto horn, flugelhorn, trumpet

Editor's info:
In his upstate NY secret laboratory, home-based in Poughkeepsie, Joe McPhee diligently documented his activities throughout the '70s, with the help of Craig Johnson, the producer who started CjR as an outlet for McPhee's music. Among the unreleased tapes waxed in that span, Alone Together is unique and especially beautiful. Like Sound on Sound (released by Corbett vs. Dempsey in 2010), these recordings make use of multitrack recording, overdubbing McPhee upon McPhee, however where those earlier recordings had an experimental tendency, the Alone Together tracks were more compositional in nature, allowing the multi-instrumentalist to build and sculpt each piece, creating complete wind ensembles one track at a time. In 1974 and then again in a longer session in 1979, McPhee recorded in concise solo, duo, and trio contexts, and in more extensive brass and reed quartets – all McPhee, all the time. Going head-to-head with the best of the saxophone foursomes of the era, McPhee is a one-man-WSQ, his probing investigations and lyrical statements as incisive and insightful as those of his best-known recordings. McPhee's own enthusiasm for these never-before-heard recordings betrays their significance in his large and ever-mounting discography. Corbett vs. Dempsey is honored, after so long, to finally make them available.

Downbeat * * * *:
Joe McPhee is a confirmed multi-instrumentalist. He first learned trumpet from his father as a youth, and first picked up a tenor saxophone when he was in his late 20s. Since then he’s taken on a couple dozen brass, reed, keyboard and electronic instruments, usually focusing on two or three at any given session. While he often mixes brass and reeds, as he does on Alone Together, the album still stands alone in his discography. Its tracks, which were recorded in 1974 and 1979, comprise nine overdubbed horn ensembles framed by two brief solos. With rare exception, McPhee has devoted himse.......
more

Editor's info:
In his upstate NY secret laboratory, home-based in Poughkeepsie, Joe McPhee diligently documented his activities throughout the '70s, with the help of Craig Johnson, the producer who started CjR as an outlet for McPhee's music. Among the unreleased tapes waxed in that span, Alone Together is unique and especially beautiful. Like Sound on Sound (released by Corbett vs. Dempsey in 2010), these recordings make use of multitrack recording, overdubbing McPhee upon McPhee, however where those earlier recordings had an experimental tendency, the Alone Together tracks were more compositional in nature, allowing the multi-instrumentalist to build and sculpt each piece, creating complete wind ensembles one track at a time. In 1974 and then again in a longer session in 1979, McPhee recorded in concise solo, duo, and trio contexts, and in more extensive brass and reed quartets – all McPhee, all the time. Going head-to-head with the best of the saxophone foursomes of the era, McPhee is a one-man-WSQ, his probing investigations and lyrical statements as incisive and insightful as those of his best-known recordings. McPhee's own enthusiasm for these never-before-heard recordings betrays their significance in his large and ever-mounting discography. Corbett vs. Dempsey is honored, after so long, to finally make them available.

Downbeat * * * *:
Joe McPhee is a confirmed multi-instrumentalist. He first learned trumpet from his father as a youth, and first picked up a tenor saxophone when he was in his late 20s. Since then he’s taken on a couple dozen brass, reed, keyboard and electronic instruments, usually focusing on two or three at any given session. While he often mixes brass and reeds, as he does on Alone Together, the album still stands alone in his discography. Its tracks, which were recorded in 1974 and 1979, comprise nine overdubbed horn ensembles framed by two brief solos. With rare exception, McPhee has devoted himse.......
more