1979 · Album
Nice Guys
Recorded 1979 · ECM Records · Produced by Manfred Eicher
Gentlemen with Horns and Hearts
The Art Ensemble proves that sophistication and joy don't have to come at each other's expense.
Nice Guys arrives as a moment where the Art Ensemble of Chicago is settling into their sound without sacrificing any of the experimental energy that drew people to them in the first place. By this point, they've moved beyond pure shock value and into something more mature—still challenging, still playful, but with real compositional muscle behind it. The horns sit higher in the mix than you might expect, and there's a conversational quality to how they weave in and out of each other's lines. It's called Nice Guys, and there's something disarming about that title. It's not pretentious. It's not trying to convince you of anything except that music can be intelligent and fun simultaneously.
What distinguishes this record from their other work is how much space they give themselves to breathe. There's room between the ideas here. The rhythm section locks in tight, creating a foundation that lets the horns roam without feeling scattered. The arrangements suggest that these musicians have played together enough to trust their instincts, to know when to push and when to pull back. Tracks develop logically rather than explosively, and you get the sense the ensemble respects the listener enough not to overwhelm them with chaos just because they can.
If you're coming to the Art Ensemble for the first time, this is a reasonable entry point—more accessible than some of their wilder ventures, but still unmistakably them. It's not their most celebrated work, and it doesn't reinvent anything. What it does is confirm that these guys knew exactly what they were doing, and that they could deliver sophisticated modern jazz without turning their backs on melody or groove. For listeners who want to understand how the ensemble balanced their avant-garde impulses with straight-ahead musicianship, this album explains it pretty clearly.
Who's playing
Malachi Favorsbass
Joseph Jarmansaxophone
Roscoe Mitchellsaxophone
Lester Bowietrumpet
Famoudou Don Moyedrums
Where next?
More by Art Ensemble of Chicago
All 49 albums →
The musicians on this record
Roscoe Mitchell Duets with Anthony Braxton 1978
Roscoe Mitchell
plays saxophone here
plays saxophone here
The Great Pretender 1981
Lester Bowie
plays trumpet here
plays trumpet here
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Egwu-Anwu (Sun Song) 1978
Joseph Jarman
plays saxophone here
plays saxophone here
