Chicago's Fearless Noise Makers Find Their Voice
The Art Ensemble sounds like they're inventing jazz from scratch, using everything and nothing at once.
Phase One is the Art Ensemble of Chicago doing what they do best: refusing to play it safe. This early recording catches the group when they're still figuring out exactly who they are, which somehow makes it more interesting than if they'd already perfected their sound. The music sprawls across the album without apology—you get free jazz explosions right next to quieter passages where the players sound almost like they're having a conversation you're barely allowed to hear. There's a lot of experimentation here, some of it works better than others, but that's kind of the point. They're testing boundaries, seeing what happens when you take jazz and modern classical techniques and just let them collide.
What separates this from just random noise is that underneath all the adventurousness, these musicians actually know what they're doing. They have chops and they're not afraid to use them in completely unconventional ways. The group's restless energy comes through on every track—there's never a moment where things settle into something comfortable or predictable. If you're coming to this expecting bebop or cool jazz, you're going to be confused. But if you want to hear musicians genuinely pushing against what they think jazz should be, this delivers.
Phase One isn't the Art Ensemble's greatest moment or their most accessible work, but it's essential if you want to understand where their whole philosophy comes from. This is them working things out in real time, developing the aesthetic that would define their career. Start here if you're curious about free jazz and don't mind some rough edges. If you want something more fully realized, check out their later work. But if you appreciate hearing artists take genuine risks, this one matters.
