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The term “mentor” comes from a character in Homer’s Odyssey, an epic written in the 8th Century BCE. However, the concept of mentorship dates back to an even earlier era. Some historians suggest that the concept may be as old as humanity itself. Though hardly novel, there can be significant benefits to both parties. From Ray Charles’ teaching of Quincy Jones to Roy Hargrove’s of Ambrose Akinmusire, these benefits extend to countless musicians, past and present. With two contemporaneous releases – Gary Bartz and Maisha’s Night Dreamer (Night Dreamer, 2020) and Archie Shepp, Raw Poetic, and Damu the Fudgemunk’s Ocean Bridges (Redefinition Records, 2020) – showcase these relationships to the public. Of course, both elders are undoubtedly masters of their art.

Gary Bartz first earned a reputation as one of the best alto saxophonists since Cannonball Adderley while performing with the Max Roach/Abbey Lincoln Group and as a Jazz Messenger with Art Blakey. He later joined McCoy Tyner’s band where the pianist fostered him in the music of John Coltrane. Bartz also worked with Miles Davis; together they produced one of the trumpeter’s most underrated albums, Live-Evil (Columbia, 1971). During the remainder of the 1970s, Bartz heavily focused on his own ensemble, the NTU Troop, which uniquely addressed issues of Black pride while blurring African music, funk, soul, and jazz. For the past almost twenty years, he has taught at Oberlin College while continuing to record and tour. 

Archie Shepp’s bona fides are, of course, equally impressive. In the 1960s, he collaborated with those at the forefront of the avant-garde: Cecil Taylor, John Tchicai, Don Cherry, and, of course, John Coltrane.  The last of these even invited him to participate in the sessions for the landmark A Love Supreme (Impulse!, 1965). And while the tracks featuring Shepp were shelved for decades, his memorable contributions to Coltrane’s Ascension (Impulse!, 1966) were not. At the same time, he also made a handful of recordings as a leader, often drawing upon African cultural concepts and rhythms, and each more socially conscious than its predecessor. Perhaps the best-known of these being his Attica Blues (Impulse! 1972). In 1971, he began a thirty-year career teaching at the University of Massachusetts where he crafted courses such as “Revolutionary Concepts in African-American Music”* while still performing and releasing works. 

Putting these two biographies side by side emphasizes the similarities between the two men; both were of the same generation, played saxophone, admired Coltrane, and created politically active genre-pushing recordings as a leader. Because of these parallels, one may expect both of their recordings to display the legendary artist’s interaction with their junior associates in a similar manner. In reality, however, a comparison between the two exposes the diversity in mentorship styles. Mentoring can be either highly formal or more informal. Shepp seems to fit more in the former and Bartz the latter. In turn, this also accentuates different parts of the music. 

Archie Shepp, Raw Poetic, and Damu the Fudgemunk

Ocean Bridges attempts to traverse the gap between hip hop and free jazz, using academic monologues as a backbone. Some of these lessons are literal, as on “Professor Shepp’s Agenda One” where he lectures on the importance of education and how he believes it to be a right for all. Others, like “Professor Shepp’s Agenda Two” attempt to spread their message through notes rather than words. The Third class builds on the second to incorporate bass, guitar, and drums to form a rhythmic groove that in no way undermines the original. In the next, Shepp mostly lays out, allowing the other musicians to display what they have learned under his tutelage. On the remaining three Agendas, the teacher becomes more and more involved each time as the rest of the group grows, increasing his involvement less as a model and more as a colleague. Interspersed throughout the Agendas are different original pieces, sometimes veering towards the elder’s prior works and others towards the other interests of the rest of the band. But the best moments where the two combine, for instance, “Searching Souls” where the sax hero’s sharp-edged cries meet emotional vocals, a whirling synthesizer, and underscoring vibraphone. Throughout, the vocals of rapper Raw Poetic are particularly fascinating as on tracks like “12 Hour Parking,” which simultaneously fits comfortably with today’s hip-hop while harkening back to Shepp’s 60s and 70s output as a leader. Or on “Sugar Coat It” where mournful yet fiery blasts of tenor sax are enveloped by empowered commentary on life in modern America and, at times, rhythmic scratching. 

Gary Bartz and Maisha

Unlike with Shepp, on Night Dreamer, Bartz has seemingly no predetermined course materials or methods of instruction. But this does not mean there is any less substance to learn. Instead, he teaches primarily by example. In all fairness, Maisha, a collective at the forefront of the booming London music scene, is a stellar set of pupils. They draw upon many sources including spiritual jazz, the exoticism of Sun Ra, and world music. Here, they form three originals that fit comfortably alongside both There is a Place (Brownswood Recordings, 2018) and the NTU Troop. Although new, both “Harlem to Haarlem” and “The Stank” utilizes beats evocative of the saxophonist’s classics even as the ensembles other influences intersect them. But the most captivating moments occur when the group tackles two of the mentor’s compositions from the past- “Uhurua Sasa” and “Dr. Follows Dance” – perhaps both best known from his legendary I’ve Known Rivers and Other Bodies (1973, Prestige). The first is recognizably the same tune as that originally presented but without the empowered lyric or pounding rhythm. It stretches out, allowing more room for improvisation and sonic communication. The second takes a similar approach by enacting the opposite tact. The updated version starts with experimental improvisation where there was once a steady groove, but as time progresses, the piece also spreads to allow for more interaction between the artists. 

In examining both Night Dreamer and Ocean Bridges, one is hard-pressed to determine which method of mentorship – Shepp’s more formalistic or Bartz’s relaxed – has a greater effect. Fortunately, one does not need to choose and, instead, is left with two recordings that both expand musical boundaries while building upon that which came before. 

* In full disclosure, this author enrolled in this course in his freshman year of college in hopes of learning from Professor Shepp. Unfortunately, it was one semester too late as he had by then retired.

Gary Bartz & Maisha’s Night Dreamer is now available for purchase as either a digital file or on vinyl.

Archie Shepp, Raw Poetic, and Damu the Fudgemunk’s Ocean Bridges is now available for purchase as a digital file.

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For Night Dreamer, click here.

For Ocean Bridges, click here.

Night Dreamer Tracklist: 1. Harlem to Haarlem; 2. The Stank; 3. Leta’s Dance; 4. Uhuru Sasa; 5. Dr. Follows Dance.

Night Dreamer Personnel: Gary Bartz (soprano saxophone, alto saxophone), Jake Long (drums), Shirley Tetteh (electric guitar), Al MacSween (keys), Twm Dylan (double and electric bass), Axel Kaner-Lindstrom (trumpet), Tim Doyle (percussion).

Ocean Bridges Tracklist: 1. Valuable Lessons; 2. Learning to Breathe; 3. Professor Shepp’s Agenda 1; 4. Tulips; 5. Professor Shepp’s Agenda 2; 6. Aperture; 7. Professor Shepp’s Agenda 3; 8. Moving Maps; 9. Professor Shepp’s Agenda 4; 10. Sugar Coat It; 11. Professor Shepp’s Agenda 5; 12. 12 Hour Parking; 13. Professor Shepp’s Agenda 6; 14. Searching Souls; 15. Professor Shepp’s Agenda 7.

Ocean Bridges Personnel: Archie Shepp (tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, Wurlitzer electric piano), Jason “Raw Poetic” Moore (vocals, raps, lyrics), Earl “Damu the Fudgemunk” Davis (drums, vibraphone, backing vocals, turntable scratching, mixing/ production), Pat Fritz (guitar), Aaron Gause (Wurlitzer electric piano, synthesizer), Luke Stewart (acoustic and electric bass), Jamal Moore (tenor sax, percussion), Bashi Rose (drums, percussion).