In the Spirit (Joe McPhee album)

{{Infobox album

| name = In the Spirit

| type = Studio

| artist = Joe McPhee Bluette

| cover = In the Spirit (Joe McPhee album).jpg

| alt =

| released = 1999

| recorded = March 17–18, 1999

| venue =

| studio = The Spirit Room in Rossie, New York.

| genre = Jazz

| length = 63:31

| label = CIMP CIMP 199

| producer = Robert D. Rusch

| chronology = Joe McPhee

| prev_title = The Dream Book

| prev_year = 1998

| next_title = No Greater Love

| next_year = 1999

}}

In the Spirit is an album of spirituals performed by multi-instrumentalist Joe McPhee's Bluette, recorded in 1999 and released on the CIMP label.[http://joemcphee.com/in-the-spirit.html Joe McPhee discography] accessed April 22, 2015

Reception

{{Album ratings

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1Score = {{rating|4.5|5}}

|rev2 = The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings

|rev2score = {{Rating|3.5|4}}{{cite book |last1=Cook |first1=Richard |authorlink1=Richard Cook (journalist) |last2=Morton |first2=Brian |authorlink2=Brian Morton (Scottish writer) |title=The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings |year=2008 |edition=9th |publisher=Penguin |isbn=978-0-141-03401-0 |page=984}}

}}

AllMusic reviewer Steve Loewy states: "An important contribution to the discography of the spiritual, McPhee gives it a new perspective, but one that is entirely respectful of the tradition. Performed gracefully and tastefully, the group tastes free form without losing sight of the melodies".{{AllMusic|first=Steve |last=Loewy |class=album |id=mw0000001230 |title=In the Spirit – Review |accessdate=April 22, 2015}} On All About Jazz, Derek Taylor wrote: "In a career stamped by a continuous string of transcendent recordings this is one of McPhee's best to date, a vital testament that lovingly embraces the indelible tradition of spirituals and expertly applies them to the setting of creative improvisation".Taylor, D., [http://www.allaboutjazz.com/in-the-spirit-joe-mcphee-cimp-records-review-by-derek-taylor.php All About Jazz Review], April 1, 2000 In JazzTimes, Harvey Pekar suggested: "Maybe one more extroverted track would have helped the CD, which sometimes gets too subdued, but it's a fine effort nevertheless".Pekar, H., [https://archive.today/20150423075437/http://jazztimes.com/articles/11354-in-the-spirit-joe-mcphee JazzTimes Review], July/August 2000

Track listing

  1. "Deep River" (Traditional) – 9:32
  2. "People Get Ready" (Curtis Mayfield) – 12:01
  3. "God Bless the Child" (Billie Holiday, Arthur Herzog, Jr.) – 11:44
  4. "Birmingham Sunday/Come Sunday" (Joe McPhee/Duke Ellington) – 14:19
  5. "Astral Spirits" (Joe McPhee) – 8:32
  6. "Just a Closer Walk With Thee" (Traditional) – 7:23

Personnel

References

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Category:Joe McPhee albums

Category:1999 albums

Category:CIMP albums