Selection: Peace (Horace Silver)
. . .
Track List
A1 Autumn In New York (Vernon Duke) 4:15
A2 Peace (Horace Silver) 5:35
A3 A Child Is Born (Thad Jones) 7:40
B1 It Never Entered My Mind (Billy Hart) 6:18
B2 Close To You Alone (Cecil McBee) 8:51
B3 Don’t Get Around Much Anymore (Bob Russell, Duke Ellington) 4:20
Artists
Cecil McBee, bass; Billy Hart, Famoudou Don Moye, drums; John Hicks, piano; Chico Freeman, tenor saxophone; original credits listed on the AP reissue: “Recorded October 1978 and January 1979, engineer Bob Cummins at India Navigation Studio, NYC, on Ampex 440 8-track at 15 ips; mixdown on an Ampex ATR 102 at 30 ips; microphones electrovoice RE 20 saxophone, assorted AKG and Beyer ribbon mikes for the other instruments” (My thanks for credits to Andrew Cartmel, The Vinyl Detective)
Chico is still going strong, this August 2023 touring several festivals in Italy. Molto bene – good choice!
Music
Earl “Chico” Freeman was one of the 70’s leading modern players steeped in the traditions of jazz, recording for independent labels like India Navigation, at his most productive between 1976 and 1981, and still active today.
Spirit Sensitive (1979) represented a change in direction for usually free and avant-leaning Chico, a selection of standards, almost all ballads. As the album title suggests, Freeman brings sensitive reading to familiar compositions, with a clear and full-bodied tone, paired with McBee’s powerful bass thrust into the front line. Percussion is spare, adding texture, with John Hicks piano colouring and completing the music space.
The album opens with Autumn in New York. I have never been to New York in Autumn, but now I feel I have – a lengthy duet between Freeman and McBee, which sets the tone for what follows, an articulate and measured performance of melody and improvisation around each tune, characterised by strong and intimate instrument recording. The selection Peace (Horace Silver) is a slow ballad which appeared first on Silver’s Blue Note Blowin’ the Blues Away (1959).
Freeman is an individual stylist, not obviously a disciple of the big tenor figures, nor of the old school big-boned tenors like his dad Von Freeman, but a refreshing animated and modern voice. Among Chico’s other India Navigation titles, “Chico” is more typical. I like Chico’s titles for Enja (Compassion), also paired with Cecil McBee, a great combination.
Vinyl: India Navigation IN 1045
Issued on either black labels or silver India Navigation labels, no idea of the significance of the colour, both appear to gave been issued around the same time. They look simply like photographic reversal, positive/negative image, text unchanged.
India Navigation label owner, Bob Cummins, apparently returned the masters of all India Navigation releases to the musicians before he passed away (according to Hof-person resident Charlesp). An exemplar of how to record a quartet of four distinctive voices.
Information about India Navigation seems in short supply – behind the NYT paywall or Wiki, which directs you to the navigation systems of the Indian Navy. However this piece from The Scotsman (2000) helps set the context:
“Bob Cummins earned the gratitude of anyone who followed the New York-based free jazz scene, particularly if they did so from afar. Cummins, a corporate lawyer by profession, launched and ran the small but influential record label India Navigation, which played a crucial role in helping document and preserve the music emerging from the radical loft-jazz scene in Manhattan in the 1970s and 1980”
Collector’s Corner
Chico has an extensive discography on India Navigation: Morning Prayer (1976), Chico (1977), Kings of Mali (1978), The Outside Within ( 1978), Spirit Sensitive ( 1979), The Search (1982) – (also titles on on Contemporary and Elektra)
Chico Freeman, India Navigation (1976-81)
King Records Japan issued this contemporaneous reissue (1980) of Spirit Sensitive on its sub-label Paddle Wheel.
Analogue Productions also had a high profile reissue of Spirit Sensitive, said to be remastered from the original tapes, issued in early 1995. Discogs reader comments:
“This record is breath taking, one of the best sounding I own, wow, wow, wow”;
“This reissue sounds amazing. It is impressive to see what AP created back in 1994.“.
I am sure the Discogs comments are sincerely held, but illustrate the pitfalls of review absent a point of reference, the original. McBee’s towering presence is captured on the original recording, which stands out from any run of the mill bass player recording. Whether it is among the best sounding records owned depends on what else the writer owns, without context, it doesn’t mean a lot. Analogue Productions printing liner notes on top of artist photos wasn’t a particularly good idea either.
As a friend had the AP, I was able to hear both editions side by side. Though the AP is good, indeed very good, I found McBee’s bass prominent but a little soft, lacking the texture and conviction of the India Navigation original cut.
Judge Jazz
However, I have a dog in this fight. I am not a fan of AP, and I have yet to hear a reissue that sounds better than a vintage original. The original was hard to find, and expensive, so I’m not sure I am the best judge.
But my blog, my rules, I declare India Navigation winner by a nose. The Judge always wins.
LJC
Postscript:
Autumn in New York composition by Vernon Duke (1934), Chico Freeman and Cecil McBee, 1979, You Tube:
LondonJazzCollector 
Sonically beautiful record, but the prices on Discogs and ePay are enough to make you jump backward in your chair.
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Wonderful review, spot on, especially about McBee.
I just finished listening to my copy (silver label). It has always been a favorite. One thing that might not be apparent today was the remarkable reaction this record received in NYC (and elsewhere I’m sure) when it was released. At that time no one believed that an “avant garde” player could even play changes. That Freeman played these pieces so beautifully was a revelation to some very influential writers at the time.
Also interested to see that this was recorded at two sessions. The piano on It Never Entered is terribly out of tune. Thank goodness it was better at the other session.
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most of my collection is 50’s-60’s. few from later decades. this Chico is one I go back listening with great pleasure.
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Curiously I have all Chico Freeman´s OG India Navigation except Spirit Sensitive that I got de 1st press on CD from 1988 and the sound is excellent
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Thanks for the article
I believe you’re on the money,
I had a US original 1st pressing and the AP reissue.
After a lengthy A/B comparison, I’ve kept original for the very reasons you stated although the AP is definitely no slouch ,
and I am a big analog productions fan.
Never Walk by an original if you see it
I was also fortunate up to see him at the Village Vanguard in New York a few years back. Not sure if that helped my point of reference lol
He was magnificent
Cheers
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Freeman’s SPIRIT SENSITIVE is an impeccably recorded album of beautiful music, with outstanding work by Cecil McBee, who, at 88, is still with us. It has a good clear sound with a lot of presence and definition of individual instruments. A very nice and quite surprising track on the album is “It Never Entered My Mind” where Freeman, McBee, Hicks and Hart get into a groove highly reminiscent of the sound of Charles Lloyd’s FOREST FLOWER band which of course also featured McBee (along with Keith Jarret and Jack DeJohnette). My record has the black label you show in the picture – and a hole so small it has to be forced onto the spindle. Weird.
I have several India Navigation albums, including Arthus Blythe’s THE GRIP and Hamiert Bluiett’s ENDANGERED SPECIES. I recall that I purchased them all from Carla Bley and Michael Mantler’s JCOA Distribution Center, so as mint (unopened, unplayed) albums. The sound on these two albums is not quite as good as on the Freeman, but they were both recorded in concert, at The Brook and The Ladies’ Fort, respectively (old New York City venues). Both of these albums have labels different from the black and silver ones you show for the Freeman album, and I also have no idea what these many label variations suggest. The Bluiett has a red-brick colored label without any symbol picture. The Blythe has a very ornate silver label with a symbol which looks like two waves crashing together,
Wikipedia has a short entry on India Navigation with a complete catalogue of the 50 – 60 albums they released. India Navigation has some albums I’ve never seen but wish I had purchased when I had the opportunity, including Chico’s album with his father – FREEMAN AND FREEMAN, Chet Baker and Lee Konitz’s IN CONCERT, and Amira Baraka’s (aka LeRoi Jones) NEW MUSIC – NEW POETRY. Anyone own or have any comments on these other albums?
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I remember buying this one when it came out – from either Honest Jon’s (Camden) or Mole. Tracks from it got reasonable UK airplay and the critics were enthusiastic. The accessibility of the music was seen as a plus.
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i think a point of reference helps, but need not always have one. it is important also to know when things are “good enough” sonically, in my opinion.
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True. The original India Navigation press sounds pretty perfect. Nothing to complain about. The instruments are captured perfectly. One of the very best sounding jazz records I ever heard. And there are more than 20.000.
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