Art Ensemble of Chicago - People in Sorrow (1988)

This is one of those albums that completely changes the idea of music. The unity of vision on this album is striking, offering two sides of a slow, almost rhythmic flow of incredibly sad sounds coming from a variety of instruments played by Lester Bowie, Roscoe Mitchell, Joseph Jarman and Malachi Favors (this is still the period before Famado Don Moye joined us on drums). There is no real solo performance here, just sounds and phrases woven into the flow of music, at once welcoming and strange, with a beautiful theme that becomes apparent from time to time when it comes to the background on the first side, and becomes more dominant on the second side, guided by the beautiful playing of Lester Bowie on the trumpet, in the background the growing chaos, ritual screams and spells, light percussion sounds and other tribal charms. Even after so many years, modern listeners will be surprised by the audacity of the music, as well as its relevance for listening today and, hopefully, will have the same emotional impact by listening to this album again and again.
This is an absolute must-have for any fan of free music. _ By Stef