Archie Shepp

One of the fieriest, most politically minded figures in the New Thing free-jazz movement of the 1960s, saxophonist Archie Shepp is a jazz elder statesman who has made the tradition’s standard repertoire and its blues roots equal partners in his Afrocentric practice. He was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 1937, and grew up in Philadelphia. After studying drama at college, he moved to New York City, playing Latin jazz before joining the band led by pianist Cecil Taylor, where he first made an impact on the avant-garde scene. Shepp released his debut recording in 1962, a split album with a group led by trumpeter Bill Dixon. He then formed the short-lived but influential New York Contemporary Five ensemble with Danish saxophonist John Tchicai and trumpeter Don Cherry, and by the time its run ended in 1964 he was signed to Impulse Records, which issued most of his work over the next decade. He was supported by John Coltrane—the musician Shepp feted on his 1965 Impulse debut, Four for Trane—who featured him on his iconic Ascension the same year. Shepp’s music became more politically charged, peaking with civil rights-themed efforts in the early 1970s. He began focusing on standards and the blues in his music, sometimes adding vocals, a trend that has continued with his celebrated duo album with pianist Jason Moran, Let My People Go, in 2021.