School of Rock
Random article All articles A–Z
2 languages

Fuchsia Swing Song

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Work

Fuchsia Swing Song is the debut album of the American saxophonist Sam Rivers. He recorded it in 1964 for Blue Note, with Jaki Byard on piano, Ron Carter on bass and Tony Williams on drums. All six compositions are by the leader himself.

At that moment Rivers was under the influence of John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman, but had not yet let go of the blues. As a result the record sounds like the work of a musician who is confident and at the same time in motion. Downstairs Blues Upstairs shows that link with the blues in its very title. According to the AllMusic reviewer, Rivers never played like this again, and he called it a highly recommended record. The album later appeared on CD, in 2003 with four alternate takes added.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Downstairs Blues Upstairs and notice how the tenor saxophone both sustains and breaks open the blues.

Track list

  1. 1Fuchsia Swing Song6:03Apple Music ↗
  2. 2Downstairs Blues Upstairs5:33Apple Music ↗
  3. 3Cyclic Episode6:57Apple Music ↗
  4. 4Luminous Monolith6:31Apple Music ↗
  5. 5Beatrice6:12Apple Music ↗
  6. 6Ellipsis7:41Apple Music ↗

30-second previews via Apple Music. Listen to the whole album on Apple Music ↗

Categories: Albums and songs