The Art Ensemble of Chicago - Reese and the Smooth Ones

2025

The Art Ensemble's daring finale to their BYG Actuel trilogy, captured in the heart of Paris, 1969-a seismic moment in free jazz history, now reborn in it's ultimate remastered edition, lovingly restored from the original tapes, wrapped in deluxe packaging, and enriched with fresh insights from acclaimed writer John Masouri. Reese and the Smooth Ones was captured during the same revolutionary Paris session as Message to Our Folks, but stands apart as a two-part, 40-minute odyssey of unchained invention. Arriving in Paris just days before recording, the Ensemble-Lester Bowie, Roscoe Mitchell, Malachi Favors, and Joseph Jarman-landed with nothing but their instruments, ideas, and a fierce determination to create. Funded by the proceeds of Bowie's personal sacrifice, their journey from New York was a leap of faith that sparked an artistic revolution. Their Paris performances stunned audiences with a bold fusion of free jazz, spoken word, Dadaist theatre, and Afrocentric consciousness, setting a new precedent for what music could be.

This deluxe reissue celebrates a defining moment in the Art Ensemble's legacy-raw, urgent, and uncompromising. It's an essential document for longtime fans, collectors, and anyone interested in the outer edges of jazz, politics, and sound.