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The first time that the New Zealand born, now West London based producer Mark De Clive-Lowe would hear an Impulse! track would be when he overheard his older brother playing Oliver Nelson’s ‘Stolen Moments.’ The tone of the horns, the sound of the recording and the vibe of the playing would profoundly strike a chord in the young Mark, yet it wasn’t until 5 years later that he would knowingly check Impulse! again. Like nothing he’d heard before, that LP was to be Coltrane’s Crescent which Mark still rates as one of his all time favourite albums.

Chico Hamilton always had this jazz-not-jazz thing going on with his Impulse! years. It was folk, eastern and groove influenced as much as it was jazz influenced

Available now is Impulsive: Revolutionary Jazz Remixed a collection of reworked songs from the esteemed catalogue of Impulse! Records, reinterpreted and repackaged for today’s jazz wise fraternity.

Ten visionary producers were assembled and presented with a score of possible tracks to remix and Sa-Ra, Prefuse 73 and Mark De Clive-Lowe are just a few of those of whom produce both pleasing and interesting results. Accompanying this CD is Impulsive: Unmixed the original tracks from the jazz masters subject to the remix treatment, which includes the work of Coltrane, Mingus, Lateef, Gillespie and Shepp.

“I was definitely honoured to be asked to be part of the Impulse! remix project”, enthuses Antipodean main man Mark De Clive-Lowe who chose legendary drummer and talent scout Chico Hamilton as his remix subject. “Most of the time with remixes, it’s a label trying to get a different flip for their artist’s next single, to break it into a new market, but with this I felt like it was a chance to pay homage to something I know is an iconic and really special label. Chico Hamilton always had this jazz-not-jazz thing going on with his Impulse! years. It was folk, eastern and groove influenced as much as it was jazz influenced. The original version has quite a meditative vibe running through it and the musicians, particularly Gabor Szabor and Charles Lloyd are all vibing so hard with Chico. It’s one of those tunes where I can easily imagine what I’d do with it had I the chance to get my hands on it!”

“A lot of artists did ‘one offs’, but in its heyday, there were only maybe 4-5 artists actually signed to the label. Nowadays, jazz labels sign everybody, and frankly I don’t believe they can differentiate between an artist who really excels and an artist who is mediocre”

Dealing with one of the most understated groove masters of all time, Mark puts his usual penchant for beat wizardry aside on this remix instead gently complementing the existing percussion, adding Rhodes, synthesizers and some additional vocals courtesy of Bembe Segue. It’s a fitting tribute that even gets the seal of approval from the remix recipient.

Chico Hamilton first appeared in the 1950s with what he called his ‘cello band’, forging what was considered a unique sound for those times. Come the early stage of the 1960s, Hamilton sought new creative expression and formed what was to become the now legendary ensemble we’re all familiar with, with Charles Lloyd on sax, George Bohanon on trombone, Gabor Szabo on guitar, Albert Stonson on bass, and Chico on drums. Once again it was a inimitable sound that would instantly separate them from their peers.

“Impulse! was a dynamite label, and they were very discerning, they didn’t go out and try to sign everyone,” Chico recalls. “A lot of artists did ‘one offs’, but in its heyday, there were only maybe 4-5 artists actually signed to the label. Nowadays, jazz labels sign everybody, and frankly I don’t believe they can differentiate between an artist who really excels and an artist who is mediocre.”

Now at the grand old age of 84, Chico still considers himself in his prime and testament to this notion are his plans to release four albums this year in celebration of his 85th Birthday in September. Whilst he admits to be unfamiliar with many of the new wave of jazz-tinged, progressive producers he prides himself upon the sense of curiosity he has toward their work. In fact, those whom he has met and worked with in recent years have even become some of his closest friends.

The studio isn’t a place for rehearsing or learning new tunes, it’s a place to capture the special chemistry of a group who plays together on material which they’re familiar with

A few years ago Chico’s manager took him down to check the scene at Body & Soul, where he met Joe Claussell. Chico has since covered a Claussell tune on his Thoughts Of… album only for Claussell and his Soulfeast crew to reciprocate the favour and start work on a Chico Hamilton remix project, which is due later this year. Add to this the fact that Chico’s upcoming LP 6th Avenue Romp features a cover of a Blaze tune, and it’s clear to see his appetite for progression is as healthy as it’s ever been.

Bob Thiele was the ideal studio producer as far as Chico was concerned and took control of Impulse! from label founder Creed Taylor after he left to head Verve Records. Assisted by sound engineer Rudy Van Gelder, Theile’s subtle understated approach to overseeing the recording process won over many a recording artist who passed through his studio doors.

“We’d be in the studio recording, and he’d sit in the engineering room and smoke his pipe. He knew that the groups he was recording would be well rehearsed. When Impulse! took a group into the studio, they did so to capture their performance, not a rehearsal. The studio isn’t a place for rehearsing or learning new tunes, it’s a place to capture the special chemistry of a group who plays together on material which they’re familiar with.”

“I was in South Africa recently and although it’s now a democracy, talking to locals, the residue of the history is still so deep there. History is still with us and although you’d hope we learn from our past”

If any of the tunes of the Impulse! era documented the label’s deep seated notion of revolution more profoundly and articulately than others then it was Archie Shepp’s protest anthem and response to the infamous Attica prison rebellion in 1971, ‘Attica Blues’. Its emotional intensity and rousing chorus brilliantly matched the mood at the time and receives a respectful tribute from The Chief Xcel of Blackalicious fame on the remix album. The globe trotting Mark De Clive-Lowe can recall that day only in so far as history has recorded it, but its event he feels still resonating today.

“I was born in ‘74 and grew up in New Zealand which was about as far away from those kinds of events as one could get. I was in South Africa recently and although it’s now a democracy, talking to locals, the residue of the history is still so deep there. History is still with us and although you’d hope we learn from our past, there seems to be some pretty big gaps that still need to be bridged.”

“I think the Impulse! ethos is still totally relevant and if that kind of revolution and innovation returned to music and many of the creative arts, we’d be on the way to healing a lot of problems that we’re facing on this planet.”

Mark believes that to think that jazz, as it’s currently perceived, can ever be as revolutionary as it was back then is mere wishful thinking. Nowadays, whilst he continues to hear a wealth of what’s considered ‘experimental’ music, to unearth something truly revolutionary has on the other hand become somewhat of a rarity. “I think it’s pretty widely accepted that there was a shift in what was being marketed and consumed on a wider scale in jazz music, so the more creative and challenging jazz music was, the more it was pushed to the back of the class. Labels want to invest in low-risk high-return and already proven music. They aren’t interested in educating the listener, progressing art forms or creative expression.”

Now, with the current political climate vastly different to what it was back then, surely it is futile to recapture that rebel spirit of yesteryear? Is it not best left reconciled to the dustbin of history? Whilst Chico reasons the undeniable fact that time changes and we move on, Mark would tend to disagree. “I think the Impulse! ethos is still totally relevant and if that kind of revolution and innovation returned to music and many of the creative arts, we’d be on the way to healing a lot of problems that we’re facing on this planet.”

Impulsive: Revolutionary Jazz Reworked and Impulsive: Unmixed are now both available on Impulse! records.

Link: www.impulserecords.com