A group of Avant-guard giants – this NYC quartet on multi-instrumentalist/composer Gunter Hampel’s 2nd MPS album was to become the core of the various groups that Hampel would assemble over the next decade. It also signals the beginning of a life-long musical and personal relationship between Hampel and vocal innovator Jeanne Lee, whose work includes classic recordings with pianist Ran Blake, Archie Shepp and Mal Waldron. Hampel’s recordings with the likes of Anthony Braxton, Sam Rivers, Sunny Murray, and Willem Breuker attest to his standing in the front line of the new music. Perry Robinson redefined the way clarinet was played through his work with the likes of Charlie Haden’s Liberation Orchestra and Carla Bley; at the time of this album bassist Jack Gregg had already worked with Gabor Szabo, Jack DeJohnette and Harold Land. Symphony no. 7 comprises 4 interconnected movements. 1 begins with a pulsating piano line into free improvisation with Lee scatting like you’ve never heard anyone before. 2 goes on a wild ride with Hampel testing the sonic limits of the bass clarinet. 3 starts with a rhythmic bass riff, swings from modality to the atonal as the band experiments with sound-as-emotion. 4 contains an enchanting voice and vibes duo and frenetic ensemble play. Symphony No. 8 concludes the album. In 5, the bass walks the band in as Hampel picks up the flute in a winged duo with Jeanne. On 6 Hampel switches to alto clarinet and flute. 7 jumps off with an Ornette-like melody and into a menagerie of sounds, while 8 has Lee’s hypnotic recitation colored by vibes, clarinet and bass. Like the city itself, Out of New York ranges from the demonic to the sublime, yet the album retains an overall ethereal quality. A look into the visionary world of an iconic German Avant-gardist.
