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A great saxophonist may play the field, but he always returns to his first love. John Tchicai has committed polygamy with different instruments and styles, yet his tenor sax playing has always kept him faithful to the jazz avant-garde. This album is set firmly in the area of free jazz, but combines influences ranging from Latin America to hip-hop rap poetry and borrows from the rock vocabulary with the use of two lead guitarists.
The Archetypes are firmly headquartered in the red light district of free jazz, but with a touch of carnival thrown in. "It's inspired quite a lot by Latin music," admits Tchicai. "It may not be as radical as some of the music I used to play, but it's among the most melodic."
The explosion of free jazz improvisation on the opener, 'Breath Bridge', is a shameless declaration that all preconceptions have to be left at the door. The rap poetry of '99 1/2 Days' demonstrates that jazz is at its best the closer it gets to the street. The album also borrows from the rock vocabulary, with two lead guitarists who know how to drive as well as jive.
Margriet Naber's keyboards and John Tchicai's horn playing take the music into the back streets, the unknown note on the shoulder, whereas the rhythm intersection of Jeff Simons on bass, Basho Fujimoto on percussion and Andrew Emberg on drums provide the combustion, leaving the soloists to supply the chrome finish. If you like your music played with invention and wit, these are the archetypes.

Track Listing (30 Second Samples)

1. BREATH BRIDGE
2. LOVE IS TOUCHING
3. 99 1/2 DAYS
4. PRAYER FOR RIGHT GUIDANCE
5. YAM
6. SCIENTIFIC AMERICANS
7. BLESS YOUR HEART
8. SALT LIPS CITY BLUES
9. YOU MADE ME LAUGH
10. RAMANA MAHARSHI
11. LONESOME ABALONE
12. RESPONSIBLE FRUIT
13. POETRY DEPARTMENT
14. SCHOLER'S FOUNTAIN OF LIFE
15. I SKOVENS DYB

Personnel:
John Tchicai Saxophones
Mark Oi Guitar
Michael Grandi Guitar
Margiet Naber Keyboards
Jeff Simons Bass
Basho Fujimoto Percussion
Andrew Emberg Drums