The Fire from Within

The Fire from Within
Studio album by
Billy Bang Sextet
Released1984
RecordedSeptember 19 & 29, 1984
GenreJazz
Length47:04
LabelSoul Note
ProducerGiovanni Bonandrini
Billy Bang chronology
Bangception
(1983) 		The Fire from Within
(1984) 		Live at Carlos 1
(1986)

The Fire from Within is an album by the American jazz violinist Billy Bang, recorded in 1984 and released on the Italian Soul Note label.[1]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings[3]
The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide[5]
The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz[4]

The editors of AllMusic awarded the album 4½ stars, and reviewer Stephen Cook stated that it "nicely shows off the violinist's unique approach to post-bop jazz from swingers to ballads, trad to free... A perfect entrée for Billy Bang newcomers".[2]

The authors of The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings wrote: "The combination of trumpet, guitar and percussion makes an effective foil for Bang's grainy lines... The sheer woodiness of the sound... is beguiling, and the melodic and rhythmic language rich."[3]

The Washington Post's Geoffrey Himes called Bang "a remarkable composer," and commented: "One can hear in the music a struggle to reach beyond the obvious for something new."[6]

A writer for the Los Angeles Times praised the album's "appealing, lightly textured sound," and stated that it "stands as a strong blend of tradition and experimentation."[7]

Track listing

All compositions by Billy Bang
  1. "The Glow of Awareness" - 5:38
  2. "The Nagual Julian" - 5:46
  3. "The Shift Below" - 6:24
  4. "Petty Tyrants" - 5:32
  5. "The New Seers" - 10:41
  6. "The Mold of Man" - 7:34
  7. "Inorganic Beings" - 5:29
  • Recorded at Vanguard Studios in New York City on September 19 & 29, 1984

Personnel

References

  1. ^ Soul Note discography accessed July 11, 2011
  2. ^ a b Cook, S. Allmusic Review accessed July 11, 2011
  3. ^ a b Cook, Richard; Brian Morton (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings. The Penguin Guide to Jazz (9th ed.). London: Penguin. pp. 74–75. ISBN 978-0-14-103401-0.
  4. ^ Larkin, Colin, ed. (2004). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz. Virgin Books. p. 53.
  5. ^ Swenson, John, ed. (1999). The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide. Random House. p. 45.
  6. ^ Himes, Geoffrey (January 26, 1986). "Recordings". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  7. ^ "The Fire From Within. Billy Bang Sextet". The Los Angeles Times. December 8, 1985. Retrieved March 27, 2023.