A furious 18-minute raid occupies the first side of this 1967 album, where Archie Shepp (tenor sax) is surrounded by Reginald Workman on double bass and five percussionists: Beaver Harris, Norman Connor, Eddie Blackwell, Frank Charles and Dennis Charles. Even if Shepp never loses the initial energy, the rest of the music on The Magic of Ju-Ju has slightly less frenetic atmospheres; it is a departure from the first track, gradually sitting in a more traditional realm, with the addition of Martin Banks (trumpet and flugelhorn) and Mike Zwerin (trombone and trumpet). The album is a valuable snapshot in time, highlighting Archie Shepp’s contribution to the space of spiritual and free jazz. A masterpiece that absolutely deserves to be rediscovered.
