Reflecting on the ebb and flow of his career, three years prior to his death in 1994, Sonny Sharrock noted “the last five years have been pretty strange for me, because I went twelve years without making a record at all, and then in the last five, I’ve made seven records under my own name.” Or more simply put, an artist in his fifth decade unquestionably hitting his stride.
As a final curtain call, Ask The Ages is exemplary. Released in 1991 and produced by longtime co-conspirator Bill Laswell, Ages boasts a lineup filled out by Pharoah Sanders, Elvin Jones and Charnett Moffett. An early free jazz innovator in his use of guitar, Sharrock’s playing is ecstatic. Over the course of the record’s running time, the quartet’s performances mutate and swell with an emotional fervor culminating in “Once Upon A Time” – a subtle climax of spiritual intensity.
Sonny Sharrock :: Once Upon A Time (AD edit)
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Seconded — this whole album is fire.
yes, a great disc and reissued by M.O.D Technologies in 2015. a remaster, but no added material. fire, says scott, and he’s so right!!
I love this album and wish somebody would put it out on vinyl.
wow, loving this.
This is one of desert island records. Beautiful, grand and intimately gorgeous. Pure feeling by a true master craftsman.
whole band in swell-your-heart top form. absolutely all-time. and one of if not thee best sounding recordings of laswell’s, whose productions can be hard on the ears tone-wise.
There have been some behind the scenes workings that have delayed various things, including the vinyl release (mastered for vinyl by Michael Fossenkemper who did the excellent remaster of the CD) of Ask the Ages. It is still planned and hopefully will see the light the first half of this year.
also FWIW, there was no extra material left to add.