Hannibal in Berlin Live (Remastered) Hannibal and the Sunrise Orchestra

• 1 The 23rd Psalm 07:12
• 2 Willow Weep for Me 08:24
• 3 Bessie's Blues 09:22
• 4 Swing Low Sweet Chariot 08:26
• 5 My Favourite Things 12:01
• Total Runtime 45:25

Info for Hannibal in Berlin Live (Remastered)

The New York Times dubbed him “the Mohammed Ali of jazz trumpet players”. Born in 1948, Texas trumpeter Hannibal came to fame in the early 70’s from his work and records with the legendary Gil Evans Orchestra, drummer Roy Haynes’ band, and Pharaoh Sanders. His oratorio African Portraits was recorded by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Daniel Barenboim.

The album was recorded live at the 1976 Berlin Jazz Festival. Pianist Cochrane and cellist Murray are once again on board, and tenor saxophonist George Adams, whose work in Charles Mingus’ last great band had already put him on the map, is a welcome addition. Hannibal calls The 23rd Psalm “my musical dedication to the art of perseverance”. Trumpet and piano deliver inspirational solos. Playing with beautifully phrased lyricism, Hannibal offers up the evergreen Willow Weep for Me to“that vintage wine I call Princess Sarah Vaughan”. Bessie’s Blues was John Coltrane’s tribute to blues queen Bessie Smith. The solos do justice to both of those greats. Hannibal uses the traditional gospel Swing Low Sweet Chariot to capture his childhood impressions of the sounds and colors of the Texas cotton fields. He tells his story over a dramatic musical background. The evening ends with the band taking on My Favorite Things, a piece that Coltrane transformed into a jazz classic on his album of the same name. Adams’ solo shares Trane’s legacy, and Hannibal’s euphoric intensity is a fitting homage to the master.

Hannibal, trumpet
Michael Cochrane, piano
George Adams, tenor saxophone
Diedre Murray, cello
Steve Neil, bass
Allen Nelson, drums

Recorded live at the Berlin Jazz Festival
Recorded at the Philharmonie, Berlin, November 3rd, 1976
Engineered by Carlos Albrecht
Produced by Joachim-Ernst Berendt

Digitally remastered

Hannibal and the Sunrise Orchestra
This 1975 recording feature two players who would remain mainstays in Hannibal’s future groups. Pianist Michael Cochrane had already worked with two of the greatest drummers of the era, Tony Williams and Billy Hart. Cellist Diedre Murray had done duty with Archie Shepp and Alice Coltrane. Murray’s The Rabbit runs off as a powerful modal piece with short, swift cello and trumpet solos. Cochrane’s Revelation is a compelling modal piece with an underlying Afro-Latin feel. The Errol Garner classic Misty has Hannibal shrouding the melody in a warm, humid tone. The musicians take up various percussion instruments on The Voyage as Hannibal puts down the trumpet to play the Japanese Koto. The piece is a musical portrayal of the agonizing journey of slaves from Africa to the Americas. Hannibal emphasizes that “this voyage is not just a black thing it has changed the world…” Germany’s legendary jazz critic Joachim-Ernst Berendt lauded Hannibal’s playing on his eloquent dedication to Malcom X, Soul Brother, as “one of the strongest trumpet solos ever recorded”.

This album contains no booklet.