Joe Daley is a little heard of saxophone legend in the history of Chicago Jazz. This trio, featuring Hal Russell (of NRG ENSEMBLE fame) on drums and Chicago's Occult Bookstore proprietor Russell Thorne on bass, existed for only a handful of years before Daley's resistance to the free jazz and avant influences being brought into the group by the rhythm section caused the group to dissolve.
The tunes here reflect an interest in the coming wave of avant garde developing in mid 60s Chicago with the birth of the AACM and the Art Ensemble. Thorne's contributions are particularly influenced by his association with John Cage and eastern philosophy.
Although this record is titled "Live in Newport 1963" it is actually a studio record that has been masked to be live. On the original LP there were breaks between songs that had an announcer introducing each tune. Any audible applause or sounds were added in the studio to create the live feel. The almost apologetic tone of the announcer (reportedly Daley himself?) and the uneven mixing of his vocal level create a horrible framework for an otherwise highly innovative piece of avant garde jazz history.
(All of the announcer intros have been removed from the album here)
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