Skillfulness (album)

Skillfulness
Studio album by
Alan Silva
Released1969
RecordedNovember 1968
StudioNew York City
GenreFree jazz
LabelESP-Disk
ESP 1091
Alan Silva chronology
Skillfulness
(1969) 		Luna Surface
(1969)
Reissue cover

Skillfulness (also released as Skillfullness) is an album by multi-instrumentalist Alan Silva. It was recorded in November 1968 in New York City, and was released in 1969 by ESP-Disk. On the album, Silva is joined by flutist Becky Friend, pianist Dave Burrell, pianist and organist Mike Ephron, vibraphonist Karl Berger, and percussionists Lawrence Cooke, Barry Altschul, and Mario Pavone.[1][2] The recording was made shortly before Silva moved to Europe.[3]

According to Silva, the album was based on the notion of "skillful means" (Upaya) as expressed in the Buddhist Lotus Sutra.[4] The recording contains two tracks: "Skillfullness" for three musicians, and "Solestrial" for an expanded group, with Silva conducting. Silva later stated that "Solestrial" was his first recorded attempt to conduct an improvisation, and acknowledged the influence of Sun Ra, with whom he had worked, in this regard.[5][6] (The track can be viewed as a forerunner of Butch Morris's "conductions."[7]) He also credited John Coltrane's influence, commenting: "My work was based on John Coltrane's Ascension. The first ten minutes of Ascension, before the solos start, were revolutionary. I always thought if he'd gone on with just the collective improvisation he'd have got it. So I felt he left that to me to do!"[6]

  1. ^ "Alan Silva: Skillfullness". Jazz Music Archives. Retrieved May 15, 2022.
  2. ^ "Alan Silva: Skillfulness". ESP-Disk. Retrieved May 15, 2022.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference allmusic was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Weiss, Jason (2012). Always in Trouble: An Oral History of ESP-Disk, the Most Outrageous Record Label in America. Wesleyan University Press. p. 175.
  5. ^ Weiss, Jason (2012). Always in Trouble: An Oral History of ESP-Disk, the Most Outrageous Record Label in America. Wesleyan University Press. p. 176.
  6. ^ a b Warburton, Dan (November 8, 2002). "Alan Silva Interviews". Paris Transatlantic. Retrieved May 15, 2022.
  7. ^ Morton, Brian; Cook, Richard (2010). The Penguin Jazz Guide. Penguin Books.