Yasmina, A BLack Woman

Archie Shepp's 1969 Paris session blends spiritual jazz with pan-African rhythms. Led by Shepp's tenor alongside Lester Bowie, Clifford Thornton, and Roscoe Mitchell, this album captures avant-garde brilliance at its peak. The title track "Yasmina" builds with passionate intensity, while "Sonny's Back" pairs Shepp with Hank Mobley for a rare twin-tenor moment. A closing rendition of "Body & Soul" reveals the soulful direction Shepp would explore throughout the 70s.