Name: Iron Path
Brand: Last Exit

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

ESPDISK 4075CD

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Colour

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

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Format Music US

Limited edition

Release date

2015-06-02

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier US

Forced Exposure

Tax rate US

Sales:8.875

UPC / Barcode

825481407526

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Total Cap

1 / CD / Extended format: No / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No

Artist

Last Exit

Genre US

Jazz

Label US

ESPdisk

Last Exit is a highly influential avant-garde jazz supergroup formed in 1986. Comprised of renowned musicians *Peter Brötzmann*, *Sonny Sharrock*, *Bill Laswell*, and *Ronald Shannon Jackson*, Last Exit pushed the boundaries of improvisation and free jazz. Their intense, energetic performances captivated audiences worldwide. Drawing inspiration from artists like *Albert Ayler* and *Ornette Coleman*, Last Exit created a unique sound that blended elements of punk, metal, and noise with their virtuosic playing. With their groundbreaking albums like "Iron Path" and "Koln", Last Exit solidified their place as pioneers in the experimental music scene.

Similar to other avant-garde jazz artists such as *Anthony Braxton* and *Cecil Taylor*, Last Exit's music challenged traditional notions of melody, harmony, and structure. Their raw, visceral sound combined with complex improvisations created an electrifying listening experience. Collaborating with musicians like *Evan Parker* and *Joe McPhee*, Last Exit expanded their sonic palette even further.

With their uncompromising approach to music-making, Last Exit paved the way for future experimental acts like Painkiller and The Peter Brötzmann Octet. Their influence can be heard in the works of contemporary artists such as Wadada Leo Smith and William Parker. Despite disbanding in 1994 after the tragic passing of Sonny Sharrock

All-star quartet Last Exit garnered its reputation with a string of unrelentingly forceful concert recordings in which it pushed the energy style of free jazz to its limits. When the group went into the studio, though, a very different sort of album emerged — very different not only from all their other output, but even from anything else ever heard from anyone at that time. Because of that, when it was released in 1988, some fans and critics didn't know what to make of it. This was, in a way, understandable, because Iron Path was so far ahead of its time that perhaps only a quarter of a century later, in 2015, is there an audience prepared for this album's pioneering hybrid of abstract heavy metal, unsettling ambient music, and free improvisation. Back in 1988, "darkwave" hadn't yet been conceived, much less named and niched. The brutal sonic assault of Last Exit's live albums is not banished; it lurks below the surface on Iron Path, sometimes allowed to break through for a moment of stark contrast. But the unremitting density of texture heard in the quartet's shows is stripped back in favor of more subtle and varied textures, sculpting an atmosphere of moody brooding and sinister suspense. And, of course, the studio also allowed for far greater sonic clarity, putting these virtuoso players in a setting that shows off their masterful command of myriad timbres. In a world that has since become accustomed to hearing Earth, Pelican, Blut Aus Nord, Aphex Twin's Ambient Works sets, and Oöphoi, and artists such as Whote who explore the overlap between them, Iron Path can finally get its due, and an audience schooled to appreciate what it offers. Sonny Sharrock, guitar; Peter Brötzmann, saxophone; Bill Laswell, bass; Ronald Shannon Jackson, drums.

Iron Path

Music US