The Third Decade

The Third Decade is an album by the Art Ensemble of Chicago recorded in June 1984 and released on ECM the following year.^[1][2][3][4]

The Third Decade
Studio album by Art Ensemble of Chicago
Released	1985
Recorded	June 1984
Studio	Tonstudio Bauer Ludwigsburg, West Germany
Genre	Jazz
Length	41:45
Label	ECM 1273
Producer	Manfred Eicher
Art Ensemble of Chicago chronology
The Complete Live in Japan (1984) The Third Decade (1985) Naked (1984)

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[5]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings	[6]

In his review for AllMusic, Stephen Cook stated "For the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Third Decade marked both the end of their relationship with the ECM label and the beginning of a more streamlined stretch of music making. The band would cut back on their once predominant, free-form explorations to make room for more bebop and crossover material".^[5] The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD reviewed the album negatively, calling it "nothing so much as the atrophy of a once-radical band."^[7]

Spin wrote, "While not a spectacular LP it is an important exhibit of the kinds of musical moods the group has created over the years. A brief collective history of five men who, for more than 20 years, have shared experiences of great power and poignancy."^[8]

Track listing

1. "Prayer for Jimbo Kwesi" (Joseph Jarman) - 9:52
2. "Funky Aeco" (Art Ensemble of Chicago) - 7:43
3. "Walking in the Moonlight" (Roscoe Mitchell) - 4:11
4. "The Bell Piece" (Mitchell) - 6:07
5. "Zero" (Lester Bowie) - 6:00
6. "Third Decade" (Art Ensemble of Chicago) - 8:19

Personnel

Art Ensemble of Chicago

• Lester Bowie – trumpet, fluegelhorn
• Malachi Favors Maghostut – bass, percussion instruments
• Joseph Jarman – saxophones, clarinets, percussion instruments, synthesizer
• Roscoe Mitchell – saxophones, clarinets, flute, percussion instruments
• Don Moye – drums, percussion