I am pleased to announce the release of UYA Live at the Willow, Volumes 1 and 2. Originally released on two audio cassettes in 1992, the original files were remastered by Rodger Coleman in 2019, and it's taken me this long to get them up on the Internet Archive. Such is life. UYA (also known as Upstanding Young Americans, after our eponymous first album) was active in Boston from 1988 to 1995. Live at the Willow was our second release, and to my ears is far better than the studio CD. Easy to stream, but if you're so inclined, I recommend downloading the wav files and cranking them. Here are some details:
UYA (a/k/a UPSTANDING YOUNG AMERICANS):
Sam Byrd: drums, percussion toys, vocals, turntable, etc.
Rodger Coleman: guitar, bass, percussion, toy sampler, turntable, etc.
Steven Forrey: trumpet, bass, percussion, vocals, turntable, etc.
Eric Hipp: tenor saxophone, flute, percussion, vocals, turntable, etc.
*Christopher Murray: keyboards, bass, percussion, turntable, etc.
Recorded live to 4-track at the Willow Jazz Club, Somerville, Massachusetts on October 11, 1992, by Rodger Coleman with Christopher Murray. Remixed by UYA at High Noon Studio, Belmont MA, on February 12, 1994.
Originally released on cassette (Live at the Willow Vols. 1-2) (Voidville Records) in 1994. Remastered by Rodger Coleman in 2019.
UYA played several times at the Willow Jazz Club, the venerable Somerville MA nightspot that was home to weekly performances of the Fringe for many years. UYA usually played multiple long sets over the course of an evening, with guests (including Christopher Murray, John Medeski, and John Dirac) often joining in. The band loved playing there; the club's narrow structure, mirrored walls, and lack of a stage meant that the band was pretty much right in the audience's lap, making for an intimate (if imposing) atmosphere of high-intensity music.
UYA Live at the Willow, which captures most of a show from October 11, 1992, is fairly typical of the range of the band at the time: original compositions as well as jazz covers and improvisations played in a heady mélange of free jazz, funk stylings, and driving rock, infused with punk energy, turntable hijinx, and harmolodic giddiness.
A brief history of UYA
UYA was formed in Boston in 1988. Rodger Coleman, Steven Forrey, and Eric Hipp were students at the New England Conservatory of Music. Sam Byrd had just moved up to the Boston area from Richmond, Va. to work at MIT. After some intense rehearsing, UYA began gigging around town. In 1990, they recorded their first CD, Upstanding Young Americans, at Harp Studio in Braintree, MA.
The CD was well-received, with positive reviews from the Boston Phoenix, the Boston Globe, the Village Voice, Cadence, and Option. It was nominated for "Outstanding Jazz Album (Indie Label)" in the 1991 Boston Music Awards. UYA was also nominated for "Best Local Jazz Act" in the 1991 Boston Phoenix/WFNX Best Music Poll.
The band began spreading their performance sphere a bit wider, playing several times at the (old) Knitting Factory in NYC and sporadically in New Jersey and Rhode Island. Multi-instrumentalist Christopher Murray joined the band full-time in 1993. UYA Live at the Willow was their second official release. In 1995 they contributed the opening track, "Dancing Shadows," to the Sun Ra tribute CD Wavelength Infinity.
Eventually UYA worked on a second studio album, but it fell apart in the mixing sessions and was never released. The band broke up in 1995. Steven Forrey went on to perform with Mundo Clave. Eric Hipp played with Free Range Rat and Club D'Elf. Rodger Coleman relocated to Nashville, where he has worked on solo and collaborative projects. He and Sam Byrd have continued to record and perform as a duo. Byrd is also a founding member of the Richmond VA free improv band New Ting.
UYA
Live At The Willow, Vol. 1
https://archive.org/details/UYA_Live_at_the_Willow_Vol_1
1. Ed, Son of America (Steve Forrey) (6:46)*
2. Hijack> (James Blood Ulmer) (4:42)
3. Wynston Take Note (Sam Byrd) (4:54)
4. Afro Blue (Mongo Santamaria) (13:27)*
5. Jive Surrey Women (Eric Hipp) (5:15)
6. Tales of Tillie (UYA) (21:28)
UYA
Live At The Willow, Vol. 2
https://archive.org/details/UYA_Live_at_the_Willow_Vol_2
1. Sleep Talk (Ornette Coleman) (6:25)
2. Hail to the Chief> (8:35)*
3. Election Day (Eric Hipp) (4:39)*
4. I Dreamed A Connection (Steve Forrey) (12:14)*
5. Vertical Responsibility Paradigm (Eric Hipp) (12:14)
6. Broadway Blues (Ornette Coleman) (7:21)*
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