The Revolutionary Ensemble was a free jazz trio consisting of violinist Leroy Jenkins (1932–2007), bassist Sirone (Norris Jones, 1940–2009) and percussionist/pianist Jerome Cooper (1946–2015).
"[3] Writer John Fordham stated that the group "was remarkable for its concentration on texture, tone colour and the then unclaimed territory between jazz and contemporary classical music.
"[4] A DownBeat reviewer, writing in 1972, described them as "a unique, utterly contemporary unit of extraordinarily talented players who possess a world understanding of what 'organized sound' is all about.
"[5] Prior to the formation of the Revolutionary Ensemble in 1970, Jenkins, recently returned from Europe, had been playing with Anthony Braxton and Leo Smith in a group called Creative Construction Company.
[4] The two began discussing the possibility of forming a new group, and Sirone proposed a leaderless lineup of violin, bass, and drums, to which Jenkins initially responded with shock, before suggesting the name Revolutionary Ensemble.
"[10]) They recruited drummer Frank Clayton, but he was soon replaced by Jerome Cooper, who had been playing in Europe with Steve Lacy, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, the Art Ensemble of Chicago, and others, and who, after leaving Europe and arriving in New York, contacted Jenkins at the recommendation of Roscoe Mitchell.
"[13] By 1972, the group was performing more regularly, with concerts at Artists House, the Jamaica Art Center in Queens, the Five Spot, and the Village Vanguard, as well as various radio interviews.
[14] In March of that year, they presented a concert at the Peace Church, a recording of which was released on the ESP-Disk label as their first album Vietnam.
[15] On December 31, 1972, they performed at the St. Marks Theater, and released a live recording of the concert as their second album, Manhattan Cycles, issued on India Navigation the following year.
In May of the following year, they performed in Warsaw, Poland; the concert was recorded and released by Mutable Music in 2008 as Beyond the Boundary of Time.
"[23] Author Bob Gluck summed up the musical results of this approach: "individual and group configurations were malleable constructs, one giving way to the other without so much as a moment's notice.
Although his primary instrument was violin, Jenkins also played viola, alto saxophone, kalimba, recorder, percussion, flute, and harmonica.
"[30] The second is the fact that Sirone's bass is rarely heard in a conventional, supportive mode, and instead maintains equal footing with the other instruments.