Vietnam (Revolutionary Ensemble album)

Vietnam, also referred to as Vietnam 1 & 2 (Live at Peace Church) is a live album by the Revolutionary Ensemble, violinist Leroy Jenkins, bassist Sirone and drummer Jerome Cooper, which was recorded in 1972 and released on the ESP-Disk label.

The members of the group had been playing together since 1970, and, according to Sirone, were anxious to release a record. He decided to approach Bernard Stollman, founder of ESP-Disk. Sirone recalled: "it was not a problem. You did not have to go through a whole lot of negotiating. He heard the music, he knew of the group, and he said, 'All right, do it.' We brought him a tape that we had recorded, a live concert in the Peace Church on West 4th Street, near Washington Square Park. It wasn't the best sound, because the church had this echo a lot of times, but if you were into the music, you could hear the instruments. Of course, Leroy wanted the audio to be clearer than it was, but I said, 'Let's go with it,' and it was not a problem for Bernard." In the end, Sirone was pleased with the disc, stating "It was a strong recording, and a good representation of the group."

Author Bob Gluck referred to the opening of Vietnam as an example of what he calls "parallel play," a technique at which the group excelled, and "a performance mode in which all three musicians pursued their own direction while contributing to a shared overall construction. The 'glue' for such performance is a combined energy level, density, texture, and sense of shared purpose." He noted that, due to the trio's cooperative orientation, "The Revolutionary Ensemble had no leader looking in from outside the hub of activity, no Miles Davis to limit musical forays from continuing until their logical end, however anarchic the journey."