Record Reviews
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  | ANTHONY BRAXTON ~ SEVEN COMPOSITIONS (TRIO) 1989
HATOLOGY 658 (Barcode: 752156065821) ~ USA ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1989 Released: 2009
This is a long overdue reissue of the legendary album by American musician / composer / bandleader Anthony BraxtonFind albums by this artist, one of the most iconic figures of the late 20th Century Free Jazz and Avant-Garde music scene and probably the most important Jazz pioneer in the post John ColtraneFind albums by this artist era. The album captures a recording of a trio, one of Braxton´s favorite settings, with him playing saxophones, clarinet and flute, accompanied by German bassist Adelhard RoidingerFind albums by this artist and legendary British drummer Tony OxleyFind albums by this artist. The music includes five original compositions by Braxton, one by Oxley and one standard. The level of virtuosity in interplay is simply astounding and this album surely deserves an honorable place in any serious Free Jazz collection. The intercontinental meeting of improvising forces and talents works beautifully, soaring to previously undiscovered heights. This is an absolutely essential example of Free Jazz, for those who are connoisseurs of the genre, which is not to be missed, especially for the second time around.
| | Updated: 12/04/2019Posted: | CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Oversampling Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
  | HANS KOLLER ~ KUNSTKOPFINDIANER (MOST PERFECT SOUND EDITION)
MPS 9813439 (Barcode: 602498134399) ~ AUSTRIA ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1974 Released: 2003
Austrian saxophonist, composer and bandleader Hans KollerFind albums by this artist was one of the most important European jazz musicians and one of the forefathers of the European modern jazz movement. This is his most legendary album and for years an impossible to find rarity among collectors. The quintet includes some of the most important European jazz players: German pianist Wolfgang DaunerFind albums by this artist (who is also one of the European jazz giants), Polish violin virtuoso Zbigniew SeifertFind albums by this artist (whose untimely death at a very young age prevented him from achieving the status of the greatest jazz violinist ever), superb Polish drummer Janusz StefanskiFind albums by this artist and Austrian bass genius Adelhard RoidingerFind albums by this artist.
Together they play some of the best European jazz ever recorded, which can be described as free melodic sketches and structures. The music was composed by the quintet members (as each of them is also a gifted composer in addition to being an exceptional instrumentalist) and is full of passion, lofty inspiration and pleasurable sophistication. The German MPSFind albums on this label label, which was active in the 1960’s and 1970’s, was the first and most important independent European jazz label (before ECMFind albums on this label, EnjaFind albums on this label, SteeplechaseFind albums by this artist and scores of others), setting incredible high standards both for the musical contents and the revolutionary audiophile sound-recording quality. This album is essential to every jazz enthusiast on earth!
Side Note
The legendary German MPSFind albums on this label (Musik Produktion Schwarzwald) label, founded by Hans Georg Brunner-SchwerFind albums by this artist (HGBS) in 1963, first as SABAFind albums on this label Records and later on from 1968 as MPS Records, was the most important independent European record label, which had an enormous contribution to the development of European Jazz. For many years MPS cooperated with the legendary German producer / author Joachim BerendtFind albums by this artist, my Friend and Mentor, whose visionary approach and open-mindedness brought the crème de la crème of the Jazz (in the broadest meaning of the word) musicians from all over the world to the label. Between 1963 and 1983 MPS produced about five hundred albums, many of which are among the most important Jazz recordings on this planet.
In 1983 the MPS catalog was sold to UniversalFind albums on this label, which sadly resulted in all those artistic treasures to almost disappear from the face of the earth – a situation not only tragic but culturally criminal. Universal reissued a part of the MPS albums (probably 128 titles) on CD between 1999 and 2011 under the "Most Perfect Sound Edition" moniker.
Since 2008 the German Promising MusicFind albums on this label label released some of the MPS recordings, but at a very slow pace.
In 2014 the German company Edel AG bought the MPS catalogue from Universal and released a series of 25 MPS albums on CD with a new slipcase graphic design, which brought all those excellent albums back to life. In 2015 Edel AG started to record and release new albums under the MPS moniker. In 2016 Edel AG released a series of 10 classic MPS albums on CD, which were beautifully remastered and re-packaged, presenting the original artwork and liner notes, as well as new liner notes and photographs. An obvious labor of love, these reissues are what the MPS catalogue truly deserves. This project was continued in 2017 with another series of 10 classic MPS albums released on CD. In later years some new reissues were released sporadically.
Over the years many SABA / MPS albums were reissued in Japan, which is often the only available source for these albums today, but that is a story in itself.
| | Updated: 28/05/2018Posted: | CD 1 Digipak Oversampling Remastered Essential Recommend To A Friend |
  | HANS KOLLER / FREE SOUND ~ PHOENIX (MOST PERFECT SOUND EDITION)
MPS 9813438 ~ AUSTRIA ~ Jazz
Hans KollerFind albums by this artist was the most internationally famous Austrian jazz musician. Born in 1921, he was active on the European scene since the mid-1940’s, playing mostly jazz modeled on then contemporary American jazz. However by the mid-1950’s Koller already established a new European jazz vocabulary, like some of his pioneering European peers: Lars GullinFind albums by this artist in Sweden, Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist in Poland, Martial SolalFind albums by this artist in France and many others. By the end of 1950’s Koller almost completely removed himself from the musical scene, devoting his life to painting, which was his alter-ego vocation. Only a decade later, when the free jazz movement started to spread in Europe, he returned to active performing and recording, finding this new style challenging enough for him to contribute his input.
This album, recorded 1972, marks his return to full-time jazz duties and is a pivotal step not only in his personal career, but also in the entire European free jazz movement. Koller clearly defines the basic difference in approach to free jazz between the American “school”, which is highly emotional, wild and often purposely excessively chaotic and extremist, and the European “school”, which is more subdued, elegant, delicate and firmly connected to melodic structures. The entire quartet – sax / piano / bass / drums - (with three musicians much younger that the leader) performs music composed mostly by Koller and bassist Adelhard RoidingerFind albums by this artist, which retains enough melodic contents to be coherent, but adds incredible intensity and tension. A true must for serious jazz connoisseurs.
Side Note
The legendary German MPSFind albums on this label (Musik Produktion Schwarzwald) label, founded by Hans Georg Brunner-SchwerFind albums by this artist (HGBS) in 1963, first as SABAFind albums on this label Records and later on from 1968 as MPS Records, was the most important independent European record label, which had an enormous contribution to the development of European Jazz. For many years MPS cooperated with the legendary German producer / author Joachim BerendtFind albums by this artist, my Friend and Mentor, whose visionary approach and open-mindedness brought the crème de la crème of the Jazz (in the broadest meaning of the word) musicians from all over the world to the label. Between 1963 and 1983 MPS produced about five hundred albums, many of which are among the most important Jazz recordings on this planet.
In 1983 the MPS catalog was sold to UniversalFind albums on this label, which sadly resulted in all those artistic treasures to almost disappear from the face of the earth – a situation not only tragic but culturally criminal. Universal reissued a part of the MPS albums (probably 128 titles) on CD between 1999 and 2011 under the "Most Perfect Sound Edition" moniker.
Since 2008 the German Promising MusicFind albums on this label label released some of the MPS recordings, but at a very slow pace.
In 2014 the German company Edel AG bought the MPS catalogue from Universal and released a series of 25 MPS albums on CD with a new slipcase graphic design, which brought all those excellent albums back to life. In 2015 Edel AG started to record and release new albums under the MPS moniker. In 2016 Edel AG released a series of 10 classic MPS albums on CD, which were beautifully remastered and re-packaged, presenting the original artwork and liner notes, as well as new liner notes and photographs. An obvious labor of love, these reissues are what the MPS catalogue truly deserves. This project was continued in 2017 with another series of 10 classic MPS albums released on CD. In later years some new reissues were released sporadically.
Over the years many SABA / MPS albums were reissued in Japan, which is often the only available source for these albums today, but that is a story in itself.
| | Updated: 28/05/2018Posted: | CD 1 Digipak Oversampling Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
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