Record Reviews

WILLEM BREUKER KOLLEKTIEF ~ LIVE AT THE DONAUESHINGEN MUSIC FESTIVAL 1975 MPS 731452908926 (Barcode: 731452908926) ~ NETHERLANDS ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 1975 Released: 1995 This is a reissue / remaster of a live album by one of the most iconic European Free Jazz / Improvised Music ensembles, the Dutch Willem Breuker KollektiefFind albums by this artist, recorded live during the Donaueshingen New Music Festival in 1975. Led by clarinetist / saxophonist / composer / bandleader Willem BreukerFind albums by this artist, the undecet (eleven players) also included saxophonists Bob DriessenFind albums by this artist and Maarten van NordenFind albums by this artist, flautist Ronald SnijdersFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Boy RaaymakersFind albums by this artist, horn player Jan WolffFind albums by this artist, trombonists Willem van ManenFind albums by this artist and Bernard HunnekingFind albums by this artist, pianist Leo CuypersFind albums by this artist, bassist Arjen GorterFind albums by this artist and drummer Rob VerdurmenFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine tracks, all composed by Breuker. The album was produced by my Friend and Mentor Joachim BerendtFind albums by this artist, who was the musical director of the Jazz section of the festival. He invited me to the festival that year and I witnessed the concert in flesh. The music of the Kollektief was an incredible experience, which incorporated music and theatrical / circus / vaudeville elements, which left the listener / spectator completely overwhelmed. The music was strictly composed, but included strong improvisational presence, as can be of course heard herein. It remains ones of the peaks of the early European Free Jazz / Improvised Music / Big Band experiments, which reflects the spirit of the era and the tremendous development of the genre at the time. This was one of the concerts that left an everlasting influence on my music appreciation, to this very day. Overall, this is a tremendous historical document of the development of Improvised music in Europe, reflecting the Dutch scene at its peak, which contributed immensely to this process. Sadly, often neglected and forgotten over five decades later, but definitely deserving its dues. I am pretty sure this music, when heard for the first time, is able to change the listener’s perspective of music in general, perfectly reflecting the symbiosis between composed and improvised music. 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: 05/09/2025Posted: 05/09/2025

CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend

STEVE LACY ~ THE COMPLETE REMASTERED RECORDINGS ON BLACK SAINT & SOUL NOTE CAM JAZZ 1033 (Barcode: 8052405141385) ~ USA ~ Avant-Garde Jazz Recorded: 1976 - 1993 Released: 2014 This superb Box Set collects recordings by the American saxophonist / composer Steve LacyFind albums by this artist on the Black SaintFind albums on this label and Soul NoteFind albums on this label labels. It is the second such collection, this time dedicated to quartet, quintet, sextet and octet recordings, following the previous Box Set with solo, duo and trio recordings. It includes nine albums (one a 2CD set): "TricklesFind albums with this title" with trombonist Roswell RuddFind albums by this artist, bassist Kent CarterFind albums by this artist and drummer Beaver HarrisFind albums by this artist, "RevenueFind albums with this title" with saxophonist Steve PottsFind albums by this artist, French bassist Jean-Jacques AvenelFind albums by this artist and drummer John BetschFind albums by this artist, "TroubleFind albums with this title" with Potts, Swiss vocalist / violinist Irene AebiFind albums by this artist, Carter and drummer Oliver JohnsonFind albums by this artist, "RegenerationFind albums with this title" with Rudd, Dutch pianist Misha MingelbergFind albums by this artist, Carter and Dutch drummer Han BenninkFind albums by this artist, "Change Of SeasonFind albums with this title" (*) with trombonist George LewisFind albums by this artist, Mangelberg, Dutch bassist Arjen GorterFind albums by this artist and Bennink, "Dutch MastersFind albums with this title" (*) with Lewis, Mangelberg, Dutch cellist Ernst ReysegerFind albums by this artist and Bennink, "The CondorFind albums with this title" with Potts, Aebi, pianist Bobby FewFind albums by this artist, Avenel and Johnson, "The CryFind albums with this title" (2CD) with Aebi, saxophonist Tina WraseFind albums by this artist, harpsichord player Petia KaufmanFind albums by this artist, accordionist Cathrin PfeiferFind albums by this artist, Avenel and percussionist Daniel GioiaFind albums by this artist and finally "VespersFind albums with this title" with Potts, Aebi, saxophonist Ricky FordFind albums by this artist, French horn player Tom VarnerFind albums by this artist, Few, Avenel and Betsch. Most of the music is by Lacy, except the albums dedicated to the music of other great composers like Thelonious MonkFind albums by this artist and Herbie NicholsFind albums by this artist. Lacy is considered as one of the most influential and prominent American Jazz personalities and a great master of the soprano saxophone. He started his career as a Dixieland player but quickly moved into Bebop and later on Avant-Garde idioms. He was also one of the first American Jazz musicians who discovered European Jazz and understood its importance. He visited Europe in the 1960s and moved to live in Paris in 1970, where he spent his entire life, returning to the US only a couple of years before his death. He left a most impressive recorded legacy of well over a hundred albums. The music is absolutely timeless, and offers a perfect glance at Lacy´s diversity as a composer and player. It is also a unique document of European Jazz, as most of his albums involved European musicians playing side by side with their Americans partners. For serious Jazz connoisseurs this Box Set is a pure delight and an absolute must! The albums marked with (*) were also included in other Box Sets of this series. Side Note The Italian independent record label Black SaintFind albums on this label was founded by the music critic / author / producer Giacomo PellicciottiFind albums by this artist in 1975. It was taken over by the producer Giovanni BonandriniFind albums by this artist in 1978 and a year later (1979) a sister label, called Soul NoteFind albums on this label, was established. The twin labels were run by Giovanni and later his son Flavio BonandriniFind albums by this artist, until they were sold in 2008 to the Italian KEPACH Music Group, which already owned the CAM JazzFind albums on this label label, and which also bought another Italian independent record label Dischi Della QuerciaFind albums on this label. The mission of the Black Saint / Soul Note labels was to record and document the Free Jazz / Improvised Music / Avant-Garde scene, mostly from the US but also from Europe, which continued between mid 1970s and late 1990s and produced a staggering collection of almost 550 albums recorded by world's most important Jazz innovators active at the time, providing an opportunity to American (mostly Afro-American) musicians, who would have never managed to make these recordings at home, ridden by racism, alienation and closed-mindedness. Without these two labels most of this fantastic human creativity would have been never documented. However, the Black Saint / Soul Note Box Sets produced under the CAM JazzFind albums on this label moniker are an archetypal example of how good intentions turn sour. Although these new editions often bring back to life some of the best music ever made on this planet, which in many cases has been lost in the tides of time and was unavailable on the market for ages, they suffer from an unforgivable disregard to the essence of cultural values and general sloppiness, contrary to human decency, which requires us to treat our cultural legacy with respect and loyalty. These Box Sets have no booklet which presents researched historical background and exact discographical information of the albums included, and most importantly an overview of the music and its meaning and contribution to the Jazz Art form. Although the original LP sleeves are reproduced, the information is in most cases too small to be readable at all. In short the fact that these Box Sets are meant to be inexpensive, does not mean that they have to be cheap!

Updated: 15/05/2020Posted: 15/05/2020

CD 10 Mini-Sleeve Box Set Remastered Recommend To A Friend

GEORGE LEWIS ~ THE COMPLETE REMASTERED RECORDINGS ON BLACK SAINT & SOUL NOTE CAM JAZZ 1022 (Barcode: 8052405140654) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1977 - 1987 Released: 2012 This superb Box Set collects all the albums recorded by the legendary American trombonist / composer George LewisFind albums by this artist on the twin Italian independent labels: Black SaintFind albums on this label and Soul NoteFind albums on this label. The set includes five albums he recorded as a leader, heading a range of ensembles between a duo and a sextet and including American and European Avant-Garde musicians. Lewis is best known as a member of the AACM in Chicago since 1971 and a pioneer of incorporating computers in improvised music. He is a prolific recording artist, with an impressive list of albums to his credit, both as a leader and as sideman. The albums included here present his output between late 1970s and late 1980s, all of which is his original music except on the duo album where one piece is composed by his collaborator multi-instrumentalist / composer Douglas EwartFind albums by this artist. These recordings are all excellent examples of his work, which is a completely unique combination of Free Jazz, electronic music and collages of pre-recorded sound effects, spoken word, etc. Lewis collaborated extensively with Avant-Garde musicians in many countries and recorded with them often. The list of the players present on these recordings reads like the Who´s Who of the American Avant-Garde scene and includes saxophonists Roscoe MitchellFind albums by this artist and Steve LacyFind albums by this artist, cellist Abdul WadudFind albums by this artist, pianist Anthony DavisFind albums by this artist and Muhal Richard AbramsFind albums by this artist, violinist Leroy JenkinsFind albums by this artist and synthesizer player Richard TeitelbaumFind albums by this artist as well as Dutch players: pianist Misha MengelbergFind albums by this artist, cellist Ernst ReijsegerFind albums by this artist, bassist Arjen GorterFind albums by this artist and drummer Han BennikFind albums by this artist. The music is absolutely brilliant and fascinating and connoisseurs of Free Jazz / Improvised Music will find it obviously essential. The relatively rare collaborations between American and European Avant-Garde scenes at the time, as documented here, are especially interesting. Remastered, mini-sleeved, and with a great bargain price – this Box Set an absolute must for any serious Jazz collector. Side Note The Italian independent record label Black SaintFind albums on this label was founded by the music critic / author / producer Giacomo PellicciottiFind albums by this artist in 1975. It was taken over by the producer Giovanni BonandriniFind albums by this artist in 1978 and a year later (1979) a sister label, called Soul NoteFind albums on this label, was established. The twin labels were run by Giovanni and later his son Flavio BonandriniFind albums by this artist, until they were sold in 2008 to the Italian KEPACH Music Group, which already owned the CAM JazzFind albums on this label label, and which also bought another Italian independent record label Dischi Della QuerciaFind albums on this label. The mission of the Black Saint / Soul Note labels was to record and document the Free Jazz / Improvised Music / Avant-Garde scene, mostly from the US but also from Europe, which continued between mid 1970s and late 1990s and produced a staggering collection of almost 550 albums recorded by world's most important Jazz innovators active at the time, providing an opportunity to American (mostly Afro-American) musicians, who would have never managed to make these recordings at home, ridden by racism, alienation and closed-mindedness. Without these two labels most of this fantastic human creativity would have been never documented. However, the Black Saint / Soul Note Box Sets produced under the CAM JazzFind albums on this label moniker are an archetypal example of how good intentions turn sour. Although these new editions often bring back to life some of the best music ever made on this planet, which in many cases has been lost in the tides of time and was unavailable on the market for ages, they suffer from an unforgivable disregard to the essence of cultural values and general sloppiness, contrary to human decency, which requires us to treat our cultural legacy with respect and loyalty. These Box Sets have no booklet which presents researched historical background and exact discographical information of the albums included, and most importantly an overview of the music and its meaning and contribution to the Jazz Art form. Although the original LP sleeves are reproduced, the information is in most cases too small to be readable at all. In short the fact that these Box Sets are meant to be inexpensive, does not mean that they have to be cheap!

Updated: 12/04/2020Posted:

CD 5 Mini-Sleeve Box Set Remastered Recommend To A Friend