Record Reviews

JAN AKKERMAN ~ JAN AKKERMAN WEA 242360 (Barcode: 022924236020) ~ NETHERLANDS ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1976 Released: 2000 5th album by the eclectic Dutch guitar genius Jan AkkermanFind albums by this artist recorded at the same sessions that produced the album EliFind albums with this title, but using a set of different players. This was Akkerman’s first step into the world of Fusion, which would be his main area of activity for the next few years. He invited the phenomenal German keyboards player Joachim KuhnFind albums by this artist (a friendship and cooperation that was to last for many years), the Italian drummer Bruno CastellucciFind albums by this artist and percussionist Neppie NoyaFind albums by this artist – all three were very active on the European Fusion scene – to take part in the recording and the result was a mixture of instrumental Prog and Fusion with brilliant soloing all over. Akkerman wrote all the music, which includes some of his best fine crafted melodies. The album also served as a basis for creation of the Jan Akkerman Band, which performed all across Europe and was later recorded live at the Montreux Jazz Festival (his next release). Essential for Akkerman and FocusFind albums by this artist fans.

Updated: 08/12/2025Posted:

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JAN AKKERMAN ~ LIVE WOUNDED BIRD 9241 (Barcode: 664140924123) ~ NETHERLANDS ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1978 Released: 2009 6th album by Dutch guitarist / composer Jan AkkermanFind albums by this artist, recorded live at the Montreux Jazz Festival shortly after the release of the eponymous predecessor. Backed by an excellent band, which includes the Dutch keyboardist Jasper van`t HofFind albums by this artist, drummer Bruno CastellucciFind albums by this artist, percussionist Neppie NoyaFind albums by this artist and others, Akkerman delivers a blistering set of Jazz-Rock Fusion displaying his amazing technique and energy. Three of the six tunes played are composed by Akkerman and the others are contributions by his band members. Akkerman was at the peak of his powers at the time and this overall excellent album is a great reminder of that period. Definitely a must for all his loyal fans, but of interest also to all Fusion buffs. Recommended!

Updated: 08/12/2025Posted:

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PETER HERBOLZHEIMER ~ BANDFIRE KOALA 01 (Barcode: 4006759703212) ~ GERMANY ~ Big Band Jazz Recorded: 1981 Released: 1988 This is a reissue / remaster of the album by the German (born in Romania) trombonist / arranger / bandleader / composer Peter HerbolzheimerFind albums by this artist and his Big Band called Rhythm Combination & BrassFind albums by this artist. The Big Band included many top European Jazz players and Americans resident in Europe at the time, such as American trumpeter Chuck FindleyFind albums by this artist and Dutch trumpeter Ack van RooyenFind albums by this artist, Dutch keyboardist Rob FrankenFind albums by this artist, Danish bassist Bo StiefFind albums by this artist, Belgian drummer Bruno CastellucciFind albums by this artist and many others. The album presents ten tracks, four composed by Herbolzheimer and arranged by him, five composed by Maurice WhiteFind albums by this artist, founder of the legendary Earth, Wind & FireFind albums by this artist, arranged by the great Big Band trumpeter / arranger Ron SimmondsFind albums by this artist and one is an arrangement of a BeatlesFind albums by this artist song. Herbolzheimer’s and Simmond’s arrangements are absolutely brilliant and offer a superb amalgam of Jazz, Funk, Rock and Latin rhythms, with excellent soloing by the band’s members. It is one of the best examples of the diverse Big Band / Orchestral Jazz European scene at the time. This album pays a tribute to the great American Funk, which flourished in the 1970s, and was always connected to the Jazz tradition, via the brass sections, which dominated the sound. Overall, this is a wonderful album by one of the most interesting European Jazz Big Bands, which openly flirts with Funk and Soul, but offers superb Big Band arrangements and excellent musicianship by the international team of instrumentalists, who are the crème de la crème of the scene at the time.

Updated: 08/12/2025Posted: 08/12/2025

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ROLF KUHN ORCHESTRA ~ SYMPHONIC SWAMPFIRE MPS 602527221205 (Barcode: 602527221205) ~ GERMANY ~ Big Band Jazz Recorded: 1978 Released: 2009 This is a reissue / remaster of an album by the German clarinetists / composer / bandleader Rolf KuhnFind albums by this artist, recorded with a large orchestra and soloists, which include some of the best European Jazz musicians active at the time, like his younger brother pianist / composer Joachim KuhnFind albums by this artist, American (resident in Germany) saxophonist Charlie MarianoFind albums by this artist, Belgian guitarist Philip CatherineFind albums by this artist, Danish bassist Niels-Henning Orsted PedersenFind albums by this artist, Belgian drummer Bruno CastellucciFind albums by this artist and others. The album presents five tracks, two of which are parts of a suite, which gave the album its title, all composed by Rolf Kuhn. The album is an outstanding example of European Orchestral / Big Band Jazz, which took the seeds of American Big Band tradition and transposed it to entirely another plane, way more sophisticated, Artistic and imaginative. The performances are blood-chilling and absolutely unique, in many ways probably exposing the very peak of the Jazz creativity, which to be honest never managed to climb much higher than what can be heard here. The music is based on strong melodic themes, wonderfully arranged for the orchestral environment, multilayered and even multi-rhythmic, emphasizing the complex sound of the orchestra as a complete music-making unit, rather than mostly just accompanying the soloists. By the time this music was recorded, European Jazz was heavily involved with Fusion, which is superbly incorporated within the orchestral sound, with electric guitar and keyboards being an integral part of the ambience. For guitar lovers, this is one of the finest albums featuring the brilliant guitar artistry of Catherine, as well as the electric side of Joachim Kuhn. Rolf Kuhn emerges here as a brilliant composer and arranger of orchestral Jazz, as well as a musician able to develop in time and embrace new trends and expand his horizons constantly, which characterized him for his entire lifetime, which I was lucky to follow for many years during our friendship. Overall, this is one of the most interesting orchestral Jazz albums in European Jazz, despite the fact that it is only known by relatively very few Jazz listeners. I have owned a copy since day one and listened to this album countless times in the almost fifty years since it was released, and each and every time I managed to discover something new in the music. I can only hope some more listeners will discover it one day, although admittedly it is quite difficult to find a copy. 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: 31/07/2024Posted: 18/07/2024

CD 1 Oversampling Remastered Recommend To A Friend

JAN PTASZYN WROBLEWSKI ~ SKLEROPTAK POLJAZZ / ANEX 301 (Barcode: 5907513047568) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1976 Released: 2009 The material presented on this album was recorded in Belgium but presents the great veteran Polish Jazz saxophonist / composer / arranger / bandleader Jan Ptaszyn WroblewskiFind albums by this artist, who contributed his beautiful compositions and arrangements and plays as the principal soloist. He is accompanied by the Belgian (Radio & TV) BRT Jazz OrchestraFind albums by this artist, directed by Etienne VerschuerenaFind albums by this artist, which includes many wonderful players, including internationally known keyboardist Bob PorterFind albums by this artist and drummer Bruno CastellucciFind albums by this artist. Wroblewski, who was also the director of the Polish Radio Jazz Studio OrchestraFind albums by this artist during the years 1968-1978, recorded these compositions earlier with that orchestra, but these new renditions sound quite different from the earlier versions, being more "polished" and "rounded". The Polish orchestra was in fact a collection of top soloist whereas the Belgian orchestra is a full-fledged professional Big Band, which is much more about the overall band sound than individual solo spots. As a result the music captured here is a beautiful example of European Big Band sound, which is quite different from the American counterparts. Overall this is a splendid Big Band album playing excellent music, interesting arrangements and featuring some great solo spots. Although pretty mainstream, this is elegant music, full of European aesthetics, which is completely ageless and sounds now every bit as great when it did at the time of its release. Big Band enthusiasts should have a field day with this excellent piece of music, which is again back in circulation. Side Note: The PoljazzFind albums on this label label, which originally released this album, was active for 20 years (between 1972 and 1991) and was owned by the Polish Jazz Society. Considering the fact that the music industry in the Socialist State was centralized and totally controlled, with just one State owned music company producing all the albums, the possibilities to record and release Jazz albums were extremely limited. Poljazz was conceived and founded in order to allow for many more Jazz (and other) albums to be released independently from the State owned Polskie NagraniaFind albums on this label / MuzaFind albums on this label and as such revolutionized the music industry at the time, being the only such enterprise in Eastern Europe. The Polish label AnexFind albums on this label reissued many of the original Poljazz albums on CD, bringing this fabulous music back to life.

Updated: 08/12/2025Posted:

CD 1 Digipak Remastered Recommend To A Friend