Record Reviews

JOE HARRIOTT / AMANCIO D`SILVA ~ HUM DONO VOCALION 8505 (Barcode: 765387850524) ~ UK ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 1969 Released: 2015 This is a long overdue reissue of the only album recorded by the quartet co-led by two of modern British Jazz pioneers: saxophonist Joe HarriottFind albums by this artist and guitarist Amancio D`SilvaFind albums by this artist, which also included bassist Dave GreenFind albums by this artist and drummer Bryan SpringFind albums by this artist. Vocalist Norma WinstoneFind albums by this artist and trumpeter Ian CarrFind albums by this artist appear as guest. The album consists of six tracks, five of which are original compositions by D`Silva and one is a standard. The original album was produced by the celebrated producer Denis PrestonFind albums by this artist and was recorded at the legendary Lansdowne Studios. This reissue was remastered by Michael J. DuttonFind albums by this artist and the sound quality and clarity are simply stunning. The liner notes include a reprint of the original liner notes printed on the album´s sleeve and a retrospective essay by Stephano D`SilvaFind albums by this artist, Amancio´s son. Of the many British Jazz albums released by the end of the 1960s, this one is surely one of the most significant and prophetic in so many ways. The exploding British Jazz scene went through a rapid revolutionary movement towards independence from the American Jazz legacy, spearheading the birth of European Jazz, which would become the next evolutionary step for the Jazz Art Form. There are many reasons why Britain proved to be the most fertile ground for this quantum leap, but one of the most significant of these reasons was certainly the fact that Britain (and London in particular) became a natural harbor for immigrants arriving from all corners of the former Empire, making it the first, as we now call it, multiculti environments, amalgamating cultural influences originating from many different locations around the globe. Music, of course, would be one of the most profoundly influenced element of the British culture, to be touched by the influx of those sounds and rhythms and by the end of the 1960s World Music was alive and kicking in Britain, long before the actual term was coined. Joe Harriott, born in Jamaica and Amancio D`Silva, born in India, were just two of many prominent British Jazz musicians, who were integrated into the local scene upon their arrival in Britain and naturally put in their own cultural heritage into the amalgam, which eventually emerged as modern British Jazz. This album is a splendid example of early Jazz-World Fusion, but certainly not the first of its kind. Harriott recorded a series of brilliant and revolutionary albums with another Indian immigrant, John Mayer, in the years preceding this recording. D`Silva recorded his debut album a few months earlier, which displayed similar World-Music influences. There were many other examples telling a similar story of integration and mutual inspiration. Harriott, who is primarily hailed as one of Free Jazz pioneers / inventors displays the gentler side of his musical personality on this album. His solos are of course much more developed and free-spirited than those performed by conventional Jazz players, but he stays well within the melodic and harmonic boundaries outlined by D`Silva´s compositions. The brief standard, which features Harriott in a duet with Spring, is the only reference to Harriott´s free style abilities. D`Silva showcases his highly individual style as a guitarist, which is clearly influenced by a plethora of Indian music characteristics. His compositions, which are all exceptionally beautiful, exemplify a perfect marriage between European lyricism and harmony and Indian spirituality and rhythmic trance. This will be also heard on his later recordings, all of which are classics in their own right. Green, one of British Jazz most prolific and respected bassists, contributes his strong and steady pulsations, which keep the music well anchored and balanced. Spring, a brilliant and original player, performs some true drum magic on this album, which is both intelligent and inspired, especially in view of the rhythmic challenges and odd tempi he needs to deal with. Winstone, the absolute Diva of British Jazz, adds some lovely wordless vocals, which complete the compositions with a veil of mystery and sensuality. She participates on three of the tracks and her contribution is simply invaluable. The great Carr, who plays on just a couple of tracks, adds his superb solos, which are like gleaming jewels; something that happens every time he blows his flugelhorn. All in all this is a most welcome reissue of a monumental milestone in the British Jazz history, which should be a part of every serious record collection owned by people who truly love Jazz. Hopefully VocalionFind albums on this label will release all the other albums recorded by D`Silva at that crucial period, which are all criminally forgotten and unavailable on the market. Oliver & Michael, please!

CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend

HOLDSWORTH / WARLEIGH / MATHEWSON / SPRING ~ WARLEIGH MANOR JAZZ IN BRITAIN 01 ~ UK ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 1979 Released: 2020 This is an archive album by a quartet of British Jazz musicians: guitarist Allan HoldsworthFind albums by this artist, saxophonist / flautist Ray WarleighFind albums by this artist, bassist Ron MathewsonFind albums by this artist and drummer Bryan SpringFind albums by this artist. Subtitled “The Ron Mathewson Tapes Vol. 1”, it presents an informal cassette tape recording of a session captured (probably) in 1979 and kept by the bassist, who recently donated his archives to Jazz in Britain Ltd. incorporating the British Jazz Sound Archive, a new not-for-profit organization whose aim is to collect, curate, preserve, celebrate and promote the legacy of British Jazz musicians. The archive collects, curates and preserves off-air and other recordings of British Jazz performances. This CD is their first release. The music reveals an almost completely unknown facet of Holdsworth playing spontaneous Improvised Music, rather than Jazz-Rock Fusion, an idiom he is generally associated with. In addition to playing guitar he also plays violin. The rest of the quartet members have of course a much better recognized experienced with Improvised Music / Free Jazz. The album presents just three lengthy pieces, about twenty-one, eighteen and finally eight minutes in duration. The first two pieces are completely improvised, whereas the last piece takes a turn into a more conventional Jazz playing. In retrospect this music is no more than a curio, as it does not offer any substantial glimpse into the history of British Jazz as such. Holdsworth is certainly a fish out of water on this session, and contrary to what the liner notes say, he was never really into Improvised Music. Yes, he always wanted to experiment and do his own thing and not to be told what to do, but he was a team player and needed a support of a strong rhythm section to keep him on track. His insanely wonderful guitar playing was complex enough by itself, and it needed a balance of more conventional co-players to make any musical sense. None of his idiosyncratic playing is reflected in this music. Of course Mathewson plays beautifully here, but his abilities are well documented by many other recordings. Warleigh plays some nice flute lines, but even he is not feeling very comfortable in this free form environment. As to Spring, his contributions are hardly audible. Improvised Music rarely survives the “recording” test. It might sound fine while being performed, with the interpersonal excitement of the moment, but listening to it forty years later might sadly prove to be a rather pointless exercise. Not every moment of musical history captured on tape deserves apparently to be preserved for posterity on record. Overall this album proves to be rather disappointing, but the idea behind Jazz in Britain and their aims is certainly worth pursuing, hopefully with more exciting finds in the future.

Updated: 26/03/2021Posted: 26/03/2021

CD 1 Digipak Remastered Recommend To A Friend

PASSPORT ~ SECOND PASSPORT WOUNDED BIRD 0417 (Barcode: 664140041721) ~ GERMANY ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1972 Released: 2008 2nd album by one of the most important European Jazz-Rock Fusion ensembles, German band PassportFind albums by this artist, founded and led by reedman / composer Klaus DoldingerFind albums by this artist. By the early 1970s the German Jazz scene was bursting with talent and excitement with the new generation of players slowly taking their place among the veteran musicians. The European Jazz, which went through a process of rapid development in the previous decade, freeing itself form the rigid constrains of American Jazz tradition, created a completely new universe of music. With the entry to the new decade many of the European musicians crossed over from modern and Free Jazz into Jazz-Rock Fusion, with s feverish rush of activity in that field. Passport was one of many German bands appearing for the first time on the scene at the time, but it proved to be one of the most inventive and in retrospect most influential band of the era, lasting for decades with many personnel changes, but always inventive and musically fulfilling. This album, recorded by the second lineup of the band, includes Doldinger on saxophones and keyboards with British keyboardist John MealingFind albums by this artist (a former IfFind albums by this artist member), German bassist Wolfgang SchmidFind albums by this artist and British drummer Bryan SpringFind albums by this artist. The music, all written by Doldinger, is a superb example of the European strain of Jazz-Rock Fusion, with strong melody lines and excellent lengthy improvisations by the band members. Both stylistically and sound-wise it is quite similar to the great British Jazz-Rock band If. Definitely one of the great classic recordings of the genre and an essential item in any serious Jazz-Rock collection!

CD 1 Essential Recommend To A Friend

STAN TRACEY ~ THE RETURN OF CAPTAIN ADVENTURE TENTOTEN 753 (Barcode: 5060052777539) ~ UK ~ Jazz Recorded: 1975 Released: 2006 This is an expanded reissue of the classic album by British Jazz pianist / composer / bandleader Stan TraceyFind albums by this artist. The album was recorded live on November 3rd, 1975 at the 100 Club in London, a Mecca of the London Jazz scene at the time, where I have spent more evenings deep into the night than I can remember, by a fabulous quartet (well all of Stan’s quartet were fabulous) with saxophonist Art ThemenFind albums by this artist, bassist Dave GreenFind albums by this artist and drummer Bryan SpringFind albums by this artist, and was released on LP as “Captain AdventureFind albums with this title” on the SteamFind albums on this label Records label, owned by Stan, in 1976. The LP offered just four tracks captured that night and only thirty years later this magnificent 2CD reissue appeared, offering seven previously unreleased tracks recorded that night, almost tripling the playing time of the music. This reissue was released on the TenToTenFind albums on this label Records label, owned by Stan’s son, drummer Clark TraceyFind albums by this artist. Of the eleven tracks on this album, ten are original compositions by Tracey and one is a standard. The music is absolutely stunning from start to finish, with all members of the quartet playing marvelously and due to the special atmosphere in the club explode into lengthy hair-raising solo performances. No wonder that “Captain Adventure” is considered as Tracey’s second-best album after the groundbreaking “Under Milk WoodFind albums with this title”. Themen shows his virtuosity and amazing improvisational skill, Green is unmistakably steady as a rock and superbly melodic and Spring swings like a clockwork. As a result, this is surely one of the best live British Jazz albums of all time. It is fascinating to see the progress towards Free Jazz made by Tracey and his crew. Although the music is still based on clear melodic themes, the improvisations spread towards a much less defined musical structures, especially in Themen’s soloing. Tracey’s idiosyncratic piano playing, based on series of single notes rather than chords, is present vividly and delightfully for the entire duration of the music. Overall, this is an absolute marvel of an album, a timeless gem that deserves an honorable place in every British Jazz record collection, no questions asked. Sadly, this reissue is already out of print since years, so it might be a while until a copy can be found, but the effort is absolutely worth it. Happy hunting!

Updated: 13/01/2023Posted: 13/01/2023

CD 2 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

STAN TRACEY ~ WISDOM IN THE WINGS (FREE AN` ONE / THE SEVEN AGES OF MAN) RESTEAMED 114 (Barcode: 5060138617148) ~ UK ~ Jazz Recorded: 1969 Released: 2020 This is a reissue of two seminal albums by the iconic British Jazz pianist / composer / bandleader Stan TraceyFind albums by this artist: “Free An` OneFind albums with this title” and “The Seven Ages Of ManFind albums with this title”, coupled together as a 2CD set. The first album is a quartet recording with Tracey, saxophonist Peter KingFind albums by this artist, bassist Dave GreenFind albums by this artist and drummer Bryan SpringFind albums by this artist and presents five original compositions by the leader. The second album was recorded by a sixteen-piece Big Band, which included some of the top British Jazz musicians at the time, such as trumpeter Derek WatkinsFind albums by this artist, trombonists Chris PyneFind albums by this artist and Michael GibbsFind albums by this artist, saxophonists Peter King, Tony CoeFind albums by this artist and Alan SkidmoreFind albums by this artist, vibraphonist Frank RicottiFind albums by this artist, the rhythm section from the quartet and others and presents eight original compositions by the leader, also arranged by him. Both albums were recorded in late 1969 (September 10 and October 8 respectively) and released the following year on the EMI / ColumbiaFind albums on this label label. The quartet album is a brilliant example of Tracey’s openness towards the “new winds” that were stirring up the British Jazz scene, with strong Avant-Gardist / Free Jazz influences ventilating the scene. In complete contrast to many of his veteran contemporaries, Tracey had no problem whatsoever with these trends and flirted with them openly, as long as he was either enjoying or in control, as many of his recordings, like those with Mike OsborneFind albums by this artist or Keith TippettFind albums by this artist, clearly show. This quartet was not playing Free as such, but fiery improvisations and less strict rhythmic patterns are clearly audible, and the general carefree atmosphere testifies. The Big Band album is a complete different pair of galoshes, with Tracey showing off his genius as composer / arranger / Big Band leader, which always way one of his undeniable fortes (not that he had any weaknesses as a musician that I am aware of). The compositions are simply brilliant, the arrangements unique and the Big Band, exploding with talent, is riding the wind, soaring like there is no tomorrow. Considering the fact that this album was recorded in one day, it is truly amazing that the Big Band performs all these complex arrangements with awe-inspiring ease and elegance. Overall, these are two absolute British Jazz treasures, and their absence from the record market was a travesty. We should be grateful to Clark TraceyFind albums by this artist (Stan’s son) for bringing them back to life on the family’s ReSteamedFind albums on this label label, hopefully seeing more of these gems getting the same treatment soon. Absolutely essential!

Updated: 18/08/2021Posted: 14/08/2021

CD 2 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

BOBBY WELLINS SEXTET ~ HOMAGE TO CALEDONIA JAZZ IN BRITAIN 67 (Barcode: 5060774190739) ~ UK ~ Jazz Recorded: 1979 Released: 2024 This is an archival live album by British Jazz saxophonist / composer / bandleader Bobby WellinsFind albums by this artist, recorded with his sextet, which also includes pianist Pete JacobsenFind albums by this artist, bassist Adrian KendonFind albums by this artist, drummer Spike WellsFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Lol CoxhillFind albums by this artist and percussionist Bryan SpringFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine tracks, the first four recorded by a quartet and the rest by a sextet. Four tracks are parts of the “Culloden Moor Suite”. All the music was composed by Wellins, except the solo piano track composed by Jacobsen and one track, which is a medley of two standards. This album is a companion release to the “What Was HappeningFind albums with this title” album, recorded by the same quartet, which was also released by the Jazz In BritainFind albums on this label label. The “Culloden Moor SuiteFind albums with this title”, originally composed in 1961, was finally recorded in its full splendor with the Scottish National Jazz OrchestraFind albums by this artist, directed by Tommy SmithFind albums by this artist, only in 2013, which was the last recording before Wellins’ death in 2016. The sextet version appearing here is the only full version recorded in a “small ensemble” version. Wellins, primarily recognized for his work with Stan TraceyFind albums by this artist, was a superb saxophonist and composer and his work as a leader was always a source of joy. His recording legacy as a leader is relatively limited and covers mostly his later period, therefore this album recorded in 1979 is a valuable addition. Also worth mentioning is the fact that the sextet includes Lol Coxhill, associated primarily with the “wilder” side of the British Jazz scene, not to say Avant-Garde, who fits the bill perfectly, despite the basically mainstream orientation of Wellins’ music. The lengthy piano solo track is an absolute gem and a great surprise! Overall, this is another splendid addition to the Jazz In Britain catalogue, which brings to life a piece of the history of the genre, which surely deserves to be remembered and heard. As usual kudos to the people behind the label for carrying on the great work, for we are humbly grateful.

Updated: 12/11/2024Posted: 12/11/2024

CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend