Record Reviews

CHARLIE HADEN ~ THE COMPLETE REMASTERED RECORDINGS ON BLACK SAINT & SOUL NOTE CAM JAZZ 1001 (Barcode: 8024709111227) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1977 - 1990 Released: 2010 This superb Box Set collects all the albums recorded by the legendary US bassist / composer Charlie HadenFind albums by this artist on the twin Italian independent labels: Black SaintFind albums on this label and Soul NoteFind albums on this label. Haden needs no introduction to any serious Jazz connoisseur; suffice to say that from the early days with Ornette ColemanFind albums by this artist in the late 1950s, his bass playing would definitely establish "The Shape Of Jazz To Come", paraphrasing on the title of Haden´s first recording with Coleman. Later on he was a member of the legendary Keith JarrettFind albums by this artist US quartet and later cooperated with the most distinguished Jazz musicians around the globe. His virtuosic bass playing and excellent compositions are always a source of great musical joy. The musicians playing on these five albums include: drummer Billy HigginsFind albums by this artist, pianist Enrico PieranunziFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Chet BakerFind albums by this artist, drummer Paul MotianFind albums by this artist, pianist Geri AllenFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Don CherryFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Dewey RedmanFind albums by this artist and drummer Ed BlackwellFind albums by this artist. 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: 10/04/2020Posted:

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

KEITH JARRETT ~ LIVE IN HAMBURG 1972 JAZZ LIPS 761 (Barcode: 8436019587614) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1972 - 1974 Released: 2008 This is an unofficial (politically correct alias for good old bootleg) album by the great American pianist / composer Keith JarrettFind albums by this artist, recorded live in June 14, 1972 with his trio, which also included bassist Charlie HadenFind albums by this artist and drummer Paul MotianFind albums by this artist. The trio performs twelve original compositions, all composed by Jarrett. Jarrett also plays saxophone, flute and percussion on some of these tracks. The album also includes four live tracks recorded a couple of years later in NY, this time with a quintet that includes trumpeter Chet BakerFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Lee KonitzFind albums by this artist, Haden on bass and drummer Beaver HarrisFind albums by this artist, all of which are standards. Also included are two solo piano pieces recorded in 1974, both original compositions / improvisations by Jarrett. Listeners familiar with Jarrett´s discography can easily pinpoint these tracks as trio versions of the tracks recorded by the so called American Quartet, which included this trio and saxophonist Dewey RedmanFind albums by this artist. They appeared on the album "El JuicioFind albums with this title", recorded in 1971 but released only in 1975 on AtlanticFind albums on this label and on the album "ExpectationsFind albums with this title" recorded in October 1972, i.e. after this live performance, and released on ColumbiaFind albums on this label. The full genealogy of all the tracks is described in the album´s booklet. The bonus tracks with the quintet are quite unusual, as Jarrett rarely ever played standards at that time and it is the only recording meeting between him and Baker or Konitz. Jarrett enthusiasts should find this album fascinating at least, as it offers almost two hours of previously unavailable material from the pianist career, which, as usual, is not only excellent musically, but also reveals his performance style and mannerisms in his early period, especially in view of the fact that the American Quartet or the trio did not release any official live material. The sound quality is a bit Lo-Fi here and there, but considering the historical importance of this music and its rarity, this can be easily forgiven. It would have been nicer to have this music officially released, but considering the revolting politics of the music industry and the nasty habit of keeping unreleased treasures hidden in the vaults, such treasures are bound to pop up sooner and later. If you can get it (which I doubt) grab it with both hands and cherish it!

Updated: 01/06/2018Posted: 30/10/2016

CD 2 Recommend To A Friend

HANS KOLLER ~ KOLLER PLAYS KOVAC EMARCY 013961 ~ AUSTRIA ~ Jazz This is a reissue of an ultra-rare 1957 LP released on the Austrian Amadeo label by Hans Koller and his New Jazz Stars, recorded live in 1955. By the time this material was recorded, Koller was already world famous, with his 1952 release on the US Discovery label receiving a five star rating in “down beat”, an unprecedented event for an European recording, considering the fact that European jazz was “non-existent” to most American critics (and still is to this very day to some extent). Following the departure of German pianist Jutta HippFind albums by this artist from Koller’s quintet, she was replaced by the Austrian composer / arranger / pianist Roland KovacFind albums by this artist, who was to become the source of most of the material the new quintet would play – hence the name of the album. The quintet perfected the “cool” jazz idiom, which was influenced by American players like Lee KonitzFind albums by this artist, Chet BakerFind albums by this artist and Gerry MulliganFind albums by this artist (Kovac played with them all when they visited Europe) and expanded it by adding classically influenced compositions and European scales and harmonies. This “transfigured“ cool jazz should be fascinating to true connoisseurs of the genre and the album is a most important document of the development of European jazz in general.

Updated: 28/05/2016Posted:

CD 1 Digipak Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

WLODZIMIERZ NAHORNY ~ FREEDOM BOOK / ECHOES OF HEYDAY SJ 066 (Barcode: 5902596066970) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2022 Released: 2022 Recently I realize that the Polish Jazz Olympus is getting sadly scarcely populated by its founding Forefathers, as the time goes by. Many of the great Polish Jazz musicians, that I knew for decades, are no longer with us, which of course makes me appreciate even more those, who are still around, and even more so if they are still creatively active. Wlodzimierz NahornyFind albums by this artist (born 1941 and active since 1959) belongs to this intimate group for many reasons, not only as a superb musician and composer, but also as a human being. This new album was recorded with his trio, which functions steadfastly since over thirty years, with bassist Mariusz BogdanowiczFind albums by this artist and drummer Piotr BiskupskiFind albums by this artist, which was expanded here to a quartet with the addition of the “young” (born 1985) trumpeter Piotr SchmidtFind albums by this artist. It presents eleven tracks, eight of which are original compositions by Nahorny and three are short quartet improvisations. The music is delightfully lyrical and superbly melodic, based on Nahorny’s unique capability to weave heartbreaking tunes, which are captivating and heartwrenching, but never simplistic. Despite some flirting with Avant-Garde during his early years, Nahorny remained a full blown Romantic for the majority of his composing career, and has very few competitors in this field on the local scene. The performances are all stellar, which is hardly surprising, with Nahorny still playing steadily and convincingly, Bogdanowicz providing excellent continuity and harmony to the proceedings and Biskupski gently but firmly keeping the chronometric time stamp just right. Schmidt is, for me, the absolute surprise of this album, as his trumpet playing sounds simply stupendous and sublimely sensuous, with a shadow of subconscious Chet BakerFind albums by this artist-ism, summarizing beautifully his enormous progress made during his career in the last few years, now joining the major league with full credentials. Overall, this album is an instant classic, which deserves to be heard by as many people as possible around the globe. This is European Jazz at its best, solid, beautiful and elegant, without an iota of pretentiousness and fakery. Despite its seemingly simplistic approach it is intelligent and highly professional, not to mention pleasing and genuinely musical. Well done Gentlemen!

Updated: 28/11/2022Posted: 28/11/2022

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend