Record Reviews

JULIE DRISCOLL / BRIAN AUGER / TRINITY ~ LIVE ON AIR 1967-68 LONDON CALLING 5031 (Barcode: 5053792503117) ~ UK ~ Jazz-Pop Fusion Recorded: 1967 - 1968 Released: 2019 This is an archival release of TV and live club performances by the legendary British vocalist Julie DriscollFind albums by this artist and keyboardist / composer Brian AugerFind albums by this artist and his TrinityFind albums by this artist, which were at the peak of their commercial success when these recordings were made. The Trinity lineup changed several times in this period and included guitarists Gary BoyleFind albums by this artist and Vic BriggsFind albums by this artist, bassists Roger SuttonFind albums by this artist, Rick LairdFind albums by this artist and Dave AmbroseFind albums by this artist and drummers Clive ThackerFind albums by this artist, Micky WallerFind albums by this artist and Clem CattiniFind albums by this artist. The album presents twelve tracks recorded in UK and France, which include several versions of the same songs, overall seven songs from the repertoire of Driscoll and Auger albums released at the time. The quality of these historic recording varies but overall is good enough to be listened to and enjoyed in full. Auger is of course one of the forefathers of Jazz-Rock Fusion and his Hammond performances are second to none to this very day. Deeply rooted in Jazz, Auger managed to create a wonderful amalgam of Jazz / Groove / Soul / Rock, which proved be as popular at the time as the most commercial recordings. He is still active today, five decades later. Driscoll was one of the most idiosyncratic British Pop stars of all times and her performances in the late 1960s stand proudly side by side by the most important female Rock vocalist of the era. She later married the British Avant-Garde pianist / composer Keith Tippett and changed her vocal style into innovative Avant-Garde vocal Jazz explorations. She is also still active today, five decades later. One of the tracks on this album offers a recording of Driscoll supported by a large orchestra, which is absolutely unique in her discography. Considering the fact that the recorded legacy of Driscoll, Auger and the Trinity is relatively limited, every scrap of recorded music featuring their unique talents is invaluable. Side Note Obiterdictum Ltd, a company based in Cyprus (oh well you know the story… copyright laws and legal issues) releases mostly live recorded radio broadcasts from the 1960s on and offers an amazing source of music which was never officially released by some of the best Classic Rock and Jazz artists. The catalogue offers five hundred releases, which is an absolute treasure chest of music history, often appearing for the first time. Although the sound quality and sometimes also music quality range from absolutely brilliant to pretty poor, most of the material is surely listenable, especially after being remastered recently, and more importantly offers music which is not available elsewhere. The company releases the albums under several sub-labels: Air CutsFind albums on this label, EchoesFind albums on this label, Hi HatFind albums on this label, HotspurFind albums on this label, InterferenceFind albums on this label, KeyholeFind albums on this label, KlondikeFind albums on this label, Live On VinylFind albums on this label, London CallingFind albums on this label, OrbitFind albums on this label, Rox VoxFind albums on this label and Sound StageFind albums on this label. There is no ironclad logic as to what material appears on which label, except perhaps some internal considerations by the Obiterdictum owners. Approach with caution, but keep in mind that some of these releases are absolutely brilliant!

Updated: 27/07/2019Posted: 27/07/2019

CD 1 Digipak Remastered Recommend To A Friend

MICHAEL GIBBS ~ REVISITING TANGLEWOOD 63: THE EARLY TAPES JAZZ IN BRITAIN 24 (Barcode: 5060774190227) ~ UK ~ Big Band Jazz Recorded: 1970 Released: 2021 This is an archival album by British trombonist / composer / bandleader Michael GibbsFind albums by this artist, which presents two radio broadcasts of live sessions, recorded in May and November of 1970. The lineups of the Orchestra / Big Band (thirteen or sixteen members respectively) consists of Top British Jazz musicians at the time, some of which took part in the recording of the seminal “Tanglewood 63Find albums with this title” album, which was recorded shortly after the second session. The collective personnel includes: trumpeters Henry LowtherFind albums by this artist, Nigel CarterFind albums by this artist and Harold BeckettFind albums by this artist, trombonists Malcolm GriffithsFind albums by this artist, Chris PyneFind albums by this artist and Gibbs, tuba player Dick HartFind albums by this artist, saxophonists Stan SulzmannFind albums by this artist, Alan SkidmoreFind albums by this artist, Jim PhillipFind albums by this artist and Tony RobertsFind albums by this artist, pianist Mick PyneFind albums by this artist, guitarist Chris SpeddingFind albums by this artist, bass guitarist Roy BabbingtonFind albums by this artist, bassist Jeff ClyneFind albums by this artist, drummers John MarshallFind albums by this artist and Clive ThackerFind albums by this artist and finally vibraphonist / percussionist Frank RicottiFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven tracks, four from the first session and three from the second. Those include all five compositions included on the “Tanglewood 63” album. In addition, it also presents “Country RoadsFind albums with this title”, written by Gary Burton and Steve Swallow, which appeared first on the Burton’s 1968 album by the same name, which included a couple of compositions by Gibbs and one co-composed piece by Gibbs and Burton, and which would have to wait for a couple of years to appear on the 1972 Gibbs “Just AheadFind albums with this title” album. The last track is “June The 15, 1967”, which appeared initially on the Burton’s 1967 “Lofty Fake AnagramsFind albums with this title” album, which also included two compositions by Gibbs, including this one, and which would have to wait for forty-two years to appear on the 2012 Gibbs “Back In The DaysFind albums with this title” album. The music is, as everything Gibbs ever recorded, absolutely heavenly, both as far as the compositions and the performances are concerned. The formidable team of musicians, under his direction, is able to achieve peaks never earlier encountered in British Jazz orchestral music, and these archival recordings are absolutely fascinating, especially when compared to the final version of most of the music included here, recorded on the “Tanglewood 63” album. So far, this is definitely my favorite release on the new Jazz In BritainFind albums on this label label, which does a splendid job digging out treasures from dusty vaults, especially so because this album also offers the best sound quality of all their releases so far. So as usual, hats off for the team behind the label and waiting for more of your gems. A bit more attention to details won’t hurt…

Updated: 29/06/2021Posted: 28/06/2021

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend