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  | 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 ~ EYES OF THE HEART
ECM 1150 (Barcode: 042282547620) ~ USA ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1976 Released: 1988
This live recording by the US quartet led by pianist / composer Keith JarrettFind albums by this artist with saxophonist Dewey RedmanFind albums by this artist, bassist Charlie HadenFind albums by this artist and drummer Paul MotianFind albums by this artist was originally released as a 3-sided 2LP set (one of a very few such releases, with side 4 left blank), due to the limited playtime of the vinyl format - now it fits perfectly on one CD. The music includes basically one tune (the album´s title), which is split into two parts (again as a result of LP´s sides) and an encore played by the quartet during the concert, which resided on the third vinyl side. While composed by Jarrett, the music is largely improvised, especially when extended into a half an hour long performance. The emotional depth is staggering and the virtuosity of the players, although universally known as a fact, is always astounding. A rare moment of musical ingenuity and aesthetic beauty captured for eternity… a must!
| | | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
  | KEITH JARRETT ~ HAMBURG `72
ECM 2422 (Barcode: 602547042569) ~ USA ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1972 Released: 2014
The piano trio with bassist Charlie HadenFind albums by this artist and drummer Paul MotianFind albums by this artist was Keith JarrettFind albums by this artist´s first ensemble as a leader and he recorded several albums with the trio before adding saxophonist Dewey RedmanFind albums by this artist, creating the so called American quartet. By the time this music was recorded the trio did not perform any more as such and it is probably one of the last if not the last concert they played together, which was recorded. Jarrett plays primarily the piano but also flute, soprano saxophone and percussion. The album includes six compositions, four of which are his ("Everything That Lives Laments" was recorded on the trio´s last album "The Mourning Of A StarFind albums with this title" / "Take Me Back" was recorded on Jarrett´s "ExpectationsFind albums with this title" album just a couple on months earlier), one is by his (then) wife Margot and one by Haden (the famous "Song For Che").
This was a transition period for Jarrett, following his early solo career and the stint with Miles Davis, but before he found his true individual voice, which reached its apex in his trio with bassist Gary PeacockFind albums by this artist and drummer Jack DeJohnetteFind albums by this artist. The seeds of greatness are of course there, but not the fully blossomed genius. Therefore this album suffers from the same problems all the rest of the recordings by that trio suffer from: a lack of focus and consistency. On the other hand it is the best sounding recording (which is hardly surprising) of this trio´s releases.
Overall this is a very important historical document as far as Jarrett´s career is concerned, obviously essential to Jarrett´s enthusiasts following his career closely (and buying absolutely every album he is on), but hardly Jarrett at his absolute best, a curiosity rather than a groundbreaking statement.
God only knows (and perhaps Manfred EicherFind albums by this artist, but it is highly possible they are one and the same) how spacious the ECMFind albums on this label vaults are and how many more archival Jarrett´s albums are going to surface in the future. Hopefully they will prove to be more exciting than this one.
| | | CD 1 Slipcase 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 |
  | KEITH JARRETT ~ THE IMPULSE YEARS 1973-1974
IMPULSE! 237 (Barcode: 011105023726) ~ USA ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1973 - 1974 Released: 1997
During the 1970’s Keith JarrettFind albums by this artist was living a double musical life, leading two completely different quartets – The American one (which recorded on Impulse!Find albums on this label - captured here) and the European / Nordic one, with which he recorded on ECMFind albums on this label. The ECM recordings brought him much glory and fame (in addition to his famous solo-piano recordings on that label), but the recordings with the American quartet, which included Dewey RedmanFind albums by this artist on reeds, Charlie HadenFind albums by this artist on bass and Paul MotianFind albums by this artist on drums, remain somewhat overlooked / neglected by the jazz enthusiasts. This is of course a great pity, as these revolutionary performances include some of the finest Jarrett’s moments captured on record, as well as brilliant achievements by the members of his quartet. This brilliant Box Set is the companion to the other set, which includes Jarrett’s other recordings on Impulse! (Mysteries: The Impulse Years 1975-1977Find albums with this title, which unfortunately seems to be out of print). It includes material previously released on four Jarrett albums: Fort YawuhFind albums with this title, Treasure IslandFind albums with this title, Death And The FlowerFind albums with this title and BackhandFind albums with this title, but totals in almost double amount of music, with many previously unreleased tracks and tracks released here in their unedited (full) form. The music is of course typical Jarrett, moving constantly between melody and free form, somewhat expanding on the Ornette Coleman legacy, but always very individual and unique only to Jarrett. Redman is also at his best here, especially when captured live (the first 2 CDs were recorded live at the Village Vanguard). This is undoubtedly some of the best American jazz ever and hopefully more people will decide to re-visit these wonderful musical moments.
| | Updated: 26/08/2020Posted: | CD 5 Box Set Remastered Bonus Tracks Essential Recommend To A Friend |
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