Record Reviews

USCHI BRUNING / ERNST-LUDWIG PETROWSKY ~ KONTRASTE EDEL CONTENT 4029759080510 (Barcode: 4029759080510) ~ GERMANY ~ Jazz Recorded: 1987 Released: 2012 This is a reissue (first time on CD) of the phenomenal album by the Avant-Garde duet of female vocalist Uschi BruningFind albums by this artist and the iconic East German Jazz multi-instrumentalist (flute / clarinet / saxophone) / composer Ernst-Ludwig PetrowskyFind albums by this artist. Together they perform twelve tunes, eight of which were composed by Petrowsky, one by Bruning, another one by East German Jazz musician Eberhard WeiseFind albums by this artist and the remaining two are standards. Bruning, who except for one case is not singing lyrics and only uses her voice to produce wordless vocalese, is an absolute maverick, freely moving between melodic passages into screams, shouts and shrill almost operatic high tones. Connected telepathically to Petrowsky, together they produce a series of duets, which redefine the meaning of Avant-Garde Jazz vocals. Petrowsky is brilliant regardless which instrument he chooses to play on a given tune, and his diverse stylistic approaches are plainly demonstrated herein. Absurdly, he is the "more conventional" performer on this album, in contrast to his traditional position of innovator and groundbreaker. The pair manages to create a wonderful balance, which results in this highly unconventional music to be almost "easy" for the listener. Of course the label "Art of the Duo" applies without reservation to this album. Listening to this music in retrospect one can not cease to wonder how on earth such unconventional, free-spirited, Avant-Garde and plainly anti-establishment subversive music was not only recorded but also released on a State owned label in the most oppressive Socialist Country at the time, famous for its infamous Stasi secret police. But people familiar with the history of Jazz behind the Iron Curtain know of the existence of endless such absurdities. Another question of course is why the people under oppression produced such daring music whereas those living in the "free world" were at the same time recording mostly absolutely obscene garbage. Side Note: As all the East European countries under the Socialist regime, East Germany, or DDR as it was known at the time, had only one state owned and controlled Music Company, which released most of its productions on the AmigaFind albums on this label label. Among the many Amiga releases the legendary "orange J" series was dedicated to Jazz recordings, many of which were licenses from the West, but others were original productions, mostly of Jazz made in DDR. Some of these releases, like the one described above, were absolute gems. Following the unification of Germany, the Amiga albums disappeared from the face of the earth and only in 2012 a German label reissued 15 Amiga Jazz albums on CD. They are all worth checking out!

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted: 11/05/2016

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

JERZY MILIAN ~ STIGMA GAD 107 (Barcode: 5903068120480) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz Recorded: 1970 Released: 2019 This is the eighth installment of the archival series released by GADFind albums on this label Records, which presents the work of Polish Jazz vibraphonist / composer / bandleader Jerzy MilianFind albums by this artist. This chapter is dedicated to Milian´s recordings from 1970, done in Berlin (then DDR) with the Ensemble Studio 4Find albums by this artist, a septet led by saxophonist Ernst-Ludwig PetrowskyFind albums by this artist and including trumpeter Joachim GrasswurmFind albums by this artist, trombonist Hubert KatzenbeisserFind albums by this artist, saxophonist / clarinetist Werner SchmidtFind albums by this artist, pianist Eberhard WeiseFind albums by this artist, bassist Klaus KochFind albums by this artist and drummer Wolfgang WinklerFind albums by this artist. The septet performs four compositions by Milian, also arranged by him. Additional three compositions by Milian are performed by the Rundfunk Tanzorchester BerlinFind albums by this artist, conducted by Gunter GollaschFind albums by this artist, a cooperation that would continue for the next fourteen years. Milian plays vibraphone on five tracks, both with the septet and the orchestra. The music is a wonderful example of modern European Jazz, with both the septet and the Big Band pieces reflecting Milian´s fascination with the Third Stream idiom. The septet included some of the most important East German Jazz players at the time, many of which founded the Avant-Garde / Free Jazz scene in East Germany, which was known by its adventurous explorations and radical approach, which for some reason where tolerated by the State censorship, often considered as the sternest behind the Iron Curtain. Therefore it is quite natural that the tracks with the septet are quite challenging and free spirited, and the fact that this music was strictly composed often seems to be lost in the heat of the execution. The orchestral pieces are obviously more "well behaved", but still complex enough to rise a brow fifty years later. The orchestra included many excellent instrumentalists (Petrowsky among them), who performed the difficult music without a hitch, and therefore the result is not surprising, but still awe inspiring Milian´s compositions are absolutely brilliant and remain completely valid, often sounding as if composed today. Sophisticated, elegant, clever and beautifully structured, this music is alive and kicking as it was at the time it was created. Overall this is an incredible piece of Polish / European Jazz history, which absolutely deserves to be heard and studied. With Milian´s passing it is even more important to document his work and bring it to the public. For orchestral Jazz and East European Jazz enthusiasts this album and all the albums released in this archival series are an absolute must!

Updated: 12/03/2020Posted: 12/03/2020

CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend