Record Reviews

ANAT FORT ~ A LONG STORY ECM 1994 (Barcode: 602517014169) ~ ISRAEL ~ Jazz Recorded: 2004 Released: 2007 This is the first album on the prestigious ECM label by Israeli pianist / composer Anat FortFind albums by this artist and her second release to date. Fort is the first Israeli musician to release an album on ECM. The album was recorded in NY with a formidable quartet, which includes American Jazz players: clarinetist Perry RobinsonFind albums by this artist, bassist Ed SchullerFind albums by this artist and drummer Paul MotianFind albums by this artist, presenting a set of original compositions / improvisations by Anat, who manages to create her own musical universe, unique and distinct from any other music made on this planet, quite an accomplishment for any musician today. Somewhere between modern Jazz, contemporary Classical music, late 19th Century Romanticism and Eric Satie´s Minimalism, the music of Anat Fort is like an impressionist painting, full of melancholy and lyricism and yet sparkling with color and emotion. Her music is always receptive to the listener´s mood, enabling him to discover a different facet every time he listens attentively. It sounds great in early mornings and late at night, being invigorating and soothing at the same time. Of course there is also Anat, the player, gently caressing the keyboard and masterfully applying pressure, when necessary. And yet the album is not an easy listening experience, especially at the first attempt. As all good Art, it requires attentive and repetitive listening, slowly breaking the barrier of assimilating with the listener´s perception. It sneaks on you slowly, doing deeper and deeper ever time, until you are completely hooked, left helpless and fully exposed to its beauty. What bliss! In retrospect I prefer her next album "And IfFind albums with this title", which was recorded with her regular trio. Uninhibited by the presence of strong personalities she is able to express herself more fully on that album, which is all for the best. But personal preferences aside, this is still a formidable album and I can´t imagine any serious music lover not falling in love with this album eventually, even if it takes some effort. Therefore I urge everybody to give it a try, as you surely won´t regret it in the long run. Music of this quality is too rare to be left unnoticed! Visitors' Comments Christopher  Brice Thanks for the Introduction, Adam! I loved this at first play, and it has been playing on and off for the last 24 hours, getting better and better (apart from the one short ocarina section). Quite different from my other favourite piano quartets and trios on ECM, but it still has that special ECM clarity and delicacy of sound. Paul Motian is very restrained, almost as if in awe (which is not an emotion I normally associate with him), and of course he gets it just right. I have been waiting for an opportunity to hear Ed Schuller and he was worth the wait. When Adam recommended Anat I chose the this album because of Paul and Ed but now I´m hooked - Adam says "And If" is even better so I´m off to join the waiting list.

CD 1 Slipcase Recommend To A Friend

PAUL MOTIAN ~ PAUL MOTIAN ECM 2260/65 (Barcode: 602537223466) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1972 - 1984 Released: 2013 This superb Box Set contains the first six albums by the legendary American drummer / composer Paul MotianFind albums by this artist, released on the ECMFind albums on this label label, which are: "Conception VesselFind albums with this title" (ECM 1028) recorded 1972, "TributeFind albums with this title" (ECM 1048) recorded 1974, "DanceFind albums with this title" (ECM 1108) recorded 1977, "Le VoyageFind albums with this title" (ECM 1138) recorded 1979, "PsalmFind albums with this title" (ECM 1222) recorded 1981 and finally "It Should`ve Happened A Long Time AgoFind albums with this title" (ECM 1283) recorded 1984. Except for just two cases all the music is composed by Motian and performed by various ensembles: three are by a trio, two by quintet and one by sextet. The musicians include pianist Keith JarrettFind albums by this artist, guitarists Sam BrownFind albums by this artist and Bill FrisellFind albums by this artist, saxophonists Carlos WardFind albums by this artist, Charles BrackeenFind albums by this artist and Joe LovanoFind albums by this artist, bassists Charlie HadenFind albums by this artist, David IzenzonFind albums by this artist, Jean-Francois Jenny-ClarkFind albums by this artist and Ed SchullerFind albums by this artist and several others These albums are all superb examples of Motian´s talent as a composer, who is able to weave beautifully melodic tunes, which nevertheless are open enough to serve as vehicles for extensive improvisations. Except for the first album in this Box Set all other ensembles led by Motian are pianoless and relay mostly on guitar as the harmonic instrument, expressing Motian´s deep affection for this instrument. Of course Motian´s most important contribution to the Jazz idiom was his revolutionary approach to drumming, which in his case almost completely transformed the instrument´s role form time keeping tool to an instrument performing alongside the other instruments in the ensemble. Motian´s intimate and complex music may be somewhat difficult for a mainstream Jazz fan, but it truly deserves an open-minded effort to be penetrated and then enjoyed in full. This music is after all an important chapter in American Jazz, which is ambitious and highly aesthetic, and which manages to break from the stale traditionalism into new vistas. Side Note: These albums are not available on CD individually, so this is the only way to obtain them in CD form.

Updated: 26/01/2019Posted:

CD 6 Mini-Sleeve Box Set Recommend To A Friend

PAUL MOTIAN ~ THE COMPLETE REMASTERED RECORDINGS ON BLACK SAINT & SOUL NOTE CAM JAZZ 1008 (Barcode: 8024709114228) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1983 - 1992 Released: 2010 This superb Box Set collects all the albums recorded by the legendary American drummer / composer Paul MotianFind albums by this artist on the twin Italian independent labels: Black SaintFind albums on this label and Soul NoteFind albums on this label. Motian needs no introduction to any serious Jazz connoisseur; suffice to say that his prolific output and an outstanding career stretching over five decades until his death in 2011 are a testimony of a modern Jazz Giant. The music ranges in format from a quintet with saxophonists Jim PepperFind albums by this artist and Joe LovanoFind albums by this artist, guitarist Bill FrisellFind albums by this artist and bassist Ed SchullerFind albums by this artist, trio with Lovano and Frisell and duos with pianists Paul BleyFind albums by this artist and Enrico PieranunziFind 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! Visitors' Comments Christopher  Brice Fabulous - some really good wild early Frisell!

Updated: 12/04/2020Posted:

CD 6 Mini-Sleeve Box Set Remastered Recommend To A Friend

NICOLAS SIMION ~ TRANSYLVANIAN DANCE TUTU 888 164 (Barcode: 4015728881646) ~ ROMANIA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1994 Released: 1995 This is an album by Romanian (resident in Germany) Jazz saxophonist / composer / bandleader Nicolas SimionFind albums by this artist, recorded in a quartet setting with legendary Polish trumpeter Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist, American bassist Ed SchullerFind albums by this artist and drummer Victor JonesFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine tracks, all of which are original compositions by Simion, with Jones adding lyrics on one track. This is the second cooperation between Simion and Stanko, which includes also the “Dinner For Don CarlosFind albums with this title”, “Viaggio ImaginarioFind albums with this title” and “Unfinished SquareFind albums with this title” albums. For Polish Jazz fans and collectors these albums are absolutely essential. The music is a brilliant example of modern European Jazz, based on excellent compositions by the leader, with clear hints of Romanian Folklore and Gypsy music. All the instrumentalists have plenty of opportunity to solo and the ensemble work is also first class. For Stanko followers, the album offers some of his best performances from the mid-1990s, same as on the three a.m. albums. Overall, this is a superb piece European Jazz, with strong ties to Jazz-World Fusion and first class instrumental work by all the participants. Sadly, the album is rarely mentioned and is often omitted from discographies, despite its innovative music and excellent sound quality, which makes listening to it a real treat. Grab a copy as long as those are to be found!

Updated: 01/02/2024Posted: 01/02/2024

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

NICOLAS SIMION ~ UNFINISHED SQUARE 7DREAMS 106 (Barcode: 6421966000080) ~ ROMANIA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1996 Released: 2009 Romanian saxophonist / composer Nicolas SimionFind albums by this artist is one of the very few Jazz musicians from his native country to win an international recognition, which is a pity, as the Romanian scene has an interesting history and produced over the years many talented musicians. Due to the fact that Simion left Romania in 1988, living first in Austria and now in Germany, he managed to build an impressive career over the years, producing a substantial and impressive body of music. Upon his arrival in Austria, Simion became a part of the Austrian / German modern Jazz scene, playing and recording with many distinguished Jazz musicians active on that scene at the time. He recorded a series of excellent albums as a leader for the German TutuFind albums on this label label in the 1990s, which featured such distinguished Jazz players like Polish trumpeter Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist, American bassist Ed SchullerFind albums by this artist and many others. In the mid 1990s Simion composed music for a ballet called "Unfinished SquareFind albums with this title", which was to be performed by a Jazz combo and a full orchestra accompanying the dancers. The work was performed just once in August of 1996 and a month later Simion selected fragments of that ballet music and arranged them for a small Jazz ensemble, comprising of the usual cohorts he was playing with at the time, which recorded the music. In addition to Simion, Stanko and Schuller, the ensemble also included German trombonist Nils WogramFind albums by this artist, American drummer / percussionist Jamey HaddadFind albums by this artist and Austrian keyboardist Andreas MayerhoferFind albums by this artist. Another great Polish trumpeter, Piotr WojtasikFind albums by this artist, is featured on the last track only. The album comprises of nine tracks, which can be viewed as parts of a continuous suite. The music, although melody based, is mostly freely expanded by lengthy improvisations, with long and impressive solos by the leader and Stanko and stretches of group improvisations. There is a certain tension and profound spiritual magnetism present throughout the work, which enhances the listener´s overall impression. As usual with such music, it requires attentive listening and open-minded approach, but eventually becomes deeply rewarding. The performances are stellar, with Stanko blowing his magic notes like fakir charming a snake, Simion playing his heart out spreading clusters of convoluted tones and the rest of the team supporting and contributing their own elements, creating a mind-blowing, massive and often overwhelming wall of sound. This album is simply one more piece of the puzzle, which presents the strength and beauty of the European Jazz scene and its ability to produce works of profound artistic impact and aesthetic value. Why this music remained unreleased for thirteen years beats me, but finally available, should be a feast for all connoisseurs of modern Jazz. Brilliant stuff!

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

NICOLAS SIMION ~ VIAGGIO IMAGINARIO TUTU 888 192 (Barcode: 4015728881929) ~ ROMANIA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1995 Released: 1999 This is an album by Romanian (resident in Germany) Jazz saxophonist / composer / bandleader Nicolas SimionFind albums by this artist, recorded in a quartet setting with legendary Polish trumpeter Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist, American bassist Ed SchullerFind albums by this artist and drummer Peter PerfidoFind albums by this artist. Austrian trombonist Christian MuthspielFind albums by this artist, American bass guitarist Angus ThomasFind albums by this artist and percussionist Jamey HaddadFind albums by this artist guest on selected tracks. The album presents nine tracks, all of which are original compositions by Simion. This is the third cooperation between Simion and Stanko, which includes also the “Dinner For Don CarlosFind albums with this title”, “Transylvanian DanceFind albums with this title” and “Unfinished SquareFind albums with this title” albums. For Polish Jazz fans and collectors these albums are absolutely essential. The music is a brilliant example of modern European Jazz, based on excellent compositions by the leader, with clear hints of Romanian Folklore and Gypsy music. All the instrumentalists have plenty of opportunity to solo and the ensemble work is also first class. For Stanko followers, the album offers some of his best performances from the mid-1990s, same as on the three a.m. albums. Overall, this is a superb piece European Jazz, with strong ties to Jazz-World Fusion and first class instrumental work by all the participants. Sadly, the album is rarely mentioned and is often omitted from discographies, despite its innovative music and excellent sound quality, which makes listening to it a real treat. Grab a copy as long as those are to be found!

Updated: 01/02/2024Posted: 19/09/2023

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend