Record Reviews

JANE IRA BLOOM ~ ART AND AVIATION ARABESQUE 107 (Barcode: 026724010729) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1992 Released: 1992 This is an album by American Jazz saxophonist / composer Jane Ira BloomFind albums by this artist, recorded with British Jazz trumpeter Kenny WheelerFind albums by this artist and American musicians: trumpeter Ron HortonFind albums by this artist, pianist Kenny WernerFind albums by this artist, bassists Rufus ReidFind albums by this artist or Michael FormanekFind albums by this artist and drummer Jerry GranelliFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine tracks, seven of which are original compositions by the leader and two are standards. As far as I know this is one of two recordings by Bloom with Wheeler and since it was released over thirty years ago it is not very easy to find. This is one of Wheeler’s recordings, which remains almost completely obscure and does not appear in most of his discographies. I was very lucky to get it from Kenny’s private collection. Bloom is one of my favorite American Jazz musicians / composers since she appeared on the scene in the 1980s. She is daring and original and is also one of the pioneers of incorporating electronics in her music. Her music sounds more like European Jazz rather than American, which is quite refreshing. This album has especially somewhat ECMish sound and atmosphere, which must have been influenced by Wheeler’s presence. For the many Wheeler followers, he can be heard playing some marvelous trumpet parts here, easily comparable to his best work on more renowned albums. Overall, this is an excellent modern Jazz album, performed by first class musicians and is absolutely worth digging for, not only for the great contributions by Kenny Wheeler, but no less importantly for the splendid music and superb performances by the entire team.

Updated: 12/05/2023Posted: 29/03/2023

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

JANE IRA BLOOM ~ THE NEARNESS ARABESQUE 120 (Barcode: 026724012020) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1995 Released: 1996 This is an album by American Jazz saxophonist / composer Jane Ira BloomFind albums by this artist, recorded with British Jazz trumpeter Kenny WheelerFind albums by this artist and American musicians: trombonist Julian PriesterFind albums by this artist, pianist Fred HerschFind albums by this artist, bassist Rufus ReidFind albums by this artist and drummer Bobby PreviteFind albums by this artist. The album presents thirteen tracks, eight of which are original compositions by the leader and five are standards. As far as I know this is the second recording by Bloom with Wheeler, following the “Art And AviationFind albums with this title” album from 1992, and since it was released almost thirty years ago it is not very easy to find. This is one of Wheeler’s recordings, which remains almost completely obscure and does not appear in most of his discographies. I was very lucky to get it from Kenny’s private collection. Bloom is one of my favorite American Jazz musicians / composers since she appeared on the scene in the 1980s. She is daring and original and is also one of the pioneers of incorporating electronics in her music. Her music sounds more like European Jazz rather than American, which is quite refreshing. This album has especially somewhat ECMish sound and atmosphere, which must have been influenced by Wheeler’s presence. For the many Wheeler followers, he can be heard playing some marvelous trumpet parts here, easily comparable to his best work on more renowned albums. Overall, this is an excellent modern Jazz album, performed by first class musicians and is absolutely worth digging for, not only for the great contributions by Kenny Wheeler, but no less importantly for the splendid music and superb performances by the entire team.

Updated: 29/05/2023Posted: 29/05/2023

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

KLAUS KONIG ORCHESTRA ~ AT THE END OF THE UNIVERSE ENJA 6078 (Barcode: 063757607823) ~ GERMANY ~ Big Band Jazz Recorded: 1990 Released: 1991 This is the third album by German composer / conductor Klaus KonigFind albums by this artist, recorded live at the Berlin JazzFest with a large Orchestra comprising of many top European and some American Jazz musicians, including British Jazz trumpeter Kenny WheelerFind albums by this artist, Russian (resident in Germany) pianist Simon NabatovFind albums by this artist, French clarinetist Louis SclavisFind albums by this artist, American saxophonist Jane Ira BloomFind albums by this artist and many more. The album presents eight tracks, all composed by Konig, which are parts of a suite, which as the title suggests, is dedicated to the British Sci-Fi writer Douglas AdamsFind albums by this artist. Wheeler took part also in a recording of the fifth album by Konig, entitled “Time FragmentsFind albums with this title”. Since this is a large orchestral recording, Wheeler’s soloing is perhaps less prominent than on his small group recordings, but is especially important here, in view of Kenny’s love of large ensembles. Both albums seem to be available without much ado. This is one of Wheeler’s recordings, which remains almost completely obscure and does not appear in most of his discographies. I was very lucky to get it from Kenny’s private collection. The music is an absolutely fascinating European Orchestral Jazz, which offers some melodic themes but the performance is full of very open / Free Form improvisations, which altogether offers a challenging, but highly rewarding listening experience and a great example of the European approach to Big Band music, which is diametrically opposed to the American Tradition. Konig certainly manages to combine the basic elements of the Jazz tradition with contemporary / almost Avant-Garde facets of the genre and the result is simply astounding. His work as a composer is certainly highly unconventional and deserves to be followed, as his recording legacy certainly proves. Overall, this is an excellent modern Big Band / Orchestral Jazz album, performed by first class musicians, which is absolutely worth digging for, not only for the great contributions by Kenny Wheeler, but no less importantly for the splendid music and superb performances by the entire team.

Updated: 04/04/2023Posted: 02/04/2023

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend