Record Reviews

HANS KOLLER ~ EXCLUSIV (MOST PERFECT SOUND EDITION) MPS 9813440 ~ AUSTRIA ~ Jazz This is the debut album on the German MPSFind albums on this label label by Austrian saxophonist, composer and bandleader Hans KollerFind albums by this artist and one of the most sought after collectors´ items of European Jazz for many years. It includes two separate sessions: the 1959 quartet recording for the German Radio (with American bassist Oscar PettifordFind albums by this artist, Hungarian guitarist Attila ZollerFind albums by this artist and Jimmy PrattFind albums by this artist on drums) and the 1963 nonet recording in the MPS studio in Villingen. The album summarizes perfectly the first period of Koller’s jazz career, when he played “conventional” jazz, similar to what was happening in the US at the time. The music moves stylistically between cool, be-bop and swing, all executed with elegance and technical perfection. Most of the compositions are originals by Koller and other band members (two by Pettiford), sublimely melodic and yet complex at the same time. The nonet session, which includes a six-piece sax section, is especially interesting, with superb brass arrangements with multi-layered harmonies and intricate interplay. In short this is a perfect example of how “conventional” jazz can be taken beyond the trivial and injected with added values, which elevate it to the level of perfection. Nothing but pure musical joy! Side Note The legendary German MPSFind albums on this label (Musik Produktion Schwarzwald) label, founded by Hans Georg Brunner-SchwerFind albums by this artist (HGBS) in 1963, first as SABAFind albums on this label Records and later on from 1968 as MPS Records, was the most important independent European record label, which had an enormous contribution to the development of European Jazz. For many years MPS cooperated with the legendary German producer / author Joachim BerendtFind albums by this artist, my Friend and Mentor, whose visionary approach and open-mindedness brought the crème de la crème of the Jazz (in the broadest meaning of the word) musicians from all over the world to the label. Between 1963 and 1983 MPS produced about five hundred albums, many of which are among the most important Jazz recordings on this planet. In 1983 the MPS catalog was sold to UniversalFind albums on this label, which sadly resulted in all those artistic treasures to almost disappear from the face of the earth – a situation not only tragic but culturally criminal. Universal reissued a part of the MPS albums (probably 128 titles) on CD between 1999 and 2011 under the "Most Perfect Sound Edition" moniker. Since 2008 the German Promising MusicFind albums on this label label released some of the MPS recordings, but at a very slow pace. In 2014 the German company Edel AG bought the MPS catalogue from Universal and released a series of 25 MPS albums on CD with a new slipcase graphic design, which brought all those excellent albums back to life. In 2015 Edel AG started to record and release new albums under the MPS moniker. In 2016 Edel AG released a series of 10 classic MPS albums on CD, which were beautifully remastered and re-packaged, presenting the original artwork and liner notes, as well as new liner notes and photographs. An obvious labor of love, these reissues are what the MPS catalogue truly deserves. This project was continued in 2017 with another series of 10 classic MPS albums released on CD. In later years some new reissues were released sporadically. Over the years many SABA / MPS albums were reissued in Japan, which is often the only available source for these albums today, but that is a story in itself.

Updated: 28/05/2018Posted:

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