Record Reviews

JAZZ Q ~ JAZZ Q (EXPANDED EDITION BOX SET) SUPRAPHON 5872 (Barcode: 099925587222) ~ CZECHOSLOVAKIA ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1973 - 1986 Released: 2007 This wonderful reissue Box Set collects all the recordings by the Czechoslovak ensemble Jazz QFind albums by this artist. It is a brilliant document of the music scene, which thrived in Czechoslovakia (and other so-called "Socialist" Eastern European countries behind the Iron Curtain) following the 1968 Prague Spring, cut short by the brutal invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Warsaw Pact armies. Although the liberalization and reform that the Czechoslovak People yearned for was crushed by force and had to wait for two more decades to be finally achieved, the spirit of the Prague Spring lived on in People´s hearts and Arts were one of the areas where these feelings could be manifested, albeit carefully in view of the censorship and persecution. Jazz was an escape route to many Eastern European musicians, as it was tolerated and even supported by the Socialist regime (for reasons, which are beyond the scope of this review) and by the early 1970s many Rock musicians collaborated with their Jazz colleagues in order to avoid the scrutiny, which "decadent" Rock suffered from, in contrast to the relative liberal approach to Jazz. This strengthened the Jazz-Rock movement, which at the time was gaining worldwide popularity, with many Jazz-Rock Fusion ensembles active on the Czech music scene from the early 1970s to mid 1980s, with Jazz Q being the best and most important representative of that phenomenon. It was formed by the legendary keyboardist / composer Martin KratochvilFind albums by this artist and during the decade of its activity included in its ranks a long list of superb Czech musicians, like guitarists Lubos AndrstFind albums by this artist and Frantisek FranclFind albums by this artist, bassists Vladimir PadrunekFind albums by this artist and Premysl FauknerFind albums by this artist, drummers Jaromir HelesicFind albums by this artist and Pavol KozmaFind albums by this artist and many others. The British vocalist Joan DugganFind albums by this artist (wife of Frantisek Francl), who lived in Czechoslovakia at the time was also a member of the group as was the Czech vocalist Jana KoubkovaFind albums by this artist. Kratochvil wrote most of the fantastic music played by Jazz Q, although some of the material came from various band members. In their live performances the ensemble also included standards. This Box Set includes all six studio albums recorded by Jazz Q, an archival live album released only in the 1990s and a whole CD of bonus material. In retrospect this is some of the best Eastern European Jazz-Rock, which should not be missed by any connoisseur of the genre. An essential piece of music history!

Updated: 26/01/2019Posted:

CD 8 Mini-Sleeve Box Set Remastered Bonus Tracks Essential Recommend To A Friend

JAZZ Q ~ POZOROVATELNA (THE WATCH-TOWER) (EXPANDED EDITION) GAD 068 (Barcode: 5901549197914) ~ CZECHOSLOVAKIA ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1973 Released: 2018 This is a reissue of the 2nd album (but really a debut as the earlier album was recorded with another group called Blue EffectFind albums by this artist) by seminal Czechoslovak Jazz-Rock Fusion band Jazz QFind albums by this artist, led by keyboardist / composer Martin KratochvilFind albums by this artist, which at the time also included the legendary guitarist Lubos AndrstFind albums by this artist, bassist Vladimir PadrunekFind albums by this artist and drummer Michal VrbovecFind albums by this artist. British, resident in Czechoslovakia at the time, vocalist Joan DugganFind albums by this artist, guests on one track and violinist Rudolf ChalupskiFind albums by this artist guests on another. This remastered 2CD edition includes the original album on the first CD and bonus material, which includes early versions of the compositions, radio and live recordings, mostly previously unreleased, on the second CD. Except for one tune, all the music is original and was composed mostly by Kratochvil and the other members of the band. Forty five years after this music was recorded it still sounds remarkably fresh and powerful, standing shoulder to shoulder with the best early Jazz-Rock Fusion albums recorded at the time anywhere on the globe. In many respects this music managed to stay more relevant than many of the most influential albums recorded beyond the Iron Curtain, that are still considered classic of the genre today. The music on the original album presents a coherent ambience, full of mystery and suspension, quite minimalistic in many respects, especially in view of other Fusion albums. The melodic content is moody and subdued, and the instrumentalist perform with great delicacy and reserve, almost unheard of in the Fusion idiom. The overall result is that of a magic journey through space and time, which is fascinating and completely absorbing. In spite of the minimalistic approach the four members of the band present plenty of their virtuosic abilities, with Andrst simply tearing the space-time continuum to shreds. His incredible Blues feel, although not dominant here, is absolutely Godly. The bonus tracks reveal other facets of the quartet, with more vibrant and energetic material, all of which offers a superb sonic quality, which bonus tracks often lack. The material is quite mixed and offers a diverse stylistic ambience, with Jazz, Blues and Fusion pieces all present and which allow the players to show more of their excellent capabilities. As a result these bonus tracks are all worth being present here and listened to and are the antidote of the "filler" approach that so many reissues suffer from. Overall this is one of the greatest albums recorded by Eastern European musicians ever, not only within the Jazz-Rock idiom, but generally. Every second of this music counts and having it back in circulation is an absolute delight. This is an absolutely essential piece of musical history and a must have item in any decent music collection. Congrats to GADFind albums on this label Records again for the splendid and dedicated work of love!

Updated: 13/01/2025Posted: 13/04/2018

CD 2 Remastered Bonus Tracks Essential Recommend To A Friend

JAZZ Q ~ SYMBIOSIS (EXPANDED EDITION) GAD 170 (Barcode: 5903068121999) ~ CZECHOSLOVAKIA ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1973 - 1975 Released: 2021 This is a reissue of the 3rd album by Czechoslovak Jazz-Rock Fusion band Jazz QFind albums by this artist, led by keyboardist / composer Martin KratochvilFind albums by this artist, originally released in 1974. The lineup that recorded this album includes also guitarist Frantisek FranclFind albums by this artist, bassist Vladimir PadrunekFind albums by this artist, drummer Michal VrbovecFind albums by this artist and British vocalist Joan DugganFind albums by this artist, as well as several guests on selected tracks. The original album, which is included here on the first CD, presented five tracks, one of which lasts over sixteen minutes, two composed by Padrunek and three by Kratochvil. This expanded edition includes also a second CD with twelve bonus tracks, recorded between 1973 and 1975, all composed by Kratochvil, originating from radio recordings and club appearances, mostly previously unreleased. As usual with GADFind albums on this label releases, the album includes informative in-depth (bi-lingual) liner notes, photographs and detailed information about dates and places of recording. With the change of the guitar player and addition of a vocalist, the music of Jazz Q expanded to include some Blues-Rock elements in addition to the Fusion elements that characterized the band from its conception. Duggan was a sole native English language female vocalist behind the Iron Curtain, which gave the band immediately a “Western” aura, so desired by all East European bands. Francl was obviously a brilliant guitar player with a deep feel for both Blues and Fusion and combined with Kratochvil’s brilliant compositions, Jazz Q were simply unstoppable. Fusion fans should find the track “Toledo” (on the bonus CD) especially fascinating, as it was recorded three years before Chick CoreaFind albums by this artist’s “My Spanish HeartFind albums with this title”, but sounds as if taken from that album. The music is absolutely timeless and amalgamates many influences, both the obvious ones like Jazz, Rock and Blues, but also subtle Folk and Classical music accents (see the Orchestral pieces on the bonus CD). Combined with the superb musicianship found here, this album is a true gem from start to finish. The fact that this music had no chance to reach listeners in Western Europe at the time is a travesty, which can now be easily rectified. Overall, this is obviously one of the best East European albums recorded at the time, and although it is almost fifty years old, it sounds absolutely fresh and exciting. As usual, hats off to GAD Records for bringing this treasure back to life and expanding it with additional brilliant music, which deserves to be heard and should not be forgotten. No decent Fusion record collection is complete without this album in it. Absolutely essential!

Updated: 13/01/2025Posted: 14/01/2022

CD 2 Remastered Bonus Tracks Essential Recommend To A Friend

JAZZ Q ~ ZIVI SE DIVI GAD 010 (Barcode: 5901549197105) ~ CZECHOSLOVAKIA ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1975 Released: 2013 This is a real treat! The Czechoslovak band Jazz QFind albums by this artist was always one of my favorites since the time they first arrived on the scene in the early 1970 and I loved their albums to bits. The band epitomized the Eastern European Jazz-Rock Fusion better than any other singular band of their time and had absolutely no competition, neither in their own country nor in any other Eastern European countries, although the competition was very fierce with some excellent Polish, Hungarian and other local bands. A few years ago the Czech SupraphonFind albums on this label label (which was a State monopoly during the Socialist regime when the group was active) released a wonderful Box Set, which included all the albums and some additional material Jazz Q recorded for the label. Those eight CDs spun on my player for weeks on end and I was blissfully happy to have the "complete" Jazz Q legacy at my disposal. But as we all know, nothing is ever truly "complete" as this CD proves and a beautiful piece of the puzzle was missing for all these years, now available at last. Jazz Q were unique in every respect; the founder and principal composer keyboardist Martin KratochvilFind albums by this artist was an absolute genius, light-years ahead of everything that what was happening on the East European Fusion scene at the time and a musician that could easily stand shoulder to shoulder with the top movers and shakers of the worldwide Fusion scene, including the John McLaughlinFind albums by this artist´s Mahavishnu OrchestraFind albums by this artist, which was the model for his band. Kratochvil skillfully surrounded himself with other brilliant players, such as the ones appearing on this album: guitarist Frantisek FranclFind albums by this artist, saxophonist / violinist Jan MartinecFind albums by this artist, bassist Premysl FauknerFind albums by this artist and drummer Libor LaunFind albums by this artist. The band also featured the female vocalist (and Francl´s wife at the time) Joan DugganFind albums by this artist. All these musicians were virtuosi players, as is plainly evident to anyone listening to this album, and they were an ideal vehicle to present Kratochvil´s extraordinary music, which was often devilishly clever and complex. This live recording presents Jazz Q performing nine pieces, five of which are Kratochvil´s original composition, one is credited to the entire band and the remaining ones are composed by Eddie HarrisFind albums by this artist, Billy CobhamFind albums by this artist and John McLaughlinFind albums by this artist respectively, which is hardly surprising again as these the names associated with Fusion at the time. All these composition receive as extended treatment, which allow lengthy improvisations by the principal soloists (guitar, keyboards and violin), which are all breathtaking. The music lost absolutely nothing of its vitality, sophistication and honesty over the years and emphasizes the fact that music of such quality is almost never played today, a sad reflection of our times. If it was in my power, I´d make this album an obligatory part of every musical curriculum, hoping that it would open some people´s eyes and make them see the difference between senseless doodling and real music. Although criminally overdue, this is nevertheless a wonderful breath of fresh (albeit actually only well preserved) air, which makes life worth living.

Updated: 26/01/2019Posted:

CD 1 Remastered Essential Recommend To A Friend