Record Reviews
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  | FUN HORNS ~ NATURAL MUSIC
EDEL CONTENT 4029759080572 (Barcode: 4029759080572) ~ GERMANY ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1988 Released: 2012
This is a reissue (first time on CD) of the excellent debut album by the East German quartet Fun HornsFind albums by this artist, which consisted of saxophonist Volker SchlottFind albums by this artist, flautist / saxophonist Thomas KlemmFind albums by this artist, trombonist Jorg HukeFind albums by this artist and trumpeter Joachim HesseFind albums by this artist. They perform ten pieces, seven of which are originals co-composed by all four members of the quartet, one is a Classical piece, one was composed by Schlott and the last one was composed by John TchicaiFind albums by this artist.
The music is a phenomenal mixture completely cross-genre brilliant music, which emphasizes the possibilities of a horn quartet without the rhythm section. These brilliant compositions and extraordinary performances are simply breathtaking and in retrospect light years ahead of their time. As all the reissues of the East German recordings, this album also demonstrates that political oppression can not win over talent and human ingenuity.
Connoisseurs of horn (brass) music will find this album absolutely irresistible, regardless if the music played is Classical, Jazz or Avant-Garde. The virtuosic performances and superbly clever arrangements are above all delightful and aesthetically charming and the incredible sense of humor turns this music into a rare gem. Wholeheartedly recommended!
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: 10/06/2016 | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
  | CECIL TAYLOR ~ MUSIC FROM TWO CONTINENTS
FSR 2021/16 (Barcode: 5904441617009) ~ USA ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music
Recorded: 1984 Released: 2021
This is archival album recorded live in 1984 at the annual Jazz Jamboree festival in Warsaw. It presents an international ensemble led by American pianist / composer Cecil TaylorFind albums by this artist and ten additional players, both Americans and Europeans (hence the title), which includes Polish trumpeter Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist, Italian trumpeter Enrico RavaFind albums by this artist, German trombonist Conrad BauerFind albums by this artist, American saxophonists Jimmy LyonsFind albums by this artist and Frank Wright Jr.Find albums by this artist, Danish saxophonist John TchicaiFind albums by this artist, American bassoonist Karen LyonsFind albums by this artist, German bass clarinetist / vibraphonist Gunter HampelFind albums by this artist, American bassist William ParkerFind albums by this artist and drummer Henry MartinezFind albums by this artist. The album presents one continuous track lasting for almost sixty-two minutes.
The music is spontaneously improvised by the eleven members of the ensemble, based on directions / ideas put forward by the leader. It has little variation in tempo and intensity and offers a brilliant example of group improvisation, which in this case is performed by some of the leaders of the genre, all assembled on one stage at the same time.
There are many extensive solo fragments performed by individual musicians, supported in the background by the ensemble members, as well as solos played concurrently by several musicians, with Taylor and the rhythm section playing continuously.
For listeners not familiar with Free Jazz / Improvised Music all this might of course sound like a complete chaos, which has no meaning whatsoever, but a trained ear is able to hear both the group dynamics and the individual contributions, which are often stellar. Improvised Music requires certain “brainwaves” activity, which only some humans are equipped with.
The fact that this music was recorded in Warsaw and that Stanko was invited to take part in the concert speaks volumes about how highly Poland and Polish musicians were regarded at the time by the international scene, despite the fact that it was still deeply behind the Iron Curtain. Stanko of course proves that he is able to stand shoulder to shoulder both with the other Europeans and the Americans.
Overall, this is an important document of the genre and the Polish Jazz scene at the time. The music was of course recorded by the Polish Radio, which recorded all Jazz Jamboree concerts, and the fact that it was dug out and released by the FSRFind albums on this label label, means that those radio archives are terribly neglected.
| | Updated: 31/01/2022Posted: 31/01/2022 | CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
  | CECIL TAYLOR ~ THE COMPLETE REMASTERED RECORDINGS ON BLACK SAINT & SOUL NOTE
CAM JAZZ 1007 (Barcode: 8024709114129) ~ USA ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1979 - 1986 Released: 2010
This superb Box Set collects all the albums recorded by the legendary American pianist / composer Cecil TaylorFind albums by this artist on the twin Italian independent labels: Black SaintFind albums on this label and Soul NoteFind albums on this label. Taylor needs no introduction to any serious Jazz connoisseur; suffice to say that his prolific output epitomizes the idioms of Free Jazz / improvised Music far more than any of his contemporaries. The music ranges in format from orchestra to solo piano performances and includes the legendary duets with drummer Max RoachFind albums by this artist. Other musicians playing on these four albums (one double) include: trumpeters Enrico RavaFind albums by this artist and Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist, saxophonists Jimmy LyonsFind albums by this artist, John TchicaiFind albums by this artist and Gunter HampelFind albums by this artist, bassist William ParkerFind albums by this artist, drummer Steve McCallFind albums by this artist and others. 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!
| | Updated: 12/04/2020Posted: | CD 5 Mini-Sleeve Box Set Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
  | JOHN TCHICAI ~ AFRODISIACA
PROMISING MUSIC 44107 (Barcode: 602517689350) ~ DENMARK ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1969 Released: 2008
Danish (of Congolese origin) saxophonist / composer John TchicaiFind albums by this artist was one of the very few European musicians involved with the development of Free Jazz in the US in the early 1960s, where he played with Don CherryFind albums by this artist, Archie SheppFind albums by this artist and John ColtraneFind albums by this artist. Upon his return to Denmark in the late 1960s, Tchicai became one of the leaders of European Free Jazz movement, as well as a visionary precursor of Jazz-World Fusion, dedicating much of his work to incorporating African Music into Jazz. This momentous recording documents one of the first major Jazz-World Fusion works, recorded by a Jazz orchestra with 26 players, mostly Danish musicians, with the Dutch saxophone colossus Willem BreukerFind albums by this artist as a guest. The title track is a 22 minutes long Jazz suite, performed by the orchestra and composed by trumpeter Hugh SteinmetzFind albums by this artist, with the soloist improvising individually and collectively on top. It is an amazing piece of music and a daring excursion into uncharted musical territory, which sounds as awesome and impressive today as it did at the tome of its recording, perhaps even more so in retrospect, considering how little experimenting is done these days. The rest of the album includes music composed by Tchicai and performed by smaller ensembles, emphasizing the concept of collective improvisation. The entire album was conceived and eventually brought to life by the legendary producer Joachim BerendtFind albums by this artist, who prophetically recognized the importance of Tchicai’s work and struggled ceaselessly to make this immensely complex project to come to fruition. The music remains a timeless manifest to the most creative period in Jazz, when the unexpected was truly expected. Superbly remastered and elegantly packaged by Promising MusicFind albums on this label, this is a treasure. Brilliant!
| | | CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Oversampling Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
  | VARIOUS ARTISTS ~ POLISH RADIO JAZZ ARCHIVES VOL.03
POLSKIE RADIO 1599 (Barcode: 5907812245993) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1962 Released: 2013
This is the third installment in the new series of releases initiated by the Polish Radio, which presents archive Jazz recordings. Radio recordings are always a fabulous source of remarkable material, and as far as Polish Jazz history is concerned, the Polish Radio, which was a state monopoly for 45 years, recorded over time a plethora of invaluable material, which apart from the albums released by the Polskie Nagrania record company (also a state monopoly), is the only additional source of Polish Jazz recordings. For many years Polish Radio recorded concerts presented during Poland´s most important Jazz venue, the annual Jazz Jamboree Festival and many other festivals as well.
The material collected here presents recordings made during the 5th Jazz Jamboree, which took place between October 27 and 29, 1962 in Warsaw. The artists include two Scandinavian Jazz ensembles: Swedish trombonist Eje ThelinFind albums by this artist and his quintet and the Jazz FraktionenFind albums by this artist quintet featuring the Danish saxophonist John TchicaiFind albums by this artist. One track features the American trumpeter Don EllisFind albums by this artist accompanied by a Polish trio led by pianist Wojciech KarolakFind albums by this artist, which was already presented on volume 2 of this series, offering here an alternate take. Another track presents the quintet led by Polish vibraphonist Jerzy MilianFind albums by this artist, which features the legendary Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist on piano. The last track presents the Danish vibraphonist Louis HjulmandFind albums by this artist also accompanied by pianist Wojciech Karolak and his trio. At the time Poland kept a relatively open relation with the Scandinavian countries, as opposed to the Western Europe, which explains the presence of several Scandinavian players at the festival. Also some Polish Jazz managed to play in Scandinavia at that time, including Komeda.
Except for Ellis, who plays an original composition, all the other ensembles play Jazz standards, mostly Bebop, which was the model for most modern European Jazz musicians at the time, leading to the development of a new style, which would crystallize over the next few years. The performances are all excellent and their invaluable historical significance is beyond reproach. Beautifully restored sound quality and a warm ambience of the live analog recording is a true joy.
As usual with this series, which is very reasonably priced, I miss the presence of "in depth" liner notes / booklet, which should convey the circumstances at which this music was recorded and its meaning to the development of Polish Jazz in particular and Polish Culture in general. Nevertheless this is an essential piece of history which every Polish Jazz fan will surely consider an absolute must.
| | | CD 1 Digipak Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
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