Record Reviews

ROLF KUHN GROUP ~ TOTAL SPACE MPS 602527224794 (Barcode: 602527224794) ~ GERMANY ~ Avant-Garde Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1975 Released: 2009 This is a reissue / remaster of an album by the German clarinetists / composer / bandleader Rolf KuhnFind albums by this artist, recorded with an octet, which includes some of the best European Jazz musicians active at the time, like his younger brother pianist / composer Joachim KuhnFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Gerd DudekFind albums by this artist, trombonist Albert MangelsdorffFind albums by this artist, Belgian guitarist Philip CatherineFind albums by this artist, Danish bassist Bo StiefFind albums by this artist, Swiss drummer Daniel HumairFind albums by this artist and Danish drummer Kasper WindingFind albums by this artist. The album presents five tracks, four composed by Rolf Kuhn and one by Mangelsdorff. The album is an outstanding example of European Avant-Garde Jazz-Rock Fusion and with the powerful sound created by the octet with the double drums and the brass instruments overdubbed to create what Rolf Kuhn describes as a “Brass Band”, the entire album offers an orchestral effect, full of blood-chilling and absolutely unique results, in many ways probably exposing the very peak of the Fusion creativity, which are amongst the most interesting ever recorded. This album is in fact a close companion to the other Rolf Kuhn orchestral Fusion album “Symphonic SwampfireFind albums with this title”. The music is based on strong melodic themes, wonderfully arranged for the orchestral environment, multilayered and even multi-rhythmic, emphasizing the complex sound of the orchestra as a complete music-making unit, rather than mostly just accompanying the soloists. By the time this music was recorded, European Jazz was heavily involved with Fusion, which is superbly incorporated within the orchestral sound, with electric guitar and keyboards being an integral part of the ambience. For guitar lovers, this is one of the finest albums featuring the brilliant guitar artistry of Catherine, as well as the electric side of Joachim Kuhn. Rolf Kuhn emerges here as a brilliant composer and arranger of orchestral Jazz, as well as a musician able to develop in time and embrace new trends and expand his horizons constantly, which characterized him for his entire lifetime, which I was lucky to follow for many years during our friendship. Overall, this is one of the most interesting orchestral Jazz albums in European Jazz, despite the fact that it is only known by relatively very few Jazz listeners. I have owned a copy since day one and listened to this album countless times in the almost fifty years since it was released, and each and every time I managed to discover something new in the music. I can only hope some more listeners will discover it one day, although admittedly it is quite difficult to find a copy. 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: 31/07/2024Posted: 31/07/2024

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