Record Reviews

FRANZ KOGLMANN ~ L`HEURE BLEUE HATOLOGY 571 (Barcode: 752156057123) ~ AUSTRIA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1991 Released: 2003 This is a long overdue reissue of the beautiful album by Austrian trumpeter / composer Franz KoglmannFind albums by this artist, one of the most important representatives of European Free Jazz scene. The album includes two separate sessions, one with a quartet, which includes the wonderful veteran British clarinetist Tony CoeFind albums by this artist (definitely one of top world clarinet players), guitarist Burkhard StanglFind albums by this artist and bassist Klaus KochFind albums by this artist, and the other a duet with pianist Misha MengelbergFind albums by this artist. Most of the music is composed by Koglmann with a few compositions by other arranged by him. The album presents a wonderful atmosphere of melodic approach to modern Jazz, mixed with improvised passages and highly individualistic soloing. All the musicians perform beautifully, especially Coe, who has been my favorite for decades. This album is accessible to most Jazz listeners, well beyond the Free Jazz genre, as its gentle approach and deep aesthetics transcendent musical borders. Superb stuff!

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ROLF KUHN ~ SOLARIUS EDEL CONTENT 4029759080473 (Barcode: 4029759080473) ~ GERMANY ~ Jazz Recorded: 1964 Released: 2012 This is a reissue (first time on CD) of the seminal album by legendary German clarinetist / composer Rolf KuhnFind albums by this artist (born 1929), recorded with a quintet, which also included his younger brother pianist / composer Joachim KuhnFind albums by this artist (born 1944) and bassist Klaus KochFind albums by this artist and two Polish Jazz legends: saxophonist Michal UrbaniakFind albums by this artist and drummer Czeslaw BartkowskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents six pieces: three original compositions by Rolf Kuhn, two original compositions by Joachim Kuhn and one arrangement of a folk tune. Over the years this album achieved a legendary status and became a highly sought after collector´s item, because of its political implications, as well as being one of the earliest East European Jazz recordings and an important cornerstone of European Jazz in general. The album was recorded three years after the Berlin Wall, which divided the city until 1989, was constructed and served during that period not only as a symbol of division of Germany into two separate States living in a constant state of political tension, but in fact also as a symbol of the imaginary Iron Curtain, which divided the European Continent into two opposing political camps, engaged in the Cold War, which periodically threatened to become "hot". Rolf Kuhn left East Germany (or DDR as it was called at the time) in 1950, shortly after Germany was split into two separate states, and moved to West Germany. For several years he lived and performed in the USA, establishing his position as one of the top clarinet players in the world. Upon his return to West Germany he continued his prolific career. Meanwhile his younger brother Joachim Kuhn lived in DDR and led his own trio, which was a pioneering Free Jazz outfit at the time. The fact that the meeting of the Kuhn brothers captured on this album happened is one of those "against all odds" situations that often happened in East Europe. This was by all means a meeting of the Giants of East European modern Jazz, with Urbaniak arriving from the legendary Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist quintet, Bartkowski from the no less legendary Zbigniew NamyslowskiFind albums by this artist quartet, Koch who played in the Joachim Kuhn trio and finally the two brothers, who despite the age difference are true musical twins. Together the quintet plays some of the best modern European Jazz ever captured on record, with great melodies expanded into lengthy solos played perfectly by all the musicians involved. Listeners familiar with the Polish Jazz scene will find this music quite similar to the Komeda and Namyslowski albums receded around that time, which present the same formula and even sound very similar to this album. Rolf Kuhn plays some of the best Jazz clarinet ever and no true Jazz connoisseur can honestly afford not to have this album in his collection. The rapport and incredible telepathic communication between these musicians, as well as the incredibly tight musical environment that pushed the players to their limits resulted in one of the all time best Jazz albums recorded in East Europe, which lost absolutely nothing of its beauty and incredible power in the five decades that passed since. They don´t make music like that any more, which means this is an absolute must and an essential piece of music history! 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: 11/05/2016Posted: 22/03/2016

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ROLF KUHN / JOACHIM KUHN ~ RE-UNION IN BERLIN B.FREE 6271 ~ GERMANY ~ Jazz Recorded: 1965 Released: 2016 This is a reissue of a legendary album by brothers: clarinetist Rolf KuhnFind albums by this artist and pianist Joachim KuhnFind albums by this artist recorded in a quartet setting with bassist Klaus KochFind albums by this artist and drummer Reinhard SchwartzFind albums by this artist originally released in 1965 by CBSFind albums on this label in West Germany. Joachim Kuhn, Koch and Schwartz formed the Joachim Kuhn TrioFind albums by this artist, the first modern / Free Jazz group in East Germany. Rolf, the older brother, who lived at the time in West Germany, joins the trio to form a sensational quartet, recording this, one of the pivotal modern German / European Jazz albums. The album presents five original compositions, three composed by Joachim and two by Rolf, recorded at the renowned Amiga Studios in East Berlin. The music is a fascinating mixture of tradition and modernism, with Rolf exploring completely novel approach to the clarinet and Joachim developing his advanced harmonic structures, which were about to turn him into one of the greatest pioneers of European Jazz. This album and the "SolariusFind albums with this title" album recorded a year earlier and released on the AmigaFind albums on this label label constitute the early iconic recordings by the Kuhn BrothersFind albums by this artist, which to this very day sound absolutely stunning and lost nothing of their power of expression and historic significance. As usual in such circumstances, it is truly amazing that this music, which signifies the freedom of expression and intellectual liberty, was recorded at the heart of the most oppressive regime behind the Iron Curtain, similar to the numerous other Free Jazz recordings released by the East German Amiga label. This phenomenon deserves a serious historical study, which strangely has not been tried so far. For connoisseurs of early European Free Jazz and listeners interested in the development of Jazz in Europe, this album is an absolute must have. But of course the album offers sublime music, which any serious Jazz fan anywhere on this planet should be able to enjoy and appreciate, regardless of its historic significance. A true gem!

Updated: 08/10/2018Posted: 08/10/2018

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JERZY MILIAN ~ CUTTING GAD 123 (Barcode: 5903068120985) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1971 - 1977 Released: 2020 This is the ninth installment of the archival series released by GADFind albums on this label Records, which presents the work of Polish Jazz vibraphonist / composer / bandleader Jerzy MilianFind albums by this artist. This chapter is dedicated to Milian´s recordings from 1970s, done in East Berlin (then DDR) with the Rundfunk Tanzorchester BerlinFind albums by this artist, conducted by Gunter GollaschFind albums by this artist, which included the best East German musicians, such as saxophonist Ernst-Ludwig PetrowskyFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Joachim GrasswurmFind albums by this artist, trombonist Hubert KatzenbeisserFind albums by this artist, saxophonist / clarinetist Werner SchmidtFind albums by this artist, pianist Horst PawliczakFind albums by this artist, bassist Klaus KochFind albums by this artist, drummer Wolfgang WinklerFind albums by this artist and others. The orchestra performs sixteen compositions by Milian, also arranged by him. The music is typical orchestral Jazz, based on the wonderful compositions and brilliant arrangements by Milian, which offer a mixture of relatively easier pieces with some Funk, Swing and even Big Beat inclinations, but also more advanced ones bordering on Anat-Garde, altogether a wonderful example of modern European Jazz, reflecting Milian´s fascination with the Third Stream idiom. These orchestral pieces are obviously more "well behaved" in comparison to the music Milian composed for small combos, but still complex enough to rise a brow fifty years later. The orchestra included many excellent instrumentalists (Petrowsky among them), who performed the difficult music without a hitch, and therefore the result is still awe inspiring Milian´s compositions are absolutely brilliant and remain completely valid, often sounding as if composed today. Sophisticated, elegant, clever and beautifully structured, this music is alive and kicking as it was at the time it was created. Overall this is an incredible piece of Polish / European Jazz history, which absolutely deserves to be heard and studied. With Milian´s passing it is even more important to document his work and bring it to the public. For orchestral Jazz and East European Jazz enthusiasts this album and all the albums released in this archival series are an absolute must!

Updated: 16/09/2020Posted: 16/09/2020

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JERZY MILIAN ~ NEUROIMPRESSIONS GAD 050 (Barcode: 5901549197655) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1970 - 1973 Released: 2016 This is the sixth installment of the archival series released by GADFind albums on this label Records, which presents the work of Polish Jazz vibraphonist / composer / bandleader Jerzy MilianFind albums by this artist. This chapter is dedicated to Milian´s recordings from the early 1970s, done with small ensembles in Hungary and East Germany (DDR), captured during three separate sessions, each producing three tracks. All nine tracks are original compositions by Milian. The Hungarian session was recorded with a quartet led by trumpeter Rudolf TomsitsFind albums by this artist with included also pianist Gyorgy VukanFind albums by this artist, bassist Balazs BerkesFind albums by this artist and drummer Vilmos JavoriFind albums by this artist. Both East German sessions find Milian accompanied by the legendary saxophonist Ernst-Ludwig PetrowskyFind albums by this artist, bassist Klaus KochFind albums by this artist and drummer Willibald WinklerFind albums by this artist. Trumpeter Heinz BeckerFind albums by this artist participated on just one of these sessions. The music is by far the most Avant-Garde of all Milian´s compositions presented on this series, and although obviously composed, it sounds like spontaneously Improvised Music most of the time. Both the Hungarian and the East German musicians were at the time representatives of the East European Free Jazz / Improvised Music scene, and their bold and adventurous attitude put them on the same level as their counterparts from across the Iron Wall. Petrowsky´s saxophone work does not differ much from what Evan ParkerFind albums by this artist played at the time in the UK or Willem BreukerFind albums by this artist played in Netherlands and so on. From the historical perspective this album presents one more layer of Milian´s diversity and versatility, which is certainly much less known than his Big Band activity, which made him popular among listeners of less complex music. There is no doubt that Milian was able to take advantage of the opportunities the Eastern Block had to offer, in order to create some of the most audacious music made at the time anywhere on the planet. As usual the original recordings are excellently remastered and the booklet offer informative bi-lingual background information about the music and the time it was created at. It is yet another must for all East European Jazz fans and collectors!

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted: 15/01/2017

CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend

JERZY MILIAN ~ STIGMA GAD 107 (Barcode: 5903068120480) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz Recorded: 1970 Released: 2019 This is the eighth installment of the archival series released by GADFind albums on this label Records, which presents the work of Polish Jazz vibraphonist / composer / bandleader Jerzy MilianFind albums by this artist. This chapter is dedicated to Milian´s recordings from 1970, done in Berlin (then DDR) with the Ensemble Studio 4Find albums by this artist, a septet led by saxophonist Ernst-Ludwig PetrowskyFind albums by this artist and including trumpeter Joachim GrasswurmFind albums by this artist, trombonist Hubert KatzenbeisserFind albums by this artist, saxophonist / clarinetist Werner SchmidtFind albums by this artist, pianist Eberhard WeiseFind albums by this artist, bassist Klaus KochFind albums by this artist and drummer Wolfgang WinklerFind albums by this artist. The septet performs four compositions by Milian, also arranged by him. Additional three compositions by Milian are performed by the Rundfunk Tanzorchester BerlinFind albums by this artist, conducted by Gunter GollaschFind albums by this artist, a cooperation that would continue for the next fourteen years. Milian plays vibraphone on five tracks, both with the septet and the orchestra. The music is a wonderful example of modern European Jazz, with both the septet and the Big Band pieces reflecting Milian´s fascination with the Third Stream idiom. The septet included some of the most important East German Jazz players at the time, many of which founded the Avant-Garde / Free Jazz scene in East Germany, which was known by its adventurous explorations and radical approach, which for some reason where tolerated by the State censorship, often considered as the sternest behind the Iron Curtain. Therefore it is quite natural that the tracks with the septet are quite challenging and free spirited, and the fact that this music was strictly composed often seems to be lost in the heat of the execution. The orchestral pieces are obviously more "well behaved", but still complex enough to rise a brow fifty years later. The orchestra included many excellent instrumentalists (Petrowsky among them), who performed the difficult music without a hitch, and therefore the result is not surprising, but still awe inspiring Milian´s compositions are absolutely brilliant and remain completely valid, often sounding as if composed today. Sophisticated, elegant, clever and beautifully structured, this music is alive and kicking as it was at the time it was created. Overall this is an incredible piece of Polish / European Jazz history, which absolutely deserves to be heard and studied. With Milian´s passing it is even more important to document his work and bring it to the public. For orchestral Jazz and East European Jazz enthusiasts this album and all the albums released in this archival series are an absolute must!

Updated: 12/03/2020Posted: 12/03/2020

CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend

VARIOUS ARTISTS ~ POLISH RADIO JAZZ ARCHIVES VOL.27 POLSKIE RADIO 2059 (Barcode: 5907812247126) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1965 Released: 2016 This is the twenty-seventh installment in the series of releases initiated by the Polish Radio, which presents archive Jazz recordings from the radio vaults. 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 available additional source of Polish Jazz recordings. For many years Polish Radio recorded concerts presented during Poland´s most important Jazz venues, including the annual Jazz Jamboree Festival and many other festivals as well. The tracks presented here were recorded live in December 1965 during the eighth Jazz Jamboree Festival in Warsaw and are the second volume of a collection of tracks from that event. The first two tracks present a trio led by one of the Godfathers of modern European Jazz, the German pianist / composer Joachim KuhnFind albums by this artist with bassist Klaus KochFind albums by this artist and drummer Reinhard SchwartzFind albums by this artist. They perform two original compositions by Kuhn and the performance is one of the earliest examples of European Free Jazz. Kuhn´s performance here is absolutely stunning as everything he played at the time, before he moved from East German to West Germany. The fact that his Free Jazz playing was tolerated by the GDR regime is a fascinating story by itself. More details about his activity around the time this music was recorded ban be found in the review of the Zbigniew NamyslowskiFind albums by this artist´s album "Live At Kosmos, BerlinFind albums with this title", which was recorded just a month earlier. The next four tracks present a quintet led by another Godfather of modern European Jazz, the German trombonist / composer Albert MangelsdorffFind albums by this artist with saxophonists Gunter KronbergFind albums by this artist and Heinz SauerFind albums by this artist, bassist Gunter LentzFind albums by this artist and drummer Ralf HubnerFind albums by this artist. They perform three original compositions by Mangelsdorff and one composition by the British trumpeter / composer Ian CarrFind albums by this artist, a great pioneer of modern British Jazz. Although the music performed by the Albert Mangelsdorff quintet is not as Free Jazz oriented as that by Joachim Kuhn, it is a superb of early modern European Jazz, which was already emancipated from the American Jazz influence and clearly showed the new direction being created in Europe. Both these performances show the importance of German musicians as co-creators of early European Jazz. The last track present a sextet led by yet another Godfather of modern European Jazz, the Polish Jazz pianist / composer Andrzej TrzaskowskiFind albums by this artist with American trumpeter Ted CursonFind albums by this artist (who was living in Europe at the time), saxophonists Janusz MuniakFind albums by this artist and Wlodzimierz NahornyFind albums by this artist, bassist Jacek OstaszewskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Adam JedrzejowskiFind albums by this artist. They perform one extended original composition by Trzaskowski. The music is again a stunning example of early modern European Jazz and a great precursor of the explosion of the Polish Jazz scene, which was happening at the time. The beautifully restored sound quality is excellent and the warm ambience of the 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 importance to the development of Jazz in Poland. Nevertheless this is an absolutely essential piece of Jazz history which every Jazz fan will surely consider an absolute must.

Updated: 03/12/2016Posted: 03/12/2016

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