Record Reviews

ELTON DEAN ~ THE VORTEX TAPES SLAM 203 (Barcode: 5028386020325) ~ UK ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 1990 Released: 1992 This is a live album by British Jazz saxophonist / composer Elton DeanFind albums by this artist, recorded at the legendary London’s Vortex club during the five days of the last week of September 1990, each night with a different lineup, four of which are quartets and one is a sextet. The list of the participating musicians reads like the Who’s Who of the British Free Jazz / Improvised Music scene at the time and includes pianists Keith TippettFind albums by this artist and Howard RileyFind albums by this artist, saxophonists Trevor WattsFind albums by this artist, Jerry UnderwoodFind albums by this artist and Simon PicardFind albums by this artist, trombonists Nick EvansFind albums by this artist and Paul RutherfordFind albums by this artist, bassists Marcio MattosFind albums by this artist and Paul RogersFind albums by this artist, drummers Louis MoholoFind albums by this artist, Mark SandersFind albums by this artist, Nigel MorrisFind albums by this artist and Tony LevinFind albums by this artist. The fact that Dean managed to invite all these great musicians to play with him during one week speak volumes about his position on the scene and the respect he earned over the years. The album presents five tracks, three of which are over ten minutes in duration. All the music was composed by Dean. The music is absolutely in sync with what one might have expected from such esteemed players, Free Jazz oriented, full of passion and incredible dialogues between these musicians, who often played with each other in various settings. The incredible intensity of the music still allows for excellent individual contributions to be clearly heard. The sextet (four saxophones) track is a wonderful example of group improvisation, where the mutual respect is fully observed and the saxophone quartet is featured as an organic micro-orchestral unit, later joined by the rhythm section. There is so much superb music on this album, that writing about it is actually pretty redundant, and should simply encourage to grab a copy of this gem, before it completely disappears from the market. British Jazz enthusiasts and even listeners who are aware of Elton Dean only through his association with Soft MachineFind albums by this artist, should make to bold step forward and embrace this facet of Dean’s incredible talent. Overall, this is a monumental document of the British Free Jazz scene by the end of the 1990s, when it was at its absolute peak. The tornado swirl on the album’s cover reflects the power and spirit of the music perfectly and fans of this kind of music should find this album indispensable. Lucky for us this music was captured on tape and released, staying with us for posterity. A true force of Nature!

Updated: 24/06/2023Posted: 24/06/2023

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

ELTON DEAN ~ INTO THE NIERIKA BLUEPRINT 292 (Barcode: 604388113224) ~ UK ~ Canterbury Scene Recorded: 1998 Released: 1998 The recorded legacy of the legendary British saxophonist Elton DeanFind albums by this artist, one of the great icons of British Jazz since the late 1960s, is fortunately quite extensive, nevertheless some of his great sessions remain relatively obscure due to their short-lived presence on the record market and the fact that many of his albums are sadly out of print. This is one of such examples, a trio recording with Italian bassist Roberto BellatallaFind albums by this artist and drummer Mark SandersFind albums by this artist. In spite of the difficulty intrinsic to a saxophone trio, Dean seems to enjoy the freedom such setup allows, improvising extensively on the three "instant" compositions included on the album. He uses the alto sax for the more explosive ventures and the saxello for the softer, lyrical moments, always in top form. The rhythm section provides a great support for the music, obviously with open ears and a massive amount of admiration and respect for the Master. Although this is quite difficult, mostly freely improvised music, Dean´s fans and admirers will find this to be just their cup of tea. Grab it, if you can find it!

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

PARKER / TRZASKA / EDWARDS / SANDERS ~ CITY FALL FSR 2016/04 (Barcode: 5905279364097) ~ POLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2014 Released: 2016 This is a live recording by a Free Jazz / Improvising Music quartet, which comprises of three British musicians: legendary saxophonist Evan ParkerFind albums by this artist, bassist John EdwardsFind albums by this artist and drummer Mark SandersFind albums by this artist and Polish saxophonist / clarinetist Mikolaj TrzaskaFind albums by this artist. The quartet performs just three lengthy improvisations, the first of which resides on the first CD and the other two reside on the second CD of this 2CD set. All music is credited, as appropriate in such circumstances, to all four members of the quartet. The music was recorded during a concert in London´s Café OTO. Anybody familiar with the British Free Jazz scene will recognize the names of the British musicians as top representative of the genre and the same applies of course of people familiar with the parallel Polish scene, where Trzaska is considered as a unique phenomenon not only as Free Jazz player / leader but also as one of the most important contemporary composers of cinematic music. The music captured on this album testifies as to the immediate rapport between the players, especially so between Evans (born 1944) and Trzaska (born 1966), who keep exchanging licks, phrases and vast amounts of energy between them for the entire duration of the concert, which often sounds superhuman in its intensity. The age difference seems to be completely inconsequential, which of course does not surprise me at all as my pairing of Trzaska with the Israeli clarinetist Harold RubinFind albums by this artist (born 1932) was similarly successful. In fact the saxophone duets, performed without the rhythm section, are some of the most fascinating moments on this album and I´d love to hear more of those. As far as live albums of Free Jazz / Improvised Music are concerned, my opinion usually is that the music was primarily intended for those people who attended the concert and in recorded form the music loses most of its authenticity, energy and spirit, and becomes significantly less relevant. This album is one of the relatively few exceptions, probably due to the class of the musicians involved and the comradeship between them, and as a result hearing the music in recorded form is still very emotionally involving and aesthetically pleasing. Of course this music is strictly for connoisseurs of this specific idiom and people who seek entertainment in their musical escapades should avoid this music at all cost. Those brave hearted few who enjoy the organized madness should have a most wonderful time while this music lasts, especially since meetings like these are usually a one time only events. Strong stuff!

Updated: 03/01/2017Posted: 03/01/2017

CD 2 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend

RIVERLOAM TRIO ~ INEM GORTN FMR 374 (Barcode: 700175749833) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2012 Released: 2014 This is the second album by the Riverloam TrioFind albums by this artist, which consists of Polish Improvised Music legend, saxophonist / clarinetists Mikolaj TrzaskaFind albums by this artist and two British musicians from the same sphere: young bassist Olie BriceFind albums by this artist and drummer Mark SandersFind albums by this artist. The trio´s live debut released a couple of years earlier (as a double LP – no CD release so far) was very warmly received at the time and this studio effort should solidify their reputation. The album consists of seven original compositions, all credited to the trio members. With dozens of albums behind him, it is increasingly difficult to describe each specific new project involving Trzaska and remain open-minded and focused enough to pinpoint the often subtle differences between the various parts of such an immense body of work. However, from the very first notes on this album it becomes perfectly clear that this is one of the most expressive and emotional settings that Trzaska is involved with lately. His playing and improvising is simply overwhelming and it is quite obvious that this happens due to the superb rapport between him and the rhythm section, especially so with Brice, whose arco work is simply stunning (nothing wrong with his pizzicato of course) and their duets are the absolute highlights of this album. Trzaska switches between the saxophone, clarinet and bass clarinet, as he often does these days, to achieve a different mood and power of expression. The rhythm section follows his lead amicably, adjusting the volume and intensity of their performances to the lead instrument, which is a sign of mutual respect and solidarity, which are unfortunately often forgotten in the Improvised Music environment. Sanders, who is a seasoned improviser, always finds just the proper percussive ambience to support Trzaska and Brice and elegantly takes a step back when they get involved in intimate duos. Personally I think this is an ideal Improvised Music album, which keeps the anarchy well in check, shows the individual expressions of the musicians involved and glues them together to create a whole greater than the sum of its ingredients. Emotionally and artistically this is definitely one of the best albums Trzaska recorded in his long and impressive career. This music is also beautifully recorded, with a perfect balance between the instruments and a wonderful room ambience, which enables the listener to hear every little detail of the entire sonic contents. Improvised Music recording sadly often suffer from poor recording quality and this one is an example of how things should be done and how important it is to be able to hear absolutely everything. All that remains is to thank these wonderful Artists for their gift to us, mere mortals, who have the privilege to enjoy this music. Well done indeed, gentlemen!

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend