Record Reviews

EARTH, WIND & FIRE ~ THE COLUMBIA MASTERS SONY 886978946928 (Barcode: 886978946928) ~ USA ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1972 - 1990 Released: 2011 American ensemble Earth, Wind & FireFind albums by this artist epitomizes the best in American popular music in the 1970s and 1980s, especially the music made by Afro-American musicians in these two decades. Following the two revolutionary decades (1950s and 1960s), during which Afro-Americans invented Rock And Roll and Soul, they moved now into Funk, which usually also included some Jazz elements. None of the ensembles active in the 1970s and 1980s came close to Earth, Wind & Fire in creating such an eloquent and aesthetically perfect collection of music, which amalgamated Pop, Rock, Soul, Funk and Jazz, like nobody else. Founded in 1969 by vocalist / drummer / songwriter Maurice WhiteFind albums by this artist, the band released a couple of albums on Warner Bros.Find albums on this label, before moving to ColumbiaFind albums on this label, where the impressive body of 15 albums was released between 1972 and 1990. The music combined superb vocal harmonies with a funky rhythm section and a sublime brass section, which sounded as good as Blood, Sweat & TearsFind albums by this artist and ChicagoFind albums by this artist at their best. The band enjoyed enormous commercial success, which didn´t damage their musical integrity one bit, which is quite exceptional and of course commendable. This beautiful Box Set includes all the albums the band released on Columbia and an additional CD of bonus material. Together this is a massive collection of timeless music, which only gets better with time. This is a perfect match of fun and honest musical achievement, which can be combined, as this music proves beyond a shadow of a doubt. A major piece of music history, which would make any serious record collection proud!

Updated: 26/01/2019Posted:

CD 16 Mini-Sleeve Box Set Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

PETER HERBOLZHEIMER ~ BANDFIRE KOALA 01 (Barcode: 4006759703212) ~ GERMANY ~ Big Band Jazz Recorded: 1981 Released: 1988 This is a reissue / remaster of the album by the German (born in Romania) trombonist / arranger / bandleader / composer Peter HerbolzheimerFind albums by this artist and his Big Band called Rhythm Combination & BrassFind albums by this artist. The Big Band included many top European Jazz players and Americans resident in Europe at the time, such as American trumpeter Chuck FindleyFind albums by this artist and Dutch trumpeter Ack van RooyenFind albums by this artist, Dutch keyboardist Rob FrankenFind albums by this artist, Danish bassist Bo StiefFind albums by this artist, Belgian drummer Bruno CastellucciFind albums by this artist and many others. The album presents ten tracks, four composed by Herbolzheimer and arranged by him, five composed by Maurice WhiteFind albums by this artist, founder of the legendary Earth, Wind & FireFind albums by this artist, arranged by the great Big Band trumpeter / arranger Ron SimmondsFind albums by this artist and one is an arrangement of a BeatlesFind albums by this artist song. Herbolzheimer’s and Simmond’s arrangements are absolutely brilliant and offer a superb amalgam of Jazz, Funk, Rock and Latin rhythms, with excellent soloing by the band’s members. It is one of the best examples of the diverse Big Band / Orchestral Jazz European scene at the time. This album pays a tribute to the great American Funk, which flourished in the 1970s, and was always connected to the Jazz tradition, via the brass sections, which dominated the sound. Overall, this is a wonderful album by one of the most interesting European Jazz Big Bands, which openly flirts with Funk and Soul, but offers superb Big Band arrangements and excellent musicianship by the international team of instrumentalists, who are the crème de la crème of the scene at the time.

Updated: 08/12/2025Posted: 08/12/2025

CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend