Record Reviews

PEDRO ITURRALDE / PACO DE LUCIA ~ FLAMENCO JAZZ MPS 4029759097389 (Barcode: 4029759097389) ~ SPAIN ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 1967 Released: 2014 This is a reissue of a little known album by Spanish saxophonist Pedro IturraldeFind albums by this artist and his quintet, which also included Italian trombonist Dino PianaFind albums by this artist, German pianist Paul GrasslFind albums by this artist, Swiss bassist Erich PeterFind albums by this artist and German drummer Peer WyborisFind albums by this artist. The quintet was joined by the very young Spanish guitar player Paco De LuciaFind albums by this artist (19 years old at the time), who would later on achieve an enormous artistic success as a solo artist. Together the sextet performs four extended compositions, two originals composed by Iturralde and two arrangements of Flamenco pieces composed by the great Spanish composer Manuel de FallaFind albums by this artist. Conceived by the legendary producer Joachim BerendtFind albums by this artist, this is one of the earliest and most striking examples of Jazz-World Fusion in European Jazz, which retains all of its beauty and elegance to this very day. Of course Miles DavisFind albums by this artist and Gil EvansFind albums by this artist recorded "Sketches Of SpainFind albums with this title" a few years earlier, producing a classic example of the genre, but this album merges Jazz and the folkloristic elements much more naturally and symbiotically. The music allows plenty of space for all the participants to play stretched solos and the listener is fully exposed to their abilities. Iturralde plays some very proficient statements and his sound and phrasing incorporates a distinctive Spanish flavor. De Lucia is brilliant as always and his acoustic guitar emits an unstoppable cascade of notes. Overall the music is simply wonderful from start to finish and manages to move and excite, displaying elegance and grace of rare quality. Jazz-World Fusion connoisseurs should rejoice having the opportunity to grab a copy of this album, which was out of print for decades. Hopefully it will be discovered by the young generation of music lovers and musicians alike, as it a true classic example of the idiom. 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: 27/05/2018Posted: 21/05/2016

CD 1 Slipcase Remastered Recommend To A Friend