Record Reviews

JIRI STIVIN ~ FIVE HITS IN A ROW GAD 080 (Barcode: 5903068120060) ~ POLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 1971 - 1972 Released: 2018 This is a long overdue reissue of the legendary album by the Czech Jazz flautist / saxophonist / composer / bandleader Jiri StivinFind albums by this artist, recorded with an international quintet which included Polish violinist Zbigniew SeifertFind albums by this artist, American (living in Europe) bassist Barre PhillipsFind albums by this artist and Czech guitarist Rudolf DasekFind albums by this artist and drummers Josef VejvodaFind albums by this artist or Milan VitochFind albums by this artist. The original album presented five original compositions, with the title track being a five part suite. All the music was composed by Stivin, except one piece composed by Phillips. This remastered and expanded edition adds four bonus tracks, which originate from an earlier album by Stivin (only side A of an LP), recorded a year earlier and featuring a trio with bassist Petr MarcolFind albums by this artist and drummer Milan Vitoch. The music is a pinnacle of early Easter European Free Jazz, which flourished behind the Iron Curtain, mostly in Poland but also in Czechoslovakia and GDR (East Germany). Stylistically the music is very similar to the British Free Jazz scene at the time; ferocious, uncompromising and totally committed. All the participants were great pioneers of modern European Jazz and their contribution to the genre is of course invaluable. The fact that such advanced and free spirited music was recorded and released by the Czechoslovak state record label SupraphonFind albums on this label is one of the many miracles that characterize the Jazz scene behind the Iron Curtain and can be understand only by the cognoscenti of that subject. The fact remains that Free Jazz flourished under the Socialist Regime and the albums recorded at the time are some of the best representations of the genre ever created. As usual, kudos to the Polish GADFind albums on this label Records label for bringing this wonderful music back into circulation. Eastern European Jazz connoisseurs will find this album truly amazing and the younger generations are able to test the phrase "nihil sub sole novum" when they approach Free Jazz and Improvised Music recordings. Overall this is a must have for all collectors and fans of East European Jazz recorded behind the Iron Curtain, as well as connoisseurs of Free Jazz, who wish to study the sources of the genre!

Updated: 07/08/2018Posted: 07/08/2018

CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

KAREL VELEBNY ~ ZTRATA NALEZENEHO SYNA INDIES HAPPY TRAILS 732 (Barcode: 8595026673229) ~ CZECH REPUBLIC ~ Jazz Recorded: 1966 - 1967 Released: 2016 This is the fifth of a series of eight reissue / archival albums presenting the recorded legacy of one of the Godfathers of Czechoslovak modern Jazz, vibraphonist / pianist / saxophonist / composer / bandleader Karel VelebnyFind albums by this artist and his SHQFind albums by this artist ensemble. All the music is beautifully remastered and the album comes with extensive liner notes, extremely well researched and full of discographical information, sadly only in Czech language (which works fine for me, but probably less so for other enthusiasts who also might be interested). This album presents material captured during two recording sessions from April and September 1966. The seven tracks that were recorded during these sessions were released as a Various Artist compilation LP, with the two lineups that recorded this music enigmatically named "All Stars" and "Jazz Soloists" respectively, with the SHQ moniker being omitted, but with Velebny present. The different lineups on these sessions included Velebny, who played vibraphone, saxophone and piano, trumpeters Jaromir HnilickaFind albums by this artist and Laco DecziFind albums by this artist, saxophonists Jaromir HonzakFind albums by this artist, Milan UlrichFind albums by this artist and Evzen JegorovFind albums by this artist, trombonist Zdenek PulecFind albums by this artist, clarinetist Karel KrautgartnerFind albums by this artist, flautist Zdenek ZikaFind albums by this artist, guitarist Rudolf DasekFind albums by this artist, pianists Karel VejvodaFind albums by this artist and Karel RuzickaFind albums by this artist, bassist Jiri MrazFind albums by this artist and drummer Milan MaderFind albums by this artist, altogether a gathering definitely deserving the "All Stars" description. All the music is original with Velebny contributing three compositions and Krautgartner, Hnilicka, Mraz and Ruzicka each contributing one composition. Additionally this album also includes one side (ten tracks) of a LP dedicated to a Jazz & Poetry project, which features SHQ (Velebny, saxophonist Miroslav KryslFind albums by this artist, Pulec, Dasek, bassist Petr MarcolFind albums by this artist and Mader) accompanying actor Jan TriskaFind albums by this artist who recites fables by Vaclav HrabeFind albums by this artist, the most important representative of the Czech Beat Generation, who died tragically at the ridiculous age of twenty four. All the music was composed by Velebny. The music is all original and a giant step forward as far as Modern European Jazz is concerned, very advanced and complex, already using elements close to Free Jazz, multi-theme extended compositions, rapidly changing tempi and eschewing conventions, which dominated American Bebop. Although recorded just over a year of so after the second SHQ album was recorded, this music sounds as if coming from a different planet, being very similar to the revolutionary Polish Jazz, which was also exploding at the time in the "neighborhood". All the performances are simply stellar and this music sounds absolutely as fresh as it did at the time it was recorded and in retrospect one can but wonder how such a revolutionary music was allowed to be performed and recorded during some of the darkest hours of the Socialist regime and the Prague Spring and Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia being just around the corner. For fans of European Jazz and its history, the entire series is an absolute must, and the fact that most of this music is available on CD for the first time makes it an absolute treasure. Absolutely brilliant! My personal thanks to Jaromir KratochvilFind albums by this artist, the owner of Indies Happy TrailsFind albums on this label, for his friendship and the incredible job he is doing to keep this music alive! Side Note Since the 1950s Czechoslovakia had a highly developed Jazz scene, certainly in proportion to its population, which included many successful ensembles and even Big Bands, as well as Jazz clubs, festivals and publications, all this in spite of state censorship and political limitations. The similar situation existed since the 1960s as far as Rock (including Progressive Rock and Jazz-Rock Fusion) was concerned, resulting in many excellent, interesting and innovative ensembles. The music was relatively well documented by the three state owned record labels: SupraphonFind albums on this label (founded in 1927), PantonFind albums on this label (founded in 1968) and OpusFind albums on this label (founded in 1971 and based in Bratislava, created on the base of Slovak division of Supraphon). Following the "Velvet Revolution" in 1989, the state owned record labels were privatized, with Supraphon dominating the local market. However, Supraphon was quite reluctant as far as exploring its vast back catalogue is concerned, and this is where the small independent Indies Happy TrailsFind albums on this label Records, a reissue label dedicated to the preservation of the recorded legacy of Czechoslovak music, owned and run by the devoted enthusiast / historian Jaromir KratochvilFind albums by this artist, founded in 2007, comes in. Over the years the label released a plethora of brilliant music, reissuing long deleted LPs and extensively exploring the archives in search of bonus material. The quest of Indies Happy Trails is similar to what the GADFind albums on this label Records label, run by Michal WilczynskiFind albums by this artist, is doing for Polish music, with similar consistency and praiseworthy dedication.

Updated: 28/02/2020Posted: 27/02/2020

CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend