Record Reviews
11 Reviews Found. Use search to find more reviews or follow the links in the review text.
  | ARCADIUM ~ BREATHE AWHILE
REPERTOIRE 4855 ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock
The only album from 1969 by this pioneering Prog band, very mystic and poetic, but with some hard driving pieces.
| | | CD 1 Digipak Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend |
  | CAPERCAILLIE ~ BEAUTIFUL WASTELAND
SURVIVAL 021 ~ UK ~ Irish, Scottish & Celtic
11th album from 1997 and another stunning success for this superb Scottish Celtic Rock band. Recorded in the mountains of Andalucia, in Southern Spain, it includes some participation of local musicians and shows the band`s openess to ther musical cultures and their will to ever expand the horizons of their music. Karen Matheson´s crystalline voice sounds better then ever and the entire albums is kust one great musical trip.
| | | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
  | CAPERCAILLIE ~ DELIRIUM
SURVIVAL 015 ~ UK ~ Irish, Scottish & Celtic
5th album from 1991 by the greatest Celtic Rock group on earth, who combine the traditional Celtic elements with modern rock arrangements to a stunning result. The lead singer - Karen Matheson - has one of the finest female voices on the scene. Sung in Gaelic and English this is considered their peak acheivement, although all of their albums are truly wonderful and woth pursuing.
| | | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
  | CAPERCAILLIE ~ DUSK TO DOWN
SURVIVAL 023 ~ UK ~ Irish, Scottish & Celtic
A collection of material from all their albums. Although called the `best of`, it`s really difficult to accept it, as all of their material is absolutely delightful. If you don`t intend to buy all the separate albums, this one is a perfect solution, but it is most warmly recommended to get them all - you are on for a truly rewarding trip into the absolute best of Celtic Rock there is!
| | | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
  | CAPERCAILLIE ~ GET OUT
SURVIVAL 016 ~ UK ~ Irish, Scottish & Celtic
6th album from 1992 by this seminal Celtic Rock, which includes some live material and some re-mixes of their earlier stuff. As usual the standard of musicianship is excellent and the music itself great. Capercaillie are a great live band and they are a major live attraction wherever they perform. The live tracks here show why.
| | | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
  | CAPERCAILLIE ~ NADURRA
SURVIVAL 025 ~ UK ~ Irish, Scottish & Celtic
12th album from 2000. After almost 3 years here comes another brilliant album by the best Celtic Rock band there is. In the interim period between the last album and this band members were involved in many solo projects (including childbirth by Karen). They are revitalized and brilliant as usual here with a superb collection of new material and impeckable production as usual.
| | | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
  | CAPERCAILLIE ~ SECRET PEOPLE
SURVIVAL 017 ~ UK ~ Irish, Scottish & Celtic
7th album from 1993 by this superb Scottish band, which combines the beautiful tradition of Celtic music with modern rhythms and instrumentation, a winning combination which is unbeatable (and much much stronger than other more famous Celtic Rock bands). Singer Karen Matheson has a wonderful voice that will remind Celtic pop fans of Mary Black, but the wonderful sense of ballance and deep knowledge of the tradition take her much further. A beauty!
| | | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
  | DON SUGARCANE HARRIS ~ CUP FULL OF DREAMS
PROMISING MUSIC 44115 (Barcode: 602527615967) ~ USA ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion
Recorded: 1973 Released: 2011
This is the 4th album on the legendary German MPSFind albums on this label label by US virtuoso violinist / composer Don Sugarcane Harris. His stints with John MayallFind albums by this artist and Frank ZappaFind albums by this artist exposed his name to international Blues and Rock audiences, but his association with MPS placed him in the company of other great violinists during the "Violin Summit" projects run by legendary producer Joachim BerendtFind albums by this artist and established his well deserved reputation as exceptional player, composer and improviser. Harris composed all the music on this album, which is Blues related, but stretches far beyond the basic Blues structures and displays wonderful melodic qualities. He is supported by a great band, which includes keyboardist Dewey TerryFind albums by this artist, bassists Larry TaylorFind albums by this artist and Victor ConteFind albums by this artist, drummer Paul LagosFind albums by this artist and two superb guitarists: Harvey MendelFind albums by this artist and Randy ResnickFind albums by this artist. Saxophonist Richard AplanFind albums by this artist plays on one track. His advanced improvisations take the music beyond the Blues / Blues-Rock settings and turn it into a kind of Blues-Jazz Fusion, completely unique and charming. In retrospect the album lost none of its magic and still sounds fresh and invigorating. Sadly no longer with us, Harris recorded only sporadically after his MPS days, which is a great pity. This is a must to all violin lovers, but every music connoisseur should find something of interest here. Warmly recommended!
| | | CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Slipcase Oversampling Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
  | DON SUGARCANE HARRIS ~ SUGAR CANE`S GOT THE BLUES
PROMISING MUSIC 44102 (Barcode: 602517545731) ~ USA ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion
Recorded: 1971 Released: 2008
American violinist Don Sugarcane HarrisFind albums by this artist was one of the very few great Blues / Rock / Fusion artists playing the fiddle. He came to prominence as a member of the revolutionary John MayallFind albums by this artist’s BluesbreakersFind albums by this artist group and later as a member of Frank ZappaFind albums by this artist’s groups. This album, recorded live during the Berliner Jazztage Festival, presents Harris both as a leader and a participant in the legendary “Violin Summit” super-group, assembled by producer Joachim BerendtFind albums by this artist. The solo appearance is in fact an offshoot project of the “Violin Summit”, which was a series of recordings on the legendary MPSFind albums on this label label, which celebrated the role of the violin in Jazz, Blues, Jazz-Rock Fusion and Rock and produced probably the most interesting document of music by violinists in the late 1960s / 1970s. The “Violin Summit” projects were based on a concept of a rhythm section and a series of violinist playing solo and in various combinations. The 1971 version of “Violin Summit”, which produced the “New Violin SummitFind albums with this title” double album, included also such great violin players as Jean-Luc PontyFind albums by this artist (France), Michal UrbaniakFind albums by this artist (Poland) and Nipso BrantnerFind albums by this artist (Germany) – none of them is heard here – and a fantastic rhythm section consisting of the Norwegian guitarist Terje RypdalFind albums by this artist, German keyboardist Wolfgang DaunerFind albums by this artist, New Zealander (resident in UK at the time) bassist Neville WhiteheadFind albums by this artist and British drummer Robert WyattFind albums by this artist. On the solo night Rypdal is replaced by German guitarist Volker KriegelFind albums by this artist. Surrounded by such illustrious musicians, Harris plays his heart out, improvising more daringly than ever before, no doubt inspired by the incredible performances by his European partners, who were musically much more advanced that Harris’ usual American companions. Overall the album presents a great event captured for posterity, with some amazing musical moments documenting the formation of the European Jazz-Rock Fusion, which bridges between such distant genres as the Blues and Free Jazz with elegance and vision. Beautifully remastered and packaged, this album is definitely worth investigation and attentive listening.
| | | CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Oversampling Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
  | HAROLD MCNAIR ~ HAROLD MCNAIR / FLUTE & NUT
VOCALION 8494 (Barcode: 765387849429) ~ UK ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1968 - 1969 Released: 2012
This is a criminally overdue reissue of the two albums recorded by the British Jazz flautist / saxophonist / composer Harold McNairFind albums by this artist for the RCAFind albums by this artist label, which have been unavailable for over forty years now. McNair, born in Jamaica, was one of many brilliant West Indian musicians to arrive on the British scene in the 1950s and 1960, greatly contributing to the creation of the modern British Jazz, which was at its peak when these two albums were recorded. Although McNair played the saxophone superbly, his flute playing was absolutely amazing and extraordinary, making him probably the best ever British Jazz flautist. He died from cancer in 1971 at a ridiculous young age of thirty nine, a tremendous loss of an amazing talent, lamented to this very day by those who knew him and his work. His rather limited recorded legacy is now radically expanded with the reissue of these two albums.
The eponymous album was recorded by the Harold McNair quartet, with pianist Bill Le SageFind albums by this artist, bassist Spike HeatleyFind albums by this artist and drummer Tony CarrFind albums by this artist. They perform nine pieces, five of which are originals composed by McNair, three are standards and one is a song written by the Folk-Rock singer / songwriter DonovanFind albums by this artist. McNair was a regular member of Donovan´s band, where he played alongside the pianist / composer / arranger John CameronFind albums by this artist. McNair´s performances on this album are perfect from start to finish. He uses the flute on most of the tracks and his immediately recognizable style is simply overwhelming.
The "Flute & NutFind albums with this title" album features McNair accompanied by a Jazz Orchestra conducted by John Cameron, performing eight pieces orchestrated and arranged by Cameron, three of which are McNair originals, one a Cameron original and the remaining four are standards. In retrospect this is the best album McNair ever recorded, with his flute (and occasional saxophone) sounding absolutely marvelous and the beautiful arrangements adding a spectacular effect to the entire production.
McNair recorded only one more album as a leader after this, called "The FenceFind albums with this title", before he died, which was released on the B&CFind albums on this label label. Parts of the first album included here were released posthumously by the same label as another eponymous album, and included also live material recorded at the Ronnie ScottFind albums by this artist´s club.
Beautifully remastered by Michael J. DuttonFind albums by this artist, these two albums sound fresh and wonderful, as if recorded only a short while ago. Musically they are some of the best Jazz flute music even captured and are an essential piece of the modern British Jazz legacy. Absolutely brilliant stuff!
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