Record Reviews

HERSCH / WINSTONE / WHEELER / CLARVIS ~ 4 IN PERSPECTIVE VILLAGE LIFE 00909 (Barcode: 5037013009091) ~ UK ~ Jazz Recorded: 1999 Released: 2000 This is a beautiful and criminally little know album recorded by the quartet comprising of American pianist / composer Fred HerschFind albums by this artist and three British Jazz musicians: vocalist Diva Norma WinstoneFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Giant Kenny WheelerFind albums by this artist and highly respected drummer Paul ClarvisFind albums by this artist. It documents a live performance by the quartet recorded at St Barnabas Church in Oxford. The album presents nine tracks, four of which are original compositions by Hersch (one featuring lyrics by Winstone), one is an improvised piece credited to all four participants, one is a Wheeler composition with lyrics by Winstone and three are standards. The music is of course brilliant from start to finish. Hersch, despite his American ancestry (nobody´s perfect), was always spiritually way closer to European music than most American musicians, and as a result his music can be considered a part of the European Jazz tradition. Of course he played with Winstone and Wheeler many times before this occasion, and the mutual amity is obvious. The music ranges from straightforward classics to improvised pieces, which for me are the highlight of the proceedings. The personal performances are all superb, as expected. Winstone uses her theatrical lyrics delivery masterfully and her vocalese parts are priceless as always. Wheeler ornaments the proceeding with excellent trumpet parts. Hersch plays wonderfully and his piano parts are full of the romantic notions he is renowned for, displaying his obvious virtuosity. Clarvis, who has the toughest job here, uses his percussion instruments with grace and intelligence managing not to spoil the acoustic ambience and still be clearly heard. Overall this is a brilliant piece of music and a must in any serious British Jazz collection, especially for the many Winstone and Wheeler connoisseurs. Not easy to get hold of but definitely worth the effort. Wholeheartedly recommended!

Updated: 06/04/2019Posted: 06/04/2019

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

WOLFGANG LACKERSCHMID ~ LAKE GENEVA HIPJAZZ 015 (Barcode: 4250095882845) ~ GERMANY ~ Smooth Jazz Recorded: 1995 Released: 2018 This is a reissue of an album by German Jazz vibraphonist / composer Wolfgang LackerschmidFind albums by this artist, recorded in a quartet setting with American guitarist Chuck LoebFind albums by this artist and bassist John LeeFind albums by this artist and Danish percussionist Marilyn MazurFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten original compositions, three each by Lackerschmid, Loeb and Lee and one by Mazur. This remastered edition adds one bonus track. The music is a typical American influenced Fusion, which resembles music played by other ensembles at the time, especially Steps AheadFind albums by this artist led by American vibraphonist Mike MainieriFind albums by this artist, of which Loeb was a member. The music is very melodic and easy on the ear, bordering on Smooth Jazz, but always elegant and solid. The compositions are kept within a defined harmonic framework, serving as basis for lengthy improvisations, mostly by Loeb. Of course the performances are highly professional, as appropriate of musicians of this class. Overall this is a very pleasant album, enjoyable like an afternoon breeze, but not very ambitious musically. A nice groove and a relaxed mood are the main elements this music stands for. This is ideal for listeners who like American Fusion / Groove music with a lot of gentle guitar work up front. Although this music is over two decades old, it is still perfectly valid within the Smooth Jazz framework.

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

CD 1 Digipak Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

RSC ~ ZYCIE TO TEATR GAD 055 (Barcode: 5901549197730) ~ POLAND ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 1982 - 1983 Released: 2017 This is a reissue of the second album by the legendary Polish Rock band RSCFind albums by this artist, which was originally only available on cassette. The short-lived group achieved a great success in the early 1980s and stood out on the Polish scene as one of the only melody oriented Rock ensembles, rather than playing the popular Hard Rock, which dominated the scene at the time. The group had a very unusual septet lineup, which featured a violinist and two keyboardists. The original album presented eight original songs, mostly composed by the band´s leader guitarist / vocalist Andrzej WisniowskiFind albums by this artist with lyrics by the band´s lead singer Zbigniew DzialaFind albums by this artist and one instrumental track. Other members of the group were: keyboardists Piotr SpychalskiFind albums by this artist and Wiktor KucajFind albums by this artist, violinist Wieslaw BaworFind albums by this artist, bassist Andrzej SzczypekFind albums by this artist and drummer Michal KochmanskiFind albums by this artist. This remastered reissue adds three alternate versions of songs included on the original album. The music of RSC provides a beautiful glimpse at the times when Rock music had firm melodic substance, skillfully ornamented by intricate instrumental arrangements and meaningful lyrics. In many respects this album could be considered a full scale Prog Rock outing, due to its well structured themes and superb instrumental passages. The double keyboards are kept well in control and do not soak the music in the horrible 1980s synthesizer mush, which plagued most recordings at the time. Overall this is a beautiful collection of incredible songs, which are not only worth being remembered, but once again point out that sadly nobody makes music like this any more, leaving the young generation exposed to the senseless trash that surrounds us these days. Kudos is due as usual to the GADFind albums on this label Records label for bringing this music back into our awareness and saving it from undeserved oblivion.

Updated: 19/07/2017Posted: 19/07/2017

CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend