Record Reviews

MAL WALDRON ~ THE COMPLETE REMASTERED RECORDINGS ON BLACK SAINT & SOUL NOTE CAM JAZZ 1014 (Barcode: 8052405140401) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1986 - 1989 Released: 2012 This superb Box Set collects all the albums recorded by the quintets led by legendary American pianist / composer Mal WaldronFind albums by this artist on the twin Italian independent labels: Black SaintFind albums on this label and Soul NoteFind albums on this label. Waldron needs no introduction to any serious Jazz connoisseur; suffice to say that his prolific output, recorded mostly in Europe, where he resided for over two decades, includes some of the most interesting Free Jazz and Jazz-World Fusion recordings. The music included here was performed by his two quintets; the first, which recorded the first two albums live at the Village Vanguard, included trumpeter Woody ShawFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Charlie RouseFind albums by this artist, bassist Reggie WorkmanFind albums by this artist and drummer Ed BlackwellFind albums by this artist; the second, which recorded the studio tracks incorporated on the remaining two albums, included saxophonists Sonny FortuneFind albums by this artist and Rocky FordFind albums by this artist, Workman on bass again and drummer Eddie MooreFind albums by this artist. Remastered, mini-sleeved, and with a great bargain price – this Box Set an absolute must for any serious Jazz collector. Side Note The Italian independent record label Black SaintFind albums on this label was founded by the music critic / author / producer Giacomo PellicciottiFind albums by this artist in 1975. It was taken over by the producer Giovanni BonandriniFind albums by this artist in 1978 and a year later (1979) a sister label, called Soul NoteFind albums on this label, was established. The twin labels were run by Giovanni and later his son Flavio BonandriniFind albums by this artist, until they were sold in 2008 to the Italian KEPACH Music Group, which already owned the CAM JazzFind albums on this label label, and which also bought another Italian independent record label Dischi Della QuerciaFind albums on this label. The mission of the Black Saint / Soul Note labels was to record and document the Free Jazz / Improvised Music / Avant-Garde scene, mostly from the US but also from Europe, which continued between mid 1970s and late 1990s and produced a staggering collection of almost 550 albums recorded by world's most important Jazz innovators active at the time, providing an opportunity to American (mostly Afro-American) musicians, who would have never managed to make these recordings at home, ridden by racism, alienation and closed-mindedness. Without these two labels most of this fantastic human creativity would have been never documented. However, the Black Saint / Soul Note Box Sets produced under the CAM JazzFind albums on this label moniker are an archetypal example of how good intentions turn sour. Although these new editions often bring back to life some of the best music ever made on this planet, which in many cases has been lost in the tides of time and was unavailable on the market for ages, they suffer from an unforgivable disregard to the essence of cultural values and general sloppiness, contrary to human decency, which requires us to treat our cultural legacy with respect and loyalty. These Box Sets have no booklet which presents researched historical background and exact discographical information of the albums included, and most importantly an overview of the music and its meaning and contribution to the Jazz Art form. Although the original LP sleeves are reproduced, the information is in most cases too small to be readable at all. In short the fact that these Box Sets are meant to be inexpensive, does not mean that they have to be cheap!

Updated: 12/04/2020Posted:

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