Record Reviews

JOHNNY ALMOND / MUSIC MACHINE ~ PATENT PENDING VOCALION 8417 (Barcode: 765387841720) ~ UK ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1969 Released: 2005 Multi-instrumentalist / composer Johnny AlmondFind albums by this artist was one of the most versatile and in-demand players on the British scene in the late 1960s. A member of the Alan Price SetFind albums by this artist, he also led a septet of young up-and-coming musicians called Johnny Almond Music MachineFind albums by this artist, which recorded two albums of which this is the first. Soon after recording this album Almond joined the new version of John MayallFind albums by this artist’s BluesbreakersFind albums by this artist, which recorded the revolutionary The Turning PointFind albums with this title album. In that group he met guitarist Jon MarkFind albums by this artist, with whom he formed one of the best British Jazz-Rock groups – Mark-AlmondFind albums by this artist. Bass player Roger SuttonFind albums by this artist (ex-Brian AugerFind albums by this artist’s TrinityFind albums by this artist), who plays on this album, was also a founding member of Mark-Almond and would later be e member of Riff RaffFind albums by this artist and NucleusFind albums by this artist. Another player, the drummer Alan WhiteFind albums by this artist, would later join the legendary YesFind albums by this artist. This album is a splendid example of early Jazz-Rock, with strong Rhythm And Blues influences. Almond plays tenor, alto and baritone saxophones, flute, alto flute, organ, vibes, mellotron and bass clarinet – surely deserving the “music machine” nickname. His virtuosity (my favorite being his flute playing) is obvious. He also composed all but one of the eight tunes included here. Overall this is an excellent album and a great trip down the memory lane. Wholeheartedly recommended!

Updated: 08/05/2023Posted:

CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend

NEIL ARDLEY ~ KALEIDOSCOPE OF RAINBOWS DUSK FIRE 101 (Barcode: 5060051330889) ~ UK ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1976 Released: 2005 Composer / arranger / bandleader Neil ArdleyFind albums by this artist left a remarkable mark on modern British Jazz in the 1960s and 1970s. As the musical director of the New Jazz OrchestraFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. NJOFind albums by this artist), Ardley was responsible for creation of the innovative Big Band / Orchestra sound, one of the great ingredients of modern British Jazz. Influenced by Gil EvansFind albums by this artist, another pioneering figure of Jazz orchestration, Ardley took the matters further, adopting rock elements into his scores and creating unique Jazz-Rock Orchestral music. His skills as a composer of large-scale suite-like scores were best documented by a series of recordings of his works. This album was a third in a series of such works and a final part of an orchestral trilogy, which started with "The Greek VariationsFind albums with this title" and continued with "A Symphony Of AmaranthsFind albums with this title". As usual in his case, the music is a multi-part orchestral suite, performed by a Jazz ensemble with plenty of space for extended improvisations by soloist. Having at his disposal the burgeoning British Jazz community of musicians, Ardley selected the excellent Ian CarrFind albums by this artist’s NucleusFind albums by this artist as the core of this ensemble, expanding it with additional musicians he was used to work with. The list of players is most impressive and includes among others: Ian Carr on trumpet, Brian SmithFind albums by this artist, Barbara ThompsonFind albums by this artist and Stan SultzmannFind albums by this artist on saxophone, Tony CoeFind albums by this artist on clarinet, Dave MacRaeFind albums by this artist and Geoff CastleFind albums by this artist on piano, Roger SuttonFind albums by this artist on bass and Trevor TomkinsFind albums by this artist on drums and vibraphone. The music moves between atmospheric soundscapes and highly rhythmic Jazz-Rock pieces, with excellent solos in each of the suite’s seven parts. In retrospect the music lost none of its original charm and beauty, and sadly one must admit: “they don’t make music like that any more”. Ardley was to produce one more orchestral masterpiece, called "Harmony Of The SpheresFind albums with this title", by the end of the 1970s, before the changing musical and economic climate eradicated ambitious / artistic music almost completely. He became a very successful writer and best-selling author before he died in 2004. I hope all of his splendid musical works will be properly reissued, including previously unreleased stuff left in his estate. As for this album, just grab a copy and take the A(rdley) train into musical lands of rare beauty – an experience you’ll never forget.

CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend

NEIL ARDLEY ~ KALEIDOSCOPE OF RAINBOWS LIVE `75 JAZZ IN BRITAIN 21 (Barcode: 5060774190142) ~ UK ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 1975 Released: 2021 This is an archival album by British keyboardist / composer / bandleader Neil ArdleyFind albums by this artist, which presents a live recording of his orchestral piece entitled “Kaleidoscope Of RainbowsFind albums with this title”, originally commissioned by the London Borough of Camden and supported by the Arts Council of Great Britain (those were the days!), premiered at the legendary Roundhouse in October of 1974 by a Jazz Big Band / Orchestra. The version performed here, one year later, is somewhat revised and expanded, recorded, with Ardley conducting of course, by a smaller and much tighter group of Top British Jazz musicians at the time, all of which took part in the studio recording of the seminal “Kaleidoscope Of Rainbows” album, which was recorded a few months later in 1976 and released the same year. The lineup includes the members of NucleusFind albums by this artist led by trumpeter Ian CarrFind albums by this artist with saxophonist Bob BertlesFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Geoff CastleFind albums by this artist, guitarist Ken ShawFind albums by this artist, bassist Roger SuttonFind albums by this artist and drummer Roger SellersFind albums by this artist. Additionally, the collective lineup adds saxophonists Brian SmithFind albums by this artist, Tony CoeFind albums by this artist and Barbara ThompsonFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Dave MacRaeFind albums by this artist, cellist Paul BuckmasterFind albums by this artist and percussionist Trevor TomkinsFind albums by this artist. The lineup that recorded the studio album also included guests: saxophonist Stan SulzmannFind albums by this artist and keyboardist John TaylorFind albums by this artist, who are not present here. The 2CD album presents sixteen tracks, timing at 103 minutes, which have been later combined and condensed into nine tracks, timing about half of that time, as released on the studio album. Therefore, this album, which presents the full extent of Ardley’s vision for his work, is extremely important and the fact that it is available here for the first time is truly a momentous occasion and a milestone of British Jazz history. “Kaleidoscope Of Rainbows” is the last part of a triptych of orchestral works by Ardley, which also includes the earlier “The Greek VariationsFind albums with this title” and “A Symphony Of AmaranthsFind albums with this title”. All three pieces are based on a concept of taking a limited musical element and expanding it into a large framework. Ardley would create one more orchestral piece a couple of years later (1978), called “Harmony Of The SpheresFind albums with this title”, before he embraced a career as author and composer of choral music. The music follows the pattern of earlier Ardley’s works, amalgamating Jazz with World Music elements and heavily influenced by the minimal music concepts of repetition and slowly developing / cyclic repetition, all brilliantly put together and masterly executed by all the participants. Although structurally the music is not Jazz per se, the soloing, improvising and phrasing are indeed very Jazzy (not surprisingly), and with the expanded format of the piece, are more prominently featured here that on the more disciplined studio version. Ardley, together with Mike WestbrookFind albums by this artist and Michael GibbsFind albums by this artist constitute the triumvirate of the British Jazz orchestral composers / bandleaders, who offered a completely revised alternative to American Big Band Jazz, taking it into entirely new musical spheres, artistic heights and European aesthetic values, which still reverberate in contemporary music. As usual praise goes to the Jazz In BritainFind albums on this label label for unearthing this music and releasing it on CD. Please keep up the good work, as nobody else has the stamina, energy and passion to do it and these reissues are way too good to remain hidden in the vaults.

Updated: 03/07/2021Posted: 03/07/2021

CD 2 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

JULIE DRISCOLL / BRIAN AUGER / TRINITY ~ LIVE ON AIR 1967-68 LONDON CALLING 5031 (Barcode: 5053792503117) ~ UK ~ Jazz-Pop Fusion Recorded: 1967 - 1968 Released: 2019 This is an archival release of TV and live club performances by the legendary British vocalist Julie DriscollFind albums by this artist and keyboardist / composer Brian AugerFind albums by this artist and his TrinityFind albums by this artist, which were at the peak of their commercial success when these recordings were made. The Trinity lineup changed several times in this period and included guitarists Gary BoyleFind albums by this artist and Vic BriggsFind albums by this artist, bassists Roger SuttonFind albums by this artist, Rick LairdFind albums by this artist and Dave AmbroseFind albums by this artist and drummers Clive ThackerFind albums by this artist, Micky WallerFind albums by this artist and Clem CattiniFind albums by this artist. The album presents twelve tracks recorded in UK and France, which include several versions of the same songs, overall seven songs from the repertoire of Driscoll and Auger albums released at the time. The quality of these historic recording varies but overall is good enough to be listened to and enjoyed in full. Auger is of course one of the forefathers of Jazz-Rock Fusion and his Hammond performances are second to none to this very day. Deeply rooted in Jazz, Auger managed to create a wonderful amalgam of Jazz / Groove / Soul / Rock, which proved be as popular at the time as the most commercial recordings. He is still active today, five decades later. Driscoll was one of the most idiosyncratic British Pop stars of all times and her performances in the late 1960s stand proudly side by side by the most important female Rock vocalist of the era. She later married the British Avant-Garde pianist / composer Keith Tippett and changed her vocal style into innovative Avant-Garde vocal Jazz explorations. She is also still active today, five decades later. One of the tracks on this album offers a recording of Driscoll supported by a large orchestra, which is absolutely unique in her discography. Considering the fact that the recorded legacy of Driscoll, Auger and the Trinity is relatively limited, every scrap of recorded music featuring their unique talents is invaluable. Side Note Obiterdictum Ltd, a company based in Cyprus (oh well you know the story… copyright laws and legal issues) releases mostly live recorded radio broadcasts from the 1960s on and offers an amazing source of music which was never officially released by some of the best Classic Rock and Jazz artists. The catalogue offers five hundred releases, which is an absolute treasure chest of music history, often appearing for the first time. Although the sound quality and sometimes also music quality range from absolutely brilliant to pretty poor, most of the material is surely listenable, especially after being remastered recently, and more importantly offers music which is not available elsewhere. The company releases the albums under several sub-labels: Air CutsFind albums on this label, EchoesFind albums on this label, Hi HatFind albums on this label, HotspurFind albums on this label, InterferenceFind albums on this label, KeyholeFind albums on this label, KlondikeFind albums on this label, Live On VinylFind albums on this label, London CallingFind albums on this label, OrbitFind albums on this label, Rox VoxFind albums on this label and Sound StageFind albums on this label. There is no ironclad logic as to what material appears on which label, except perhaps some internal considerations by the Obiterdictum owners. Approach with caution, but keep in mind that some of these releases are absolutely brilliant!

Updated: 27/07/2019Posted: 27/07/2019

CD 1 Digipak Remastered Recommend To A Friend