Record Reviews

DR. JOHN ~ DUKE ELEGANT BLUE NOTE 724352322022 (Barcode: 724352322022) ~ USA ~ Jazz-Pop Fusion Recorded: 1999 Released: 2000 This is the 22nd studio album by iconic American singer / keyboardist / songwriter / bandleader Dr. JohnFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Mac RebennackFind albums by this artist), recorded in a quartet setting with guitarist Bobby BroomFind albums by this artist, bassist David BarardFind albums by this artist and drummer Herman Ernest IIIFind albums by this artist. Dr. John plays the Hammond B3 organ and piano. Saxophonist Ronnie CuberFind albums by this artist and percussionist Cyro BaptistaFind albums by this artist guest on selected tracks. The album presents twelve songs, which as the title suggests, were all written by Duke EllingtonFind albums by this artist and are all known as Jazz standards, but get here a completely unique treatment. It is his first album released on the Blue NoteFind albums on this label label. The beautiful idiosyncratic voice, keyboards playing and general attitude of Dr. John work absolutely perfectly transforming these Jazz standards into the Funky, Blues soaked, Boogie songs, and are a proof of his enormous talent. Listening to this album is one great thrill from start to finish, and the organ parts are simply delicious. Overall, this is a little hidden gem of American music, which deserves to be remembered and a lot can be learned from it about how to combine cross-genre musical sources to create a perfect amalgam, which is simply everlasting. Blues, Soul and vocal Jazz enthusiasts should love this album to bits!

Updated: 24/10/2023Posted: 19/08/2023

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

DR. JOHN ~ LIVE IN EUROPE 1995 SALVO 035 (Barcode: 698458063526) ~ USA ~ Jazz-Pop Fusion Recorded: 1995 Released: 2014 This is a live album by iconic American singer / keyboardist / songwriter / bandleader Dr. JohnFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Mac RebennackFind albums by this artist), recorded at the Montreux Jazz Festival with his regular band consisting of guitarist Bobby BroomFind albums by this artist, bassist David BarardFind albums by this artist, drummer Herman Ernest IIIFind albums by this artist, percussionist Smiley RicksFind albums by this artist and a brass section comprising of trumpeter Charlie MillerFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Alvin Red TylerFind albums by this artist and baritone saxophonist Ronnie CuberFind albums by this artist. The CD album presents eleven tracks, and the accompanying DVD includes the CD contents and two additional tracks. The music includes a selection of Dr. John originals and Jazz / Pop standards, with Jazz oriented arrangements. The beautiful throaty voice, keyboards playing and general attitude of Dr. John are absolutely perfect for these Funky songs, and the live performances are full of energy and vigor. Listening to this album is one great thrill from start to finish, and the piano parts are simply delicious. Dr. John is one of the best live performers out there. Overall, this is a little hidden gem of American music, which deserves to be remembered and a lot can be learned from it about how to combine cross-genre musical sources to create a perfect amalgam, which is simply everlasting. Blues, Soul and vocal Jazz enthusiasts should love this album to bits!

Updated: 22/10/2023Posted: 22/10/2023

CD+DVD 2 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

KAZIMIERZ JONKISZ ENERGY ~ 6 HOURS WITH RONNIE FOR TUNE 0070 (Barcode: 5902768701739) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2014 Released: 2015 This album documents the meeting between veteran Polish Jazz drummer Kazimierz JonkiszFind albums by this artist and his ensemble EnergyFind albums by this artist with legendary American baritone saxophonist Ronnie CuberFind albums by this artist. The following musicians also take part in the recording: saxophonists Borys JanczarskiFind albums by this artist and Tomasz GrzegorskiFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Robert MurakowskiFind albums by this artist, pianist Jan SmoczynskiFind albums by this artist and bassist Wojciech PulcynFind albums by this artist. The album was recorded at the fabulous Studio Tokarnia, owned by Smoczynski, who also engineered and mastered the album, with the usual spectacular sonic result. The music includes six compositions, two of which are originals by Pulcyn, one is by Cuber and the remaining three are standards. The music is, as expected, straightforward mainstream Jazz, with the two Pulcyn tunes being by far the most refreshing pieces on this album. It is executed without a flaw by all the participants, although the session seems to be lacking any high energy or particular joy of life, which is typically present on the best Jazz recordings. Overall this is a nice, well played and well recorded mainstream Jazz album, which is no different from thousands of similar albums recorded before. As such it contributes nothing to the Jazz milieu and with all due respect is simply banal. Smoczynski plays some great introvert piano parts and Pulcyn, as always, keeps time beautifully, but other than that it´s all déjà vu. Of course since baritone saxophone is not heard very often, this is a good opportunity to enjoy this beautiful instrument being played well.

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

PATRICK WILLIAMS ~ COME ON AND SHINE MPS 4029759097266 (Barcode: 4029759097266) ~ USA ~ Jazz-Funk Fusion Recorded: 1977 Released: 2014 This is a reissue of a little known early album by the great American composer Patrick WilliamsFind albums by this artist, who is one of the leading cinematic composers for the American movie and TV industries, but also a great Jazz aficionado, especially as a leader of Big Bands and composer of Jazz-Classical Fusion recordings. This album presents not one, but two different Jazz Big Bands, one from the East Coast (NY) and one from the West Coast (LA), performing seven original compositions by Williams, one by Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer and one standard, all arranged by Williams. The lineups of these bands read like a who´s who of the American Jazz scene at the time and include among others trumpeters Marvin StammFind albums by this artist and Lew SoloffFind albums by this artist, saxophonists Lou MariniFind albums by this artist and Ronnie CuberFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Dave GrusinFind albums by this artist, guitarist Steve KhanFind albums by this artist, bassist Tony LevinFind albums by this artist, drummer Grady TateFind albums by this artist and also the Belgian harmonica virtuoso Toots ThielemansFind albums by this artist. The music is a mixture of Jazz and Funk / Groove, which was at the peak of its popularity at the time, not very ambitious musically but excellently performed and in retrospect still entertaining today. The Big Band arrangements are a classic example of the American school regarding Big Band arrangements. Overall a nice stroll down the memory lane… Side Note The legendary German MPSFind albums on this label (Musik Produktion Schwarzwald) label, founded by Hans Georg Brunner-SchwerFind albums by this artist (HGBS) in 1963, first as SABAFind albums on this label Records and later on from 1968 as MPS Records, was the most important independent European record label, which had an enormous contribution to the development of European Jazz. For many years MPS cooperated with the legendary German producer / author Joachim BerendtFind albums by this artist, my Friend and Mentor, whose visionary approach and open-mindedness brought the crème de la crème of the Jazz (in the broadest meaning of the word) musicians from all over the world to the label. Between 1963 and 1983 MPS produced about five hundred albums, many of which are among the most important Jazz recordings on this planet. In 1983 the MPS catalog was sold to UniversalFind albums on this label, which sadly resulted in all those artistic treasures to almost disappear from the face of the earth – a situation not only tragic but culturally criminal. Universal reissued a part of the MPS albums (probably 128 titles) on CD between 1999 and 2011 under the "Most Perfect Sound Edition" moniker. Since 2008 the German Promising MusicFind albums on this label label released some of the MPS recordings, but at a very slow pace. In 2014 the German company Edel AG bought the MPS catalogue from Universal and released a series of 25 MPS albums on CD with a new slipcase graphic design, which brought all those excellent albums back to life. In 2015 Edel AG started to record and release new albums under the MPS moniker. In 2016 Edel AG released a series of 10 classic MPS albums on CD, which were beautifully remastered and re-packaged, presenting the original artwork and liner notes, as well as new liner notes and photographs. An obvious labor of love, these reissues are what the MPS catalogue truly deserves. This project was continued in 2017 with another series of 10 classic MPS albums released on CD. In later years some new reissues were released sporadically. Over the years many SABA / MPS albums were reissued in Japan, which is often the only available source for these albums today, but that is a story in itself.

Updated: 27/05/2018Posted: 04/10/2016

CD 1 Slipcase Remastered Recommend To A Friend

FRANK ZAPPA ~ JUST ANOTHER LIVE ALBUM P 910128 (Barcode: 4011778960492) ~ USA ~ Avant-Garde Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1976 Released: 1995 This is a bootleg album by iconic American guitarist / composer / bandleader / visionary Frank ZappaFind albums by this artist. Although the artwork states the music was recorded live in 1984, it is in fact a rip-off straightforward copy of the “Zappa In New YorkFind albums with this title” live album, recorded in 1976. I decided to write about it now as a tribute to saxophonist Ronnie CuberFind albums by this artist, who was a part of the twelve-piece band playing on this album, who recently passed. For the rest of the lineup see the original album review. This bootleg was released in Germany in 1995, and as strange as it might sound it was a perfectly legal release at the time. Due to strange loops in copyright laws in Germany, Italy and other European countries at the time, live recordings were unprotected and could be released legally as long as the authors / composers copyrights were paid to the local publishing rights society (GEMA in Germany or SIAE in Italy), which turned these countries into massive bootleg manufacturers in the 1990s. The heyday was over when the EU modified and unified the copyright laws by the turn of the Century. Overall, although the music is sublime and the sound quality is very good, this bootleg offers nothing that is not available on official releases and as such is redundant to Zappa collectors, unless we are talking about completists, and as we know there are quite a few of those around.

Updated: 19/10/2022Posted: 19/10/2022

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

FRANK ZAPPA ~ ZAPPA IN NEW YORK ZAPPA 3856 (Barcode: 824302385623) ~ USA ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1976 Released: 2012 This is a reissue / remaster of the 23rd album by iconic American guitarist / composer / bandleader / visionary Frank ZappaFind albums by this artist, recorded live during a series of concerts at the NYC Palladium in December 1976 and originally released as a 2LP album in 1978. A much expanded 5CD edition, including the original release and hours of bonus material, all previously unreleased, was released in 2019 as the 112th album, called “Zappa In New York (40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)Find albums with this title”. All the music was composed by Zappa. The group / orchestra accompanying Zappa, who plays guitar and sings, includes an incredible assemblage of musicians: rhythm guitarist / vocalist Ray WhiteFind albums by this artist, keyboardist / violinist Eddie JobsonFind albums by this artist, bassist Patrick O`HearnFind albums by this artist, drummer Terry BozzioFind albums by this artist, percussionist Ruth UnderwoodFind albums by this artist, vibraphonist David SamuelsFind albums by this artist and a brilliant brass section comprising of saxophonists Lou MariniFind albums by this artist, Michael BreckerFind albums by this artist and Ronnie CuberFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Randy BreckerFind albums by this artist and trombonist Tom MaloneFind albums by this artist. The material includes some compositions, which appeared on earlier Zappa’s releases, but most of the material was completely new at the time. The music, as I have already stated repeatedly, is beyond categorization, being first and foremost the idiosyncratic creation of Zappa’s musical Genius. Obviously at the time Zappa was emphasizing the Jazz elements in his music, as the Jazzy brass section certifies, creating his very own Jazz-Rock Fusion, but these terms are highly inappropriate to describe the full scope of this incredible music. Every new piece of reissued vault material by Zappa expands the portrait of one of the paramount musical Geniuses of the 20th Century. As far as live albums are concerned, this gem certainly finds its place in the Pantheon of the finest live recordings of all time. Listening to these 5 CDs in a row is definitely a life changing Zappaorgy. Overall, this is an absolute must have album for all Zappaoids, but in truth every true music lover should find this music outstanding in every possible and impossible way… beyond recommendation… Side Note Frank Zappa created a vast recorded legacy during his lifetime, which is continuously being expanded using music recorded and stored in his extensive vault. The albums officially released and approved by Zappa are numbered sequentially in the "Official Release" series, from #001 to the last release so far #126. The albums between #001 to #062 were released during Zappa's lifetime and all the others were released posthumously. There are countless unofficial / bootleg releases on the market as well. Zappa's catalogue was remastered for CD release twice: in 1995 for the RykodiscFind albums on this label releases and again in 2012 for the ZappaFind albums on this label Records / UniversalFind albums on this label releases. The Zappa / Universal program includes 60 releases, which cover the entire catalog released during his lifetime (62 releases, except #013 "200 Motels" and the three Box Sets #043, #046 and #049 called "The Old Masters vol.I / II / III"), and 6 posthumous releases (#064, #065, #067, #068, #093 and #094), which were also included.

Updated: 22/09/2022Posted: 01/04/2022

CD 2 Remastered Essential Recommend To A Friend

FRANK ZAPPA ~ ZAPPA IN NEW YORK (40TH ANNIVERSARY DELUXE EDITION) ZAPPA 20029 (Barcode: 824302002926) ~ USA ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1976 Released: 2019 This is the 112th album by iconic American guitarist / composer / bandleader / visionary Frank ZappaFind albums by this artist, recorded during a series of concerts at the NYC Palladium in December 1976 and originally released as a 2LP album in 1978. This expanded / remastered edition includes 5 CDs worth of music, including the original release and hours of bonus material, all previously unreleased. All the music was composed by Zappa. The group / orchestra accompanying Zappa on this album includes an incredible assemblage of musicians: rhythm guitarist / vocalist Ray WhiteFind albums by this artist, keyboardist / violinist Eddie JobsonFind albums by this artist, bassist Patrick O`HearnFind albums by this artist, drummer Terry BozzioFind albums by this artist, percussionist Ruth UnderwoodFind albums by this artist, vibraphonist David SamuelsFind albums by this artist and a brilliant brass section comprising of saxophonists Lou MariniFind albums by this artist, Michael BreckerFind albums by this artist and Ronnie CuberFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Randy BreckerFind albums by this artist and trombonist Tom MaloneFind albums by this artist. The material includes some compositions, which appeared on earlier Zappa’s releases, but most of the material was completely new at the time. The music, as I have already stated repeatedly, is beyond categorization, being first and foremost the idiosyncratic creation of Zappa’s musical Genius. Obviously at the time Zappa was emphasizing the Jazz elements in his music, as the Jazzy brass section certifies, creating his very own Jazz-Rock Fusion, but these terms are highly inappropriate to describe the full scope of this incredible music. Every new piece of reissued vault material by Zappa expands the portrait of one of the paramount musical Geniuses of the 20th Century. As far as live albums are concerned, this gem certainly finds its place in the Pantheon of the finest live recordings of all time. Listening to these 5 CDs in a row is definitely a life changing Zappaorgy. Overall, this is an absolute must have album for all Zappaoids, but in truth every true music lover should find this music outstanding in every possible and impossible way… beyond recommendation…

Updated: 01/04/2022Posted: 22/09/2021

CD 5 Mini-Sleeve Box Set Remastered Bonus Tracks Essential Recommend To A Friend