Record Reviews

ELTON DEAN ~ THE VORTEX TAPES SLAM 203 (Barcode: 5028386020325) ~ UK ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 1990 Released: 1992 This is a live album by British Jazz saxophonist / composer Elton DeanFind albums by this artist, recorded at the legendary London’s Vortex club during the five days of the last week of September 1990, each night with a different lineup, four of which are quartets and one is a sextet. The list of the participating musicians reads like the Who’s Who of the British Free Jazz / Improvised Music scene at the time and includes pianists Keith TippettFind albums by this artist and Howard RileyFind albums by this artist, saxophonists Trevor WattsFind albums by this artist, Jerry UnderwoodFind albums by this artist and Simon PicardFind albums by this artist, trombonists Nick EvansFind albums by this artist and Paul RutherfordFind albums by this artist, bassists Marcio MattosFind albums by this artist and Paul RogersFind albums by this artist, drummers Louis MoholoFind albums by this artist, Mark SandersFind albums by this artist, Nigel MorrisFind albums by this artist and Tony LevinFind albums by this artist. The fact that Dean managed to invite all these great musicians to play with him during one week speak volumes about his position on the scene and the respect he earned over the years. The album presents five tracks, three of which are over ten minutes in duration. All the music was composed by Dean. The music is absolutely in sync with what one might have expected from such esteemed players, Free Jazz oriented, full of passion and incredible dialogues between these musicians, who often played with each other in various settings. The incredible intensity of the music still allows for excellent individual contributions to be clearly heard. The sextet (four saxophones) track is a wonderful example of group improvisation, where the mutual respect is fully observed and the saxophone quartet is featured as an organic micro-orchestral unit, later joined by the rhythm section. There is so much superb music on this album, that writing about it is actually pretty redundant, and should simply encourage to grab a copy of this gem, before it completely disappears from the market. British Jazz enthusiasts and even listeners who are aware of Elton Dean only through his association with Soft MachineFind albums by this artist, should make to bold step forward and embrace this facet of Dean’s incredible talent. Overall, this is a monumental document of the British Free Jazz scene by the end of the 1990s, when it was at its absolute peak. The tornado swirl on the album’s cover reflects the power and spirit of the music perfectly and fans of this kind of music should find this album indispensable. Lucky for us this music was captured on tape and released, staying with us for posterity. A true force of Nature!

Updated: 24/06/2023Posted: 24/06/2023

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

HOWARD RILEY / JAKI BYARD ~ R&B SLAM 2100 (Barcode: 5028386633228) ~ UK ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 1985 Released: 2015 This is a live recording from 1985 of the Jazz piano duo comprising of British Jazz pianist / composer Howard RileyFind albums by this artist and American pianist / multi-instrumentalist / composer Jaki ByardFind albums by this artist. It is the second of two such duo meetings between the two wonderful musicians, which followed a similar one captured on record a year earlier. The album presents just five lengthy tracks, one being a medley of two compositions. Four of these compositions are standards and two are co-composed improvisations by Riley and Byard. On the last rack Byard plays piano and saxophone simultaneously. It is almost impossible to imagine a meeting of two seemingly more contrasting Jazz personalities than these two, with Byard mostly associated with his affinity to Ragtime, Stride and other early Jazz sub-genres and Riley mostly associated with Free Jazz and Improvised Music, and yet, as this beautiful album shows, their work together is absolutely harmonious and coherent. Of course Bayard also had his lesser known Avant-Garde / Free Jazz associations, which come here to full bloom. The music moves stylistically throughout the entire history of Jazz music, spanning a Century, and the transformations between what sounds like two Scott JoplinFind albums by this artist spirts and two Cecil TaylorFind albums by this artist spirits playing together is absolutely astounding. For Jazz listeners, who are astute connoisseurs of the Jazz history, especially piano Jazz, this is a true revelation. Overall, this is a brilliant document of the telepathic communication between two great musicians and a sublime example of the “Art of the Duo” phenomenon, which is an essential listening for all Jazz lovers out there. The live concert is very well recorded, which of course makes listening to this album a true pleasure on the sonic plane as well. Wholeheartedly recommended!

Updated: 26/04/2023Posted: 26/04/2023

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

HOWARD RILEY ~ LISTEN TO HEAR SLAM 2106 (Barcode: 5028386706724) ~ UK ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2017 Released: 2017 This is a solo piano album by the British Jazz pianist / composer Howard RileyFind albums by this artist. It presents nineteen relatively short pieces, all but two composed by Riley, with the last two being two takes on the same standard. Riley aged 80 is now in his seventh decade of activity, being a living legend as far as British Avant-Garde / Free Jazz / Improvised Music are concerned, with dozens of albums to his credit, including some of the most iconic recording of these genres in the late 1960s / early 1970s. But he continued to record wonderful music throughout the years and I have always considered him as one of my favorite British Jazz musicians, even if his music always involves intellectual effort and patience, not to mention open-mindedness. This quite recent recording marks (almost) the 50th Anniversary of his debut album. Solo piano albums are the ultimate challenge for Jazz pianists, and most pianists avoid recording solo or do so reluctantly. Riley, however, loves the solo piano idiom and his recorded legacy offers quite a few of solo piano recordings, each of them being a superb document of his immense talent. Perhaps the immediate vis–a-vis with the piano allows him the perfect opportunity to express himself without inhibitions and limitations. Whatever the reason might be, his solo piano recordings are all absolute gems. Despite the fact that Riley plays Free Jazz / Improvised Music, his expressionism always strikes me as completely melodic, as absurd as this might sound. The short melodic sequences and chord progressions in his performances are always (at least for me) absolutely logical and coherent. As a result, even if his music might be considered as difficult, it is never alienating or cacophonic, as often can be the case with Improvised Music. Overall, this is a wonderful album of Free spirited, but exquisitely performed music, which strikes directly into the heart and soul of the listener, if only allowed to do so. The album’s title describes perfectly its contents, as Riley is literally creating note after note, like a painter or sculptor might do, when creating his Art. Wholeheartedly recommended!

Updated: 05/05/2023Posted: 05/05/2023

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

HOWARD RILEY ~ MORE LISTENING, MORE HEARING SLAM 2109 (Barcode: 5028386713326) ~ UK ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2019 Released: 2020 This is a solo piano album by the British Jazz pianist / composer Howard RileyFind albums by this artist. It presents twelve pieces, all but two composed by Riley, with the two being two takes on the same standard. This album is a follow up of the album “Listen To HearFind albums with this title”, recorded a couple of years earlier. All the original pieces are spontaneous improvisations except for one piece which was composed and originally released on Riley’s debut album “DiscussionsFind albums with this title” from 1968. As of time of writing, this is the most recent recording by Riley available on record. Riley aged 80 is now in his seventh decade of activity, being a living legend as far as British Avant-Garde / Free Jazz / Improvised Music are concerned, with dozens of albums to his credit, including some of the most iconic recording of these genres in the late 1960s / early 1970s. But he continued to record wonderful music throughout the years and I have always considered him as one of my favorite British Jazz musicians, even if his music always involves intellectual effort and patience, not to mention open-mindedness. Solo piano albums are the ultimate challenge for Jazz pianists, and most pianists avoid recording solo or do so reluctantly. Riley, however, loves the solo piano idiom and his recorded legacy offers quite a few of solo piano recordings, each of them being a superb document of his immense talent. Perhaps the immediate vis–a-vis with the piano allows him the perfect opportunity to express himself without inhibitions and limitations. Whatever the reason might be, his solo piano recordings are all absolute gems. Despite the fact that Riley plays Free Jazz / Improvised Music, his expressionism always strikes me as completely melodic, as absurd as this might sound. The short melodic sequences and chord progressions in his performances are always (at least for me) absolutely logical and coherent. As a result, even if his music might be considered as difficult, it is never alienating or cacophonic, as often can be the case with Improvised Music. Overall, this is a wonderful album of Free spirited, but exquisitely performed music, which strikes directly into the heart and soul of the listener, if only allowed to do so. The album’s title describes perfectly its contents, as Riley is literally creating note after note, like a painter or sculptor might do, when creating his Art. Wholeheartedly recommended!

Updated: 08/05/2023Posted: 08/05/2023

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

KEVIN FIGES / JULIE TIPPETTS ~ HAPPY APPLES SLAM 2117 (Barcode: 5052442026327) ~ UK ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2023 Released: 2024 This is an album by the improvising British duo of saxophonist / flautist / composer Kevin FigesFind albums by this artist and vocalist extraordinaire Julie TippettsFind albums by this artist. The album presents fifteen spontaneously improvised pieces by the duo, recorded during a single session. This magical encounter between two improvisers creates a brief glimpse into the mind of one of the most extraordinary British Avant-Garde, but also Jazz and Pop musicians, the one and only Julie Tippetts, whom I had the life-long pleasure to follow closely, in her many incarnations and musical personae, always with awe and admiration. Tippetts is probably the most thrilling example of musical transformation, from a Pop Diva into an Avant-Garde groundbreaking innovator, and her courage and ingenuity remains simply unchallenged by any other vocalist. The music on this album is, as always, completely unique, yet at the same time consistent with her stylistic approach to human voice / vocalese / producing sound, which she practices since several decades. This duo is especially effective, as her rapport with Figes seems to be completely symbiotic, and together they are able to create music, which compliments their talents perfectly. As unearthly and weird this music might appear at the first glance, it is less radical and estranged than “usual”, which might result in a much wider accessibility than her earlier recordings. But of course I am the last person on earth to estimate how this music might sound to anybody besides myself, being completely non-objective and biased, since I am totally enchanted by its magic, which is a sublime example of the “Art of the Duo”. Overall, this is as unusual as music gets, full of superb vocal and instrumental sounds blended together into an unwinding story, which takes the listener to uncharted territory of aural experiences. Open-minded music lovers and Tippets admirers will find this as rewarding as always, but hopefully some new listeners will get hooked on this marvelous music. Not to be missed!

Updated: 17/02/2025Posted: 17/02/2025

CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend

HOWARD RILEY ~ MAKING NOTES SLAM 230 (Barcode: 5028386023029) ~ UK ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 1997 Released: 1998 This is a solo piano album by the British Jazz pianist / composer Howard RileyFind albums by this artist. It presents fourteen relatively short pieces, all composed by Riley. Now in his seventh decade of activity Riley is a living legend as far as British Avant-Garde / Free Jazz / Improvised Music are concerned, with dozens of albums to his credit, including some of the most iconic recording of these genres in the late 1960s / early 1970s. But he continued to record wonderful music throughout the years and I have always considered him as one of my favorite British Jazz musicians, even if his music always involves intellectual effort and patience, not to mention open-mindedness. Solo piano albums are the ultimate challenge for Jazz pianists, and most pianists avoid recording solo or do so reluctantly. Riley, however, loves the solo piano idiom and his recorded legacy offers quite a few of solo piano recordings, each of them being a superb document of his immense talent. Perhaps the immediate vis–a-vis with the piano allows him the perfect opportunity to express himself without inhibitions and limitations. Whatever the reason might be, his solo piano recordings are all absolute gems. Despite the fact that Riley plays Free Jazz / Improvised Music, his expressionism always strikes me as completely melodic, as absurd as this might sound. The short melodic sequences and chord progressions in his performances are always (at least for me) absolutely logical and coherent. As a result, even if his music might be considered as difficult, it is never alienating or cacophonic, as often can be the case with Improvised Music. Overall, this is a wonderful album of Free spirited, but exquisitely performed music, which strikes directly into the heart and soul of the listener, if only allowed to do so. The album’s title describes perfectly its contents, as Riley is literally creating note after note, like a painter or sculptor might do, when creating his Art. Wholeheartedly recommended!

Updated: 30/04/2023Posted: 30/04/2023

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

HOWARD RILEY / ELTON DEAN ~ ONE TO ONE SLAM 234 (Barcode: 5028386023425) ~ UK ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 1993 - 1999 Released: 1999 This is an album by the British Jazz duo of pianist / composer Howard RileyFind albums by this artist and saxophonist / composer Elton DeanFind albums by this artist, one of several recordings the two great musicians made together. The album presents eight tracks, all recorded live, which originate from two performances captured six years apart. Five of the tracks are co-credited to the two musicians, two are their interpretations of music composed by other Jazz greats and one is their take on a standard. The music is very intensive, partly based on melodic themes but largely improvised, with was the usual modus operandi of this duo, when working together. Both musicians cooperated for many years and offers a very tight rapport, which is beautifully portrayed herein. Dean, who is mostly known for his work as a member of Soft MachineFind albums by this artist and other Canterbury scene ensembles, was in parallel involved with the Improvised Music / Free Jazz scene, which naturally is significantly less popular and widely known. His death in 2006 robbed the British Jazz scene not only of one of its greatest musicians, but also a kind and much loved human being. Overall, this album is an important document of the British Free Jazz / Improvised Music scene in the 1990s, with a superb “Art of the Duo” performances by two brilliant musicians, who took no prisoners in their total approach to the music, and stayed faithful to their aesthetics, disregarding the musical fads and fashions, which came and went over the years.

Updated: 16/04/2023Posted: 16/04/2023

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

KOPINSKI / KONIKIEWICZ ~ ZONE K SLAM 252 (Barcode: 5028386025221) ~ UK ~ Jazz Recorded: 2002 Released: 2002 This is the only album by the trio co-led by British (of Polish origin) saxophonist / composer Jan KopinskiFind albums by this artist and Polish keyboardist / composer Wojciech KonikiewiczFind albums by this artist and also including the British drummer Steve HarrisFind albums by this artist. The album, which was recorded live, comprises of six original compositions, three of which are credited to all trio members, two are composed by Konikiewicz and the remaining one is composed by Kopinski. Kopinski and Harris (who unfortunately died in 2008), were of course members of the legendary British band Pinski Zoo, one of the leading ensembles on the British scene since the 1980s. Konikiewicz cooperated with the band and its members on several occasions and this recording is a document of one of such projects. The music is dominated by Kopinski´s highly expressive saxophone playing, which is mostly free-form oriented. Konikiewicz, on the other hand, plays cautiously and mostly quite melodically, co-existing in a perfect balance with Kopinski´s explorations. Harris keeps the music moving forward, switching between straight forward rhythmic patterns and free-time passages. Overall the trio creates a fascinating amalgam of highly energetic contemporary Jazz, which keeps the listener on his toes for the entire duration. There is also a much gentler, intimate side to the music, like for example the second track of the album, which is a beautiful ballad, full of typical Polish lyricism and melancholy. Konikiewicz switches between acoustic piano, which he uses to play the melodic intro and the wonderful solo, and the keyboards, which he uses to play the chord sequences and rhythmic layers behind the saxophone solo. Another of such pieces is the solo piano track, which is one of the highlights of the album. There is an atmosphere of mutual respect and openness, which can be easily felt thorough the entire duration of the album, which makes an ensemble like this trio to become so convincing and effective. Although parts of the performances on this album are somewhat similar to the free-form funk, which is the weapon of choice of Pinski Zoo, the album is overall quite different and original in its own way. In retrospect this album is definitely worthy to be revisited from time to time, as the fine music and superb playing on this album don´t get any less relevant in time, on the contrary they are still very much a most interesting listening experience today.

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

PINSKI ZOO ~ AFTER IMAGE SLAM 266 (Barcode: 5028386026624) ~ UK ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2002 - 2005 Released: 2006 This album presents a collection of live material recorded over a span of four years (2002 to 2005) by the seminal British ensemble Pinski ZooFind albums by this artist, led by saxophonist / composer Jan KopinskiFind albums by this artist. This quintet lineup of the ensemble also includes keyboardist Steve IliffeFind albums by this artist, bassists Karl BinghamFind albums by this artist and Stefan KopinskiFind albums by this artist (Jan´s son) and drummer Steve HarrisFind albums by this artist (who sadly departed in 2008). The double CD presents fifteen original compositions by the band members, with total playing time of almost two hours and twenty minutes. These rough, uncensored and unedited live recordings are a perfect vehicle to present the thrilling live experience of Pinski Zoo on stage. Mixing Funk, Groove, Fusion, Electronics and Free into a completely unique amalgam, the band is certainly on fire at the time this music was recorded, well into the third decade of their activity. With the distinct double bass guitar lineup they are a force of Nature, driving the music hard using a polyrhythmic Funk groove as the basis with the keyboards supplying layers of electronic ambient and the sax floating on top of this complex structure, improvising with a passionate intensity. The two bass guitars are of course the most dominating aspect of this music, in full contrast to what is typically expected to be the role of the bass as part of the rhythm section. Both bassists supply the groove of course, but they constantly improvise and interplay with each other with infernal intensity, producing a mesmerizing effect. Another unusual aspect of this music is the fact that the melodic content, which often is subtly hidden beneath the surface, can be expressed not by the typical instruments to do so (saxophone or keyboards), but in this case also by the bass guitars. Of course Jan Kopinski is one of the most interesting and original British saxophone players and his work here is also absolutely brilliant. Iliffe and Harris are also an essential part of the overall effect the group produces on stage, which has very few competitors as far as the drive and vitality are concerned. It takes a while to "get into" this music, but once there it is completely absorbing and fascinating. I have no idea why it took me ten years to put my hands on this beauty, but better late than never is definitely very much true in this case. Something else, definitely!

Updated: 29/01/2016Posted: 29/01/2016

CD 2 Recommend To A Friend

FLETCHER / BRICE / JOZWIAK ~ NICK OF TIME SLAM 295 (Barcode: 5028386029526) ~ UK ~ Jazz Recorded: 2013 Released: 2014 This is the debut album by British Jazz trio consisting of saxophonist / flautist Mike FletcherFind albums by this artist, bassist Olie BriceFind albums by this artist and Polish (residing in UK) drummer Tymoteusz JozwiakFind albums by this artist. The album presents six original pieces, all co-composed by the three trio members. Jozwiak arrived in UK to study with the legendary British Jazz drummer Tony LevinFind albums by this artist, now sadly departed, and stayed on. He met Fletcher and Brice in 2013 and they struck an immediate rapport as musical partners, which led to this recording. The music is a typical Free Jazz / Improvised Music setting, which presents three individual musicians trying to find a common ground and cooperate sonically in order to create an expression, which is a sum of their individual inputs. Judging by the result they definitely both enjoyed this meeting and managed to produce some excellent music together. Although obviously improvised, the music includes enough melodic contents to keep listeners from beyond the strict Avant-Garde scene receptive to this music. Fletcher´s playing is remarkably mellow and non aggressive and both Brice and Jozwiak engage with the front soloist constantly and yet manage to remain at least partly in the background, which saves the music from becoming cacophonous. Obviously Fletcher draws most of the listener´s attention, but his playing without the support of his two cohorts would have been most probably much less impressive. Brice builds up a respected position among the Improvised Music community members in the last few years, appearing on several very strong recording dates, like the trio with Polish saxophonist / clarinetist Mikolaj Trzaska called "Inem Gortn", which should be most interesting to people listening to this album. He is surely a player worth watching in the years to come, following his impressive start-up achievements. Jozwiak is relatively anonymous as of now, but judging by his performances herein, we´ll definitely hear more about him in years to come. Overall this is an interesting and aesthetically pleasing debut presenting ambitious music, which is definitely worth hearing. The album was released on the small independent label called SlamFind albums on this label Records, which was founded and is operated by British baritone saxophonist George HaslamFind albums by this artist, and which in the last 25 years released some of the most fascinating Avant-Garde music recorded on the British Isles.

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend