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Here are a couple of classic early British Jazz-Rock Fusion albums:

 

 

If there ever was a quintessential Jazz-Rock album, which practically not only is the first recorded example of the genre, but also defines it unequivocally, this is it! The music herein was initially released as a double LP for the first time in 1970, but it consists of two sessions recorded earlier by the legendary British saxophonist / organist / vocalist Graham Bond, the earlier one in 1963 and the later in 1966. These two sessions, diametrically different and yet completely unified in spirit, present a miniscule window into the time-space continuum, which enables us to take a peek at the most feverish period in British music, where invention and pioneering breakthrough were happening on a daily basis. The first of these two sessions is not only the first recording of the emerging Jazz-Rock genre but also the recording debut of one of its future heroes, guitarist John McLaughlin. The Graham Bond Quartet, captured live in London's legendary Klooks Kleek club consisted of Bond (on sax), McLaughlin, Jack Bruce on acoustic bass and Ginger Baker on drums. They played a unique brand of modern jazz, which combined the elements of Free Jazz, Swing and Rock (or Rhythm and Blues), basically inventing the Jazz-Rock Fusion on the fly. Although the music is predominantly Jazzy, Baker's rhythmic approach, Bond's phrasing and McLaughlin's scales all included clear Rock innuendos. During the period separating the first session and the second one, Bond formed the Graham Bond Organization, which recorded a couple of LPs in 1965 ("The Sound Of 65" and "There`s A Bond Between Us") and practically fell apart after Bruce and Baker left to form Cream. The second recording features another interim quartet with Bond (this time on organ), saxophonist Dick Heckstall-Smith, Bruce (who double-gigged between Cream and some Jazz activities) and the young and upcoming drummer Jon Hiseman. The music recorded during this session is already full-fledged Fusion, with Jazz being tightly incorporated with Blues, Rhythm and Blues and Rock, similar to the patterns perfected during the Organization days. Some of the material appears on the Organization recordings, other was new, but the overall quality is of course everlasting. Shortly after this recording Heckstall-Smith and Hiseman left Bond to join John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and later formed the mighty Colosseum. In retrospect this album, although relatively little known by Jazz-Rock enthusiasts, is a holy grail of the genre and an essential piece of any serious music collection. Unavailable for years, the CD recent reissue is a major contribution to preservation of this superb musical achievement. Essential stuff!

 

 

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Here is (finally) the reissue of the Sonja Kristina's 3^rd album:

 

 

3^rd album by the wonderful British vocalist Sonja Kristina, ex-lead singer of the legendary Curved Air, recorded with her band Cloud 10. Kristina is at her absolute peak here, combining elements of Prog, Folk-Rock, Jazz and Ambient, with brilliant songwriting and stunning vocal abilities. The sound of the album is very close to her Curved Air recordings, mainly due to the presence of the wonderful violin player Paul Sax, who contributes some amazing instrumental parts, reminiscent of Daryl Way's violin performances in Curved Air. The album has a distinctive Jazzy feel and Kristina's beautifully melodic compositions provide an excellent vehicle for the players to contribute their instrumental contribution. This gem was unavailable for many years and this reissue is a most welcome event, enabling many of Kristina's fans to be able to hear this great album again, now in expanded form with many bonus tracks. Absolutely not to be missed!

 

 

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Here is a series of new additions on the Talking Elephant label, another British reissues label:

 

 

9^th and last album by the wonderful British Folk-Rock / Prog group Amazing Blondel, one of the most unique and sophisticated bands to appear on the scene in the 1970s. After recording four wonderful albums for the Island label, the band switched to the DJM label, where they recorded four additional albums before disbanding. With the departure of John Galdwin, the duo of Terry Wincott and Edward Baird continued to carry the band's tradition, utilizing well-known Rock musicians as guest artists and modifying the sound to a more contemporary rockier song format. This album has nothing to do with Japan, as it was recorded in Europe, although the group was quite popular in Japan at the time. This album represents in a way a comeback to the acoustic version of the band, with just Wincott and Baird up front, accompanied by an orchestra at times, doing what they do best. In many respects it is the best effort of the later period of the band and a perfect parting gift. Worth investigation!

 

 

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Here is a series of new additions on the Talking Elephant label, another British reissues label:

 

 

8^th album by the wonderful British Folk-Rock / Prog group Amazing Blondel, one of the most unique and sophisticated bands to appear on the scene in the 1970s. After recording four wonderful albums for the Island label, the band switched to the DJM label, where they recorded four additional albums before disbanding. With the departure of John Galdwin, the duo of Terry Wincott and Edward Baird continued to carry the band's tradition, utilizing well-known Rock musicians as guest artists and modifying the sound to a more contemporary rockier song format. On this album the guests include pianist Dave Skinner, bassist Mick Feat and drummer John Gilston, as well as extensive orchestral arrangements. This is quite different from the first incarnation of the group, but still a great testimony of the times now long gone. Worth investigation!

 

 

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Here is a series of new additions on the Talking Elephant label, another British reissues label:

 

 

7^th album by the wonderful British Folk-Rock / Prog group Amazing Blondel, one of the most unique and sophisticated bands to appear on the scene in the 1970s. After recording four wonderful albums for the Island label, the band switched to the DJM label, where they recorded four additional albums before disbanding. With the departure of John Galdwin, the duo of Terry Wincott and Edward Baird continued to carry the band's tradition, utilizing well-known Rock musicians as guest artists and modifying the sound to a more contemporary rockier song format. On this album the guests include pianist Dave Skinner and reedman Mel Collins, as well as extensive orchestral arrangements. This is quite different from the first incarnation of the group, but still a great testimony of the times now long gone. Worth investigation!

 

 

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Here is a series of new additions on the Talking Elephant label, another British reissues label:

 

 

6^th album by the wonderful British Folk-Rock / Prog group Amazing Blondel, one of the most unique and sophisticated bands to appear on the scene in the 1970s. After recording four wonderful albums for the Island label, the band switched to the DJM label, where they recorded four additional albums before disbanding. With the departure of John Galdwin following the recording of "England", the duo of Terry Wincott and Edward Baird continued to carry the band's tradition, utilizing well-known Rock musicians as guest artists and modifying the sound to a more contemporary rockier song format. However, the Folk elements and occasional medieval music elements were still incorporated into the music, with their vocal harmonies remaining second to none. On this album the guests include Free's guitarist Paul Kossoff, drummer Simon Kirke and keyboardist John Bundrick. This is quite different from the first incarnation of the group, but still a great testimony of the times now long gone. Worth investigation!

 

 

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Here is a series of new additions on the Talking Elephant label, another British reissues label:

 

 

5^th and last album by the wonderful British Prog group Gryphon, one of the most unique and sophisticated bands to appear on the scene in the 1970s. Following the release of "Raindance" the band went through a period of personnel changes only to emerge again two years later with this, their final swan song, after switching labels to EMI's Progressive Harvest label. A sextet with three founding members (Harvey, Gulland and Oberle) they were joined by guitarist Bob Foster, bassist Jonathan Davie and drummer Alex Baird. Although the album is more song-oriented, it retains the band's spirit and in retrospect remains definitely worthy of the band's reputation and integrity, unjustly referred to (by some critics) as superior to the previous releases. Definitely worth investigation, especially as is quite difficult to find on CD. Warmly recommended!

 

 

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Here is a series of new additions on the Talking Elephant label, another British reissues label:

 

 

3^rd album by the wonderful British Prog group Gryphon, one of the most unique and sophisticated bands to appear on the scene in the 1970s. For this album the group was (informally) expanded to a septet with the addition of organist Ernest Hart and acoustic bassist Peter Redding, and features four extended instrumental pieces. The album is commonly accepted as the band's magnum opus among their numerous followers. This is one of those albums, which should be an integral part of any serious Prog collection and an absolute classic of the genre.

 

 

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Here is a series of new additions on the Talking Elephant label, another British reissues label:

 

 

2^nd album by the wonderful British Prog group Gryphon, one of the most unique and sophisticated bands to appear on the scene in the 1970s. For this album the group was expanded to a quintet with the addition of bassist Philip Nestor, which resulted in a tighter and slightly rockier sound. They also expanded their musical ides resulting in much longer compositions, some suite-like spanning almost 20 minutes, like the title track on this album, which was commission to accompany Shakespeare's "The Tempest" produced by the National Theatre. This is one of those albums, which should be an integral part of any serious Prog collection and an absolute classic of the genre.

 

 

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Here is a series of new additions on the Talking Elephant label, another British reissues label:

 

 

1^st album by the wonderful British Prog group Gryphon, one of the most unique and sophisticated bands to appear on the scene in the 1970s. Formed by students at the Royal Academy of Music in London, the band members were all well educated in classical music, which was evident both in the level of their compositions, as well as in their superb performing skills. Founded by Richard Harvey (keyboards, woodwinds and guitars) and Brian Gulland (woodwinds – especially bassoon – keyboards and vocals), who both shared a deep love for early music, Renaissance and medieval church music, as well as British folk, which determined the group's musical direction. Combining these elements with some contemporary Rock elements, they managed to achieve a completely unique sound and musical vision, which was somewhere between Folk-Rock groups like Pentangle and Fairport Convention and Early British music ensembles like Amazing Blondel. The pair was joined by guitarist Graeme Taylor and the trio started performing mostly in the Folk-Rock circles. Later expanded to a quartet, when joined by drummer David Oberle, the group finally crystallized their stylistic approach. Signed by the legendary Transatlantic label, they recorded 4 classic albums for the label, all of which are superb examples of British Folk-Rock / Prog and essential pieces of the wonderful puzzle created at the time. This is one of those albums, which should be an integral part of any serious Prog collection and an absolute classic of the genre.

 

 

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Here are two new releases on the great British Hux label, the miners of BBC archives:

 

 

This wonderful collection of previously unreleased material by one of the most enigmatic bands of the 1960s / 1970s, Incredible String Band, is certainly a major event as far as many fans of the group are concerned, especially in view of the high quality (both sonically and artistically) of the material included. Taken from original master tapes (live and studio) one can find here rehearsal tapes, album outtakes and alternate versions and radio recordings obtained from the Witchseason and Island labels archives. Spanning the period of 6 years, the material is presented chronologically and reflects the ever changing character of the group. Accompanied by an extensive booklet with informative notes and great photographs, this is a superb example of the dedication and hard work invested by some reissue labels into their products, with the wonderful Hux label certainly spearheading the pack. An absolute must to any ISB fan!

 

 

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Here are two new releases on the great British Hux label, the miners of BBC archives:

 

 

3rd part of the collected BBC recordings by the seminal early UK Prog group Family. As usual, the sound quality of these recordings is superb, often better then original studio albums. These sessions were recorded by the second lineup of the group (so called Mk.2), which included bassist John Weider and multi-instrumentalist Poli Palmer, and cover the material mostly included on the 3^rd and 4^th albums ("A Song For Me" & "Anyway"). This lineup was the strongest and most versatile incarnation of the group. The quality of the tunes as well as the incredible skills of the musicians is evident and this is a most welcome addition to the Family recorded heritage. The album includes all previously unreleased recordings; some sought to be lost completely before miraculously uncovered here. Family fans rejoyce!

 

 

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Here is another great British avant-garde Jazz album:

 

 

Saxophonist Paul Dunmall and bassist Paul Rodgers are perhaps the two most active and creative players on the contemporary British avant-garde Jazz scene, who are still actively expanding the Jazz and Improvised Music idiom. This live recording of the duo is a splendid example of modern music, completely devoid of any preconceptions, limitations and musical boundaries – just pure power of expression, virtuosity and imagination. Dunmall plays soprano saxophone, clarinet and bagpipes, changing intonation and mood without hesitation, with Rodgers responding amicably with his incredible bass work. Both these musicians have already a sizeable recorded legacy released by the splendid FMR label, and this new addition is yet another cornerstone of their collective cathedral of modern music. Although not for a casual listener, this wonderful piece of music will delight any serious avant-garde music enthusiast. Not to be missed!

 

 

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Here is a series of recordings by the great British Jazz Moire Music:

 

 

Live recording by the Moire Music ensemble, founded by saxophonist Trevor Watts after his previous band, Amalgam, disbanded. In contrast to Amalgam, Moire Music is a large ensemble, varying in size around 10 members, and often features a brass section, a string section and an expanded percussion section, including African drums. In contrast to Amalgam's music, which was based mainly on a small group improvisation, this ensemble performs music which is well structured and arranged, but allows plenty of individual improvisation to take place. It also tends to include many World Music elements, incorporating them into the Jazz framework. This particular lineup of the ensemble includes the esteemed saxophone player Simon Picard. The drummer is another ex-Amalgam member Liam Genockey. This material was previously unreleased and is a most welcome addition to this band's recorded legacy. It goes without saying that the music is brilliant, as anything Watts is associated with, I can hardly imagine a Jazz enthusiast who would remain impartial to these performances, while listening to this music and my warm recommendation is self-explanatory. Great stuff!

 

 

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Here is a series of recordings by the great British Jazz Moire Music:

 

 

2^nd album by the Moire Music ensemble, founded by saxophonist Trevor Watts after his previous band, Amalgam, disbanded. In contrast to Amalgam, Moire Music is a large ensemble, varying in size around 10 members, and often features a brass section, a string section and an expanded percussion section, including African drums. In contrast to Amalgam's music, which was based mainly on a small group improvisation, this ensemble performs music which is well structured and arranged, but allows plenty of individual improvisation to take place. It also tends to include many World Music elements, incorporating them into the Jazz framework. This particular lineup of the ensemble includes the esteemed saxophone player Simon Picard. The drummer is another ex-Amalgam member Liam Genockey. The music was recorded live and the original album was released on the independent Arc label, owned by Watts. Unavailable for many years, this is a long overdue first appearance on CD, which of course is most welcome. It goes without saying that the music is brilliant, as anything Watts is associated with, I can hardly imagine a Jazz enthusiast who would remain impartial to these performances, while listening to this music and my warm recommendation is self-explanatory. Great stuff!

 

 

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Here is a series of recordings by the great British Jazz Moire Music:

 

 

Debut album by the Moire Music ensemble, founded by saxophonist Trevor Watts after his previous band, Amalgam, disbanded. In contrast to Amalgam, Moire Music is a large ensemble, varying in size around 10 members, and often features a brass section, a string section and an expanded percussion section, including African drums. In contrast to Amalgam's music, which was based mainly on a small group improvisation, this ensemble performs music which is well structured and arranged, but allows plenty of individual improvisation to take place. It also tends to include many World Music elements, incorporating them into the Jazz framework. This particular lineup of the ensemble includes the legendary saxophonist Lol Coxhill and another esteemed saxophone player Simon Picard. The drummer is another ex-Amalgam member Liam Genockey. The music was recorded live and the original album was released on the independent Arc label, owned by Watts. Unavailable for many years, this is a long overdue first appearance on CD, which of course is most welcome. It goes without saying that the music is brilliant, as anything Watts is associated with, I can hardly imagine a Jazz enthusiast who would remain impartial to these performances, while listening to this music and my warm recommendation is self-explanatory. Great stuff!

 

 

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Here is a series of recordings by the great British Jazz ensemble Amalgam:

 

 

10^th  and final recording by the superb British Jazz / Improvised Music ensemble Amalgam, one of the precursors of British / European Free Jazz scene in the late 1960s and 1970s, founded by saxophonist Trevor Watts. On this album the lineup is a quartet, including guitarist Keith Rowe, bassists Colin McKenzie and George Lyle and drummer Liam Genockey, the last stable lineup of the ensemble before it disbanded in 1980 marking 13 years of activity. The music is written by Watts or is spontaneously composed and was recorded live during Amalgam's last British tour. This album was originally released on the legendary independent Impetus label as a 6 LPs set, and was unavailable for many years, which is now rectified by this CD issue. With the guitar and electric bass the sound of the band is close to Fusion, but with the extended improvisations, complete freedom of expression and virtuosity of the performers the music retains all of the qualities of Improvised Music remaining relatively accessible. This set includes three hours of visionary, complex and dense music, which is completely unique and unprecedented. Listeners looking for a total musical experience should look no further. This is classic and brilliant stuff in every respect!

 

 

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Here is a series of recordings by the great British Jazz ensemble Amalgam:

 

 

5^th  album by the superb British Jazz / Improvised Music ensemble Amalgam, one of the precursors of British / European Free Jazz scene in the late 1960s and 1970s, founded by saxophonist Trevor Watts. On this album the lineup is a quintet, including guitarist Dave Cole, bassists Pete Cowling and Colin McKenzie and drummer Liam Genockey, which marks an extension of the quartet that recorded the previous album at beginning of the second phase of Amalgam, characterized by the dual saxophone – guitar frontline. The music is written entirely by Watts. This album was originally released on the tiny German independent Vinyl label, and was unavailable for many years, which is now rectified by this CD issue. With the guitar and double electric bass the sound of the band becomes even more close to Fusion, but the extended improvisations and the virtuosity of the performers are still the same as always. This is again quite an accessible Amalgam album ever and easily enjoyed both by Jazz and Fusion adventurous music fans. This is still a classic and brilliant stuff as always!

 

 

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Here is a series of recordings by the great British Jazz ensemble Amalgam:

 

 

4^th  album by the superb British Jazz / Improvised Music ensemble Amalgam, one of the precursors of British / European Free Jazz scene in the late 1960s and 1970s, founded by saxophonist Trevor Watts. On this album the lineup is a quartet, including guitarist Steve Hayton, bassist Pete Cowling and drummer Liam Genockey, which marks the beginning of the second phase of Amalgam, which is characterized by the dual saxophone – guitar frontline. The music is written entirely by Watts, who after the departure of drummer John Stevens became the group's main composer. This album was originally released on the tiny German independent Vinyl label, and was unavailable for many years, which is now rectified by this CD issue. With the guitar and electric bass the sound of the band changes completely, with a distinct Fusion feel, but the dexterity and obvious genius are still the same as always. This is probably the most accessible Amalgam album ever recorded and young listeners, ignorant of the band's Improvised Music roots should be able to enjoy it immensely. This is still a classic, although a different cup of tea altogether. Brilliant stuff!

 

 

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Here is a series of recordings by the great British Jazz ensemble Amalgam:

 

 

2^nd album by the superb British Jazz / Improvised Music ensemble Amalgam, one of the precursors of British / European Free Jazz scene in the late 1960s and 1970s, founded by saxophonist Trevor Watts. On this album the lineup is a trio, including the legendary drummer John Stevens and bassists Ron Herman and Jeff Clyne. As the title suggests, Amalgam play tribute to two almost anonymous heroes of the American Jazz revolution, drummers Ed Blackwell and Billy Higgins, both of which played on the pioneering recordings by Ornette Coleman and contributed their share in expanding the Jazz horizons. The music is recorded live and both extended compositions included here are by Stevens. This album was originally released on the tiny independent A label, owned by Watts, and was unavailable for many years, which is now rectified by this CD issue. The performances are inspired and fiery, proving how advanced the British scene was at the time. Watts' saxophone work summarizes the development of the instrument in the hand of geniuses like Coleman, Albert Ayler and John Coltrane. Overall this is yet another example of the wonderful forces at work during a most illustrious period in British Jazz. A true classic of the genre and a must for any Free Jazz / Improvised Music buff!

 

 

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Here is a series of recordings by the great British Jazz ensemble Amalgam:

 

 

3^rd album by the superb British Jazz / Improvised Music ensemble Amalgam, one of the precursors of British / European Free Jazz scene in the late 1960s and 1970s, founded by saxophonist Trevor Watts. On this album the lineup includes the legendary drummer John Stevens, pianist Keith Tippett, bassists Kent Carter and Lindsay Cooper and conga player Terri Quaye. The music includes four compositions by Stevens and one by Watts, all of which are excellent vehicles for the extended improvisations. This album was originally released on the tiny independent Tangent label, and was unavailable for many years, which is now rectified by this CD issue. In many respects this album is quite different from most of the ensemble's output, as it includes a piano, which was not usually included in the lineup, mellowing the overall sound. Tippett plays wonderfully of course and his contribution is most valuable. Overall this is yet another example of the wonderful forces at work during a most illustrious period in British Jazz. A classic of the genre and a must for any Free Jazz / Improvised Music buff!

 

 

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Here is a series of recordings by the great British Jazz ensemble Amalgam:

 

 

Legendary debut album by the superb British Jazz / Improvised Music ensemble Amalgam, one of the precursors of British / European Free Jazz scene in the late 1960s and 1970s, founded by saxophonist Trevor Watts and including the legendary drummer John Stevens. Both Watts and Stevens were also founding members of the Spontaneous Music Ensemble (SME), which was in some respect the alter ego of Amalgam, whereas SME concentrated on freely Improvised Music, Amalgam used more structured themes, mostly pre-composed, as the basis for their expanded Jazz improvisations. In many respects Amalgam and SME lineups, musical directions and intentions overlapped and the collective recorded legacy of these two groups is an icon of some of the most daring and wonderfully adventurous music ever recorded. This initial lineup of Amalgam was a trio, including the superb bassist Jeff Clyne, who is replaced on the title track of this album by another British bass legend Barry Guy. The album was originally released as a double LP on the Transatlantic label and for many years was on of the most thought after Jazz collector's items. The music is absolutely stunning from start to finish and what makes this album so special is the inclusion of three versions of the same tune ("Judy's Smile"), so brilliantly different from each other, that they are a classic example of the gift of improvisational ability. An absolute classic of the genre and a must for any Free Jazz / Improvised Music buff!

 

 

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Here are some new additions:

 

 

Debut recording by the French Prog / RIO / Zeuhl band Camembert, which is still working on their full debut album, reveals some amazing instrumental music, probably some of the best stuff recorded in 2009. Moving constantly between Magma, Frank Zappa and purely improvised passages, they create a unique sound and musical vision. The rhythm section (Vincent Sexauer – guitar, Pierre Wawrzyniak – bass and Philemon Walter – drums) drive the entire ensemble, which also includes a brass section (trumpet, trombone) and more exotic instruments like harp and xylophone. It really makes little sense comparing this music with anything else; one should rather enjoy its rich textures and constant surprises. This 30+ minutes of great music is definitely worth investigating and a great teaser, which makes me personally eager to hear the full album - the sooner the better. In the meantime – enjoy!

 

 

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