Record Reviews

THELONIOUS MONK ~ LES LIAISONS DANGEREUSES 1960 SAM 5051083118477 (Barcode: 5051083118477) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1959 Released: 2017 This is an extraordinary archival album by the iconic American pianist / composer / bandleader Thelonious MonkFind albums by this artist, recorded in NY with his regular quartet, which included saxophonist Charlie RouseFind albums by this artist, bassist Sam JonesFind albums by this artist and drummer Art TaylorFind albums by this artist, expanded to a quintet with the addition of the French saxophonist Barney WilenFind albums by this artist. The music was recorded to serve as a soundtrack to the film by the French film director Roger VadimFind albums by this artist, entitled “Les Liaisons Dangereuses”. In complete contrast to the attitude American Jazz modernists, like Monk, suffered from at home, being constantly abused and subject to racial discrimination and ridiculous disapproval by narrow-minded music “critics”, in Europe and especially so in France, they enjoyed no less than a godly status, being absolutely revered by the local intellectual aristocracy and the general public alike. The revolutionary, brilliant French cinema of the late 1950s had an established liaison with Jazz, including the Miles Davis soundtrack for the 1957 film “Ascenseur pour l`échafaudFind albums with this title” by the director Louis MalleFind albums by this artist. There are numerous other examples of Jazz soundtracks in French cinema, but also in UK and even behind the Iron Curtain, especially so in Poland. This 2CD album offers ten tracks on CD1, all which were used within the film’s soundtracks, and six tracks on CD2, which were recorded during the same session, but were not included in the film. The sound quality is excellent, as is the music of course. All of which (except for one tune) was composed by Monk. The album is accompanied by a superb sixty-pages booklet with extensive background articles and wonderful photographs, a true labor of love. Although the album offers compositions, which were recorded many times by various Monk’s groups, they are all unique, since obviously Monk’s Genius was demonstrated, among other qualities, also by his ability to introduce subtle nuances each and every time he played one of his tunes. Overall, this is a major discovery and a true celebration of one of the greatest Jazz figures, which deserves to be hear by every Jazz fan. Of course Monk has many devoted fans, who should find this release absolute essential. Not to be missed!

Updated: 17/05/2023Posted: 17/05/2023

CD 2 Mini-Sleeve Slipcase Remastered Recommend To A Friend

IRENE SCHWEIZER ~ JAZZ MEETS INDIA PROMISING MUSIC 44114 (Barcode: 602527326238) ~ SWITZERLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 1967 Released: 2010 This extraordinary album is one of the earliest Jazz-World Fusion excursions, in general and Jazz / Indian music in particular, preceded mainly by the British recording with the Joe HarriottFind albums by this artist / John MayerFind albums by this artist ensembles. This meeting, conceived by the legendary producer Joachim BerendtFind albums by this artist and originally released on the MPSFind albums on this label label, brings together the trio led by the Swiss pianist / composer Irene SchweizerFind albums by this artist, with bassist Uli TrepteFind albums by this artist and drummer Mani NeumeierFind albums by this artist with an Indian trio led by sitar player Dewan MotiharFind albums by this artist, tabla player Keshav SatheFind albums by this artist and tambura player Kusum ThakurFind albums by this artist. Two guest musicians are also present: trumpeter Manfred SchoofFind albums by this artist and saxophonist Barney WilenFind albums by this artist. Contrary to the above mentioned British encounters, which were more about improvising on Indian melodic themes, this meeting is based on Free Jazz, which makes everything much more intense and complex, but also interesting of course. Considering the fact that this music was conceived and recorded 45 years ago emphasizes Berendt´s visionary approach to music and his pivotal role in the development of European Jazz. This is not easy-listening material, but open-minded people will find this fascinating for sure. Not available for decades, this new edition is a momentous event for non-mainstream music. Not to be missed!

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VARIOUS ARTISTS ~ JAZZ ON VOGUE SONY 887254437727 (Barcode: 887254437727) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1947 - 1957 Released: 2013 This incredible Box Set collects 35 early Jazz albums released on the legendary French Jazz labels: Disques VogueFind albums on this label founded in 1947 and its subsidiary SwingFind albums on this label, which was originally established in Paris in 1937 by Charles DelaunayFind albums by this artist and passed to Vogue in 1948. The music was recorded during the first post WWII decade (1947-1957) and features both American Jazz artists, who visited France or lived in France at the time as well as European Jazz artists. Paris was at the time the European Jazz center, which corresponded splendidly with its status as the European intellectual center, which produced dramatic and groundbreaking developments in European Philosophy, Plastic Arts, Cinema, Literature and of course music. Most of these albums were originally released on 10-inch LPs, which had a time limit under half an hour, and therefore they are arranged here to span over 20 CDs, each well over an hour long. The music was beautifully remastered and sounds remarkably fresh and vibrant. The list of the performers reads like a who´s who of American Jazz at the time: Dizzy GillespieFind albums by this artist, Roy EldridgeFind albums by this artist, Sidney BechetFind albums by this artist, Mary Lou WilliamsFind albums by this artist, Lee KonitzFind albums by this artist, Lionel HamptonFind albums by this artist, Clifford BrownFind albums by this artist, Jimmy RaneyFind albums by this artist, Oscar PettifordFind albums by this artist, Gerry MulliganFind albums by this artist, Thelonious MonkFind albums by this artist, Roy HaynesFind albums by this artist, Lalo SchifrinFind albums by this artist and many others. The Europeans (French and Belgian in this case) are represented by Django ReinhardtFind albums by this artist, Martial SolalFind albums by this artist, Bobby JasparFind albums by this artist, Henri RenaudFind albums by this artist, Rene ThomasFind albums by this artist, Andre HodeirFind albums by this artist, Barney WilenFind albums by this artist and many others. Stylistically the music spans quite a wide range of Jazz sub-genres, from New Orleans via Swing, Bee Bop, Cool and Early European Modern Jazz. Of course all of it is absolutely classic stuff as far as Jazz history is concerned and is essentially timeless. The most astonishing discovery, in retrospect, is the fact that the European musicians at that early stage already hold their ground opposite the Americans, showing early signs of a much more open-minded approach and a will to step beyond the American dominated Jazz conventions of the time. Many of these albums were never before released on CD; some of them are ultra-rare collectors´ items since decades. For example the three early Martial Solal releases (collected on CD number 6) are absolutely stunning examples of modern European piano trio recordings, which is decades ahead of its time, as are several other albums in this set. This is an essential collection for any serious Jazz connoisseur, which covers a huge void in many record collections. This box is worth its price (which is very reasonable) in gold and should serve as an example of how reissue projects should be produced. An absolute must!

Updated: 26/01/2019Posted:

CD 20 Mini-Sleeve Box Set Remastered Recommend To A Friend

VARIOUS ARTISTS ~ POLISH RADIO JAZZ ARCHIVES VOL.31 POLSKIE RADIO 2076 (Barcode: 5907812244149) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1966 Released: 2018 This is the thirty-first installment in the series of releases initiated by the Polish Radio, which presents archive Jazz recordings from the radio vaults. Radio recordings are always a fabulous source of remarkable material, and as far as Polish Jazz history is concerned, the Polish Radio, which was a state monopoly for 45 years, recorded over time a plethora of invaluable material, which apart from the albums released by the Polskie Nagrania record company (also a state monopoly), is the only available additional source of Polish Jazz recordings. For many years Polish Radio recorded concerts presented during Poland´s most important Jazz venues, including the annual Jazz Jamboree Festival and many other festivals as well. The tracks presented here were recorded live in October 1966 during the ninth Jazz Jamboree Festival in Warsaw and are the third volume of a collection of tracks from that event. The first four tracks present the American violinist / vocalist Stuff SmithFind albums by this artist, accompanied by an ad hoc trio which included Czech (at that time) pianist Jan HammerFind albums by this artist, Swedish bassist Kurt LindgrenFind albums by this artist and Italian drummer Franco ManzecchiFind albums by this artist. The quartet performs four standards and the entire set is rather unimpressive to say the least. Smith died shortly after this appearance and these ware among his last recordings. The next track presents a quartet led by Swedish trombonist Eje ThelinFind albums by this artist with French saxophonist Barney WilenFind albums by this artist (mistakenly listed as Wilen Barney), Swedish bassist Palle DanielssonFind albums by this artist (misspelled as Danielsen) and American drummer Billie BrooksFind albums by this artist. The quartet performs one lengthy (almost half an hour long) just about entirely improvised piece of Free Jazz, which at the time was considered quite Avant-Garde, but portrays the rapid development of European Jazz at the time, catching up with the Free Jazz developments in the US. The next track presents a quartet co-led by two USSR Jazz musicians: guitarist Nicolai GrominFind albums by this artist and saxophonist Georgy GaranianFind albums by this artist, with bassist Adolf SatanowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Aleksander GoretkinFind albums by this artist (all the Russian names are misspelled). The quartet performs one original composition by Gromin, kept in the mainstream Jazz idiom. The next and last and most interesting track presents a Polish / Czech quintet comprising of trumpeter Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Jan Ptaszyn WroblewskiFind albums by this artist, pianist Jan Hammer, bassist Jacek BednarekFind albums by this artist and drummer Grzegorz GierlowskiFind albums by this artist. The quintet performs one original composition by Stanko, brilliant and typical of the era, which is an absolute cherry on top of the entire album and reflects the strength of the Polish Jazz scene at the time. The beautifully restored sound quality is excellent and the warm ambience of the analog recording is a true joy. As usual with this series, which is very reasonably priced, I miss the presence of "in depth" liner notes / booklet, which should convey the circumstances at which this music was recorded and its importance to the development of Jazz in Poland. Nevertheless this is an absolutely essential piece of Jazz history which every Jazz fan will surely consider an absolute must.

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted: 01/05/2018

CD 1 Digipak Remastered Recommend To A Friend

BARNEY WILEN ~ DEAR PROF. LEARY PROMISING MUSIC 44106 (Barcode: 602517024816) ~ FRANCE ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1968 Released: 2008 French saxophonist / composer Barney WilenFind albums by this artist is known to Jazz fans mostly for his role in the 1957 recording with Miles DavisFind albums by this artist of the legendary “Ascenseur pour l`échafaudFind albums with this title” soundtrack. But a decade later, Wilen left standard American Jazz behind and took an active role in the burgeoning new European scene in search of new musical adventures. He formed a group called Amazing Free Rock BandFind albums by this artist with young upcoming players like Swiss guitarist Mimi LorenziniFind albums by this artist, German keyboardist Joachim KuhnFind albums by this artist, German bassist Gunter LenzFind albums by this artist and two drummers, Italian Aldo RomanoFind albums by this artist and German Wolfgang PaapFind albums by this artist. As the group’s name suggests, they combined contemporary Rock with Free Jazz, creating an amalgam they called Free Rock. This album is a document of this attempt, and one of the earliest Jazz-Rock Fusion recordings. The material includes mostly contemporary Pop and Rock anthems, with a couple of original compositions and one Jazz composition by Ornette ColemanFind albums by this artist. The result is one of the wackiest albums ever recorded and a great document of the era. As the title suggests, Psychedelic instances probably had much to do with the resulting music. Although the music did not withstand the test of time as well as other MPS recordings, producer Joachim BerendtFind albums by this artist thought at the time that this experiment was worth preserving for posterity, and we are (in retrospect) grateful. Superbly remastered and elegantly packaged by Promising MusicFind albums on this label, this is a great trip down the memory lane. Definitely worth investigating.

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