Record Reviews

ANNIE ROSS & PONY POINDEXTER ~ WITH THE BERLIN ALL STARS MPS 602498112571 (Barcode: 602498112571) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1966 Released: 2003 This is a reissue / remaster of a live album by the vocal duo of British (later American) singer Annie RossFind albums by this artist and American singer / saxophonist Pony PoindexterFind albums by this artist, recorded with a combo of expatriate American Jazz musicians, resident in Germany: trumpeter Carmell JonesFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Leo WrightFind albums by this artist, bassist Jimmy WoodeFind albums by this artist with French guitarist Andre CondouantFind albums by this artist, Austrian pianist Fritz PauerFind albums by this artist and German drummer Joe NayFind albums by this artist, collectively called Berlin All StarsFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven tracks, all Jazz standards, with several of which Ross added her lyrics. The album was produced by my Friend and Mentor Joachim BerendtFind albums by this artist, and was recorded during the 10th German Jazz Festival in 1966 in Frankfurt. The music is absolutely sensational and offers a beautiful display of the scat Jazz vocals supported by a superb swinging combo. The scat / vocalese singing style, perfected by Ross as a member of the Lambert, Hendricks & RossFind albums by this artist vocal trio, is one of my favorite Jazz vocal forms, which sadly disappeared from the Jazz scene, despite several attempts to revive it over the years. Overall, this is a superb opportunity to hear the brilliant Annie Ross in action, supported by some of the finest Jazz musicians active at the time, and enjoy the swinging atmosphere of the German scene in the mid-1960s, which was a Mecca for Jazz musicians from all over the world. A beautiful moment captured for posterity! 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: 03/06/2025Posted: 03/06/2025

CD 1 Digipak Oversampling Remastered Recommend To A Friend