Record Reviews
4 Reviews Found. Use search to find more reviews or follow the links in the review text.
  | LESTER BOWIE ~ THE COMPLETE REMASTERED RECORDINGS ON BLACK SAINT & SOUL NOTE
CAM JAZZ 1006 (Barcode: 8024709113320) ~ USA ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1978 - 1988 Released: 2010
This superb Box Set collects all the albums recorded by the legendary US trumpeter / composer Lester BowieFind albums by this artist on the twin Italian independent labels: Black SaintFind albums on this label and Soul NoteFind albums on this label. Bowie needs no introduction to any serious Jazz connoisseur; suffice to say that from the early days in Chicago with the AACM members and later as co-founder and co-leader of the many incarnations of the Art Ensemble Of ChicagoFind albums by this artist and then as co-founder of The LeadersFind albums by this artist, he established for himself a position of one of the most respected musicians and outstanding composers around. His virtuosic playing and excellent compositions are always a source of great musical joy. The musicians playing on these five albums include: saxophonist Arthur BlytheFind albums by this artist, pianist Amina Claudine MyersFind albums by this artist, bassist Malachi FavorsFind albums by this artist, drummer Philip WilsonFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Chico FreemanFind albums by this artist, bassist Cecil McBeeFind albums by this artist, drummer Don MoyeFind albums by this artist and many others. Remastered, mini-sleeved, and with a great bargain price – this Box Set an absolute must for any serious Jazz collector.
Side Note
The Italian independent record label Black SaintFind albums on this label was founded by the music critic / author / producer Giacomo PellicciottiFind albums by this artist in 1975. It was taken over by the producer Giovanni BonandriniFind albums by this artist in 1978 and a year later (1979) a sister label, called Soul NoteFind albums on this label, was established. The twin labels were run by Giovanni and later his son Flavio BonandriniFind albums by this artist, until they were sold in 2008 to the Italian KEPACH Music Group, which already owned the CAM JazzFind albums on this label label, and which also bought another Italian independent record label Dischi Della QuerciaFind albums on this label.
The mission of the Black Saint / Soul Note labels was to record and document the Free Jazz / Improvised Music / Avant-Garde scene, mostly from the US but also from Europe, which continued between mid 1970s and late 1990s and produced a staggering collection of almost 550 albums recorded by world's most important Jazz innovators active at the time, providing an opportunity to American (mostly Afro-American) musicians, who would have never managed to make these recordings at home, ridden by racism, alienation and closed-mindedness. Without these two labels most of this fantastic human creativity would have been never documented.
However, the Black Saint / Soul Note Box Sets produced under the CAM JazzFind albums on this label moniker are an archetypal example of how good intentions turn sour. Although these new editions often bring back to life some of the best music ever made on this planet, which in many cases has been lost in the tides of time and was unavailable on the market for ages, they suffer from an unforgivable disregard to the essence of cultural values and general sloppiness, contrary to human decency, which requires us to treat our cultural legacy with respect and loyalty.
These Box Sets have no booklet which presents researched historical background and exact discographical information of the albums included, and most importantly an overview of the music and its meaning and contribution to the Jazz Art form. Although the original LP sleeves are reproduced, the information is in most cases too small to be readable at all. In short the fact that these Box Sets are meant to be inexpensive, does not mean that they have to be cheap!
| | Updated: 16/04/2020Posted: | CD 3 Mini-Sleeve Box Set Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
  | CHARLES LLOYD ~ RABO DE NUBE
ECM 2053 (Barcode: 602517548114) ~ USA ~ Jazz
Recorded: 2007 Released: 2008
This is a live recording by American saxophonist / flautist / composer Charles LloydFind albums by this artist and his quartet which includes pianist Jason MoranFind albums by this artist, bassist Reuben RogersFind albums by this artist and drummer Eric HarlandFind albums by this artist. They perform together seven compositions, six of which are Lloyd´s originals and the title track was composed by the great Cuban musician / composer Silvio RodriguezFind albums by this artist.
Of all the great Jazz heroes of my youth, Lloyd seems to be the very last Mohican still alive and kicking, as if he was living in a time capsule; time has been very kind to him and his vitality and amazing talent flourish completely untouched and unblemished. A while ago I listened to all the mid to late 1960s recordings by the Charles Lloyd legendary quartet with pianist Keith JarrettFind albums by this artist, bassists Ron McClureFind albums by this artist / Cecil McBeeFind albums by this artist and drummer Jack DeJohnetteFind albums by this artist and that music sounds even better today than it sounded then, and in parallel Lloyd is able to play the way he does now, four decades later. This is simply amazing!
Of course the fact that Lloyd manages to surround himself with some of the absolutely best young and upcoming musicians (as he always did) is part of the secret formula. Moran is a major contender to the exclusive top Jazz pianists "club" and the rhythm section is also inspired and technically very proficient. Most importantly however is the fact that they show an immense respect for the Master, supporting his at all times sympathetically and unpretentiously, waiting for their solo spots patiently.
Staying contemporary for five decades is definitely a super rare ability, so thank God for Charles Lloyd and his music.
| | | CD 1 Slipcase Recommend To A Friend |
  | ZBIGNIEW SEIFERT ~ MAN OF THE LIGHT
PROMISING MUSIC 44112 (Barcode: 602527326283) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1976 Released: 2010
This exceptional album by Polish violin virtuoso / composer Zbigniew SeifertFind albums by this artist was the first major exposure of his talents outside of his motherland. Legendary MPSFind albums on this label producer Joachim BerendtFind albums by this artist, who had close ties to the Polish Jazz scene, was aware of Seifert´s incredible talent and managed to pull off this recording session, bringing on board a superb team of players, which consisted of German pianist Joachim KuhnFind albums by this artist and an American rhythm section: bassist Cecil McBeeFind albums by this artist and drummer Billy HartFind albums by this artist. Dutch pianist Jasper van`t HofFind albums by this artist also participates on one track.
Seifert composed all the music on this album, which is a great example of typical Eastern European Jazz, which cleverly combines elements of modern American Jazz, especially that of John ColtraneFind albums by this artist, with Folklore and Classical influences. Seifert´s "obsession" with Coltrane´s music and his improvisational technique are plainly evident, especially during the up-tempo numbers. The album´s title track is dedicated to Coltrane´s pianist McCoy TynerFind albums by this artist.
Hearing the album 35 years after it was recorded makes one realize how great music gets better with time, losing absolutely nothing of its initial grandeur. Both Seifert and Kuhn play some incredible solos here and the rhythm section supports them admirably every step of the way. Tragically, just three years after this music was recorded Seifert died, stricken by cancer, before his endless potential was realized and recognized properly.
Seifert managed to record several albums in the US before his untimely death, but this album is definitely his most important and most perfect legacy. Absolutely essential!
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: 08/01/2021Posted: | CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Slipcase Oversampling Remastered Essential Recommend To A Friend |
|
