Record Reviews

TONY COE ~ THE BUDS OF TIME JAZZ IN BRITAIN 70 (Barcode: 5060774190852) ~ UK ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 1979 - 1980 Released: 2025 This is an archival album by one of the less prominent British Jazz musicians / composers, Tony CoeFind albums by this artist, which is a very important addition to his heritage. It presents the “The Buds Of Time” suite, performed by the Tony Coe Chamber EnsembleFind albums by this artist, which comprised of a Jazz septet and a string quartet. Besides Coe, who played clarinet and soprano saxophone, the septet also included clarinetist Anthony PayFind albums by this artist, bass trombonist Geoff PerkinsFind albums by this artist, percussionist Gary KettelFind albums by this artist, pianist Chris NortonFind albums by this artist, bassist Chris LaurenceFind albums by this artist and pianist / conductor Robert CornfordFind albums by this artist. The suite is presented in two different versions, with a slightly different lineup and orchestration. The album includes also two additional compositions for trio (clarinet / piano / bass), one by Coe and one co-composed with Cornford. The music is absolutely sensational, a perfect amalgam of modern and at times even Free Jazz, with contemporary Classical Music, which combines melodic passages and improvised parts in a continuous flow, which is simply delightful and aesthetically perfect. The sound quality is absolutely spotless, which for this delicate music is critical. In short this is another sublime find and release by the Jazz In Britain label and the people behind it. This album is a perfect companion to the album “ZeitgeistFind albums with this title”, which Coe recorded a couple of years earlier and which was the first of several orchestral works he composed in the years that followed, most of them never recorded or released (a gentle nod), which are all very interesting as well. Overall, this is a sensational discovery of material that was previously never released, which reveals to great talent of Coe as composer of highly sophisticated music, which sadly remains mostly completely unknown even to dedicated British Jazz enthusiasts. An absolute must!

Updated: 09/04/2025Posted: 09/04/2025

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DWEEZIL ZAPPA ~ VIA ZAMMATA` FANTOM 020286220831 (Barcode: 020286220831) ~ USA ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2015 Released: 2015 This is the 6th studio album by guitarist / vocalist / composer Dweezil ZappaFind albums by this artist, son of the legendary American musician / composer Frank ZappaFind albums by this artist. The album was recorded with keyboardist Chris NortonFind albums by this artist, bassist Kurt MorganFind albums by this artist and drummer Ryan BrownFind albums by this artist and several guest musicians, including a string quartet and a brass section. The album presents twelve tracks, all composed by Dweezil Zappa. It is hardly surprising that growing up alongside Frank Zappa and following Frank Zappa’s death carrying the legacy of his father’s music, had a major influence on Dweezil’s musical direction, which is immediately recognizable on his recordings. The music is therefore an outlandish amalgam of Rock (in all its forms) and Jazz-Rock Fusion, which offers a fascinating listening voyage. All the compositions are solid and coherent, often with a typical Zappaesque twist, which are definitely worthy being heard. Despite the fact that Dweezil was often dismissed in the shadow of father’s career, he surely proved his own qualities and values, which are clearly evident on this album. His guitar technique and compositional skills are certainly exceptional. Overall, this is an excellent album, full of great music and brilliant guitar playing, which deserves to be heard widely, and judged on its own merits, separately from Dweezil’s family history!

Updated: 03/06/2026Posted: 03/06/2026

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