Record Reviews

DON MENZA ~ MORNING SONG MPS 602498114469 (Barcode: 602498114469) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1965 Released: 2003 This is a reissue / remaster of an album by American Jazz saxophonist / composer Don MenzaFind albums by this artist, recorded with a septet comprising of two more American expatriates living in Germany at the time: trumpeter Rick KieferFind albums by this artist and saxophonist Dick SpencerFind albums by this artist, and European Jazz musicians: German trombonist Rudi FuesersFind albums by this artist, Austrian pianist Fritz PauerFind albums by this artist, German bassist Gunter LenzFind albums by this artist and Swiss drummer Pierre FavreFind albums by this artist. The album presents six tracks, five of which are original compositions by Menza and one is his arrangement of a traditional tune. The album was produced by my Friend and Mentor Joachim BerendtFind albums by this artist, and is one of his earliest productions. The music is all pretty conventional Bebop oriented American Jazz, which the American musicians brought to Germany and which served as an important source of Jazz education to the young (then) generation of local European musicians, who would very quickly revolutionize the Jazz idiom, creating the European Jazz identity. Of course the four Europeans playing on this album clearly demonstrate that they are already in full command of the Bebop stylistic intricacies, and all of them would become important contributors to the European Jazz in the years to come. Overall, this is an excellent example of the transition period on the European Jazz scene, still performing music influenced mostly by Jazz tradition originating from across the pond. In retrospect, it is a very fine Bebop album, excellently performed and definitely still deserving to be heard. 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: 13/10/2026Posted: 13/10/2026

CD 1 Digipak Oversampling Remastered Recommend To A Friend