Record Reviews

BADEN POWELL ~ LIVE IN BERLIN MPS 4029759103042 (Barcode: 4029759103042) ~ BRAZIL ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2000 Released: 2015 This is an archival 2CD live solo guitar album by Brazilian guitarist / composer Baden PowellFind albums by this artist, recorded shortly before his death in 2000. The album presents sixteen tracks, mostly original compositions by Powell, with the rest of the tracks composed by various Brazilian representatives of the MPB (Musica Popular Brazileira), like Vinicius de MoraesFind albums by this artist, Dorival CaymmiFind albums by this artist, Tom JobimFind albums by this artist, Luiz BonfaFind albums by this artist and others and finally an arrangement of a Classical piece. Powell was one of the great pioneers of modern Brazilian music and contributed immensely to its worldwide popularity since the mid-1960s. His virtuosity as an acoustic guitar player remains unmatched to this very day. He left Brazil and moved to France in the late 1960s, performing often around Europe and recording for European labels, including the legendary MPS label. The music is a wonderful amalgam of Jazz and Brazilian elements, creating some of the most exciting displays of Jazz-World Fusion, in addition to blood-curdling display of guitar playing. The intimate setting and superb recording quality make this album a true gem and an exhilarating listening experience. Overall, this is a staggering display of acoustic guitar performances by a seasoned musician, who knows exactly which strings to pull (pun intended). Powell was a legend and this album shows why he earned such status. For acoustic guitar fans and lover of Jazz with a distinct Brazilian flavor, this is an absolute must! 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: 03/12/2023Posted: 03/12/2023

CD 2 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

SANTANA ~ BARBOLETTA COLUMBIA 474685 (Barcode: 5099747468520) ~ USA ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1974 Released: 1995 7th album, featuring the SantanaFind albums by this artist Mk. II lineup with some distinguished guests like Brazilian percussionist Airto MoreiraFind albums by this artist and his wife the singer Flora PurimFind albums by this artist, and bass player Stanley ClarkeFind albums by this artist. The great bass player Doug RauchFind albums by this artist, who was responsible for the band’s pulsating rhythms, departed to be replaced by original Santana member David BrownFind albums by this artist. The album has a strong Brazilian feel mainly due to the presence of Airto and Flora and their version of Dorival CaymmiFind albums by this artist’s “Promise Of A Fisherman” is truly wonderful. Santana plays with confidence and his usual flair with Tom CosterFind albums by this artist’s keyboards filling in and him soloing occasionally, mostly on electric piano. This is a great Fusion album, which stands the test of time beautifully. Unfortunately this was the last of the “great” Santana albums. When Santana’s album sales started to show lower then usual figures, ColumbiaFind albums on this label executives pressured Carlos SantanaFind albums by this artist to return to a more commercial output, and he eventually caved in. The remainder of the band’s output, although always full of brilliant moments, was to be haunted of sales potential (rather than musical) considerations. Carlos remains of course one of the greatest guitar players ever and his recorded legacy up to this album is an everlasting testimony to the greatness of the era.

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

SARAH VAUGHAN ~ THE COMPLETE COLUMBIA ALBUMS COLLECTION SONY 886919058727 (Barcode: 886919058727) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1949 - 1987 Released: 2012 American singer Sarah VaughanFind albums by this artist was undoubtedly one of the brightest stars of the female vocal Jazz scene, a member of a very limited legendary league, which includes but a few others. Her absolutely unique style, an amazing vocal range from female baritone to mezzo-soprano and a highly personal interpretation of the material she performed remain largely unmatched to this very day. She is a major influence as far as Jazz vocals are considered and many vocalists name her as their major source of inspiration. She is often referred to as a Jazz diva, a title earned but very few other female Jazz personalities. During her career, which lasted for over five decades, Vaughan recorded an impressive body of work, released by several record labels. Strangely enough her association with ColumbiaFind albums on this label covers the early days (1949-1953) of her recording career, as well as her final recordings in the 1980s. Her entire recorded output is collected on four CDs, the first two dedicated to the early recording sessions and the other two to her late output: the live recording of the George GershwinFind albums by this artist and Ira GershwinFind albums by this artist songbook, which was recorded with the Los Angeles Philharmonic conducted by Michel Tilson ThomasFind albums by this artist and her very last album, which included Brazilian music she was so fond of, which was produced by Sergio MendesFind albums by this artist and featured a sublime cast of musicians, including keyboardist George DukeFind albums by this artist (another Brazilian music enthusiast), guitarist / composer Dorival CaymmiFind albums by this artist and guest vocals by Milton NascimentoFind albums by this artist on one track. This last album was recorded just three years before Vaughan died in 1990. The contrast between the sessions, recorded almost four decades apart, is a wonderful perspective, which enables the listen to truly appreciate the greatness of Vaughan´s abilities. The Box Set is a great document, which should be enjoyed by every Jazz connoisseur, and of course vocal Jazz enthusiast. Marvelous stuff!

Updated: 26/01/2019Posted:

CD 4 Mini-Sleeve Box Set Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

WANDA WARSKA ~ DOMOWE PIOSENKI POLSKIE RADIO 1984-1985 (Barcode: 5907812249847) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz & Poetry Recorded: 1964 - 2015 Released: 2016 This is a phenomenal collection of radio recordings by the iconic Polish Jazz vocalist Wanda WarskaFind albums by this artist, the wife of the Godfather of Polish Jazz, pianist / trumpeter / trombonist / composer / arranger / conductor / bandleader Andrzej KurylewiczFind albums by this artist. In retrospect, considering the criminally limited recorded legacy by Warska, in spite of her status and immense talent, she was perhaps overshadowed by the colossal figure of her husband and perhaps decided to support his career rather than develop her own. Whatever the reasons might have been, there is almost nothing available on the Polish music market that reflects her incredible artistry and this collection is a most welcome, albeit much belated, tribute to this Wonder Women! This 2CD album presents thirty seven stunning songs, all of which have two things in common: Warska sings them all and she wrote the lyrics to all of them, unveiling a part of her creative nature less know to the public. As if this wasn´t impressive enough, she also composed twenty four of these songs. Those she did not composed are mostly by Brazilian composers: Antonio Carlos JobimFind albums by this artist, Vinicius de MoraesFind albums by this artist, Dorival CaymmiFind albums by this artist and Joao GilbertoFind albums by this artist, the Godfathers of Bossa Nova and modern Brazilian music (total nine songs). Warska started her career as a lyricist in 1964, when she translated into Polish the a/m Bossa Nova songs, which swept the Polish scene as they did all over the world at the time. The remaining four songs come from other sources and interestingly none of the songs on this album were composed by Kurylewicz. These songs were recorded during a number of recording sessions as follows: one song was recorded in 1963, five songs were recorded in 1964, seven songs were recorded in 1966, one song was recorded in 1971 and seven songs were recorded in 1972; on all of the above twenty one songs Warska is accompanied by various ensembles led by Kurylewicz, lineups of which are unknown. Thirteen songs were recorded in 2002 and one in 2004 with a quartet which included Kurylewicz on piano, guitarist Marek NapiorkowskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Pawel PantaFind albums by this artist and drummer Cezary KonradFind albums by this artist. Two more songs were recorded in 2015 (after the passing of Kurylewicz in 2007) with a trio featuring pianist Andrzej JagodzinskiFind albums by this artist, Napiorkowski and Panta. The songs composed by Warska are all pearls of the Polish Jazz & Poetry idiom, full of that heartbreaking lyricism, Slavic melancholy and beautiful melodies, that only Poles are capable of weaving. Warska´s interpretations of these songs are absolutely divine, although she was always the absolute Queen of Cool, playing around with her beautiful voice and using cleverly the idiosyncrasies of the Polish language and diction, but eschewing theatrics and drama. This perfect minimalism is her trademark, and sets her apart from all other Polish Jazz vocalists, regardless of their age. In truth this album is a wonderful opportunity to compare Warska to her alter ego, the legendary Polish Jazz vocalist Ewa DemarczykFind albums by this artist, who also enjoys an iconic status based mostly on a very limited number of recordings done decades ago. Demarczyk and Warska are the two most important figures of the Polish Jazz vocal artistry, and they both remain unchallenged so far. Demarczyk, the absolute Drama Queen, is the devilish face of Polish Jazz vocals whereas Warska is the absolute angelic face of it. They compliment each other perfectly, like Yin & Yang and a prospect of seeing them both on one stage and / or the possibility of them making an album together gives me the Goosebumps. As usual in such cases, the lyrical content of this album is sadly limited to those listeners who understand the Polish language, however I´m pretty sure that the beauty and the power of these songs is much stronger than language barriers and all sensitive listeners anywhere on this planet should be able to enjoy this album immensely. As far as Polish Cultural Heritage is concerned, this is an absolute National Treasure, which deserves to be cherished and studied by young musicians in Poland, first and foremost by vocalists of course. For us, the humble admirers, this is an essential addition to our record collections, no questions asked. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

Updated: 05/05/2016Posted: 05/05/2016

CD 2 Digipak Remastered Essential Recommend To A Friend