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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MICHAEL GIBBS ~ JUST AHEAD BGO 679 (Barcode: 5017261206794) ~ UK ~ Jazz Recorded: 1972 Released: 2005 Composer / arranger / bandleader Michael GibbsFind albums by this artist was one of the most prominent figures on the burgeoning British Jazz scene at its peak. He performed (as trombonist), composed and arranged music for many ensembles active at the time, in parallel to leading his own band, which is captured here during a residency at the legendary Ronnie ScottFind albums by this artist’s club in London. The band included the top British Jazz players of the time, most of which played on Michel’s previous two studio recordings: Kenny WheelerFind albums by this artist, Henry LowtherFind albums by this artist, Harry BeckettFind albums by this artist (trumpet), Chris PyneFind albums by this artist, Malcolm GriffithsFind albums by this artist, Geoff PerkinsFind albums by this artist (trombone), Ray WarleighFind albums by this artist, Stan SulzmannFind albums by this artist, Alan SkidmoreFind albums by this artist (saxophone), Dave MacRaeFind albums by this artist, John TaylorFind albums by this artist (piano), Chris SpeddingFind albums by this artist (guitar), Roy BabbingtonFind albums by this artist (bass), John MarshallFind albums by this artist (drums) and Frank RicottiFind albums by this artist (vibes & percussion). The music covers a wide range of styles, from the typical atmospheric and moody compositions by Gibbs, to scorching Jazz-Rock Fusion exemplified mostly by Spedding’s lead guitar parts and even Blues. Gibbs pays a tribute to some of his American pioneering colleagues: Gary BurtonFind albums by this artist, Steve SwallowFind albums by this artist, Carla BleyFind albums by this artist and Keith JarrettFind albums by this artist, whom he befriended during his studies in the US, by including his arrangements of their tunes. Notably Gibbs kept looking across the Atlantic for inspiration, being somewhat different in that respect from most of his British contemporaries, who wanted to emancipate themselves from American influence as much as possible. Nevertheless his unique approach to composition and arrangement was clearly much more advanced than most stuff coming over from America. The raw energy and the virtuosity of the players make this album one of the greatest documents of the era, which remains a timeless masterpiece. A must for British Jazz lovers!

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