Record Reviews

ANTHONY BRAXTON ~ THE COMPLETE REMASTERED RECORDINGS ON BLACK SAINT & SOUL NOTE CAM JAZZ 1012 (Barcode: 8052405140081) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1978 - 1994 Released: 2011 This superb Box Set collects all the albums recorded by the legendary US reedman / composer Anthony BraxtonFind albums by this artist on the twin Italian independent labels: Black SaintFind albums on this label and Soul NoteFind albums on this label. Braxton needs no introduction to any serious Jazz connoisseur; suffice to say that from the early days with AACMFind albums by this artist in Chicago he retained his position in the spearhead of modern music as one of its greatest pioneers, prophets and philosophers. His completely unique approach to playing and composing music has put his in a class of itself and his prolific recorded output is always a source of great musical joy. The musicians playing on these five albums include: drummer Max RoachFind albums by this artist, trombonist George LewisFind albums by this artist, bassist John LindbergFind albums by this artist, drummer Gerry HemingwayFind albums by this artist, bassist Mark DresserFind albums by this artist, pianist Mal WaldronFind 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: 05/05/2020Posted:

CD 8 Mini-Sleeve Box Set Remastered Recommend To A Friend

KLAUS KONIG ORCHESTRA ~ TIME FRAGMENTS ENJA 8076 (Barcode: 063757807629) ~ GERMANY ~ Big Band Jazz Recorded: 1994 Released: 1994 This is the fifth album by German composer / conductor Klaus KonigFind albums by this artist, recorded with a twelve-piece Orchestra comprising of many top European and American Jazz musicians, including, among others British Jazz trumpeter Kenny WheelerFind albums by this artist, French tuba player Michel GodardFind albums by this artist, American violinist Mark FeldmanFind albums by this artist, bassist Mark DresserFind albums by this artist and drummer Gerry HemingwayFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven tracks, all composed by Konig, which are parts of a suite. This is the fourth installment of a five-suite cycle by Konig. Wheeler took part also in a recording of the third album by Konig, entitled “At The End Of The UniverseFind albums with this title”. Since this is a large orchestral recording, Wheeler’s soloing is perhaps less prominent than on his small group recordings, but are especially important here, in view of Kenny’s love of large ensembles. Both albums seem to be available without much ado. This is one of Wheeler’s recordings, which remains almost completely obscure and does not appear in most of his discographies. I was very lucky to get it from Kenny’s private collection. The music is an absolutely fascinating European Orchestral Jazz, which offers some melodic themes but the performance is full of very open / Free Form improvisations, which altogether offers a challenging, but highly rewarding listening experience and a great example of the European approach to Big Band music, which is diametrically opposed to the American Tradition. Konig certainly manages to combine the basic elements of the Jazz tradition with contemporary / almost Avant-Garde facets of the genre and the result is simply astounding. His work as a composer is certainly highly unconventional and deserves to be followed, as his recording legacy certainly proves. Overall, this is an excellent modern Big Band / Orchestral Jazz album, performed by first class musicians, which is absolutely worth digging for, not only for the great contributions by Kenny Wheeler, but no less importantly for the splendid music and superb performances by the entire team.

Updated: 27/05/2023Posted: 27/05/2023

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend