Record Reviews

GEORGIE FAME / ANNIE ROSS / HOAGY CARMICHAEL ~ IN HOAGLAND DRG 5197 ~ UK ~ Jazz Recorded: 1981 Released: 1981 This is a delightful and completely obscure album by British Jazz vocalists Georgie FameFind albums by this artist and Annie RossFind albums by this artist with legendary American songwriter / pianist / vocalist Hoagy CarmichaelFind albums by this artist, whose appearance on this album was his final recording before his death in 1981, soon after this album was recorded. They are accompanied by a superb orchestra, called Famous Flamingo OrchestraFind albums by this artist, featuring the absolute top British Jazz musicians, like saxophonists Peter KingFind albums by this artist and Dick MorrisseyFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Ian HamerFind albums by this artist, trombonist Chris PyneFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Geoff CastleFind albums by this artist (Fame also plays keyboards), guitarist Martin KershawFind albums by this artist, bassists Darryl RunswickFind albums by this artist and Jim RichardsonFind albums by this artist and drummer Barry MorganFind albums by this artist – an absolute dream team. The album presents thirteen famous songs written by Carmichael and arranged by Harry SouthFind albums by this artist. The music and the performances are absolutely brilliant, as everything Fame put his hands on and with the help of this fabulous team this is a true delight from start to end. They don’t make music like this anymore, sadly… Of course this is on the lighter side of the Jazz spectrum, but who cares, as long as the music plays! Overall, this is a completely unknown album by great Jazz artists, which deserves to be heard, especially if one loves a great Jazz standard sung by two of the best! It took me years to find a copy of this, so I am happy ;) You might as well try to find a copy, as it is definitely worth it!

Updated: 30/03/2023Posted: 30/03/2023

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

JOE HARRIOTT ~ THREE CLASSIC ALBUMS REAL GONE JAZZ 499 (Barcode: 5036408174529) ~ UK ~ Jazz Recorded: 1959 - 1962 Released: 2015 This is a reissue of the first three albums by British (born in Jamaica) saxophonist / composer Joe HarriottFind albums by this artist, one of the pivotal figures of modern British Jazz. These albums were recorded with the absolute crème de la crème of the aspiring new wave of British Jazz musicians, who were transforming the Jazz idiom at the time. They include trumpeters Hank ShawFind albums by this artist and Shake KeaneFind albums by this artist, pianists Harry SouthFind albums by this artist and Pat SmytheFind albums by this artist, bassist Coleridge GoodeFind albums by this artist and drummers Bobby OrrFind albums by this artist and Phil SeamenFind albums by this artist. Percussionist Frank HolderFind albums by this artist guest on several tracks. The sequence of these three albums, recorded over a period of about three years, is perhaps the most important example of the birth of the revolutionary modern British Jazz in the early 1960s, which was about to spread shortly also to the rest of the Continent. The first album "Southern HorizonsFind albums with this title" (recorded between May 1959 and April 1960) is seemingly a straightforward Bebop date, but a more advanced listener will find some highly unusual twists and turns, somewhat related to the work of Ornette ColemanFind albums by this artist, which already take this album beyond Bebop and into a more adventurous area Harriott was already developing in his head. The second album "Free FormFind albums with this title" (recorded in November 1960), which despite its title is not about the commonly conceived Free Jazz idiom, takes a dramatic leap forward, even beyond what Coleman was doing at the time, creating the European equivalent of Free Form, which was much more subtle and sophisticated in many respects and based on amalgamation of chord structures, tonality, rhythmic diversity and contemporary European Classical influences with the Jazz tradition. The result is presented on this album in full bloom, and constitutes perhaps the "Big Bang" of European Jazz. The third album "AbstractFind albums with this title" (recorded between November 1961 and May 1962) is a full blown Free Form masterpiece, which to this day is one of the strongest examples of primal modern British Jazz, which has almost nothing to do with American Jazz tradition and breaks all possible barriers and limitations, opening a new prospect for things to come. In spite of his genius, or perhaps because of it, Harriott would die in 1973 as a lonely, forgotten and destitute man, ravaged by illness, after almost four years of inactivity. His music and his pivotal contribution to British Jazz was sadly almost completely ignored for decades and even today he is known only to a selected group of admirers. Any serious Jazz connoisseur, who is not familiar with these albums, should rectify this unforgivable neglect ASAP, as there would not be British / European Jazz as we know it without Joe Harriott´s contribution. Absolutely essential! Side Note The Real Gone JazzFind albums on this label label releases hundreds of album collections, which include usually between three to eight original albums in a two to four CDs sets. Most of these albums were recorded and released in the 1950s and early 1960s. These collections provide the track lists and lineups of the original albums, but no recording information, liner notes and any background information whatsoever. The label takes advantage of the copyright law in UK, which limited the length of the copyright protection of recorded works to 50 years, after which recorded works become public domain. In 2013 UK implemented a correction of the copyright law extending the protection of recorded works to 70 years (like the rest of Europe), but the correction does not apply retroactively, which means that recordings which entered the 50 years rule prior to January 1, 2013 (i.e. recorded before January 1, 1963) remain public domain. There are two great advantages to these releases: they are really inexpensive and they bring back to life many albums not reissued previously on CD, which means it would cost a collector an arm and a leg to get a copy of them. Many of these albums are absolute gems and essential pieces of Jazz history. The disadvantages are: the lack of proper information, original cover art, combining tracks of several original albums on one CD and the sound quality, which depends on where the label gets the source material. From my experience most of the releases have quite excellent sound quality but I have not listened to all of them and some people have complained about it.

Updated: 27/05/2018Posted: 26/03/2016

CD 2 Digipak Remastered Essential Recommend To A Friend

DICK MORRISSEY ~ AT THE BBC 1967 RHYTHM AND BLUES 074 (Barcode: 5060331752608) ~ UK ~ Jazz Recorded: 1967 Released: 2021 This is an archival album by seminal British saxophonist / composer / bandleader Dick MorrisseyFind albums by this artist. The album presents two BBC sessions captured in June and October 1967 performed by his quartet, with included pianist Harry SouthFind albums by this artist, bassist Phil BatesFind albums by this artist and drummer Bill EydenFind albums by this artist. The two sessions produced twelve tracks, with three tunes repeated in both sessions, most being Jazz standards and just one original by South. The music is all well within the mainstream Jazz idiom, but formidably performed by the quartet and presents Morrissey as a wonderfully talented player, considered at the time as second only to the legendary Tubby HayesFind albums by this artist. Morrissey fans should definitely put their hands on the VocalionFind albums on this label twofer reissue “Here And Now And Sounding Good / Storm Warning!Find albums with this title” of his 1965/66 studio albums, which offer similar music to what can be herd here. The sound quality of these recordings if excellent, which of course makes listening to the music a true pleasure. Following his Bebop / Hard Bop period, by the end of the 1960s Morrissey switched to the Jazz-Rock Fusion idiom, first with the brilliant group IfFind albums by this artist, which lasted till 1975 and recorded eight albums and later with the Morrissey-Mullen BandFind albums by this artist, formed with guitarist Jim MullenFind albums by this artist, which lasted for fifteen years and recorded seven excellent albums. Morrissey died from cancer in 2000 at the age of 60, as usual in such cases way too early, as his glorious recording legacy proves.

Updated: 10/08/2021Posted: 10/08/2021

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

DICK MORRISSEY ~ HERE AND NOW AND SOUNDING GOOD / STORM WARNING! VOCALION 8479 (Barcode: 765387847920) ~ UK ~ Jazz Recorded: 1965 - 1966 Released: 2011 This exquisite reissue brings to life two extremely rare mid-1960s quartet recordings by the great British saxophonist Dick MorrisseyFind albums by this artist, one of the great representatives of the British Jazz scene at its peak in the 1960s / 1970s. Earning respect and admiration as a Hard Bop player (as documented on these two albums) Morrissey later formed the fantastic early Jazz-Rock ensemble IfFind albums by this artist and after it disbanded he formed the Morrissey-Mullen BandFind albums by this artist (with guitarist Jim MullenFind albums by this artist), which lasted for almost two decades as one of the best and most stable British bands. Sadly Morrissey died in 2000, losing his battle with cancer. A brilliant player with enormous sensitivity and beautiful tone, Morrissey remains a symbol of the times, when music sounded better and girls looked prettier (to old farts like myself of course). This album is sweet and mellow, with superb performance by pianist Harry SouthFind albums by this artist, who also contributed several original compositions, bassist Phil BatesFind albums by this artist and drummers Bill EydenFind albums by this artist (first album) and the legend Phil SeamenFind albums by this artist (second album). Disregarding the element of nostalgia, this is a damn great Jazz album, which swings like mad and makes life worth living. The recording quality (and the superb remastering by Michael J. DuttonFind albums by this artist) is simply breathtaking. So in short: don’t you dare to miss this beauty!

Updated: 12/06/2018Posted:

CD 2 Remastered Recommend To A Friend

JIMMY WITHERSPOON ~ LIVE IN LONDON 1966 RHYTHM AND BLUES 066 (Barcode: 5060331752349) ~ USA ~ Jazz-Blues Fusion Recorded: 1966 Released: 2021 This is an archival album by the American Blues singer Jimmy WitherspoonFind albums by this artist recorded during his visit in London, accompanied by top British Jazz musicians. The album presents twenty tracks, recorded during three separate sessions. The majority (thirteen) of the tracks were recorded at the legendary London pub “The Bulls Head”, with Witherspoon accompanied by the saxophonist Dick MorrisseyFind albums by this artist’s quartet with pianist Harry SouthFind albums by this artist, bassist Phil BatesFind albums by this artist and iconic drummer Phil SeamenFind albums by this artist. On six additional tracks (two of which are instrumentals only) he is accompanied by saxophonist Peter KingFind albums by this artist and the same rhythm section as above. On one tack he is accompanied by the great Alexis KornerFind albums by this artist’s (who plays guitar) Blues IncorporatedFind albums by this artist with saxophonist Ray WarleighFind albums by this artist, pianist Chris PyneFind albums by this artist, bassist Danny ThompsonFind albums by this artist and drummer Terry CoxFind albums by this artist. Except for three originals by Witherspoon, all the tracks are Blues / Jazz standards. The music is all a natural mixture of Blues and Jazz, clearly emphasizing the proximity between the two genres. Witherspoon obviously feels very comfortable with his British companions, being used to work with Jazz musicians back home and the Brits are familiar with the repertoire, which altogether makes the music sound completely natural and easy-going. There are no great surprises here, but the album is an excellent example of the diversity of the British Blues boom that exploded by the mid-1960s and declines almost as rapidly just half a decade later. That great movement included Blues, Jazz and early Rock musicians working shoulder to shoulder to create the British Blues, which took the American tradition of the genre a step further, adding a pinch of European aesthetics to the mixture. Overall this is a nice reminder of how the music created by visiting American Blues singers / musicians sounded when they were accompanied by British musicians, which happened quite often at the time. For Blues and British Jazz enthusiasts this is definitely an album worth pursuing.

Updated: 16/07/2021Posted: 16/07/2021

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend