Record Reviews

EUGEN CICERO ~ LULLABIES IN+OUT 77154 (Barcode: 798747715423) ~ ROMANIA ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 1995 Released: 2023 This is an archival album of previously unreleased material by Romanian pianist / composer Eugen CiceroFind albums by this artist, recorded in a classic Jazz piano trio format with Romanian (resident in Germany) bass guitarist Decebal BadilaFind albums by this artist and German drummer Ringo HirthFind albums by this artist. The album presents twelve tracks, one of which is an original composition by Cicero, one is a Jazz standard and the rest are his interpretations of Classical or traditional material. Cicero escaped Romania in 1962 via Berlin, settling first in Germany and later in Switzerland. He had a long career playing Jazz / Swing interpretations of Classical Music pieces and recorded dozens of very successful albums in that idiom. Although he operated in the same idiom like Jacques LoussierFind albums by this artist, Claude BollingFind albums by this artist and others, his brilliant technique and intelligent cross-manipulation of the genres, as well as a superb Swing, made him very unique and he managed to avoid the kitsch many of such artists often dived deeply into. Overall, this is a lovely cross-genre outing, which is witty and elegant, and a pure joy to listen to, and definitely a must for all Jazz-Classical Fusion lovers. It is delightful to have this gem back in circulation. Wholeheartedly recommended!

Updated: 16/02/2025Posted: 16/02/2025

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EUGEN CICERO ~ ROKOKO-JAZZ MPS 4029759152477 (Barcode: 4029759152477) ~ ROMANIA ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 1965 Released: 2020 This is the reissue / remaster of the debut album by Romanian pianist / composer Eugene CiceroFind albums by this artist, recorded in a trio format with German bassist Peter WitteFind albums by this artist and Swiss drummer Charly AntoliniFind albums by this artist. The album presents six tracks, one of which is an original composition by Cicero and five are interpretations of Classical Music pieces by various composers. The original liner notes of this album, written by my Friend and Mentor Joachim BerendtFind albums by this artist, are reproduced in the album’s packaging. Cicero escaped Romania in 1962 via Berlin, settling first in Germany and later in Switzerland. He had a long career playing Jazz / Swing interpretations of Classical Music pieces and recorded dozens of very successful albums in that idiom. This album, which earned him immediate recognition, was one of the earliest album recorded by the SABAFind albums on this label (later MPSFind albums on this label) label and offers a spectacular sound quality. Although he operated in the same idiom like Jacques LoussierFind albums by this artist, Claude BollingFind albums by this artist and others, his brilliant technique and intelligent cross-manipulation of the genres, as well as a superb Swing, made him very unique and he managed to avoid the kitsch many of such artists often dived deeply into. Overall, this is a lovely cross-genre outing, which is witty and elegant, and a pure joy to listen to, and definitely a must for all Jazz-Classical Fusion lovers. It is delightful to have this gem back in circulation. Wholeheartedly recommended! 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: 29/12/2023Posted: 29/12/2023

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ANDRZEJ JAGODZINSKI TRIO ~ BACH STUDIO REALIZACJI MYSLI TWORCZ (Barcode: 5907222840047) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2020 Released: 2020 This is an album by veteran Polish Jazz pianist / composer Andrzej JagodzinskiFind albums by this artist recorded with his fabulous trio with bassist Adam CegielskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Czeslaw BartkowskiFind albums by this artist. As the title suggests, the album is dedicated to the music of Johann Sebastian BachFind albums by this artist and presents six of his compositions, beautifully transformed into the Jazz idiom. Playing Bach by Jazz musicians is of course nothing new and the romance goes back to the early 1960s, when French pianist / composer Jacques LoussierFind albums by this artist made a grand career by Jazzing up Bach’s compositions for the crowds, and many other Jazz musicians since tried to tackle this task, including Keith JarrettFind albums by this artist and Brad MehldauFind albums by this artist, with varying results. Bach’s music, which undoubtedly is one of the absolute pinnacles of Human artistic ingenuity, in most cases is best served by being left alone in its original form and shape, with rare exceptions. I am happy to see (or rather hear) that Jagodzinski and his trio are up to the challenge of successfully transforming Bach’s music into the Jazz realm, served by their great sensitivity, talents and of course extensive experience. They manage to avoid trivializing this great music, keeping the original sense of flow, melody and rhythm intact, and adding the Jazzy ornamentations with carful respect of the original compositions. This is not altogether surprising taking into consideration the sublime Jazz oriented interpretations of the music by Polish National composer Frederic Chopin, which Jagodzinski and his cohorts managed to create in the past. The performances are absolutely stellar, as expected, and although the piano is naturally in the epicenter of the sonic experience, the rhythm section also contributes some superb parts, which deserve no less admiration. Personally I hear a bit of Chopin on these interpretations of Bach, which again is hardly surprising, as Chopin’s music flows in the blood (or sub consciousness) of every Polish musician at all times. Overall this is a wonderful album in every sense, both emotionally and intellectually, which deserves to be heard by every true lover of Jazz-Classical Fusion, Bach’s followers and Jazz piano trio enthusiasts all over the world. A true elixir for mind and body at these crazy days of misfortune and suffering. On a personal note, almost exactly to a day last year I had the immense pleasure to attend a concert at a small Jazz club outside of Warsaw, where messieurs Jagodzinski, Cegielski and Bartkowski (and others) were performing. This was an unforgettable evening of great music and friendship, especially since it was the last live concert I managed to attend before the pandemic and the last time I was abroad…

Updated: 05/02/2021Posted: 05/02/2021

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