Record Reviews

GEORGE ADAMS ~ THE COMPLETE REMASTERED RECORDINGS ON BLACK SAINT & SOUL NOTE CAM JAZZ 1018 (Barcode: 8052405140616) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1979 - 1983 Released: 2012 This superb Box Set collects all the albums recorded by the legendary American flautist / saxophonist / composer George AdamsFind albums by this artist on the twin Italian independent labels: Black SaintFind albums on this label and Soul NoteFind albums on this label. The set includes five albums, three of which were recorded with the quartet he co-led with pianist Don PullenFind albums by this artist and which also included bassist Cameron BrownFind albums by this artist and drummer Dannie RichmondFind albums by this artist, and the other two were recorded with a quintet co-led with drummer Dannie Richmond and which also included trombonist Jimmy KnepperFind albums by this artist, pianist Hugh LawsonFind albums by this artist and bassist Mike RichmondFind albums by this artist. Adams is best known as a member of the Charles MingusFind albums by this artist ensembles or bands led by Gil EvansFind albums by this artist and Roy HaynesFind albums by this artist and later as a co-leader of the quartet with pianist Don Pullen. His musical interests covered a very wide range of sub-genres, from Rhythm And Blues to Free Jazz and he felt quite comfortable playing in any of them, often on the same album. His passionate performances and his occasional vocal escapades made him one of the most colorful and loved Jazz performers in the 1980s. His premature death at the age of 52 robbed the American Jazz scene of one of its most original personalities. In the late 1980s Adams was a member of the short-lived quartet called PhalanxFind albums by this artist, which also included guitarist James Blood UlmerFind albums by this artist, one of the most adventurous ensembles of that period. 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: 08/05/2023Posted:

CD 5 Mini-Sleeve Box Set Remastered Recommend To A Friend

GARY BURTON ~ LOFTY FAKE ANAGRAM / A GENUINE TONG FUNERAL BGO 723 (Barcode: 5017261207234) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1967 Released: 2006 Vibraphonist / composer Gary BurtonFind albums by this artist is one of greatest American Jazz musicians, with a long and outstanding career and a massive body of work. He is also one of relatively few American Jazz artists, who can be considered as true originals, embracing the Jazz tradition but at the same time constantly expanding the horizons of the music and exploring the terra incognita of the genre. This album takes us back to the early days of Burton’s musical path, when he was leading probably the most forward-thinking Jazz quartet of the day. Together with guitarist extraordinaire Larry CoryellFind albums by this artist, bassist Steve SwallowFind albums by this artist and drummer Bob MosesFind albums by this artist, the quartet ventured into some of the earliest examples of Jazz-Rock Fusion, years ahead of their contemporaries. The two original LPs, although both recorded in 1967, are quite different from each other. On Lofty Fake AnagramFind albums with this title the quartet explores mostly a series of original tunes by Burton and Swallow, with finesse and elegance, but also with fire and passion. On A Genuine Tong FuneralFind albums with this title Burton combines forces with another great and unorthodox American Jazz representative, pianist / composer Carla BleyFind albums by this artist. The music is her first full-scale Jazz composition for a band, which she calls a “Dark Opera Without Words”. The “without word” part was to bee soon remedied on her next spectacular project, the first true modern Jazz opera Escalator Over The HillFind albums with this title, which included a libretto by Paul HainesFind albums by this artist. For the recording of this music the quartet was expanded to a small orchestra with Carla Bley on piano, Steve LacyFind albums by this artist and the brilliant Argentinean player Gato BarbieriFind albums by this artist on saxophone, Michael MantlerFind albums by this artist (Carla’s close partner) on trumpet, Jimmy KnepperFind albums by this artist on trombone and Howard JohnsonFind albums by this artist on tuba. The music is of course completely unique and unprecedented, with Bley’s masterly usage of orchestration to create moods and sonic vistas, all of it years ahead of its time. Together these two recordings provide a glimpse at the period when American Jazz was still bubbling with creativity and excitement. Brilliant and essential stuff!

CD 2 Slipcase Remastered Essential Recommend To A Friend

CHARLES MINGUS ~ TIJUANA MOODS (THE COMPLETE EDITION) RCA 174999 (Barcode: 743217499921) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1957 Released: 2000 Bassist / pianist / composer / bandleader Charles MingusFind albums by this artist was an exceptional, iconoclastic figure on the American Jazz landscape. Afraid of nothing and of no one, Mingus was not only a genius musician, but also a great story teller, always saying whatever he truly meant, however outrageous, immoral or shocking. His straightforwardness earned him many enemies among the American Jazz "establishment", often influencing his career in a negative way. This album is a great example of the above; recorded in 1957 and directly influenced by an alcohol / sex craze experienced in the Mexican "Wild South" border town of Tijuana, in an attempt to forget, what Mingus calls "a very blue period in my life", the sensuous and revolutionarily outrageous music was released only 5 years later, waiting for some people to take the stick out of their behind and allow this genius work to be heard. Although Mingus often referred to this album as the "best record he ever made", recognition of the fact that Mingus was light-years ahead of many of his contemporaries was slow to float up. Of course the music of Mingus is beyond description… Jazz, obviously, but so much more… and always brilliant. The music here is obviously influenced, however subtly, by the Mexican Mariachis heard often during that wild night in Tijuana, but it is all Mingus; his usual suite-like approach of composing music not as a collection of unrelated individual pieces but as a continuum, all coming together and following that wonderful crazy logic of his, which the listener only finds out about when the music is over. A Master of melody, Mingus actually never lets the listener enjoy it for more that a brief moment, jumping all over, around, aside, back at it, and out of it again. Of course he also knew how to pick up his band members, often running the show with an iron fist, but honestly, how the ensemble could function any other way, considering how devilishly complex the music they performed was. And yes, they were all brilliant players: trombonist Jimmy KnepperFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Curtis PorterFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Clarence ShawFind albums by this artist, pianist Bill TrigliaFind albums by this artist and drummer Danny RichmondFind albums by this artist (Mingus´ lifetime musical buddy, who joined his band just a few weeks before the recording). This wonderful edition adds a previously unreleased track, recorded at the same sessions as the album, which features a superb example of Mingus´ writing, narrated here by Lonnie ElderFind albums by this artist on top of the ensemble playing – a typical Jazz & Poetry setting fondly reminding the Beat days. A second CD full of alternate takes is also added. Need I say essential? Yes I do!

Updated: 01/01/2016Posted:

CD 2 Digipak Oversampling Remastered Bonus Tracks Essential Recommend To A Friend