Record Reviews
9 Reviews Found. Use search to find more reviews or follow the links in the review text.
  | TONY CROMBIE ~ SEVEN CLASSIC ALBUMS PLUS BONUS EP
REAL GONE JAZZ 430 (Barcode: 5036408156525) ~ UK ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1954 - 1961 Released: 2013
This is a reissue of early recordings by the legendary drummer / composer / bandleader Tony CrombieFind albums by this artist, undoubtedly one of the greatest British Jazz drummers of the first post-WWII generation. Crombie played with the best Swing and Bebop players, including Ronnie ScottFind albums by this artist and John DankworthFind albums by this artist, served as member of the resident house band at Ronnie Scott´s Jazz Club in London and moved on when the British Jazz changed its character, playing with such modernists as Stan TraceyFind albums by this artist. He also had ties with Rock And Roll and Pop, playing among others with the great vocalist Georgie FameFind albums by this artist. He accompanied many American Jazz vocalists upon their visits in the UK. Crombie´s compositions were very popular among Jazz musicians and even Miles DavisFind albums by this artist recorded one of his tunes on his "Seven Steps To HeavenFind albums with this title" album.
The seven albums included here are: "At The Royal Festival HallFind albums with this title" (with Ronnie Scott) from 1956, "Annie By The CandlelightFind albums with this title" (with vocalist Annie RossFind albums by this artist) from 1956, "Man From The InterpolFind albums with this title" (a TV Series Soundtrack) from 1959, "Sweet Wide And BlueFind albums by this artist" from 1960, "Drums! Drums! Drums!Find albums with this title" from 1960, "Whole Lotta TonyFind albums with this title" from 1961 and finally "Twelve Favorite Film ThemesFind albums with this title" from 1961. In addition an EP from 1954 featuring his orchestra is also included.
Overall this is a fascinating collection of great mainstream Jazz music played by the best British musicians at the time, and which has additionally also an enormous historical value. I can’t imagine any true British Jazz fan missing this set!
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: 01/06/2018Posted: 01/06/2016 | CD 4 Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
  | JOHN DANKWORTH ~ 5 STEPS TO DANKWORTH / JOURNEY INTO JAZZ
VOCALION 5303 (Barcode: 765387530327) ~ UK ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1956 - 1957 Released: 2008
Saxophonist / composer / bandleader John DankworthFind albums by this artist is one of the Godfathers of modern British Jazz. His activities on the local and international scenes since the early 1950s were instrumental in establishing a whole new generation of Jazz players, which eventually led to the flourishing and revolutionary British Jazz of the 1960s. After his first group - the John Dankworth SevenFind albums by this artist – disbanded, Dankworth established the John Dankworth OrchestraFind albums by this artist, the first British modern Big Band, which consisted of the best Jazz players in Britain at the time. Dankworth´s superb compositions and magnificent arrangements, aided by the virtuosity of his band members, were among the finest in the world and easily compared to the American Big Bands of Duke EllingtonFind albums by this artist, Count BasieFind albums by this artist and others, often surpassing their output with the sophistication and finesse of its works. This great reissue presents Dankworth´s first two recordings with his Orchestra, the debut "Journey Into JazzFind albums with this title", which includes the suite "Itinerary of an Orchestra" – Dankworth´s presentation of a Jazz Orchestra similar in concept to Benjamin BrittenFind albums by this artist´s "Young Person´s Guide to the Orchestra". As most of Dankworth´s compositions the arrangements were made by the excellent "in house" arranger David LindupFind albums by this artist. "5 Steps Into DankworthFind albums with this title", subtitled "Presenting the Music of Johnny Dankworth", concentrates on his talents as a composer and emphasized the magnificent full power of the Big Band. Together these two albums are a true treasure of great music, which lost nothing of its power and ingenuity over the years and sound completely relevant today. Brilliant stuff!
| | | CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
  | JOHN DANKWORTH ~ DUET FOR 16
VOCALION 6230 (Barcode: 765387623029) ~ UK ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1959 Released: 2015
This is an archival recording by the British Jazz saxophonist / composer / bandleader John DankworthFind albums by this artist and his orchestra. Taken from the BBC vaults, the music collected here was originally recorded during three sessions as part of the BBC´s transcription recordings, which were then broadcasted around the world by the BBC World Service. This particular recording includes spoken commentary in French and must have been intended for the French speaking territories; France, Belgium and perhaps Canada.
Apart from the theme which is used as the opening and closing track, the album includes nineteen compositions, which include five Dankworth originals. Rest of the material is either standards or material composed by David LindupFind albums by this artist, who was the staff composer / arranger often collaborating with Dankworth.
The orchestra´s lineup includes some of the top British Jazz players at the time, including the new arrival in UK, trumpeter Kenny WheelerFind albums by this artist. The excellent rhythm section comprised of pianist Derek SmithFind albums by this artist, bassist Eric DawsonFind albums by this artist and drummer Kenny ClareFind albums by this artist.
Stylistically the music mimics the American Big Band tradition, which was very popular in Britain during the post-WWII period. Therefore the orchestra plays easy swinging music, which is very well executed, but hardly innovative or challenging in any way. Dankworth represents the transitional British Jazz generation, which was deeply rooted in the American tradition and never really moved into the modern Jazz idiom completely, although he was certainly open minded in comparison to many of his contemporaries, and did include a certain element of experimentation in his later work.
These recordings are a snapshot of a period when Jazz was extremely popular and even served as dance music to a large part of the population. The popularity, however, demanded that the music would be kept strictly within closely defined melodic and rhythmic boundaries. One the modern British Jazz emerged by the mid 1960s Jazz naturally lost its popularity.
Having said all that, this album is still a great fun to listen to and a wonderful piece of British Jazz history, which deserves to be remembered. Dankworth and his orchestra prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jazz can be played by Europeans without any inferiority complexes attached.
| | | CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
  | JOHN DANKWORTH ~ MOVIES `N` ME
VOCALION 8469 (Barcode: 765387846923) ~ UK ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1974 Released: 2010
Legendary British saxophonist / composer / arranger / bandleader John DankworthFind albums by this artist was one of the Godfathers of modern British Jazz. Although his career started in mid-1940s he was keen to pursue the sounds of Bee Bop, when those crossed the Atlantic and later pioneered the modern British Big Band sound. In parallel to his Jazz career, Dankworth was active as composer of music for film and TV. This album focuses around these scores and presents them in Jazz arrangements, performed by a dreamy Big Band, which includes the crème de la crème of British Jazz at the time: saxophonist Don RendellFind albums by this artist, trombonist Malcolm GriffithsFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Kenny BakerFind albums by this artist, pianist Tony HymasFind albums by this artist and many others. The music is excellent of course, as is the performance. British Jazz fans will find this stuff delightful, and Big Band enthusiasts will have a field day with this. I don´t think there is anything else I need to add here, just grab it, if this is your cup of tea!
| | | CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
  | JOHN DANKWORTH ~ THE ZODIAC VARIATIONS / THE $1,000,000 COLLECTION
VOCALION 8480 (Barcode: 765387848026) ~ UK ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1964 - 1967 Released: 2011
Legendary British saxophonist / composer / arranger / bandleader John DankworthFind albums by this artist was one of the Godfathers of modern British Jazz. Although his career started in mid-1940s he was keen to pursue the sounds of Bee Bop, when those crossed the Atlantic and later pioneered the modern British Big Band sound. This album brings together two of thematic / "concept" Jazz suites written by Dankworth and performed by his Big Band / Orchestra, both being masterpieces of the genre. "The Zodiac VariationsFind albums with this title", recorded both in US and UK, feature some top American Jazz players as soloists: trumpeter Clark TerryFind albums by this artist, trombonist Bob BrookmeyerFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Phil WoodsFind albums by this artist and others. "The $1,000,000 CollectionFind albums with this title" (about famous paintings), recorded three years later, when the British Jazz scene was rapidly developing into a dew dimension, features many of the brilliant young players arriving on the scene, like trumpeters Kenny WheelerFind albums by this artist, Henry LowtherFind albums by this artist and Derek WatkinsFind albums by this artist, saxophonists Tony RobertsFind albums by this artist and Tony CoeFind albums by this artist, trombonists Chris PyneFind albums by this artist and Michael GibbsFind albums by this artist and many others. Musically this is brilliant stuff, from start to finish of course. British Jazz fans will find this stuff delightful, and Big Band enthusiasts will have a field day with this. I don´t think there is anything else I need to add here, just grab it, if this is your cup of tea!
| | Updated: 31/05/2017Posted: | CD 2 Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
  | JOHN DANKWORTH ~ WHAT THE DICKENS! / OFF DUTY!
VOCALLION 8491 (Barcode: 765387849122) ~ UK ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1963 - 1969 Released: 2012
This is a most welcome reissue of two albums recorded in the 1960s by saxophonist / composer / bandleader John DankworthFind albums by this artist and his orchestra. Considered a Godfather of the British Jazz scene, Dankworth managed to keep his orchestra going for decades, composing, arranging and recording some remarkable music on the way. As these two albums (recorded six years apart) show, Dankworth was always up to date with recent developments in Jazz and was open minded enough to incorporate them into his music. He also had a great ear as to finding the best players and his orchestra always exploded with talent.
"What The Dickens!Find albums with this title" comprises of fifteen original compositions by Dankworth, all inspired by characters from the novels written by Charles Dickens. The compositions are all absolutely lovely and the orchestra performs them splendidly with grace, elegance and incredible Jazz feel. The best British Jazz musicians appear as guest soloist on this album and they include such superb players as saxophonists Tubby HayesFind albums by this artist, Dick MorrisseyFind albums by this artist, Peter KingFind albums by this artist, Ronnie ScottFind albums by this artist and Tony CoeFind albums by this artist. Trumpeter Kenny WheelerFind albums by this artist was a member of the orchestra at the time. This is some of the best orchestrated Jazz ever recorded and the finesse of these sounds is still nothing less of amazing.
"Off Duty!", which was recorded by the end of the 1960s, when Jazz-Rock was already a significant part of the British scene, finds Dankworth and his orchestra playing both his original music (three of the twelve tracks are his compositions) as well as his arrangements of standards and (then) contemporary Pop material, played with a much more Jazz-Rock oriented edge than his earlier "pure" Jazz recordings. The orchestra includes keyboardist Laurie HollowayFind albums by this artist and two brilliant bassists: Herbie FlowersFind albums by this artist and Brian OdgersFind albums by this artist, who give it a brand new sound with a lot of Funk and simply delicious bass lines. The atmosphere is of course much more relaxed and entertaining, but the music, arrangements and performances are stellar.
Beautifully remastered by Michael J. DuttonFind albums by this artist this reissue offers great glimpses of the past glory of the British Jazz in general and Dankworth´s contribution in particular. Like good wine, this music gets better with time and manages to stay relevant. Recommended, especially for lovers of the Jazz Big Band / Orchestra sound, which appears here at its full grandeur!
| | | CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
  | CLEO LAINE ~ CLASSIC ALBUMS, 4 EPS & BONUS TRACKS
REAL GONE JAZZ 421 (Barcode: 5036408154422) ~ UK ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1955 - 1962 Released: 2013
This is a reissue of four early albums by the British vocalist Cleo LaineFind albums by this artist, one of the most glamorous and widely known representatives of the British Jazz worldwide. She and her husband saxophonist / composers John DankworthFind albums by this artist were for many years the "Royal" couple of the British Jazz and they were eventually knighted (receiving the DBE and CBE respectively). Laine, a truly remarkable singer, is perhaps the last great British representative of the "classic" vocal Jazz school, created and developed by the great American female singers like Billie HolidayFind albums by this artist, Sarah VaughanFind albums by this artist, Ella FitzgeraldFind albums by this artist and so many others. Her great affinity towards the Blues and her wonderful feeling of the Swing made her a true star. She did not, however, cross over to the modern vocal Jazz approach, which developed in Britain (and the rest of Europe), which reinvented the role of the human voice and opened new possibilities. Laine stayed faithful to the "classic" approach, and represented it stunningly.
On the recordings included in this set Laine is accompanied by the best British Jazz musicians active at the time and the time span (1955 to 1962) shows her rapid development from an unknown imitator to a full fledged luminary.
The first album "She`s The Tops!Find albums with this title" presents Laine more as a Blues singer and shows her developing her chops and vocal abilities. The second album "ValmouthFind albums with this title" is the original cast recording of a West End musical theatre performance featuring Laine, showing her remarkable talent as an actress in addition to her singing career. The third album "Live DateFind albums with this title" is a live recording presenting Laine singing six songs with the Tubby HayesFind albums by this artist Orchestra and than Hayes playing three spectacular pieces with his quartet. The fourth album "All About MeFind albums with this title" is a wonderful vocal Jazz album recorded with the Johnny KeatingFind albums by this artist Orchestra and featuring his incredible arrangements, showing Laine as a fully developed Jazz Diva.
In addition this set includes also four EPs (each with four songs) recorded with various British groups supporting her. The "bonus tracks" are in fact another full album, which presents her singing with the trombonist Keith ChristieFind albums by this artist and his quintet (not quartet as the packaging tells us), which includes John Dankworth on clarinet and alto saxophone, pianist / vibraphonist Bill Le SageFind albums by this artist, bassist Bill SutcliffeFind albums by this artist and drummer Allan GanleyFind albums by this artist. This is the earliest recording included in this set.
Overall British Jazz lovers and vocal Jazz connoisseurs should find this set irresistible, enjoying the newly available music, which has mostly disappeared into the abyss for way to long.
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: 20/05/2016 | CD 4 Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
  | NEW JAZZ ORCHESTRA ~ LE DEJEUNER SUR L`HERBE
DUSK FIRE 110 (Barcode: 5065001032981) ~ UK ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1968 Released: 2014
This is the second and also the last formal album by the seminal British Jazz Orchestra called New Jazz OrchestraFind albums by this artist or NJOFind albums by this artist for short. Directed by the legendary composer / arranger / bandleader Neil ArdleyFind albums by this artist the NJO was probably the most important singular British Jazz ensemble, which shaped the way British and European Jazz developed in the late 1960s.
Despite the fact that the number of people, who are familiar with this epic recording, will hardly fill up an average British pub, it is still one of the best and more importantly revolutionary Jazz albums of all times, certainly as far as British Jazz is concerned. The fact that the album, which was released on LP in 1969 and almost immediately after disappeared from the shelves, had to wait for 45 years for its debut CD reissue confirms its anonymity and obscurity. And yet for the handful of British Jazz enthusiasts it always was the magnum opus of the British Jazz resurgence, when the music emerged for the first time as a truly new Art form, related to but fully independent from the American Jazz tradition.
Why "new"? The origin of the name is not entirely clear but NJO was new indeed; it included a new generation of British Jazz musicians, which arrived on the scene mostly in the 1960s and had very little in common with the older "swing" generation, which completely dominated the British scene up to that period, and which was entirely immersed in the American tradition, strengthened by the presence of American bands in Britain during the WWII period. Several Jazz Big Bands and orchestras were active on the British scene since the 1920s and well into the 1960s, some quite excellent and even extraordinary, but those limited the artistic scope to imitating the trends originating across the big pond. The list of British composers / bandleaders includes Ted HeathFind albums by this artist, Syd LawrenceFind albums by this artist, John DankworthFind albums by this artist and numerous others.
By the time this album was recorded the NJO was about five years old. In 1965 it recorded its debut album called "Western Reunion London 1965Find albums with this title", which beautifully sums up the first phase of its activity, when the orchestra performed mostly new arrangements of American standards, but the overall sound of the band was already quite unique and stunning. This album was recorded by the second incarnation of the NJO, which included Jack BruceFind albums by this artist on bass (who was already a member of CreamFind albums by this artist at the time), with the regular bassist Tony ReevesFind albums by this artist taking the position of the album´s producer. The rest of the band included: trumpeters Derek WatkinsFind albums by this artist, Harry LowtherFind albums by this artist, Harry BeckettFind albums by this artist and Ian CarrFind albums by this artist, trombonists John MumfordFind albums by this artist, Michael GibbsFind albums by this artist, Derek WadsworthFind albums by this artist and Tony RussellFind albums by this artist, tuba player George SmithFind albums by this artist, saxophonists Barbara ThompsonFind albums by this artist, Dave GellyFind albums by this artist, Jim PhilipFind albums by this artist and Dick Heckstall-SmithFind albums by this artist, vibraphonist Frank RicottiFind albums by this artist and drummer Jon HisemanFind albums by this artist.
The album presents eight compositions, five of which are originals composed by NJO members or other British Jazz musicians / composers of the new generation; those are Neil Ardley, Howard RileyFind albums by this artist, Mike TaylorFind albums by this artist, Michael GarrickFind albums by this artist and Michael Gibbs. Two modern American Jazz standards, one by John ColtraneFind albums by this artist and another one by Miles DavisFind albums by this artist are also present, but their arrangements are stunningly removed from the original versions known to most Jazz listeners. The remaining composition is by the French composer of Polish / Jewish origin Alexandre TansmanFind albums by this artist, whose composition receives another highly unusual treatment.
The album emerges triumphantly as a masterpiece of composition, arrangement, performance and intelligent music making, all those on top of its being a first of its kind and a beacon for generations to come. Many other superb Big Band / Orchestral British Jazz recordings will follow (Michael Gibbs, Mike WestbrookFind albums by this artist and others), but as great as they were, none of them achieved the same primordial perfection, which marked the birth of British Jazz as documented herein.
If anybody wanders about the album´s title (and the title of the opening track) and its humorous sleeve design, Google it up, oh ye ignoramuses, or preferably visit the Musée d´Orsay in Paris and look for the original ;)
With the recent parting of Jack Bruce, whom I was honored and lucky to know in person, the reissue of this album is a small solace in his memory and in memory of a generation almost gone…
| | | CD 1 Digipak Remastered Essential Recommend To A Friend |
|
