Record Reviews

KENNY CLARKE / FRANCY BOLAND BIG BAND ~ ALL SMILES MPS 4029759119562 (Barcode: 4029759119562) ~ BELGIUM ~ Jazz Recorded: 1968 Released: 2017 This is a reissue of the second album for the MPSFind albums on this label label by international, resident in Europe, Kenny Clarke / Francy Boland Big BandFind albums by this artist. On this album the lineup consists of seventeen musicians, including: British trumpeter Jimmy DeucharFind albums by this artist, Swedish trombonist Ake PerssonFind albums by this artist, British saxophonists Derek HumbleFind albums by this artist, Ronnie ScottFind albums by this artist and Tony CoeFind albums by this artist, American saxophonist / flautist Sahib ShihabFind albums by this artist, American vibraphonist Dave PikeFind albums by this artist, Belgian pianist Francy BolandFind albums by this artist, American bassist Jimmy WoodeFind albums by this artist and drummer Kenny ClarkeFind albums by this artist and others. The album presents ten tracks, nine of which are standards and one is based on a John Philip SousaFind albums by this artist march, all of them arranged by Boland. The music is absolutely breathtaking example of the sophistication of the Big Band idiom, achieved when American Big Band tradition meets European aesthetic values and the amalgam erupts with inventiveness, elegance and flair. The brilliant arrangements turn the Big Band into a musical hydra, which has one body but in this case seventeen heads, all working together towards a common goal. The music soars and flows gently, switching moods and emotions and the soloists have plenty of space to make their individual statements. For over a decade the Big Band served as a home for many American Jazz musicians who lived in Europe, sometimes for extended periods of time. It also cemented the European Jazz community, which was developing rapidly during these formative years. It was a fruitful habitat for many ensembles that were established by the Big Band members in years to come. For connoisseurs of Big Band music this is an absolute must have, especially in view of the exquisite recording quality this album offers, which enables each and every instruments to be heard perfectly clearly. They don´t make music like this any more… 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: 28/05/2018Posted: 24/02/2018

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