Record Reviews
13 Reviews Found. Use search to find more reviews or follow the links in the review text.
  | ART BLAKEY ~ THE COMPLETE COLUMBIA AND RCA ALBUMS COLLECTION
SONY 887254359920 (Barcode: 887254359920) ~ USA ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1956 - 1959 Released: 2015
This superb Box Set includes all the albums by the seminal American Jazz drummer and pioneer of the Hard Bop genre Art BlakeyFind albums by this artist, released by the ColumbiaFind albums on this label and RCAFind albums on this label labels. These recordings span just a short period of four years, between 1956 and 1959, but they include some of the archetypical Jazz of the 1950s and document the birth of the Hard Bop era.
Art Blakey and his Jazz MessengersFind albums by this artist were one of the most dominant Jazz ensembles for decades and featured some of the top American Jazz players at the time, the list of which reads like a who´s who of American Jazz: trumpeters Donald ByrdFind albums by this artist, Lee MorganFind albums by this artist and Bill HardmanFind albums by this artist, saxophonists Hank MobleyFind albums by this artist, Jackie McLeanFind albums by this artist, Ira SullivanFind albums by this artist, Johnny GriffinFind albums by this artist and Benny GolsonFind albums by this artist and pianists Horace SilverFind albums by this artist, Sam DockeryFind albums by this artist, Ray BryantFind albums by this artist and Wynton KellyFind albums by this artist all play on these albums as do many other first rate players.
Blakey was one of the first American Jazz musicians, who were interested in African music, looking for sources of American Jazz. He incorporated African rhythms and techniques into the way he played, which created a unique and almost immediately recognizable drumming style. The Jazz Messengers served for many years and until Blakey´s death in 1990 as one of the most important cradles of young American Jazz musicians and very many top players who arrived on the scene were groomed as members of the Messengers, including such luminaries as Wynton MarsalisFind albums by this artist and literally dozens of others.
Although this music is quite familiar to all serious Jazz fans, it is always great to hear it as played by the original musicians who "invented" it in the first place rather than listen to the countless imitations recorded over and over again since. The last three CDs in this Box Set include live recordings by Blakey and Jazz Messengers recorded in Paris, which were originally released only on French RCA and therefore are much less known.
In retrospect this music still sounds fresh and sparkling today, as if absolutely untouched by time, completely justifying its classic status. Of course this is also an essential lesson in Jazz history and tradition, and as such an absolutely indispensable part of any serious record collection. Its availability will perhaps lead the young generation of Jazz players to listen to the source of the genesis of Modern Jazz.
| | Updated: 26/01/2019Posted: 07/01/2016 | CD 8 Mini-Sleeve Box Set Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
  | KENNY CLARKE / FRANCY BOLAND BIG BAND ~ AT HER MAJESTY`S PLEASURE…
REARWARD 137 (Barcode: 8018344021379) ~ BELGIUM ~ Big Band Jazz
Recorded: 1969 Released: 2010
This is a reissue / remaster of an album recorded by the international / resident in Europe Big Band, co-led by American drummer / bandleader Kenny ClarkeFind albums by this artist and Belgian pianist / composer / arranger / bandleader Francy BolandFind albums by this artist. It was originally recorded in Germany in 1969. The album presents seven tracks, parts of a suite composed and brilliantly arranged by Boland.
The Big Band includes some of the best European Jazz musicians active at the time, like British saxophonists Ronnie ScottFind albums by this artist and Tony CoeFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Kenny WheelerFind albums by this artist, drummer Kenny ClareFind albums by this artist and many American expatriates: saxophonists Sahib ShihabFind albums by this artist and Johnny GriffinFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Benny BaileyFind albums by this artist and many other excellent musicians.
Clarke and Boland co-led the Big Band between 1960 and 1972, which was one of the most formidable European Jazz Big Bands with an extensive recording legacy, with several notable releases also on the MPSFind albums on this label label. Boland composed and arranged for the most important American Jazz Big Bands in the 1950s, like those of Benny GoodmanFind albums by this artist, Woody HermanFind albums by this artist and Count BasieFind albums by this artist, before returning to Europe and starting his work with legendary German Big Band leader Kurt EdelhagenFind albums by this artist.
The music is all within the mainstream Jazz idiom, but the sublime arrangements make it absolute timeless and distinctly different from the American Jazz Big Band tradition, with a much more complex orchestral sound and refined European aesthetics. There are plenty of wonderful soli by the orchestra members, as expected, but as usual in the European Big Band environment, the accent is on the entire orchestra sound, with the soloing being mostly the icing on the cake. Every note played here is simply exceptional.
Overall, for Big Band / Orchestral Jazz fans this album is an absolute must of course, a true school book example of what Big Band music is all about. Holy Grail!
| | Updated: 14/06/2025Posted: 14/06/2025 | CD 1 Digipak Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
  | KENNY CLARKE / FRANCY BOLAND BIG BAND ~ EN CONCERT AVEC EUROPE 1
TREMA 3296637104137 (Barcode: 3296637104137) ~ BELGIUM ~ Big Band Jazz
Recorded: 1969 Released: 1992
This is an archival live album recorded by the international / resident in Europe Big Band, co-led by American drummer / bandleader Kenny ClarkeFind albums by this artist and Belgian pianist / composer / arranger / bandleader Francy BolandFind albums by this artist. It was originally recorded in France in 1969 by French TV. The 2CD album presents fourteen tracks, six composed by Boland, two by Clarke, two by other Big Band members and four are standards, all brilliantly arranged by Boland. The sound quality of this release is not perfect, probably since it was originally a live TV broadcast, but the music is exceptional, as always.
The Big Band includes some of the best European Jazz musicians active at the time, like British saxophonists Ronnie ScottFind albums by this artist, Derek HumbleFind albums by this artist and Tony CoeFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Derek WatkinsFind albums by this artist, drummer Kenny ClareFind albums by this artist, and many American expatriates: saxophonists Sahib ShihabFind albums by this artist and Johnny GriffinFind albums by this artist, trumpeters Benny BaileyFind albums by this artist, Art FarmerFind albums by this artist and Idrees SuliemanFind albums by this artist, bassist Jimmy WoodeFind albums by this artist and many other excellent musicians.
Clarke and Boland co-led the Big Band between 1960 and 1972, which was one of the most formidable European Jazz Big Bands with an extensive recording legacy, with several notable releases also on the MPSFind albums on this label label. Boland composed and arranged for the most important American Jazz Big Bands in the 1950s, like those of Benny GoodmanFind albums by this artist, Woody HermanFind albums by this artist and Count BasieFind albums by this artist, before returning to Europe and starting his work with legendary German Big Band leader Kurt EdelhagenFind albums by this artist.
The music is all within the mainstream Jazz idiom, but the sublime arrangements make it absolute timeless and distinctly different from the American Jazz Big Band tradition, with a much more complex orchestral sound and refined European aesthetics. There are plenty of wonderful soli by the orchestra members, as expected, but as usual in the European Big Band environment, the accent is on the entire orchestra sound, with the soloing being mostly the icing on the cake. Every note played here is simply exceptional.
Overall, for Big Band / Orchestral Jazz fans this album is an absolute must of course, a true school book example of what Big Band music is all about. Holy Grail!
| | Updated: 16/06/2025Posted: 16/06/2025 | CD 2 Recommend To A Friend |
  | KENNY CLARKE / FRANCY BOLAND BIG BAND ~ FACES
MPS 602527593043 (Barcode: 602527593043) ~ BELGIUM ~ Big Band Jazz
Recorded: 1968 Released: 2011
This is a reissue / remaster of an album recorded by the international / resident in Europe Big Band, co-led by American drummer / bandleader Kenny ClarkeFind albums by this artist and Belgian pianist / composer / arranger / bandleader Francy BolandFind albums by this artist. It was originally recorded in Germany in 1968 and released on the legendary MPSFind albums on this label label the same year. It was the 4th album by the Big Band on MPS. The album presents four lengthy tracks, parts of a suite composed and brilliantly arranged by Boland.
The Big Band includes some of the best European Jazz musicians active at the time, like British saxophonists Ronnie ScottFind albums by this artist and Tony CoeFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Jimmy DeucharFind albums by this artist, drummer Kenny ClareFind albums by this artist and many American expatriates: saxophonists Sahib ShihabFind albums by this artist and Johnny GriffinFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Benny BaileyFind albums by this artist and many other excellent musicians.
Clarke and Boland co-led the Big Band between 1960 and 1972, which was one of the most formidable European Jazz Big Bands with an extensive recording legacy, with several notable releases also on the MPS label. Boland composed and arranged for the most important American Jazz Big Bands in the 1950s, like those of Benny GoodmanFind albums by this artist, Woody HermanFind albums by this artist and Count BasieFind albums by this artist, before returning to Europe and starting his work with legendary German Big Band leader Kurt EdelhagenFind albums by this artist.
The music is all within the mainstream Jazz idiom, but the sublime arrangements make it absolute timeless and distinctly different from the American Jazz Big Band tradition, with a much more complex orchestral sound and refined European aesthetics. There are plenty of wonderful soli by the orchestra members, as expected, but as usual in the European Big Band environment, the accent is on the entire orchestra sound, with the soloing being mostly the icing on the cake. Every note played here is simply exceptional.
Overall, for Big Band / Orchestral Jazz fans this album is an absolute must of course, a true school book example of what Big Band music is all about. Holy Grail!
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: 31/05/2025Posted: 31/05/2025 | CD 1 Oversampling Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
  | KENNY CLARKE / FRANCY BOLAND BIG BAND ~ THREE LATIN ADVENTURES (LATIN KALEIDESCOPE / FELLINI 712)
MPS 731452909527 (Barcode: 731452909527) ~ BELGIUM ~ Big Band Jazz
Recorded: 1968 Released: 1995
This is a reissue / remaster of two albums: “Latin KaleidoscopeFind albums with this title” and “Fellini 712Find albums with this title” recorded by the Big Band co-led by American drummer / bandleader Kenny ClarkeFind albums by this artist and Belgian pianist / composer / arranger / bandleader Francy BolandFind albums by this artist, originally recorded in 1968 and released on the legendary MPSFind albums on this label label. The album presents three multi-part Jazz suites: “Latin Kaleidoscope” co-composed by American composer Gary McFarlandFind albums by this artist and Boland, “Cuban Fever” and “Fellini 712” composed by Boland, all arranged by him, which span together the fourteen tracks of the album. The orchestra comprises of some of the best European Jazz musicians active at the time, like British saxophonists Ronnie ScottFind albums by this artist and Tony CoeFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Jimmy DeucharFind albums by this artist and drummer Kenny ClareFind albums by this artist, American expatriates: saxophonists Sahib ShihabFind albums by this artist and Johnny GriffinFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Benny BaileyFind albums by this artist and many other excellent musicians.
Clarke and Boland co-led the Big Band between 1960 and 1972, which was one of the most formidable European Jazz Big Bands with an extensive recording legacy, with several notable releases also on the MPS label. Boland composed and arranged for the most important American Jazz Big Bands in the 1950s, like those of Benny GoodmanFind albums by this artist, Woody HermanFind albums by this artist and Count BasieFind albums by this artist, before returning to Europe and starting his work with legendary German Big Band leader Kurt EdelhagenFind albums by this artist.
The music is all within the mainstream Jazz idiom, but the sublime arrangements make it absolute timeless and distinctly different from the American Jazz Big Band tradition, with a much more complex orchestral sound and refined European aesthetics. The Latin accents, which were very fashionable by the mid-1960s, get a wonderful treatment here, completely eschewing the schmaltzy accents. There are plenty of wonderful soli by the orchestra members, as expected, but as usual in the European Big Band environment, the accent is on the entire orchestra sound, with the soloing being mostly the icing on the cake. Every note played here is simply exceptional.
For Big Band / Orchestral Jazz fans this album is an absolute must of course, a true school example of what Big Band music is all about. Brilliant stuff!
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: 16/03/2025Posted: 10/08/2021 | CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
  | KENNY CLARKE / FRANCY BOLAND BIG BAND ~ TWO ORIGINALS (ALL BLUES / SAX NO END)
MPS 731452352521 (Barcode: 731452352521) ~ BELGIUM ~ Big Band Jazz
Recorded: 1967 - 1968 Released: 1994
This is a reissue / remaster of two albums: “All BluesFind albums with this title” and “Sax No EndFind albums with this title” recorded by the international / resident in Europe Big Band, co-led by American drummer / bandleader Kenny ClarkeFind albums by this artist and Belgian pianist / composer / arranger / bandleader Francy BolandFind albums by this artist. “All Blues” was originally recorded in UK in 1968 and released on the legendary MPSFind albums on this label label in 1969. It was the 2nd album by the Big Band on MPS. “Sax No End” was originally recorded in Germany in 1967 and released on the legendary SABAFind albums on this label (later MPS) label in 1967. It was the 1st album by the Big Band on MPS. This reissue also adds as a bonus one tracks from the “Fellini 712Find albums with this title” album by the Big Band with a corrected mix. The album presents altogether fifteen tracks with both original albums and the bonus, which are mostly original compositions by Boland, including the three-part “All Jazz” suite, all also brilliantly arranged by Boland.
The Big Band includes some of the best European Jazz musicians active at the time, like British saxophonists Ronnie ScottFind albums by this artist and Tony CoeFind albums by this artist, trumpeters Jimmy DeucharFind albums by this artist and Shake KeaneFind albums by this artist, drummer Kenny ClareFind albums by this artist and many American expatriates: saxophonists Sahib ShihabFind albums by this artist and Johnny GriffinFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Benny BaileyFind albums by this artist and many other excellent musicians.
Clarke and Boland co-led the Big Band between 1960 and 1972, which was one of the most formidable European Jazz Big Bands with an extensive recording legacy, with several notable releases also on the MPS label. Boland composed and arranged for the most important American Jazz Big Bands in the 1950s, like those of Benny GoodmanFind albums by this artist, Woody HermanFind albums by this artist and Count BasieFind albums by this artist, before returning to Europe and starting his work with legendary German Big Band leader Kurt EdelhagenFind albums by this artist.
The music is all within the mainstream Jazz idiom, but the sublime arrangements make it absolute timeless and distinctly different from the American Jazz Big Band tradition, with a much more complex orchestral sound and refined European aesthetics. There are plenty of wonderful soli by the orchestra members, as expected, but as usual in the European Big Band environment, the accent is on the entire orchestra sound, with the soloing being mostly the icing on the cake. Every note played here is simply exceptional.
Overall, for Big Band / Orchestral Jazz fans this album is an absolute must of course, a true school book example of what Big Band music is all about. Holy Grail!
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: 16/03/2025Posted: 16/03/2025 | CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend |
  | JOHNNY GRIFFIN ~ POLISH RADIO JAZZ ARCHIVES VOL.11
POLSKIE RADIO 1630-1631 (Barcode: 5907812246303) ~ USA ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1963 Released: 2014
This is the eleventh installment in the new series of releases initiated by the Polish Radio, which presents archive Jazz recordings. Radio recordings are always a fabulous source of remarkable material, and as far as Polish Jazz history is concerned, the Polish Radio, which was a state monopoly for 45 years, recorded over time a plethora of invaluable material, which apart from the albums released by the Polskie Nagrania record company (also a state monopoly), is the only available additional source of Polish Jazz recordings. For many years Polish Radio recorded concerts presented during Poland´s most important Jazz venues, including the annual Jazz Jamboree Festival and many other festivals as well.
The material collected here on two CDs presents recordings made in 1963 at the sixth Jazz Jamboree festival in Warsaw by the legendary American saxophonist Johnny GriffinFind albums by this artist and his quintet. Prior to this recordings Griffin, like many of his Afro-American colleagues, moved to Europe, where Jazz was experiencing an explosive development and was considered an Art Form and racial discrimination was almost completely absent. The quintet includes fellow American pianist Kenny DrewFind albums by this artist, who settled in Europe a couple of years earlier, Dutch guitarist Wim OvergaauwFind albums by this artist, Dutch bassist Ruud JacobsFind albums by this artist and another American, drummer Robert Joseph (real name Robert Joseph Durham or Bobby DurhamFind albums by this artist as he was known to all – Polskie Radio should have known this). In fact the quintet never actually performed as a quintet, but rather as two quartets, one with guitar and without drums and the other with drums and without guitar.
The two CDs, spanning well over two hours, present only nine tracks, all of which are Jazz standards, all running between ten and almost thirty minutes, with extended improvisations, mostly by Griffin, but also some mighty fine work by Drew. Stylistically this is almost all Bebop at its finest and most sophisticated revelation. Griffin was at his absolute peak at that time and his playing is nothing short of stunning. His technical proficiency and superb feel for the music is simply breathtaking. Drew´s subtle accompaniment and beautiful solos are also priceless. All the rest of the crew is also outstanding. In retrospect this music is simply divine from start to finish, a painful reminder that they don´t make music like this any more. This is definitely one of the finest recordings by Griffin, and one of the best volumes of this series.
The beautifully restored sound quality is excellent and the warm ambience of the analog recording is a true joy. As usual with this series, which is very reasonably priced, I miss the presence of "in depth" liner notes / booklet, which should convey the circumstances at which this music was recorded and its importance to the development of Jazz in Poland. Nevertheless this is an absolutely essential piece of Jazz history which every Jazz fan will surely consider an absolute must.
| | Updated: 01/06/2018Posted: | CD 2 Digipak Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
  | JOHNNY GRIFFIN / HAL SINGER / LESZEK ZADLO / FERDINAND POVEL ~ SWISS RADIO DAYS
TCB 02362 (Barcode: 725095023627) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1975 - 1980 Released: 2013
This is a live archival album, which combines four sessions recorded by the Swiss Radio with a local Swiss rhythm section comprising of German (resident in Switzerland) pianist Klaus KoenigFind albums by this artist, bassist Peter FreiFind albums by this artist and drummers Alberto CanonicoFind albums by this artist, Peter SchmidlinFind albums by this artist or Pierre FavreFind albums by this artist and guest musicians: American saxophonists Johnny GriffinFind albums by this artist from 1975, and Hal SingerFind albums by this artist from 1980, Polish Saxophonist Leszek ZadloFind albums by this artist from 1979 and Dutch saxophonist Ferdinand PovelFind albums by this artist from 1978. The first three sessions present one track and the fourth session presents two tracks.
Griffin, as expected, plays pretty straightforward mainstream Jazz, but the expanded playing time allows him to display his intensive improvisational abilities.
Singer is mostly a Blues traditionalist, and his melodic performance is completely predictable.
Zadlo, resident in Germany since 1975, is obviously the most interesting player on this album, pushing the boundaries of modern Jazz and Improvised Music, in the John Coltrane tradition. His fiery performance is convincing and jaw-dropping, and his presence on this album is the real reason why it is worth having a copy of it.
Povel, who is an excellent player, very active on the European scene at the time, shows that his performances, although still rooted in Bebop, are way more advanced harmonically than anything originating from across the pond.
Overall, due to the presence of Zadlo and Povel, this is a document of the European Jazz scene, especially important since the “Swiss Radio Days” series releases concentrated mostly on visiting American musicians, which seldom contributed interesting material.
| | Updated: 11/02/2025Posted: 11/02/2025 | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
  | WES MONTGOMERY ~ THE NDR HAMBURG STUDIO RECORDINGS
JAZZLINE 77078 (Barcode: 4049774770784) ~ USA ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1965 Released: 2021
This is an archival album by the seminal American guitarist / composer Wes MontgomeryFind albums by this artist, recorded live on April 30, 1965, during his European tour, which also included an appearance at the Ronnie ScottFind albums by this artist’s club in London just prior to this recording. Montgomery is supported by a dreamy octet, which includes British saxophonists Scott and Ronnie RossFind albums by this artist, and drummer Ronnie StephensonFind albums by this artist (the 3 Ronnies), Austrian saxophonist Hans KollerFind albums by this artist, American (resident in Europe from 1963) saxophonist Johnny GriffinFind albums by this artist, French pianist Martial SolalFind albums by this artist and bassist Michel GaudryFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten tracks, four of which are Montgomery’s originals, two are by Ross, one each by Solal and Griffin, one is by Thelonious MonkFind albums by this artist and one is a standard. The recording offers a brilliant sound quality. The bonus BD offers a half an hour glimpse at the octet’s rehearsal a couple of days before the concert.
Montgomery was at the top of his career at the time and his death, which came just three years after this recording was made, was a complete shock and a tragic premature end of his life and career.
The guitarist feels absolutely delighted supported by these European musicians, who offered already at that time a much more refined, delicate and ambitious approach to the Bebop atmosphere, and presented a highly sophisticated individual abilities as soloists.
The music is performed at a relaxed atmosphere, which emphasizes the obvious camaraderie between the musicians, and is in interesting document of the European scene at the time, as well as a tribute to Montgomery’s brilliant and innovative approach to the guitar.
Overall, for the many fans of Montgomery, this is an absolute must, not only as a document of his performances, but especially due to the unusual setting in which these recordings were made. One has to be grateful to those Germans, who keep all that historical material in perfect form, as usual.
| | Updated: 09/02/2024Posted: 09/02/2024 | CD+BD 2 Digipak Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
  | STAN TRACEY ~ LAUGHIN` AND SCRATCHIN`
JAZZ HOUSE 608 (Barcode: 751848670824) ~ UK ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1965 Released: 1997
This is an album which presents archival / informal recordings by the Godfather of modern British Jazz, pianist / composer Stan TraceyFind albums by this artist, recorded live in a trio format at the famous Ronnie Scott´s Club in London, featuring bassist Rick LairdFind albums by this artist (later of Mahavishnu OrchestraFind albums by this artist fame) and drummers Ronnie StephensonFind albums by this artist or Bill EydenFind albums by this artist. The trio performs seven pieces, two of which are originals by Tracey and five are standards.
Between 1959 and 1965 Tracey and his trio served as the house band at the Ronnie Scott´s Club (the original one at Gerrard Street) and accompanied scores of visiting musicians, mostly from the US, such as Johnny GriffinFind albums by this artist, Sonny RollinsFind albums by this artist, Ben WebsterFind albums by this artist, Stan GetzFind albums by this artist, Wes MontgomeryFind albums by this artist, Roland KirkFind albums by this artist and many, many more. Playing with these Giants obviously served as a wonderful opportunity for Tracey to polish his chops, but more importantly to develop his own style as a player and composer, which differed from the standard American Bebop approach.
The selections included on this album are all pretty long in duration and as such are wonderful documents of Tracey´s idiosyncrasies as a piano player, with his quite unique approach to the instrument, similar in some ways to what Thelonious MonkFind albums by this artist was doing. Tracey plays mostly chords, vamping and boogieing all over the keyboard, only occasionally playing out the melody notes. His interpretation of the Monk tune present here is simply amazing.
The rhythm section bravely keeps up with the governor, standing with him shoulder to shoulder even during the unexpected twists and turns he takes along the way. Although the sound quality of this album is far from ideal, the music is absolutely stunning and more than compensates for the technical limitations.
Albums like this are precious pieces of Jazz history captured for eternity, which are still valid today and are definitely worth listening to, especially by the young generation, which missed it in real time. Great stuff!
| | Updated: 24/03/2016Posted: 24/03/2016 | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
  | VARIOUS ARTISTS ~ POLISH RADIO JAZZ ARCHIVES VOL.13
POLSKIE RADIO 1663 (Barcode: 5907812246631) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1963 Released: 2014
This is the thirteenth installment in the new series of releases initiated by the Polish Radio, which presents archive Jazz recordings. Radio recordings are always a fabulous source of remarkable material, and as far as Polish Jazz history is concerned, the Polish Radio, which was a state monopoly for 45 years, recorded over time a plethora of invaluable material, which apart from the albums released by the Polskie Nagrania record company (also a state monopoly), is the only available additional source of Polish Jazz recordings. For many years Polish Radio recorded concerts presented during Poland´s most important Jazz venues, including the annual Jazz Jamboree Festival and many other festivals as well.
The material collected here presents a second volume of recordings made in 1963 during the sixth Jazz Jamboree festival in Warsaw. It starts with two lengthy tracks, both treatments of classic Jazz standards, by the legendary American saxophonist Johnny GriffinFind albums by this artist and his quartet. Prior to this recordings Griffin, like many of his Afro-American colleagues, moved to Europe, where Jazz was experiencing an explosive development and was considered an Art Form and racial discrimination was almost completely absent. The quartet includes fellow American pianist Kenny DrewFind albums by this artist, who settled in Europe a couple of years earlier, Dutch guitarist Wim OvergaauwFind albums by this artist and Dutch bassist Ruud JacobsFind albums by this artist. Followers of this series are of course aware of the fact that the eleventh volume already presents a double CD with material recorded by Griffin at the same festival with the same musicians. Personally I´d have preferred to have that release expanded into a triple CD set and have all the Griffin sessions together, but I´m not the series´ editor.
Next come three tracks by the Danish trumpeter Allan BotschinskyFind albums by this artist and his quintet with American born saxophonist Ray PittsFind albums by this artist, who moved to Denmark in 1962, pianist Atti BjoernFind albums by this artist (name most probably miss spelt), bassist Benny NielsenFind albums by this artist and American drummer Robert Joseph (real name Robert Joseph Durham or Bobby DurhamFind albums by this artist as he was known to all – Polskie Radio should have known this, especially since I already made this comment / correction on the a.m. Griffin album – please read people! The music is all original and includes two compositions by Pitts and one by Botschinsky. It is typical bee bop, well played, especially by the leader who was a first rate trumpeter, but not extraordinary in any sense.
The two tracks closing the album are the most interesting for the Polish Jazz fans and they present the Zbigniew NamyslowskiFind albums by this artist quartet with pianist Wlodek GulgowskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Tadeusz WojcikFind albums by this artist and drummer Czeslaw BartkowskiFind albums by this artist, the same quartet that would record several months later in Britain the legendary album "LolaFind albums with this title", the first significant exposure of Polish Jazz behind the Iron Curtain. Both are original compositions by Namyslowski, the first would be the title track of the British LP and the second seems to be the only appearance of this composition on record. These are the initial steps of the first golden decade of Polish Jazz, and as such their documentation is priceless, as is the music.
The beautifully restored sound quality is excellent and the warm ambience of the analog recording is a true joy. As usual with this series, which is very reasonably priced, I miss the presence of "in depth" liner notes / booklet, which should convey the circumstances at which this music was recorded and its importance to the development of Jazz in Poland. Nevertheless this is an absolutely essential piece of Jazz history which every Jazz fan will surely consider an absolute must.
| | | CD 1 Digipak Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
|
