Record Reviews

ALBERT MANGELSDORFF ~ TRIPLE ENTENTE MPS 602517602366 (Barcode: 602517602366) ~ GERMANY ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 1982 Released: 2008 This is a reissue / remaster of an album by German Jazz trombonist / composer / bandleader Albert MangelsdorffFind albums by this artist, recorded in a trio setting with a Swiss rhythm section comprising of bassist Leon FrancioliFind albums by this artist and drummer Pierre FavreFind albums by this artist. The album presents five tracks, four of which are original compositions by Mangelsdorff and one is co-credited to all three musicians. This was the last album Mangelsdorff recorded for the legendary MPSFind albums on this label label, The music is the usual modern European Jazz, which is based on composed melody threads, but offers a lot of freedom and space to the musicians, and borders on Free Jazz / Improvised Music. Mangelsdorff’s virtuosity is at the epicenter of the album, although the rhythm section gets ample opportunity for soloing and the common creative spirit is at the helm. Mangelsdorff was undoubtedly one of the most important movers and shakers of the German / European Jazz / Avant-Garde scene for decades, and all his albums are still completely relevant today, as his innovative spirit was light-years ahead of whatever was happening in real time. He singlehandedly promoted the trombone as a soloing instrument to an unprecedented level and his compositions ware simply timeless. Overall, this is a perfect example of Mangelsdorff’s work and the European Jazz aesthetics at its best. Closely flirting with Free Jazz / Improvised music, but not completely Avant-Garde, this is timeless, fantastic Jazz, that sounds as fascinating as it was at the time it was recorded. 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: 11/06/2025Posted: 11/06/2025

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