Record Reviews

BILL DIXON ~ THE COMPLETE REMASTERED RECORDINGS ON BLACK SAINT & SOUL NOTE CAM JAZZ 1009 (Barcode: 8024709115621) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1980 - 1998 Released: 2010 This superb Box Set collects all the albums recorded by the legendary American trumpeter / composer Bill DixonFind albums by this artist on the twin Italian independent labels: Black SaintFind albums on this label and Soul NoteFind albums on this label. Dixon needs no introduction to any serious Jazz connoisseur; suffice to say that his output until his death in 2010 epitomizes the idioms of Free Jazz / improvised Music and places him among the leaders of the genre. The music ranges in format from septet to duets with British drummer Tony OxleyFind albums by this artist. Other musicians playing on these nine albums include: trumpeters Arthur BrooksFind albums by this artist and Stephen HaynesFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Stephen HorensteinFind albums by this artist, bassists Alan SilvaFind albums by this artist, Mario PavoneFind albums by this artist, William ParkerFind albums by this artist and British bassist Barry GuyFind albums by this artist (Silva and Pavone / Guy and Parker play as double-bass section), drummers Laurence CookFind albums by this artist and Tony Oxley and others. 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: 12/04/2020Posted:

CD 9 Mini-Sleeve Box Set Remastered Recommend To A Friend

ANNETTE PEACOCK & PAUL BLEY ~ DUAL UNITY BAMBOO 7018 (Barcode: 4752817701811) ~ USA ~ Avant-Garde Jazz Recorded: 1970 Released: 2016 This is a reissue of the iconic Avant-Garde recording by the American vocalist / pianist / composer Annette PeacockFind albums by this artist and her partner, Canadian pianist / composer Paul BleyFind albums by this artist, released originally on the British FreedomFind albums on this label label in 1971. This album preceded the release of Annette Peacock’s debut solo album “I`m The OneFind albums with this title” from 1972 and is the first release with her name on it, but her outstanding compositions appeared on albums since 1966. The music on this album was recorded live during their first European tour in 1970. The first two tracks were recorded in Netherlands with Dutch drummer Han BenninkFind albums by this artist and are taken from the same session, which produced the “ImprovisieFind albums with this title” LP by Bley, released by the French AmericaFind albums on this label label the same year. The two other tracks were recorded in France with American bassist Mario PavoneFind albums by this artist and drummer Laurence CookFind albums by this artist. Bley plays mostly synthesizer on this album and he was one of the first Jazz musicians to do so. Annette also used synthesizers extensively and she received her first one from no other than Robert MoogFind albums by this artist. She also sings, growls, plays bass guitar and piano, as appropriate for her many talents. She wrote one of the compositions (a rework of her Mr. Joy composition) and co-wrote the other three with Bley. The music is mostly freely improvised, except for the melodic first track, synthesizer soaked and so Avant-Garde, that it even sounds Avant-Garde today by any standard, making most contemporary Avant-Gardists sound like pussycats, even though the music was conceived and recorded fifty years ago! Although the album only lasts thirty-three minutes and twenty-one seconds, there is more searching, exploring and invention herein than probably in the entire Improvised Music recorded in the entire 2010s decade, which is sadly almost all déjà vu (with some notable exceptions of course). Overall, for music lovers interested in discovering the source of everything, this is an indispensable document capturing the essence of discovery.

Updated: 23/06/2021Posted: 23/06/2021

CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend