Record Reviews

MARK MURPHY ~ MIDNIGHT MOOD MPS 4029759124191 (Barcode: 4029759124191) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1967 Released: 2017 This is a reissue of the only album for the MPSFind albums on this label label by American Jazz vocalist Mark MurphyFind albums by this artist, recorded with a superb octet comprising of members of the fabulous international, resident in Europe, Kenny Clarke / Francy Boland Big BandFind albums by this artist: British trumpeter Jimmy DeucharFind albums by this artist, Swedish trombonist Ake PerssonFind albums by this artist, British saxophonists Derek HumbleFind albums by this artist and Ronnie ScottFind albums by this artist, American saxophonist / flautist Sahib ShihabFind 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. The album presents ten tracks, five of which are originals by the octet members, two of which feature lyrics written by Murphy and the remaining five are standards. The album was recorded during the decade when Murphy lived in London. The music is absolutely wonderful, as is Murphy´s extraordinary singing, which lost absolutely nothing of its power and delicate beauty over time, emphasizing the fact that Murphy remains as one of the most underrated Jazz vocalists of all times in spite of his numerous recordings over six decades. The octet provides a comfortable and superbly intelligent accompaniment to Murphy´s vocals, which includes in addition to singing lyrics also excellent vocalese statements. Spiced with short but brilliant instrumental solos, the album is an absolute delight from start to finish, a classic example of male Jazz vocals, which sadly suffer a miserable setback these days. For connoisseurs of classic Jazz vocals of the finest caliber, this album is an absolute must and considering the superb sound quality and "vintage" ambience, it is an exquisite gem! 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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RONNIE SCOTT QUARTET ~ BBC JAZZ CLUB 1964-1966 RHYTHM AND BLUES 063 (Barcode: 5060331752219) ~ UK ~ Jazz Recorded: 1964 - 1966 Released: 2020 This is an archival album by the British Jazz quartet led by legendary saxophonist Ronnie ScottFind albums by this artist, known worldwide as the co-owner / co-founder (with Pete KingFind albums by this artist) of London’s most iconic Jazz Club, established in 1959 and located first at 39 Gerrard Street and in 1965 moved to the nearby current location (yes the club is still functional today) at 47 Frith Street. In all those years the Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club became the de facto European Mecca not only for British Jazz, but for top Jazz Artists from all over the world. The album presents three sessions featuring the quartet: three tracks from 1964 (with an announcement by Scott) with pianist Stan TraceyFind albums by this artist, bassist Malcolm CecilFind albums by this artist and drummer Jackie DouganFind albums by this artist; three tracks from 1965 with Tracey, bassist Rick LairdFind albums by this artist and drummer Ronnie StephensonFind albums by this artist; and finally five tracks from 1966 (with announcements by Humphrey LittletonFind albums by this artist) with Tracey, bassist Freddy LoganFind albums by this artist and drummer Bill EydenFind albums by this artist with great American vocalist Mark MurphyFind albums by this artist (resident at that time in UK) on two tracks, accompanied only by the piano trio. The music is all mainstream Jazz and all the tracks are standards, but it shows Scott as an excellent player with a personal delivery and a keen eye (well ear) for the musicians he selected for the quartet, which were definitely some of the finest players around at the time. Tracey of course was also a full-fledged composer and leader of his own, and was the house pianist at Ronnie’s Jazz Club for over seven years (1960-1967), definitely not by chance. Although Scott himself was not swept by the charms of the British Jazz revolution, which created a new sound and approach to the music, and remained faithful to the American (mostly Bebop) tradition, he was very open-minded as a person and respected the young and experimenting generation. He offered the club at the old location for as long as the lease lasted, which was named the “Old Place”, to be used by young musicians to rehearse and perform and the “house musician” position was offered to such distinguished modernist as Tony OxleyFind albums by this artist. Overall this album is a nice reminder of Scott – the saxophonist and is a valuable addition to his recorded legacy, especially since this material is available here for the first time and offers quite reasonable sound quality.

Updated: 10/07/2021Posted: 10/07/2021

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