Record Reviews

MICHAEL NAURA ~ CALL MPS 4029759097365 (Barcode: 4029759097365) ~ GERMANY ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1970 Released: 2014 This is a wonderful album by German pianist / composer Michael NauraFind albums by this artist recorded in a quartet setting with vibraphonist Wolfgang SchluterFind albums by this artist, bassist Eberhard WeberFind albums by this artist and drummer Joe NayFind albums by this artist. The album comprises of eight original compositions, all by Naura. This album finds Naura in a transition period between his earlier days as one of the German Jazz scene pioneers, when he played mainly Bebop and Hard Bop, moving boldly into the Jazz-Rock Fusion idiom as one of its pioneering representatives in Europe. He plays electric piano on this album, which blends wonderfully with the vibraphone, creating a very unique ambience. Supported by a superb rhythm section of Weber and Nay the two soloists are able to weave long atmospheric melody lines and contemplative phrases. In retrospect this music sounds remarkably fresh and inviting and its legendary status is fully justified. The cooperation between Naura and Schluter, which started in the 1950s, continued for several decades and produced some of the finest German Jazz music in many different settings. Their later recordings for ECMFind albums on this label are especially noteworthy, some of them in my favorite Jazz & Poetry setting. Schluter is just one of many extraordinary vibraphonists hailing from Germany, where this instrument seems to be more popular in the Jazz idiom than in any other European country. It is the beautiful blend of four individual voices that creates the charming atmosphere, which in time made this album an icon of early European Fusion and the original vinyl album into a highly sought after collectors´ item. This reissue enables new listeners to get acquainted with this important and aesthetically outstanding music, an opportunity not to be missed! 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: 12/06/2018Posted: 02/02/2016

CD 1 Slipcase Remastered Recommend To A Friend

HEINZ SAUER / JASPER VAN`T HOF ~ HAMBURG EPISODE ART OF GROOVE 80332 (Barcode: 885513803320) ~ GERMANY ~ Jazz Recorded: 1983 Released: 2015 This is a fabulous archival live recording of a duo concert by two of the most prominent European Jazz musicians: German saxophonist Heinz SauerFind albums by this artist and Dutch keyboardist Jasper van`t HofFind albums by this artist. Together they perform six original compositions, each of them contributing three of his works. The entire concert was beautifully recorded by the NDR, with the legendary Michael NauraFind albums by this artist at the helm. In spite of the fact that the music was recorded thirty two years before it was released, it lost absolutely nothing if its vitality and relevance over time and is an extraordinary example of the "Art of the Duo". Among the countless number of saxophone players around the world, Sauer has surely one of the most distinctive voices on his tenor saxophone, immediately recognizable and using a completely unique playing technique, which allows his to play the melody line and the complex improvisations around it, sounding like one inseparable sound. Often describes as Free without being totally Free, his playing has always been one of the most advanced Avant-Garde and yet completely romantic and likeable. This fantastic dichotomy marks Sauer as one of the European Jazz everlasting icons. Of course van`t Hof is also a great Master, playing every possible keyboard instrument from a grand acoustic piano to the most advanced electronic instruments, always doing so with the utmost sensibility, inventiveness and elegance. His numerous recordings over the years are a brilliant record of great musicianship and immense contribution to European Jazz. His performances on this album are of course as perfect as can be imagined, balancing Sauer´s sonic vistas with his own inventions, as if all this music was written down in great detail, where in fact it was completely improvised. This album is not only a document of great individual performances, but more importantly is shoes a level of interplay and communication achieved by the great Masters of the Jazz idiom. These veterans speak one language at all times, regardless of what instruments they play. Such telepathic coordination and artistic symbiosis happens only now and then, and this encounter was simply one of those magic moments. Kudos to the Art Of GrooveFind albums on this label Label for releasing this wonderful music, as it certainly deserves to be heard. This album should be a pride possession of every serious European Jazz collector, so please try to get it ASAP and you won´t regret it.

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted: 29/04/2016

CD 1 Digipak Remastered Recommend To A Friend