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  | TONY SCOTT / INDONESIAN ALL STARS ~ DJANGER BALI MPS 4029759181200 (Barcode: 4029759181200) ~ USA ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 1967 Released: 2023
This is a reissue / remaster of an album by American clarinetists / composer Tony ScottFind albums by this artist, recorded with five Indonesian Jazz players, recorded and released originally in 1967. The album presents six tracks, three of which are arrangements of traditional Indonesian melodies, one is a Jazz standard, one is a composition by Hungarian guitarist / composer Attila ZollerFind albums by this artist and finally one is by legendary Indonesian musician Narto SabdoFind albums by this artist. The album was produced by my Friend and Mentor Joachim BerendtFind albums by this artist, demonstrating his extraordinary openness to music originating from all around the world and being an important pioneer / instigator of the Jazz-World Fusion genre, with this album being one of the earliest examples of this idiom. Berendt also wrote the extensive liner notes for this album, which are reproduced in full in the album’s booklet.
Scott was also one of the pioneers of Jazz World Fusion and he acquired an extensive knowledge of Folk music from many regions of the world, especially the Far East, incorporating those in his recordings since the mid-1960s. He left the US in the early 1970s and settled in Europe, playing and recording with many European Jazz musicians, including those behind the Iron Curtain. He was a sublime clarinetist throughout his entire career.
The music on this album offers an amalgam of Jazz elements and strong Indonesian influences, moving constantly between the two. Although the Indonesian players at the time were not widely exposed to Jazz, their natural talent compensates for the lack of experience, and the result is truly excellent. The superb sound quality, for which the MPSFind albums on this label label is famous, was beautifully restored.
Overall, this is a wonderful example of the early Jazz-World Fusion, which combines the exotic elements of Indonesian music with the Jazz tradition in a superb way and brings back to life a historic release of the legendary MPS label, which is absolutely worth being remembered. Wholeheartedly recommended! 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: 29/12/2023Posted: 03/12/2023 | CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
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