Record Reviews

NATHAN DAVIS ~ THE HIP WALK MPS 4029759181163 (Barcode: 4029759181163) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1965 Released: 2023 This is a reissue / remaster of an album by American saxophonist / flautist / composer Nathan DavisFind albums by this artist, recorded in a quintet setting with trumpeter Carmell JonesFind albums by this artist, Belgian pianist Francy BolandFind albums by this artist, bassist Jimmy WoodeFind albums by this artist and drummer Kenny ClarkeFind albums by this artist. The album was produced by my Friend and Mentor Joachim BerendtFind albums by this artist and was the second Davis’ recording for the SABAFind albums on this label Records, the precursor of the legendary MPSFind albums on this label Records label. The album presents seven tracks, five of which are originals by Davis and two are standards. Davis, Jones, Woode and Clarke were among the many American expatriates living in Europe at the time of the recording, escaping their home ridden by racism and social unrest and finding recognition, fame and admiration in Europe, often with extensive help from Berendt, who tried to offer them recording opportunities as much as he could. This reissue features the original liner notes Berendt wrote for the album, which are a brilliant example of his work, from which I learned so much. Davis never achieved a wide recognition in the US, although he definitely was a superb player and composer. Most of his early recordings were done in Europe and upon his return to the US he concentrated on teaching. The music is all mainstream Bebop oriented Jazz, with excellent performances by all the participants and offers a wonderful recording quality, for which the legendary SABA studios was world-famous, now even improved with the excellent remaster. Overall, this is a superb snapshot of American Jazz in Europe, captured for posterity by the SABA / MPS enterprise, with Joachim Berendt at the helm. The music still sounds as fresh and vivid as it was almost sixty years ago, making it everlasting. 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: 24/10/2023

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