Record Reviews
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  | COMMAND ALL STARS ~ CURIOSITIES 1972
REEL RECORDINGS 010 (Barcode: 676868178023) ~ UK ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1972 Released: 2008
This album is a great example of what the Canadian Reel RecordingsFind albums on this label label is all about: unearthing recorded documents of the British Jazz / Avant-Garde scene dating back to the 1960s, which have been so far completely lost and (sadly) often forgotten. Considering the fact that the Golden Decade (1965-1975) was Britain´s most illustrious contribution to music, any recorded document from that period has an immense historical value and therefore the work done by this label is truly a quest worth following. The music contained herein was recorded with the intention to be released as a double album, presenting the Art of spontaneous improvisation, performed by a collective of young (at the time) but experienced British players, who spearheaded the local Free Jazz / Improvised Music scene and certainly deserved the "stardom" status in spite of the oxymoron such epithet might imply: pianist Keith TippettFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Elton DeanFind albums by this artist, trombonist Nick EvansFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Mark CharigFind albums by this artist, bassists Harry MillerFind albums by this artist and Johnny DyaniFind albums by this artist and drummer Keith BaileyFind albums by this artist. These musicians often played with each other in various ensembles, of which they were members, but never collectively as one group, hence the one-time opportunity to hear them improvise collectively is so attractive. Unfortunately, as it often happened at the time, even with Jazz labels as the one for which these recordings were made, the label found this music to be "too much to swallow" and the project was discarded, including whipping out the original master tapes (a crime, without a doubt). Fortunately two copies of the original four reels were recently discovered by Evans and here we are being able to finally listen to this music. The music itself needs little elucidation to people familiar with the recorded output of the protagonists – it is what they always did best, play whatever their hearts dictated at the moment, carefully listening to each other and together creating a whole, which is much bigger than its parts. The album also includes two tracks recorded later the same year (for the BBC? as the recording premises might suggest) by a sextet including Dean, Evans and Charig with guitarist Jeff GreenFind albums by this artist, bassist Neville WhiteheadFind albums by this artist and drummer Louis MoholoFind albums by this artist. This is a true "blast from the past" and an absolute must for any British Jazz / Avant-Garde fan, wholeheartedly recommended!
| | Updated: 12/04/2019Posted: | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
  | DON SUGARCANE HARRIS ~ SUGAR CANE`S GOT THE BLUES
PROMISING MUSIC 44102 (Barcode: 602517545731) ~ USA ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion
Recorded: 1971 Released: 2008
American violinist Don Sugarcane HarrisFind albums by this artist was one of the very few great Blues / Rock / Fusion artists playing the fiddle. He came to prominence as a member of the revolutionary John MayallFind albums by this artist’s BluesbreakersFind albums by this artist group and later as a member of Frank ZappaFind albums by this artist’s groups. This album, recorded live during the Berliner Jazztage Festival, presents Harris both as a leader and a participant in the legendary “Violin Summit” super-group, assembled by producer Joachim BerendtFind albums by this artist. The solo appearance is in fact an offshoot project of the “Violin Summit”, which was a series of recordings on the legendary MPSFind albums on this label label, which celebrated the role of the violin in Jazz, Blues, Jazz-Rock Fusion and Rock and produced probably the most interesting document of music by violinists in the late 1960s / 1970s. The “Violin Summit” projects were based on a concept of a rhythm section and a series of violinist playing solo and in various combinations. The 1971 version of “Violin Summit”, which produced the “New Violin SummitFind albums with this title” double album, included also such great violin players as Jean-Luc PontyFind albums by this artist (France), Michal UrbaniakFind albums by this artist (Poland) and Nipso BrantnerFind albums by this artist (Germany) – none of them is heard here – and a fantastic rhythm section consisting of the Norwegian guitarist Terje RypdalFind albums by this artist, German keyboardist Wolfgang DaunerFind albums by this artist, New Zealander (resident in UK at the time) bassist Neville WhiteheadFind albums by this artist and British drummer Robert WyattFind albums by this artist. On the solo night Rypdal is replaced by German guitarist Volker KriegelFind albums by this artist. Surrounded by such illustrious musicians, Harris plays his heart out, improvising more daringly than ever before, no doubt inspired by the incredible performances by his European partners, who were musically much more advanced that Harris’ usual American companions. Overall the album presents a great event captured for posterity, with some amazing musical moments documenting the formation of the European Jazz-Rock Fusion, which bridges between such distant genres as the Blues and Free Jazz with elegance and vision. Beautifully remastered and packaged, this album is definitely worth investigation and attentive listening.
| | | CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Oversampling Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
  | ROBERT WYATT ~ THE END OF AN EAR
COLUMBIA 493342 (Barcode: 5099749334229) ~ UK ~ Canterbury Scene
Recorded: 1970 Released: 1998
1st album by drummer / keyboardist / singer / composer and one of the Canterbury movement founding figures, Robert WyattFind albums by this artist, recorded while he was still a member of Soft MachineFind albums by this artist. Sadly often overlooked, this revolutionary recording shows Wyatt´s visionary approach to music and his deep involvement with the UK Avant-Garde Jazz scene, which was approaching a peak of its development at the time. Overall this album is more radically Jazz oriented than the music created by Soft Machine at the time, which was still related to Rock roots and essentially an extension of the early Jazz-Rock Fusion efforts. The only Soft Machine member appearing on this album is saxophonist Elton DeanFind albums by this artist, who shared Wyatt´s passion for Jazz. The rest of the players are prominent UK Jazz musicians like bassist Neville WhiteheadFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Mark CharigFind albums by this artist, pianist Mark ElidgeFind albums by this artist and Canterbury legend Dave SinclairFind albums by this artist on organ. Wyatt composed all the music except one tune, which is a Gil EvansFind albums by this artist composition heavily arranged by Wyatt. Wyatt´s drumming on this album is spectacular, completely unique in his rhythmic approach and closely related in the form of collective improvisation to the expressions of his partners. One can only imagine how Wyatt´s involvement with the British Avant-Garde Jazz scene would have developed, if not for the tragic accident, which cut short his drumming career. Therefore this album becomes even more historically important, presenting that aspect of the man´s genius. For listeners acquainted with Wyatt´s later years, this album should be quite a revelation, although probably a much tougher musical challenge. In retrospect this album remains as essential document of an era, when breaking musical barriers was completely acceptable and music was making giant steps towards a new horizon. This is a visionary work in every respect, which should be cherished and returned to periodically, to be re-discovered. A must for any serious music lover!
| | Updated: 12/04/2019Posted: | CD 1 Oversampling Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
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