Record Reviews

BILL EVANS ~ TREASURES: SOLO, TRIO & ORCHESTRA RECORDINGS FROM DENMARK (1965-1969) ELEMENTAL MUSIC 5990444 (Barcode: 8435395503645) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1965 - 1969 Released: 2023 This is another archival album by the greatest Jazz pianist of all time, Bill EvansFind albums by this artist, recorded at various occasions in Denmark and including solo piano performances, trios with Danish bassist Niels-Henning Orsted PedersenFind albums by this artist / American bassist Eddie GomezFind albums by this artist and Danish drummer Alex RielFind albums by this artist / American drummers Alan DawsonFind albums by this artist or Marty MorellFind albums by this artist and The Royal Danish Symphony OrchestraFind albums by this artist and The Danish Radio Big BandFind albums by this artist conducted by trumpeter, arranger Palle MikkelborgFind albums by this artist. The 2CD album presents thirty tracks, recorded between 1965 and 1969. This album is a companion release to the album “Tales: Live In Copenhagen (1964)Find albums with this title”, which presents other performances by Evans in Denmark, and which completes these historical recordings. It also features an extended booklet with interviews with Gomez, Morell, Riel, Mikkelborg and others and other background information. The album offers absolutely brilliant sound recording quality, with every little nuance perfectly audible, which of course adds the pleasure of listening to this album. As usual, the brilliant telepathic communication between the trio members prevails over everything. Evans’ trios were always an exquisite example of collective music creation, and although Evans was at the center of attention, the role of creating the music and the responsibility was equally spread between the trio members, in contrast to the usual leader / sidemen formula. Of course this is also a relatively rare opportunity to hear Evans playing solo piano and the trio playing with Orchestra / Big Band, which expands the presentation of Evans’ brilliance and incredible musicianship. Luckily for the many Evans’ fans, he was extensively recorded and his recorded legacy is truly extensive, with this album being an exemplary part of it. Overall, this is a wonderful addition to the Bill Evans recorded legacy, covering his live appearances in Europe. For the many Evans’ followers it is of course a must, and although it does not reveal anything previously not captured on record, it is certainly a superb piece of Jazz history.

Updated: 25/03/2024Posted: 23/02/2024

CD 2 Digipak Remastered Recommend To A Friend

PETER HERBOLZHEIMER ~ HIP WALK – THE COMPLETE POLYDOR RECORDINGS POLYDOR 602547650023 (Barcode: 602547650023) ~ GERMANY ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1970 - 1978 Released: 2015 This phenomenal Box Set collects all the seven albums recorded by the German trombonist / composer / arranger / bandleader Peter HerbolzheimerFind albums by this artist during the 1970s, which were released at the time on PolydorFind albums on this label Records. He also recorded several albums in the 1970s for MPSFind albums on this label Records. His international Big Band / Orchestra, called Rhythm Combination & BrassFind albums by this artist, included the absolute crème de la crème of European Jazz musicians from Germany, Scandinavia, Holland and Britain. The list of the names reads like a European Jazz encyclopedia and includes trumpeters Palle MikkelborgFind albums by this artist, Kenny WheelerFind albums by this artist and Derek WatkinsFind albums by this artist and dozens of other first rate players. Herbolzheimer had a wonderful gift as an arranger and bandleader, treating his orchestra like a virtuoso multi-instrumentalist. His multi-layered and incredibly complex rhythmic arrangements are to this very day among the best ever and emphasize superbly the difference in approach to the Big Band between American and European Jazz. Although the music is in most cases very accessible, it is at the same time profoundly elegant and sophisticated, which means that it can be listened to on several different levels of comprehension. In retrospect this set also demonstrates that Major record labels at that time invested in interesting musical projects even if the costs were significant and the commercial significance unclear. The music is a wonderful amalgam of Pop / Jazz / Funk / Soul and many other sub-genres, being truly cross-genre before even that term was coined. For Big Band / Orchestral Music connoisseurs this is of course an absolute must and considering the fact that these albums are absolutely unavailable since decades, it is a miracle to have this music back in circulation. Wholeheartedly recommended and not to be missed!

Updated: 26/01/2019Posted: 01/01/2017

CD 4 Box Set Remastered Bonus Tracks Essential Recommend To A Friend

PETER HERBOLZHEIMER ~ SCENES MPS 602527477237 (Barcode: 602527477237) ~ GERMANY ~ Big Band Jazz Recorded: 1974 Released: 2011 This is a reissue / remaster of a live album by the German trombonist / composer / arranger / bandleader Peter HerbolzheimerFind albums by this artist and his international Big Band / Orchestra, called Rhythm Combination & BrassFind albums by this artist, which included the absolute crème de la crème of European Jazz musicians from Germany, Scandinavia, Holland and Britain. The list of the names reads like a European Jazz encyclopedia and includes trumpeters Ack van RooyenFind albums by this artist, Palle MikkelborgFind albums by this artist, Kenny WheelerFind albums by this artist and Derek WatkinsFind albums by this artist, guitarist Philip CatherineFind albums by this artist, bassist Gunter LenzFind albums by this artist, drummer Kenny ClareFind albums by this artist and many other first rate players. The album presents seven tracks, four of which are original compositions by Herbolzheimer, who arranged all but one of the tracks. The album was recorded at the legendary London Ronnie ScottFind albums by this artist’s Club. Herbolzheimer had a wonderful gift as an arranger and bandleader, treating his orchestra like a virtuoso multi-instrumentalist. His multi-layered and incredibly complex rhythmic arrangements are to this very day among the best ever and emphasize superbly the difference in approach to the Big Band between American and European Jazz. Although the music is in most cases very accessible, it is at the same time profoundly elegant and sophisticated, which means that it can be listened to on several different levels of comprehension. In retrospect this set also demonstrates that Major record labels at that time invested in interesting musical projects even if the costs were significant and the commercial significance unclear. The music is a wonderful amalgam of Pop / Jazz / Funk / Soul and many other sub-genres, being truly cross-genre before even that term was coined. Overall, this is of course an absolute must for Jazz Big Band / Orchestral Music connoisseurs. The finesse of the compositions, arrangements and of course the performances is absolutely stunning. Wholeheartedly recommended and 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: 02/06/2025Posted: 02/06/2025

CD 1 Oversampling Remastered Recommend To A Friend

EERO KOIVISTOINEN / NORDJAZZ QUINTET ~ JAZZ LIISA VOL. 13 & VOL. 14 SVART 094 (Barcode: 6430065583011) ~ FINLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1974 - 1975 Released: 2017 Saxophonist / composer / bandleader Eero KoivistoinenFind albums by this artist is one of the Godfathers of modern Finnish Jazz with a career spanning six decades and a glorious legacy of recorded music spanning a wide range of stylistic explorations. The live radio broadcast captured here presents Koivistoinen and his quartet: pianist Heikki SarmantoFind albums by this artist (another iconic figure of the Finnish Jazz scene), his brother Pekka SarmantoFind albums by this artist on bass and drummer Reino LaineFind albums by this artist, hosting the superb Belgian guitarist Philip CatherineFind albums by this artist, who visited Finland at the time. On one track the quintet is expanded to a sextet when joined by the Bulgarian trumpeter Reicho IvanovFind albums by this artist. They perform five original compositions, two composed by Catherine, and one each by Danish trumpeter Palle MikkelborgFind albums by this artist, Koivistoinen and Ivanov. The music is highly electric (Sarmanto plays electric piano, Catherine electric guitar and even Ivanov plays an electric trumpet – see the Fusion group Eleventh HouseFind albums by this artist led by Larry CoryellFind albums by this artist, which had a similar lineup), which results in a charged Fusion fury, comparable to the best work of Mahavishnu OrchestraFind albums by this artist, and offering some of the finest quality of the genre ever recorded. I am happy to say that Koivistoinen and Heikki Sarmanto have been my friends since decades and I had the immense pleasure to write liner notes for their albums. The Nordjazz QuintetFind albums by this artist was a collaborative ensemble combining Jazz musicians from the Nordic countries (as opposed to Scandinavian, which means only Denmark, Norway and Sweden and not Finland and Iceland). The lineup changed over time and the one captured on this live broadcast includes Finnish saxophonist / flautist Pekka PoyryFind albums by this artist, Danish pianist Ole Kock HansenFind albums by this artist, Norwegian guitarist Nils Petter NyrenFind albums by this artist, Swedish bassist Kjell JanssonFind albums by this artist and Icelandic drummer Petur OstlundFind albums by this artist. They perform three original compositions, one composed by Hansen and two composed by Finnish Jazz musicians, both keyboardists / composers, not members of the ensemble: Olli AhvenlahtiFind albums by this artist and Jukka LinkolaFind albums by this artist. The music serves as basis for extended improvisations within the Fusion oriented idiom, featuring extensive soloing. These two sessions are ideally matched together and this CD is definitely one of the strongest and most coherent within the Jazz Liisa series. Overall this is some of the most staggering music created in Europe in the early to mid 1970s that one is able to hear and for European Jazz connoisseurs this is an absolute must have! Side Note The Finnish independent label SvartFind albums on this label Records released an unprecedented series of albums called Pop Liisa and Jazz Liisa, which present priceless historical recordings of Finnish Rock, Progressive Rock, Jazz-Rock Fusion and Jazz music, recorded live and broadcasted from the Liisankatu Studios in Helsinki under the "Popstudio" and "Jazzstudio" monikers between 1972 and 1977. The studios were owned by the YLE (Finnish Broadcasting Company), a public broadcasting service, which not only allowed the burgeoning Finnish music scene at the time to be exposed but also carefully archived the recordings for future generations. All this incredible music was previously unissued and collectively is probably the most important document of Finnish music from that period ever assembled. The music was released on 36 LPs (Pop Liisa Vol. 01 to Vol. 18 and Jazz Liisa Vol. 01 to Vol. 18) and on 18 CDs with every two consecutive volumes combined on one CD. The sound quality is absolutely superb, often better than the sound quality on the LPs released by these artists at the time. Many of the groups appearing on these albums never managed to record an album and these recordings are the only recorded legacy in existence of their activity. The released are accompanied by well researched and intelligent liner notes. This archival project is an outstanding example of how Cultural Legacy should be treated as well as of exemplary dedication to record producing professionalism.

Updated: 13/06/2020Posted: 13/06/2020

CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend