Record Reviews

CONRAD BAUER ~ LIVE IM VOLKERSCHLACHTDENKMAL EDEL CONTENT 4029759080565 (Barcode: 4029759080565) ~ GERMANY ~ Jazz Recorded: 1988 Released: 2012 This is a reissue (first time on CD) of the astounding album by the Avant-Garde East German trombonist / composer Conrad BauerFind albums by this artist, which was recorded live at the Monument to the Battle of the Nations in Leipzig and which presents Bauer playing solo trombone and performing four original compositions he wrote. The unique sonic environment of the location, which includes a natural delay and echo, create an almost supernatural effect, similar to the famous solo recordings made inside the Taj Mahal by flautist Paul HornFind albums by this artist and trumpeter Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist. Bauer, an absolute virtuoso of the trombone, utilizes the magic environment to create a series of incredible sonic sculptures, which sound like absolutely nothing else in this world. His ability to create such a variety of different sounds from the seemingly limited instrument is simply miraculous and it transforms the trombone in his hands into full fledged improvising instrument by no means inferior to the other brass instruments. Bauer, who was one of the pioneering East German improvisers, recorded with many diverse ensembles, from Jazz-Rock (FezFind albums by this artist) to Improvised Music (SynopsisFind albums by this artist) and others. Following the unification of Germany Bauer continues to be a prominent member of the German Improvised Music scene. In the historic perspective this recording was made a year and a half and released less than a year before the Berlin Wall was finally dismantled, marking the end of the DDR. This means that this was one of the last Jazz albums released in the DDR. In retrospect one just can´t stop wondering how such daring and unconventional music was recorded and released by the most oppressive East European State. This is an absolute essential listening to all trombone players, trombone lovers and of course open-minded listeners who like to take risks in order to make new discoveries. Brilliant stuff! Side Note: As all the East European countries under the Socialist regime, East Germany, or DDR as it was known at the time, had only one state owned and controlled Music Company, which released most of its productions on the AmigaFind albums on this label label. Among the many Amiga releases the legendary "orange J" series was dedicated to Jazz recordings, many of which were licenses from the West, but others were original productions, mostly of Jazz made in DDR. Some of these releases, like the one described above, were absolute gems. Following the unification of Germany, the Amiga albums disappeared from the face of the earth and only in 2012 a German label reissued 15 Amiga Jazz albums on CD. They are all worth checking out!

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted: 14/05/2016

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

PAUL HORN ~ SIX CLASSIC ALBUMS REAL GONE JAZZ 478 (Barcode: 5036408171320) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1957 - 1962 Released: 2014 This is a reissue of the early recordings by the legendary American saxophonist / flautist Paul HornFind albums by this artist, one of the few pioneers of American Jazz-World Fusion, Spiritual Music and later even New Age Music. This set collects recordings made between 1957 and 1962, which present Horn playing with small orchestral ensembles and small combos, already introducing many World Music elements within his Jazz efforts. The six albums included here are: "House Of HornFind albums with this title" from 1957, "Zen: The Music Of Fred KatzFind albums with this title", debut album by cellist Fred KatzFind albums by this artist, from 1957, "Plenty Of HornFind albums with this title" from 1958, "Something BlueFind albums with this title" from 1960, "The Sound Of Paul HornFind albums with this title" from 1961 and "Profile Of A Jazz MusicianFind albums with this title" from 1962. A couple of tracks from the album "Down Beat Jazz Concert Vol.1 & 2Find albums with this title" from 1958 are included as bonus tracks. Although still very mainstream Jazz oriented, these early albums by Horn already emphasize his love of unusual meters and World Music motifs, which would eventually become to center of his musical activity. Overall this is a fascinating collection of great Jazz music performed by some of the best West Coast players at the time, and which has additionally also an enormous historical value. I can’t imagine any true Jazz fan missing this set! Side Note The Real Gone JazzFind albums on this label label releases hundreds of album collections, which include usually between three to eight original albums in a two to four CDs sets. Most of these albums were recorded and released in the 1950s and early 1960s. These collections provide the track lists and lineups of the original albums, but no recording information, liner notes and any background information whatsoever. The label takes advantage of the copyright law in UK, which limited the length of the copyright protection of recorded works to 50 years, after which recorded works become public domain. In 2013 UK implemented a correction of the copyright law extending the protection of recorded works to 70 years (like the rest of Europe), but the correction does not apply retroactively, which means that recordings which entered the 50 years rule prior to January 1, 2013 (i.e. recorded before January 1, 1963) remain public domain. There are two great advantages to these releases: they are really inexpensive and they bring back to life many albums not reissued previously on CD, which means it would cost a collector an arm and a leg to get a copy of them. Many of these albums are absolute gems and essential pieces of Jazz history. The disadvantages are: the lack of proper information, original cover art, combining tracks of several original albums on one CD and the sound quality, which depends on where the label gets the source material. From my experience most of the releases have quite excellent sound quality but I have not listened to all of them and some people have complained about it.

Updated: 27/05/2018Posted: 01/10/2016

CD 4 Remastered Recommend To A Friend