Record Reviews

JIRI STIVIN & PIERRE FAVRE ~ VYLETY (EXCURSIONS) GALEN 19 145 (Barcode: 8594042901545) ~ CZECH REPUBLIC ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 1979 Released: 2019 This is a reissue of the extraordinary debut album by the Improvised Music duo comprising of Czech flautist / saxophonist / composer Jiri StivinFind albums by this artist and Swiss drummer / composer Pierre FavreFind albums by this artist. Released originally as a double LP set, it finds the two musicians improvising live using a plethora of instruments and producing over eighty minutes of music, based on pre-conceived themes, but mostly spontaneously created on the fly. Vocalist Pavel KuhnFind albums by this artist adds some occasional vocal parts. The music is collected into four suite-like pieces, each split into tracks (9 / 7 / 3 and 5 respectively), but which are basically musical continuums. It is credited partly collectively to the two musicians and partly to Stivin. This remastered edition on a 2CD album, available on CD for the first time, offers wonderful sound quality and clarity, which is crucial for these delicate sonic vistas. The booklet is bi-lingual this time! It retrospect it is quite astounding to find this kind of music being created and even more so released by a state owned label behind the Iron Curtain, which at the time (late 1970s) was still deeply under the stern censorship of the Socialist regime. Stivin obviously had a very special status on the local scene, but the capricious behavior of the overseers could never be predicted. A participation of a World Class partner obviously was a part of the equation. The performances portray the incredible abilities of both musicians as well as their telepathic cooperation. Fellow musicians often jokingly told that Stivin could produce a sound from anything that could be blown into and apparently the same can be told about Favre as far as beating on things is concerned. The sounds they are able to produce and combine are simply magical. Astonishingly the music is completely embracing and accessible and as far as Improvised Music is concerned it is not only pioneering but also incredibly contemporary, in spite of the fact that it is over four decades old. It lost absolutely nothing of its fascination and beauty over time and it´s great to have this gem back in circulation! Overall this is an important piece of the musical puzzle of East European Jazz and a significant historical document of the Czech scene, which is surely worth investigating. For Improvised Music connoisseurs and lovers of East European Jazz this album is an absolute must! Side Note The Czech publishing house and record label GalenFind albums on this label, run by Lubomir HoudekFind albums by this artist, is another player on the local scene, reissuing historical recordings from the deep vaults of the SupraphonFind albums on this label / PantonFind albums on this label labels, supported by the Czech Ministry of Culture. This commendable initiative is a wonderful example of the preservation of Cultural heritage. Hopefully the label's future releases will include information in English in the album's booklets, so that Jazz enthusiasts around the world might be allowed to share the knowledge. For more reissues of Czechoslovak Jazz (and Rock) see also the releases by Indies Happy TrailsFind albums on this label Records.

Updated: 05/06/2020Posted: 05/06/2020

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