Record Reviews

VOLKER KRIEGEL ~ TOPICAL HARVEST MPS 602527148625 (Barcode: 602527148625) ~ GERMANY ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1975 Released: 2011 This is a reissue / remaster of the 6th album by German guitarist / composer / bandleader Volker KriegelFind albums by this artist, one of the Godfathers of German / European Fusion scene. It was recorded with keyboardist Rainer BruninghausFind albums by this artist, bassist Hans Peter StroerFind albums by this artist and expanded percussion section, which included American congas player Ray MantillaFind albums by this artist, percussionist Peter GigerFind albums by this artist and drummer Joe NayFind albums by this artist. Trombonist Albert MangelsdorffFind albums by this artist guests on two tracks. Two tracks are duos with Kriegel and Stroer only. The album presents ten tracks, seven of which are original compositions by Kriegel, one is co-composed with Stroer, one is by Stroer and finally one is by Brazilian composer Gilberto GilFind albums by this artist. The music offers the usual collection of beautifully melodic tunes by Kriegel, this time heavily spiced by percussive World Music elements, mostly Latin and Brazilian. The intimate and long-lasting cooperation with Bruninghaus and Stroer, who were the core of Kiegel’s ensembles, resulted in perfectly crafted sound and ambience, which characterized all the recordings by Kriegel, making the music accessible to wide audiences, without sacrificing an iota of elegance and sophistication, which is a true Art. Kriegel’s collective recording legacy, which spans no less than fifty albums, both as a leader and sideman, is a wonderful testimony of his incredible talent and each and every one of them deserves an honorable place in every serious Jazz / Fusion album collection, although their availability is often sketchy. Overall, this is a superb time capsule of mid-1970s German / European Fusion at its best, by one of the finest guitar players and composers of his generation. His unique guitar work still remains a beacon of good taste and elegance, which deserves to be remembered and cherished! 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: 25/05/2025Posted: 25/05/2025

CD 1 Oversampling Remastered Recommend To A Friend

MICHAL URBANIAK ~ ATMA UBX 1022 (Barcode: 884502405217) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1974 Released: 2014 This is a reissue of the second US album by Polish Jazz violinist / composer Michal UrbaniakFind albums by this artist, released originally on the ColumbiaFind albums on this label label in 1974. It was recorded by the same group of Polish musicians, who played with Urbaniak since several years: his wife at the time, vocalist Urszula DudziakFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Wojciech KarolakFind albums by this artist, bassist Pawel JarzebskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Czeslaw BartkowskiFind albums by this artist. American percussionist Ray MantillaFind albums by this artist also took part in the recording. The album presents ten tracks, all composed by Urbaniak, including the three parts suite that gave the album its title. The music continues the development that Urbaniak presented on his recordings since the early 1970s, creating a unique Fusion of Jazz and Ethnic elements, mostly sourced from Polish Folklore. The distinctive instrumentation and the use of the idiosyncratic explosive vocals by Dudziak resulted in one of the most advanced Fusion albums of all times, which remains completely original and groundbreaking to this very day. Although Urbaniak authored all the music there is no doubt that Dudziak added a crucial element to the final result. Her vocal pyrotechnics are absolutely stunning and without those the music would have never reached the expressive power it offers. Her solo vocals / electronics track reveals her imaginative abilities, which were fully exposed on her solo album "Newborn LightFind albums with this title" recorded in 1972 and later also released in US on Columbia. There is no doubt that this music was light years ahead of its time, and being deeply based in European Jazz experimentation, which at the time of its release was almost completely misunderstood in the US, resulted in commercial failure on the US market, despite its superb musical achievement. In retrospect this album was undoubtedly the absolute peak of Urbaniak´s career, especially as a composer and pioneer of innovative music exploration. All three of the Urbaniak´s Columbia albums ("FusionFind albums with this title", "AtmaFind albums with this title" and "Fusion IIIFind albums with this title") can be combined as one of the most artistically successful album triptychs in Jazz / Fusion history. This is an absolute must to all Fusion fans the world over, now more than ever, as the genre proved to run out of steam decades ago and absolutely nothing comes even close to the quality and the electrifying powers of the music included here. Grab it as long as you can get hold of a copy! Beyond essential!

Updated: 08/09/2019Posted: 08/09/2019

CD 1 Digipak Remastered Essential Recommend To A Friend