Record Reviews

EERO KOIVISTOINEN ~ ALTERED PICTURES SVART 529 (Barcode: 6430077094710) ~ FINLAND ~ Jazz This is a 3CD reissue of the two albums by iconic Finnish saxophonist / composer / bandleader Eero KoivistoinenFind albums by this artist recorded originally in the US in 1983 and 1991. CD1 presents the album “Picture In Three ColorsFind albums with this title” recorded by a sextet, which includes Koivistoinen with American musicians: trumpeter Tom HarrellFind albums by this artist, pianist Jim McNeelyFind albums by this artist, guitarist John ScofieldFind albums by this artist, bassist Ron McClureFind albums by this artist and drummer Jack DeJohnetteFind albums by this artist. The album presents six original compositions, all by the leader. The album was originally released on Koivistoinen’s new (at the time) self-owned record label ProFind albums on this label Records. CD2 presents the album “Altered ThingsFind albums with this title” recorded by a septet, which includes Koivistoinen with American musicians: trumpeter Randy BreckerFind albums by this artist, trombonist Conrad HerwigFind albums by this artist, pianist David KikoskiFind albums by this artist, Scofield, McClure and DeJohnette. Norwegian keyboardist Bugge WesseltoftFind albums by this artist added synthesizer parts on three tracks during post production and mix, which was done at the Rainbow Studio in Oslo by Jan Erik KongshaugFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten original tracks, eight by the leader and one each by Finnish pianist / composer Seppo KantonenFind albums by this artist and McClure. The album was originally released on CD only on the Dutch TimelessFind albums on this label Records label, owned by Wim WigtFind albums by this artist, who produced the album. CD3 presents eight bonus tracks, five from the first album and three from the second, which include both outtakes and alternate takes, all by the leader except one composition by McClure. The music is all within the modern mainstream Jazz tradition, showcasing Koivistoinen’s brilliant composing / arranging skills and superb performances by some of the best American Jazz musicians active at the time. Koivistoinen’s ties with American Jazz go back in time to the years spent at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he absorbed the knowledge he would brilliantly utilize during his future career. He always showed a deep respect towards the American Jazz tradition, but at the same time presented a highly individual voice, which went beyond the boundaries of that tradition and incorporated European musical values and his native Finnish influences, turning him into one of the most versatile and prominent European Jazz personalities, as the music included here brilliantly exemplifies. It is of course great to see these two important albums expanded and made available again, thanks to the exemplary work done by SvartFind albums on this label Records, which treats the Finnish musical treasures with the respect they deserve, preserving the Cultural values, which are perhaps more important today than ever, in these dark days.

Updated: 22/02/2022Posted: 20/02/2022

CD 3 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

LEE KONITZ ~ THE COMPLETE REMASTERED RECORDINGS ON BLACK SAINT & SOUL NOTE CAM JAZZ 1011 (Barcode: 8052405140074) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1984 - 1992 Released: 2011 This superb Box Set collects all the albums recorded by the legendary US saxophonist / composer Lee KonitzFind albums by this artist on the twin Italian independent labels: Black SaintFind albums on this label and Soul NoteFind albums on this label. Konitz needs no introduction to any serious Jazz connoisseur; suffice to say that from the early days with Lennie TristanoFind albums by this artist and than Miles DavisFind albums by this artist to this very day he never stopped developing and astounding his audiences. Being a very prolific musician and bandleader, Konitz recorded a vast number of albums over the years cooperating with the most distinguished Jazz musicians around the globe. His virtuosic sax playing and excellent compositions are always a source of great musical joy. The musicians playing on these five albums include: drummer Billy HartFind albums by this artist, pianist Kenny WernerFind albums by this artist, bassist Ron McClureFind albums by this artist, bassist Marc JohnsonFind albums by this artist, drummer Adam NussbaumFind albums by this artist and many others. Remastered, mini-sleeved, and with a great bargain price – this Box Set an absolute must for any serious Jazz collector. Side Note The Italian independent record label Black SaintFind albums on this label was founded by the music critic / author / producer Giacomo PellicciottiFind albums by this artist in 1975. It was taken over by the producer Giovanni BonandriniFind albums by this artist in 1978 and a year later (1979) a sister label, called Soul NoteFind albums on this label, was established. The twin labels were run by Giovanni and later his son Flavio BonandriniFind albums by this artist, until they were sold in 2008 to the Italian KEPACH Music Group, which already owned the CAM JazzFind albums on this label label, and which also bought another Italian independent record label Dischi Della QuerciaFind albums on this label. The mission of the Black Saint / Soul Note labels was to record and document the Free Jazz / Improvised Music / Avant-Garde scene, mostly from the US but also from Europe, which continued between mid 1970s and late 1990s and produced a staggering collection of almost 550 albums recorded by world's most important Jazz innovators active at the time, providing an opportunity to American (mostly Afro-American) musicians, who would have never managed to make these recordings at home, ridden by racism, alienation and closed-mindedness. Without these two labels most of this fantastic human creativity would have been never documented. However, the Black Saint / Soul Note Box Sets produced under the CAM JazzFind albums on this label moniker are an archetypal example of how good intentions turn sour. Although these new editions often bring back to life some of the best music ever made on this planet, which in many cases has been lost in the tides of time and was unavailable on the market for ages, they suffer from an unforgivable disregard to the essence of cultural values and general sloppiness, contrary to human decency, which requires us to treat our cultural legacy with respect and loyalty. These Box Sets have no booklet which presents researched historical background and exact discographical information of the albums included, and most importantly an overview of the music and its meaning and contribution to the Jazz Art form. Although the original LP sleeves are reproduced, the information is in most cases too small to be readable at all. In short the fact that these Box Sets are meant to be inexpensive, does not mean that they have to be cheap! Visitors' Comments Christopher  Brice Lovely - led me to areas of Konitz´s work I did not know

Updated: 12/04/2020Posted:

CD 5 Mini-Sleeve Box Set Remastered Recommend To A Friend

CHARLES LLOYD ~ RABO DE NUBE ECM 2053 (Barcode: 602517548114) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 2007 Released: 2008 This is a live recording by American saxophonist / flautist / composer Charles LloydFind albums by this artist and his quartet which includes pianist Jason MoranFind albums by this artist, bassist Reuben RogersFind albums by this artist and drummer Eric HarlandFind albums by this artist. They perform together seven compositions, six of which are Lloyd´s originals and the title track was composed by the great Cuban musician / composer Silvio RodriguezFind albums by this artist. Of all the great Jazz heroes of my youth, Lloyd seems to be the very last Mohican still alive and kicking, as if he was living in a time capsule; time has been very kind to him and his vitality and amazing talent flourish completely untouched and unblemished. A while ago I listened to all the mid to late 1960s recordings by the Charles Lloyd legendary quartet with pianist Keith JarrettFind albums by this artist, bassists Ron McClureFind albums by this artist / Cecil McBeeFind albums by this artist and drummer Jack DeJohnetteFind albums by this artist and that music sounds even better today than it sounded then, and in parallel Lloyd is able to play the way he does now, four decades later. This is simply amazing! Of course the fact that Lloyd manages to surround himself with some of the absolutely best young and upcoming musicians (as he always did) is part of the secret formula. Moran is a major contender to the exclusive top Jazz pianists "club" and the rhythm section is also inspired and technically very proficient. Most importantly however is the fact that they show an immense respect for the Master, supporting his at all times sympathetically and unpretentiously, waiting for their solo spots patiently. Staying contemporary for five decades is definitely a super rare ability, so thank God for Charles Lloyd and his music.

CD 1 Slipcase Recommend To A Friend

QUEST ~ REDEMPTION – QUEST LIVE IN EUROPE HATOLOGY 642 (Barcode: 752156064220) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 2005 Released: 2007 The meeting between saxophonist Dave LiebmanFind albums by this artist and pianist Richie BeirachFind albums by this artist in early 1970s established not only an excellent musical cooperation, as documented by the albums they recorded together, but also a deep personal friendship. Later the pair joined forces with two Jazz giants, bassist George MrazFind albums by this artist and drummer Al FosterFind albums by this artist, forming a quartet, which was named QuestFind albums by this artist, and which recorded the debut album under that name in 1981. When Mraz and Foster left the quartet to pursue other avenues, they were replaced by bassist Ron McClureFind albums by this artist and drummer Billy HartFind albums by this artist and the quartet played on for a few years, but never recorded, eventually falling apart. But good fortune had it to reunite the quartet in 2005 for en European tour, with some gigs being recorded, as heard here. Considering the fact that these are all veteran monster musicians, I suppose it takes no effort to convince anybody that this music is exceptionally good from start to end. This is no nostalgic get together, but a serious blow out of contemporary Jazz by the best players around, so don´t think twice!

CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Oversampling Recommend To A Friend