Record Reviews

VOLKER KRIEGEL ~ WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS ART OF GROOVE 80192 (Barcode: 885513801920) ~ GERMANY ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1968 Released: 2013 This is a reissue of the debut album by the German Jazz / Fusion guitar virtuoso / composer Volker KriegelFind albums by this artist. The original album featured Kriegel in a trio setting with bassist Peter TrunkFind albums by this artist and Dutch drummer Cees SeeFind albums by this artist on side A of the LP, and in a quartet setting with Brazilian born resident in Germany vibraphonist Claudio SzenkarFind albums by this artist, bassist Gunter LenzFind albums by this artist and drummer Peter BaumeisterFind albums by this artist on side B of the LP. The original album was expanded for this reissue with the addition of seven live tracks recorded at the same period as the studio recording, featuring additional musicians active on the German scene at the time, like American (living in Europe) clarinetist Tony ScottFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Gustl MayerFind albums by this artist, drummer Ralf HubnerFind albums by this artist and a few others. The original album includes four original compositions by Kriegel, a couple of Beatles songs arrangements and one traditional piece. Kriegel emerges as an extraordinary guitar player, who despite his young age presents a refined stylistic approach well beyond the ordinary. Although still very much rooted in the Jazz tradition, Kriegel moves away from the mainstream rigidity and pushes into a new territory, pioneering the emerging Jazz-Rock Fusion idiom, which for him is not yet completely crystallized at the time, but already shows highly advanced forward thinking about harmony and rhythmic patterns. As future was about to reveal, these early ideas were about to develop rapidly and Kriegel was about to create some of the most noteworthy European Jazz / Fusion moments in the years to follow. Already at this early stage Kriegel shows his affinity towards the vibraphone, which would become a faithful partner to his guitar throughout his career. The clearly defined sound of the vibraphone is undoubtedly a perfect partner to the precise sounds Kriegel produces on his guitar, using no sound effects or vibrato, with every note being absolutely crystal clear and perfectly articulated. The guitar / vibraphone collaborations Kriegel recorded later on were an integral part of his unique sound, which still remains unmatched decades later. The original compositions show Kriegel´s talent as a composer, which was no less spectacular than his performing abilities. Incorporating ethnic scales, odd meters and unusual melody twists, his music remained distinctive and idiosyncratic till his tragically premature death. He was an intellectual and was nor ashamed to admit it, and a multi-talented artist, which his later life was about to expose, and his music was always both highly emotional and deeply intellectual, with an advanced aesthetic sense of beauty. This is a most welcome reissue initiative, bringing back to life a little know gem of early European Fusion, which surely deserves to be heard by the new generation of music lovers. Although not specified on the albums packaging, the original master tapes were probably remastered, as the sound quality is nothing short of spectacular. Obviously this album is a highly recommended piece of music history, which still bites stronger than most other music made today. Not to be missed!

Updated: 22/04/2016Posted: 22/04/2016

CD 1 Digipak Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

MAX ROACH ~ THE COMPLETE REMASTERED RECORDINGS ON BLACK SAINT & SOUL NOTE VOLUME 2 CAM JAZZ 1044 (Barcode: 8052405142535) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1979 - 1985 Released: 2016 This superb Box Set collects recordings by the iconic American drummer / composer Max RoachFind albums by this artist released on the Black SaintFind albums on this label and Soul NoteFind albums on this label labels. It includes six albums, which present Roach leading his quartet with trumpeter Cecil BridgewaterFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Odean PopeFind albums by this artist and bassists Calvin HillFind albums by this artist or Tyrone BrownFind albums by this artist ("Pictures In A FrameFind albums with this title", "In The LightFind albums with this title" and "Scott FreeFind albums with this title") and his double quartet which included a string quartet ("Live At Vielharmonie MunichFind albums with this title" and "Easy WinnersFind albums with this title"), and finally a Jazz And Poetry project based on the poems by Bruce WrightFind albums by this artist, (Afro-American poet and jurist), which features his quartet expanded to a septet by saxophonist Lee KonitzFind albums by this artist, clarinetist Tony ScottFind albums by this artist and guitarist Tommaso LamaFind albums by this artist ("It`s Christmas AgainFind albums with this title"). Almost all the music was composed by Roach or Bridgewater. Together these albums present the most productive period (late 1970s to mid 1980s) of the Post-bop career of Max Roach, while leading a stable quartet, recording frequently and composing constantly new music. His brilliant technique and innovative rhythmic approach are well documented here, proving his unique status in the history of American Jazz and his awareness of the social / political issues of the day. 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!

Updated: 11/04/2020Posted: 11/04/2020

CD 6 Mini-Sleeve Box Set Remastered Recommend To A Friend

TONY SCOTT / INDONESIAN ALL STARS ~ DJANGER BALI MPS 4029759181200 (Barcode: 4029759181200) ~ USA ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 1967 Released: 2023 This is a reissue / remaster of an album by American clarinetists / composer Tony ScottFind albums by this artist, recorded with five Indonesian Jazz players, recorded and released originally in 1967. The album presents six tracks, three of which are arrangements of traditional Indonesian melodies, one is a Jazz standard, one is a composition by Hungarian guitarist / composer Attila ZollerFind albums by this artist and finally one is by legendary Indonesian musician Narto SabdoFind albums by this artist. The album was produced by my Friend and Mentor Joachim BerendtFind albums by this artist, demonstrating his extraordinary openness to music originating from all around the world and being an important pioneer / instigator of the Jazz-World Fusion genre, with this album being one of the earliest examples of this idiom. Berendt also wrote the extensive liner notes for this album, which are reproduced in full in the album’s booklet. Scott was also one of the pioneers of Jazz World Fusion and he acquired an extensive knowledge of Folk music from many regions of the world, especially the Far East, incorporating those in his recordings since the mid-1960s. He left the US in the early 1970s and settled in Europe, playing and recording with many European Jazz musicians, including those behind the Iron Curtain. He was a sublime clarinetist throughout his entire career. The music on this album offers an amalgam of Jazz elements and strong Indonesian influences, moving constantly between the two. Although the Indonesian players at the time were not widely exposed to Jazz, their natural talent compensates for the lack of experience, and the result is truly excellent. The superb sound quality, for which the MPSFind albums on this label label is famous, was beautifully restored. Overall, this is a wonderful example of the early Jazz-World Fusion, which combines the exotic elements of Indonesian music with the Jazz tradition in a superb way and brings back to life a historic release of the legendary MPS label, which is absolutely worth being remembered. Wholeheartedly recommended! 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: 29/12/2023Posted: 03/12/2023

CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Remastered Recommend To A Friend