Record Reviews
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  | MUHAL RICHARD ABRAMS ~ THE COMPLETE REMASTERED RECORDINGS ON BLACK SAINT & SOUL NOTE
CAM JAZZ 1021 (Barcode: 8052405140647) ~ USA ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1979 - 1994 Released: 2012
This superb Box Set collects all the albums recorded by the legendary American keyboardist / composer / conductor Muhal Richard AbramsFind albums by this artist on the twin Italian independent labels: Black SaintFind albums on this label and Soul NoteFind albums on this label. The set includes eight albums he recorded as a leader, heading a range of ensembles between a septet and a full scale orchestra, which was his preferred "weapon of choice"
Abrams is best known as the founder of the original AACM in Chicago in 1965 and then the New York chapter of AACM after he moved there permanently in 1975. He was a prolific recording artist, with an impressive list of albums to his credit. The albums included here present his output between late 1970s and early 1990s, all of which is his original music. He plays piano, synthesizer and conducts the ensembles. These recordings are all excellent examples of his work, which is a completely unique combination of Free Jazz, Improvised Music and Contemporary Classical music techniques. Abrams often uses the human voice as an improvising instrument, as well as the electric guitar, which is quite unusual in such settings. His music is deeply influenced by the Blues as well as the compositional approach of Duke EllingtonFind albums by this artist, who was his model. In retrospect his work could be seen as a continuation of Ellington´s legacy into the realm of Avant-Garde Jazz.
The list of the players present on these recordings reads like the Who´s Who of the American Avant-Garde scene and includes trumpeter Jack WalrathFind albums by this artist, saxophonists John PurcellFind albums by this artist, Marty EhrlichFind albums by this artist, Charles DavisFind albums by this artist and Eugene GheeFind albums by this artist, cellist Abdul WadudFind albums by this artist, guitarists David FiuczynskiFind albums by this artist and Jean-Paul BourellyFind albums by this artist, vocalists Janette MoodyFind albums by this artist and Jay ClaytonFind albums by this artist and drummers Andrew CyrilleFind albums by this artist and Warren SmithFind albums by this artist and dozens of others.
The music is absolutely brilliant and fascinating and connoisseurs of Free Jazz will find it obviously essential, but other less refined listeners might find it quite accessible, with just a minimal effort of attentive listening. This is definitely an important document of the American Free Jazz movement, which deserves to be preserved for posterity and which should serve as a source if inspiration to the young generation of contemporary Free Jazz artists.
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!
| | Updated: 12/04/2020Posted: | CD 8 Mini-Sleeve Box Set Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
  | JULIUS HEMPHILL ~ THE COMPLETE REMASTERED RECORDINGS ON BLACK SAINT & SOUL NOTE
CAM JAZZ 1019 (Barcode: 8052405140623) ~ USA ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1977 - 1993 Released: 2012
This superb Box Set collects all the albums recorded by the legendary American saxophonist / composer Julius HemphillFind albums by this artist on the twin Italian independent labels: Black SaintFind albums on this label and Soul NoteFind albums on this label. The set includes five albums he recorded as a leader or co-leader, one each in a duo, trio and quartet settings and two with his all saxophone sextet.
Best known as the founder of the World Saxophone QuartetFind albums by this artist, Hemphill was also a prolific recording artist on his own, with an impressive list of albums to his credit. The albums recorded here present his output between mid-1970s and early 1990s, shortly before his death in 1995. He actually does not play on the second sextet album due to ill health, but is listed as composer and conductor. These recordings are all excellent examples of his work, which concentrates on Free Jazz and Improvised Music, executed by a group of players mostly belonging to the New York´s Free Jazz community, which kept the tradition of Free Jazz alive and kicking.
The list of the players present on these recordings reads like the Who´s Who of the American Avant-Garde scene and includes trumpeter Olu DaraFind albums by this artist, saxophonists Marty EhrlichFind albums by this artist, Carl GrubbsFind albums by this artist, James CarterFind albums by this artist, Andrew WhiteFind albums by this artist, Sam FurnaceFind albums by this artist and Fred HoFind albums by this artist, cellist Abdul WadudFind albums by this artist and drummers Don MoyeFind albums by this artist (Art Ensemble Of ChicagoFind albums by this artist) and the legendary Warren SmithFind albums by this artist. The music is completely free spirited and very interesting, which connoisseurs of Free Jazz will find obviously fascinating, but others might find quite difficult. In any case in retrospect this is an important document of the American Free Jazz movement, which deserves to be preserved for posterity and which should serve as a source if inspiration to the young generation of contemporary Free Jazz artists.
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!
| | Updated: 12/04/2020Posted: | CD 5 Mini-Sleeve Box Set Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
  | JOE ZAWINUL ~ THE RISE & FALL OF THE THIRD STREAM / MONEY IN THE POCKET
RHINO 71675 (Barcode: 081227167523) ~ AUSTRIA ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1965 - 1967 Released: 1994
Joe ZawinulFind albums by this artist arrived in the US in 1958, after being one of the first European musicians to win a scholarship to Berklee, but he left the school almost immediately and became active on the US jazz scene as pianist, arranger and composer. He played with Maynard FergusonFind albums by this artist, Slide HamptonFind albums by this artist and Dinah WashingtonFind albums by this artist before landing on the piano chair with Cannonball AdderleyFind albums by this artist’s quintet, where he stayed for 9 years (1961-1969). Towards the end of his Adderley days Zawinul played for almost 2 years (1969-1970) with Miles DavisFind albums by this artist, participating in the seminal recordings Miles made at that period.
In 1970 Zawinul formed the legendary Weather ReportFind albums by this artist, which would revolutionize the jazz and fusion genres and continue (in a slightly different direction) the pioneering breakthroughs made by Davis. Over the years Zawinul recorded only three albums as a leader (on AtlanticFind albums on this label and VortexFind albums on this label), two of which are included here (The eponymous album from 1969 was really the starting point for Weather Report). Money In The PocketFind albums with this title, recorded in 1965, finds him in a setting similar to his Adderley’s quintet gig both musically and personally. He uses the quintet’s bass player (Sam JonesFind albums by this artist) and drummer (Louis HayesFind albums by this artist) and adds three excellent horn players: Blue MitchellFind albums by this artist (trumpet), Joe HendersonFind albums by this artist (tenor sax) and Pepper AdamsFind albums by this artist (baritone sax). The sextet plays a great set of bebop material, including mostly original material by Zawinul, Jones and Henderson and two standards. Zawinul’s elegant and soulful piano playing sets a firm basis for the music’s graceful flow.
The Rise & Fall Of The Third StreamFind albums with this title, recorded in 1967, is a completely different album and a most ambitious and pioneering jazz venture for the time. It involves a meeting between the American jazz tradition and the European classical tradition, but as the title suggests it was meant to be a new kind of synthesis to the one attempted earlier in the US by Gunther SchullerFind albums by this artist and named “The Third Stream”, which seemed to be forced and artificial rather than natural. A meeting between Zawinul and American classical composer William FisherFind albums by this artist led to the two of them working together in an attempt to create a natural synthesis of the two musical worlds. The project involved a jazz ensemble and a string quartet, playing music composed and arranged by Fisher. The jazz ensemble includes Zawinul on acoustic and electric piano, Jimmy OwensFind albums by this artist on trumpet, Richard DavisFind albums by this artist on bass, Roy McCurdyFind albums by this artist and Freddie WaitsFind albums by this artist on drums, Warren SmithFind albums by this artist on percussion and Fisher on tenor sax. The result is a stunning piece of music, a completely new and previously attempted kind of musical vista.
In retrospect one can of course hear the seeds of what Zawinul will be doing just a couple of years later with Davis and then Weather Report. Although sadly overlooked and rarely mentioned, this is a seminal album in every respect and surely ahead of its time in every respect. For the intelligent jazz lover, interested in the forces that forged the jazz revolution of the late 1960s this is an absolute must!
| | Updated: 09/01/2025Posted: | CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
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