Record Reviews

PETER HERBOLZHEIMER ~ SCENES MPS 602527477237 (Barcode: 602527477237) ~ GERMANY ~ Big Band Jazz Recorded: 1974 Released: 2011 This is a reissue / remaster of a live album by the German trombonist / composer / arranger / bandleader Peter HerbolzheimerFind albums by this artist and his international Big Band / Orchestra, called Rhythm Combination & BrassFind albums by this artist, which included the absolute crème de la crème of European Jazz musicians from Germany, Scandinavia, Holland and Britain. The list of the names reads like a European Jazz encyclopedia and includes trumpeters Ack van RooyenFind albums by this artist, Palle MikkelborgFind albums by this artist, Kenny WheelerFind albums by this artist and Derek WatkinsFind albums by this artist, guitarist Philip CatherineFind albums by this artist, bassist Gunter LenzFind albums by this artist, drummer Kenny ClareFind albums by this artist and many other first rate players. The album presents seven tracks, four of which are original compositions by Herbolzheimer, who arranged all but one of the tracks. The album was recorded at the legendary London Ronnie ScottFind albums by this artist’s Club. Herbolzheimer had a wonderful gift as an arranger and bandleader, treating his orchestra like a virtuoso multi-instrumentalist. His multi-layered and incredibly complex rhythmic arrangements are to this very day among the best ever and emphasize superbly the difference in approach to the Big Band between American and European Jazz. Although the music is in most cases very accessible, it is at the same time profoundly elegant and sophisticated, which means that it can be listened to on several different levels of comprehension. In retrospect this set also demonstrates that Major record labels at that time invested in interesting musical projects even if the costs were significant and the commercial significance unclear. The music is a wonderful amalgam of Pop / Jazz / Funk / Soul and many other sub-genres, being truly cross-genre before even that term was coined. Overall, this is of course an absolute must for Jazz Big Band / Orchestral Music connoisseurs. The finesse of the compositions, arrangements and of course the performances is absolutely stunning. Wholeheartedly recommended and not to be missed! 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: 02/06/2025Posted: 02/06/2025

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