Record Reviews

BREAKOUT ~ ZOL MUZA 991 (Barcode: 5907783499913) ~ POLAND ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1979 Released: 2005 9th album by brilliant Polish ensemble BreakoutFind albums by this artist formed and led by guitarist / vocalist / composer Tadeusz NalepaFind albums by this artist. Breakout was formed in 1968 after Nalepa decided to change the name of his previous group BlackoutFind albums by this artist and reformed it under the new name. The group was fronted by vocalist Mira KubasinskaFind albums by this artist, one of the first great female performers of the Polish Rock scene, and also included on this album bassist Krystian WilczekFind albums by this artist and drummer Marek SurzynFind albums by this artist. Nalepa´s musical background was deeply rooted in Blues, and much of the group´s material was in fact Blues-Rock based, but Prog and Psychedelic influences turned Breakout into one of the most formidable East European groups ever, with a broad range of cross-genre musical activities. Breakout had an immense influence on the Polish, as well as the entire East European music scene, serving as a beacon to generations of musicians living behind the Iron Curtain. In their native country Breakout was often criticized by the Socialist regime for idealizing Western culture and their music was banned from the media during the peak of the "dark age" repressions in the late 1960, which eventually only increased the following the group enjoyed among the young generation. Nalepa, who composed all of the group´s music, worked closely with lyricist / poet Bogdan LoeblFind albums by this artist, who supplied the band with highly intelligent and often controversial lyrics, way above the usual level of Rock lyrics used in Rock at the time. In retrospect this is a timeless classic and any connoisseur of East European Rock / Prog will find it phenomenal. Brilliant stuff!

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ZOLLER / KOLLER / SOLAL ~ ZOLLER KOLLER SOLAL MPS 042284310727 (Barcode: 042284310727) ~ HUNGARY ~ Jazz Recorded: 1965 Released: 2003 This recording unites three of the greatest European jazz musicians at the time in order to perform as a trio (without bass / drums), a setting pretty adventurous and ambitious. The resulting music is simply breathtaking – a series of solo, duo and trio performances by telepathically connected musical geniuses. Hungarian guitarist Attila ZollerFind albums by this artist, Austrian saxophonist Hans KollerFind albums by this artist and French pianist Martial SolalFind albums by this artist were all seasoned musicians with a proven record and much mutual respect and admiration for each other’s talent. Often putting such highly individual players together can turn out sour, but in this case it works magic. The interplay is phenomenal and the music is elegant and intriguing. The nine compositions they perform include four Zoller originals and one by Koller. The rest are standards, which are a given a very unique treatment. The album was produced by the legendary European jazz critic / writer / producer Joachim BerendtFind albums by this artist (my dearly beloved Friend and Mentor, unfortunately no longer with us), who also wrote the liner notes for the album. Let me quote just one passage: "The improvisations that Zoller, Koller and Solal play in their solos, duos and trios are very European in spirit – and one hardly needs to add that, in a year when American jazz magazines have praised European jazz records more highly then ever before, the word "European" can imply a special seal of quality, even in jazz. Attila Zoller, the Hungarian, who, via Germany has made America his chosen land… - Martial Solal, the Frenchman from Algeria… - and Hans Koller, the Austrian tenor saxophonist who paints abstract art on the German-Swiss border: they build a trio that is completely different from a group of musicians who have all grown up together in Hastings Street in Detroit. Zoller-Koller-Solal: a guitarist, a saxophonist, and a pianist who all have the courage to be in jazz what they were born to in life – Europeans with the whole, rich variety of this continent. And this is especially evident in their ensemble playing." Needless to say this album also received a five star rating from the American "down beat". 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: 28/05/2025Posted:

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