Manfred Schoof - European Echoes, 1969 (Avant-Garde Jazz)

May 27, 2013, 5:07 pm

≫ Next: Caspar Brötzmann Massaker - Koksofen, 1993 (Avant-Garde)

≪ Previous: Prudence - Tomorrow May Be Vanished/Drunk And Happy, 1972/1973 (Art Rock)

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1. European Echoes, Pt. 1 15:24
2. European Echoes, Pt. 2 15:25

Manfred Schoof - Trumpet
Hugh Steinmetz - Trumpet
Enrico Rava - Trumpet
Evan Parker - Sax (Soprano)
Peter Brötzmann - Sax (Tenor)
Gerd Dudek - Sax (Tenor)
Irène Schweizer - Piano
Fred Van Hove - Piano
Alexander von Schlippenbach - Piano
Derek Bailey - Guitar
Arjen Gorter - Bass
Peter Kowald - Bass
Buschi Niebergall - Bass
Han Bennink - Drums
Pierre Favre - Drums

AMG:
"German trumpeter Manfred Schoof, whose work in the '60s focused on the possibilities of the big band in a free jazz context, presented a half-hour free improvisation for German radio in June 1969 that was later released by the FMP label as European Echoes and still later unearthed by Atavistic as part of their estimable Unheard Music reissue series. European Echoes is primarily of interest to free jazz historians and fanciers of the extreme. The historians will be dazzled by the all-star lineup of this 16-member band, featuring guitarist Derek Bailey, saxophonists Evan Parker and Peter Brötzmann, and pianists Fred Van Hove and Alexander von Schlippenbach, all of whom would lead landmark avant jazz sessions of their own. But will the noiseniks be?Well, let's just let the figures speak for themselves: three trumpets, three saxes, two trombones (one of whom doubles on bass), Derek Bailey's proto-Sonic Youth freakout guitar, three pianos, two dedicated bassists (besides the guy who's doubling on bass trombone), and two drummers. All of them going at it full tilt for close to 15 minutes before breaking off into their instrumental groupings for no-less-intense duos and trios. It sounds like it should be a free jazzer's paradise, and there's no denying that the intensity level throughout is amazingly high. The problem is that this enormous band, playing at top volume, is simply too much for the less-than-top-line recording gear that was capturing all this, and for frustratingly long periods (especially in the piece's unison first section), it's all but impossible to pick out what are obviously some inspired individual performances. Schoof may well argue that this was the point, of course."



European Echoes

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European Echoes

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Caspar Brötzmann Massaker - Koksofen, 1993 (Avant-Garde)

May 28, 2013, 4:38 pm

≫ Next: Sintesis - En Busca De Una Nueva Flor, 1978 (Prog Folk)

≪ Previous: Manfred Schoof - European Echoes, 1969 (Avant-Garde Jazz)

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1. Hymne 14:30
2. Wiege 8:06
3. Kerkersong 10:44
4. Schlaf 11:10
5. Koksofen 16:14

Caspar Brötzmann - Guitar, Vocals
Eduardo Delgado Lopez - Bass
Danny Arnold Lommen - Drums

AMG:
"Among the many things that can be said about Caspar Brötzmann's power trio Massaker, one is that it sounds like no other band on the planet. From the first dirty, warped guitar strum, listeners know whose world they have ventured into. There are times when he appears to have taken a page from Japanese guitarist Keiji Haino's band Fushitsusha in terms of a certain loose and expansive quality, but Brötzmann's sound revolves much more around a throbbing, almost tribal rhythmic sense, a conception echoed in his cover drawings with their allusions to the cave paintings at Altamira. The opening track here, 'Hymne,' is one of his most powerful and successful, from the initial scratchings and feedback whorls to the irresistible grooves riding beneath his hyper-fuzzed and bathed-in-overtones guitar. The subsequent tracks follow the same general form, with length enough to allow both frequent shifts in approach (often beginning in a slow haze and then suddenly focusing) and ample time for Brötzmann's dark ruminations. As on previous albums, the music is largely instrumental; whatever vocals here are delivered in a slurred, guttural fashion that blends in seamlessly with the accompaniment. The title track translates into 'Coke Oven' and the piece spends the entirety of its 16 minutes in a stark and chilling representation of an acrid, claustrophobic industrial cavern, suffused with harsh poundings and reverberations. This one composition alone puts most 'industrial' bands to shame. Recommended."



Koksofen

or

Koksofen

Sintesis - En Busca De Una Nueva Flor, 1978 (Prog Folk)

May 28, 2013, 4:38 pm

≫ Next: Mondo Cane (Netherlands) – Mondo Cane, 1986 (New Wave)

≪ Previous: Caspar Brötzmann Massaker - Koksofen, 1993 (Avant-Garde)

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1. Nueve Ejemplares... NO Tan Raros 8:09
2. Ven A Encontrarnos 3:10
3. Primera Noche 7:30
4. Somos La Flor 6:16
5. Poema 5:26
6. EN Busca De Una Nueva Flor 6:55
7. Variaciones Sobre Un Zapateo 6:20
8. Elogio De La Danza 9:34

Miguel Porcel - vocals, 12 string guitar
Eliseo Pino - vocals, acoustic guitar on 2
Carlos Alfonso - vocals, guitar
Fernando Calveiro - guitar
Jose Maria Vitier - piano, keyboards
Ele Valdes - vocals, synthesizer
Silvia Acea - vocals, organ
Enrique Lafuente - bass
Frank Padilla - drums

AMG:
"Sintesis was one of the most popular bands in Cuba during the '80s and '90s. The band formed in 1976, after the vocal group Tema IV merged with several rock and Afro-Cuban musicians. They had a core of a traditional rock & roll band, but they added elements of African and Cuban music. During the '80s, they slowly built up a reputation, performing with such artists as Amauri Perez, Silvio Rodrigues and Donata Poveda. By the latter half of the decade, they were staples of world music festivals in every country except America, where they were prevented from performing due to the US embargo against Cuba. In 1989, Sintestis released their first record Ancestros. Four years later, their second album, Ancestros II appeared. In 1997, they were finally allowed into the America, where they gave their first performance and recorded their third album Orishas, which was released late in the fall of that year. Yoruba Celebration followed in early 2000."



En Busca De Una Nueva Flor

or

En Busca De Una Nueva Flor

Mondo Cane (Netherlands) – Mondo Cane, 1986 (New Wave)

May 29, 2013, 11:42 am

≫ Next: Joe Pass - Eximious, 1982 (Jazz)

≪ Previous: Sintesis - En Busca De Una Nueva Flor, 1978 (Prog Folk)

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Originally posted by yarrost

1. Rain 4:57
2. I Want More 3:13
3. A Long Way From Home 4:44
4. Look At Me 3:31
5. Liebeskummer 3:03
6. That's Life 4:06
7. The Love Exchange 4:19
8. Kannibalen 4:39
9. Date My Ass 4:03

Patrice Pupkulies – Vocals
Han Nuyten - Guitar
Bas Vogelvang – Bass
Henk Van der Veer – Drums, Percussion


Mondo Cane

or

Mondo Cane

Joe Pass - Eximious, 1982 (Jazz)

May 29, 2013, 3:44 pm

≫ Next: Fields - Fields, 1971 (Heavy Prog)

≪ Previous: Mondo Cane (Netherlands) – Mondo Cane, 1986 (New Wave)

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1. A Foxy Chick and a Cool Cat 5:29
2. Robbins Nest 4:07
3. Lush Life 2:47
4. Serenata 3:24
5. Love for Sale 7:29
6. Night and Day 5:34
7. We'll Be Together Again 5:32
8. Ev'rything I Love 5:01
9. Ev'rything I've Got 3:01
10. Speak Low 5:08

Joe Pass - Guitar
Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen - Bass
Martin Drew - Drums

AMG:
"Joe Pass took time off from his solo guitar projects to record this excellent trio set with bassist Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen and drummer Martin Drew. Pass swings hard throughout, is consistently inventive within the bebop tradition, and indulges in close interplay with Pedersen. Together, these musicians make the wondrous seem effortless. Among the highlights are 'We'll Be Together Again' (the one unaccompanied guitar showcase on the program), 'Robbins Nest,''Lush Life,''Night and Day,' and 'Speak Low'."



Eximious

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Eximious

Fields - Fields, 1971 (Heavy Prog)

May 30, 2013, 4:01 pm

≫ Next: The Jazz Defektors - The Jazz Defektors, 1987 (Old-School Jazz Dance)

≪ Previous: Joe Pass - Eximious, 1982 (Jazz)

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1. A Friend Of Mine 4:27
2. While The Sun Still Shines 3:15
3. Not So Good 3:11
4. Three Minstrels 4:27
5. Slow Susan 3:44
6. Over And Over Again 5:54
7. Feeling Free 3:13
8. Fair-Haired Lady 3:02
9. A Place To Lay My Head 3:37
10. The Eagle 5:23

Graham Field - acoustic & electric pianos, organ
Alan Barry - vocals, classical & electric guitars, bass, Mellotron
Andy McCulloch - drums, tympani, talking drums

AMG:
"Keyboardist Graham Field was a founding member of Rare Bird, one of the very earliest British progressive bands, who had a major European hit in 1970 with the song 'Sympathy.' He presumably founded Fields to provide more of an outlet for his compositions and fleet-fingered keyboard work, but the group didn't last very long, splitting up after the band's self-titled 1971 debut without having made much of a commercial impact. The subsequent rarity of the album helped make it a high-priced collectors' item, but the Cherry Red/Esoteric 2010 reissue finally made Fields' lone outing accessible to the world at large. As a showcase for Field's instrumental abilities, the album can't be faulted - the leader's classic-rock exploits on piano and organ show that he was fully capable of giving Keith Emerson, Rick Wakeman, et al. a run for their money. Speaking of Emerson, Fields were formed in the classic Nice/ELP-style prog rock keyboard trio format, with Alan Barry providing vocals, bass, and occasional guitar and former King Crimson/future Greenslade member Andrew McCulloch on drums. While the record is dominated by exciting prog excursions that find both Field and McCulloch strutting their stuff in fine fashion, some tracks, like 'A Place to Lay My Head,' are more straightforward R&B-influenced tunes with a relatively conventional feel typical of early-‘70s British heavy rock. Meanwhile, the lovely, melodic 'Fair-Haired Lady' shows that Fields could handle an acoustic ballad with grace. Ultimately, the band shows enough promise to invite speculation about what might have been if it had continued on its path a little while longer."



Fields

or

Fields

The Jazz Defektors - The Jazz Defektors, 1987 (Old-School Jazz Dance)

May 31, 2013, 3:22 pm

≫ Next: Charlemagne Palestine - Schlingen-Blängen, 1988 (Minimalism)

≪ Previous: Fields - Fields, 1971 (Heavy Prog)

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1. Pressure 5:55
2. Invisible You 2:54
3. Bounce-Back 7:07
4. Another Star 7:32
5. Ooh! This Feeling 4:20
6. Pandemonium 3:55

Mark Paul Swaby – Lead Vocals
Paul Cummings – Lead Vocals
Vincent Corrigan – Saxophone
J. Franco – Guitar
Duncan Esperanto – Keyboards
Gary Verbickas – Bass
Mike Lawrence – Drums, Timpani, Synthesizer (Simmons)
Chris Manis – Timbales, Marimba, Percussion, Congas (Tumbadoras)
Barrington Wilks – Vocals
Salts – Vocals

http://lovepeace.org:
"One of the most important bands from Manchester in history of 'Dance Jazz'. You can find a Paul Weller's production here."



The Jazz Defektors

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The Jazz Defektors

Charlemagne Palestine - Schlingen-Blängen, 1988 (Minimalism)

May 31, 2013, 3:23 pm

≫ Next: Spriguns - Revel Weird And Wild, 1976 (British Folk)

≪ Previous: The Jazz Defektors - The Jazz Defektors, 1987 (Old-School Jazz Dance)

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1. Schlingen-Blängen, for organ 71:38

Charlemagne Palestine - Organ

AMG:
"This album strongly features organ - big, majestic church organ. Palestine cooked up new forms of minimalism as a member of the New York experimental music scene in the '60s and '70s. Schlingen-Blängen is the seminal artist's 70-minute, mind-expanding journey undertaken on church organ. This is a 1988 recording of the piece."



Schlingen-Blängen

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Schlingen-Blängen

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Spriguns - Revel Weird And Wild, 1976 (British Folk)

June 1, 2013, 3:14 pm

≫ Next: Herbie Hancock - Crossings, 1972 (Jazz-Rock/Fusion)

≪ Previous: Charlemagne Palestine - Schlingen-Blängen, 1988 (Minimalism)

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1. Trysting Tree 4:01
2. Outlandish Knight 4:33
3. Sir Colvin 5:56
4. Piscie Song 4:03
5. Nothing Else to Do 2:58
6. Hasberry Howard 2:54
7. Lord Lovell 4:48
8. Laily Worm 3:18
9. When Spring Comes In 3:09

Mandy Morton - lead vocals & acoustic guitar
Tom Ling - electric violin & vocals
Dick Powell - electric guitar, keyboards & vocals
Mike Morton - bass guitar & vocals
Chris Woodcock - drums
B. J. Cole - pedal steel guitar (1,9)

AMG:
"1976 must have been a tough year for a British folk-rock group to get respect. Just ask Steeleye Span, whose Rocket Cottage was roundly blasted by the music press, and Fairport Convention, whose Gottle o' Geer was essentially ignored. Albion Country Band's Battle of the Field was belatedly released to an indifferent press who improperly regarded them as a grade-B rendition of Steeleye and Fairport. The growing buzz concerning the onslaught of punk rock didn't bode well even for the established folk-rock acts, much less those just getting started. So despite Spriguns' unfortunate timing (who released Jack With a Feather in 1975 as Spriguns of Tolgus) they held true to the style popularized by their more successful predecessors, particularly Steeleye Span, as songs like 'Outlandish Knight' and 'Sir Colvin' will reveal. That was due in part to producer Tim Hart's belief in the band and also to vocalist Mandy Morton, whose resemblance to Maddy Prior is noteworthy. Spriguns included more piano in their music than Steeleye ever did, but the work of fiddler Tom Ling and electric guitarist Dick Powell paralleled that of their elder counterparts to a tee."



Revel Weird And Wild

or

Revel Weird And Wild

Herbie Hancock - Crossings, 1972 (Jazz-Rock/Fusion)

June 2, 2013, 3:11 pm

≫ Next: Alain Bashung - Novice, 1989 (Electronic/Dance)

≪ Previous: Spriguns - Revel Weird And Wild, 1976 (British Folk)

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1. Sleeping Giant 24:48
2. Quasar 7:25
3. Water Torture 13:54

Herbie Hancock - piano, electric piano, Mellotron, percussion
Bennie Maupin - soprano sax, bass clarinet, piccolo
Dr. Eddie Henderson - trumpet, flugelhorn, percussion
Julian Priester - bass trombone, tenor trombone, alto trombone, percussion
Dr. Patrick - Gleeson Moog synthesizer
Buster Williams - acoustic bass, electric bass, percussion
Billy Hart - drums, percussion
Victor Pontoja - congas

AMG:
"With the frenzied knocking of what sounds like a clock shop gone berserk, Crossings takes the Herbie Hancock Sextet even further into the electric avant-garde, creating its own idiom. Now, however, the sextet has become a septet with the addition of Dr. Patrick Gleeson on Moog synthesizer, whose electronic decorations, pitchless and not, give the band an even spacier edge. Again, there are only three tracks - the centerpiece being Hancock's multi-faceted, open-structured suite in five parts called 'Sleeping Giant.' Nearly 25 minutes long yet amazingly cohesive, 'Sleeping Giant' gathers a lot of its strength from a series of funky grooves - the most potent of which explodes at the tail-end of Part Two - and Hancock's on-edge Fender Rhodes electric piano solos anticipate his funk adventures later in the '70s. Bennie Maupin's 'Quasar' pushes the session into extraterrestrial territory, dominated by Gleeson's wild Moog effects and trumpeter Eddie Henderson's patented fluttering air trumpet. Even stranger is Maupin's 'Water Torture,' which saunters along freely with splashes of color from Hancock's spooky Mellotron and fuzz-wah-pedaled Fender Rhodes piano, Gleeson's electronics, and a quintet of voices. Still a challenging sonic experience, this music (which can be heard on Warners' Mwandishi two-CD set) has yet to find its audience, though the electronica-minded youth ought to find it dazzling."



Crossings

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Crossings

Alain Bashung - Novice, 1989 (Electronic/Dance)

June 3, 2013, 3:30 pm

≫ Next: The Blue Humans - Live - N.Y. 1980 (Avant-Garde/Free Improvisation)

≪ Previous: Herbie Hancock - Crossings, 1972 (Jazz-Rock/Fusion)

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1. Pyromanes 3:56
2. Résidences 3:34
3. Légère Eclaircie 4:19
4. Alcaline 5:00
5. Tu M'As Jeté 4:31
6. Elle Fait l'Avion 4:47
7. Bombez! 3:02
8. Intrépide Malgré la Fièvre 4:01
9. Etrange Eté 3:33
10. Outrage 0:36
11. By Proxy 3:48

Alain Bashung
Colin Newman
Olivier Guindon
Philippe Draï
Vic Emerson

AMG:
"Though he was present at the birth of '60s rock & roll in France, it took another 15 years for Alain Bashung's star to rise. Born in Paris in 1947, he was raised in Alsace but left home at the age of 16 to begin playing in a cover band with several friends. The group lasted several years, until Bashung began recording on his own, for Philips, in 1966. Ten years would pass before any degree of success, though he did play a prominent role in 1972's La Revolution Française, the French rock opera produced by Claude-Michel Schoenberg. In 1976, Alain Bashung began working with lyricist Boris Bergman and songwriter Andy Scott. The change in atmosphere proved helpful, and after test runs on Bashung's long-delayed 1977 debut album and 1979's Roulette Russe, the 1980 single 'Gaby, Oh Gaby' became a monster hit. After Bashung became a star and gained his first gold record that year, he then recorded another with 'Vertigo de l'Amour,' from the album Pizza. He fulfilled a lifelong dream in 1982 when he recorded with Serge Gainsbourg. During the mid-'80s, Bashung remained at the top of the French pop firmament, with singles like 'S.O.S. Amor' and 'Touche Pas à Mon Pote.' He endured a fallout with critics - and consequently, the public - during the late '80s, but then roared back with 1991's Osez Joséphine. The album, a song cycle concerning one of the most famous women in French history, became the biggest hit of Bashung's career, selling well and earning him three Victoires de la Musique awards. The similarly thematic follow-up Chatterton followed in 1994 and in 1998 Bashung returned to the top of the French album charts with Fantaisie Militaire. 2002 saw the release of not only the landmark album L’Imprudence but also Cantique des Cantiques with his wife Chloé Mons. Bleu Pétrole, Bashung’s twelfth album came in 2008, and would become his last studio album to be released. Bashung passed away in 2009 after a battle with lung cancer, at age 69. 2011 saw the release of the L'Homme à Tête de Chou, the first posthumous Bashung album. A track-by-track reworking of Serge Gainsbourg’s album of the same name, it was originally recorded as a soundtrack to a Jean-Claude Gallotta dance show."



Novice

or

Novice

The Blue Humans - Live - N.Y. 1980 (Avant-Garde/Free Improvisation)

June 3, 2013, 3:31 pm

≫ Next: Richard Teitelbaum & Anthony Braxton - Time Zones, 1977 (Avant-Garde Jazz)

≪ Previous: Alain Bashung - Novice, 1989 (Electronic/Dance)

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1. Pt.1 21:02
2. Pt.2 6:43
3. Pt.3 29:46
4. Pt.4 11:15

Arthur Doyle - Flute, Sax (Tenor)
Rudolph Grey - Electric Guitar
Beaver Harris - Percussion

AMG:
"The Blue Humans is the unit name given to any performance led by improvisational guitarist Rudolph Grey. (Members have included reedsman Arthur Doyle, guitarist Alan Licht, drummers Beaver Harris and Tom Surgal, and tenor saxophonist Jim Sauter.) Bridging the gap between free jazz and downtown art noise (and with records as likely to be released on a punk label as on a jazz imprint), Grey is far more interested in textures and sound patterns than conventional notes, chords, and melodies, but his improvisatory performances have a structural logic and grace to them that makes them more interesting than some of the aimless Strat splat that gets passed off as experimentation.
The famously taciturn Grey basically refuses to answer any questions about his past and admits to no influences. Grey first appeared on the post-punk New York art scene in the late '70s, forming the short-lived Red Transistor with maniac guitar terrorist Von LMO. Although the duo lasted barely a year, they were an important formative influence on the nascent no wave scene percolating in the East Village. (Grey participated in that short-lived scene by playing briefly in Mars, one of its most extreme practitioners.) Grey then formed The Blue Humans in 1980, initially with Harris, a veteran free jazz drummer, and Doyle. (This lineup was finally documented on disc with 1995's Live NY 1980.) A Blue Humans performance can be anything from a duo to a four-piece, but Grey seems to prefer the trio format above others. The Blue Humans' albums and EPs are primarily live recordings of single extended improvisations such as 1988's Incandescense (recorded during an opening set for Sonic Youth at CBGB) and 1990's To Higher Time, but there's also a studio album produced by Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth, 1993's Clear to Higher Time.
Grey has also released solo records and performed with '90s avant-garde jazz icons like David S. Ware and William Parker."



Live - N.Y. 1980

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Live - N.Y. 1980

Richard Teitelbaum & Anthony Braxton - Time Zones, 1977 (Avant-Garde Jazz)

June 4, 2013, 3:10 pm

≫ Next: Dirk Steffens - The Seventh Step, 1976 (Hard)

≪ Previous: The Blue Humans - Live - N.Y. 1980 (Avant-Garde/Free Improvisation)

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1. Crossing 24:00
2. Behemoth Dreams 19:00

Anthony Braxton - E Flat Clarinet, Sax (Alto), Sax (Sopranino)
Richard Teitelbaum - Modular Moog, Synthesizer

AMG:
"'With Anthony Braxton' was a credit printed on this album's front and back cover in a typeface only a notch smaller than Richard Teitelbaum's name. Braxton is everywhere here, and has everything to do with this album. He plays in duo with Teitelbaum the electronics maestro on the entire album, and surely engineered the deal to make it possible for his buddy to release the record on Arista, which at that point held an exclusive contract with Braxton himself. It was also Braxton who basically promoted Teitelbaum within the confines of the avant-garde free jazz scene, talking him up in interviews and fitting pieces involving him into several different recording projects. There are tastes of the duos these artists have created splashed through the Braxton discography like ice cream stains on a rumpus room rug. This album combines a summer's evening live concert with a studio session cut the following fall, and is quite an accurate document of their work together in the '70s, complete with Braxton's usual dedications, this time to Roscoe Mitchell and Maryanne Amacher. This duo was one of the great instrumental combinations of the '70s, the reed arsenal of Braxton and seemingly unlimited sonic arsenal of Teitelbaum coming together like two great French chefs with a hall full of guests to feed. Each man never seems to stop listening, not only to each other but to a greater force as well, as if in complete understanding of the ramifications of each development. This album should satisfy a listener's desire to hear truly imaginative and successful improvisation involving both electronic and acoustic instruments."



Time Zones

or

Time Zones

Dirk Steffens - The Seventh Step, 1976 (Hard)

June 5, 2013, 4:12 pm

≫ Next: Toru Takemitsu - Piano Distance (Modern Composition)

≪ Previous: Richard Teitelbaum & Anthony Braxton - Time Zones, 1977 (Avant-Garde Jazz)

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1. Just a Game 3:52
2. Light It on 3:11
3. Save My Soul 3:14
4. What Do I See 4:37
5. Elysa 3:35
6. Things and Thoughts 3:33
7. Right on, Woman 4:36
8. Gettin It Out, All Out 4:56
9. Beggars Song 3:52
10. Lost Home of 16 Blackbirds 1:21

Dirk Steffens - Guitar
Rainer Baumann - Guitar
Ian Cussick - Bass, Vocals
Rolf Kohler - Drums, Vocals

Wiki:
"Steffens studied guitar and piano at the Hamburg Conservatory. As well, he played in the group Beathovens between 1969 and 1971. In 1971, he began his own group Pennywonder, which also consisted of Thomas Kuckuck, Jurgen Ehlert,and Enrico Lombardi. In July, 1973, he joined the group Birth Control, and for family concerns, he left the group in Jan. of 1974. He then worked as a guitar instructor and studio musician. In the fall of 1975, Dirk Steffens began work on his first solo album, 'The Seventh Step',in which he played guitar, and with help from musician Ian Cussick from Scotland,who was a member of Lucifer's Friend for a short time, and musician Rolf Köhler, who was from Hamburg, and part of the group To Be. 'The Seventh Step' was finished and released in 1976 by Nova, and a second solo album entitled 'Tollhouse' was completed and released by Nova in 1978, also with Dirk Steffens on guitar, and featuring Cussick and Kohler, as well as guest guitarist Peter Wiehe.[3] A lot of both solo record's song titles were referring to personal things from Steffens' own life."



The Seventh Step

or

The Seventh Step

Toru Takemitsu - Piano Distance (Modern Composition)

June 6, 2013, 3:17 pm

≫ Next: John Lewis & Sacha Distel - Afternoon In Paris, 1956 (Cool Jazz)

≪ Previous: Dirk Steffens - The Seventh Step, 1976 (Hard)

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Uninterrupted Rests
1. No 01: Slowly, sadly and as if to converse with 2:57
2. No 02: Quietly and with a cruel reverberation 2:59
3. No 03: A song of love 1:58

4. Piano Distance 4:42
5. For Away 7:34
6. Les Yeux Clos I 7:36
7. Les Yeux Clos II 7:30
8. Rain-Tree Sketch 3:54
9. Rain-Tree Sketch II 5:23

Litany (recomposition of 'Lento')
10. l. Adagio 4:54
11. ll: Lento misterioso 6:30

Izumi Tateno - Piano

AMG:
"The three brief works known as 'Uninterrupted Rest' were composed in the composer's early period from 1952 - 1959. They are based on poems by Takiguchi Shuzo: (I) 'Slowly, sadly, as if to converse with' (1952), (II) 'Quietly and with a cruel reverberation' (1959), and (III) 'A song of love' (1959).
'Slowly, sadly, as if to converse with', of approximately two minutes duration, features a plaintive chromatic melody with soft chordal accompaniment. The tension increases with the addition of another voice in octaves that seems to want to remind the contemplative voice of something. Their brief dialogue ends in a sustained pause. The melody is then stated in octaves. And quietly concludes.
The music segues directly into 'Quietly and with a cruel reverberation', of approximately 3 minutes duration, which is a pointillistic declamation in the manner of the Stockhausen/Boulez early piano works with sharp, dissonant block harmonies and isolated deep bass tones. The succession of events is constantly re-ordered.
'A song of love' contrasts mostly descending chromatic melodies in a slow, almost jazz ballad timing (like Monk, or Paul Bley's early style; Takemitsu was deeply taken by Ellington's music) in an approximately 2 minute framework. The silences are the longest of all the pieces in this set. The piece gives the impression of searching, of trying something out and then starting again, and then just stops, leaving the listener interested and hanging. Wonderfully.

'Piano Distance', of approximately 5 minutes duration, was composed in 1961. It's musical language is a mix of Takemitsu's later sensual, Messiaen and Debussy-influenced chords and the angular, dissonant sensibilities of the European avant-garde of that time (Stockhausen / Boulez). The imagery of the piece, however, is entirely that of Takemitsu, carried out in his usual clearly outlined yet deeply poetic manner.
The music is built around gestures that are immediately mirrored in some way and contrasted, traveling along a pitch, amplitude or event sequence (tempo) dimension: for example, at the beginning we hear a distant tone followed by a sharp repetition of the same tone, much nearer. Then, a simple three-note motif becomes much quicker upon its repetition. Sometimes the sequence is reversed, and the louder series is played first with the quiet repetition arising from the resonance. Thick chords are played emphatically descending and then are mirrored by chords (not much quieter) arising from the deep bass and ascending. At the end, a quiet repetition of the motif, and only a hint of an answer on two chords that are held and fade away into the distance."



Piano Works

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Piano Works

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John Lewis & Sacha Distel - Afternoon In Paris, 1956 (Cool Jazz)

June 6, 2013, 3:18 pm

≫ Next: Pete Brown & Piblokto! - Things may Come And Things May Go/Thousands on a Raft, 1970 (Art Rock)

≪ Previous: Toru Takemitsu - Piano Distance (Modern Composition)

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1. I Cover the Waterfront 6:51
2. Dear Old Stockholm 6:07
3. Afternoon in Paris 9:23
4. All the Things You Are 5:16
5. Bags Groove 6:12
6. Willow Weep for Me 9:31

John Lewis - Piano
Sacha Distel - Guitar
Barney Wilen - Sax (Tenor)
Percy Heath - Bass (4-6)
Pierre Michelot - Bass (1-3)
Kenny Clarke - Drums (4-6)
Connie Kay - Drums (1-3)

AMG:
"It was in Paris that John Lewis co-led this 1956 date with Sacha Distel, a French guitarist who never became well-known in the U.S. but commanded a lot of respect in French jazz circles. The same can be said about the other French players employed on Afternoon in Paris - neither tenor saxophonist Barney Wilen nor bassist Pierre Michelot were huge names in the U.S., although both were well-known in European jazz circles. With Lewis on piano, Distel on guitar, Wilen on tenor, Michelot or Percy Heath on bass, and Kenny Clarke or Connie Kay on drums, the part-American, part-French group of improvisers provides an above-average bop album that ranges from 'Willow Weep for Me,''All The Things You Are,' and 'I Cover the Waterfront' to Milt Jackson's 'Bags' Groove' and Lewis' title song. The big-toned Wilen was only 19 when Afternoon in Paris was recorded, but as his lyrical yet hard-swinging solos demonstrate, he matured quickly as a saxman. It should be noted that all of the Americans on this album had been members of the Modern Jazz Quartet; the only MJQ member who isn't on board is vibist Jackson."



Afternoon In Paris

or

Afternoon In Paris

Pete Brown & Piblokto! - Things may Come And Things May Go/Thousands on a Raft, 1970 (Art Rock)

June 7, 2013, 3:09 pm

≫ Next: Introducing Larry Coryell and the Eleventh House, 1974 (Jazz-Rock)

≪ Previous: John Lewis & Sacha Distel - Afternoon In Paris, 1956 (Cool Jazz)

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1. Prophet 9:48
2. Country morning 7:09
3. Living life backwards 2:04
4. Things may come and things may go 5:05
5. High flying electric bird 4:20
6. Someone like you 5:48
7. Walk for charity run for money 5:32
8. Then I must go and can I keep 3:52
9. My love's gone far away 2:49
10. Golden country kingdom 3:13
11. Firesong 6:02
12. Country morning 6:49
13. High sorrow 3:27
14. Raining pins and needles 3:36
15. Aeroplane head woman 6:38
16. Station song platform two 3:37

1. Highland song 16:57
2. If they could only see me now 12:03
3. Got a letter from a computer 5:49
4. Thousands on a raft 7:06
5. Broken magic 6:58
6. Can't get off the planet 6:06
7. Flying hero sandwich 3:20
8. My last band 5:07
9. Dawn of a night wasp 6:56
10. Aeroplane head woman 7:37

Pete Brown - Vocals, Percussion
Dave Thompson - Keyboards
Jim Mullen - Bass, Guitar
Rob Tait - Drums
John Mumford - Trombone (1)
Paul Seeley - Banjo (1)
Roger Brunn - Bass (1)
Steve Glover - Bass, Percussion (2)

AMG:
"It has to hurt to be dumped from the band you lead, but that's what happened to Pete Brown with the Battered Ornaments - and to add insult to injury, right on the eve of a prestigious support slot opening for the Rolling Stones at London's Hyde Park in 1969. But Brown, already an acclaimed poet who'd penned many of the lyrics for Cream, dusted himself off and founded Piblokto!. This, their first album, was actually far more accessible and commercial than his work with the Battered Ornaments. The inventive title track percolates, and 'High Flying Electric Bird' (which was the B-side of the band's first single) features Brown on the highly unusual rock & roll slide whistle, mimicking a birdsong. But it's 'Golden Country Kingdom' that's the highlight; long and involved, it's a wonderful and highly affecting piece of prog rock that stands as the best thing Piblokto! ever put on tape. It stands as a contrast to the more laid-back 'Firesong,' although 'My Love's Gone Far Away' offers a more soulful organ sound.

..This album was remembered as much for its cover as anything else - a picture of a model Titanic and a model Concorde sinking in a puddle, as rafts of toast ferry thousands of baked beans to the shore. Musically it was some good jazz-rock, with the emphasis not always on Brown's vocals and elliptical lyrics, as Jim Mullen's 'Highland Song' offered an inventive, lengthy instrumental as the disc's centerpiece. The title cut has a Pink Floyd edge, surprising given Brown's predilection for jazz and blues, but it works well in the context. Guitarist Mullen is co-writer throughout, while the rhythm section of Rob Tait and Steve Glover swing rather than plod. 'Station Song Platform Two' employs Mellotron to full prog rock effect, while 'Got a Letter from a Computer' seems eerily ahead of its time for the early '70s. This was the last gasp of this incarnation of Piblokto!, but there's no doubt they went out on a high note."



Things may Come And Things May Go + Scans
Thousands on a Raft

or

Things may Come And Things May Go + Scans
Thousands on a Raft

Introducing Larry Coryell and the Eleventh House, 1974 (Jazz-Rock)

June 8, 2013, 2:04 pm

≫ Next: Billy Preston - The Kids & Me, 1974 (R'n'B)

≪ Previous: Pete Brown & Piblokto! - Things may Come And Things May Go/Thousands on a Raft, 1970 (Art Rock)

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1. Birdfingers 3:10
2. The Funky Waltz 5:12
3. Low-Lee-Tah 4:20
4. Adam Smasher 4:33
5. Joy Ride 6:11
6. Yin 6:06
7. Theme for a Dream 3:29
8. Gratitude "A So Low" 3:24
9. Ism-Ejercicio 4:02
10. Right on Y'all 4:20

Randy Brecker - trumpet
Larry Coryell - guitar
Mike Mandel - keyboards
Danny Trifan - bass
Alphonse Mouzon - drums

AMG:
"The Eleventh House during 1972-1975 was one of the stronger working groups in fusion, led by one of the unsung heroes of the idiom, guitarist Larry Coryell. This CD reissue brings back The Eleventh House's first recording and, in addition to Coryell's guitar, most heavily featured are trumpeter Randy Brecker (who would later be replaced by Mike Lawrence) and keyboardist Mike Mandel; bassist Danny Trifan and drummer Alphonse Mouzon are strong in backup roles. The influence of Miles Davis, Weather Report, and Herbie Hancock is apparent, but The Eleventh House also offered a sound of their own. Brecker's solos are often both fiery and lyrical (although his use of an occasional electric wah-wah device is less interesting). Coryell and Mandel blend together quite well, and the original grooves on this set often have distinctive personalities. Pity that the reissue does not have any liner notes, otherwise it is easily recommended to fans of early fusion."



Introducing

or

Introducing

Billy Preston - The Kids & Me, 1974 (R'n'B)

June 9, 2013, 2:25 pm

≫ Next: Curlew - Live In Berlin, 1988 (RIO/Avant-Prog)

≪ Previous: Introducing Larry Coryell and the Eleventh House, 1974 (Jazz-Rock)

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1. Tell Me You Need My Loving
2. Nothing from Nothing
3. Struttin'
4. Sister Sugar
5. Sad Sad Song
6. You Are So Beautiful
7. Sometimes I Love You
8. St. Elmo
9. John the Baptist
10. Little Black Boys and Girls
11. Creature Feature

Billy Preston - Keyboards, Vocals
Joe Walsh - Slide Guitar
Tony Maiden - Guitar
Al Perkins - Banjo
Hubert Heard - Keyboards
Kenneth Lupper - Keyboards
Bobby Watson - Bass
Manuel Kellough - Drums

Wiki:
"The Kids & Me is the ninth studio album by Billy Preston, released in 1974, after his famous tour in Europe. This album included 'You Are So Beautiful', later covered by Joe Cocker, and the hit single 'Nothing From Nothing'.
The first track, 'Tell Me You Need My Loving,' contains the first four measures of keyboard verse from an earlier Preston song: 'All That I've Got'—a bonus cut from the import version of his Encouraging Words (1970) album for Apple Records—transposed from the key of C to B. The bridge of 'All That I've Got' is also revived untransposed and with identical lyrics in 'Sometimes I Love You.'
The album's dedication, reflected in the title, was to St. Elmo's Village inner-city children's recreation centre, located in mid-city Los Angeles."



The Kids & Me

or

The Kids & Me

Curlew - Live In Berlin, 1988 (RIO/Avant-Prog)

June 9, 2013, 2:25 pm

≫ Next: Irene Schweizer - Jazz Meets India, 1967 (Avant-Garde Jazz)

≪ Previous: Billy Preston - The Kids & Me, 1974 (R'n'B)

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1. Moonlake 9:19
2. Ray 10:42
3. Shoats 6:39
4. Barking 4:00
5. Mink's Dream 5:38
6. Agitar/The Victim/Improvisation/Oklahoma 16:40
7. The Four Scars 6:13
8. To The Summer In Our Hearts 4:03
9. Bringing It All Backbone 8:50
10. Feelin' Good 2:30

George Cartwright - saxophones
Tom Cora - cello
Davey Williams - guitar
Wayne Horvitz - keyboard bass, keyboards
Pippin Barnett - drums

AMG:
"Curlew may not have been the earliest of the hybrid jazz fusion bands, but from the evidence of this CD, they might be one of the best. When they recorded this live date, primarily at the Quasimodo Club in Berlin, saxophonist/leader George Cartwright, cellist Tom Cora and drummer Pippin Barnett had been playing together for close to ten years. Complemented by Davey Williams on guitar and Wayne Horvitz on keyboards, this was one loose, confident ensemble. At times, when the group is really cooking, there is perhaps a slight resemblance to the Mahavishnu Orchestra, but the emphasis is less on chops and more on textures, and Curlew draws much more heavily than Mahavishnu on both funk and avant-garde jazz sources. Swaggering bar-band riffs mutate into esoteric twitterings and scrapings; rock-solid rhythms disintegrate right before your ears -- and then everything comes back together again, miraculously reassembled and refreshed. It's an affectionate but powerful deconstruction and extension of down-home funk, without the self-conscious cuteness that highbrow intellectuals often bring to popular art forms. Curlew manages to be in the pocket and outside at the same time, which is a pretty darn good trick, and even though the applause is not miked on this CD until the end of the last piece, the excitement of the live performance comes through loud and clear."



Live In Berlin

or

Live In Berlin