Jazzis Web Shop News 02/2008

ALBUM

This month is dedicated mostly to the releases on the Vocalion label, owned by sound engineer Michael Dutton, which revives the British Jazz and Jazz-Rock scene of the late 1960s / early 1970s – the most glorious and creative period in the country’s cultural development. Today’s addition is a bit “outside” of that range and brings an earlier album by saxophonist Don Rendell:

Saxophonist / composer Don Rendell is a prominent figure on the UK Jazz scene for over 5 decades. Since his earliest recordings in the mid-1950s and well into the 2000s, his unmistakable tone and total control of his instrument have been his trademark. Although mostly known for his role as a co-leader of the Don Rendell / Ian Carr Quintet, one of Britain’s most innovative and brilliant Jazz ensembles of the late 1960s, over the years he recorded hundreds of sessions as sideman and leader. This album brings back to life his second LP recorded in 1958 (the first, called “Meet Don Rendell” was a 10-inch LP recorded 3 years earlier). The bonus tracks include two EP recordings, one form 1955 and the other from 1959. At the time these sessions were recorded the UK Jazz scene was strongly influenced by American Jazz. Rendell was a member of the legendary Ted Heath and Stan Kenton orchestras and toured along with Gerry Mulligan and the Modern Jazz Quartet, which gave him ample opportunity to hear the Masters and learn from them. By the time he formed the sextet that recorded this album Rendell was a seasoned musician and knew exactly what he wants to do. The music includes four original compositions by the sextet members (two of which are Rendell’s) and six standards. The arrangements are very clever and often quite different from the usual approach at the time, being an early sign of the new way the British musicians were about to treat the US Jazz tradition. The performances are spotless and inspired and overall this is a most enjoyable piece of great music, somewhere between Swing, Cool and Hard Bop. Most warmly recommended.

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ALBUM

Here is the next album on the Vocalion label, owned by sound engineer Michael Dutton, which revives the British Jazz and Jazz-Rock scene of the late 1960s / early 1970s – the most glorious and creative period in the country’s cultural development. Today’s addition is an album by the legendary Mike Westbrook:

Pianist / bandleader / composer Mike Westbrook is a true icon of the British Jazz scene for over four decades. The immense body of work Westbrook produced over the years parallels the achievements of many Classical composers and in fact should be considered as contemporary Classical music, although he is mostly associated with the Jazz genre. In the late 1960s / 1970s Westbrook concentrated mostly on his work with Jazz Big Bands, which he led and composed the music for. He usually composed large orchestral suites, based on conceptual or literary content, again similar to the modus operandi of Classical composers. His legendary Big Bands / orchestras comprised of the creme de la creme of the British Jazz musicians active at the time and were one of the most fascinating grounds of musical experimentation. Later on Westbrook would work mainly in smaller ensembles, which include his wife the singer Kate Westbrook, producing a series of wonderful compositions often similar in spirit to the work of composer Kurt Weill and often involving interpretation of European poetry and other literary works. This album presents a song cycle dedicated to the poems by Caroline Menis, and features Britain’s greatest female Jazz vocalist Norma Winstone. The band consists of saxophonists Mike Osborne, John Warren and George Khan, trumpeter Dave Holdsworth, trombonists Malcolm Griffiths and Paul Rutherford and a rhythm section: Chris Spedding – guitar, Mike Westbrook – piano, Harry Miller – bass and Alan Jackson – drums, all stellar Jazz musicians. Of course Westbrook’s music is never trivial and requires some serious listening to be truly appreciated, but the intellectual effort is richly rewarded. This reissue includes a super-rare single released at the time to promote the album. Timeless stuff and a must to any true Jazz lover - most warmly recommended.

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ALBUM

Here is the next album on the Vocalion label, owned by sound engineer Michael Dutton, which revives the British Jazz and Jazz-Rock scene of the late 1960s / early 1970s – the most glorious and creative period in the country’s cultural development. Today’s addition is a great album featuring John Surman, Alan Skidmore and Tony Oxley:

Saxophonists John Surman and Alan Skidmore and drummer Tony Oxley are three of the most distinguished representatives of the burgeoning British Jazz scene in the late 1960s and 1970s. Each of them has a most impressive recorded legacy from that period and of course in the years to follow. This album, initially released in 1972, collects five stunning and previously unreleased outtakes, recorded at several sessions involving these three musicians, most of which originate from the sessions for Skidmore’s debut album. Each and every one of these tracks is absolutely superb, and considering the fact these are outtakes, this is ample evidence of the unbelievably high standard of the music at the time. The first track presents the unaccompanied saxophone trio comprising of Alan Skidmore (tenor), Mike Osborne (alto) and John Surman (baritone), which would later become known as S.O.S. and record albums under that name. On the next track the lineup is expanded to an octet with the addition of Harry Beckett (flugelhorn), Malcolm Griffith (trombone), John Taylor (piano), Harry Miller (bass) and Alan Jackson (drums). The third track is actually recorded in two parts, with a personnel change between the two parts: part one is a quartet (Surman, Taylor, Miller & Jackson), that features a rare appearance of Surman on piano, and part two a quintet (Skidmore, Wheeler, Taylor, Miller & Oxley) introducing Kenny Wheeler (trumpet) and Tony Oxley (drums). The remaining two tracks are recorded by the same quintet. Surman composed three of the pieces and his fellow saxophonist John Warren composed another one. The music is absolutely divine from start to finish in every respect – the compositions, the solos and the interplay are all breathtaking. My personal favorite is the incredible work by Oxley, by far one of the most innovative and inventive drummers in Jazz. Oxley’s approach at the time is somewhat similar to the incredible work done by the young Tony Williams, when he joined the Miles Davis quintet. Overall this is one the finest examples of British Jazz ever recorded and an absolutely essential document of the era.

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ALBUM

Here is the next album on the Vocalion label, owned by sound engineer Michael Dutton, which revives the British Jazz and Jazz-Rock scene of the late 1960s / early 1970s – the most glorious and creative period in the country’s cultural development. Today’s addition is the first album by one of my all time favorite British musicians Michael Garrick:

Pianist / composer Michael Garrick has been an icon of British Jazz for the last five decades. His exquisite touch on the keyboards, deep lyricism and unparalleled inventiveness as a composer characterize his entire legacy over time, which has very little rivalry or precedence. Garrick first came to prominence on the London Jazz scene in the early 1960s, when he took part in the series of “Poetry and Jazz” concerts organized by poet Jeremy Robson (for more details please read the “Poetry And Jazz In Concert” album description). The quintet, which recorded this album, was established as a result of these concerts, when the Michael Garrick Trio (Garrick – piano, Coleridge Goode – bass and Colin Barnes – drums) were joined by two exceptional players - saxophonist Joe Harriott and trumpeter Shake Keane – the first black musicians on the London Jazz scene. Both Harriott and Keane were virtuoso players and their contributions were instrumental in shaping the exceptionally high level of musicianship, which characterized the entire generation of Jazz players at the time. The music, all composed by Garrick, is also incredible – beautifully crafted and full of lyricism and intrinsic beauty. There are very few Jazz composers around who can write such clever and delightful tunes, often based on very simple basic ideas. This music just has a kind of natural flow, which makes everything fall into place in a most inherent way. This reissue adds to the original album an ultra-rare EP recorded by the quintet, called “Anthem”, where the composer combines Jazz with sacred / liturgical music. Using an organ and choir to create the connection between the two musical entities, the musicians create an amazing amalgam of the two. Considering the time this recording was done, Garrick certainly proves he is prepared to challenge any convention head on and come out a champion. Overall an outstanding album of rare beauty, an absolute must to any Jazz lover on this planet.

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ALBUM

Today’s addition is the next album by one of my all time favorite British musicians Michael Garrick:

Pianist / composer Michael Garrick has been an icon of British Jazz for the last five decades. His exquisite touch on the keyboards, deep lyricism and unparalleled inventiveness as a composer characterize his entire legacy over time, which has very little rivalry or precedence. This album presents Garrick leading a sextet (Garrick – piano and harpsichord, Ian Carr – trumpet, Art Themen – flute, clarinet and sax, Dave Green – bass, Trevor Tomkins – drums and the divine Norma Winstone – vocals) and on several tracks the ensemble is expanded to a nonet with the edition of Don Rendell – sax, Jim Philip – flute, clarinet and sax and Coleridge Goode on second bass. Norma’s vocal parts – both when singing lyrics and improvising, using her voice as an instrument – are absolutely stunning and completely innovative. Her presence brings the music to another dimension, adding colors and enhancing the overall effect tremendously. She would become a permanent member of Garrick’s group for a while and their recordings together are some of the best moments of the British Jazz of that period. As usual, Garrick wrote all the music and this time also the lyrics used here. His formal education was after all English Literature, and hence his sensitivity to language and poetry and his writing abilities are no surprise. Beautifully melodic and yet constantly challenging, this is a superb album, which sound today every bit as great as it did at the time it was recorded. A must!

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Today’s addition is the next album by one of my all time favorite British musicians Michael Garrick:

Pianist / composer Michael Garrick has been an icon of British Jazz for the last five decades. His exquisite touch on the keyboards, deep lyricism and unparalleled inventiveness as a composer characterize his entire legacy over time, which has very little rivalry or precedence. This album presents Garrick in the most intimate (and my favorite) Jazz format – the piano trio – with Dave Green on bass and Trevor Tomkins on drums. Garrick, as usual, wrote all the music, which is sublime from start to finish. His playing is also absolutely marvelous, full of lyricism and humorous spark, virtuosity and inspiration. The rhythm section provides solid and sympathetic support at all times, and overall this is one of my favorite piano trio recordings ever. Garrick manages to concentrate his enormous abilities as a player and composer on this album, which was recorded at a peak of his 1970s activity (the album “Home Stretch Blues” was recorded at the same session). There is nothing more that needs to be said here except that if you don’t own this album, you have a huge gap in your musical education. Essential!

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Today’s addition is the next album by one of my all time favorite British musicians Michael Garrick and the last of his reissues on the Vocalion label:

The love affair between the two Art Forms: Poetry and Jazz goes back to the late 1950s, when American writers / poets of the Beat Generation (Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and others) discovered the “intellectual proximity” between their writing and the process of creating Jazz music, as represented by the founding Fathers of Bee Bop (Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and others). However, although the poets were frequent patrons of the burgeoning NY Jazz club scene, actual poetry readings combined with Jazz performances were pretty rare and sporadic. Only when the Poetry and Jazz concept crossed over the Atlantic to Britain (and later the rest of Europe) the movement reached a full swing and enjoyed immense popularity with the poets, musicians and the audiences. The intellectual crowds in London and the rest of Britain attended Poetry and Jazz concerts in huge numbers through the early and mid-1960s, but towards the end of the decade the enthusiasm diminished. British poet Jeremy Robson and pianist / composer Michael Garrick were largely responsible for the movement’s popularity. Garrick, a graduate in English Literature, had a great sensitivity to the literary works and managed to compose music, which suited the words perfectly. This album, released originally in 1964 as two separate LPs (Vol.1 & 2) documents a typical Jazz and Poetry concert. Recorded “live” in a studio, the applause and the audience’s reaction to the poetry faithfully reproduce the atmosphere of a performance hall. The Jazz quintet (Garrick – piano, Joe Harriott – sax, Shake Keane – trumpet, John Taylor – bass and Colin Barnes – drums) provides the music and four poets (Adrian Mitchell, Dannie Abse, Jeremy Robson and Laurie Lee) read their poems, creating a wonderfully intellectual encounter, where the sum of the two Arts is actually better than their individual contribution. This new addition adds an ultra-rare EP of Jazz and Poetry recorded a couple of years later, featuring the Michael Garrick quintet (with Ian Carr – trumpet and Coleridge Goode – bass replacing their respective counterparts in the earlier quintet) and Jeremy Robson, called “Before Night/Day”. This is a timeless masterpiece and an everlasting food for sensitive souls – brilliant!

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Today’s addition is the next album on the fabulous Vocalion label:

Trumpeter / violinist / composer Henry Lowther was one of the busiest and most sought after musicians on the British scene in the late 1960s and 1970s. His virtuosity and versatility resulted in him being a member in many groups (often simultaneously) and in different musical environments like Rock (Manfred Mann), Jazz-Rock (Keef Hartley), Blues (John Mayall) and Jazz (Michael Gibbs, Mike Westbrook, Michael Garrick) as well as participating in hundreds of recordings as a session musician. This album is his debut recording as a leader of his own quintet, which includes some of the best young and up-coming British Jazz musicians at the time: Tony Roberts – sax, Mike McNaught – electric piano, Daryl Runswick – bass and Mike Travis – drums. Two additional musicians: Jimmy Jewell – sax and Neil Slaven – percussion also take part in the recording. The music, all composed by Lowther, is a splendid example of the European modern Jazz, which is both melodic and adventurous at the same time. The performances are all spotless and the music flows beautifully, leaving the listener wishing for more when the album is over. Overall the album stands the test of time with flying colors and I can wholeheartedly recommend it every Jazz buff, but of course especially to people partial to the British Jazz scene. Great stuff!

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Today’s addition is the next album on the fabulous Vocalion label:

Guitarist / composer Ray Russell has been active on the British Jazz and Fusion scene for the last five decades and has always been considered as a first class musician. Most of his recorded output belongs to the Fusion movement and he can be certainly considered as one of the genre’s pioneers. In the early and mid-1960s Russell was a member of the Graham Bond Organization and Georgie Fame’s backing band Blue Flames, two outfits that were among the first to combine Rhythm and Blues with Jazz. By the end of the 1960s Russell started to lead his own groups and record with them, although in parallel he participated in numerous recordings in his capacity as a studio musician. He was also a founding member of the excellent Rock Workshop ensemble and later of RMS. This album presents Russell’s debut album as a leader and is quite different from most of his recorded output, as it is closer to straightforward Jazz then anything else he recorded. Accompanied by three excellent young musicians: Roy Fry – piano, Ron Mathewson – bass and Alan Rushton – drums, the quartet plays some fabulous music, composed mostly by Russell (two standards are also included). Russell’s guitar tone, completely devoid of any electronic devices so popular at the time, sounds more like classic guitar work by Grant Green or Barney Kessel, but with a harder edge and more attack. Overall this is a great document of the era and of Russell’s musical legacy, which stands the test of time beautifully. Great fun and recommended listening!

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Today’s addition is the next album on the fabulous Vocalion label:

The short-lived Jazz-Rock Fusion group Mirage is an excellent example of the incredible high level of music created in Britain in the 1970s. Co-led by two great instrumentalist and composers: saxophonist George Khan and guitarist Brian Godding, they managed to record just one album, which was originally released on the obscure, but visionary Norwegian Compendium label (along with some other superb albums), which unfortunately folded shortly after this album was released. The group also included bassist Steve Cook and drummer Dave Sheen on permanent basis, but was often expanded to a sextet with the addition of Geoff Castle on keyboards and John Mitchell on percussion. The group played music composed by Khan and Godding, which was a typical British Fusion, somewhat similar to what the many Canterbury groups (Hatfield And The North, National Health) were doing at the time, with strong melodic lines and lengthy improvisations. Godding was of course one of the best British guitarists, sadly much under-appreciated and respected mostly among his peers. This most welcome reissue expands the original album by adding two long jam-like tracks recorded live, which give an excellent glimpse as to how the group (in its sextet form) sounded on stage. Brilliant stuff, from start to finish and a must to all Fusion-heads.

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