Jump to content

cds23

Members
  • Posts

    14
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Donations

    0.00 USD 

Profile Information

  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    Aachen, Germany

Recent Profile Visitors

The recent visitors block is disabled and is not being shown to other users.

cds23's Achievements

Newbie

Newbie (1/14)

  1. FULL MOON ENSEMBLE | CROWDED WITH LONELINESS | BCS_AKT | 1970 | FIRST FRENCH STEREO PRESSING S_64267 LP Intense Free Spiritual Jazz LP by the Full Moon Ensemble, a group led by Claude Delcloo (founder of BYG/Actuel) and members of Dharma Quintet and Cohelmec. On the first side, a young french vocalist named "Sarah", recites poems by Bob Kaufman (in french, though). I couldn't gather much more information about this young woman except that she contributed vocals on two albums of the Avantgarde combo Théâtre du Chêne Noir d'Avignon. Overall this LP is album is quite melodic, especially on "Sambia Miaou" (probably the melody that made this album so collectible), and covers a wide range of facets of "Free Jazz" (with great guitar playing in the vein of Sonny Sharrock). I know Delcloo wasn't and still isn't considered a great drummer, but I dig his sound on this LP. This was reissued on CD and LP by Superfly around 2013 and should still be available.
  2. THE JOE MCPHEE QUARTET | UNDERGROUND RAILROAD | CJR | 1969 | US FIRST STEREO PRESSING CJR_1 LP "Underground Railroad", Joe McPhee's debut as a leader, has nowhere near the cult following its successor from 1971 "Nation Time" (though just as rare with only 500 copies pressed at the time) could gather over the last fifty years. I'm not a music or jazz historian, but I guess the reason is simple: "Underground Railroad" isn't funky, it doesn't add soul elements to the mix nor are there any vocals. It is a late 60's Free Jazz record in the tradition of those first privately pressed Loft Jazz recordings, especially Clifford Thorntons "Freedom And Unity" coming to mind (on which McPhee had an apperance on one track, by the way), sounding pretty dry and more focused on building up tension than creating a certain sound. Speaking of sound, this record is a bit distant (but still very visceral) sounding, but by design, since it was recorded in a monastery (though not before an audience, as far as I know). Standout track is "Harriet", which sounds as if the Quartet was taking a break from the heavy percussive 23 minute opener occupying the entire A-side. Almost meditative and with really great solos, love the vibes and don't miss the drums at all (both of which is rare). This album has been reissued both on LP and CD, the latter including a ton of bonus material (a previously unreleased concert before at the same location), all spread over two CDs.
  3. MARION BROWN | MUSIQUE DU FILM DE MARCEL CAMUS _ LE TEMPS FOU | POLYDOR_PRIVILEGE | 1969 |FRENCH FIRST STEREO PRESSING 658 142 LP Marion Brown's rarest record and one of his finest is a soundtrack for Marcel Camus' film "Le Temps Fou" ("Crazy Time" or "Crazy Weather"). The music heard on this record is mostly free improvised Jazz, but on one track, "Boat Rock", Brown unleashes a Free Funk monster that should have made him a rich man were we living in a just world, except we're not. Can't get enough of this music and the gorgeous cover, which is as psychedelic as a Jazz cover probably gets, but in my list of favourite Marion Brown albums, his debut still ranks on first place. This has recently been reissued by "Le Très Jazz Club" from France with original artwork (even used a flipback construction as found on the original pressing) and from what I read it also sounds good.
  4. PHAROAH SANDERS | IZIPHO ZAM_MY GIFTS | STRATA_EAST | 1969 | US PROMO STEREO PRESSING SES_19733 LP Need some distraction from all the flood, destruction and clearing work in my hometown, so I decided to work on some pictures of a record I admittedly took some time getting into; I was kinda turned off by the 28 minutes behemoth of a track on Side B. But repeated listening paid off; the standout track on this album is "Balance", a phenomenal spiritual jazz monster with extremely cool and menacing tuba sounds from Howard Johnson. The line-up is pretty much the best you could hope for, with two of my favourite bassists (McBee and Sirone) and Sonny Sharrock on guitar. "Prince of Peace", later re-recorded for "Jewels of Thought" (on Impulse) as "Um-Allah" is quite raw and less accessible than the later version, but if I had to choose between both, I'd take this one, just for the exceptional playing by the rhythm section by the end of the track. [MEDIA=youtube]tIR6Z7aIeuo[/MEDIA]
  5. GATO BARBIERI | IN SEARCH OF THE MYSTERY | ESP_DISK | 1967 | US TEST PRESSING AND FIRST STEREO PRESSING ESP_1049 LP
  6. TED CURSON & CO | ODE TO BOOKER ERVIN | EMI_COLUMBIA | 1970 | FINNISH FIRST WHITE LABEL TEST PRESSING 5E 062_34201 LP If I'm not mistaken, this should be the first recording led by Ted Curson which makes use of an electric piano. The result is more accessible than his two albums released Fontana, the second of which ("Urge", with Booker Ervin) was actually quite heavy and even more "out there" than his first Fontana outing "Tears for Dolphy". So this is the second album by Curson moaning the untimely death of a fellow musician he (obviously) cared a lot for. A very nice album with the strongest tracks coming from Penti Hiettanen. My copy is a test pressing with signatures of all band members on the inner sleeve. No Cover, but hey, who would complain finding this rare bird knowing that even regular pressings are scarce?
  7. THE SPONTANEOUS MUSIC ENSEMBLE | KARYŌBIN ARE THE IMAGINARY BIRDS SAID TO LIVE IN PARADISE | ISLAND RECORDS_HEXAGRAM | UK FIRST STEREO PRESSING ILPS_9079_60 LP My first foray into Free Improvised (Jazz) Music. I knew almost all of the players before but mostly from collaborations with german musicians (Peter Brötzmann, Manfred Schoof). The music is highly inspirational and though completely improvised, doesn't need that much listening to get into. I can't get enough of Dennis Bailey's guitar and John Steven's cymbal work, the sounds they create are out of this world yet still make "sense" in their microcosm. This album is finally available on CD again; the first digital reissue from the UK (from what I've read) didn't sound so good and was prohibitively expensive. The latest CD edition was remastered from the original master tapes and should sound better than any other version. This is a first UK pressing LP and the sound is very nice and detailed; my guess is it's unplayed or maybe once or twice at best. My favourite record dealer had it for some time but I had to prioritize other records before finally taking the plunge. Anyway, I am extremely glad to add this to my collection.
  8. THE SPONTANEOUS MUSIC ENSEMBLE | KARYŌBIN ARE THE IMAGINARY BIRDS SAID TO LIVE IN PARADISE | ISLAND RECORDS_HEXAGRAM | UK FIRST STEREO PRESSING ILPS_9079_60 LP My first foray into Free Improvised (Jazz) Music. I knew almost all of the players before but mostly from collaborations with german musicians (Peter Brötzmann, Manfred Schoof). The music is highly inspirational and though completely improvised, doesn't need that much listening to get into. I can't get enough of Dennis Bailey's guitar and John Steven's cymbal work, the sounds they create are out of this world yet still make "sense" in their microcosm. This album is finally available on CD again; the first digital reissue from the UK (from what I've read) didn't sound so good and was prohibitively expensive. The latest CD edition was remastered from the original master tapes and should sound better than any other version. This is a first UK pressing LP and the sound is very nice and detailed; my guess is it's unplayed or maybe once or twice at best. My favourite record dealer had it for some time but I had to prioritize other records before finally taking the plunge. Anyway, I am extremely glad to add this to my collection.
  9. WENDELL HARRISON | AN EVENING WITH THE DEVIL | TRIBE RECORDS | 1972 | FIRST US STEREO PRESSING PRSD_2212 LP "An Evening With The Devil" is the second album on the Tribe Record label from Detroit. I think it is worth mentioning that this album formerly represented the first side of "A Message From The Tribe", before Harrison and Phil Ranelin decided that it had to be a seperate album. Harrison recorded new tracks for "A Message From The Tribe" which now represent Side B on the version with the famous globe cover (while Ranelin's tracks, which on the initial release found on Side B, now went to Side A). For an "Evening With The Devil", which now had to fill an entire 12" LP, Harrison recorded a new introduction to "Angry Young Man" and the short tracks titled "Consciousness" and "Rebirth" (the album now clocking in at a little over 27 minutes). This album, while immediately recognizable as a Tribe record, contains a few more Avantgarde elements and overall presents a little less accessible than other records from this label. Unfortunately my copy has no Side B label, but the width of the tracks clearly indicate which side is which. Also, it was signed by Wendell Harrison on the front, so this copy is quite unique. While my copy is extremely clean, it is obvious that it was pressed on recycled vinyl - in fact, the only Tribe record (of the ones I own in their original form) that seems to have had at least some virgin vinyl in it is "Gemini II" by Marcus Belgrave. It is not ESP-Disk level noisy and the music plays loud and clear, but it is noticeable in in the run ins- and outs of course. I'm sure the latest reissue on Now-Again/VMP, mastered from the original mastertapes, will have much quieter surfaces, but it seems as if they won't ever sell those individually (I hope I'm wrong, though). I can't vouch for it, but the digital download on Bandcamp seem to have been remixed, at least the balancing sounds quite different from the original LP (we know for a fact that Phil Ranelin's "The Time Is Now!" and "Vibes From The Tribe" have been remixed from the multitracks). I added an essay by Andy Thomas who puts some perspective on the creation of this album. I would also like to direct you to Bill Hart's very informative interview with Wendell Harrison on TheVinylPress.
  10. CHARLES TYLER ENSEMBLE | VOYAGE FROM JERICHO | AK-BA | 1974 | US FIRST STEREO PRESSING AK_1000 LP The first album on Tyler‘s privately run AK-BA label (home to the legendary „Alabama Feeling“ by Arthur Doyle). A shockingly accessible Free Jazz record (often referred to as Free Bob), with the two irresistible modal tracks „Return To The East“ and „Surf Ravin“. This is no overly cacophonous record. In fact, the reeds sound almost mixed slightly into the background compared to the rhythm section, which, in my opinion, is the real star on this record. Ronnie Boykins on bass and Steve Reid on drums must have had a great day, because their performance is stellar: Boykins has great technique, a „big“ and almost dry as bone sound, with a very unique approach to creating a groove. Reid sounds less funky here than on his own albums (Mustevic), but his beat is extremely forceful and there is that unconventional quality to his playing that’s hard to put into words as a non-musician, but it is immediately obvious once you listen to him. But to avoid any misunderstanding: Tyler, Cross and Blythe sound absolutely great and deserve highest praise. But I feel that this record benefits most from Boykins‘ and Reid‘s contribution. What‘s nice about this cover – and quite uncommon for the 70‘s – is that they used a letter press for the back cover and also for the front (the cat.no.). Tyler's head was silk-screened. I tried to capture the indentations, which can be felt with a fingernail, with my camera. Just love the fact that so much effort and passion went into creating this excellent album.
  11. Could be the best Horace Silver - this or Tokyo Blues...any, great record! Agreed on the quality. I usually prefer 33rpm to 45rpm for convenience, but the sound on this one is really nice.
  12. THE LLOYD MCNEILL QUARTET | WASHINGTON SUITE | ASHA | 1970 | US FIRST STEREO PRESSING ASHA_3 LP This album, of course, is a favourite of many Soul and Fusion Jazz aficionados and doesn't require much introduction. I feel the greatest achievement of this album is how it turned even the most ardent of flute-haters into flute enthusiasts. The recording, the perfect control of all instruments used and the arrangements make this one of my desert island records. When I first listened to this original pressing I was shocked by how different it sounded compared to the Soul Jazz / Universal Sounds reissue (available on CD and LP). I couldn't put my finger on it right away; at first I thought the transfer used for the reissue (sadly, no master tapes exist anymore, so all reissues were cut from a needle drop) lacked bass. But then I realized the original is much slower than the reissue. "Home Rule" for example, clocks in at 6:25 minutes - on the Soul Jazz LP and CD, this track merely lasts 6:00. Same goes for all other tracks, which are between 20 and 35 seconds faster on the reissue. Overall, the original is about 2 minutes slower - believe me, you don't need perfect pitch hearing to hear that. I guess either the turntable used by Soul Jazz for the vinyl transfer wasn't properly set up or the pitch got accidentally changed during digital mastering. Anyway, I'm curious to hear/read how obvious the difference in pitch is to you (if you don’t have any version of this album yet, you can find it on Spotify, which is the Soul Jazz version - compare that to the youtube uploads which were done from a different transfer without speed issues). I had to laugh when I thought about how much trouble mastering engineers went to reset pitch on "Kind of Blue", which was maybe 1% too fast on the original six-eye pressing compared to the three track tapes; here you have a reissue that is about 5% too fast or more and nobody even noticed before releasing it.
  13. JOE HENDERSON | PAGE ONE | BLUE NOTE | 1963 | US THIRD STEREO PRESSING BN_8140 LP Not a very first pressing - those have become ridiculously expensive over the last few years, but a a nice RVG mastered edition with Liberty labels (probably second or third, from 1966-67) and original laminated cover with letter pressed liner notes (which came in shrink; I usually don't remove the shrink wrap, but for those laminated Blue Note covers, I didn't want to have yet another layer of plastic (beneath the obligatory protective sleeve) obscuring this wonderful artwork). Not sure what my favourite Blue Note Album from Joe Henderson is. As much as I like "Page One", it is not his best, in my humble opinion. I always felt that "Mode For Joe" and "Inner Urge" represented his strongest efforts. And even those don't quite reach the quality of "Power to the People" on Milestone.
  14. Hi, this is my first post on this forum and I thought I'd start with a post of detailed pictures I've done of one of my favourite records: CALVIN KEYS | SHAWN_NEEQ | BLACK JAZZ | 1971 | US FIRST STEREO PRESSING BJ_5 LP "Shawn-Neeq" is Calvin Keys' debut album and, in my humble opinion, the best album from Black Jazz Records (and then some). It stands out for featuring Owen Marshall, a somewhat obscure but immensely talented musician who released a single album under his own name, "Captain Puff In The Naked Truth" (which is majestic by the way, still trying to get a a copy), on flute and his unique "hose-a-phone". The opener "B.E." and "Gee-Gee" are somewhat reminiscent, at least to me, of Lloyd McNeill's sound on "Washington Suite" (posted pictures of that one last week), maybe a tad more post-boppy but just as funky and groove-oriented. The closer "B.K." must the coolest track in Jazz history (okay, I may be pushing it a bit far, but I really do love this tune), the visceral punch of the drum kit and the electronics are just mind-boggling. I haven't written a single word about Keys's guitar playing, so (in layman words) I will put it like this: his technique is, as far as I am allowed to judge, impeccable, though it certainly won't let your jaw drop like when listening to Wes Montgomery. But, and that is most important to me, he has tremendous ideas and he executes without fault.
×
×
  • Create New...