Jump to content

MPS / SABA - Favourites and Recommended


Rabshakeh

Recommended Posts

I think that there are a couple of threads about recent reissues of MPS and SABA material, but nothing concentrated on the labels themselves.

Surely some of the most interesting labels in terms of variety of output. They cover fusion, free jazz and straight bop, and often the strange bits in-between. Lots of records by both US and European artists.

So, what are your thoughts on the labels and what for you are the stand out releases on MPS and SABA? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 59
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

First thought, high prices for originals...cult label collector premium

Will be back with some other, hopefully more useful thoughts, about titles. Until then, a couple of absolute winners in my view 

Gunter Hampel Quintet - Heartplants 

Fats Sadi - Ensadinado 

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

MPS to me epitomizes 1970s jet set decadence.  It is perfect for fondue parties.  You can't go wrong with the wonderful Snowflakes compilation.  

Here is the amazing "Wave's Lament" by the Third Wave.

 

Francy Boland's "Claudia" would fit nicely on the Les Baxter/101 Strings classic iQue Mango!

 

Here is Horst Jankwoski's cover of "How Short is the Time for Love" by Jerry Van Rooyen, a tune worthy of Michel Legrand.

 

"Uptown Dance" by Nelson Riddle

 

Roland Kovac Trip to the Mars

 

George Shearing, "The World is a Ghetto."

 

Edited by Teasing the Korean
Link to comment
Share on other sites

41 minutes ago, Rooster_Ties said:

Got this lovely Michael Naura Quartet CD — Call (MPS, 1971) — in the mail a couple days ago…

AND, I almost stared a thread about MPS myself only just yesterday!

 

 

It was actually this record that made me think about starting this thread.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some of my favorites:

Albert Mangelsdorff Quartet – Never Let It End (MPS, 1970)
A superb group with Heinz Sauer (ts, as), Günter Lenz (b), and Ralf Hübner (d)

Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis & Johnny Griffin – Tough Tenors Again 'n' Again (MPS, 1970)
with the CBBB rhythm section: Boland, Jimmy Woode, and Klook

Eddy Louiss – Our Kind of Sabi (MPS, 1970)
with fellow Euro-all-stars John Surman and Daniel Humair

Attila Zoller/Masahiko Sato – A Path Through Haze (MPS, 1972)
A gorgeous record, not one false note

Joachim Kühn – This Way Out (MPS, 1973)
Kühn's group was perhaps inconsistent, but also pleasingly different, self-consciously European

Hannibal & the Sunrise Orchestra – Hannibal (MPS, 1975)
An under-recognized classic of 1970s jazz

John Handy & Ali Akbar Khan – Karuna Supreme (MPS, 1976)
A West-Meets-East pairing that actually works well

Martial Solal – Suite for Trio (MPS, 1978)
with NHØP & Daniel Humair; all of Solal's MPS recordings are terrific, but this is my desert-island pick

Joe Henderson – Mirror, Mirror (MPS, 1980)
with a dream rhythm section: Corea, RC, and Billy Higgins

Lee Konitz & Martial Solal – Duo: Live at the Berlin Jazz Days 1980 (MPS, 1982)
Pure improvisation -- and the finest of their many recorded collaborations, IMO

 

Edited by HutchFan
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some others that I like:

Association PC - Erna Morenta

Attila Zoller and Masahiko Sato - A Path Through Haze

Charlie Mariano - Helen 12 Trees

Rolf and Joachim Kuhn - Transfiguration 

Eddy Louis's - Our Kind of Sabi

George Duke - The Aura Will Prevail

Martial Solal - Nothing But Piano

Oscar Peterson - Walking the Line

Braxton, Hampel and Lee - Familie

Hannibal Marvin Peterson - Hannibal

John Tchicai - Afrodisiaca

Yosuke Yamashita - Chiasma

Kenny Clarke / Francy Boland Big Band - Sax No End

Smoke - Everything

Solal, Konitz, Scofield and Pedersen - Four Keys

Volker Kriegel - Spectrum

It is hard to think of any other label that could have released that range of records.

Edited by Rabshakeh
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, HutchFan said:

Some of my favorites:

Albert Mangelsdorff Quartet – Never Let It End (MPS, 1970)
A superb group with Heinz Sauer (ts, as), Günter Lenz (b), and Ralf Hübner (d)

Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis & Johnny Griffin – Tough Tenors Again 'n' Again (MPS, 1970)
with the CBBB rhythm section: Boland, Jimmy Woode, and Klook

Eddy Louiss – Our Kind of Sabi (MPS, 1970)
with fellow Euro-all-stars John Surman and Daniel Humair

Attila Zoller/Masahiko Sato – A Path Through Haze (MPS, 1972)
A gorgeous record, not one false note

Joachim Kühn – This Way Out (MPS, 1973)
Kühn's group was perhaps inconsistent, but also pleasingly different, self-consciously European

Hannibal & the Sunrise Orchestra – Hannibal (MPS, 1975)
An under-recognized classic of 1970s jazz

John Handy & Ali Akbar Khan – Karuna Supreme (MPS, 1976)
A West-Meets-East pairing that actually works well

Martial Solal – Suite for Trio (MPS, 1978)
with NHØP & Daniel Humair; all of Solal's MPS recordings are terrific, but this is my desert-island pick

Joe Henderson – Mirror, Mirror (MPS, 1980)
with a dream rhythm section: Corea, RC, and Billy Higgins

Lee Konitz & Martial Solal – Duo: Live at the Berlin Jazz Days 1980 (MPS, 1982)
Pure improvisation -- and the finest of their many recorded collaborations, IMO

We picked a few matches. Some others I will definitely look into.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 minutes ago, Rabshakeh said:

It was actually this record that made me think about starting this thread.

Coincidence or Synchronicity?  ;) 

 

1 minute ago, Rabshakeh said:

We picked a few matches. Some others I will definitely look into.

Likewise!  :tup 

 

Edited by HutchFan
Link to comment
Share on other sites

40 minutes ago, Rabshakeh said:

It is hard to think of any other label that could have released that range of records.

Very true.  Also, it probably only could have happened in the 1970s, when jazz was in a state of upheaval.  Everything was in flux.

 

Edited by HutchFan
Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 minutes ago, HutchFan said:

Coincidence or Synchronicity?  ;) 

It was definitely that Michael Naura Quartet date that was making me think of starting a similar thread barely 8 hrs before this one appeared (and I might well have done so myself today!) — so my vote goes for synchronicity!! :g

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Teasing the Korean said:

MPS to me epitomizes 1970s jet set decadence.  It is perfect for fondue parties.  

TtK -- Even if I don't always have affinity with your musical choices, I LOVE how differently you mine the MPS catalog.  :tup 

Recontextualization, different ways of "making sense" of things.  Right on!

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lester Bowie – Gittin’ To Know Y’all

Don Cherry - Eternal Rhythm

Dizzy Gillespie – Reunion Big Band

Griff & Jaws – Tough Tenors

Friedrich Gulda – Music for 4 Soloists and Band No. 1

Zoller, Konitz, Mangelsdorff – ZO-KO-MA

Albert Mangelsdorff – And His Friends

Oscar Peterson – My Favorite Instrument

George Russell – At Beethoven Hall

Archie Shepp – Life At The Donaueschingen Festival

Cecil Taylor – Fly! Fly! Fly! Fly! Fly!

Cecil Taylor – Live In The Black Forest

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Rabshakeh said:

Some others that I like:

Association PC - Erna Morenta

Attila Zoller and Masahiko Sato - A Path Through Haze

Charlie Mariano - Helen 12 Trees

Rolf and Joachim Kuhn - Transfiguration 

Eddy Louis's - Our Kind of Sabi

George Duke - The Aura Will Prevail

Martial Solal - Nothing But Piano

Oscar Peterson - Walking the Line

Braxton, Hampel and Lee - Familie

Hannibal Marvin Peterson - Hannibal

John Tchicai - Afrodisiaca

Yosuke Yamashita - Chiasma

Kenny Clarke / Francy Boland Big Band - Sax No End

Smoke - Everything

Solal, Konitz, Scofield and Pedersen - Four Keys

Volker Kriegel - Spectrum

It is hard to think of any other label that could have released that range of records.

A good number I really rate too. Love to hear that Smoke album, I really rate their other one

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kenny Clarke/ Francy Boland Big Band - All Blues / Sax No End

Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis / Johnny Griffin Quintet - Tough Tenors

Dexter Gordon & Slide Hampton - A Day In Copenhagen

Hampton Hawes - Hamp's Piano

Hank Jones Trio - Have You Met This Jones?

James Moody / Al Cohn - Too Heavy For Words

Oscar Peterson Trio - Tristeza on Piano

Oscar Peterson (with Milt Jackson) - Reunion Blues  

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No love for either of the Red Garland records? Even the one with Jimmy Heath?

Nobody's best work, but they are "important" gap fillers (not sealers) in the chronology, and also document the reciprocal arrangement that Don Schlitten/Prestige had with the label.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Surprised nobody has mentioned the two Nathan Davis and two Benny Bailey SABAs. For me those are crucial. Here are some more I enjoy.

Barney Wilen - Auto Jazz, Dear Prof. Leary

Irène Schweizer Trio/Manfred Schoof/Barney Wilen/Dewan Motihar Trio - Jazz Meets India

Jef Gilson - New Call From France

Joachim Kühn Trio - Bold Music

Rolf Kühn/Phil Woods - The Day After 

Rolf Kühn - Devil in Paradise

New Jazz Trio - Page One & Page Two

Steve Kuhn - Watch What Happens

Pedro Iturralde/Paco De Lucia - Jazz Flamenco

Wolfgang Dauner - Free Actions

Dusko Goykovic - As Simple As It Is

George Gruntz - Noon In Tunisia (though there are perhaps better versions of Maghreb Suite out there)

Hideo Shiraki Quintet - In Berlin: Japan Meets Jazz 

Enrico Rava - Katcharpari

Hans Koller - Relax With My Horns

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not to forget John Taylor ‘Decipher’ and Art Farmer/Jimmy Heath ‘From Vienna With Art’. Or Freddie Hubbard ‘Hub of Hubbard’.

Oh - and Francy Boland ‘Flirt and Dream’ and Fats Sadi ‘Ensadinado’.

3 hours ago, clifford_thornton said:

Barney Wilen - Auto Jazz

Still trying to get my head round that one !

Edited by sidewinder
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, Decipher is a great one too -- I do have that LP. Can't think of too many MPS/SABA records that are actual stinkers, to be honest.

Auto Jazz is rad. He actually was field recording the race in which the accident happened. IIRC, the group later performed in museums with this soundtrack and visual accompaniment. Sort of a more grim "free jazz" exploding plastic inevitable, I guess?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

×
×
  • Create New...