Д.Д.

I have a couple of these B.free (or BE!, they have various logos on different releases) festival sets as well, still have to listen to them in full. Yes, they are bootlegs alright. There are no liner notes as such - just track listing (often incorrect) and personnel (mostly correct), lots of photos and reproductions of old press clippings (some quite entertaining). No Information about the label to be found anywhere on the release. At the same time, I can't say I have particular qualms about buying these sets because I am fully aware that it would have been impossible to release them (and these are 12-CD sets!) securing authorization of all the (dozens!) of musicians involved. Legal side of it all is probably quite convoluted anyway. The festival organizer, Karlheinz Klüter, arranged for the music to be professionally recorded. There should have been at least tacit approval of the musicians. Their performance fees probably included payment for recording (or it least in could plausibly be interpreted this way). The tapes were in legal possession of the festival producer, and he had some of the music released on LPs on his (presumably legit) label in the '70s and '80s: https://www.discogs.com/artist/624261 . He died 10 years ago and his son passed the tapes to B.free people (there is an acknowledgement in the booklet). So unauthorized - probably yes, illegal - not necessarily. Whatever, I am glad the music is available, there is some great stuff here. The German company behind BE! label was liquidated a few years back, by the way: https://www.northdata.de/BE!+Record+Productions+GmbH,+Bruchsal/Amtsgericht+Mannheim+HRB+717316

Yeah, this one is excellent. And that was a nice MPS reissue series in 2003. Zbiggy was a good player, a bit over the top, but so it goes with electric violin in jazz fusion context. b.free released seem to be indeed ...ahem... "unauthorized" - but they are unique and high quality stuff (if you ignore numerous mistakes in compositions' titles): Are these Japanese CDs on your shelf still sealed?

I think McHenry is a really outstanding tenor player of our times. I don't know these albums with Motian you mention (I can't stand Motian, I avoid records with him), but I like LA PEUR DU VIDE on Sunnyside, as well as this obscure record . And this one too: https://www.discogs.com/release/10479061-Richard-Andersson-6-Bill-McHenry-Jakob-Anderskov-RJ-Miller-Intuition .

Or reissued in Germany in 2003, should be still easy to find: https://www.discogs.com/release/1720925-Attila-Zoller-Hans-Koller-Martial-Solal-Zoller-Koller-Solal

Interesting that Zoh Amba has studied with David Murray, who, as far as I am concerned, is an epitome of a "simulacrum" player from the previous generation.

His own album "In the Idiom" is excellent: https://www.discogs.com/release/5445589-Randy-Brecker-In-The-Idiom

The Dragon album is available on Spotify (at least in Europe): I have this Dragon release and the Zurich TCB one, and they both sound really good to me, not sure I crave an upgrade.

Available at amazon as CD: On Spotify too:

As of this month, under pressure from major labels, Spotify introduced a new policy of no royalties paid for tracks that get less than 1000 streams per year (similar policy has been introduced by other streaming services as well). Less than 1000 streams per track per year - this probably covers 99% of the jazz and classical music (particularly the contemporary artists). I wonder if this would result in more artists / small labels abandoning Spotify and moving to bandcamp. Reading this news while listening to recent Miya Masaoka / Reggie Workman / Gerry Hemingway release on Spotify. What's the number of streams, you ask? 21 per month.

Yes

It's on Spotify:

Steve Beresford needs help: https://www.gofundme.com/f/musician-needs-a-hand

Chautemps!

Yeah, and there are probably tapes in the French broadcasters' vaults...

Daniel Humair - Surrounded 1964-1987. Saw Humair live a few weeks ago, and he was not playing well, unfortunately. The man is 85, after all - and it shows. Wanted to listen to him at his prime, and this compilation of various live recordings is an excellent showcase for a truly great (and I don't use this word lightly) jazz drummer.

Tabackin / Marsh duo, great great stuff.

Black fist arriving too late to save a drowing chairman?

Never heard of them. Will check out. These guys are my go-to polyphony fix:

Well, if you like .. ahem, jazz.. you might want to check out this one:

I thought "Free Form" was mostly lame hippie crap (I don't remember if there actually was tambourine there, but it very much felt like it), but "Angry Waves" is excellent. If anybody wants to buy my CD copy of "Free Form", let me know.

Yes, I was thinking the same earlier today when I was correcting one Discogs entry that had a lot of data wrong (including the album title!). The musicians should have some interest in how the record of their legacy is maintained online and Discogs, whether you like it or not, is the reference discography database.

Would you prefer a soprano saxophone?

You can go by catalog numbers. The series started with CDSOL-47901 and goes through CDSOL-47914 so far.

Well, these is a part of the Japanese Greatest Jazz of All Time series (oh those strikingly original Japanese series titles), which was inaugurated by the first-ever release of Sanders / Hicks Frankfurt concert . It was licensed through Timeless Records (a legit Dutch outfit) and sounded excellent. I am pretty sure the recordings were legally licensed directly from the broadcasters. Sanders / Hicks duo Vol. 2 is coming out this month too, btw.

I listened to it on Spotify, thanks for heads-up. I found the guitar, brass and electronics contributions totally unnecessary.