Solid Records: MPS & More
Globe Unity
December 1966, a month after the premiere at the Berlin Philharmonie: Alexander von Schlippenbach's Globe Unity, fourteen players, Brötzmann, Schoof, Hampel, Mangelsdorff, Dudek, Breuker, Kowald, Niebergall, Liebezeit, Neumeier. Two pieces, Globe Unity and Sun. European free jazz declaring itself.
The Oimels
Two years after Free Action, a different record. The Oimels, MPS 1969, is the Wolfgang Dauner Quintet playing pop: Dauner on piano, organ and voice, Eberhard Weber on bass, cello and voice, Siegfried Schwab on guitar and sitar, Pierre Cavalli on guitar, and Roland Wittich on drums and voice, who also did the cover art with Dauner.
The programme mixes Dauner originals with a Gershwin tune, a traditional, and a Lennon-McCartney song. A RateYourMusic listener puts it plainly: a different kind of ja…
Evolution
*2024 stock* "This release Shintaro Quintet’s private press release ‘Evolution’. It’s another well-chosen release that comes with superb packaging, high sound quality and some interesting sleeve notes which give a fascinating in-depth insight into the music and the musicians in Japan within the specified time period.
Recorded in New York, the one-off recording by bassist Shintaro Nakamura and his quintet features the brilliant trumpeter Shunzo Ohno, who has played on many of the quintessential J…
Jodo
*2023 stock* Takehiro Honda joins forces with Reggie Workman on bass and Motohiko Hino on drums in this outstanding trio session. The album showcases a freer side of Honda, exploring open and lyrical modes that were gaining prominence in Japan during that period. Despite the freedom, a strong rhythmic sense prevails. While one track features Honda on electric piano, the acoustic numbers stand out with a proud and righteous energy.
In Memory Of
Trumpet superstar Chet Baker recorded a session with Archie Shepp in 1988, an unexpected collaboration given their different styles. At the time of the event, Shepp had adopted a more traditional approach, yet still retained an appreciation for the contemporary elements that characterized his earlier creations. Meanwhile, Chet had embraced a more modern style in his music, which differed significantly from Archie's direction, partly due to the physical transformations Baker had experienced. The …
Seeking Blue
The second in the Masaru Imada reissue series that jazz collectors all over the world have been eagerly awaiting! This is a tour de force of Imada's hard bop style, featuring Shigeharu Mukai on trombone and Seiichi Nakamura on saxophone. All songs are Imada's own original numbers, and he also demonstrates his true potential as a melody-maker.
Trinity
*2024 stock* Enja has released the live recordings of Masahiko Sato, one of the most famous pianists in Japan, at a broadcasting station in Germany in 1971, and this is a rare item that has only been released on CD once in the past in 1992.The performance by Sato, who came to Munich in 1971 at the invitation of Horst Weber of Enja, Peter Warren on bass, and Pierre Fabre on drums is truly a triumvirate of greatness!
Yogi Jazz
*2023 repress* Tremendous early work from German saxophonist Joki Freund a player who would go onto much greater fame in the progressive years at the end of the 60s, but who already sounds plenty darn great on this early combo side from 1963! The style of the work is incredibly hip with a definite John Coltrane modal groove in place, but also a sense of globally conscious jazz that's very much in the spirit of classic Saba/MPS work, but which predates most of that by a number of years! Freund pl…
Cool Dogs & Two Oranges
An incredible early German bop session! In the 1950s, pianist Jutta Hipp recorded straighter sides for Blue Note in the US, but this first album features her with German contemporaries Joki Freund on tenor sax and Emil Mangelsdorff on alto, creating a dark, sharper sound than expected! Hipp leads, but Mangelsdorff and Freund's horn interaction on several song intros, slashing back and forth like a double-edged blade and then bursting forth into lovely compact solos, makes the record sparkle.
Blue Eyes
Reissue of Masaru Imada Trio's Blue Eyes. Originally issued on Yupiteru Records YJ25-7029. Recorded on June 25 and 27, 1979. Comes in mini LP replica with obi, four page booklet in Japanese
Piko + 3
The second in the Masaru Imada reissue series that jazz collectors all over the world have been eagerly awaiting! A solo piano album that allows you to fully enjoy the beautiful tone and fluid touch of jazz piano poet Masaru Imada. The album features Imada's signature tune 'Pico', as well as 'Sum Time A Go', which was also performed by Chick Corea.
Swinging Macedonia
"Mal Waldron's piano, exotic ensemble and sweltering pets. This is the definitive melancholy jazz album! Long-awaited reissue at mid-price of this masterpiece from the peak of Balkan treasure Dusko Goykovich's career! This is an unquestionably treasured album full of great songs and performances, including Nicolas Conte's cover of 1 and 9 from "Tatsuo Sunaga's Night Jazz", and it has been restored in its original German Philips jacket!
It is no exaggeration to say that "Swingin' Macedonia" is th…
Appleton Syntonic Menagerie
Tip! *2024 stock* Jon Appleton, born in Hollywood (1939) but mainly active in New York, was one of the pioneers of electronic music. His work on Syntonic Menagerie (Flying Dutchman, 1969), and Human Music (Flying Dutchman, 1970), with Don Cherry, introduced electronic instruments to a wider audience.
Enraku's Playboy Chapter 12 - The Playboy's Manual
*Limited Edition* This late '60s Japanese "Playboy Manual" features a sexy cover and a unique format. Each track begins with Japanese spoken segments from Norio Maeda, possibly on seduction, followed by groovy instrumental music. The blend of jazz and easy modes, with romping piano, blasting horns, and mod rhythms, makes it a stylish and lively record.
Tension
This rare 1963 recording showcases the incredible early work of German trombonist Albert Mangelsdorff and his quintet. Featuring Heinz Sauer on tenor saxophone, Gunter Kronberg on alto saxophone, Gunter Lenz on bass, and Ralf Hubner on drums, the ensemble creates a groundbreaking modernist groove comparable to the innovations of Ornette Coleman and Joe Harriott. The absence of piano and the three-horn frontline contribute to a bracing and powerful sound, striking a dynamic balance between freedo…
Revolutionary Ensemble
*2024 stock* Recorded live in Australia in 1977 by the Revolutionary Ensemble, the famous loft jazz unit formed by violinist Leroy Jenkins, bassist Sirone, and drummer Jerome Cooper. This is the only Enya disc by these three exciting and unique members of the New York loft scene!
Air Above Mountains (Buildings Within)
*2024 stock* A solo performance by Cecil Taylor at the peak of his powers at a jazz festival in Austria in 1976. The insane keyboard rampaging that he performed with devilish concentration is only possible with the genius Taylor, who has reached a height that no one else can reach! This is the Cecil Taylor of the 70's!
Dark To Themselves
*2024 stock* Dark to Themselves is a live album by Cecil Taylor recorded at the Ljubljana Jazz Festival, Yugoslavia, on June 18, 1976, and released on the Enja label. The album features Taylor on piano with alto saxophonist Jimmy Lyons, tenor saxophonist David S. Ware, trumpeter Raphe Malik, and drummer Marc Edwards. (The album documents the only occasion on which Ware and Edwards recorded with Taylor.) The original LP release presented the music in edited form, while the CD reissue contains the…
Farewell My Johnny
*2023 stock* The first album by the Teru Sakamoto Trio, whose beautifully lyrical piano music has enjoyed exceptionally long sales. This is a new standard work of Japanese jazz that is highly acclaimed even overseas.
Jazz A Maison De Japon, Paris
*Limited Edition* Embark on a wonderful French journey with the Japanese duo of saxophonist Mototeru Takagi and pianist Takashi Kako, accompanied by the exceptional Kent Carter on bass and cello, along with Ron Pittner on drums and percussion. This performance showcases Takagi and Kako in a slightly different light, possibly influenced by the Paris ambiance. While their creativity remains modern and distinctive, there's a nuanced sentimentality in their playing, evoking a special undercurrent th…