Thursday, February 26, 2015

GANELIN / TARASOV / CHEKASIN – Con Anima (LP-1977)




Label: Мелодия ‎– C60-07361-2
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album / Country: USSR / Released: 1977
Style: Free Jazz, Contemporary Jazz, Free Improvisation
The track "Džiazo Kontrastai" is divided in two parts. Recorded in 1976.
Painting – E. Cukermanas
Photography By – G. Talas
Recorded By – Vilius Kondrotas


A - Džiazo Kontrastai, Con Anima (Part 1) . . . . . . . . . . 19:52
B - Džiazo Kontrastai (Pabaiga), Con Anima (Part 2) . . . . . . . . . . 20:50

Vyacheslav Ganelin – piano, keyboards [basset]
Vladimir Chekasin – alto sax, tenor sax, clarinet, chalumeau
Vladimir Tarasov – drums, percussion


In 1968, Ganelin formed a trio with percussionist Vladimir Tarasov and saxophonist Vladimir Rezitsky. Rezitsky left the trio in 1971, and was replaced with Vladimir Chekasin. The trio, called Ganelin Trio or GTCh, combined free jazz with elements of folk and classic music. It achieved critical acclaim in Soviet Union and abroad.

This line-up was solidified in 1971 and blew minds for a couple of decades. They started releasing albums - pretty much all of them live - in the late '70s for Russian emigre Leo Feigin's Leo Records imprint, and began to play jazz festivals in western Europe. Jazz critics worth a bean hailed them as the best free jazz group in the world. They might a been right.

In 1976 the trio performed at the Warsaw Jazz Jamboree. The same year, its first album, Con anima, was released...

The 1980 performance at the Berlin Jazz Festival was described by Joachim-Ernst Berendt "the wildest and yet the best organized and most professional free jazz I've heard in years".
In 1984, the trio toured in the UK, and in 1986, in the US...

The Ganelin Trio sounding like a basement-dwelling eastern European version of the Art Ensemble Of Chicago. There's some truth in that - the use of "small" and unconventional instrumenets in the mix, for one - but whereas the AEOC looked towards Africa for inspiration, Ganelin Trio are pure Euro avant-garde, mixing up folk melodies, Russophilian classical motifs (I doubt that's even a word...), hard-arsed improv of the FMP/Incus school and a real swing, the kind of momentum you only get from players who really understand jazz and that it's supposed to move.
Ganelin even plays synth and electric keys on occasion, and it absolutely works within the music. Chekasin's sax work closely resembles Ornette's late '60s/early '70s playing - high-energy blasts which rarely delve into Ayleresque screech territory - and Tarasov's percussive experiments are totally engaging in their use of all manner of kitchen-sink materials. Engaging is exactly what this music is. It never stays in the same place for too long, and the manner in which it combines what sound like familiar melodies w/ hot-wired improv is the stuff of the gods.

The music of the Ganelin Trio is something which should be known far and wide, certainly outside of its contemporary listenership of Wire readers and hopeless jazz nerds (both spectrums of which cover me adequately, thanks). You don't wanna miss this boat: they're totally worth it. Vyacheslav is still musically active today, making vital sounds 30-40 years later.



If you find it, buy this album!

15 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    Replies
    1. GANELIN, TARASOV, CHEKASIN - Con Anima (LP-1977)
      Vinyl Rip-FLAC+Artwork (442.77 MB)

      1fichier:
      https://1fichier.com/?gou6wifl386d9fw3nca7

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  2. I think I got my vinyl copy of this at the legendary "Unterm Durchschnitt" around 1980. Long gone, this store. Thanks for the fine rip, Vitko!

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  3. Hi Vitko,
    I have to say you're managing a big thing, but it's a pity that all the packupload-,sendspace-,firedrive- and gamefront-posts are not working. I would love to help you to change that.
    Greetings from Hamburg,
    Peter

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    Replies
    1. Hi Peter,

      unfortunately it is always so. The old links one day stop working. A lot of things I renewed, see: NEW LINKS FOR OLD POSTS
      (http://differentperspectivesinmyroom.blogspot.com/2014/10/new-links-for-old-posts.html#comment-form).
      The rest is certainly more of that and requires a lot of time.

      You can use this address: differentper@gmail.com
      Write what you propose to do.

      Regards. V

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  4. Thanks! Loved these guys since the days of tracking down their rare LPs in the 80s.

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  5. The only music I have by this trio is their performance at the 2004 London Jazz Festival.....I hadn't listened to it since recording it at the time from BBC radio, but today played it to see if I could manage one piece lasting 40 minutes without getting bored or straying off to do something else!! Having enjoyed this slab of freer jazz than I would generally listen to, I came back here to download your two vinyl rips! Thanks for the chance to explore further, Vitko.....I know you don't post live radio recordings here as such, but do you want a link to post or just for yourself (perhaps) of that live show from 2004?

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    1. Well of course I want. I'm waiting for him with great excitement, thanks in advance :)

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  6. Hi Vitko, here's your Ganelin Trio Live in London as promised. Primitive artwork to go with it....you'll notice that the piece is called 'Live at London Jazz Festival 05', even though it was actually performed in 2004, but the information is correct and came from the BBC website at the time.. gantrio.7z 209.29 MB https://1fichier.com/?bnaf6qbfaw
    Enjoy!

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    1. Thank you very much for this lovely contribution, is less important whether this is dated 2004 or '05, music is what we need, and this trio is fantastic.
      Cheers JD.

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    2. Thanks from me just the same. And thanks also for providing the clarification of the year of the London performance. Thank you, JD!

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    3. JD, I actually like the minimalist artwork. Thanks!

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  7. Another great post ...saw these guys in Southampton...a long while.back...I was completely mesmerised....excellent!

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  8. Masterpiece! What a great post, Vitko, thank you million times!

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  9. Many thanks for re-uploading this record. Very interested in listening to it. Gracias.

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