GEORGE RUSSELL SEXTET + DON CHERRY – At Beethoven Hall (LP-1965) / At Beethoven Hall II (LP-1966)

Label: MPS Records – MPS 15029

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album / Country: France / Released. 1965

Style: Post Bop, Avant-garde Jazz, Free Jazz

Recorded in concert August 31, 1965 at Beethoven Hall, Stuttgart.

Cover – William Hopkins

Engineer – Rolf Donner

Composer – George Russell

Producer, Liner Notes – Joachim E. Berendt

Distributed By – Musidisc-Europe

A1 - Freein' Up . . . . . . . . . . 12:53

A2 - Lydia And Her Friends . . . . . . . . . . 7:02

B1a - Lydia In Bags Groove . . . . . . . . . . 5:20

B2b - Lydia's Confirmation . . . . . . . . . . 7:17

B3c - Lydia Round Midnight . . . . . . . . . . 3:42

B4d - Takin' Lydia Home . . . . . . . . . . 2:34

George Russell – piano

Don Cherry – trumpet

Bertil Loevgren – trumpet

Brian Trentham – trombone

Ray Pitts – tenor saxophone

Cam Brown – bass

Al Heath – drums

This intriguing two LP's was innovative composer George Russell's first recording after breaking up his young combo of the early '60s. Recorded in Germany at a concert, Russell (who plays fairly basic piano) is joined by cornetist Don Cherry, trumpeter Bertil Lovgren, trombonist Brian Trentham, tenor saxophonist Ray Pitts, bassist Cameron Brown and drummer Albert "Tootie" Heath for explorations of several lengthy pieces and a remake of "You Are My Sunshine." Most unusual is a suite dedicated to Russell's Lydian concept that includes abstract versions of "Bags' Groove," "Confirmation" and "'Round Midnight."

Label: SABA – SB 15 060

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Gatefold / Country: Germany / Released: 1966

Style: Post Bop, Avant-garde Jazz, Free Jazz

Recorded in concert August 31, 1965 at Beethoven Hall, Stuttgart.

Cover, Layout – William Hopkins

Engineer [Recording Engineer, Special Cut] – Rolf Donner

Liner Notes [Translated By] – Hans J. Mauerer

Photography By – Manfred Schaeffer

Producer, Liner Notes – Joachim E. Berendt

Recording Supervisor [Recording Director] – Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer, Willi Fruth

A1 - You Are My Sunshine  . . . . . . . . . . 13:06

         (Composed By – Charles Mitchell, Jimmie Davis)

A2 - Oh Jazz, Po Jazz . . . . . . . . . . 5:38

        (Composed By – George Russell)

B1 - Oh Jazz, Po Jazz (continued) . . . . . . . . . . 5:57

        (Composed By – George Russell)

B2 – Volupte . . . . . . . . . . . 12:22

        (Composed By – George Russell)

George Russell – piano

Don Cherry – trumpet

Bertil Loevgren – trumpet

Brian Trentham – trombone

Ray Pitts – tenor saxophone

Cam Brown – bass

Al Heath – drums

Most of the Sextet's music teems with life and invention, creating its often oblique and occasionally rather disquieting impact through a world of sound that, while entirely fresh, relates directly to the modes of organisation which Russell had brought into being with his earlier works and which continued in his later. Although the main line of his development at this stage runs through the Sextet recordings, they were not the only achievement of this intensely creative period. Contemporaneous with them were two orchestral LPs, New York NY and Jazz In The Space Age. The latter is one of the peaks of Russell's entire career, but, like his European years, it must wait till next time...

If you find it, buy this albums!