THE GRAHAM COLLIER SEPTET – Deep Dark Blue Centre (LP-1967-SML 1005)

Label: Deram – SML 1005

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo / Country: UK / Released: 1967

Style: Post Bop, Free Improvisation

Recorded at Jackson Studios, January 15, 18 and 24, 1967.

Design [Sleeve Design] – Gillian Jackson Designs

Liner Notes – Charles Fox

Producer – John Jackson, Malcolm Jackson

This is the original THE GRAHAM COLLIER SEPTET - Deep Dark Blue Centre 1967 STEREO release, 1st PRESS

Also in mono (Cat# DML 1005)

A1 - Blue Walls .................................................................................... 4:32

A2 - El Miklos ...................................................................................... 6:48

A3 - Hirayoshi Suite ............................................................................. 5:55

A4 - Crumblin Cookie .......................................................................... 5:21

B1 - Conversations .............................................................................. 6:42

B2 - Deep Dark Blue Centre .............................................................. 13:23

Graham Collier – bass, arranged

Dave Aaron – alto saxophone, flute

Karl Jenkins – baritone saxophone, oboe

Philip Lee – guitar

Kenny Wheeler – trumpet, flugelhorn (tracks: A2, B1, B2)

Harry Beckett – trumpet, flugelhorn (tracks: A1, A3, A4)

Michael Gibbs – trombone

John Marshall – drums, percussion

Graham Collier’s 1967 debut album with Kenny Wheeler, Harold Beckett, Philip Lee, Mike Gibbs, Karl Jenkins and John Marshall (the latter two members of Soft Machine).

A fine bassist and one of the most important British jazz composers and arrangers, Graham Collier boasts a discography the envy of many of his contemporaries. This critically acclaimed album features a young Kenny Wheeler, and Harry Beckett, with others from the vibrant British scene of the late 1960s. Collier's influences have been tied to Charles Mingus, Bill Evans, and even Miles Davis, and this unlikely combination is clearly evident in his concepts: There are contrapuntal lines, complex rhythms tempered by a gentleness and glazed by simultaneous improvisations. The substantial nature of the music amply rewards the adventurous listener. The strong personalities of the soloists ensure individuality, while the juxtaposition of the flute, guitar, and trumpet lend a light air to some of the tracks. Collier's wonderfully diverse compositions are waiting to be discovered by a new generation, as his timeless, carefully crafted structures are charmingly alluring...

(Review by Steve Loewy)

"Collier's Septet plays Collier's music which is brilliantly constructed in the Gil Evans manner. Could any recommendation be higher? Collier has a great ear for melody, for new ways of jazz counterpoint, for interesting instrumentation. Five stars".

(Derek Jewell, The Sunday Times)

If you find it, buy this album!

WARNE MARSH – Ne Plus Ultra (LP-1970-REV-12)

Label: Revelation Records – REV-12

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album / Country: US / Released: 1970

Style: Contemporary Jazz, Free Jazz, Free Improvisation

Recorded in Herrick Chapel Lounge, Occidental College, Los Angeles, 1969.

Photography By [Cover Photo], Design – J.W. Hardy

Liner Notes – John William Hardy

Engineer – J.W. Hardy, Pete Welding

A1 - You Stepped Out Of A Dream ................................................... 9:00

A2 - Lennie's Pennies ....................................................................... 4:10

A3 - 317 East 32nd Street ................................................................. 8:12

B1 - Subconscious-Lee ..................................................................... 7:10

B2 - Touch And Go .......................................................................... 15:58

Warne Marsh – tenor saxophone

Gary Foster – alto saxophone

Dave Parlato – bass

John Tirabasso – drums, percussion

Recording date: 25 October 1969, except (A1) which was recorded 14 September 1969.

This is the first Warne Marsh's recording as a leader since 1960. He teamed up with complementary altoist Gary Foster (who was most influenced by Marsh's former musical partner Lee Konitz), bassist Dave Parlato and drummer John Tirabasso.

As a protégé of Lennie Tristano in the late 1940s and early 1950s, tenor saxophonist Warne Marsh learned lessons that shaped his playing until his death in 1987. He has inspired a cult following among musicians, particularly saxophonists seeking an alternative to the John Coltrane approach, and Ne Plus Ultra fully justifies his status as a legend of the cool school.

Recorded in 1969 with a thoroughly rehearsed ensemble, the date finds Marsh exploring conventional forms with precision and depth. Having famously teamed with Lee Konitz for Tristano's sides on Capitol, Marsh enlists alto saxophonist Gary Foster for Ne Plus Ultra; comparisons to Konitz are inevitable, but the less influential Foster is still a force to be reckoned with. His polished tone and fluid lines are so compatible with Marsh's own that one begins to suspect some form of telepathic communication is at work.

The title of the Konitz composition featured here, "Subconscious-Lee," is particularly appropriate: calling to mind the anarchic dialogue of a Eugene Ionesco play, the saxophonists speak over one another, prompted only on a subconscious level by each other's phrases. To close the album, the two players trace the lineage of their advanced contrapuntal jazz...

Neither the absence of a chordal instrument nor the dominant character of the two horns can squelch the superb efforts of the rhythm section. Each of Dave Parlato's unaccompanied bass improvisations is a treat, and John Tirabasso's drumming is thoughtful and precise. Solos are brief and densely packed, lending an air of round-table discussion to the album. The group's dynamic range is somewhat limited, excepting "Touch and Go," a free piece containing the LP's most melodic and direct playing.

Ne Plus Ultra is a no-brainer for Marsh converts; others may find its abstract qualities difficult to penetrate, but an engaged listener can look forward to a wealth of no-nonsense musical invention.

(By Brad Glanden, AAJ)

If you find it, buy this album!

DEREK BAILEY / HAN BENNINK - Derek Bailey / Han Bennink (LP-1972-Incus–9)

Label: Incus Records – 9

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo / Country: UK / Released: 1977

Style: Free Jazz, Free Improvisation

Selections from live performances at Verity's Place, June 16-17, 1972.

Cover drawing, Artwork – Mal Dean

Composed By – Bailey, Bennink

Engineer – Bob Woolford

Matrix / Runout (Side A Runout stamped): INCUS 9 A-3△6

Matrix / Runout (Side B Runout stamped): INCUS 9 B-3△6

A1 - Call That a Balance ........................................................................... 2:07

A2 - Misty .................................................................................................. 7:18

A3 - The Title ............................................................................................ 2:17

A4 - Who Is That ....................................................................................... 4:02

A5 - The Girl with the Concrete Tongue ................................................... 4:35

B1 - Din Din Teo ........................................................................................ 9:31

B2 - On a Clear Day .................................................................................. 4:07

B3 - Barb ................................................................................................... 1:36

B4 - Shake Your Arse White Man ............................................................. 1:32

B5 - Whiling ............................................................................................... 2:19

B6 - When Day Is Done and Shadows Fall I Think of You ....................... 4:10

DEREK BAILEY – guitar

HAN BENNINK – drums, percussion

Derek Bailey & Han Bennink (subtitled Selections from Live Performances at Verity's Place) is a live album by guitarist Derek Bailey and percussionist Han Bennink which was recorded 1972 and released on the Incus label.

This selection of live duet performances from 1972 is a wonder to listen to almost forty-four years after the original performances. The guitar's greatest improviser bantering musically with the Netherlands' greatest drummer is, no doubt, a point of interest for those interested in the extremes of Western music. Before Bailey had recorded the infamous and now legendary Incus Taps disc, he had perfected his view of the atonal world (at least up until that time), undoing it with spiritual guidance from the ghost of Webern at his side. These two live dates reflect that direction, having been recorded less than a year before. Given that Bailey is investigating his undoing of the ritual tonal space, Bennink's woolly percussions are the perfect foil: Who better to stretch the perceptions of guitar music to its limit and beyond than a man for whom the drums are the only instrument in any band? Thus, the chase is on, moving from one dynamic range to the next in search of the perfect tonal space where things completely fall apart, only to be picked up in rather grotesquely fascinating order. This music asks no questions; it only shouts obscenities while laughing hysterically because it knows exactly what it's not doing. Great album.

(Review by Thom Jurek)

If you find it, buy this album!

JOHN SURMAN TRIO – Life In Altena (LP-1970- JG 018)

Label: JG-Records – JG 018

Format: Vinyl, LP / Country: Germany / Released: 1970

Style: Free Jazz, Contemporary Jazz

Recorded live January 10, 1970, Altena, Germany

Photos – Jörg Rahmede (side 2), K. Klüter (side 1)

Engineer – Karlheinz Klüter

The author notes the album has been released with three different covers on two different labels.

Issued with three different sleeve designs: the first and second (plain red with a sticker) were limited editions with red labels printed in black; the third sleeve was red with white printing (black labels printed in silver).

A – side 1 ......................................................................................... 25:00

       a1 - Billie The Kid (Martin)

       a2 - Tallness (Surman)

       a3 - Dee Tune (Surman)

B – side 2 ......................................................................................... 18:30

       b1 - In Between (Surman)

       b2 - Spikenard (Phillips)

John Surman – baritone and soprano saxophones, bass clarinet

Barre Phillips – bass

Stu Martin – drums, percussion

Ultra rare free jazz album from 1970 with John Surman, Barre Phillips and Stu Martin released on small private German label. This is the 2nd edition with blood red cover, labels are red. Exclusively issued for Germany / Limited Edition.

If you find it, buy this album!

JAN HUYDTS TRIO – Brown Taste (LP-1970-JG 010)

Label: JG-Records – JG 010

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album / Country: Germany & Released: 1970

Style: Experimental Jazz, Avant-garde

Recorded in June 1970.

Producer – Jan Huydts Trio

Engineer – Karlheinz Klüter

Manufactured By – JG-Records

A1 – Protuberans ......................................................................... 2:50

A2 - Brown Taste I ...................................................................... 15:00

A3 – Protuberans ......................................................................... 2:50

B1 - 3 x 4 ..................................................................................... 3:20

B2 - Brown Taste II ...................................................................... 4:45

B3 - Struggle For Life .................................................................. 2:00

B4 - Brown Taste III ..................................................................... 7:30

B5 - 3 x 4 II .................................................................................. 2:00

Jan Huydts – electric piano [hohner pianett], piano, harp [handharp], vocals, bass

Leo de Ruiter – drums, tabla, instruments [azuri, garden tube], harp [handharp], shawm                                       [Chines shawm]

Alfred Haurand – double bass, violin, flute [woodflute], instruments [garden tube], rattle, 

                            percussion

Avantgarde/experimental jazz from 1970. Released on the tiny JG label. Very, very rare recording.

German jazz label established in 1969 by a collection of jazz friends involved in the "Aktion jazz69" festival. The initials JG stand for "Jazz Grooves". The label was owned and run by one Karlheinz Klüter during the 1970s.

Amongst its early releases were documents of the Internationales New Jazz Meeting Auf Burg Altena festivals, and later the famous Balver Höhle concerts.

Ulrich Balss, producer with JG-Records in their later years, went on to establish the related JA&RO records and then Jaro.

If you find it, buy this album!