ALTERATIONS – Up Your Sleeve (Quartz Publications – !QUARTZ 006 / LP-1980)

Label: Quartz Publications – !QUARTZ 006
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album / Country: UK / Released1980

Style: Experimental, Free Improvisation

A1 recorded at the Bimhuis, Amsterdam, 30 .1. 1980.

A2 and A3 recorded at the Palais des Beaux Arts, Brussels, 2 .2. 1980.

Side B recorded at the London Musicians Collective, 9. 3. 1980.

Artwork [Cover/labels], Photography By – David Toop

Mastered By – David Cunningham

Music By [All Improvisations], Edited By – Alterations

Recorded By [Live] – David Toop, Peter Cusack

Matrix / Runout (Side A): !QUARTZ 006-A.

Matrix / Runout (Side B): !QUARTZ 006-B.

A1 - He Feels Like A Doris Day ........................................................................... 4:35

A2 - Trail Of Traps .............................................................................................. 11:03

A3 - The Life And Opinion Of Masseur Ichi ....................................................... 10:30

B1 - Not So Dumb Deaf And Mute Heroine ......................................................... 2:56

B2 - Fear Of Mayonnaise ................................................................................... 11:39

B3 - Stand By Your Sheep ................................................................................... 7:27

B4 - Party Political ............................................................................................... 4:22

Personnel:

STEVE BERESFORD – upright piano, piano [toy], electric piano [toy], percussion, synthesizer [toy], melodica, euphonium, performer [whirlers, electronic bird, snapits], whistle, voice bass guitar, musical box, violin, electric guitar

DAVID TOOP – flute [concert], flute [flutes], synthesizer [toy], bass guitar, reeds, whistle, performer [scraping, squeaker], flute [Plastic Bamboo], guitar [vibrato], performer [ratchet, feedback], diddle [bottleneck], performer [animal decoys], fiddle [1 string], reeds [Chinese]

PETER CUSACK – guitar [wah wah], electric guitar, guitar [nylon string], guitar [prepared nylon string (amplified)], guitar [bowed]

TERRY DAY – drums [drum kit], drums, cymbal, maracas, reeds, bells [bycicle bell], voice [speaking, laughter], mandolin, performer [squeakers], alto saxophone, vocals [singing], cello, instruments [toy], performer [siren], panpipes, harmonica, performer [crackle box]

Ultra Rare and beautiful original UK 1st pressing of this cult Avant Garde LP!

Alterations existed as a group 1977-1986. They published 3 LP's (Alterations, bead 9,1978; Up Your Sleeve, !Quartz 006, 1980; My favourite Animals, nato 280, 1984) - the first two with live recordings.

During the reasonably long lifespan (by group standards) of this ensemble, it was something of a collective study seminar for four of the brightest minds from the British music scene. Since they all liked playing lots of different instruments, including each other's instruments sometimes, and were all interested in weaving together just about any kinds of music and sounds imaginable, it was usually impossible to predict where a set by Alterations was going from minute to minute.

Then again, this wild mix of electronics, traditional instruments, free improvisation, rock & roll, anarchy, and sentimentality might lead a listener's imagination just about anywhere.

The great discovery of Alterations was that musical styles and idioms are there to be played with, not taken dead serious - whether while cultivating them or while striving to avoid them. Such an approach opens up new semantic perspectives: musical travelling takes place not just within one universe of sound, but between several ones. Speaking of historical context, Alterations was formed at a time when the London improvised music scene was widening out, mixing musicians of all ages and stylistic backgrounds.

Dealing with music as a pluralistic and inclusive process involves tolerance and the acceptance of conflict. Steve Beresford's statement seems to hit the point: "The improvised music performances which don't work for me are those which are exactly trying to project an image of pure music which doesn't have the same problems that most music has and that most life has".

Review by CARL BERGSTRØM-NIELSEN

If you find it, buy this album!

STEVE BERESFORD – The Bath Of Surprise (Piano – Piano 003 / LP-1980)

Label: Piano – Piano 003
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album / Country: UK / Released: 1980

Style: Free Improvisation, Experimental

Artwork [Layout], Photography [Cover Photography] – Hot Pink Heart Graphics

Recorded by David Cunningham and Steve Beresford 1977-1980

Produced by David Cunningham

All tracks composed by Steve Beresford / Quartz Publications / 1980

except 10 by Nick Curinga and Paul Politi /Golden /

Published By – Quartz Publications

Matrix / Runout (Side 1): PIANO 003A1 EG BRIEF ENCOUNTER

Matrix / Runout (Side 2): PIANO 003B1 EG IF YOU FIND EARTH BORING

(vinyl release 1980, deleted)

A1  -  Punctuation  ............................................................................................. 1:30

A2  -  Lieutenant Dub ......................................................................................... 4:08

A3  -  Cat Picture ............................................................................................... 1:42

A4  -  What Is a Thing ........................................................................................ 0:37

A5  -  The Bath of Surprise ................................................................................ 2:36

A6  -  Concealed Entrance ................................................................................ 2:12

A7  -  My Old Piano ........................................................................................... 1:33

A8  -  Burning Problems .................................................................................... 1:38

A9  -  Schlussakkord .......................................................................................... 3:25

A10 - Those Oldies but Goodies Remind Me of You ......................................... 1:18

B1  -  A Cup of Tea and a Bun .......................................................................... 7:18

B2  -  Mr. And Mrs. Wu ..................................................................................... 4:13

B3  -  Spring Clips ............................................................................................. 9:58

B4  -  A Continuous Supply of History ............................................................... 0:37

STEVE BERESFORD – acoustic guitar, percussion, piano, synthesizer, melodica, euphonium, performer [whirled bee, whirled tube, clarinet mouthpiece, bath water, nailbrush, body, tubes, reeds, balloons, footclickers, blechtrommer, giggle stick], musicbox, ukulele, performer [cowbox, musical toothbrush, cassette, duck call, electronic bird, squeaky chops, chicken box], turntables [toy record player], horn [plastic], performer [talking telephone, astro-phaser], trumpet, whistle, bass, piano [toy], cymbal, drums, voice, flugelhorn

Remark:
To avoid damaging the compactness of the whole, I did not divide the album into separate numbers, so that after downloading it you get two stripes, side A and side B. I also respected all the breaks and silences as in the original without any shortening. I tried to make the sound clean and fresh. I hope you enjoy it, LP is more than interesting and side B is magical.



If you find it, buy this album!

GÜNTER LENZ SPRINGTIME – Roaring Plenties (L+R Rec. – LR 40.005/LP-1980)

Label: L+R Records – LR 40.005

Format: Vinyl, LP / Country: Germany / Released: 1980

Style: Free Jazz, Contemporary Jazz

Recorded live April 24/25, 1979 at Wilhelmsbad, Hanau as part of the Wilhelmsbader Produktionen for the TV-Series "Focus On Jazz".

Artwork – Günther Kieser

Photography By [Cover Photo] – Mara Eggert

Photography By [Liner Photo] – Anno Wilms

Engineer – Charly Morell

Producer – Wolfgang Vogel and Günter Lenz

Distributed by Bellaphon Records Germany

Matrix / Runout (Runout, Side A): LR 40 005 - A SST

Matrix / Runout (Runout, Side B): LR 40 005 - B SST

A1 - Children Of The Night   (Bob Degen) ........................................................... 8:28

A2 - The Bear Is Gone   (Günter Lenz) ................................................................ 6:45

A3 - Roaring Plenties   (Günter Lenz) .................................................................. 4:25

B1 - Do Not Tear The Posters Down   (Günter Lenz) ........................................ 12:15

B2 - Speed Freak   (Frank St. Peter) ................................................................... 8:30

Personnel:

Günter Lenz – bass (leader, producer)

Frank St. Peter – alto saxophone, clarinet, flute

Leszek Zadlo – tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone

Johannes Faber – trumpet

Bob Degen – piano

Joe Nay – drums, percussion

Berlin Jazz Festival in 1979 "Mingus Memorial", the tribute to Charles Mingus, the great black bassist who has just passed away. Drummer Danny Richmond had a stunning performance. 
In addition to well-known names organizer took his chance and  brought fresh wind into this memorial concert: by the Frankfurt bassist Günter Lenz and his group "Springtime"......

"Roaring Plenties"; Günter Lenz and Springtime - Johannes Faber (trumpet), Frank St. Peter and Leszek Zadlo (saxophones), Bob Degen (piano), Joe Nay (drums), Günter Lenz (bass); L + R Records LR 40.005 (distribution: Bellaphon).
"Not a copy, but subconscious respect must be spoken there," says the knowledgeable record producer Horst Lippmann, because the letters "L + R" (records) stand for the organizer team Lippmann + Rau. Lenz and his people pay homage to the spirit and not the letter on this record as they did in Berlin. In addition to the moving death suit "The Bear Is Gon" leads mainly the main part of the record, "Roaring Plenties", in the center of Mingus music; not least by the pun of the title. As Dixieland, Weill-Touch and Blues clichés are mounted here, this really has something of the wild twenties, tastes like plenty of "Roaring Twenties". The twelve minutes of "Do Not Tear The Poster Down" begin with an elongated melody that echoes bebop phrases, and they end with a reef that has evolved from a bass figure and drives the piece to its end, mercilessly, relentlessly and with that power that gives one the belief in a conception and its correctness...



If you find it, buy this album!

STEVE MARCUS / MIROSLAV VITOUS / SONNY SHARROCK / DANIEL HUMAIR – Green Line (SMJX 10109 / LP-1970)

Label: Victor World Group ‎– SMJX 10109

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Gatefold / Country: Japan / Released: 1970

Style: Free Jazz, Free Improvisation

Recorded at Victor Studio, Aoyama Tokyo 11 September 1970.

Artwork – Tadayuki Naito

Engineer – Norio Yoshizawa

Producer – Fujiya Jimbo, Tetsuya Shimoda

Manufactured By – Victor Company Of Japan, Ltd.

Green Victor World Group Label

Matrix / Runout (Matrix, label side A): SVIR-10067-A

Matrix / Runout (Matrix, label side B): SVIR-10067-B

Matrix / Runout (Runout, side A stamped): Ⓑ SVIR 10067 A 121+ UL

Matrix / Runout (Runout, side B stamped): SVIR 10067 B 111+

A1 - Melvin ........................................................................................................... 8:52

A2 - Mr. Sheets At Night ....................................................................................... 7:11

B1 - Green Line ................................................................................................... 6:15

B2 - The Echos .................................................................................................. 10:57

Personnel:

Steve Marcus – tenor and soprano saxophone

Sonny Sharrock – electric guitar

Miroslav Vitous – bass

Daniel Humair – drums, percussion

1970 Victor World Group ‎– SMJX 10109 (Japan) Stereo LP / GREEN LINE / Steve Marcus, Daniel Humair, Miroslav Vitous, Sonny Sharrock / Released in a gatefold sleeve with a double sided glued inner leaf containing credits and liner notes. ______Out Of Stock__

Truly stunning LP from four hungry young badasses in 1970.  Miroslav Vitous, Sonny Sharrock, Steve Marcus and Daniel Humair are all heavyweight cats captured in their youthful prime here, not a weak moment to be found. They each just sound so great! Vitous really stands out with a ton of seriously sick bass viol action--what's up with those simultaneous arco and pizzicato parts?!  He's just exploding on the groove in "Melvin", with Sharrock doing a perfect lean funky part, holding back to keep the groove simmering instead of blowing hard over it.  Vitous' solo in "Mr. Sheets at Night" and Marcus's painfully sensitive saxophone is something else. It's a gorgeous piece with a bristling spirit underlying the ballad surface. This album is a bit overlooked in Sonny Sharrock's discography, probably because it was released as a co-billing for the quartet, alongside the fact it's more of a straightahead jazz album than the legendary freakbombs he'd dropped in the preceding years in cahoots with Queen Linda.  His explosions on side B make for some seriously essential listening for any Sharrock-head. All four cuts are distinctive gems, but "The Echoes" is the one track that is an epic blowout that tastes good down to the last gnarly drop.  This is the real sound of jazz in 1970.

If you find it, buy this album!

JEAN-LUC PONTY QUARTET – Sunday Walk (LP-1967/Re- MPS Rec. – 0068.226)

Label: MPS Records – 0068.226
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue / Country: W. Germany / Released: 1968 (?)
Style: Bop, Free Improvisation, Post Bop, Modal
Recorded June 1967, MPS-Tonstudio Villingen, W. Germany.
Artwork By [Graphic Work], Layout – Gigi Berendt
Photography By [Back Cover, Liner Photos] – Werkmeister
Photography By [Cover] – Jean Pierre Leloir
Photography By [Liner Photos] – Armbruster
Recorded By, Producer – Hans-Georg Brunner-Schwer
Technician [Recording Director] – Willi Fruth
Liner Notes – Joachim E. Berendt
Translated By – John Wilde
Matrix / Runout (Matrix Print Label A): 0068.226-A
Matrix / Runout (Matrix Print Label B): 0068.226-B

A1 - Sunday Walk   (Daniel Humair) ....................................................................... 6:28

A2 - Carole's Garden   (Denny Zeitlin) .................................................................... 7:42

A3 - Cat Coach   (Wolfgang Dauner) ...................................................................... 6:00

B1 - You've Changed   (Carey / Fisher) .................................................................. 8:24

B2 - Suite For Claudia   (J.L. Ponty) ....................................................................... 9:50

Personnel:

Jean-Luc Ponty – violin

Wolfgang Dauner – piano

Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen – double bass

Daniel Humair – drums, percussion

Original released on LP in 1967 in Germany (SABA, 15 139 ST) with gatefold cover. Re-issued on LP in 1968 (?) in Germany (MPS, 0068.226) with different cover. Second German Pressing. Black labels with silver-white print. ____ Out Of Stock, never on a CD.

Although there were two earlier dates led by violinist Jean-Luc Ponty (for Palm in 1963 and Philips in 1964), this was the first album to get much circulation. Originally recorded for the German Saba label, and was available in the U.S. on Pausa LP as well. This is one of Ponty's best albums – a more straight-ahead late 60s session for MPS, without the fusion noodling of later years! This is a top notch advanced bop with Wolfgang Dauner on piano, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen on bass, Daniel Humair on drums and of course Jean-Luc Ponty on violin. These masters were among the best jazz players in Europe. Album compares well with stuff being recorded by the best American players of the time. Dauner, in his pre-electric phase, sounds like McCoy Tyner. In addition to "You've Changed" (one of the few standards ever recorded by the violinist), the band performs Denny Zeitlin's "Carole's Garden" and three group compositions, including Ponty's "Suite for Claudia." Already at this time, Jean-Luc Ponty was a highly original and brilliant player.
(Review by Scott Yanow, AllMusic)

Beautiful challenge of the old German MPS records, it is difficult to resist.

If you find it, buy this album!