ALBERT MANGELSDORFF, J.F. JENNY-CLARK, RONALD SHANNON JACKSON – Albert Live In Montreux! (LP-1981)

Label: MPS Records ‎– 0068.261, MPS Records ‎– MPS 15572

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album / Country: Germany / Released: 1981

Style: Post Bop, Avant-garde Jazz

Recording Live at Casino Montreux, July 16, 1980, Switzerland.

Cover – Studio Icks

Photography By – Encore Photographics

Mixed By – Albert Mangelsdorff, J.E. Berendt, Paul Landsiedel

Mixing dates: Nov. 30 - Dec. 1, 1980.

Producer – Joachim-Ernst Berendt

Matrix / Runout (Side A Runout): 0703 900 S 1 0068 261 S1 3 20 A 1

Matrix / Runout (Side B Runout): 0703 900 S 2 0068 261 S2 3 20 B 1

A1 - Dear Mr. Palmer ........................................................................................... 16:02

A2 - Mood Azur ..................................................................................................... 5:57

B1 - Stay On The Carpet ....................................................................................... 5:57

B2 - Rip Off .......................................................................................................... 16:08

Musicians:

Albert Mangelsdorff – trombone

J.F. Jenny-Clark – bass

Ronald Shannon Jackson – drums, percussion

Trombonist Albert Mangelsdorff was considered a major innovator on his instrument, not just on the European free improvisation scene but also worldwide. He performed in a wide range of settings from solo to big band with some of the finest musicians of the era. On this live recording from the 1980 Montreux Jazz Festival, drummer Ronald Shannon Jackson and bassist J. F. Jenny-Clarke join him.

“Dear Mr. Palmer” starts off with bleats of brass and bass as the band joins together for some thoughtful interplay. Blasts of trombone build choppily unaccompanied in open space. The bass and drums begin to roil the music with thickly plucked bass and nimbler percussion making for a musical high wire act. Mangelsdorff again takes a solo section making eerie sounding noises before the entire trio takes the music out with a fast and hard conclusion. The length of the performance allows the group to fully explore the possibilities the trio format offers. There is a raw and forlorn sensibility to the leaders trombone on “Mood Azure” with high pitched bass and roiling drums setting an abstract foundation for the trombone to solo over. The music is kept under control, and flurries of faster playing strain at the leash in this moody and atmospheric performance. “Stay on the Carpet” opens with drums rolling and trombone stuttering, uttering high pitched streaks and streams of notes. Bass and drums join together to make for a powerful team and show that the group can turn on a dime and take their improvisation in unexpected directions. They can work in quiet whispers as well as moving dynamically to screaming louder passages. Mangelsdorff takes “Ripp Off” in his own direction, cleaving the open space with grumbling and sputtering trombone. He probes and explores the silence to see what possibilities lay there, adrift in space and time. There is a radical shift as the bass and drums move in and he even tips a sly wink to his forbears, adding a hint of swagger like he’s in a postmodern New Orleans parade. Both Jackson and Jenny-Clarke are afforded solo opportunities, which they take full advantage of before the trio ends their concert together to rousing applause.

(Review by Tim Niland)

If you find it, buy this album!

VOLKER KRIEGEL – Inside: Missing Link (2LP-1972)

Label: MPS Records/BASF – 29 21431-1

Format: 2 × Vinyl, LP, Album / Country: Germany / Released: 1972

Style: Fusion, Free Improvisation, Free Jazz

LP 1: Recorded March 20th and 21st 1972 at Tonstudio Walldorf

LP 2: Recorded March 22nd and 23rd 1972 at Tonstudio Walldorf

Design [Cover] – Günther Kieser

Photography By [Inside] – Volker Hartman

Engineer [Recording Engineer] – Klaus D. Stingel

Producer – Volker Kriegel

Supervised By – Albert Mangelsdorff (tracks: C1 to D5), Dieter V. Goetze (tracks: A1 to B2)

A1 - Slums on Wheels ......................................................... 13:24

A2 - The "E" Again ................................................................ 6:36

B1 - Zanzibar ....................................................................... 10:22

B2 - Missing Link ................................................................. 12:03

C1 - Für Hector ...................................................................... 5:45

C2 - Remis ............................................................................. 4:26

C3 - Tarang .......................................................................... 10:00

D1 - Lastic Plemon ................................................................ 5:21

D2 - Janellas Abertas ............................................................. 4:09

D3 - Plonk Whenever ............................................................ 4:06

D4 - Definitely Suspicious ...................................................... 5:55

D5 - Finale ............................................................................. 0:10

Line-up / Musicians

- Volker Kriegel / electric guitar, acoustic guitar, octave guitar, sitar

- Albert Mangelsdorff / trombone

- Alan Skidmore / soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone

- Heinz Sauer / tenor saxophone

- John Taylor / electric piano

- Eberhardt Weber / bass

- Cees See / percussion, voice, flutes, effects

- John Marshall / drums, percussion

Volker Kriegel's follow-up to "Spectrum" is a double album and a much more dynamic affair and more to my liking. He has some of the best German and British musicians around helping him out. It's interesting that the first LP has a different lineup than the second LP.

The first LP has an eight piece lineup and was recorded on the 20th & 21st of March, while the second LP featured a five piece band and was recorded on the 22nd & 23rd of March. John Marshall is on drums on the first LP, lots of pictures in the liner notes and John is as usual very serious looking.

"Slums On Wheels" has such a great sound to start as the sax joins in. Intricate guitar then takes the lead as it settles some.The sax is back then the tempo picks up before 4 1/2 minutes. A calm 6 minutes in as intricate sounds come and go. It's building before 9 minutes and electric piano joins in. Nice. Bass and percussion continue. Sax before 10 1/2 minutes. Drums only from Marshall before 12 1/2 minutes then a full sound. What a way to start !

"The "E" Again" has a good rhythm as sax and guitar do their thing. Dissonant sax before 2 1/2 minutes. Electric piano leads a minute later. Sax is back before 6 1/2 minutes to end it.

"Zanzibar" is led by the bass and drums early then the horns come in just before a minute. The guitar then leads before the horns return before 3 1/2 minutes as it picks up. Some dissonance too. A calm before 5 minutes as bass and a beat with horns lead. It kicks back in before 6 1/2 minutes. Piano leads before 8 minutes and we get some nice bass a minute later. Sax is back 10 minutes in.

"Missing Link" opens with experimental sounds that come and go including vocal expressions. The music comes in after 2 minutes and starts to build. I like the drumming here. The horns start to blast then it settles back. A calm 5 minutes in then it starts to pick up with guitar leading the way. Nice. Horns take a turn before 7 1/2 minutes with lots of dissonance too. A drum show from Marshall 9 minutes in. Great sound before 11 minutes with sax leading then guitar. Killer tune.

 Alan Skidmore

 Volker Kriegel /Albert Mangelsdorff

John Taylor (1942-2015)

The second LP is a little more stripped down but excellent none the less. "Fur Hector" is uptempo and guitar led. Piano takes the lead after 3 1/2 minutes.The guitar is back leading late.

"Remis" is percussion and keyboard led early and the bass is prominant too. The guitar then joins the fray. "Tarang" has a Middle Eastern vibe to it with lots of percussion. Strummed and intricate guitar comes in at 2 1/2 minutes before the opening ethnic soundscape returns to 

end it.

"Lastic Plemon" is led by the drums and keys and is quite energetic. Guitar before 3 minutes. "Janellias Abertas" is an intricate and laid back track.

"Plonk Whenever" is uptempo with the bass and drums pounding while the guitar and keys play over top. Great track.

"Definitely Suspicious" is one of my favourites. It has such an uplifting mood to it and the electric piano has a lot to do with that. "Finale" is 15 seconds of mainly intricate guitar to end it.

Very enjoyable and a treat for the ears.

(Review by Mellotron Storm)

If you find it, buy this album!

ROLF KÜHN JAZZGROUP – Devil In Paradise (LP-1971)

Label: MPS Records/ BASF – 2021078-2

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album / Country: Germany / Released: 1971

Style: Free Jazz, Fusion

Recorded at the Cornet-Studios, Cologne, 20 & 21 June 1971.

Producer By – Klaus Lorenzen

Engineer By – Wolfganf  Hirschmann

Cover Design By – H. Matthies

A1 - Diathyaminoathyl . . . . . 6:56

         (Composed By – Wolfgang Dauner)

A2 - Devil In Paradise . . . . . 6:45

         (Composed By – Joachim Kühn, Rolf Jürgensen, Rolf Kühn)

A3 - More, More, More And More . . . . . 5:25

         (Composed By – Rolf Kühn)

B1 - Wind In The Willows . . . . . 12:07

         (Composed By – Rolf Kühn)

B2 - Clowny . . . . . 6:50

         (Composed By – Albert Mangelsdorff)

Rolf Kühn – clarinet

Alan Skidmore – tenor saxophone

Wolfgang Dauner – electric piano

Joachim Kühn – piano

Albert Mangelsdorff – trombone

Eberhard Weber – bass

Tony Oxley – drums, percussion

When you read the names of the musicians in this unusual band, everything will be clear why I have this album here, now.

ROLF KÜHN JAZZGROUP / Devil In Paradise, five exceptional tracks, great time, and Tony Oxley, Tony is simply divine.

Also, I recommend that you find:

Rolf  Kühn Septet / Going To The Rainbow (LP-1970)

Rolf Kühn (cl), Alan Skidmore (ts), John Surman (bars, ss, el-p), Joachim Kühn (p, org), Chick Corea (el-p), Peter Warren (b), Tony Oxley (d)

If you find it, buy this album!

ALBERT MANGELSDORFF QUARTET / QUINTETT – Never Let It End (LP-1970) and – Birds Of Underground (LP-1973)

Label: MPS Records – MPS 15274

Format: Vinyl, LP; Country: Germany - Released: 1970

Style: Free Jazz

Recorded March 23rd, 1970 Walldorf Studio, Frankfurt, Germany.

Engineer – Torsten Wintermeier

Producer – Joachim Ernst Berendt

Fotos by Inge Werth, cover and graphic work by Günter Kieser

A1 - Wide Open . . . 3:45

A2 - Never Let It End . . . 9:48

A3 - Certain Beauty . . . 9:14

B1 - The 13th Color . . . 6:54

B2 - Open Mind . . . 4:17

B3 - Roitz And Spring . . . 7:14

B4 – Nachwort . . . 1:50

Albert Mangelsdorff – trombone

Heinz Sauer – saxophone (tenor, alto)

Günter Lenz – bass

Ralf Hübner – drums, percussion

Jazz in Germany – the 60s/70s

The music critic and producer Joachim-Ernst Berendt took an eminent position at this time, influencing German jazz mainly in the 1960s and 1970s. Without him, neither the European Free Jazz, even as individual musicians like Mangelsdorff, Doldinger and others, would have gained the importance that they have for the German jazz today. Berendt was the first and only global player of the jazz critics and producers of the German jazz scene, who introduced jazz from Germany abroad.

The best-known jazz groups in West Germany were the quintets of Albert Mangelsdorff (with Heinz Sauer and Günter Kronberg), Michael Naura (with Wolfgang Schlüter), and the quartet of Klaus Doldinger (with Ingfried Hoffmann.) Innovators were also the Lauth Wolfgang quartet (with Fritz Hartschuh) and the trio of Wolfgang Dauner (with Eberhard Weber and Fred Braceful). Musically there was a deliberate but careful delineation of the American model. With their growing popularity, Doldinger and Mangelsdorff could also perform abroad and publish records. Naura had to retire from active life as a musician because of illness, and later became an editor of the Jazz part of the NDR (Northern German Broadcast). For the GDR, the Manfred Ludwig sextet has to be mentioned,originally for a long time the only band, which turned to the style of modern jazz.

In 1965, the quintet of Gunter Hampel, a moderate Free Jazz maintainer, with musicians such as Manfred Schoof, Alexander von Schlippenbach, Buschi Niebergall and Pierre Courbois, arrived on the German jazz scene and performed many concerts in the "province". Free jazz, without compromises, could be heard from the Manfred Schoof quintet (Voices) and an octet by Peter Brötzmann (Machine Gun). Especially in the smaller towns of western Germany, jazz music clubs disappeared with the advent of the Beat. From the mid-1960s on, in the GDR, the trio of Joachim Kühn (who migrated to the West in 1966), Friedhelm Schönfeld, and Manfred Schulze found their own ways into free jazz.

Label: MPS Records – 21 21746-9, BASF – 21 21746-9

Format: Vinyl, LP; Country: Germany - Released: 1973

Style: Free Jazz

Recorded September and December 1972 at Walldorf-Studio, Frankfurt/M.

Design [Cover Design] – Günter Kieser

Liner Notes – Claus Schreiner

Photography By – Ralph-B. Quinke

Producer – MPS Records

A1 - Wobbling Notes And Fluted Crackle . . . 14:18

A2 - Grive Musicienne . . . 5:42

B1 - Birds Of Underground . . . 11:37

B2 - Xenobiosis . . . 11:42

Albert Mangelsdorff – trombone

Heinz Sauer – alto saxophone, tenor saxophone

Gerd Dudek – tenor/sopran saxophone, flute

Buschi Niebergall – bass

Peter Giger – drums, percussion

The 1970s were marked by the globalization and commercialization of the German jazz world. Jazz was combined with various other music genres. Successful jazz musicians such as Klaus Doldinger, Volker Kriegel and the United Jazz and Rock Ensemble followed this trend in the direction of rock music in West Germany. At the same time, younger musicians like Herbert Joos, Alfred Harth and Theo Jörgensmann garnered public acknowledgment and aroused the attention of the jazz scene with their music. It is noteworthy that the German musicians achieved an acceptance with the local audience on par with American jazz musicians. For example, the Theo Jörgensmann quartet, an avant-garde jazz group, was even in the Best-of Lists of Popular Music in the Music-Yearbook Rock Session. At the same time the German record labels FMP, ECM and ENJA established in the market. Also acoustic-romantic performances by Joachim Kühn and other pianists like Rainer Brüninghaus came into fashion. In Moers and other West German towns, festivals were held that focused on these new developments in jazz.

In the 1970s, scholastic learning of jazz was also achieved in West Germany. The annual summer course at the Akademie Remscheid (Remscheid Academy) was very popular among young jazz musicians. There is hardly a professional jazz musician, born between 1940 and 1960, who did not attend this course as a student or teacher.

After 1970, the mighty government ministries of East Germany gave up their antagonism towards jazz music, giving the "explanation" that jazz had become an integral part of East German culture and politics. But Klaus Lenz and the Modern Soul band found its own way to the Fusion of rock and jazz music. In East Germany in particular, free jazz musicians developed their own gestures and improvised first on apparently East German-specific material in such a way that the idea of an "Eisler Weill Folk-Free jazz" could take hold abroad. The self-assertion was more strongly pronounced in East than in West Germany. Among the better-known artists of this era were Conny Bauer and Ulrich Gumpert (Zentralquartett), as well as Manfred Hering and Günter "Baby" Sommer. This music resonated with a very broad young audience, and was very successful. The jazz journalist Bert Noglik noted in retrospect: "In the course of the seventies in the GDR in the evolution of jazz the Free Jazz (in a broader sense) has crystallized to be the form of the major direction of practice and its majority passes, and exists both in quantitative and qualitative respects. This statement refers to the musicians, the audience and also the organizational structure of the concert and tour management. All of this is even more astonishing when one considers that in the eastern and western neighboring regions, there always flowed a relatively strong mainstream music."...etc

Buy this albums!

ALBERT MANGELSDORFF QUINTETT – Now Jazz Ramwong (LP-1964)

Label: AMIGA – 8 50 041 (Series: Amiga Jazz)

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Mono, Reissue

Country: German Democratic Republic (GDR); Released: 1980 

Style: Hard Bop, Free Jazz

Recorded at Walldorf Tonstudio Frankfurt, 6 and 7 Jun 1964

Photography By [Liner Foto] – Mara Eggert

Producer - Horst Lippmann

Liner Notes By – Karlheinz Drechsel

Written-By – Albert Mangelsdorff (tracks: A1 to A4, B2, B4), Heinz Sauer (tracks: B1), Ravi Shankar (tracks: B3)

Albert Mangelsdorff had just completed a long concert tour in Asia prior to this recording session in Frankfurt, where he documented many of the originals that he performed on the road.

A1 - Now Jazz Ramwong . . . 9:02

A2 - Sakura Waltz . . . 3:27

A3 - Blue Fanfare . . . 6:41

B1 - Three Jazz Moods . . . 6:13

B2 - Burungkaka . . . 3:28

B3 - Raknash . . . 4:42

B4 - Theme From Vietnam . . . 0:59

B5 - Es Sungen Drei Engel . . . 7:31

ALBERT MANGELSDORF – Trombone

GÜNTER KRONBERG – Alto Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone

HEINZ SAUER – Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone
GÜNTER LENZ – Bass

ROLF HÜBNER – Drums, Percussion

Brilliant modern jazz from German trombonist Albert Mangelsdorff – recording here in 1964, but sounding years ahead of his time, with an amazing a blend of jazz and Asian styles! The album's one of Mangelsdorff's best ever – a set of rhythmic tunes that seem clearly informed by the work of Ornette and Joe Harriott, but also based along eastern themes picked up by the group on a tour of the Orient – and performed by a sharp-edged quintet that includes Heinz Sauer on tenor and soprano sax, Günter Kronberg on alto, Günter Lenz on bass, and Ralph Hübner on drums. There's some nice traces of MPS/Saba modal and Jazz Meets the World styles – and overall, the rhythmic pulse keeps things from getting as free and out as on Mangelsdorff's 70s sides – really soaring, but never too far out – and always with a cool exotic groove. The whole thing's great – instantly striking, and always a treasure – and titles include "Sakura Waltz", "Now Jazz Ramwong", "Raknash", "Theme From Vietnam", and "Burungkaka".

_ By KEN DRYDEN

If you find it, buy this album!

PETER BRÖTZMANN, HAN BENNINK, ALBERT MANGELSDORFF – Live In Quasimodo, Berlin, January 14, 1985 (Set1 / Set2 on 2CD)

Private recording/DP-0803
Format: CD, Album; Released: 1985
(Set1 / Set2 on 2CD)
Style: Free Jazz, Free Improvisation
Recorded live in Quasimodo, Berlin, Germany, on January 14, 1985. 
Design by ART&JAZZ Studio Salvarica
Artwork and Complete Design by VITKO

Self-taught on clarinets, he soon moved to saxophones and began playing swing/bebop, before meeting Peter Kowald. During 1962/63 Brötzmann, Kowald and various drummers played regularly - Mingus, Ornette Coleman, etc. - while experiencing freedoms from a different perspective via Stockhausen, Nam June Paik, David Tudor and John Cage. In the mid 1960s, he played with American musicians such as Don Cherry and Steve Lacy and, following a sojourn in Paris with Don Cherry, returned to Germany for his unorthodox approach to be accepted by local musicians like Alex von Schlippenbach and Manfred Schoof.

The trio of Peter Brötzmann, Peter Kowald and Sven-Ake Johansson began playing in 1965/66 and it was a combination of this and the Schoof/Schlippenbach Quintet that gave rise to the first Globe Unity Orchestra. Following the self-production of his first two LPs, For Adolphe Sax and Machine gun for his private label, BRÖ, a recording for Manfred Eicher's 'Jazz by Post' (JAPO) [Nipples], and a number of concert recordings with different sized groups, Brötzmann worked with Jost Gebers and started the FMP label. He also began to work more regularly with Dutch musicians, forming a trio briefly with Willem Breuker and Han Bennink before the long-lasting group with Han Bennink and Fred Van Hove. As a trio, and augmented with other musicians who could stand the pace (e.g. Albert Mangelsdorff on, for example, The Berlin concert), this lasted until the mid-1970s though Brötzmann and Bennink continued to play and record as a duo, and in other combinations, after this time. A group with Harry Miller and Louis Moholo continued the trio format though was cut short by Miller's early death.

Today I present to Peter Brötzmann Trio with Albert Mangelsdorff, trombone and Han Bennink, drums and percussion. The concert was held in Berlin at the famous Quasimodo 14 January in 1985. This event in two long sets, was never officially recorded, and was placed on the DIME and Ubu Roi (post from Monday, May 11, 2009, -FLAC). Otherwise, I would recommend this blog, a few months back again is activated:
http://ubu-space.blogspot.com/

I got this gig from my friend Martin five years ago, recorded on tape. I fixed the sound quality (eliminate noise), designed the new cover and now is before you in the form of albums, and in my collection is in the department of "Private recording", catalog # / DP-0803.

I am sure this is fantastic concert and deserves our attention again. Enjoy.



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JOHN TCHICAI – Solo + Albert Mangelsdorff (1977)

Label: FMP – SAJ-12
Format: Vinyl, LP; CD mastering by Olaf Rupp
Country: Germany - Released: 28 June 1977
Style: Free Jazz, Free Improvisation
Recorded live on February 16th, 1977, during a Free Concert at Townhall Charlottenburg in Berlin.
Design, Photography By – Dagmar Gebers
Artwork and Design (inner pages & 4) by VITKO
Recorded By, Producer – Jost Gebers

If one is entitled by virtue of his musical awareness and technical ability to record a solo album, it's John Tchicai. Tchicai likes to play alone, perhaps because he likes to be alone lives and life and games are not to be separated from him. Solo pieces are not Exercises for Finger & formulas, as unfortunately many, too many solo albums, but improvisations of a mature personality with him. The series of short pieces on the bamboo flute is for me the most impressive, because here the solo character, ie the oneness of musical awareness and the instrument most pristine, is expressed.
_ By HARTMUT GEERKEN


John Tchicai, who had done in the 60 years of working with Archie Shepp, Albert Ayler, John Coltrane Outstanding in the enforcement of free jazz , played in February at the Town Hall Charlottenburg three solo pieces on its three different instruments. Soprano, alto saxophone and flute oriental. He built it on the power of repetition, forceful stimulus was reinforced by the cut, crystal-clear tone of his saxophone. On the other hand, he achieved the same effect with starkly contrasting agents: The gently insinuating sequences of its simple wooden flute take a prisoner just to wear a more into the warm summer night on a Central Asian hill. Tchicais thoughtful and meditative solo music - more than subjects con variationi - are marked by a simplicity in jazz who deliberately radically opposes the always perfektionistischeren trends in arrangement, instrumentation, and production technology. Of equal transparency and clarity is also the spontaneous duo between him and Albert Mangelsdorff, both pull here unceremoniously on the same train and play together in a completely natural, as if they would do this every night. It was the first meeting for years.

_ By MICHAEL THIEM, Jazz Podium # 1, Januar 1978



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HEINER STADLER – Brains On Fire (2CD-2012) - [2LPs-1973/’74 + previously unreleased tapes]

Label: Labor Records – LAB 7069

Format: 2 × CD, Album - Released: 02/28/2012
Style: Free Jazz, Free Improvisation
Recorded at Nola Penthouse Sound Studio, NYC 1966 & recorded at O' Brien's Studio, Teaneck, NJ 1971/1973
Artwork [Illustration] By – Johann Feindt
Design By – Conni Lechner; Photography By – M. De Chiara
Engineer – Orville O'Brien / Tony May
Producer, Composed By – Heiner Stadler

Music that stretches boundaries and, yes, might sizzle the brain pan a bit.

ARTISTS:
Jimmy OWENS – trumpet (CD1: track 1; CD2: track 4); Tyrone WASHINGTON – tenor saxophone, flute (CD1: tracks 1-3; CD2: tracks 2-3); Garnett BROWN – trombone (CD1: track 1; CD2: track 4); Heiner STADLER – piano (CD1: tracks 1-3; CD2: tracks 2-3); Reggie WORKMAN – bass (CD1: tracks 1-3; CD2: track 1); Brian BRAKE – drums (CD1: track 1); The Big Band of the North German Radio Station: Manfred SCHOOF, Gerd DUDEK, Albert MANGELSDORFF, Wolfgang DAUNER, Lucas LINDHOLM, Tony INZALACO (CD1: track 4); Dee Dee BRIDGEWATER – vocals (CD2: track 1); Joe FARRELL – tenor saxophone (CD2: track 4); Don FRIEDMAN – piano (CD2: track 4); Barre PHILLIPS – bass (CD2: track 4); Joe CHAMBERS – drums (CD2: track 4)

Some recordings should come with a sticker which states: for those willing to be challenged. German-American composer, producer, pianist, arranger and bandleader Heiner Stadler’s reissued, remastered, restructured and expanded release, Brains on Fire (which initially came out as two separate vinyl volumes in 1967, which are often rare to find), certainly qualifies for such a caveat emptor. For some, Stadler is known as an interpreter of other musicians’ material, due in part to last year’s remixed reissue of his 1978 outing, A Tribute to Monk and Bird, which was also put out on Stadler’s Labor label. Stadler has also reissued other titles from his back catalog, including 1976’s Jazz Alchemy (which came out in 2000) and the 1996 compilation Retrospection (reissued in 2010). This year it is time to reevaluate one Stadler’s most original efforts, Brains on Fire. This CD version contains three tunes never before heard and marks the first CD presentation of five other works.

One reason to listen to the two-disc Brains on Fire is to hear then-current and up-and-coming jazz luminaries dig deeply into material which spans the perceived gap between avant-garde, post-bop, tone-row experiments and European serialist composition. The eight long pieces (four per disc) were recorded between 1966 and 1974 and feature 17 artists (as well as an orchestra), including trumpeter Jimmy Owens (who worked with Miles Davis in the '50s and was a founding member of the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra), bassist Reggie Workman (notable for his work with John Coltrane, Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and Yusef Lateef), and future stars such as saxophonist/flutist Joe Farrell (who subsequently had crossover success on the CTI roster) and a young Dee Dee Bridgewater (a few years before fame found her, when she was still singing with the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra).

Stadler uses several ensemble configurations ranging from a bass/vocals duet to a quartet (on four tracks) to a big band. The first CD’s opener, “ No Exercise ” (taken from a 1973 session but making its debut here) features a sextet with a three-horn frontline (Owens on trumpet, Tyrone Washington on tenor sax and Garnett Brown on trombone) with a three-piece rhythm section (Stadler on piano, Brian Brake on drums and Workman). The 12-minute workout starts with Workman’s arco bass, followed by Owens’ warm trumpet and then the rest of the group steps up to help present Stadler’s avant-garde blues which is shaped by a 12-tone row. Workman’s astute bass is a highlight during this spontaneously-surging piece, but so is Washington’s unfettered sax. Since Washington later left music because of a religious conversion, Brains on Fire is one of the few places listeners can hear the obscure sax player display the width of his skills. Washington is also heard to great effect on three other tracks. The post-Coltrane “ Three Problems ” (a 1971 performance never before released) crosses the lines between hard bop and free jazz, and is an often-chaotic construction with Washington’s lacerating sax leading the charge. Workman adds a transcendent bass solo, which temporarily ebbs the high-energy level, but for the most part “ Three Problems ” is almost 13 minutes of roaring density. “ Heidi ” has a slower, spiritual treatment and listeners initially may find this to be the most coherent cut, although “ Heidi ” also eventually edges to a tumultuous portion where written and improvised sections are fused to the point where it is impossible to tell where one ends and the other commences. The other quartet tunes, “ U.C.S ” and “ All Tones ” (both on CD2), are parallel explorative compositions which delve into variations on texture, phrasing and theme akin to Coltrane’s brilliant free recitations such as Interstellar Space or Ornette Coleman’s vitality-fueled Free Jazz, where the music is elaborately extemporized and not easily absorbed in a single listen. Howard Mandel’s liner notes advise listeners to let “ U.C.S ” and “ All Tones ” sweep the listener along and it’s a good recommendation.

Two of the longer compositions employ very different approaches. The 24-minute Russ Freeman-penned “ Bea’s Flat ” (a 1974 recording offered here for the first time) is a striking, customized blues given over entirely to The Big Band of the North German Radio Station, conducted by Dieter Glawischnig. Several band members are spotlighted as soloists (sax and piano in particular) and the full ensemble actually steps away at times, emphasizing single instruments. The result is somewhat like a meeting between Duke Ellington’s and Sun Ra’s groups. Reggie Workman and Dee Dee Bridgewater’s 20-minute bass/voice pairing, “ Love in the Middle of the Air ” (a shorter take can be found on Retrospection) is nearly as remarkable in a wholly dissimilar way. Bridgewater stretches, undulates and heightens beat poet Lenore Kandel’s minimal lines, phrases and words while Workman glides and rolls on his bass with perfect sympathy: his meticulous arco work in particular is an emotional standout.

Despite recordings from four studios and engineers, there is observable and high quality engineering and audio constancy over the course of the two-hour, eight-track project. Even during the most intense moments instruments rise out from the mix rather than getting washed aside, and when the heady musical concoction is confined to just a few instruments (like bass or vocals) the sound is wonderfully expressive.

_ By Doug Simpson 
 (February 22, 2012, AUDIOPHILE AUDITION)



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HANS KOLLER & WOLFGANG DAUNER – Free Sound & Super Brass (LP-1976)

Label: MPS Records – 68.109, MPS Records – MPS 15.461
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album; Country: Germany - Released: 1976
Style: Avant-garde Jazz, Free, Big Band
Recorded live at Audimax Techn. Universitat, Vienna, Oct. 4, 1975.
Design [Cover Design] – Rolf Becker
Photography By – Hans Koller
Producer – Willi Fruth

Personnel:
Hans Koller - sopranino, soprano sax, co-leader
Wolfgang Dauner - keyboards, co-leader
trumpets:
Robert Demmer, Friedrich Hujer, Conny Jackel, Herbert Joos, Ernst Lamprecht, Robert Politzer, Kenny Wheeler
trombone:
Roy Deuvall, Garney Hicks, Erich Kleinschuster, Albert Mangelsdorff
Rudolf Josel - bass trombone
Günter Lenz - e-bass
Janusz Stefanski - drums

Hans Koller was based in Hamburg through the 1960s, working as musical director of the city's Schauspielhaus at the decade's end. In 1970 he returned to his hometown of Vienna and began exploring free jazz with Wolfgang Dauner in his Free Sound Ensemble (Free Sound and Super Brass, 1975, MPS). Koller's subsequent projects included duos, the brass ensemble International Brass Company, mainstream combos, and an all-sax unit. He occasionally worked on interdisciplinary projects as well, like his 1968 ballet, New York City.

An intriguing composer and ambitious pianist, German musician Wolfgang Dauner has combined jazz, rock, electronic music, and elements of opera and theater in creating broad- based, ranging works. While at times these compositions may seem too far-reaching, Dauner's best work shows the links between idioms and genres and offers provocative musical and cultural concepts. He studied trumpet, piano, and composition at the Musikhochschule in Stuttgart, then joined Joki Freund's sextet in the early '60s. Dauner appeared at several German festivals, then made his recording debut heading a trio in 1964. It was one of the first European free jazz recording sessions. Dauner led Radio Jazz Group Stuttgart and wrote compositions for them in 1969. He formed the jazz-rock band Et Cetera in 1970, then, with Hans Koller, co-led the Free Sound & Super Brass Big Band. He helped organize the United Jazz and Rock Ensemble in 1975, and began featuring theater, opera, and dance segments along with his performances in '70s and '80s concerts.



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ALBERT MANGELSDORFF QUARTET – Diggin' Live At DUG, Tokyo 1971 (CD-1991)

Label: Three Blind Mice – TBM CD 2505
Format: CD, Album, Reissue, Limited Edition, Remastered, Special Edition + bonus track
Country: Germany/Japan - Released: 1991
Style: Free Jazz
Recorded Live At DUG, Tokyo On February 15, 1971
Produced for Three Blind Mice Records, Inc.
Producer: Horst Weber originally produced for three blind mice in Tokyo
Supervisor: Takeshi 'Tee' Fujii
Recording and Digital Transfer Engineer was Yoshihiko Kannari
(Digital transfer was done on February 7, 1991)
Cover Photos: Hozumi Nakadaira; Cover Design: Ben Nishizawa

Track 3 "Boston Highway" does not appear on LP configuration.

Album Notes:

The master of multiphonics (playing more than one note at a time on a horn), Albert Mangelsdorff has been a giant of the European avant-garde for the past 30 years. He originally studied violin and worked as a jazz guitarist before taking up the trombone in 1948.

Here he is taped live at a concert in Tokyo with what was then his regular quartet: Heinz Sauer on sax, Günter Lenz on bass, and Ralf Hübner on drums.

There's a very nice blend between the leader's agile but smooth horn and the somewhat more gnarly tenor sax of Sauer, who tosses in rhythm and blues licks in much the manner of Archie Shepp. The rhythm section provides an open, loose, and flowing feel to the four extended pieces. Most of the second side is given over to "Mahüsale," a piece improvised spontaneously by the members of the group and an excellent example of this kind of musical activity.

_ By EUGENE CHADBOURNE (for AMG)



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