VLADIMIR ESTRAGON (Alfred 23 Harth) – Three Quarks For Muster Mark (LP-1989 / Tiptoe ‎– TIP-807 803)

Label: Tiptoe ‎– TIP-807 803

Format: Vinyl, LP / Country: Germany / Released: 1989

Style: Experimental, Free Jazz

Recorded By Thomas Stern at Woodhouse Studios, 1988, Dortmund, Germany.

Illustration – Alfred 23 Harth

Mastered By – Walter Brüssow

Producer [Uncredited] – Alfred Harth

Executive-Producer – Gerd Filtgen

Recorded By, Mixed By – Thomas Stern

Parent Label: Enja Records Matthias Winckelmann GmbH

Matrix / Runout (Side A): 807 803 – A

Matrix / Runout (Side B): 807 803 – B

side 1:

A1/A2 - The Warten > Lucky ...................................................................................... 6:22

A3/A4 - Remark > Das letzte Band ............................................................................ 3:42

      A5 - Nichts zu machen ......................................................................................... 0:56

      A6 - Das Lethargische .......................................................................................... 3:28

      A7 - Wiegenlied .................................................................................................... 2:27

side 2:

B1 - Streetscenes ..................................................................................................... 12:33

        a)   Seine Freunde  ................................................ 1:45

        b)   Seine Register ................................................. 0:51

        c)   Seine Angst ..................................................... 3:42

        d)   Ich libbe Leben ................................................ 2:20

        e)   Seine Korrespondenten ................................... 0:39

        f)   Der verbleibende Haufen .................................. 3:14

B2 - March der Three Quarks .................................................................................... 2:40

B3 - Die Nachtigall ..................................................................................................... 0:29

B4 - Pozzo ................................................................................................................. 5:33

Personnel:

Alfred 23 Harth – clarinet, bass clarinet, tenor saxophone, reeds

Ulrike Haage – keyboards, sampler, sequenced by [sequenzerprogramme], grand piano

Phil Minton – trumpet, vocals

F.M. Einheit – electronics, drums, percussion [metall, steine, schrank]

Impressive project with only one amazing album in their discography. The name of the band is derived from the two characters Vladimir and Estragon from Samuel Beckett's play "Waiting for Godot". Title of the album is a quotation from "Finnegans Wake" by James Joyce. This gem was released in 1989.

Album Three Quarks For Muster Mark (went completely unnoticed) is unsung treasure trove of good ideas, lively irony and astonishing artistry. Consisting of Alfred Harth (tenor sax and clarinets), Phil Minton (voice and trumpet), F.M. Einheit (metals and electronics) and the excellent Ulrike Haage (keyboards, sequencer programming and samples), Vladimir Estragon were a paradise of lusty electronic arrangements whose preset-derived poetry was poisoned by oblique complexities and sudden animations entering the picture when less expected; there are also some charming repetitions of parts of the song, but always in a different environment, and this is only a fraction of the whole. Minton's typical parades of vocal characters depict a series of alternative abnormalities, as he accompanies absurd harmonic sequences with nonchalant schizophreny, often meshing his garbled glottology with the less consonant fruits from the rest of the group. And what about Harth's immediately recognizable, charming-but-challenging lines? Be it in a profound duo with Haage's piano (like in the initial "The warten") or leading a double-edge thematic exposition together with Minton's fiery trumpet, his playing remains connected with something that words can't give justice to, and that I can only define as "lyrically corporeal". Given Einheit's slightly more obscure role - but his duet with Minton in "Der verbleibende Haufen" is great - a special mention goes to Ulrike Haage, who composed the large part of the material with Harth; her programming sapience is a strong point of the LP's, constituting an entertaining springboard for all members to unveil their more disguised influences; she also plays a mean piano and writes in styles that respectfully nod to Lars Hollmer and Lindsay Cooper, with an additional touch of tangential sweetness...

(Review By Massimo Ricci)

If you find it, buy this album!

SLAMFEST 1999 - Live At The Premises, London - (2CD-2000)

Label: Slam Productions – SLAMCD 405
Format: 2 × CD, Album; Country: UK - Released: 2000
Style: Free Jazz, Contemporary Jazz, Free Improvisation
Recorded live at the Premises, London, England, 10 and 11 July 1999.
Design, Producer – George Haslam
Recorded By, Edited By, Mastered By – Dill Katz

This first SLAM CD release for 2000 is a live recording of the two nights of music played at The Premises, London, July 1999 to celebrate the tenth year of SLAM CDs. The line up presents an impressive array of musicians prominent on the British improvising scene - most of which have appeared on previous SLAM releases. The recording is another example of the impressive abilities of soundman Dill Katz. The music by five different groups fills two CDs; the double CD package is offered at the same price as a SLAM single CD.

ARTISTS: Brian Abrahams, Roberto Bellatalla, Jeremy Brown, Lol Coxhill, Gary Curson, Elton Dean, Jim Dvorak, Nick Evans, George Haslam, Jim LeBaigue, Phil Minton, Liam Noble, Howard Riley, Paul Rutherford, Harrison Smith, Keith Tippett.

The artists who participate on this two-CD set, recorded live at the Premises, London July 10 and 11, 1999, read like a who's who of British modern jazz/improvising superstars. Here, legendary saxophonists Elton Dean and Lol Coxhill, trombonist Paul Rutherford, pianist Keith Tippett, vocalist Phil Minton, and others of note perform within various aggregations or subgroups on this rather multifarious affair. Basically, these performances should whet one's musical appetite, whether they are Tippett's sweeping arpeggios and fervent right-hand leads on the piece titled "Careful Driver," or Coxhill, Rutherford, and baritone saxophonist George Haslam's frisky interplay and converging statements on the 19-minute work "CHAR I." Other highlights include: a spirited duet, marked by counterbalancing themes between pianist Howard Riley and alto saxophonist Elton Dean, while "Tuna Up" features trumpeter Jim Dvorak and Phil Minton embarking upon an often humorous journey, thanks in part to Minton's frantic, scat-like vocalise and the twosome's altogether enticing exchanges. Ultimately, there's quite a bit to digest here, as the musicians toggle between modern jazz- style interplay and cunning improvisational tactics, atop richly thematic lyricism and blues- drenched choruses.

_  Review by GLENN ASTARITA



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ROOF - Trace (1999) - Live At Bremen and Amsterdam 1997

Label: Red Note – Catalog ID: RN 7
Format: CD, Album; Country: Netherlands Released: 1999
Style: Free Jazz, Alternative Rock, Avantgarde
Artwork – Isabelle Vigier; Vatcher Engineer – Gisela Kniemeyer (tracks: 1, 2 to 4, 6, 8, 9); Liner Notes – Kevin Whitehead; Mastered By – Zlaya Saguvic
Music By – Roof; Producer – Peter Schulze (tracks: 1, 2 to 4, 6, 8, 9); Recording Supervisor – Torsten Müller (3) (tracks: 1, 2 to 4, 6, 8, 9); Technician – Inge Schmidt (tracks: 1, 2 to 4, 6, 8, 9), Rolf Osis (tracks: 1, 2 to 4, 6, 8, 9)

Notes:
Track 1, 5 and 7 recorded live at Bimhuis, Amsterdam on June 21, 1997. 
Intro of 1, 2 to 4, 6, 8, 9 recorded live at Lagerhaus, Bremen on June 25, 1997. 

Issued in gatefold cardboard sleeve, including thin folded paper insert with individual photographs of each artist (printed on one side only).

Musicians:
Tom Cora - cello
Luc Ex - bass
Phil Minton - vocals
Michael Vatcher - drums

Tom Cora described himself as "a musician who happens to play cello." That humble description belies the fury of his cello, but points to the overall musicality and excellence that he demonstrated as a musician. A seminal figure in the early downtown NY scene of the 70's Cora played with seemingly everyone of note, both in and around that scene. His early work had him playing with Lee Konitz and Don Cherry. He then formed the band Curlew with George Cartwright and Bill Laswell, arguably that band's best period. Moving to Manhattan in 1979 he fell in with artists like Steve Beresford, Fred Frith, Kramer, Eugene Chadbourne, John Zorn, and Butch Morris. He and Fred Frith created the incredible band Skeleton Crew, and with Samm Bennett the excellent "virtual trio" band Third Person. He collaborated with the Dutch band The Ex, and formed The Hat Shoes with wife/avant vocalist Catherine Jauniaux. With Phil Minton he formed the unusual band Roof which toured the European avant/free- improv scene to acclaim (and continues to under the name "4 Walls." His untimely death from melanoma robbed the world of a tremendous musician, a charismatic and vigorous player who is still missed.

Tracklist:
1 Trace  (7:28),  2 Halts  (7:16),  3 A Plinth  (0:39),  4 Buda Buda  (2:42),  5 Spit Pedro  (8:02),  6 Janna Li(v)e  (7:49),  7 Magnifique  (4:28),  8 Glory Too  (3:06),  9 Blind Spots  (4:22)

Amazing band that ended far too early in their creative cycle due to the early demise of Tom Cora. The band continued as 4Walls, but the recordings under the name Roof remain stellar achievements.




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