Jazzis Web Shop News 02/2008

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The last addition for February is another great classic of British Jazz, the debut album by Harry Beckett. February was a total British Jazz month with 28 new splendid additions (and of course one Harold Rubin). So here it is:

Trumpeter / composer Harry Beckett was one of the pillars of the British Jazz in the 1960s / 1970s. His beautiful tone and exceptional improvising qualities made his one of the busiest player on the scene. He was a member of some of the most important ensembles of the period, led by distinguished musicians like Graham Collier, Mike Westbrook, Keef Hartley, John Surman, Ray Russell and many others, and also led his own quartet. The plans to make his debut album as a leader with his own quartet somehow never materialized, but instead he formed an octet for the occasion, which included the young “lions” of the scene: John Surman, Mike Osborne and Alan Skidmore on saxophones, Frank Ricotti on vibes, John Taylor on piano, Chris Lawrence on bass and John Webb on drums – an absolute dreamy collection of players. In addition to his compositions, the band also performs three of Graham Collier’s beautiful tunes and one Surman classic. The result is absolutely sensational, a true classic of the period and a must for every fan of British Jazz of the era. Not to be missed!

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I’m happy to add today one more album by the excellent Phil Miller and his In Cahoots ensemble, released on his label Crescent Discs:

Guitarist / composer Phil Miller and his In Cahoots ensemble have been a consistently excellent source of great music for many years. This particular lineup is a sextet and includes: Miller – guitar, Elton Dean – sax, Jim Dvorak – trumpet, Peter Lemer – keyboards, Fred Baker – bass and Pip Pyle – drums. Recorded live during a Japanese tour, this album presents the group performing the wonderful Miller’s compositions in an extended form, with many outstanding solos by all the players. Much of the set is drawn from Phil's solo album “Digging In” and it is interesting to compare the carefully controlled studio versions with these loose, fiery, live ones. Miller always talks about himself first as a composer and only then as a guitarist, and rightly so since although he is an excellent player, he has very few equals as a song-weaver. Excellent stuff!

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Following the reissues of the Michael Garrick’s albums on Vocalion, here is another one on the tiny Trunk Records label:

Pianist / composer Michael Garrick has been one of the great pioneers of modern British Jazz and his 1960s / 1970s recordings on the Argo label (now reissued on Vocalion) constitute some of the best examples of the wonderful period, when Jazz was at its absolute creative peak. Garrick did made an early recording in 1964 with his trio (Garrick – piano, Dave Green – bass and Colin Barnes – drums), which was privately issued with 99 copies pressed. Over the years this 10-inch LP became not only legendary but also one of the most expensive Jazz collector’s items reaching astronomical prices on the market with only a few originals surviving the tides of time. Therefore having this album available again on CD is a marvel, thanks to Jonny Trunk and his very special Trunk Records label. As the original tapes were of course lost in time, the CD was mastered from a pristine copy of the LP with spectacular results - the sound is just beautiful. As to the music, well I’m not objective being Garrick’s fan for many years, but this is a monumental piece of music – one of the earliest examples of modern European Jazz, which steps way beyond anything in existence at the time. The compositions (all by Garrick) were inspired by poetry, as Garrick was at the time involved with the Poetry and Jazz movement, and show his incredible talent for melody and the ability to “twist” a tune in a most wonderful fashion. Marvelous stuff! I can’t imagine any Garrick or early modern British Jazz fan not wanting this one.

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Today’s addition is the next album on the fabulous Vocalion label:

Trumpeter / composer Shake Keane was born in St Vincent (West Indies) and emigrated to Britain in the early 1950s. His superb tone and total control of his instrument was immediately recognized and the local music scene immediately absorbed him, providing plenty of opportunities for him to play in a variety of styles. By the end of the 1950s Keane almost completely to playing Jazz and became one of the spearheading figures of the British modern / free Jazz. He was a member of the pioneering group led by saxophonist Joe Harriott, with whom he recorded some of the most pivotal early European free Jazz. He was also a member, together with Harriott, in the groups led by pianist Michael Garrick. Keane’s prime interest was actually in poetry and literature, which gave him his nickname, as short for Shakespeare. Playing with Garrick, he participated in the “Poetry and Jazz” scene, which of course was only appropriate for his field of interest. Keane left Britain in the late 1960s, first to Germany and later returning to his native island, where he became a government minister of culture. He continued his literary work and published works of prose and poetry. A few years before his death in 1997 he returned to his musical activities and even recorded new albums. Strangely enough, in the midst of his activity in the avant-garde Jazz field, Keane recorded a few solo albums, which present another side of his musical personality. These albums could be considered as belonging to the “lighter” side of Jazz, where Keane mostly played adaptations of Pop songs of the period. This album is one of these, and although at the time it was criticized as being a “sell-out”, in retrospect it is a real gem. Keane does use a set of Pop songs (Beatles, Rolling Stones, Donovan and others) as the basis, but the clever and unusual arrangements and his phenomenal improvisational skills turn these songs inside out and the overall effect is truly spectacular. A couple of his original compositions are also included and one more by his partner Joe Harriott. He leads a splendid sextet with Bob Efford – sax, Olaf Vas – flute, Pat Smythe – piano, Coleridge Goode – bass and Bobby Orr – drums (Stan Tracey plays piano on three tracks), which plays elegantly and effortlessly. I had a real ball listening to this uplifting music. Easy Jazz? Perhaps, but who cares, when it sounds as good as this.

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Today’s addition is the next album on the fabulous Vocalion label:

This stunningly beautiful album managed to stay on the top of my personal list for over 30 years now and I love it as much as I did the first time I heard it. It simply represents all the beauty, sophistication and intellectual quality of the British Jazz of the late 1960s / 1970s, perhaps more accurately and more concisely than any other one album. It documents a concert performed at London’s Southwark Cathedral, one of the many events dedicated to Shakespeare’s tercentenary celebrations, and presents four major works written by four great British Jazz composers: Neil Ardley, Ian Carr, Michael Gibbs and Stan Tracey, dedicated to Shakespeare’s genius. The list of performers certainly resembles the “Who’s Who” of British Jazz at the time and includes: Norma Winstone and Pepi Lemer – vocals, Kenny Wheeler – trumpet, Tony Coe – reeds, Paul Buckmaster and Colin Walker – cello, Gordon Beck, John Taylor and Stan Tracey – keyboards, Ron Mathewson – bass, Tony Levin – drums and Trevor Tomkins – percussion. All the lengthy suites, although quite different from each other, are majestic and respectful to the great poet’s legacy, often touching on Elizabethan era motifs, even if ever so slightly. The ambience of the Cathedral adds to the overall effect and the magic of that performance if caught forever by this extraordinary recording. Everything that is so great about Jazz – composition, arrangement and performance – is unified here to produce that magical moment, which can never be repeated. I can’t imagine anybody not liking this, and although it’s by far no easy listening, the immediate magnanimity of this music is so apparent that repeated listening could only deepen the experience. Beyond essential!

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Today’s addition is the next album on the fabulous Vocalion label:

The short-lived Jazz-Rock Fusion group Mirage is an excellent example of the incredible high level of music created in Britain in the 1970s. Co-led by two great instrumentalist and composers: saxophonist George Khan and guitarist Brian Godding, they managed to record just one album, which was originally released on the obscure, but visionary Norwegian Compendium label (along with some other superb albums), which unfortunately folded shortly after this album was released. The group also included bassist Steve Cook and drummer Dave Sheen on permanent basis, but was often expanded to a sextet with the addition of Geoff Castle on keyboards and John Mitchell on percussion. The group played music composed by Khan and Godding, which was a typical British Fusion, somewhat similar to what the many Canterbury groups (Hatfield And The North, National Health) were doing at the time, with strong melodic lines and lengthy improvisations. Godding was of course one of the best British guitarists, sadly much under-appreciated and respected mostly among his peers. This most welcome reissue expands the original album by adding two long jam-like tracks recorded live, which give an excellent glimpse as to how the group (in its sextet form) sounded on stage. Brilliant stuff, from start to finish and a must to all Fusion-heads.

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Today’s addition is the next album on the fabulous Vocalion label:

Guitarist / composer Ray Russell has been active on the British Jazz and Fusion scene for the last five decades and has always been considered as a first class musician. Most of his recorded output belongs to the Fusion movement and he can be certainly considered as one of the genre’s pioneers. In the early and mid-1960s Russell was a member of the Graham Bond Organization and Georgie Fame’s backing band Blue Flames, two outfits that were among the first to combine Rhythm and Blues with Jazz. By the end of the 1960s Russell started to lead his own groups and record with them, although in parallel he participated in numerous recordings in his capacity as a studio musician. He was also a founding member of the excellent Rock Workshop ensemble and later of RMS. This album presents Russell’s debut album as a leader and is quite different from most of his recorded output, as it is closer to straightforward Jazz then anything else he recorded. Accompanied by three excellent young musicians: Roy Fry – piano, Ron Mathewson – bass and Alan Rushton – drums, the quartet plays some fabulous music, composed mostly by Russell (two standards are also included). Russell’s guitar tone, completely devoid of any electronic devices so popular at the time, sounds more like classic guitar work by Grant Green or Barney Kessel, but with a harder edge and more attack. Overall this is a great document of the era and of Russell’s musical legacy, which stands the test of time beautifully. Great fun and recommended listening!

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Today’s addition is the next album on the fabulous Vocalion label:

Trumpeter / violinist / composer Henry Lowther was one of the busiest and most sought after musicians on the British scene in the late 1960s and 1970s. His virtuosity and versatility resulted in him being a member in many groups (often simultaneously) and in different musical environments like Rock (Manfred Mann), Jazz-Rock (Keef Hartley), Blues (John Mayall) and Jazz (Michael Gibbs, Mike Westbrook, Michael Garrick) as well as participating in hundreds of recordings as a session musician. This album is his debut recording as a leader of his own quintet, which includes some of the best young and up-coming British Jazz musicians at the time: Tony Roberts – sax, Mike McNaught – electric piano, Daryl Runswick – bass and Mike Travis – drums. Two additional musicians: Jimmy Jewell – sax and Neil Slaven – percussion also take part in the recording. The music, all composed by Lowther, is a splendid example of the European modern Jazz, which is both melodic and adventurous at the same time. The performances are all spotless and the music flows beautifully, leaving the listener wishing for more when the album is over. Overall the album stands the test of time with flying colors and I can wholeheartedly recommend it every Jazz buff, but of course especially to people partial to the British Jazz scene. Great stuff!

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Today’s addition is the next album by one of my all time favorite British musicians Michael Garrick and the last of his reissues on the Vocalion label:

The love affair between the two Art Forms: Poetry and Jazz goes back to the late 1950s, when American writers / poets of the Beat Generation (Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and others) discovered the “intellectual proximity” between their writing and the process of creating Jazz music, as represented by the founding Fathers of Bee Bop (Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and others). However, although the poets were frequent patrons of the burgeoning NY Jazz club scene, actual poetry readings combined with Jazz performances were pretty rare and sporadic. Only when the Poetry and Jazz concept crossed over the Atlantic to Britain (and later the rest of Europe) the movement reached a full swing and enjoyed immense popularity with the poets, musicians and the audiences. The intellectual crowds in London and the rest of Britain attended Poetry and Jazz concerts in huge numbers through the early and mid-1960s, but towards the end of the decade the enthusiasm diminished. British poet Jeremy Robson and pianist / composer Michael Garrick were largely responsible for the movement’s popularity. Garrick, a graduate in English Literature, had a great sensitivity to the literary works and managed to compose music, which suited the words perfectly. This album, released originally in 1964 as two separate LPs (Vol.1 & 2) documents a typical Jazz and Poetry concert. Recorded “live” in a studio, the applause and the audience’s reaction to the poetry faithfully reproduce the atmosphere of a performance hall. The Jazz quintet (Garrick – piano, Joe Harriott – sax, Shake Keane – trumpet, John Taylor – bass and Colin Barnes – drums) provides the music and four poets (Adrian Mitchell, Dannie Abse, Jeremy Robson and Laurie Lee) read their poems, creating a wonderfully intellectual encounter, where the sum of the two Arts is actually better than their individual contribution. This new addition adds an ultra-rare EP of Jazz and Poetry recorded a couple of years later, featuring the Michael Garrick quintet (with Ian Carr – trumpet and Coleridge Goode – bass replacing their respective counterparts in the earlier quintet) and Jeremy Robson, called “Before Night/Day”. This is a timeless masterpiece and an everlasting food for sensitive souls – brilliant!

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Today’s addition is the next album by one of my all time favorite British musicians Michael Garrick:

Pianist / composer Michael Garrick has been an icon of British Jazz for the last five decades. His exquisite touch on the keyboards, deep lyricism and unparalleled inventiveness as a composer characterize his entire legacy over time, which has very little rivalry or precedence. This album presents Garrick in the most intimate (and my favorite) Jazz format – the piano trio – with Dave Green on bass and Trevor Tomkins on drums. Garrick, as usual, wrote all the music, which is sublime from start to finish. His playing is also absolutely marvelous, full of lyricism and humorous spark, virtuosity and inspiration. The rhythm section provides solid and sympathetic support at all times, and overall this is one of my favorite piano trio recordings ever. Garrick manages to concentrate his enormous abilities as a player and composer on this album, which was recorded at a peak of his 1970s activity (the album “Home Stretch Blues” was recorded at the same session). There is nothing more that needs to be said here except that if you don’t own this album, you have a huge gap in your musical education. Essential!

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