Jazzis Web Shop News 12/2007

HAPPY NEW YEAR

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How can I better finish this year than by adding one of the greatest Prog albums of all time:

2^nd album by Italian Prog band Il Balletto Di Bronzo, which is often heralded as the best Prog album ever recorded. Although much of early Italian Prog is often greatly overrated, this one truly deserves the title of a sublime piece of music. Following the personnel changes which occurred after their debut album was released, the band was joined by keyboards player / singer Gianni Leone, who transformed them completely. He composed all the music on this album, which is incredibly complex and sophisticated, years ahead of its time. As opposed to most Italian bands, who heavily copied the UK influences, Balletto came up with a completely new concept and made music so original and farfetched that it makes the hair stand up on your neck. It is almost impossible to find any direct traces of influence form the lively Prog scene at the day and one must look rather into contemporary classical music to find the sources, as well as some avant-garde / jazz derivations. The usage of the mellotron and other keyboards is truly masterly and adding to this the distorted vocals and guitar, the outlandish effect is stunning. In many respects this could be also seen as a precursor of the RIO movement, which was to emerge in Prog a few years later. Shortly after this album was recorded the band completely disappeared from the scene, creating a lot of mystery tales about both the band and the album. It’s really superfluous to say anything more about this album as nothing will replace the experience of listening to it. A Masterpiece and absolutely essential piece of music.

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Today’s addition is a new collaboration between legendary drummer Bill Bruford and Dutch pianist Michiel Borstlap, a wonderful duo recording:

2^nd album by the Jazz duo of legendary UK drummer Bill Bruford and Dutch piano virtuoso Michiel Borstalp, continuing the wonderful music they made together as documented on the CD and DVD released in 2004. All the music was recorded live in Holland and UK, directly to CD with no overdubs or any studio hanky-panky trickery involved, which makes this even more remarkable. As much as a duo of piano and drums might seem a limited vehicle for creating music, the talent and sheer brilliance of these two musicians proves all the skeptics wrong. There are no limits to human imagination and creativity, which are evidently present here. All the music was co-composed by Bruford and Borstlap except one Miles Davis standard. This music needs no recommendations to anyone already familiar with the duo’s abilities, and people who never had the opportunity to savor any of this delightful musical meal are invited to take a mouthful – they’ll never regret it!

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Massive restocking of the Voiceprint label releases.

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Today’s addition is an album by guitarist Phil Miller and his In Cahoots group - the proud representatives of the Jazz side of the Canterbury scene:

Legendary guitarist Phil Miller and his In Cahoots ensemble have been active on the Canterbury / Jazz scene since the 1980s, constantly changing lineups but always producing music of the highest quality. A vehicle for presenting Miller’s intricate and highly sophisticated compositions, the ensemble’s recorded legacy through the years – both studio and live – is a great example of European Jazz. This album was recorded by a sextet, which consists of Miller – guitar and guitar synthesizer, Elton Dean – saxophones, Jim Dvorak – trumpet, Peter Lemer – keyboards, Fred Baker – bass and Pip Pyle – drums, who need no introduction all being already much respected and admired musicians. All that remains is to relax and enjoy this wonderful music played by simply the best musicians imaginable. Highly recommended!

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Massive restocking of the Voiceprint label releases.

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Today’s addition is the another great Brazilian Jazz album by the legendary saxophonist Nivaldo Ornelas:

2^nd and 3^rd albums by the legendary Brazilian saxophonist Nivaldo Ornelas, who is one of the most prominent players on the local scene for many years. In the 1970s Ornelas was a member in the ensembles led by Brazilian Masters Hermeto Pascoal and Egberto Gismonti. He released the album “À Tarde” in France and later used some of the tracks on this album and more material to release the Brazilian version of the album called “Viagem Através De Um Sonho”. Some 20 top Brazilian Jazz players take part in this recording and it is a true gem, with beautiful melodies and exceptional soloing. Ornelas wrote almost all the music on this album, which is firmly based in both Jazz and Brazilian music, with the flavors of coffee, Carnival, almost naked ladies and relaxed seashores, which come to mind immediately when listening to this sensuous music. To people familiar with Brazilian Jazz this is just another jewel in the crown, and people who enjoy good quality music should really discover this wonderful treasure.

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Massive restocking of South American releases.

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Today’s addition is the definitive CD edition of the classic King Crimson debut album:

1^st album by the legendary Prog band King Crimson and the most important Prog album of all times. There is no other example of recorded music in existence, which defines a complete genre (and all its sub-genres) so comprehensibly as this album and becomes a reference point for generations to follow. Every Prog album recorded since anywhere on earth bears the genetic imprint created by this album. Everything that is defined as Prog can be found on this album: intricate compositions, shifting rhythms, extended jazzy improvisations, mystic lyrics - in short the canon of the genre. No other album ever achieved the same revolutionary effect this masterpiece had on generations of listeners since its release. At the time of the recording the band consisted of the following members: Robert Fripp – guitar, Ian McDonald – reeds, woodwind, vibes, keyboards, mellotron & vocals, Greg Lake – bass & lead vocals and Michael Giles – drums, percussion & vocals. Peter Sinfield, who was considered a band member as well, wrote the lyrics. This remastered edition, which is based on the original master tapes of the album for the first time, renders all previous releases obsolete and for the first time the listener can truly enjoy the beautiful sound as well. Absolutely essential!

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PERSONAL

Just my Birthday ;) 56 today and I feel OLD!

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Today’s addition is a new Israeli Jazz album and nothing could be more appropriate to be added on my birthday than this:

1^st album by Israeli pianist / composer / teacher Amit Golan. Although active on the local scene for some time, this is Golan’s debut release. He leads a quintet with fellow Israeli players (Asaf Yuria – tenor sax, Gilad Abro – bass and Doron Tirosh / Yonatan Rosen – drums) and the guest US trumpeter Joe Magnarelli. Golan composed all the wonderful music (except one standard), which sounds remarkably like something taken directly from the 1960s at the peak of the Hard Bop era. The entire album could be easily mistaken for a “lost” Blue Note album by Horace Silver, and I bet a lot of people would have never guessed this is a contemporary recording by a bunch of Israeli players. And I mean absolutely no criticism by that, on the contrary, being able to reproduce that sound and feel is quite remarkable. Considering that Jazz in Israel was almost nonexistent in the 1960s, this is a most beautiful way to pay the dues. I can’t imagine any Jazz fan around the world not liking this stuff – it is absolutely perfect in what it stands for – solid mainstream jazz at its best with a nostalgic wink. I feel really proud that our tiny Jazz scene is capable of producing such mature and technically perfect piece of music. The recording quality is also remarkable, considering that most of the music was recorded live. Mr. Rudy Van Gelder would be undoubtedly smiling if he ever got to listen to this one. How about you?

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Today’s addition is an interesting Prog album from Russia, another country where the genre is waking up:

2^nd album by the Russian Prog trio Lost World. Formed in the early 1990s, the group consist of Vassily Soloviev (flute & percussion), Andrii Didorenko (guitars, bass & violins) and Alexander Akimov (keyboards & percussion). All the musicians are well schooled and highly skilled and playing a wide array of instruments between themselves enables them to create highly complex and dense sound vistas. Although they released several informal albums over the years, the first formal album was released in 2003 (“Trajectories”) and this is a most anticipated follow up. Didorenko composed all the music except one track, which is an adaptation of a Dimitri Shostakovich chamber piece. The entire atmosphere of the album can be described as electric Chamber music, typical of Easter European Prog, which is deeply rooted in the classical tradition. This is fascinating stuff, which requires repetitive listening to be truly appreciated, but hold many intricate gems and wonderful musical ideas. Highly recommended!

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Massive restocking of the Cuneiform releases.

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Today’s addition is the first ever Prog release on my site form Armenia – and it’s a true bomb, definitely one of the best Prog albums ever recorded.

2^nd album by the phenomenal Prog band Oaksenham from Armenia, following the privately issued debut. The instrumental sextet (flute, violin, guitar, keyboards, bass and drums) and several guest musicians (harp and a woodwind ensemble) have at their disposal the power of an entire chamber orchestra, which suits their music perfectly. The music itself is a magnificent amalgam of Classical and classic Prog, which is sometimes called Chamber Prog, but it truly goes beyond all attempts of categorization. Most of it is original, including the incredible suite (almost half-hour long), composed by the band’s bassist Vahagn Papayan, which gives the album its title. The band did include two covers of Gentle Giant tunes (“Talybont” and “On Reflection”), obviously in an attempt to disclose their influences, but these superb arrangement enhance the original compositions to such a divine level that one could see them as new creations. The entire effect is completely stunning and I must admit I have never heard such a perfect cross-genre amalgamation before. This music is such a great example of how musical ideas can grow in the future, with no limitations and pre-conceptions. This is a delicious meal of musical intelligence, complexity, ingenuity and good taste. Definitely the best Prog album of 2007 and one that should join the very few albums that truly deserve to become a part of Prog’s canon for future generation to enjoy and admire. The fact that it comes from Armenia of all places only proves that the main focus on music creativity moved away from the historical cradles of Prog. Any music lover, even strictly Classical music listeners, should be able to delight in this magnificent opus and for Prog fans this is as essential as air. Absolutely essential!

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Massive restocking of the Cuneiform releases.

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Today’s addition is another album by Osiris, one of the very few Prog bands from the Arab world:

1^st album by Prog group Osiris from Bahrain, a tiny country in the Persian Gulf, and the first Prog album to be released in that part of the world. Formed in 1980 by brothers Mohamed Al-Sadeqi (guitars and vocals) and Nabil Al-Sadeqi (drums), who were exposed to western Rock music from early childhood and later discovered Progressive Rock. They decided to compose their own music, based on the Prog model, and soon found several other local musicians to join them, recording this debut album two years later. The music is a classic example of Symphonic Prog, with beautiful melodies and lengthy tracks, with extended instrumental improvisations. The vocals (in English) are scarce and definitely less significant. The overall level of musicianship, performance and composition is excellent and Prog fans worldwide warmly received the album as one of the most promising debut releases at the time. Recommended!

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Massive restocking of the Musea releases.

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Today’s addition is a new album by Israeli guitarist Shimshon Miel, a legendary figure on the local scene, celebrating his return to “active duty” after 30 years of silence.

Since the reissue in early 2007 of Shimshon Miel’s legendary 1977 album “Orchard Of The Whispering Embers” (the rarest Israeli Prog / Psychedelic album originally pressed in 200 copies only), I’ve met him and listened to the music he created in the last 30 years. As Miel moved in time deep into the orthodox Jewish community, his contact with the local music scene was severed. Although Miel never released any albums since his legendary debut, he continues to play and create music all the time, recording it in his own home studio. I encouraged him to release some of this music, as I found it truly fascinating, and finally he succumbed. This album brings out the hidden treasures out in the open, for all of us to enjoy. Using an array of electric guitars and guitar synthesizers (no other instruments are used and everything is played by him) Miel forges some of the most interesting sound vistas I’ve heard in a long time. Although completely indescribable, the music mixes elements of Psychedelics, Jazz, Avant-Garde and Ambient music without any preconceptions or limitations. Completely unpredictable and deeply atmospheric the music flows beautifully keeping the listener in suspense at all times. Expect the unexpected is probably the only description one can propose to any potential listener, hoping that many will decide to plunge into the deep end of musical adventure. Considering the album is dedicated to John McLaughlin, who had a deep influence on Miel’s approach to guitar playing, it is quite natural that McLaughlin’s followers will find many hooks into this music, but honestly any open-minded listener should have a feast with this stuff. Not easy, but deeply rewarding music, which is timeless and transcends genres and cultures. Wholeheartedly recommended.

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