Jazzis Web Shop News 10/2006

I start the October additions with the last Harold Rubin album still missing on my site. From now on his entire, and of course outstanding output is available for the world to enjoy.

RUBIN, HAROLD ~ 2`S + A QUIET PLACE FOR MR. K.K.
PRIVATE EDITION ~ ISRAEL ~ Jazz
Recorded: 2000 - 2001 Released: 2001
This album marked Harold Rubin return to active recording, after almost four years of silence. With the help of his old friend from Zaviot Mark Smulian, who owns a small recording studio (called Digihipi), Harold recorded a series of three independently produced albums between 2000 and 2002, of which this is the first one. These three albums portray his extraordinary talents and visionary music at its best and are a wonderful document of his career as well as the local improvised music scene in Israel. The album includes 14 compositions, which are divided into two separate parts. The first part (2's) is a series of duets with drummer Hagai Fershtman, where Harold plays clarinet and recites three of his superb poems, which are an integral part of the creation. The second part (A Quiet Place For Mr. K.K.) is a beautiful suite dedicated to King Kong and performed as a trio with bass player Eran Borovich. Please note that this suite gets another treatment on the third album in this
 series, this time as a solo piece. This is wonderful music, beyond description and beyond analysis - it should be heard and enjoyed and inspire.

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It's "Yom Kippur" tonight, so I wish all my Jewish customers "Gmar Chatima Tova".

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I plan to take a holiday next week, therefore please try to place your orders ASAP to avoid delays.

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Have Fun!

Two brilliant Fusion albums added today:

PONTY, JEAN-LUC ~ AURORA
WOUNDED BIRD 8163 (Barcode: 664140816329) ~ FRANCE ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion
Recorded: 1975 Released: 2006
The extraordinary talents of the French violinist Jean-Luc Ponty stretch over a magnificent career, which started in the 1960s and continues to this very day. His impact on the role of violin in modern music (jazz & fusion) is unparalleled and his compositional skills are equally impressive. The most important aspect of his contribution to music is his ability to mix his European lyricism with American rhythmic patterns, creating a unique amalgam of contemporary sound. Since the late 1960s Ponty was active on the US scene as member of Frank Zappa's Mothers Of Invention and then John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra, where he contributed to the creation of the definitive Jazz-Rock Fusion foundations. While still a member of Mahavishnu Orchestra (1975) Ponty formed his own group and started recording a long series of brilliant albums for the Atlantic label, of which this is the 2nd. With the help of brilliant musicians like Partice Rushen on keyboards and Tom Fowler on bass (ex-Zappa) Ponty managed to give birth to a perfect Fusion album, which is as relevant today as it was on the day of its creation. He wrote all the music, which includes some of the most memorable melodies the genre was blessed with. The performances are also perfect in every respect and all in all this is one of Fusion's cornerstones and an absolute must.

PONTY, JEAN-LUC ~ INDIVIDUAL CHOICE
WOUNDED BIRD 8098 (Barcode: 664140809826) ~ FRANCE ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion
Recorded: 1983 Released: 2006
Ponty's 10th album for Atlantic, which marks a radical change in his approach to music, expressed mainly in his extensive use of electronic sounds (as opposed to his earlier use of acoustic or electric violin). Using a complex array of synthesizers and other devices Ponty creates sonic vistas of great beauty and depth. Mind you the Fusion spirit is still very much there and no danger whatsoever of New Age senseless monotony - this is highly spirited music of great value. Although Ponty is by far the main performer, he does use a few supporting musicians like old buddy George Duke on mini-moog or Alan Holdsworth on guitar. As usual Ponty wrote all the music presented here and again he managed to come up with some formidable melodies, which lost none of their charm over the years. A must for all JLP fans and people with taste.

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Absolutely massive restocking with all available Musea, Angel Air and Wounded Bird albums back in stock!

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Two suberb Al Di Meola albums added today:

DI MEOLA, AL ~ HEART OF THE IMMIGRANTS
WOUNDED BIRD 9052 (Barcode: 664140905221) ~ USA ~ Jazz-World Fusion
Recorded: 1993 Released: 2005
Al Di Meola's amazing talents as composer and guitarist have been with us since the early 1970s, when he captured the world's attention as the guitarist of Return To Forever. After leaving RTF in late 1976 Di Meola started to record a series of solo albums, alternating between acoustic and electric guitar. The first years of his solo career were dedicated to the Fusion genre, but gradually he incorporated many other musical elements in his work, such as classical and world music. He also cooperated with John McLaughlin and Paco de Lucia in a series of acoustic guitar trio recordings, which rank amongst the most revered albums of such type. This beautiful album presents Al's on acoustic guitar with a group called "World Sinfonia", playing superb instrumental music influenced by world music elements, the Argentinean tango in particular. In fact this is a second album in which Di Meola pays tribute to the Argentinean genius Astor Piazzolla. Although only four of the included tracks were composed by Piazzolla, the rest of the music, composed by Di Meola, is close in spirit to the Master's legacy. The bandeneon virtuoso Dino Saluzzi is another world famous group member taking part in these recordings and his contribution help immensely to create the authentic tango atmosphere. The entire album is a masterpiece of musical creation, exciting, emotional and incredibly beautiful all the way through. One would have to be completely deaf to stay indifferent to this enchanting music.

DI MEOLA, AL ~ ORANGE AND BLUE
WOUNDED BIRD 9197 (Barcode: 664140919723) ~ USA ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion
Recorded: 1994 Released: 2005
Although concentration mostly on acoustic projects, Al Di Meola's love for the electric guitar remains intact, as does his ability to use it. This incredible record brings Di Meola back to his familiar Fusion / Jazz environment and with the help of some of the best musicians on the scene at the time (Peter Erskine / Steve Gadd - drums, Marc Johnson - bass and many others including the Israeli singer Noa and Greek superstar George Dalaras) he produces a highly spirited album. The music, composed almost entirely by Di Meola, is of the highest quality, mixing superbly Fusion, Jazz and World elements. The guitar parts are elegant and dazzling, as always and the entire crew follows the leader supplying sympathetic support, which compliments his playing with excellence. In short this is one of those albums that never let you down and repeated listening presents no danger of boredom whatsoever. Highly recommended!

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Please note that I managed to lay my hands on a few copies of the limited edition debut Matching Mole album reissue, which is a Canterbury classic. If you don't own this one - better hurry!

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Have Fun!

Two very different albums by two very different drummers added today:

WHITE, LENNY ~ ATTITUDE
WOUNDED BIRD 232 (Barcode: 664140023222) ~ USA ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion
Recorded: 1983 Released: 2005
6th album by one of the most versatile US drummers, who played in such different settings as Miles Davis (late 1960s), Return To Forever (mid 1970s) and a myriad of projects spanning everything between mainstream jazz, fusion and funk in later years. His early solo projects were all oriented towards Fusion, but he continuously moved from Fusion towards Funk / Soul, incorporating more vocals and commercial arrangements. Of course this does not mean that his music was bad, as it never was and a player of caliber had always something to offer. This album, although characterized by a commercial sound, presents some high quality Funk music with truly excellent rhythmic approach. The presence of the legendary bass player Marcus Miller turns this into a classic Funk that generation of players studied later on. Definitely on the lighter side of things, but still a damn good listen.

BAKER, GINGER ~ FALLING OFF THE ROOF
WOUNDED BIRD 2900 (Barcode: 664140290020) ~ UK ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1996 Released: 2006
2nd album by the Ginger Baker trio, which includes two jazz giants: Bill Frisell on guitar and Charlie Haden on bass. Baker is of course mostly known as a rock superstar for his role in the legendary Cream (also a drums / bass / guitar trio), but since the 1990s he returned to active duty as a jazz drummer, with a variety of projects in the jazz realm, this trio being one of them. Of course Baker always was a jazz drummer, long before he played for rock audiences. His work with the Graham Bond Organization in the early / mid 1960s is just one of the manifestations of his jazz background, but it even goes far back to the 1950s UK trad bands. Baker was always one of the most original drummers and generations of drummers studied his every beat. He is heavily influenced by African rhythms and he played and studied African percussion for many years. All this adds up to make him a most atypical jazz drummer, immediately distinguishable from any of his peers. The sound and the music are quite different from most guitar trios, to some extent due to Baker's unusual approach to drums, but also due to the choice of the material. Only two standards (by Thelonious Monk and Charlie Parker) are present, all the rest of the music was penned by the trio members. The level is of course none less than exceptional, only to be expected from such distinguished players. This is a very interesting and different jazz album, worthy of investigation.

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Two new additions today. First comes another Peter Hammill remaster, which means there are still two more to go to complete the remasters series. Then comes the first of a long series of the magnificent John Mayall remasters - much too late for my taste as Mayall was always one of my favorite musicians, but better late than never:

HAMMILL, PETER ~ PH7
VIRGIN 370516 (Barcode: 094637051627) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock
Recorded: 1979 Released: 2006
8th album by Hammill and another about face compared to its predecessor. This time he comes up with a set of beautifully melodic tunes, almost conventional (mind you Hammill is never really conventional), which are more accessible than almost any of his previous material. Don't misinterpret this as a put down, these are still great songs with many of Hammill's characteristics, all beautifully sung and played. The overall atmosphere is just brighter and less tormented than usual. I haven't listened to this album in a long time and upon hearing the remaster I was pleasantly surprised to rediscover this material, which stands the test of time beautifully. This is yet another face of Hammill's multi-faced artistic portrait. Recommended as a Hammill starter for people who are not aquatinted with his or VDGG work.

MAYALL, JOHN ~ PLAYS JOHN MAYALL
DECCA 984177 (Barcode: 602498417799) ~ UK ~ Blues
Recorded: 1964 - 1965 Released: 2006
1st album by the hero of my youth and to this date one of my very favorite musicians of all times. Mayall is the absolute Godfather of British blues. Since the early 1960s he's led a streak of blues groups, called The Bluesbreakers, which were a breeding ground for entire generations of future blues and rock superstars. If the names of Peter Green, Eric Clapton, Aynsley Dunbar, John McVie and Keef Hartley (to mention just a very few of his alumni) mean anything to you than you can understand his importance. But Mayall is far more than a bandleader. He plays many instruments and writes superb melodies, some of which are amongst the best blues songs ever written. And of course he sings the blues like nobody else. Mayall not only deeply loves the blues, but he understands it probably more than anybody else, which made it possible for him to expand the art of blues way beyond its original form. Thank God he keeps doing it now for over 50 years - a truly remarkable man and an unprecedented career. This album is a live recording at the London's Klooks Kleek club (a famous meeting place for UK blues musicians). Mayall and his Bluesbreakers perform a brilliant set of songs, composed all by Mayall and this is one of the best examples of how the British blues revival crystallized around that period. Although this music was recorded over 40 years ago, it sounds remarkably fresh and up-to-date, losing nothing of its charm and beauty. Every John Mayall album is an absolute must for any blues fan, this one especially so for its added historical value.

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The SALE continues for 3 more days!

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