| Author |
 Topic Search  Topic Options
|
Jazzis 
Forum Senior Member
Joined: January 28 2006
Location: Israel
Status: Offline
Points: 650
|
 Topic: Jazzis Web Shop News 03/2007
Posted: March 01 2007 at 11:06 |
This month starts where the last one left of - with the newly remastered Soft Machine catalog:
SOFT MACHINE ~ FOURTH (REMASTERED)
SONY BMG 687291 (Barcode: 828768729120) ~ UK ~ Canterbury Scene
Recorded: 1970 Released: 2007
4th album, which finds the band back in the quartet format with Elton Dean as the new permanent member. Following the direction set on the previous album, SM moved even further away from their original psychedelic direction into experimental Jazz-Rock, which was groundbreaking and innovative to the extreme and aeons ahead of its time. In similar fashion to the previous album, the band used a horn-section to utilize a much more powerful sound and limitless sonic possibilities, which included the creme de la creme of (then) contemporary and burgeoning young UK jazz scene, including Roy Babington - acoustic bass, Nick Evans - trombone, Mark Charig - cornet, Jimmy Hastings - saxes and Alan Skidmore - saxes. This expanded ensemble recorded one of the most beautiful and most sophisticated albums of the era, which is completely timeless and inspiring to this very day. This new direction created some tension (to put it mildly) between the jazz oriented trio and the band's original drummer Robert Wyatt, which led to Wyatt's departure from the band by mid-1971 (to start Matching Mole), before the next album would be recorded. Therefore this was to be the last SM album to feature his extraordinary drumming skills. This beautiful new remaster finally (for the first time ever) gets rid of the muddy and hollow sound from which this album suffered badly, obscuring much of the music it contained. Absolutely essential!
https://www.jazzis.com/shop/default.asp?item=102222
=====================================
Have Fun!
|
|
|
 |
Jazzis
Forum Senior Member
Joined: January 28 2006
Location: Israel
Status: Offline
Points: 650
|
Posted: March 02 2007 at 10:01 |
The next Soft Machine remaster added today (two more to come):
SOFT MACHINE ~ FIFTH (EXPANDED EDITION)
SONY BMG 687290 (Barcode: 828768729021) ~ UK ~ Canterbury Scene
Recorded: 1971 - 1972 Released: 2007
5th album, which is also the first SM recording following Wyatt's departure from the group. Elton Dean enlisted the Australian drummer Phil Howard as Wyatt's replacement. Howard played on Dean's first album (Just Us) recorded just a few month earlier and seemed a natural choice. However, after playing with the band for a few months in 1971 and then recording about half of the tracks on this album, the rest of the group felt that Howard's free style didn't feel completely right with their Jazz-Rock explorations and decided to look for a replacement. Fortunately they were able to enlist the absolutely best Jazz-Rock drummer on the UK scene at the time, John Marshall, who was a member of the fabulous Ian Carr's Nucleus. Marshall brought to the band not only his amazing technique, but also more importantly his inventiveness and stability, which would serve as the perfect basis for the other members' improvisations. The band completed the rest of the tracks on this album with Marshall at the drum chair. No horn-section was employed on this album, but the double bass player Roy Babington was used again to strengthen the rhythm section and allow more freedom and space for Hopper's explorations. The album includes shorter pieces (in contrast to the LP's sidelong tracks of Third and Fourth), creating a much more concise and focused musical opus, surely one of the best SM ever recorded. Listening to this album today will perhaps restore for some listeners the full glory it deserves, which was often overlooked by critics and fans alike, which usually prefer the Third album. This beautiful new remaster improves the original sound tremendously and the bonus track (alas only one) is a gem. Absolutely essential!
https://www.jazzis.com/shop/default.asp?item=102223
=====================================
I wish everybody a great weekend and happy Purim Holiday to all the kids (regardless of age) in the world.
=====================================
Have Fun!
|
|
|
|
Jazzis
Forum Senior Member
Joined: January 28 2006
Location: Israel
Status: Offline
Points: 650
|
Posted: March 03 2007 at 05:26 |
Another Soft Machine remaster added today (one more left):
SOFT MACHINE ~ SIX (REMASTERED)
SONY BMG 687591 (Barcode: 828768759127) ~ UK ~ Canterbury Scene
Recorded: 1972 Released: 2007
6th album released originally as a double LP. Soon after recording Fifth, SM was facing more personnel changes with Elton Dean leaving the band to pursue his free jazz vocation. His replacement was another ex-Nucleus founding member Karl Jenkins. Jenkins was a classically trained musician with exceptional gift for composing beautiful melodies. In addition he was also a multi-instrumentalist and therefore was able not only to replace Dean on saxes, but he also played beautiful oboe and both acoustic and electric piano. The addition of Jenkins was a decisive factor for SM, adding to the band for the first time a touch of professionalism and virtuosity, this in addition to the great spontaneity and vitality the group always possessed. Jenkins turned out to be the group's most prolific writer and more than half of the music on the new album was his contribution. The new lineup started touring immediately after Hugh Hopper completed the recording sessions for his first album (1984) and some of the shows were recorded with the intention of serving as part of the new album (first LP of the set). In late 1972 the group recorded the studio material for the album (second LP of the set), returning to the format of longer and more complex tunes. The music on this album is quite different from what SM played on Third, Fourth and Fifth: it is much more melodic and atmospheric and of course not as much free jazz oriented. In fact this is one of the most essential examples of Jazz-Rock Fusion ever recorded, a direction SM was to follow from now on. This beautiful new remaster improves the original sound tremendously. Absolutely essential!
https://www.jazzis.com/shop/default.asp?item=102224
=====================================
For the duration of this weekend all Sale Items were reduced to US$ 5.00 each. Don't miss this opportunity to grab some fabulous music for a fabulous price.
=====================================
Have Fun!
|
|
|
|
Jazzis
Forum Senior Member
Joined: January 28 2006
Location: Israel
Status: Offline
Points: 650
|
Posted: March 04 2007 at 07:40 |
Tha last Soft Machine remaster added today:
SOFT MACHINE ~ SEVEN (REMASTERED)
SONY BMG 768729 (Barcode: 828768729229) ~ UK ~ Canterbury Scene
Recorded: 1973 Released: 2007
7th album, which was the last recording Soft Machine did for CBS. Following the release of Six veteran SM member Hugh Hopper announced his departure from the group. Hopper was not happy with the direction the group was taking, namely the less adventurous and jazz oriented Jazz-Rock, which dominated Six. Being a bold innovator and restless explorer, Hopper's idea of well-organized and structurally sound music was unacceptable, and he decided to leave. For the third time in a row the band enlisted to their ranks a replacement from the band Nucleus, this time the bass player Roy Babbington (who already participated on Fourth and Fifth). He switched from his acoustic bass to a six-string bass guitar and his integration into the band was completely smooth and natural, as he was already familiar with Marshall and Jenkins. The music, written mostly by Jenkins and Ratledge, is more Jazz-Rock than ever, with rather shorter, but extremely well structured and perfectly executed pieces. The keyboards duets and quirky rhythm patterns are the familiar Jazz-Rock devices used, similar to other groups which played similar music at the time. Contrary to the general opinion, which states that this album is not as strong as the previous SM releases, I personally completely disagree and consider this to as essential as all the other CBS recordings with some of the best and most memorable SM tunes on it. After this album SM switched to the Harvest label, recording several Jazz-Rock albums featuring guitar players Allan Holdsworth and later John Etheridge, all of which are still waiting for proper remaster. Essential!
https://www.jazzis.com/shop/default.asp?item=102225
=====================================
For the duration of this weekend all Sale Items were reduced to US$ 5.00 each. Don't miss this opportunity to grab some fabulous music for a fabulous price. Last day!
=====================================
I added a new feature called "Expanded And Remastered Collections", see:
Menu --> Browse --> By Category --> Expanded and Remastered Collections.
In view of the superb work done recently by record companies in this area, this is the easy was to find these new editions. Hope this will be useful.
=====================================
Have Fun!
|
|
|
|
Jazzis
Forum Senior Member
Joined: January 28 2006
Location: Israel
Status: Offline
Points: 650
|
Posted: March 05 2007 at 05:13 |
Another Israeli remaster added today - a true classic:
ALBERSTEIN, CHAVA ~ LIKE A WILDFLOWER (30TH ANNIVERSARY EXPANDED EDITION)
NMC (ISRAEL) 80591 (Barcode: 7290010932726) ~ ISRAEL ~ Classic Rock
Recorded: 1975 - 1976 Released: 2006
Chava (Eve in Hebrew) Alberstein is one of Israel's most important musical figures in the last 40 years. Born in Poland and immigrated to Israel in the 1950's. She comes from a musical family (her brother is a gifted jazz player) and her multi-cultural background, great talent and intelligence all come together forming an exemplary musical personality. Alberstein is not only a great singer, but also an accomplished composer, and many of her songs belong to the canon of Israeli musical heritage. She is also active in the preservation of the Yiddish language and Eastern European Jewish cultural heritage (see her exceptional recordings with the US ensemble The Klezmatics). Alberstein recorded numerous albums over the years but this particular one is often considered as one of her most profound and exceptional works and includes many of her best songs. Recorded in the traumatic and gloomy period following the Yom Kippur war, the album was an attempt to find a positive and optimistic outlook on Israeli life and the hope for a better feature and peace. All the songs on this album were written and composed by the best Israeli poets and songwriters and arranged mostly by Matti Caspi. Alberstein performs them with grace and deep feeling, which turn this album into a true Israeli classic. Highly recommended!
https://www.jazzis.com/shop/default.asp?item=102226
====================================
Have Fun!
|
|
|
|
Jazzis
Forum Senior Member
Joined: January 28 2006
Location: Israel
Status: Offline
Points: 650
|
Posted: March 06 2007 at 12:46 |
Another extremely important Israeli reissue added today:
LEVY, ZOHAR ~ THE BATHTUB QUEEN
EARSAY 086 (Barcode: 7290010420865) ~ ISRAEL ~ Progressive Rock
Recorded: 1970 Released: 2006
"The Bathtub Queen", a play written by a young Israeli playwright Hanoch Levin and staged by the Kameri Theatre in early 1970 turned out to be a symbol of the Israeli intellectual revolution (see Side note). The stage play also included a number of songs, which were performed by the actors. Levin entrusted the task of composing the music for these songs into the capable hands of the young and talented musician Zohar Levy, who at the time was probably the most "progressive" musician on the local scene. Levy, who was also an imaginative drummer with strong jazz and blues influences, was totally open minded as to the musical developments of era. His music was as revolutionary as Levin's texts and was as hard to swallow by the Israeli public at the time. The theatre was forced by the outraged public and even more outraged Government to cancel the play after just a few performances, but luckily the songs were recorded in the studio, with the original actors singing and Levy's quartet accompanying them. This was released on LP in a very limited edition of 500 copies only, soon to become one of the rarest Israeli collector's items. Now, 36 years later this gem is available again, to the delight of many fans of Israeli music and serves as an incredibly important document of the local scene.
Side Note: In 1970 the Israeli public was still living under the influence of the euphoria induced by Israel's victory in the 1967 Six-Day War. The Labor Government ruled the country using methods not far removed from the totalitarian Bolshevist model. Any kind of anti-government activity or social criticism was totally taboo and any symptoms of such activity were often brutally silenced, using both democratic / legal and undemocratic methods of intimidation. Hanoch Levin's "The Bathtub Queen" created the biggest and most violent outrage the country has ever witnessed. In his play Levin slaughtered "Holy Cows" by the herd and made fun of everything, including the Israeli Military, which was considered untouchable and beyond reproach. He predicted that Israel's victory will eventually lead only to yet another war, which in fact happened just 3 years later (Yom Kippur War). The Israeli Government and the Ministry of Defense in particular used every bit of their influence (including most of the Israeli Media) to force the Kameri Theatre to close the play. They eventually succeeded, but at the same time managed to bring the issues dealt with by the play into the center of the Israeli public discussion and social life, creating the split between the so called Israeli "left" and "right", present to some extent to this very day. In time Levin became Israel's most important playwright and his plays were translated into many languages and staged frequently around the globe. He is accepted worldwide as one of the greatest dramatist and precursors of the absurd theatre, continuing the work of his predecessors like Samuel Beckett, Eugene Ionesco and Harold Pinter. In retrospect the "The Bathtub Queen" can be considered as the singularly most influential piece of modern Israeli literature, proving yet again that words can shake the world's foundations.
https://www.jazzis.com/shop/default.asp?item=102227
=====================================
Have Fun!
|
|
|
|
Jazzis
Forum Senior Member
Joined: January 28 2006
Location: Israel
Status: Offline
Points: 650
|
Posted: March 08 2007 at 11:27 |
Almost two years after Virgin released the first 4 Steve Hackett remasters, and now finally the last two of his Charisma albums received the same treatment, completing the series of his six early solo recordings. Here is the first of the two:
HACKETT, STEVE ~ CURED
VIRGIN 384415 (Barcode: 094638441526) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock
Recorded: 1981 Released: 2007
5th album, written while Hackett was recuperating in Brazil, following a grueling couple of years filled with concert appearances and studio recordings. Hackett disbanded his regular band, with which he toured supporting his earlier releases, and for this project he retained the services of one musician only - his keyboards player Nick Magnus. Hence this is basically a duet effort, with the only exception being Steve's brother John, who contributes his flute on one tune. This is also the first album featuring Hackett as a lead vocalist, something Hackett was trying to avoid for a long time. It turns out he is quite capable of carrying a tune and his vocal performances are perfectly acceptable. The music is as good as always, with a slightly "lighter" approach, but nevertheless this is still Hackett, who couldn't make bad music even if he tried very hard. Especially the fantastic "The Air Conditioned Nightmare" instrumental, which is a Prog classic and remained for many years a regular feature of his concerts. In retrospect, considering this album was unavailable for so many years, it's a pleasure to remember and a most enjoyable listening experience.
https://www.jazzis.com/shop/default.asp?item=102228
=====================================
Massive re-stocking of the Musea catalog and other stuff as well, therefore please check your Waiting Lists, as many items there are back in stock.
=====================================
Have Fun!
|
|
|
|
Jazzis
Forum Senior Member
Joined: January 28 2006
Location: Israel
Status: Offline
Points: 650
|
Posted: March 09 2007 at 05:06 |
Today's addition is the last Steve Hackett album recorded for the Charisma label, now remastered and expanded: HACKETT, STEVE ~ HIGHLY STRUNG (EXPANDED EDITION) VIRGIN 384418 (Barcode: 094638441823) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1982 Released: 2007 6th album and the last one released on the Charisma label (All the rest of Steve's extensive catalogue is available on his privately owned label Camino Records, also available on this site). For this album Hackett expanded the duo format, which recorded Cured, into a trio with the addition of drummer Ian Mosley (future Marillion member) and a few guest musicians also participated. Together they created what is considered one of the best Steve Hackett albums, full of great melodies and excellent playing. Back to the Prog format and sound and including some of Hackett's most memorable tunes like Camino Royale, this is a perfect summary of his early period. Future Hackett albums will slowly mark the transition into acoustic music and his dedication to the acoustic guitar, with only occasional ventures into the classic electric Prog. This is a beautiful album in every sense and a pleasure to revisit after all these years. Definitely a classic and highly recommended! https://www.jazzis.com/shop/default.asp?item=102229==================================== I wish you all a great weekend! ==================================== Have Fun!
|
|
|
|
Jazzis
Forum Senior Member
Joined: January 28 2006
Location: Israel
Status: Offline
Points: 650
|
Posted: March 10 2007 at 09:33 |
Today's addition is the remastered edition of last Steve Hillage album recorded for the Virgin label. This almost completes the Steve Hillage remasters series with just one album left (coming soon):
HILLAGE, STEVE ~ FOR TO NEXT / AND NOT OR
VIRGIN 373463 (Barcode: 0094637346327) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock
Recorded: 1982 Released: 2007
8th album and the last one released on the Virgin label. Following the release of Open and a few concerts in late 1979 Hillage disbanded this band for good this time and plunged into the world of producing, putting his own music aside for a while. It was almost 3 years later when he fulfilled his contractual obligation with Virgin, recording the last album for them. The album called "For To Next" was recorded as a duo, with Miquette Giraudy as the only other participating musician. Strongly influenced by the "New Wave" genre Steve was involved with as a producer (Robyn Hitchcock, Simple Minds and others) the album was a prime example of the genre. Dominated by synthesizers and electronic sounds with Hillage's guitar ornamenting the proceedings. The music stands the test of time formidably and although the album is not considered a classic of the genre, it definitely deserves it. The album was released as a 2 LPs set, with the second album including instrumental music recorded at the same sessions (called "And Or Not"). It included music that was more typical of what Hillage and Giraudy were really into and what would be later developed by their work with The Orb and with their group System 7, which is active to this very day. The album is a great document of the era and even if the 80's electronic sound is not one's cup of tea, the quality and musicianship displayed here is definitely worth listening to.
https://www.jazzis.com/shop/default.asp?item=102230
=====================================
Have Fun!
|
|
|
|
Jazzis
Forum Senior Member
Joined: January 28 2006
Location: Israel
Status: Offline
Points: 650
|
Posted: March 11 2007 at 13:21 |
As everybody around here already knows, Jethro Tull are one of may favorite Prog acts and in complete contrast to most people I dare to think that their entire output is absolutely wonderful (not only the early stuff). Therefore today's addition is another Jethro Tull remastered edition. Jethro Tull released 21 albums on Chrysalis (not counting collections, best of, and box sets) and you can now find almost all of them here sans one (hopefully coming soon):
JETHRO TULL ~ UNDER WRAPS (EXPANDED EDITION)
CHRYSALIS 473415 (Barcode: 724347341502) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock
Recorded: 1984 Released: 2005
16th album recorded following the release of Anderson's solo project Walk Into Light, which he recorded in cooperation with keyboards player Peter Vettese. The solo album was an attempt to embrace the then contemporary synthesizer drenched sound (New Wave at all) and the same format was kept for this JT album. Basically a trio (Anderson, Vettese and Barre) they recorded this album using electronic drums and a plethora of synthesized sounds, with Anderson's flute and Barre's guitar kept in the background most of the time. No wonder most JT fans (especially in the US) hated the album at the time of its release, seeing it as a "sell out", judging of course by the sound alone and ignoring the music, which was as JT as ever. Different package, true, but still quite extraordinary. Anderson sums it all up very nicely: "But, hey, you have to push the boundaries a little in the pursuit of musical adventures. No point in staying forever in the clutches of 70's sounds and analogue keys, valves, steam flutes and tree-gobbling guitars. Gotta move on. And then move back again." I feel exactly the same way about this - no pain - no gain! An artist should be free to experiment and if he is a great artist, whatever he does will come out right. Some of us just won't be ready for it. In retrospect, as weird as it sounds, this album is still an integral part of the wonderful JT legacy. The expanded edition adds a video clip and bonus tracks not present on the original LP release (but added later on the CD release).
https://www.jazzis.com/shop/default.asp?item=102231
====================================
Have Fun!
|
|
|
|
Jazzis
Forum Senior Member
Joined: January 28 2006
Location: Israel
Status: Offline
Points: 650
|
Posted: March 15 2007 at 13:00 |
Today's addition is the 6th (and last so far) album released in the excellent "30th Anniversary Expanded Edition" series of Israeli classic. As all the other albums in the series, it is pure gold and a must for all lovers of Israeli music from the 1970s:
MEADOWS END ~ MEADOWS END (30TH ANNIVERSARY EXPANDED EDITION)
NMC (ISRAEL) 81905 (Barcode: 7290010932894) ~ ISRAEL ~ Folk-Rock
Recorded: 1976 - 1977 Released: 2006
Only album by the Israeli trio Meadows End, which was the first and almost solitary attempt to create a local answer to the Folk / Rock genre. Beautiful vocal harmonies and acoustic guitars resemble of course the work of groups like Crosby, Stills and Nash, but the music is completely original. All three members of the group were very accomplished singers and instrumentalists, this in addition to being songwriters and musical arrangers. They worked for over a year to collect and polish the material recorded on this album, which at the time was considered vastly advanced musically. Unfortunately the group disbanded shortly after the album was released and remained almost completely forgotten in the last 30 years. Listening to this music clearly shows the brilliant qualities captured on tape many years ago, which remain unblemished and are quite breathtaking even now. Bringing this forgotten gem back to life is most warmly welcome and kudos to the label for unearthing this important document of the local music scene. For lovers of the Israeli music created during the local scene's Renaissance Days in the 1970s this is an absolute must.
https://www.jazzis.com/shop/default.asp?item=102232
=====================================
As always at this time of the year the Annual Spring Sale is here just in time to celebrate the Easter and Passover holidays and the coming spring.
The sale offers a 12 % discount on all items, including the already reduced Sale items and One Of A Kind items.
I am sure you all realize that I offer to my customers an extremely attractive price as is and with the discount the price becomes absolutely unbeatable.
The Spring Sale ends on midnight March 31, 2007.
Here are some important pointers about ordering during the Sale period:
1. Since there is no re-stocking during the Sale period, many items get quickly out of stock. A strict First Come First Served (FCFS) policy is always observed, therefore it's recommended to make your orders ASAP, before the items you want get out of stock.
2. It is recommended to check the "Orders History" to see what actually was shipped to you. Although the stock availability indication is updated automatically, when many people are ordering simultaneously it is possible to actually order an item that someone else just bought the last copy of.
3. Please remember that orders of 10 or more items give you free shipping anywhere in the world. That is another considerable discount and therefore even if your order is short of 10 items it actually pays to order some of the Sale or One Of A Kind items to get to an order of 10 items (and get free shipping), which means that you basically get these additional items completely for free.
I hope you all have a great time browsing my shop.
I wish you and your Family a happy Holiday and of course lots of Health and Prosperity.
=====================================
Have Fun!
|
|
|
|
Jazzis
Forum Senior Member
Joined: January 28 2006
Location: Israel
Status: Offline
Points: 650
|
Posted: March 23 2007 at 11:12 |
In spite of the extremely busy period I managed to add a new item today, something I just couldn't resist - the new live album by Michael Landau and his group:
LANDAU, MICHAEL / GROUP ~ LIVE
PROVOGUE 7209 (Barcode: 8712725720928) ~ USA ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion
Recorded: 2004 - 2006 Released: 2006
Michael Landau is one of the best-kept secrets on the US West Coast scene. Although almost completely anonymous, he is definitely one of the best and most gifted guitar players in US today. He is quite famous to the "insiders" of the music scene as he is featured (as a session player) on an endless list of albums by the biggest names in rock music. His work as a leader is unfortunately hardly available and this new album is a most welcome addition. The album is a showcase of the amazing versatility and staggering technique. The first disc of this 2CD set id dedicated to the electric blues, which Landau performs brilliantly with shades of Hendrix and Vaughan coming to mind immediately. The second discs could not be more different and it includes a superb set of jazz / rock Fusion, with Landau playing some amazing licks. He also composed all the music (sans one track) on this album. If you have never heard of this guy, do yourself a favor and listen to this album. I can assure you won't be sorry!
https://www.jazzis.com/shop/default.asp?item=102233
=====================================
The Annual Spring Sale is really in full swing and with just over a week left I can't help to emphasize again how important it is to get your orders in ASAP in order to avoid missing the items you want. Remember there is no re-stocking during the Sale.
=====================================
Have Fun!
|
|
|
|
Jazzis
Forum Senior Member
Joined: January 28 2006
Location: Israel
Status: Offline
Points: 650
|
Posted: March 24 2007 at 15:26 |
|
I have just finished compiling a program of tracks selected from my Jazzis Records label, which you can now hear on the Jazzis Web Shop Radio. Just go to the Radio page and select "Jazzis Records Samples" from the playlist.
That is almost 2 hours of continuous music, spanning all 27 releases (so far) on Jazzis Records. In retrospect I can say there is a lot of great music there..., well I'm not objective but check it out ;)
=====================================
The Jazzis Web Shop Annual Spring Sale enters its last week! Although many of my regular customers already took advantage of the Sale offer, this is also a great way to get introduced to my shop - so don't miss this great opportunity to get some great music for a great price! See you all there.
======================================
Have Fun!
|
|
|
|
Jazzis
Forum Senior Member
Joined: January 28 2006
Location: Israel
Status: Offline
Points: 650
|
Posted: March 27 2007 at 11:49 |
A new Israeli jazz / RIO / avant-garde album added today: KEYS TO THE SUB ~ SERIOUSLY NOW PRIVATE EDITION ~ ISRAEL ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 2004 - 2005 Released: 2007 This is the debut album by The Keys To The Sub, an ensemble of young Israeli musicians led by composer (and sometimes bass player) Daniel Oz, who wrote all the music on this album. Although closely associated with jazz, the music reaches way beyond the traditional definition of the genre, with influences from modern classical music (musique concrete in particular) and experimental rock (RIO). Two of the tracks include poems recited by the poet Maya Bejerano, with the band improvising freely in the background. The rest of the tracks move between fairly melodic pieces and improvised experimental music. Veteran jazz player Albert Beger guests on two tracks. The melodies and tempos shift constantly and the outcome is pretty unpredictable. Definitely not easy music, but as usual in such cases, the experienced listener with open musical horizons should really enjoy this bold statement. Most warmly recommended to fans of avant-garde and unconventional music. It is always a pleasure to hear a new Israeli album, which is both challenging and excellent, as is this one. The level of the local scene is constantly rising and these young musicians shape the future of Israeli music, which looks really promising judging by their output. https://www.jazzis.com/shop/default.asp?item=102234==================================== The Annual Spring Sale is approaching the end with just 4 days left. All the people who still are "thinking about it" - please stop thinking and start acting, as soon it will be too late ;) ==================================== Have Fun!
|
|
|
|
Jazzis
Forum Senior Member
Joined: January 28 2006
Location: Israel
Status: Offline
Points: 650
|
Posted: March 28 2007 at 11:21 |
Al Di Meola has always been one of my favorite musicians and his excellent output over the years has been nothing but joy. Today's addition is Al's superb album from 2002:
DI MEOLA, AL ~ FLESH ON FLESH
TELARC 83543 (Barcode: 089408354328) ~ USA ~ Jazz-World Fusion
Recorded: 2002 Released: 2002
Ever since Al Di Meola's early days as a member of Chick Corea's Return To Forever (with whom he recorded three splendid albums in the mid-1970s: Where Have I Known You Before, No Mystery and Romantic Warrior) and then as a solo recording artist since 1976, his output has been consistently excellent. This remarkable career now stretches over 4 decades and Al seems to be going as strong as ever. A master of both the electric and the acoustic guitar, Di Meola refined his style over the years. Finesse and delicacy, replaced the youthful zest and energy, as demonstrated on his early albums by his guitar pyrotechnics. The love of Fusion was expanded and enriched by love of World Music, which presents an infinite source of inspiration. The 1990s saw Di Meola getting involved extensively with World Music, when he formed his group called World Sinfonia (with some of the best musicians from all over the world) and recorded a tribute to the great Argentinean composer Astor Piazzolla. In 1998 Di Meola signed with the excellent Telarc label, famous for it's superb sound recording quality, and this is his 4th release on that label. As usual the music is a tasty mixture of fiery Fusion and elegant World Music. Di Meola switches between the acoustic and electric guitar according the mood of the music. Also as usual, he includes some distinguished guests to play along with, this time the legendary Cuban keyboards player Gonzalo Rubalcaba (who adds some of his own fire to the proceedings) and veteran bass virtuoso Anthony Jackson, who played with Di Meola on his early Fusion albums. Although Di Meola usually writes all the music on his albums, this time a Chick Corea composition was also included to celebrate the Di Meola / Jackson reunion. All together another triumphant achievement for Al and a superb musical experience. Most warmly recommended.
https://www.jazzis.com/shop/default.asp?item=102235
====================================
The Annual Spring Sale is rapidly approaching its end with just 3 days left. Don't tell me later that you have not been reminded!
====================================
Have Fun!
|
|
|
|
Jazzis
Forum Senior Member
Joined: January 28 2006
Location: Israel
Status: Offline
Points: 650
|
Posted: March 30 2007 at 11:32 |
Here is another Al Di Meola album, something that I intended to add for quite a while:
DI MEOLA, AL ~ THE INFINITE DESIRE
TELARC 83433 (Barcode: 089408343322) ~ USA ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion
Recorded: 1998 Released: 1998
This is Al's debut album for the excellent Telarc label, a move which seemed quite unusual at the time as the label was mostly associated with releases by the old generation of straight-ahead mainstream jazz players. In retrospect Telarc turned out to work extremely well for Di Meola, as the labels renowned sound quality suits perfectly his delicate music. On the album Di Meola continues and expands the format he's been following since the late 1980s, which is a crossover between fusion and World Music influences. As usual, he wrote all the music on the album, which reflects perfectly his constant development as a musician and composer. The innovation on this album is Al's usage of guitar synthesizer, although he switches between his electric (or in this case electronic) and acoustic guitars quite often. Almost every track on this album features a different lineup, with numerous guest musicians appearing alongside Di Meola (like Herbie Hancock - piano, Peter Erskine - drums, John Patitucci - bass and others), which of course makes the album more interesting instrumentally. Although Di Meola's output is consistently excellent, this is definitely one of his best albums and a most warmly recommended addition to any serious record collection.
https://www.jazzis.com/shop/default.asp?item=102236
=====================================
With just over 24 hours left, The Annual Spring Sale is almost over. All the latecomers are streaming their orders as if there's no tomorrow (well there is a tomorrow, but then that's it - for the Sale that is).
=====================================
Have Fun!
|
|
|
|
Jazzis
Forum Senior Member
Joined: January 28 2006
Location: Israel
Status: Offline
Points: 650
|
Posted: March 31 2007 at 06:49 |
The last March addition is also the last (8th) of the Steve Hillage remasters, which completes the collection. HILLAGE, STEVE ~ MOTIVATION RADIO VIRGIN 373425 (Barcode: 094637342527) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1977 Released: 2007 3rd album also recorded (same as its predecessor) in the US. Hillage was trying to expand the scope of his music beyond the Prog and Canterbury genres he was associated with and to include other elements, especially Funk, which he found interesting at the time. He approached the legendary producer Malcolm Cecil (producer of Funkadelic) who agreed to produce the album. The resulting music is much lighter and funkier that the previous albums, bearing less Psychedelic elements. Steve is the main soloist and his guitar playing on this album is definitely some of his finest ever. Miquette Giraudy adds some tasty spacey keyboards and the rhythm section provides a strong steady basis for Hillage's extended guitar outings. Steve's compositions are also particularly strong here and the album stands the test of time fabulously. Definitely a classic and a must for all Hillage fans. https://www.jazzis.com/shop/default.asp?item=102237===================================== With just about 12 hours left, The Annual Spring Sale is almost over. Orders still coming in and if anybody is still thinking about it - the time is almost up. ===================================== Have Fun!
|
|
|
|
/PAlogo_v2.gif "Progarchives.com Homepage")
Jazzis Web Shop News 03/2007