Jazzis Web Shop News 07/2007

ALBUM

Today’s addition is the most sensational Israeli CD release in many years – a reissue of an ultra-rare privately released Prog LP from 1977, which is one of the world’s most wanted collector’s items:

This is undoubtedly the rarest and most esoteric Israeli Prog release ever. Shimshon Miel recorded and privately released his solo album in 1977 – something that was practically almost never done at that time. The 200 copies of this legendary LP disappeared almost completely from the surface of earth over the years and the few remaining ones are listed among the rarest of Prog collector’s items, reaching astronomical prices on the market. However, the rarity of the album is not the only reason why this piece of music is so unique. Miel’s avant-garde and completely unique approach to music making had only a few parallels at the time (artists like Comus, Third Ear Band and especially Tyrannosaurus Rex come to mind). A mixture of Folk, Prog, Psychedelics and Mysticism all combined into a strange and fascinating amalgam. Miel plays all the instruments by himself, multi-tracking acoustic and electric guitars, some percussion instruments and vocals, which are harmonized beautifully. Of course at the time of its release the album had no commercial potential whatsoever (not that anything has really changed in that department since) and was ignored completely, only to emerge 30 years later in its full glory. Kudos to Ozi Ezrati (ex-MIO Records) for digging out and releasing this gem as a brave act of Prog archeology. The bonus tracks include several home recordings made by Miel over the years. An absolute must for all lovers of weird music and Israeli Prog collectors.

JAZZIS WEB SHOP

The 6^th Anniversary Sale is in full swing – 10 % discount on all items (no exceptions).

HAVE FUN!

ALBUM

Today’s addition is another item from Chile – one of the most promising sources of excellent Prog these days:

1^st album by the sensational Chilean Prog group Exsimio, which features a double lead guitar lineup, reminiscent of Djam Karet and late King Crimson. The virtuosi guitar performances and the exceptional music, full of unexpected rhythm changes, twists and turns played at neck-breaking speed is absolutely overwhelming. This is undoubtedly on of the finest debut albums recorded in the last decade. Musically Exsimio are close to the RIO movement, combining rock and jazz elements, but their contributions are truly unique and unparalleled by any other contemporary band. This album should appeal to quite a large Prog audience, be it guitar aficionados, RIO fans and of course all Chilean Prog lovers – an absolute must. Their second album Carbono 14, for which we had to wait almost 6 years, is a brilliant follow up to this album and one not be missed as well.

JAZZIS WEB SHOP

The 6^th Anniversary Sale is in full swing – 10 % discount on all items (no exceptions).

HAVE FUN!

ALBUM

Today’s addition is yet another item from Chile – one of the most promising sources of excellent Prog these days:

1^st album by the excellent Chilean Prog group Aisles, which is active on the local scene since the early 2000s. The band includes three brothers: Sebastián Vergara (lead vocals), Germán Vergara (guitars) and Luis Vergara (keyboards) and two non-family members Rodrigo Sepulveda (guitars) and Alejandro Meléndez (keyboards). The band plays classic Symphonic Prog, firmly based on the Yes, Genesis and Marillion tradition and sounding as good as any of these bands with no inferiority complex whatsoever. The vocals (in English) have very little traces of foreign accent, and are of excellent quality, expressive and dramatic, somewhat reminiscent of Marillion’s front men Fish. The album is full of well-developed musical themes, beautifully played and sung, with two tracks over 10 minutes long. Every fan of melodic Symphonic Prog around the globe will surely enjoy this great debut album with no reservations, eagerly awaiting the follow up.

JAZZIS WEB SHOP

The 6^th Anniversary Sale is in full swing – 10 % discount on all items (no exceptions).

HAVE FUN!

ALBUM

Today’s addition is a Box Set by the greatest Jazz genius of all times – John Coltrane – documenting his Atlantic Records era:

This magnificent Box Set compiles everything John Coltrane recorded for Atlantic – his second long-term recording stint with a label following his Prestige period and preceding his final years on Impulse!. The first 6 CDs include all the 10 Coltrane’s LPs released on Atlantic (Giant Steps, Coltrane Jazz, My Favorite Things, Bags & Trane, Olé Coltrane, Coltrane Plays The Blues, Coltrane’s Sound, The Avant-Garde, The Coltrane Legacy, Alternate Takes), but the material is organized in chronological order (by session). The 7^th CD adds over an hour of never before released material. All this music was recorded over a period of just over two years (January 1959 – May 1961), but it includes some of the most pivotal Jazz recordings ever. The Atlantic period is a superb document of transition for the Jazz Giant. Stylistically it presents the steady move from Be Bop and Hard Bop to Free. Instrumentally it shows the shift from tenor saxophone to soprano saxophone. It also reveals the process of crystallization of Coltrane’s great classic quartet (see The Classic Quartet: Complete Impulse! Studio Recordings), whereas by October of 1960 three quarters of the quartet (with McCoy Tyner on piano and Elvin Jones on drums) were already in place and only the bassist Jimmy Garrison was to join soon after. Two of the sessions present here are collaborations with other co-credited Jazz Giants: “Bags & Trane” with the great vibraphonist Milt Jackson and “The Avant-Garde” with legendary trumpeter Don Cherry. The music is of course divine – absolutely nothing I can say about it would ever come close to the experience of actually listening to it. This music influenced every Jazz musician and Jazz lover on earth and left a mark on contemporary music, which has no equals to this day. It also shows Coltrane as a great composer for the first time, with some of his greatest melodies like “Giant Steps” and “Naima”. His interpretation of “My Favorite Things” is of course probably the most commonly known Jazz anthem ever. This sublime music is an integral part of Art’s cannon and an everlasting evidence of human (or perhaps super-human) genius. Absolutely essential!

JAZZIS WEB SHOP

The 6^th Anniversary Sale is in full swing – 10 % discount on all items (no exceptions).

HAVE FUN!

MUSIC MARKET

The last few weeks have been a time of reflection for me. Music and the Music Industry have been always an integral part of my life. It now seems that during my life span so far I’ve witnessed the “Rise and Fall” of the Music Industry, as we know it. Recent development, i.e. the dramatic dwindling of record sales and the collapse of the music market are indisputable. The future is totally wrapped in a cloud of uncertainty and anticipation, but some things are falling apart as we speak. I’ve seen labels going out of business, distributors going bankrupt and the Majors cutting their catalog to the bare minimum. Everybody tries to economize, downsize and survive for a few more months, postponing the inevitable, but from where I stand the desperation and loss of control remind the sinking Titanic.

Of course blaming the Internet is the easy way out. The Net contributed a lot to the state of affairs – no doubt, but it is not the singular factor. The widespread digital technology makes it so easy to copy and transfer data – and digitized music is after all just data – that people just can’t resist the temptation to copy, in complete disregard of copyrights and the notion of intellectual property. In that aspect the Net truly opened the Pandora’s box, with implications on all Art Forms, especially Cinema, which is also being victimized terribly by illegal copying. The development of the Net happened haphazardly before we managed to establish some kind of moral standard, not to mention legal infrastructure, which would serve as the basic modus operandi. What we have now is basically a moral anarchy, where the young generation is completely unaware of the notion of intellectual property. The implications of all this could be quite devastating in the long range and music was just the first victim.

Of course the Net is also a blessing for music. Never before was music making and distribution as easy as it is today. Once any music is placed on the Net, it’s immediately accessible by any person who has a Net link. Therefore there is more music available today than at any time in the past. Of course one might argue that although the availability is limitless, the quality of the music dwindles. People who place music on the Net to be distributed for free are obviously not making any income from music; hence they are amateur musicians doing it for fun. Nothing wrong with that of course, except the fact that professional musicians (perhaps a dying term) are left out of this game with no alternative to earn their living from music.

The Music Industry made all the mistakes and managed to turn the general public against itself. The corruption, manipulation and slavery imposed upon musicians over the years are now back firing with the full might. That said, some parts of the industry, especially the publishing and copyrights control worked well for many years. Authors and composers were eventually well rewarded for their creations, which enabled them not only to make a living, but in some cases even to accumulate a fortune. If we, as a society, should fail to find an alternative way to collect payments for intellectual property in the digitized world, we’ll be guilty of slaughtering Art, a cultural genocide of sorts.

I log off with these somber thoughts for now, surely to return to the subject again soon.

JAZZIS WEB SHOP

I’ve finally decided to let go of my warehouse and move my stock into a much smaller storage facility. I’ve had this warehouse for 12 years, ever since Jazzis was a major distribution company and CDs were bought and sold in vast quantities. The current operation doesn’t justify keeping such a large storage facility of course. I’ve clung to it for purely sentimental reasons and of course against all economic justification. Getting rid of the costs involved with the warehouse should enable me to continue selling music for as long as there is music to be sold – probably not very long anyway.

The 6^th Anniversary Sale is almost over – 10 % discount on all items (no exceptions).

HAVE FUN!