Chick Corea – The Sun
Oct.23, 2012
Chick Corea – The Sun , Toshiba Express ETP-9016, 33 1/3 rpm (JAP) 1970
Very rare japanese only lp
This is a very interesting release with music that is of extreme quality. Wild and free. Chick Corea during the Miles Davis – era… and pre Circle – pre fusion…
This is WILD!
Music only came out in Japan. This is the very rare1st issue. The 2nd issue is rare as well.
And you NEED the music!
Holland and DeJohnette are in amazing form, gushing and flowing freely but also with an amazing timing and feel.. An amazing pairing. It is quite a telepathic interplay here. One of the strongest drums & bass pairings ever in the history in jazz and improvised music.
Steve Grossman is playing highly creative and with great imagination.
Grossman is one of the most underrated tenor voices and this recording is for sure one of hís most essential work.
An extremely interesting period in the jazz history with some insane free playing! Inside… and outside. It is all there!
The hardest to get in the extensive Corea discography. And according to DC – the ONE to get from a musical and historical standpoint!
Steve Grossman- tenor sax and chinese musette
Chick Corea – piano
Dave Holland – bass
Jack DeJonette – drums
Steve Jackson – Miscellaneous Instrument
brötzmann & bennink – Atsugi concert
Oct.21, 2012
Peter Brötzmann & Han Bennink – Atsugi Concert, Gua Bungue GBLP 3388, 33 1/3 rpm (JAP), 1980
Very rare japanese lp, 300 copies ?
This is such a package! One of the most beautifully designed LP´s ever in the free jazz/ improvised music- business. Silver fold out sleeve…with a fantastic photobook attached! Killin photos and amazingly well assembled.
The FEEL is 100%!!!
It weighs very nicely in your hands….
And music is of course absolutely pulverizing. The vinyl came out in 1980, so Brötzmann & Bennink had already been playing together for a good 20 years +…. And you can hear it…
Bennink is all over the place with using and misusing various windinstruments and beating the crap out of his percussive arsenal…
Brötzmann is standing on steady feets and blowing his guts out… as well as hammering the piano (!) i n the greatest way…
Few records has a greater feel. And this baby never shows up these days…
This record only came out in Japan back in the day and the music has never showed up anywhere else… one of the hardest in the extensive Brötzmann discography!
( the hardest being perhaps The new jazz in Altena vol 2:
http://matsgus.com/discaholic_corner/?p=1553)
Atsugi concert is ESSENTIAL!
Peter Brötzmann – tenor and baritone sax, clarinet and piano
Han Bennink – drums , c – mel saxophone, clarinet, trombone, piano, xylophone etc
Albert Ayler – something different!!!! vol 2.
Oct.19, 2012
Albert Ayler – Something Different!!!!, Bird Notes 2 A/ 2C, 33 1/3 rpm, (SWE) 1962
Extremely rare test pressing max 10 copies
home made cover, in 2 copies… made by Bengt Nordtsröm´s friend and collegue Harald Hult in the 90´s.
This is the one. This is the one!
This is the mythical vol 2 of Ayler´s legendary Something Different!!!! Recording produced by Bengt Nordström. The version with 4 track.
So here is the facts: There is the first version 2A/2B that has 3 tracks. This version has, 2A / 2C, is as the the official re-issue by Japanese DIW, 4 tracks, adding Moanin to the palette!
Both versions of vol 2 on Bird Notes are extremely extremely rare…. And if you have us guessing: the first version might exist in around 10 copies and the 2A / 2C in less then that.
But , since Bengt Nordström passed away in 2000, we will never know for sure.
We just know that this is one of the most collectible records ever in the history of free jazz and creative music!
Music is of course absolutely out of control GREAT!!!!
We think the reason why Bengt didn’t include those pieces on vol 1 might just be the fact that some jerk is whistling (!) along with the trio on these tracks…
In a way disturbing… on the other hand…. Quite beautiful!!! And Ayler is in mean form here… he is biting hard… and struggling… and creating one of the most amazing pieces of music ever.
Some “experts” always claim that the bass and drum was not up to his level and that this music is just a paranthesis in the ayler discography.
We don’t agree.
Torbjörn Hultkrantz and Sune Spångberg is backing up, commenting and struggling with Ayler in a most creative way. We LOVE this. The research…. The struggle… the interaction.
We can hear the music about to come!!!
And isn’t that the most interesting periods in music anyway ? before the new music is defined…. When the research is still happening?
This is exactly right before the term “free jazz” was defined by Ayler himself and his collegues Cecil Taylor, Ornette Coleman, Archie Shepp, Bill Dixon and others.
It is “jazz” but free… the way the musicians move around the themes and the harmonies… is free… in a way not heard before or after this session, that was recorded by Bengt Nordström himself at the the Academy of Arts ( Mejan) or (?) the main hall of the royal academy of music. This has yet to be confirmed , where it actually was recorded.
…and …There has been some disputes about if there is a vol 3 or not?
According to Bengt himself, when he was asked years ago: there is no vol 3.
And according to DC, that has in the DC archives the complete metal masters of Bird Notes: there is no vol 3.
This is what we found on the excellent uk – based website about ayler:
http://www.ayler.co.uk/html/first_recordings.html
There is some dispute over whether there is a third volume of The First Recordings. The Jeff Schwartz biography lists 4 more titles – 2 alternate takes of ”Softly As In A Morning Sunrise”, ”Lover Man” and ”Everything Happens To Me” – and credits ”Raben 1989” for the discographical information. The Mike Hames 1983 discography does not mention a third volume. According to Jan Strom of Ayler Records in Sweden, Bengt Nordström (the producer of the session) told him that everything that was recorded had been issued on Volumes 1 and 2. This was confirmed by Mats Gustafsson who emailed me in 2012 with the following:
”I was also talking with Bengt about a vol 3.and my understanding of that talk was:
vol. 1 is as is.
vol. 2 is the 3 pieces version (minus moanin).
vol. 3 is vol 2 + moanin (the four track version).”
Mats also said that the original versions of Volume 2 and 3 only existed as test pressings, between 5 and 10 of each. Also there might once have been a Japanese offer, which packaged all three volumes together.
Ayler lived for one year in Sweden, 1962, and this is quite an interesting story in itself.
Part of this story can be watched in Kasper Collin´s film ” My name is Albert Ayler”
http://www.mynameisalbertayler.com/
But the complete story is yet to be written.
The best historical overview on Ayler is for sure in the amazing amazing box set , that Revenant Records did put together some years ago. This is the only book , in english, devoted to Albert Ayler! This is a disgrace , that there are not more books/ biographies on Albert Ayler.
http://revenantrecords.com/musics/products/albert-ayler-holy-ghost/
This is the BOX of the centuary!!!! Including the FANTASTIC meeting of Albert Ayler and Cecil Taylor in a TV – studio in copenhagen!!! This is also recorded in 1962… and the music is nothing else then a SENFUCKINSATION! Music that is created before it was possible… less then a month after the swedish recordings made by Bent Nordström.
japanese version (DIW) – officially the 1st release of vol 2. .. if you don´t count test pressings…..
There is also a very well informed albert Ayler dicography on the net:
http://www.jazzdisco.org/albert-ayler/discography/
One more book is published on Albert Ayler. And this is a good one! In german only! ( who will translate this one ??? )
Spirits Rejoice by Peter Niklas Wilson:
http://www.ayler.co.uk/html/bibliography.html
Something Different!!!! – see also vol 1.
http://matsgus.com/discaholic_corner/?p=963
Albert Ayler´s Something Different vol 1 & 2…. This is as good as it gets!!!!!
Albert Ayler – tenor sax
Torbjörn Hultkrantz – bass
Sune Spångberg – drums
Steve Lacy – The Wire
Oct.13, 2012
Steve Lacy Sextet – The Wire , Denon YX 7553 ND, 33 1/3 rpm ( Jap ) 1975
Very rare Japanese only release
This is definitely one of the hardest to get in the Steve Lacy discography!
And it is a fantastic musical document.
Steve Lacy on his first (?) trip to Japan, of many to come.
Improvising and playing his own compositions with the cream of the cream of the creative Japanese scene. The way the Togashi, Midorikawa, Satoh, Yoshisawa and Ikeda are dealing with the material and the music is astonishing. The interacting seems to really fit the way that the compositional material is constructed. The string dominated sound of he group works extremely well with the sole sax playing by maestro Lacy.
Lacy was studying traditional Japanese music for a longer time, especially the music of the Shakuhachi, and you can hear traces of that influence very clear on this beautiful piece of vinyl.
A great recording of an amazing meeting.
This vinyl beast is as rare as they come and was probably only released in a couple of hundred copies back in the day.
Was there ever an obi on this one… we wonder….?
the very first recording of the classic “deadline”!
and a killing version of “The Wire”, which s originally dedicated to Albert Ayler.
There is a UK magazine for modern music that named their mag after this vinyl record… a good start….
Steve Lacy – soprano sax
Masahiko Togashi – percussion
Masahiko Satoh – piano
Keiki Midorikawa – cello and bass
Yoshio Ikeda – bass
Motoharu Yoshisawa – bass
Philippe Sarde – des enfants gates
Oct.13, 2012
Philippe Sarde – Des Enfants Gates, Vogue LDA 20295, 33 1/r rpm, (FRA) 1977 , 12” LP
– Des Enfants Gates, Vogue 45.x.14029245 rpm (FRA ) 1977 , 7”
Very rare soundtrack LP and even more rare EP
A very beautiful release. The soundtrack of Bertrand Taverniers great filmwork, Des Enfants Gates.
It comes as a 12” LP , but as well as a separate 7” with the title track only.
The music is composed and scored by Frenchman Philippe Sarde with some chansons of pretty typical French quality. But there are instrumental pieces as well here…
And the thing is… the shit is…. The group consists of some very HEAVY players… and in a very unlikely set up / pairing.
And the music works… as well as a soundtrack and as a seperate piece of vinyl. It is not a masterpiece musically perhaps…. But has many very very creative moments!
And with players like Barry Guy, John Surman, Francois Rabath and Johnny Griffin (!!!) together… it is not a wonder that this vinyl is very much sought after!
A lot of amazing French films from the 60´s and 70´s were using really great soundtracks and gave a lot of the active and creative musicians a new platform to work within. Many unique soundtracks exists on especially the 7” format and are worth looking for… often in small editions…
Philippe Sarde –composition and arrangements
Barry Guy – bass
Francois Rabath – bass
John Surman – soprano and baritone sax
Johnny Griffin – tenor sax
Jean – Pierre Mas- keyboards
Peter Brötzmann – Machine Gun
Oct.13, 2012
Peter Brötzmann – Machine Gun, BRÖ 2, 33 1/3 rpm (GER), 1968
Very rare 1st edition, max 500 copies
The record that defines it ALL!
The Music that Brötzmann and his comrades were doing in combination with the raw, raaaaaaaaw sounds of the recording and the visuals of the cover made this the ULTIMATE classic of European free jazz!
The start of the title track is just overwhelming. The first time you hear it… it is a schock… 2nd time as well…. and so it goes on…
It is a mindblowing experience to get into the free improvisations of the group at the beginning of the starting piece and after a while get transported out through the window, door and sealing at the same time at once- with that massive wall of noise that suddenly hits you like a hurdle of buffalos, mammuts and Alaskian ice trucks all at once… no other way to describe it. (sorry about that)
The music continues with some absolute amazingly grim and evil playing by especially Evan Parker, Willem Breuker and Brötzmann himself… the flow is immense!
And the “song” is over before you know it.
The interaction between the eight players are wild and full of energy in all directions. It is a real treat to listen how the two bass players, Peter Kowald and the mighty mighty Buschi Niebergall, are playing together… moving the music forwards, with some amazingly creative drumming from drum maestros Johansson and Bennink, behind, over and under the ensemble!
A very sax dominated sound, of course…. with 3 of the most hard hitting tenor players ever around… and it is a joy to hear the fantastic and very inspired Belgian piano player Fred van Hove in the middle of it all… in the eye of the storm… commenting and contra punctuating the music in way that only he can do.
Brötzmann had early the vision of copying the 4 line of sax players in the Lionel Hamptons Big Band, playing in unison as a wall of sound.
Attempts to link this epic recording to Coltranes Ascension or Ornette´s Free Jazz is discarded by Brötzmann, that rather prefer to link his influences to Charles Ives, “Flying Home” by Lionel Hampton and Rock n Roll!!!
It is ALL there!!!
This music has been re- released a number of times… on vinyl on FMP and recently on another german label: A – music. As well as on many CD versions by a.o. FMP and Atavistic/ Unheard Music with bonus tracks and all.
BUT… this is the one… the first silkscreened one… the feel. the vibe…. And the fact that this IS how it originally came out! Put together by Brötzmann himself back in the day.
BRÖ 2 … Legendary and for always the BOMB!
The title “Machine Gun” has nothing to do with “obvious” political connections and vietnam war of the time etc etc… it is simply the nick name that Don Cherry was using for Brötzmann during those vibrant years.
Machine Gun…. The record that defines it ALL!
Peter Brötzmann – tenor and baritone saxes
Evan Parker – tenor sax
Willem Breuker – tenor sax
Fred Van Hove – piano
Peter Kowald – bass
Buschi Niebergall – bass
Han Bennink – drums
Sven – Åke Johansson – drums
peter brötzmann – for adolphe sax
Oct.13, 2012
Peter Brötzmann – For Adolphe Sax, BRÖ 1, 33 1/3 rpm, (GER) 1967
Very rare 1st edition. Max 500 copies
The European free jazz EPIC!
Brötzmanns first recording in his own name… with mighty German bass player Peter Kowald (as well as Brötzmann also based in Wuppertal his whole life) , in company of Swedish jazz drummer Sven – Åke Johansson, that left his native country with his drumkit only some years earlier and met with Brötzmann & Kowald in Belgium by accident… managed to find his way to Wuppertal, on a mysterious and full-of-myth-path, to continue his musical research with the two Peters.
This is simply just beautiful music —- full of high energy freee jazz blowing of the highest possible quality, with a very very unique interaction between the three players —- this beast will BLOW you away.
“Morning glory”…. Just listen to it… and be swiped away!!!
It has a very definite sound and the music is the earliest example (recorded june 1967) of what later media and educationists wanted to call the German school… we don’t care about those definitions really… we can just confirm what we hear…. And that is a treat!
The music is… ACTIVE, in a way… that just makes this record a CLASSIC and something that everyone neeeeeeds to hear in order to fight the stupidity back
The 1st edition on Brötzmann´s own BRÖ label, comes with a beauuuutiful silkscreened black& white cover and hand stamped labels. KILLING!
The whole estetique…. The ROAR of the music… the rarity… the sound… the feel… we tell you:
The FEEL! Makes this a MUST have – whatever it takes!
The music later came out on FMP with a similar cover, but the vibe… the thing… is with this one edition.
Peter Brötzmann – tenor and baritone saxophones
Peter Kowald –bass
Sven- Åke Johansson – drums
Peter Brötzmann – Balls
Oct.13, 2012
Peter Brötzmann – Balls, FMP 0020, 33 1/3 rpm (GER), 1970
Very rare 1st gallery edition, 200 copies
A bomb… what else to call it, then a bomb?… a rhino in a glass gardenhouse? A complete and truly mind shatterer? A sonic cluster chaos frenzy?… a “bomb” is probably just right!
A bomb with balls. BALLS!
NO title has ever been more appropriate.
Balls is one of the true classic masterpieces by Brötzmann and friends… this is the trio that changed it all.
Music IS freakin DNA – changing.
Recorded 1970 and still fresh as a rose…
After the roars… the flowing high octane energy of Brötzmann´s previous For Adolphe Sax and Machine Gun releases , this is somehow where the freer European playing takes over… where Brötzmann/ Van Hove / Bennink defines what is free improvised music… many records, tours and festivals followed after this classic recording… with this legendary outfit!
Open, spontaneaus and simply full of energy and creativity! This record has something very very special to it that just freakin rips the flesh out of ya.
This very first gallery edition was made in only 200 copies and was the second release on the classic FMP label runned by German pioneer producer Jost Gebers.
Gebers started as a bass player (his other German producer collegue Manfred Eicher – of ECM fame – started funny enough also out as a bass player ), but went soon on to create amazing platforms from this music to exist! With the legendary festivals “Total Music Meeting” and “Workshop Freie Musik” he created the platforms for many many classic recordings and productions to come with its very typical designs (often made by Brötzmann himself ) and fonts that became the trademark of FMP – Free Musik Productions!
The silkscreened iconic and historic cover with its many photos of the three musicians in action, plus photos of engineers and producers, gives a genius commentary to the music and makes sense on all levels possible.
comes complete with a sheet of paper in yellow that has listings of all BRÖ label records, schlippenbach on Quasar and other related items…. heavy and historic!!!
Fuckin beautiful. As simple as that.
Peter Brötzmann – tenor sax
Fred van hove – piano
Han Bennink – drums
steve lacy – torments
Jun.05, 2012
Steve Lacy – Torments, solo in Kyoto, morgue 01, 33 rpm (JAP), 1975
Very very rare Japanese LP
A very very interesting and unusual Steve Lacy solo soprano sax record on the obscure Japanese Morgue label. This is one of the rarer ones in the Lacy discography, but very much worth looking for. This is alos the first release on the obscure and classic Japanese label Morgue, manuevered bylegendary producer Aquirax Aida!
Lacy is covering his own compositions in his typical manner. very precise and detailed… totally relaxed… and totally BEAUTIFUL!
the sound recording of this live concert from Kyoto is also spectacular clear and give all the details away. It is quite something else , this one… rarer then most… and better then most…
Especially Staples is a very interesting track , in its transparency and advanced architectonal work.
Steve Lacy was one of the true pioneers of improvised solo works and this is for sure one of his finest recordings, both musically and technically. He traveled in Japan quite a bit during his career and collaborated with a huge variety of Japanese musicians, artists and dancers. Many amazing documents of this are captured on vinyl and cassette and they are ALL worth getting, including the mighty works together with Kosugi, Masahiko Togashi and Masahiko Satoh.
The Lacy discography is an extensive one… a discaholics nightmare (and wet dream…), starting with his early Dixieland attempts with Dick Sutton and others and moving forward, forward, forward over the years of recorded beauty!
But this amazing solo document might be one of his very finest statements!! a true masterpiece in its architectonal beauty…
Steve Lacy – soprano saxophone
1st new jazz meeting Altena
Jun.05, 2012
INTERNATIONALES NEW JAZZ MEETING AUF BURG ALTENA, JG 021/022,
33 1/3 rpm (GER) 1970
Very rare private festival 2 lp – set
A 2 LP set of recordings from the first festival of New Jazz Meeting in Altena. Music was recorded at the festival but there seems to have been no special agreements with the musicians at the time about releasing the material.
JG (Jazz Groove) records did a whole bunch of spectacular releases.
For a discaholic though… this volume and the similar release from the 2nd festival the year after is packed with creative music of astonishing quality.
Some of the music is popping out of the speakers like erdmänschen in springtime coming out of their holes…
Check the Eje Thelin / Joachim Kühn group out for example — asskickin free jazz with very creative soloworks of especially guest Rolf Kühn and Swedish trombone maestro Thelin.
The John Surman Trio is another example of a group in its creative peak! Monster interaction, by especially bass and drums, proving the fact that this might have been one of the most happening and together rhythm sections in the history of freer jazz! Soprano sax is floating like lava… very defined, articulate and creative music by the trio. the TRIO!
Wolfgang Dauner Trio making a clear statement, on a whole side of vinyl with Eberhard Weber playing the bass in a way that we wished that he never would have changed to the smaller sized cello later in his career… but who is playing the ripping guitar? it is a very confusing side… or are there information missing? it definately sounds like a guitar fuckin around
All the music is of interest in one way or the other…. Just a VERY interesting document of an extremely active and creative period in the developments in creative musics in Europa. The summer of 1970 was a HOT one…
The 2 lp set comes with a beautiful red cover and a very nice and appealing photobook, with some time typical images of both audience and musicians.
Credits, see the photo with its charming typewriting characters: