Category Archives: Free Jazz
DIETER MOEBIUS-BLOTCH.
DIETER MOEBIUS-BLOTCH. Probably, the most overused word in the English language is legend. Recently, it seems, the word has been used to describe overrated musical butterflies, who glibly flit between musical genres. They hang onto the coattails of much more talented musicians, hoping that some of their magic will rub off. When this didn’t result …
BLACK MOON CIRCLE-SEA OF CLOUDS.
BLACK MOON CIRCLE-SEA OF CLOUDS. Last year, I described Norwegian space rock pioneers, Black Moon Circle as one of the rising stars of the Norwegian music scene. Since then, Black Moon Circle’s star has been in the ascendancy. Their third album, The Studio Jams Volume I: Yellow Nebula In The Sky was released to widespread …
KEV BEADLE PRESENTS THE BEST OF INNER CITY RECORDS.
KEV BEADLE PRESENTS THE BEST OF INNER CITY RECORDS. When Irv Kratka and Eric Kriss decided to found a new jazz label, Inner City Records in 1976, they seemed the perfect partnership. Irv Kratka was music industry veteran, who was the CEO of MMO Music Group. What he didn’t know about the music industry, wasn’t …
FIRE!-SHE SLEEPS, SHE SLEEPS.
FIRE!-SHE SLEEPS, SHE SLEEPS. During the sixties and seventies, jazz musicians thought nothing of releasing two and sometimes three albums a year. Often albums were recorded in a few days. This included many a classic album, including John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme. Nowadays, recording an album can be a long, drawn out process. That’s been …
DIES IRAE-FIRST.
DIES IRAE-FIRST. For many new bands, their main objective is to release a “record.” They want to do this as quickly as possible. For them, it’s a sign that they’ve “arrived” and have one foot on the musical ladder. Sadly, for some bands, that’s as far as it goes. The album fails to sell and …
SPLASHGIRL-HIBERNATION.
SPLASHGIRL-HIBERNATION. When doom jazz trio Splashgirl released their sophomore album Arbor in 2009, it was the first release on the newly formed Hubro Music label. Since then, a lot has happened to both Splashgirl and Hubro Music. Both Splashgirl and Hubro Music’s star have been in the ascendancy. Splashgirl have released two critically acclaimed albums, …
CHES SMITH-THE BELL.
CHES SMITH-THE BELL. In January 2014, Ches Smith was booked to play at the prestigious New York Winter Jazzfest. This was a huge honour for him. The great and good of jazz descended on New York for Winter Jazzfest. Over these three days, jazz musicians from all over the world would be creating groundbreaking music. …
JOHN COLTRANE-A LOVE SUPREME-THE COMPLETE MASTERS BOX SET VINYL EDITION.
JOHN COLTRANE-A LOVE SUPREME-THE COMPLETE MASTERS BOX SET VINYL EDITION. On December 9th 1964, four musicians made their war to the Van Gelder Studio, on 445 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. They were scheduled to record an album with renowned jazz producer Rudy Van Gelder. He was a veteran of countless recordings, and had worked with some …
IKARUS-IKARUS.
IKARUS-IKARUS. In Greek mythology, Icarus, the son of the master craftsman Daedalus, who created the Labyrinth, met a tragic ending. Icarus and Daedalus were desperate to escape from Crete. So Daedalus constructed wings made of feathers and wax. As Icarus prepared to make his escape, Daedalus warned his son of complacency and hubris. Icarus shouldn’t …
KOLLECTIV-KOLLECTIV.
KOLLECTIV-KOLLECTIV. Musical history is littered with bands who only ever released one album. Often, that album fails to find the audience it deserves. This can come as a bitter blow, and sometimes, can lead to the band breaking up. By then, the rock star dream is over. The only option left, is to return to …
AGITATION FREE-2ND.
AGITATION FREE-2ND. Berlin, 1967. That was where the Agitation Free story began. That was when Lutz ‘Lüül’ Ulrich, Michael ‘Fame’ Günther, Lutz ‘Ludwig’ Kramer and Christoph Franke formed Agitation. This new band quickly established a reputation as one of the pioneers of Berlin’s underground music scene. When Agitation played live, their sets were like the …
THE BEST LIVE ALBUMS OF 2015.
THE BEST LIVE ALBUMS OF 2015. The final category in my best of series is live albums. For some reason, live albums seem to divide opinion. While some people love live albums, others loathe them. There seems to be no middle ground. Partly that’s down to how an artist approaches a live album. It may be …
THE FIFTY-FIVE BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2015-PART 2.
THE FIFTY-FIVE BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2015-PART 2. DISC0 2: A FURTHER FINE SELECTION OF INDEPENDENT DISCO, MODERN SOUL AND BOOGIE 1976-80. Just seven months after Soul Jazz Records released Disco: A Fine Selection of Independent Disco, Modern Soul and Boogie in November 2014, the London based label return with the sequel, Disco 2: A Further …
THE FIFTY-FIVE BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2015-PART 3.
THE FIFTY-FIVE BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2015-PART 3. GROOVE WITH A FEELING-SOUNDS OF MEMPHIS-BOOGIE, SOUL AND FUNK 1975-1985. By 1975, soul music was no longer as popular as it had once had been. Executives running the Sounds Of Memphis label realised this; and between 1975 and 1985, the label released a much more eclectic selection of …
THE BEST 50 REISSUES OF 2015-PART THREE.
THE BEST 50 REISSUES OF 2015-PART THREE. JETHRO TULL-BENEFIT. Previously, Steven Wilson had worked wonders with some of King Crimson’s back-catalogues. So, allowing him to work his magic Jethro Tull’s Aqualung and Benefit was a calculated gamble. It had the potential to breath life into both albums. Listeners were able to see whether that was the case …
THE BEST 50 REISSUES OF 2015-PART FOUR.
THE BEST 50 REISSUES OF 2015-PART FOUR. LED ZEPPELIN-IN THROUGH THE OUT DOOR-DELUXE EDITION. On 15th August 1979, Led Zeppelin released their eighth studio album In Through the Out Door. By then, they were one of the biggest selling bands in the world. Their first seven studio albums and their 1976 live album The Song …
THE 33 BEST BOX SETS OF 2105-PART THREE.
THE 33 BEST BOX SETS OF 2105-PART THREE. MILES DAVIS-BITCHES BREW 40TH ANNIVERSARY COLLECTORS EDITION. Miles Davis’ recording career began in 1951, when he released his debut album The New Sounds. Soon, Miles Davis was establishing a reputation as a prolific, and innovative musician. He released a further forty-three albums between 1951 and 1969. This …
THE BEST 55 NEW ALBUMS OF 2015-PART TWO.
THE BEST 55 NEW ALBUMS OF 2015-PART TWO. BLACK MOON CIRCLE-THE STUDIO JAMS VOLUME I: YELOW NEBULA IN THE SKY. Norwegian psychedelic space rock band Black Moon Circle are one of the rising stars of the Norwegian music scene. Their previous album Andromeda was released to critical acclaim in October 2014. A great future was …
THE BEST 55 NEW ALBUMS OF 2015-PART THREE.
THE BEST 55 NEW ALBUMS OF 2015-PART THREE. ERRORS-LEASE OF LIFE. Errors have come a long way since they were formed in Glasgow, in 2004, by Simon Ward, Greg Paterson and Stephen Livingstone. Back then, Errors’ makeshift studio was a bedroom. That was the Glasgow based musical alchemists laboratory. Through experimentation and innovation, Errors sound …
THE BEST 55 NEW ALBUMS OF 2015-PART FOUR.
THE BEST 55 NEW ALBUMS OF 2015-PART FOUR. LABFIELD-BUCKET OF SONGS. Five years after the release of their sophomore album Collab, LabField, one of the leading lights of the European improv scene make a welcome return. They returned in 2015 with their genre-melting third album, Bucket of Songs. It was released on Hubro Music. Bucket …
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