Tag Archives: Bob Thiele

ORNETTE COLEMAN-FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS: LIVE AT PRINCESS STREET.

Ornette Coleman-Friends and Neighbors: Live At Princess Street. Label: BGP. Format: LP. Nowadays, saxophonist, trumpeter, violinist and composer Ornette Coleman is recognised as one of the founding fathers of the free jazz movement. He released his debut album Something Else in 1958 on the Contemporary label. The flowing year, 1959, he released Tomorrow Is the …

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THIS IS FLYING DUTCHMAN 1969-1975.

This Is Flying Dutchman 1969-1975. Label: BGP. Format: CD. Release Date: 24th February 2023. Flying Dutchman was the second record label Bob Thiele founded during what was by then, a long, illustrious and successful career. The first was Signature Records in 1939, when he was just seventeen.  However, Signature Records wasn’t Bob Thiele’s first job in music. …

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LEON THOMAS-BLUES AND THE SOULFUL TRUTH.

Leon Thomas-Blues and The Soulful Truth. Label: BGP. Format: LP. Release Date: 26th August 2022. Some labels prove to be the perfect fit for an artist, and this was the case when Leon Thomas signed to Bob Thiele’s Flying Dutchman Productions.  By the late sixties, Leon Thomas had embraced free jazz fully. He turned his back on …

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LONNIE LISTON SMITH AND THE COSMIC ECHOES-RENAISSANCE.

Lonnie Liston Smith and The Cosmic Echoes-Renaissance. Label: BGP. Format: LP. Release Date: 26th August 2022. Innovative, influential and way ahead of the musical curve, describes the music of Lonnie Liston Smith, and specially the five albums he recorded with The Cosmic Echoes for Bob Thiele’s Flying Dutchman Productions between 1973 and 1976  This began with …

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LONNIE LISTON SMITH-LIVE!

Lonnie Liston Smith-Live! Label: BGP. Format: CD. Innovative, influential and way ahead of the musical curve describes the music of Lonnie Liston Smith. Especially the music he recorded with The Cosmic Echoes for Bob Thiele’s Flying Dutchman Productions. A total of five groundbreaking albums were released by the label starting with 1973s Astral Travelling. This continued  right through to …

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LONNIE LISTON SMITH AND THE COSMIC ECHOES-RENAISSANCE.

Lonnie Liston Smith and The Cosmic Echoes-Renaissance. Label: BGP. Format: CD. Innovative, influential and way ahead of the musical curve, describes the music of Lonnie Liston Smith, and specially the five albums he recorded with The Cosmic Echoes for Bob Thiele’s Flying Dutchman Productions between 1973 and 1976  This began with Astral Travelling in 1973 with  …

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IMPULSE RECORDS: MUSIC, MESSAGE AND THE MOMENT.

Impulse Records: Music, Message and The Moment. Label: Impulse. Format: 2CD Set. The roots of Impulse! can be traced to 1955 when the American Broadcasting Company decided the time was right to diversify into the record business. History was made on June ‘14th’ 1955 when  Am-Par Record Corporation was incorporated and Samuel H. Clark became …

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SPIRITUAL JAZZ 12: IMPULSE!

Spiritual Jazz 12: Impulse! Label: Jazzman Records. Format: 2CD. Little did anyone at Jazzman Records know when they released Spiritual Jazz (Esoteric, Modal and Deep Jazz From The Underground 1968-77) in 2008, that this was the first instalment in what would become their longest-running and most successful compilation series. Over the next twelve years, they’ve …

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CULT CLASSIC: LONNIE LISTON SMITH AND THE COSMIC ECHOES-ASTRAL TRAVELLING.

Cult Classic: Lonnie Liston Smith and The Echoes-Astral Travelling. Sometimes, a record company proves to be the perfect fit for an  artist. That was the case with Bob Thiele’s Flying Dutchman Productions which was the perfect label for Lonnie Liston Smith and The Echoes’ unique brand of cosmic jazz. Through working with some of the most innovative and creative …

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CULT CLASSIC: LEON THOMAS-BLUES AND THE SOULFUL TRUTH.

Cult Classic: Leon Thomas-Blues and The Soulful Truth. Some labels prove to be the perfect fit for an artist. This was the case when Leon Thomas signed to Bob Thiele’s Flying Dutchman Productions.  By the late sixties, Leon Thomas had embraced free jazz fully. He turned his back on the blues and his vocal style was totally …

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CULT CLASSIC: LEON THOMAS-FULL CIRCLE.

Cult Classic: Leon Thomas-Full Circle. For Leon Thomas, Full Circle represented the end of an era. It was the last album Leon Thomas released on Flying Dutchman Productions, and marked the end of his “classic period.” It had started four years earlier in 1969, when Leon Thomas released his debut album Spirits Known and Unknown. …

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CULT CLASSIC: OLIVER NELSON-SWISS SUITE.

Cult Classic: Oliver Nelson-Swiss Suite. In 1971, Oliver Nelson and his all-star band were flown by Bob Thiele, the founder and owner of Flying Dutchman Productions, to the  Montreux Jazz Festival to showcase his latest composition, the four-part, Swiss Suite. It had been written by Oliver Nelson especially for the Montreux Jazz Festival, which was only in its fourth year. Founded …

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CULT CLASSIC: CESAR 830-CESAR.

Cult Classic: Cesar 830-Cesar. Originally, Cesar Ascarrunz came from Bolivia to California to study economics and psychology. He wanted to continue his education and the University of California, in Berkeley seemed the perfect place. When he arrived in California in 1960, he was twenty-five. Although interested in music, he couldn’t play an instrument. This changed in …

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CULT CLASSIC: T-BONE WALKER, JOE TURNER, OTIS SPANN-SUPER BLACK BLUES.

Cult Classic: . T-Bone Walker, Joe Turner and Otis Spann-Super Black Blues. By the late sixties, blues music was no longer as popular. Psychedelia and rock music were the most popular genres. Groups like The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Cream, Led Zeppelin, The Band, Canned Heat and Fleetwood Mac were some of the …

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CULT CLASSIC: GARY MCFARLAND-SOFT SAMBA.

Cult Classic: Gary McParland-Soft Samba. Composer, arranger, vibraphonist and vocalist Gary McParland was born on October the ’23rd’ 1933, in Los Angeles, but moved to Grants Pass, in Oregon as a fifteen year old. After graduating from high school,Gary McParland headed to college where he became interested in jazz.  Despite his burgeoning interest in jazz,Gary …

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CULT CLASSIC:JOE TURNER-THE REAL BOSS OF THE BLUES.

Cult Classic: Joe Turner-The Real Boss Of The Blues. After enjoying a renaissance in its popularity during the early sixties, blues music was in doldrums. Soul had replaced the blues in popularity, and Stax, Atlantic and Motown were among the most successful labels. However, many of the new breed of rock bands had been inspired by the blues. …

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CULT CLASSIC: GATO BARBIERI-FENIX.

Cult Classic: Gato Barbieri-Fenix. When Bob Thiele founded Flying Dutchman Records, he was a man with a vision. His vision was for his nascent label to release music that was cutting-edge, innovative and pushed musical boundaries. To do that, he signed some of the most progressive artists. Bob Thiele was looking for leaders, rather than followers …

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CULT CLASSIC: BOB THIELE EMERGENCY-HEAD START.

Cult Classic: Bob Thiele Emergency-Head Start. Flying Dutchman Rcords was the second record label Bob Thiele founded during what was by then a long, illustrious and successful career. The first was Signature Records, founded by Bob in 1939, when he was just seventeen. However, a lot had happened in the intervening thirty years. He had worked with many …

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CULT CLASSIC: EDDIE “CLEANHEAD” VINSON-THE ORIGINAL CLEANHEAD.

Cult Classic: Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson-The Original Cleanhead. By 1970, Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson was fifty-three. He was a musical veteran. His career was about to enter its fifth decade. Eddie had caught a break.  Bob Thiele asked him to sign to his Blues Time imprint, which was a subsidiary of Flying Dutchman Productions. In 1970, he released his …

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CULT CLASSIC: T-BONE WALKER-EVERY DAY I HAVE THE BLUES.

Cult Classic: T-Bone Walker- Every Day I Have The Blues. T-Bone Walker was, without doubt, one of the most innovative and influential blues guitarists ever. He was a pioneer of both the jump blues and electric blues and one of the first artists to wield an electric guitar. He honed and tamed the electric guitar …

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