RARITIES #62 & # 63

STUDIO JAZZ MIT ALICE BABS (Electrola, D, 1959).

&

ALICE BABS - FUGA / St LOUIS BLUES TWIST (Brunswick, D, 1963)

Summer is back, it's sunny and warm here in Belgium, a condition which is not conducive to blogging (and also potentially disastrous for our farmers who have to cope with a severe drought threatening their crops).  

I have a whole pile of records awaiting to be ripped but the weather is too fine to stay inside.  Luckily, Ernst, of Inconstant Sol fame and a regular provider of material for this blog,  - recently sent me rips of two long-forgotten 45 rpm singles of Swedish singer Alice Babs.  They should be of interest to fans of European Jazz and Female vocalists.

Here they are:

ALICE BABS  "STUDIO JAZZ MIT ALICE BABS"

Alice Babs, vocals

Kurt Becker, vibes, flute

Willy Schweden, guitar

Paul Kuhn, piano

Johnny Fischer, bass

Stuff Combe, drums

1. I Could Write A Book  (Rodgers/Hart)  5:33

2. A Sailboat In The Moonlight  (Loeb)  5:39

Recorded in Cologne, Germany on May 15, 1959 (track 2).

Side A most likely second half of 1958 or first months of 1959.

B1 - Willy Schweden (g) most likely overdubbed on May 15, 1959 (Walter Bruyninckx) [info from discogs] 

ELECTROLA E 41206

ALICE BABS MED BENGT HALLBERG TRIO  "ST. LOUIS BLUES TWIST"

This one is in a more commercial vein. We're in 1963, in the middle of the Twist craze (at least in Europe) and"twist" records were selling like hot buns.
I assume Ms Babs (or her producer ...) wanted to give it a try hoping for a piece of the cake.

Alice Babs, vocalsBengt Hallberg, piano

Lars "Lasse" Pettersson, bass

Sture Kallin, drums

for "Jazz Fuga" add Bengt Hallberg Orchestra.

1. St. Louis Blues Twist (Handy)  3:13

2. Jazz Fuga (Kirk/Sjöblom)  2:44

Track 1 recorded in Stockholm, Sweden on January 21, 1963.

Track 2 recorded in Stockholm, Sweden on October 8, 1963.

BRUNSWICK 12 987 (german edition)

Discographical info from Discogs.

With thanks to Ernst.

RARITY # 59

THE DIAMONDS  FIVE (NL)

45 rpm EP OMEGA (Dutch band, Belgium label, 1959)

Fellow blogger Peer57 who runs the Dutch Jazz (private) blog has shared some records with us.  If you are a visitor to his blog(s), you probably know these records already.  If not, enjoy them here while they last.  We’ll start with a fairly rare and collectible EP recorded in Brussels, in 1959, by one of the better-known groups of Dutch Boppers, the Diamond Five.  Great music!

Pianist Cees Slinger was the frontman of the famous Dutch harbop-quintet "Diamond Five". They used the Amsterdam jazzclub "Sheherazade" as their base, and played there night after night.

Tracks:

Side A :            Diamondate

Side B:             Alone together

Credits

Trumpet– Cees Smal

Tenor Saxophone– Harry Verbeke

Piano, leader– Cees Slinger

Bass– Jacques Schols

Drums– John Engels

Recorded in Brussels, sept. 1959

UPDATED LINK (18/07/17) 

P.S.: I have reposted the Guidelines 4tet feat Kaz Lux  (see post "Going Dutch" - March 9, 2013)

RARITY # 58

HACKE BJÖRKSTEN & ÅKE PERSSON  QUINTET

METRONOME MEP 353 (EP)   - Sweden, 1956

For some time now, Onxidlib has been the main purveyor of rare EP in the Rarity Series.  He still has a few surprises for us.  Here is his latest contribution, that will rejoice fans of Scandinavian jazz: a fairly rare EP by the HACKE BJÖRKSTEN / ÅKE PERSSON QUINTET, recorded in 1956.

I assume these tracks have been re-issued on LP and/or CD , I still have to check the discographies. 

Personel:

Gunnar "Hacke" Björksten, tenor saxophone

Åke Persson, trombone

Jan Johansson, piano

Bengt Carlsson, bass

Svante Thuresson, drums

Tracks

A1. Song Of The Volga Boatmen 2:36

A2. Don’t Get Around Much Anymore 3:54

B1. Tubeless Tires 3:23

B2. Number Six 2:33

Recorded March 8 + 9, 1956 at Metronome Studio, Stockholm.

UPDATED LINK 18/07/17

RARITY #57

LUCKY THOMPSON AND JACK SELS TRIO & SEXTET
EP "BONGO JAZZ"  -  Germany, 1959

BERTELSMANN SCHALLPLATTENRING 66126 - 7" / MANHATTAN C 66126 # 7"

Another rarity thanks to onxidlib.  Actually, it is not the first occurrence of this record in the blog sphere, it was already posted on the Berlin Beatet Bestes blog in 2010.  By the way, it's an excellent blog that I recommend highly. And I’m very jealous of Andreas who manage to buy this EP for 2 €   (read his story, it’s great fun.  Aren’t we – collectors - all like him?).  Man, you’re lucky! These European Jazz EPs have become highly collectable and can fetch unreasonable prices in auction.  This one is no exception. 

What I did not know was that it had been reissued in the late sixties on a budget LP.  It’s our man onxidlib who found out and ripped it directly from the LP.  

You will find more info on the Berlin Beatet Bestes blog where you can also download the single “Bongo, Bongo, Bongo” by Sam& the Saxtones (aka Jack Sels).  Ils sont fous, ces Germains!

Credits

Lucky Thompson, tenor saxophone & soprano saxophone (2)

Jack Sels, tenor saxophone

Ado Broodboom, trumpet (3 + 4)

Fats Sadi, vibes

Jean Fanis, piano (3 + 4)

Benoit Quersin, bass

Rudy Frankel, drums (3 + 4)

Ghana M'Bow, bongos (1 - 3)

Tracks titles

1. One Cool Night (Lucky Thompson) 2:22

2. The World Awakes (Lucky Thompson) 3:50

3. Ginger (Jack Sels) 2:58

4. Minor Works (Jack Sels) 3:37

Recorded in Köln, Germany on February 7, 1959.

BERTELSMANN SCHALLPLATTENRING 66126 - 7"

MANHATTAN C 66126 # 7"

(vinyl rip from BACCAROLA 79325 ZT - 1969)

I love these sexy covers of budget LPs ! And the music's good too!

Those were the days ...

(with thanks to onxidlib for the rip and the pictures).

UPDATED LINK 19/07/2017

RARITY #54

CHUCK RHUBARB & HIS SERGEANTS
at the first secret Rock 'n' Roll Jamboree
Rose Records Q5004 - probably Belgium - 195?

To end the year, an obscure and mysterious 45 rpm.  Not jazz but wild, very wild, (pre-)rock & roll, think Louis Prima on speed ... Good party record for New Year Eve although it may scare the younger generation, no longer used to this level of crazyness.

Side A: Rock at the Port  (Halwyn, Aberdeen)












Side B: Wild Baby  (Halwyn, Aberdeen) 

It looks American ("US Series") but is it?  Aural evidence lends me to think that these guys are not American at all (listen to the accent !) and are probably ...  Belgians.

Here is what Robert Pernet wrote in his comprehensive discography of Belgian Jazz:

No details have been found about the identity of ths group. The sound is typically Belgian and corresponds to that of those pre-Rock'N'Roll, Antwerp & Brussels-based bands such as the Ronnex and Novelty teams.

Two singles were issued:
Chuck Rhubarb & his Sergeants (Rose Records Q5003)

- Animals Rock'N'Roll
- Hungarian Rocksodie 

(... Freddie Mercury didn't invent anything ...)

Chuck Rhubard & his Sergeants at the fisrt Secret Rock'N'Roll Jamboree
(Rose Records Q5004)
- Rock at the Port
- Wild Baby

Pernet places the recoding date as 1953-54 ... I would add a couple of years, the lyrics of Wild Baby are too "rock'n'Roll" for '53-54, unless one is ready to accept the revisionist theory  that we, Belgians invented Rock n Roll ...

RARITY # 53

DUSKO GOYKOVICH  "YESTERDAY"

ELECTROLA E 23 096 - 45 rpm (single)

GERMANY, 1965

Another obscure 45 rpm from the vault of onxidlib!  This one is for the “completists” only as the jazz content is almost nonexistent.  It is pure easy-listening, well played (it’s Dusko, what would you expect?) and pleasant, pretty similar to the material Shake Keane recorded at about the same time for Ace of Club / DECCA (That’s the Noise LP).

Side A: Yesterday 2:25

Side B: Blumen Für Die Dame 3:07

Dusko Goykovich, fluegelhorn

with the Electrola-Studio-Orchestra and Choir

Recorded 1965 in Germany.

ELECTROLA E 23 096

No details on the musicians (‘the Electrola Studio Orchestra”).

I don’t think I’ll have the time for another post before Xmas.  In the meantime, my best wishes to all & have a jazzy Christmas wherever you are.

RARITY #51

HANS KOLLER NEW JAZZ STARS
"HANS KOLLER COOL JAZZ"
EP MANHATTAN 66035C (EP)        GERMANY, 1958  

Onxidlib sent me a rip of this rare little EP several months ago.  I hesitated a long time before posting it because it was not in too good condition despite onx' efforts to clean it.  

But there is only so much one could do and  

it is the only occasion probably for most of us to hear this beautiful music ... so here it is.

If anyone has a better copy or the complete Bertelsmanm LP, I'd be delighted to post it.

Albert Mangelsdorff is especially good on these tracks.


Albert Mangelsdorff, trombone
Hans Koller, tenor saxophone
Helmuth Reinhardt, baritone saxophone  
Hans Hammerschmid, piano
Peter Trunk, bass
Rudi Sehring, drums

A1. Hard Blues (Mangelsdorff)
A2. Back In Paradise (Hammerschmid)

B.  I'll Close My Eyes (Reid)

Recorded March 26 - 28, 1958 in Baden-Baden, Germany.

Original (?) release on BERTELSMANN 7753 (LP) with seven more titles.

P.S :  at the request of visitors, I am reposting Wolfang Lauth's Life Dance and the last track of Stanley Cowell 's Blues for Viet Cong.

Get' em while it lasts!!!

RARITY # 48

HANS KOLLER'S NEW JAZZ STARS

"JAZZTIME BADEN-BADEN"

BERTELSMANN 7753 (EP) – GERMANY, 1958

Despite being very busy with his house-moving, our man Onxidlib had found the time to sent us this contribution to the discography of the great Hans Koller.  A great session combining the talent of three luminaries of German / Austrian Jazz: Koller, Albert Mangelsdorf and Peter Trunk.

Hope you’ll enjoy this rare EP! 

Don’t forget to say a word of encouragement to Onxidlib. He'll need it.  I’ve been moving houses a few times and I do sympathize.  Some people may be happy having their whole music collection in virtual format on a small hard drive.  Others need several cubic meters of cupboards, shelves, boxes and crates to store the damn’ vinyls, CDs, old tapes and cassettes, not to mention the equipment needed to play those things and the books and assorted old musical magazines ...  I guess Onxidlib is one of those, and so am I! Bless our wives!

Personnel

Albert Mangelsdorff, trombone

Hans Koller, tenor saxophone

Helmut Reinhardt, baritone saxophone

Hans Hammerschmid, piano

Peter Trunk, bass

Rudi Sehring, drums

Tracks

1. Goofing (Hammerschmid)  3:45

2. Stardust (Carmichael)   2:59

3. Dandy (Koller)          2:34

4. Marionetten (Koller)    3:09

Recorded in Baden Baden, Germany on March 26-28, 1958.

RARITY # 47

THE KEES KUYT COMBO –NL, 1957

EP 45 rpm FONTANA 463 110 TE      

Onxidlib was lucky to get a copy of this rather rare Dutch EP.  I have not  found much info on the web.  Basically nothing on guitarist Kees Kuyt, a couple of poor quality video featuring vibeman Leen Dijkkamp (with swing accordionist Peter Schoute),

Henk de Jong recorded with the Diamonds (Jazz from Holland, 1956).

They were among a handfull of local bands that played the first set in a Louis Armstrong concert in 1959, in Holland.   Read here (nice picture of Kees Kuyt Combo live).

Check here for a live video feat. Leen Dijkkamp and Peter Schoute (1994): http://www.yourepeat.com/watch/?v=ZbSbE45_xa4

THE KEES KUYT COMBO –NL, 1957

Musicians

Kees Kuyt, guitar

Leen Dijkkamp, vibes

Henk de Jong, bass

Jaap Kok, drums

Tracks

1. But Not For Me (Gershwin/Gershwin)  3:45

2. Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise (Romberg/Hammerstein)  4:55

3. Opus For Vibes And Guitar (Dijkkamp)  3:53

4. My Funny Valentine (Rodgers/Hart)  3:36

Recorded in Hilversum, Netherlands on June 21 and 28, 1957.

FONTANA 463 110 TE

(ep rip) The ep had been posted earlier  on the Dutch Jazz (private) blog.  This one is a different rip.

The only other trace of Kees Kuyt Combo I’ve found is another very rare EP with Gospel vocalist Donald Jones.

Donald Jones  with the Kees Kuyt Combo - This World He Loves

(Philips 422 497 PE, Holland, 1960).  If anyone had a copy, I’ll gladly post it with due acknowledgement of the source.

STROLLIN' THRU' THE SOUKS ...AGAIN

Going for a walk in the central souk is a favorite passtime when we feel a bit bored. 

It's probably not the place one would think of going cratedigging ... unless one knows where to look.  So while my wife looks at the clothes, shoes, bags and perfume shops, I take a stroll to the backstreets of the market and sometimes I get lucky.

Nothing rare this time but not a bad harvest either

- a Lightin' Hopkins album on the UK budget label  Boulevard. I've never been disappointed by Lightin'.

- Stan Getz at Storyville on the French Vogue Label (originally on the legendary Roost label).  A classic early getz recording, with Al Haig on piano.

- Lee Konitz Big Band in the Spanish budget series Los Grandes del Jazz, originally released in the US on Groove Merchant as Chicago 'n All that Jazz.  Featuring the likes of Dick Katz and Mike Longo, it can't be all bad.

- the first Wishbone Ash album, a somewhat unjustly forgotten british band. They were a great live band with twin guitars. I saw them in Brussels around 1970 (Woluwe Shopping Centre if I remenber well).

Then I dug a few EP and singles, some of them to swap with other collectors. I love those French 4-tracks EP. Los Bravos was a pioneer Spanish beat band, famous thru their song Black is Black, a #1 hit in many countries.  I'm not a great fan of Danyel Gerard but he was a pioneer of French Rock&Roll  (Memphis Tennessee), I'm pretty sure I'll be able to swap it easily for something more to my taste. 

The Matt Lucas EP (no, not the Little Britain guy!) features an excellent version of "I'm movin' on".  Will probably keep it. Same for Georgie Auld Sax in Satin. Schmalzy but nice.

I could not resist buying The Chakachas "Jungle Fever", an unexpected world hit for this aggregation of Belgian jazz and studio musicians.  A fun record for the juke box!

RARITY #46

FESTIVAL SPECIAL - FRED BUNGE ENSEMBLE / VERA AUER COMBO / SOUND CAVE COMBO / HELMUT WEGLINSKI QUINTET

EP 45 rpm - Brunswick 10062   Germany, 1956

Fans of rare Eurojazz, rejoice! Our man Onxidlib has unearthed another rare EP on German Brunswick.  It is a compilation of four small combos recorded at the occasion of the 4th German Jazz Festival in 1956.  A few (vaguely) familiar names (at least to me): Jean-Louis Chautemps, and the Belgians (Christian Kellens, Marcel Peeters, Alex Scorier).  Helmut Weglinski, we’ve already encountered on the Modern Jazz Studio Nr 1 album.  Fred Bunge played with Kurt Edelhagen band in the 50s.  Vera Auer is a mysterious performer, one of the few females involved in the early days of the European jazz scene (read more here). Fritz Hartschub was a member of the Wolfgang Lauth Sextet posted last year (I was a bit hard on him but I really like his playing here).

A.1         FRED BUNGE ENSEMBLE          Basement party

Fred Bunge (tp) Christian Kellens (tb) Marcel Peeters (as) Alex Scorier (bar) Joe Klimm (p) Herbert Winter (b) Teddy Paris (d)

Concert, Frankfurt/Main, May 21, 1956

A.2.        VERA AUER COMBO       Dot's groovy

Jean-Louis Chautemps (ts) Vera Auer (vib) Klaus Sachs (p) Eddie de Haas (b) Shorty Langenbach (d)

Concert, Frankfurt/Main, May 21, 1956

B.1.        SOUND CAVE COMBO     Cool doodle

Egon Denue (ts) Fritz Hartschuh (vib) Wolfgang Wagner (b) Horst Seidelman (d)

Concert, Frankfurt/Main, May 19, 1956

B.2.        HELMUT WEGLINSKI QUINTET         Avalon

Helmuth Weglinski (vln) Flip Gehring (vib,g) Peter Grzescik (g) Jan Thomes (b) Heinz Hoitz (d)

Concert, Frankfurt/Main, May 21, 1956

Tracks 1,2 and 4 recorded on May 21, 1956 in Frankfurt/Main, Germany during the fourth German Jazz Festival.

Track 3 recorded on May 19, 1956 at the same location.

Note: Christian Kellens plays a tuba with five valves in e-flat - which in character and range resembles the bass-trombone.

Christian Kellens (centre) with Jorge Lopez Ruz (left) and Gustavo Bergalli (right) ( 1960s) (photo archive Christian Kellens (found : here )

Read an interview of Attila Zoller and how he met Vera Auer (here)

RARITY #45

FREDDIE BROCKSIEPER MIT SEINEM STAR-ENSEMBLE

SUPERTONE SU-45-116 (EP)

One could argue whether this EP – dating from c.1961 – qualifies as a “rarity”. Outside of Germany probably ?  Side B was re-issued on a double LP Munich Jazz 1950-1980 with a picture of Freddie Brocksieper in full drumming action on the cover.

Interesting character this Mr Brocksieper!  

Here’s what Wikipedia has to say:

Fritz "Freddie" Brocksieper (born August 24, 1912 in Istanbul, Turkey; died January 17, 1990) was a German jazz-musician, drummer, and bandleader.

He played professionally in Nuremberg beginning in 1930. In 1939 he went to Berlin. There he made recordings with the Golden Seven (1939), with Benny de Weille (1940) and Willy Berking (1940–1941), just as in the National-Socialist propaganda band Charlie and His Orchestra. His playing style on the drums was influenced above all by Gene Krupa.

The son of a Greek-speaking Jewish woman and a German engineer was able to get through National-Socialism as an essential swing musician. Freddie Brocksieper was considered a leading figure of early European big-band jazz. After the Second World War he led various bands in Stuttgart, Munich, and Berlin, and played also in American officers' clubs. With his bands he made it to the front page of Stars and Stripes. Beginning in 1957 Bavarian radio regularly broadcast live concerts from his studio in Munich.

From 1964 he played mainly in trios, and often with American soloists in Europe. In 1980 he received an award from the German Phonograph Academy.

I recommend reading the Wikipedia article on Charlie and his Orchestra.  Interestingly, it seems that  none of the musicians taking part in these propaganda recordings had much problem continuing playing after the war (although there were a couple of Belgians in the Orchestra who were considered collaborators by the Belgian authorities, and that put a stop to their musical career).

About this 45 rpm, the French would probably call it “ringuard”!  Not unlike the countless Hammond Favorites etc LPs recorded by Otto Weiss.  Much unfortunate as Otto could really swing when he wanted too.  Just listen to his contribution to Stuff Smith’s Black Violin on MPS or to Rudi Flierl ‘s Bostic Favorites on this blog.  You probably know Fred Spannuth already (see my post on Max Greger).

For completists only!

Credits

Fred Spannuth, tenor saxophone, clarinet and piano

Otto Weiss, piano, hammond-organ and vibraphone

Hans Vlig van der Sys, piano, guitar and arrangements

Helmut Wörsching, bass

Freddie Brocksieper, drums and leader

Tracks

Side A:  Teach Me Tonight (Cahn/DePaul)  2:59

Side B:  Smoke Gets In Your Eyes (Kern/Harbach)  2:53

Recorded ca. 1961 in Munich, Bavaria (most probably at the Universitätsreitschule).

With thanks to onxidlib for unearthing this obscurtiy.