FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE

KURT EDELHAGEN UND SEIN ORCHESTER  "IN MOSKAU"

Recorded May 1964 at the Sports Palace, Moscow, Russia.

Published by WDR (West German Broadcast) T 75451 (LP 64 347/48).

Here is a contribution from onxidlib, of Inconstant Sol blog fame. 

European Big Band with some first class soloists, many of them will work later with the Kenny Clarke Francy Boland Big Band and Peter Herbolzheimer Rhythm Combinaison & Brass.

The Sixties until the mid-Seventies were a  Golden Age for these musicians -Europeans and American expats alike -who woud get regular, well-paid employment in Scandinavian and German Radio Big Bands, in addition to recording sessions (e.g. MPS) and club gigs.

Musicians

Milorad Pavlovic, trumpet

Hans Wilfert, trumpet

Achmed Muffavak Falay, trumpet

Fritz Weichbrodt, trumpet

Otto Bredl, trombone

Raymond Droz, trombone

Manfred Gätjens, trombone

Hellmut Hauck, trombone

Derek Humble, alto saxophone

Heinz Kretschmar, alto saxophone

Karl Drewo, tenor saxophone

Gerd Dudek, tanor saxophone

Kurt Aderhold, baritone saxophone

Borislav Rokovic, piano

Joe Sydow, bass

Stuff Combe, drums

Kurt Edelhagen, leader

Tracks

Side A (15:55):

- Orchestra Theme.

- Announcement (russian)

- Chinatown (Schwartz, arr. Francy Boland)

- Schwarze Augen (trad., arr. Stuff Combe)

- I'll Close My Eyes (Kaye/Reid, arr. Rob Pronk)

Side B (16:00):

- Announcement (russian)

- Russian Medley (several composers, arr. Bora Rokovic)

- St. Louis Blues (W.C.Handy, arr. Rob Pronk)

Recorded May 1964 at the Sports Palace, Moscow, Russia.

Published by WDR (West German Broadcast) T 75451 (LP 64 347/48).

Note: This LP was never commercially released.

 Paul D. Pointed out that the Orchestra Theme is "There's no you" by Tom Adair & Hal Hopper

With all my thanks to onxidlib (and there is more coming!).

PARTS OF A WHOLE

Arkadi Figlin - Parts of a Whole -
(Jazz Portrait, Russia, 1992)

 Another fairly obscure record gathered from a discount bin, this post will probably appeal more to fans of classical piano music, especially of the Russian school of piano, than to the usual jazz heads.  Beautiful music though!

Arkadiy Figlin had been shifting between classical and jazz piano since his early childhood until finally after collecting several awards at both classical and jazz competitions he came up with an idea to record an album displaying both sides of his musical identity. His long-time friendship and collaboration with Alexander Rosenblatt, one of the most gifted Moscow composers of his generation resulted in such a recording. Alexander Rosenblatt was born in Moscow in 1956 and graduated from the Moscow Conservatory as a pianist and composer. His compositions include a Mass for Choir and Orchestra, seven concertos for solo instruments and orchestra, a Sextet for Winds and Piano, "Kamarinskaya" for orchestra, three piano sonatas, the Sonata for Cello and Accordion, the "Beatles Symphony," the Ballet "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland",etc...Mr.Rosenblatt has also written a great deal of theater music as well as numerous instrumental pieces, songs and choral compositions.

Very much a jazz enthusiast,Alexander Rosenblatt has worked as a composer with Oleg Lundstrem's Big Band, and as arranger for such jazz legends as Red Mitchell-bass and Horace Parland-piano. Many of Mr.Rosenblatt's works and arrangements have been performed by the "Vocal-Band," one of the winners at the 1995 Montreux Jazz Festival. In 1993 world renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma performed a program of Alexander Rosenblatt's compositions at the Concertgebow in Amsterdam.

"Parts of a Whole" presents two world premieres of Mr.Rosenblatt`s works-Variations on a Themes of Chopin and Second Piano Sonata -explosive romantic virtuoso music of the young master influenced by Sergei Prokofiev, Samuel Barber and Chick Corea. And the jazz part of the album, stylish and sophisticated collection of both standards and originals, is guaranteed to bring you pleasure and desire to listen to this album over and over again.

Track List

Variations on a Theme of Chopin

Sonata for Piano No. 2 Parts 1, 2 and 3

All of You

There is No Greater Love

Love Letters

Hard Blue Suit

Stella by Starlight

Here's that Rainy Day

Waltz for Natasha

( Mezhdunarodnaya Kniga Label - Catalogue Number MK437061 )

Released in Russia in 1992.  OOP to the best of my knowledge.

MY LITTLE ROLLY

Maestro OLEG PLOTNIKOV
(of the Uralsky All Stars)
My Little Rolly (Timeless, NL, 1996)

Another CD found in a discount bin for about one euro.  Two things attracted me to this album: the photo of Oleg Plotnkov on the cover, he looked so square he had to be good!  ... and then there were a couple of numbers with "boogie" in the title. I’m a sucker for boogie woogie  esp. cheesy ones.  I have a whole set of old scratchy 78 rpm with boogie in the titles, played on the most awkward instruments.

Oleg PLOTNIKOV is a Russian jazz pianist now residing in Holland.  I couldn’t find any information on the Net and the record sleeve is useless.  The only information is that he is/was the piano-player in The Uralsky all Stars, a Dixieland / Swing aggregation. That put me off a bit as i dislike Dixieland as much as I like boogie woogie.

So here it is!  

Do not expect avant-garde or  even modal music here, this album is a decent boogie woogie / swing album with a dash of (Oh so very mild) funk (Watermelon Man). One could question his choice of numbers (Blueberry Hills ...!).

Anyway, if you like boogie woogie pianists, this album should make you happy.  Oleg Plotnikov has a solid left hand.  A pianist friend of mine once told me that despite its apparent simplicity boogie woogie was a difficult and physically demanding style: just try holding those fast moving bass notes during 6:30 minutes (as in My Little Rolly), you’ll feel it deep in your muscles !

ARTISTS

Oleg Plotnikov - piano

Serguei Ouzkikh - bass

Andrei Makarov - drums

TRACKS

1) My Little Rolly                   (6.29)                             (Plotnikov)

2) Octave Boogie                   (4.30)                             (Plotnikov)

3) Blueberry Hill                     (6.51)                              ( Benson / Asher)

4) Watermelon Man                (7.13)                             ( Hancock)

5) St. Louis Blues                    (7.44)                             ( Handy)

6) China Girl                           (6.18)                              ( Plotnikov)

7) Singer M. Boogie                (2.37)                              ( Plotnikov)

8) Cat On The Strings              (2.44)                              ( Plotnikov)

Recorded at Farmhouse Studio, Doorwerth, Holland, 19 October and 21 November 1995.

I'm pretty sure that if this album had been issued 25 years earlier, it would be revered and as collectable as any Rob Hoeke or Rob Agerbeek.