RARITY SERIES RE-POST

Since all the Multiupload links are dead, I'll start re-posting here the rarest posts (Rarity Series). It will probably take a few days.


REPOSTED


Rarity #1 : Brussels Art Quartet  (here)   (Belgium)
Rarity #2 : Free Form Sextet  (here)  (Belgium)
Rarity #3 : Zoot Meets Hans (here) (Austria/ US) 
Rarity #4:  Shake Keane - In my condition (here) (UK, West Indies)
Rarity # 5: Alex Scorier (here) (Belgium)
Rarity # 6: Carl-Henrik Norin (here) (Sweden)
Rarity # 7: Helmut Brandt Combo (here) (Germany)
Rarity # 8: Vic Ash plus Four (here) (UK)
Rarity # 9: Das Michael Naura Quintett (here) (Germany)
Rarity # 10:  Jacques Denjean et son Grand Orchestre de Jazz (here) (France)
Rarity # 11: Fats Sadi Combo (here) (Belgium)
Rarity # 12: Jazz in Little Belgium (here) (Belgium)


Refer to the entries in the blog for information on the musicians and details of sessions. 
I'll re-post the LP and CD rips on demand.

MULTIUPLOAD is dead & gone!

It seems that MULTIUPLOAD is gone for good and that means that most of my links are dead!  I  am willing to repost some if there is a demand. I shall probably use MEDIAFIRE or UPLOAD MIRRORS. Any sugggestion is welcome.

RARITY # 12 : JAZZ IN LITTLE BELGIUM

JAZZ IN LITTLE BELGIUM

(10” DECCA, Belgium, 1958)

A legendary 10” from Paul D.’s treasure trove, the almost mythic “JAZZ in LITTLE BELGIUM” which was released in 1958, the year of the famous Brussels World Fair , Expo ’58 (which gave us the Atomium).

The sleeve notes put it clearly in context:

In the historic year of Brussels’ World Fair, at the same time when commerce, industry, education and arts are illustrated in numerous pavilions, it was obvious that Belgium modern jazz had to be presented to the millions of visitors invading Belgium.

Jazz, although of North American origin, has become an international language, in which musicians from all over the world have succeeded to express their emotions.

This is of course also true of Belgium, a small country in Western Europe that, at all time has been a pioneer in the field of Jazz Music.  Traditional jazz-composers David Bee and Peter Packay, and Robert Goffin, the writer of the first famous book on Jazz “ Aux Frontières du Jazz” have opened the road to many jazz-explorers, among which more recently the harmonica-wizard Jean “Toots” Thielemans (with George Shearing) and the temor-sax and flue soloist Bobby Jaspar (with JJ Johnson) have acquired highest ratings in the USA.  

Achile Palmans and Jean Kluger, the producers of the present album gave an opportunity to 5 different groups to illustrate present trends and styles, followed by the most important players in the country.

May the buyers of this album enjoy as much listening to Belgian Music and Belgian players , as “the boys” and the producers endeavoured to make this album thoroughly enjoyable.

This album gives us a unique sound picture of what Belgian Modern Jazz sounded like some 53 years ago .  Some of the names may be familiar already to European Jazz aficionados: sax-players Jacques Pelzer (Open Sky Unit, Rene Thomas …), Jack Sels (on whose life the film Just Friends was based), sax/flute player Alex Scorier (a member of a.o. Marc Moulin’s Placebo in the Seventies), bass players Benoit Quersin (Bobby Jaspar, Rene Thomas …) and Jean Warland (Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Band, Peter Herbolzheimer and countless MPS sessions…), Johnny Peret, Paul Fanis, Paul Dubois (Babs Robert & the Love Planet).  Willy Albimoor is perhaps better-known as composer of “Jungle Fever” (a No1 Hit for the Chakachas that went Gold in the States in 1972) and  a long-time accompanist of Belgian singer-songwriter Paul Louka (a close friend of Jacques Brel and Georges Brassens)  Many will be surprised to see the name of Joel Van Droogenbroeck as piano-player of the Pelzer combo.  Yes, it is him, the Krautrock legend, the brain behind BRAINTICKET and other psychedelia!  Read more about him on his website.

THE MUSIC

1.         Earthfever       Willy Albimoor         

2.         Rain on the Grand' Place       Jack Sels

3.         Loly                René Goldstein

4.         French love     Willy Albimoor           

5.         Don't smile     Jacques Pelzer

6.         A mouse in the crowd            Herman Sandy

7.         Witch of Salem          René Goldstein

8.         Spanish lady   Jack Sels

9.         To the exit      Herman Sandy

THE PLAYERS

Etienne Verschueren (as) WILLY ALBIMOOR (p)

Jean Warland (b) Freddy Rottier (d)

EARTHFEVER

FRENCH LOVE

JACK SELS (ts) Jean Fanis (p)

Jean Warland (b) Rudy Frankel (d)

RAIN ON THE GRAND ' PLACE

SPANISH LADY

François Honings, Alex Scorier (fl) Johnny Renard (vib)

RENÉ GOLDSTEIN (b) Joe Demuynck (d)

LOLY

WITCH OF SALEM

Milou Struvay (tp) JACQUES PELZER (as) Jean-Pierre Gebler (bar)

Joel Vandroogenbroek (p) Benoit Quersin (b) Vivi Mardens (d)

DON'T SMILE

5.  HERMAN SANDY (tp) Constant Letellier (ts) Roger Asselberghs (bar)

Willy Albimoor (p) Paul Dubois (b) Johnny Perret (d)

A MOUSE IN THE CROWD

TO THE EXIT

All tunes recorded Brussels, Belgium, April 1958

N.b. : track 8 was a bit of a mystery as the sleeves notes give the same rhythm section  as track 2 but the Jazz in Belgium website credits lists Jack Sels with Pelzer's rhythm section i.e Joël Vandroogenbroeck - Piano / Benoît Quersin  -  Double bass / 

Vivi Mardens  -  Drums

However, the problem is solved :

(...) aussi bien Bruyninckx que le booklet du double CD "Jazz in little Belgium - La collection Robert Pernet" donnent le même personnel pour "Rain on the Grand Place" que pour "Spanish Lady" enregistré le même jour et ces deux faces sont les seules qu'il ait jamais enregistré pour Decca.  C'est également le cas pour Pelzer qui n'a enregistré que cette seule face pour Decca (Don't smile) tout au long de sa carrière. (...) On peut faire confiance à Walter Bruyninckx, il a toujours raison

How about re-issue?  None although some of the tracks have been reissued on the compilation CD"Jazz in Little Belgium - La collection Robert Pernet".  Unfortunaltely, it seems that this double CD produced by the Fondation Roi Baudouin is also OOP.  It may still be available through some specialised bookshops / retailers.  Try here or here

Some useful references on Belgian Jazz history, on internet:

Jazz in Belgium: a Must.  Everything you wanted to know about Belgian Jazz and were afraid to ask. And more!  You will find detailed bio of all the musicians mentioned in this post.

Focus on European Jazz # 3: Big Jazz from Little Belgium  I wish I could get hold of some of these records  (esp. the Hein Huysmans Kwintet ... I'd love to hear, own , post it).

The West Music Club (a Belgian Big Band lead by Richard Rousselet – of Placebo and Solis Lacus fame among many other musical ventures) has published an history of Belgian jazz in his bulletins (downloadable in pdf format, in French)

CARNATIC ONE MORE TIME!

U. SRINIVAS – MANDOLIN ALL THE WAY (INDIA, 1991)

 Time for some Carnatic Grooves! Probably not the most popular style of music considering that my previous carnatic post (the remarkable Silk World Music Group) generated only three comments!

I don’t expect any more this time. Too bad because this music is absolutely riveting.

"I thought that it's common to hear people playing classical music on the violin or veena, so why don't I try something new?" Of course, I never dreamed I would become so well known or that the mandolin would become so popular."

Mandolin U. Srinivas is among South India’s better known musicians. In the West, his name  may be recognized by some open-minded jazz fans thanks to his collaboration with John Mc Laughlin & Zakir Hussein.  However, there is no hint of jazz or fusion in this recording. This is pure Carnatic Classical Music.  Absolutely Magic!  This music gives me a natural high! 

Upalappu Srinivas is to Indian classical music what Sir Yehudi Menuhin is to its Western equivalent. And, like the latter, U. Srinivas was a child prodigy who has taken the mandolin, an instrument unknown in India, to unique classical heights. Having begun playing when he was only six years old, Srinivas'  musical aptitude was spotted by Subbaraju, a classically-trained musician and disciple of the famous musical stalwart Chembai Vaidyanata Bhagavatar. Subbaraju, not having any knowledge on how to play the mandolin, would sing Carnatic music and Srinivas would play along, thus developing his own style. Despite the critical acclaim that Srinivas has won over the world, he says modestly that he still has a long way to go. 'Where is the end to music? The more you learn, the more you want to know,' he says.

"When I started," he remembers, "I saw that only a handful of people were there, perhaps 30 at the most. They had very little idea of what was to come and this was the first time that the mandolin had ever been heard attempting the repertoire I gave. The concert lasted for four hours and, slowly, people kept coming. When the concert was over, there were 3,000 people there. For me, this was amazing."

(source: http://www.realworldusa.com/albumpages/srinivas/default.html )

There are a few video of U. Srinivas on YouTube. They’re worth watching.  

THE USUAL SUSPECTS

L'ALPHABET

Vendredi / Vrijdag / Friday

24 février / February - 20h30

Mr JAY   -  LOOS  -  Dr ROBUR

Dr ROBUR & Mr JAY 

(BLUES mais pas que ...)

1387 chée de Wavre 1160 Bruxelles – tél: 02.660.43.00. 

www.lalphabet.be

Station Son Particulier – Votre Radio!

www.stationsonparticulier.be

stationsonparticulier@gmail.com

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.

HEY GYP!

DOCTOR FEELGOOD

SOMETHING TO TAKE UP TIME (US, 1971)

(rare US bluesy prog).

 This one is not for the Jazzers but should please the Prog Heads / psychedelic blues freaks.  As you may have noted I have pretty catholic tastes.  This album was for a long time a mystery to me.  I remember hearing one track on the radio, probably on José Arthur’s Pop Club.  I enquired around, in specialised record shops and among friends but nobody had heard of the band.  A few years later I thought I had found it but it was a completely different Dr Feelgood, the UK pub rock band, very enjoyable but nothing to do with the music of “my” Doctor Feelgood”.

I would define the music as blues-based prog rock with mild jazz influences. It has vocal parts and lot of sax or flute-driven instrumental parts.   It sounds at time like a UK prog / Canterbury-influenced band, an unusual sound for an American band.  Think to early Jethro Tull or Gravy Train.  If you like bands like Delivery or Backdoor (UK), or the Colwell-Winfield Blues Band (US), you may give this one a try.

It seems that the original album released in 1971 is pretty rare indeed.  A bit of research on the net yielded some scarce info on the band. It hailed from Massachusetts. Members came from at least two local pop/ garage rock bands (Teddy and the Pandas and The Sensations).

…  Bill Corelle's further disenchantment with the direction the group (i.e. The Pandas) was heading led in 1969 to him forming his own blues and jazz band. ... Sharing Corelle's views, Paul Rivers decided to join him and, too, left the Pandas. Hooking up with Dick Winters and Ralph Cooper - both original members of the Sensations but at this time playing together in the Warlocks - the quartet then formed Dr. Feelgood. Dr. Feelgood later recorded an LP, titled 'Something To Take Up Time', on the Number One label.

(source: http://www.spectropop.com/Teddy/index.htm )

The album was released on the Number One label (their own?) with no number on the label, but dead-wax number DFCR-1.

Tracklist:

01. Number ten (2:47)

02. The roach did it (3:03)

03. Smoke dream (8:49)

04. Mr. Bojangles (2:32)

05. Medicine man (4:04)

06. Nasal greens and toe jam (3:10)

07. Hey gyp (5:17)

08. 5 x r.v.w. (6:10)

09. Something to take up time (7:41)

10. Junk (5:28)

Credits:

Dick Winters: flute, tenor, baritone and soprano saxophones, maracas

Ralph Cooper: drums, conga, maracas

Bill Corelle: bass, cow bell

Paul Rivers: guitars

 The album was reissued on CD a few years ago, I got my copy from the now defunct Freak Emporium.  It’s OOP again but if you search the web, you’ll  still find it. Buy it !

SO LONG FREDDIE !

FREDDIE DERONDE (Sept.20, 1938 - Jan.6, 2012)

From JAZZHOT

A sad news fell earlier this week.  Belgian double bass & electric bass player Freddie Deronde has left us on Jan.6.  Perhaps not well known outside of Belgian and European jazz circles, Freddie was nevertheless a great musician who played with the biggest European and US names. He had a long association with Rene Thomas, Chet Baker and J.R. Montrose (with whom he worked in the US).

He played with Lloyd Miller's IJQ in Brussels . He was a member of Solis Lacus (with Michel Herr,Richard Rousselet etc. but was not the featured bass player on the album), was a member of Michel Herr Trio (“Ouverture Éclair”), played on the mythic “Stream” album (Philip Catherine, Marc Moulin), played briefly with various Belgian prog rock aggregations (Wallace Collection, and the short-lived Casino Railway) … A more comprehensive biography can be found on the Lundis d’Hortense website and on the Jazz Hot website (in French).

Miller's IJQ with Lennart Jansson & Freddie Deronde at the Rose Noire in Brussels, 1960
Source: http://www.jazzscope.com/VEurope.htm 

l

The Richard Rousselet Quartet.
Freddie Deronde (bass), Richard Rousselet (trumpet), Michel Herr (piano) and Félix Simtaine (drums).
Backstage in 1978, when they played with US baritone saxophone player Pepper Adams.
Source: http://www.michelherr.com/   (Michel Herr website) 

If you are unfamiliar with this musician, you can check him on YouTube playing electric bass with René Thomas Trio, HERE (Felix Simtaine on drums).

Quimsy posted "Ouverture Eclair" a while ago (here)

  

On the radio (see RTBF website)

Philippe Baron reviendra sur la carrière de Freddie sur "Musique 3" du vendredi 13 au mardi 17, de 18 à 19h. - (rencontre de 2004) et  sur "Le Grand Jazz" de 21 à 22 h. (La Première  RTBF) à partir du 19 janvier (interview réalisée en 1993).


P.S. : I was considering posting his  excellent 1989 album Spontaneous Effort - feat. Philip Catherine,  JR Montrose and Jan de Haas - but this album is still available in CD format from IGLOO.  Get it HERE.

RARITY # 11 : FATS SADI’S COMBO

FATS SADI ‘S COMBO (VOGUE, 25 cm, 1953).

 1.      The Man

"Fats" Sadi was for some six decades Belgium’s most popular jazzman. He was born in Andenne on 23 October 1927 and died in Huy on 20 Februaryr 2009. He was among Europe’s best vibraphonists – if not The best of his generation – but was also a master percussionist, a competent piano player and a singer excelling in scat.  In addition he was  a talented composer, arranger and band leader.

He chose Sadi as an artist name as he had an aversion for his last name ("Lallemand" which means "the German" in French).  He discovers jazz around 1938 listening to Louis ARMSTRONG. He starts playing the vibraphone as of 1941.During World War II, he works as semi-professional, then becomes professional in 1945, He tours American bases in Europe with one of the first European Bop agregation, "the Bob Shots", a band featuring Bobby Jaspar, Jacques Pelzer, Francis Boland and René Thomas. .

An American GI stationed in Germany who was very impressed by Sadi's percussion works was a young New Yorker of Porto Rican descent named Ray Barreto .... He traced his interest to percussions to this encounter in Germany.

In the early fifties, Sadi moved to Paris where he found regular work playing in the orchestras of Michel Legrand, Aimé Barelli, Jacques Helian and Sacha Distel. He regularly plays in Paris’ most famous jazz clubs such as the  Club Saint-Germain and le Blue Note.

In the sixties he is recruited by the RTB, the French-speaking Belgian Radio & Television. He hosts  a radio programme from 1961 to 1965, with the orchestra of Henri Segers and had his own television show from 1969 to1974.  He was a very popular and well-liked TV personality.

In 1996, he was awarded a Djangodor and was nominated best european vibraphonist in a referendum organized by both the French speaking and Dutch speaking Belgian Radio network (RTBF and VRT).

Sadi became seriously ill in January 1995 and subsequently appeared rarely on stage.

2.      The record:

"Fats" Sadi's Combo

Roger Guerin (tp-1,tu) Nat Peck (tb) Jean Aldegon (b-cl) Bobby Jaspar (ts,arr)

Fats Sadi (vib,arr,comp-1) Maurice Vander (p,arr) Jean-Marie Ingrand (b)

Pierre Michelot (b,arr) Jean-Louis Viale (d) José Bartel, Francy Boland (arr)

Paris, May 8, 1953

Side A

SADISME

SWEET FEELING (*,pm arr,comp)

THANKS A MILLION (s arr)

BIG BALCONY (bj arr,comp)

Side B

KARIN (1,jb arr,comp)

LAGUNA LEAP (s arr)

AD LIBITUM (fb arr,comp)

RIDIN' HIGH (1,mv arr)

Note : (*) On this title Guerin, Peck, Aldegon and Jaspar out.
According to Sadi the above session was recorded at 2 dates
one with Ingrand and the other with Michelot on bass.

This combo is a real who's who of French and Belgian boppers in the early fifties, Thanks again to Paul D. for this rare 10 " from his vault and the usual excellent sound quality, which has become his trademark!.

For more SADI, check Magic Purple Sunshine.


Essential reading (in French) : 
Histoire du Jazz en Belgique et en Wallonie (available from Amazon)
Bass Hits : an autobiography of bassman Jean Warland: 

KALINHA'S SERENADE

FRA FRA SOUND - KALINHA'S SERENADE
(NL, SURINAM, NL ANTILLES, US - 1992-94)

First album  by Holland-based FRA FRA SOUND, an International  little big band composed of musicians from Surinam and the Netherlands Antilles, Mexico (tenor sax Efraim Trujillo) and the US (trumpet/ fluegelhorn player Charles Green).


What does FRA FRA mean?
There is no literal translation for the concept of "Fra Fra Sound".  It has to do with balance, equilibrium.  The balance within the variegated Surinam culturethat is connected with the country's multiracial character, its history of coming into existence and the unique location between the Caribbean and the Latin-American hinterland. Additionnally, there is an ethnic group in northwestern Ghana known as "Fra Fra", which refers to the strong historical and cultural ties between West Africa and Surinam. (from the CD notes)
Band members:


Charles Green   trumpet & fluegelhorn
Efraim Trujillo   tenor saxophone (1 & 8)
Patrick Sedoc    guitar
Vincent Henar  bass
Robin van Geerke  piano & keyboards
Carlo Ulrichi     conga, timbales, bells & percussions
Guno Kramer   drums


Guests:


Ponda O'Bryan : percussions (2-3-9)
Kenrick Gunther: conga & percussions (7-9)
José Lopretti: piano & synthetiser (7-8)
Jeff Gordon : tenor sax on all tracks except 1 & 8
Sharif Wagidhossain: alto sax (7)
Ronald Esseboon: tenor tuba (7)

Tracks:


1. Rhythm for the Fox
2. Pikin'Uma
3. Jangaman
4. Tuckayana Shout
5. Kooked Little Man
6. Little People
7. All Blues
8a A Zulu Folktale
8b. When the crocodlie smiles, beware!
9. Szopo

Check YouTube for live performances of Fra Fra Sound and Fra Fra Big Band.


Next post will be a rare 25 cm of Belgian 50s Be Bop feat. Bobby Jaspar ... coming soon!