cratedigging again

DIGGING THE CRATES IN ANTWERP

    

Big Bands: CSULA Jazz Ensemble / Les Hooper Big Band

The ladies wanted to look at the sales in Antwerp main street stores ... I told them it was a good idea as it would leave me ample time to look for records. 

Dutch Jazz:  Henny Vonk / Gijs Hendriks 4tet feat. Michel Herr

Here come the Belgians: Sadi Big Band / Fud Candrix 

Boogiemen (NL / CH / UK)

Jap-Jazz (Jam Session  @ JUNK feat Sleepy Matsumoto) / Steve Kuhn Live in NY

A recommended address if you visit Antwerp: 

And after the cratedigging, nothing beats a "bolleke"

PAN MAN

RUDY SMITH QUARTET - STILL AROUND

S&P Records (LP) – DENMARK       1984

Another one not to miss!  And a premiere in the blogsphere, methink!

The album Still Around is the first record Rudy Smith made under his own name, and it is considered a classic and one of his best. In the long history of Pan music, both in Trinidad and internationally, this is one of the very few albums to feature Pan as the leading voice in a pure jazz setting.

His group the Modern Sound Quintet played disco/reggae/jazz fusion, changing their name to the Modern Sound Corporation in the late 1970s. After extensive touring throughout Europe, they broke up in 1980. Rudy Smith moved to Denmark in 1983, where he decided to return to the music he loved, jazz and be-bop, forming the Rudy Smith Quartet. The group included Ole Mathiessen (piano), Niels Præstholm (bass) and a South African drummer, Gilbert Matthews. There is an international inspiration for the music on the 1984 album Still Around, featuring an Asian element, mixed with a dash of European, as well as American jazz. Rudy Smith is referred to as the jazz king of steel pans, and in Denmark as the father of the steel pan.

RUDY SMITH QUARTET - STILL AROUND

TRACKS

1. Blues L Armoise

2. Ursia    (Soprano sax: “Pe We”)

3. Elise

4. Blues For Bradick

5. Be Bach

6. Still Around

7. El Vito   (acoustic guitar: Costa Apetrea)

Produced by s & p records

Recorded at montezuma recording ab, stockholm, march 28-29, 1984.

Mixed at montezuma studio by r.s.q.

DIRTY ROOSTA BOOGA

JIMMY SMITH - I’m Gon Git Myself Together

Released on MGM  (1971, USA)

Liner notes:

This is the album that answers the question “can a down-home earthy, gutsy, swinging, blues-drenched jazz giant like Jimmy Smith find happiness in that spastic, hard beat, heavily amplified, eternally youthful world on the other side of the (generation) gap – Rock and Roll?” The album is successful for a number of reasons: basically, Jimmy Smith is the type of consummate artist who never gives less than his best in live or recorded situations; secondly, Jimmy has never isolated himself in any one bag because he is too aware of other idioms, other styles, other musicians, and much too hip to the reality of change; furthermore, Jimmy’s style is so close to the nitty gritty of communication that no gap is unbridgeable (…). No doubt about it, there’s a happy Jimmy Smith contained in this album – a later-day rocksmith who has his mojo working in any style he commands it to  (Harvey Siders - edited).

Review on Soul Strut blog

Released in 1973 (actually 1971), the liner notes to the record state that it was Smith’s attempt to mold Rock with Jazz, something that was a bit in vogue in the late 1960s/early 1970s. I Know What I Want was written, conducted, arranged and produced by Johnny Pate. His band also backed up Smith. The song starts off with a funky guitar line before Smith’s singing, organ and the horns join in to turn the song more towards a soulful big band sound, although a big guitar solo towards the end makes sure the Rock influences are still apparent. Next up, Smith takes on a cover of Otis Redding’s (Sittin On) The Dock Of The Bay. Despite some wah wah guitar in the background, Smith’s singing really fails him on this rendition of the Soul classic. To make up for things, Uh Ruh starts off with a jammin’ little open drum break before going into an upbeat Soul-Jazz number.  Dirty Roosta Booga is another fast-pace groover, and there’s another drum break intro to Need Mo, which is also good. A cover of Sugar, Sugar makes a nice end to the record as well.

I may add that I quite like the title track (I'm Gon' Git Myself Together), a solid blues and that Smith’s singing fails him again badly in Spill the Wine.  Overall an uneven album but still interesting if you want to understand where the process started that yielded the fabulous live album Root Down (listen to Need Mo’).

Jimmy Smith ‎– I'm Gon' Git Myself Together (1971)

Tracklist

A1       I Know What I Want    5:21

A2       (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay        5:15

A3       Uh Ruh            2:45

A4       I'm Gon' Git Myself Together   5:30

B1        Dirty Roosta Booga      5:00

B2        Spill The Wine 5:50

B3        Need Mo'         6:16

B4        Sugar, Sugar    5:15

No detail on the personnel (Johnny Pate Orchestra).

RARITY #55

JUAN DOCANTEZ y sus companeros

TROPICAL NIGHTS

25 cm Fiesta Records 10010      Belgium, c. 1953-54

Juan Docantez is an alias for Belgian guitarist Jean Douchamps.  
Douchamps(1915-1976) had a prolific career recording swing jazz, hawaian novelties, proto-rock and roll novelty, exotica, and anything in between.  He was quick to spot a trend:  When he spotted that South American / brasilian rhythms were the next big thing (following the success of Brasilan movie O Cangaceiro in 1953-54), he didn’t hesitate to reinvent himself and his band as Juan Docantez y sus companeros (in a previous incarnation they were Hawaians ...).   He was among the first ones in Belgium to record “proto-rock and roll” (Crazy man, crazy – 1953)  The fashion was to "englicize" names:  Jean Douchamps and band became … John Sweetfield & his Petrolians!

  

Four tracks, four medley

Side 1

A1:  Tropical – O cangaceiro – la Fete des Fleurs – Somebody had stole the wedding bells

A2:  Baiao cacula – Brasileirinho – Pourquoi la Casbah a brulé

Side 2

B1 : Sway – Comedie – El negro zumbon – Delicado

B2: Uska Dara –Rio de Janeiro – Caceres – Signal Samba

Musicians : Jean Douchamps (leader, guitar)

no info on the others. Not listed in the Belgian Jazz Discography (outside the scope of the work).

Probably: Georges Clais (tp), Frans L’Eglise (as, fl?), Emile Chantrain (ts), Marcel Picavet or Gus Decock (piano), Jean Warland (bass), Jeff Deboeck or Jo Demuynck (drums) ... just on educated guess based on the composition of the Petrolians in 1953.

Yes it is the same Jean Warland who played with the Clarke-Boland big band, Peter Herbolzheimer Brass Combination & Rhythm and on countless MPS albums.

P.S : another pioneer of proto-rock n roll in Belgium was guitarist Freddy Sunder who recorded a series of great boogie in 53-54 on Ronnex records, sounding pretty close to American hillbilly boogie.  

INTERJAZZ 1970

Václav Zahradník A Hosté Jazzového Festivalu Praha 1970 - Interjazz

Supraphon ‎– 1 15 0999   (Czechoslovakia - 1971)

Fellow blogger Quimsy posted a link to this album in the comments of Interjazz-6.  I think the quality of the music is such that it deserves a full post (and Quimsy deserves a big thank!).  

Not seen often in the blogsphere, if ever!

Fantastic music!

Some of the most innovative European Jazz in the Seventies come from Eastern Europe ... and it took me half a century to discover it.

Thanks to all the fellow bloggers who introduced me to "Iron Curtain Jazz" (with a special mention to Quimsy and the Growing Bin team).

Tracklist

A1                   Foukej!            Written-By – Rudolf Dašek             7:15

A2                   Jaumeau         Written-By – Václav Zahradník      12:45

B1                   Intima               Written-By – Miljenko Prohaska    5:05

B2                   Rituál               Written-By – Andrej Tovmosjan    5:20

B3                   Podzimní Slunce        Written-By – Milčo Leviev  9:35

Credits

Arranged By, Conductor – Václav Zahradník

Trumpet – Jiří Izera, Miloslav Bureš, Václav Týfa

Trombone – Andrzej Brzeski, Hubert Katzenbeier, Zdeněk Pulec

Alto Saxophone – Ozren Depolo

Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Mihály Ráduly

Tenor Saxophone – Dan Mindrilla*, Rajmond Raubiško*, Václav Maňas

Flute, Piccolo Flute – Simeon Štěrev*

Tuba – Petr Fleischer

Piano, Piano [Preparé] – Laco Gerhardt*

Guitar, Sitar – Rudolf Dašek

Contrabass – Klaus Koch

Timpani [Kotle] – Petr Šprunk

Drums [Bicí] – Andrzej Dabrowski*

RE-POST 2014

Get' em while the links work

Rarity #13 - Innovation en Jazz - 2 (Pelzer etc.)
Joe Beck - Nature Boy
Steve Bauer Orchestra - Living Dreams
Emil Mangelsdorff Old Fashion-New Style
SOK (rare German jazz rock - recommended)
Frankfort All Stars (double LP German bop/fusion/soul jazz - recommended)
Fountainhead (US big band jazz-rock - recommended)
Janot Morales - Miles Inspirations (jazz belge)
McCoy Mrubata - Hoelykit (SA Jazz)
Kleinschuster-Goykovic (unreleased session - 1969)
Charles Davis - Super80  (tough tenor, hard bop, ex-Strata East).
In the same comments, I have added a link to INGIA (Strate East)
Indo-Jazz Fusion (rare one)


The link is always in the comments of the original post.

CHAUFFE BIGUINE LA

ANDRE CONDOUANT CARIBBEAN DREAM DIGITAL SOUNDS - THANKS FOR ALL

original issue: 1989, LP DEBS HDD 2464 (Sonodisc Distribution)

re-issue: SONODISC MUSISOFT 52463

This album is very different from the previous ones featuring Andre Condouant posted on this blog (Brothers Meeting and the Leo Wright albums).  It is an attempt at mixing (smooth) jazz and rhythms from the French West Indies: beguine, zouk.  I’m not especially keen on zouk, nor am I a fan of Midi guitar, drum programming and other synthetic sound.  That being said, there is some good playing especially by Andre Condouant.  So if you’re not averse to some Caribbean smooth jazz, give it a try.  

Overall I found the album rather disappointing.

Musicians

ANDRÉ CONDOUANT (midi-g, dr progr.);

BIBI LOUISON (p, strings, solo on #A2);

JOSÉ VULBEAU (el-p on #A3);

FRÉDERIC CARACAS (el-b);

HENRI DEBS (prod.; engineer, assisted by DANIEL KISSOUN)

Recorded: 1989 at Studio La Terreur in Guadeloupe

Tracks

 Side A

1. Blues For Laurence

2. None´s Like You

3. Touloulou  (Al Lirvat / Martinales)

4. Zafé Melé

 Side B

1. Fly Me To Rio

2. Thanks For All

3. Etius

4. Chauffe Biguine La  (Al Lirvat)

All tracks written by André Condouant except where indicated

Original liner notes

Jazz, Jazzouk, Biguine Jazz, Zouk Blues, André nous offre ce savoureux cocktail de sons Caribéens. Des thèmes de toute beauté, magistralement interprétés, avec sa guitare midi, André nous entraine dans son ouragan musical. "None´s Like Him". Avec ce disque, il nous fait découvrir la sensibilité et la fougue des racines de son art. Bravo André !!! Thanks For All,

Laurence Carril

KARLOVY VARY, 1988

‎Interjazz 6

Václav Zahradník & Prague Television Orchestra  featuring Rudolf Dašek, Georgi Garanian, Peter Hurt, Albert Mangelsdorff, Jiří Stivín, Jan Talich

Supraphon ‎– 11 0183-1 511 (LP)       Czechoslovakia, 1989

The fifth edition of the CZ Jazz Festival, held in Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad) in 1988, included as part of its program an International Jazz Composers Workshop for which the organizers of the event had commissioned six renowned composers to submit scores.  The individual entries were rehearsed by the Prague Television Jazz Orchestra directed by Vaclav Zahradnik and a majority of them were performed in public at a Festival concert on March 26, 1988.

Studio sessions took place the following days and resulted in this album.

Jri Stivin is absolutely stunning in the first track but the whole album is pretty good.  Not a dud track IMHO.  Get it!  I do not think it had appeared in the blogworld before.

Tracklist

A1     Salut                           ( Alexej Fried)                                    8:12

Soloist: Soprano Saxophone, Flute – Jiří Stivín

A2     Good Morning           (Václav Zahradník)                       5:15

Soloist:  Guitar – Rudolf Dašek

A3     Africana                     (Georgi Garanian)                            4:29

Soloist : Alto Saxophone – Georgi Garanian

B1     Par Pondus                 (Emil Viklický)                                   6:40

Soloist:  Viola – Jan Talich

B2     Touch & Go               (Peter Hurt)                                          7:33

Soloists : Alto Saxophone – Peter Hurt  / Double Bass – Robert Balzar / Piano – Emil Viklický

B3     Des'sch Too Much    (Albert Mangelsdorff)                       6:15

Trombone solo :Albert Mangelsdorff

Credits:

Prague Television Orchestra featuring : Albert Mangelsdorff, Jan Talich, Jiří Stivín, Peter Hurt, Rudolf Dašek, Georgi Garanian

Conductor – Václav Zahradník

Trumpet – Jan Burian (2), Miroslav Huja, Miroslav Jelínek, Miroslav Šoltész

Trombone – Ivan Matějček, Ivan Zelenka, Jan Hynčica, Jaromír Dušek, Jiří Sušický

Saxophone – Jindřich Němeček, Jiří Jech, Josef Nachtman, Ladislav Odcházel jr.*, Zdeněk Hostek

Flute – Jaroslav Tichý

Guitar – Jan Kučera

Piano, Electric Piano [Fender] – Emil Viklický

Synthesizer – Jakub Zahradník

Double Bass, Bass Guitar – Robert Balzar

Drums – Ivan Smažík

Recorded at the Czechoslovak Television Studio A, Prague, from 27 to 29 March, 1988 and on 19 April, 1988 

HONKY TONK 73

Lionel Hampton presents … BILL DOGGETT

LP Philips (France) – 1973

This album had been in the blogworld before. A rip was posted by Cheeba in 2009 on his (now inactive) blog Soundological Investigations.  

By 1970, Bill Doggett's name had dropped in relative obscurity, only remembered by Rhythm 'n' Blues and Swing Jazz die-hards. He did some recordings for the French Black & Blues label - a label specialising in forgotten swing players.  
This album is not much different.  It is a mix of revisited old Hampton warhorses (Flying, Home, Midnight Sun), and some more groovy stuff.   There was an attempt at modernizing the sound, e.g. Doggett plays electric piano on some tracks (and it sounds pretty good).

He could not escape revisiting his classic hit "Honky Tonk", he does it in a groovy soul jazz mood but without Billy Butler something's missing  …

There’s some good blowing from Norris Turney and Charles Williams.

The rip is from the French version of the LP.

Musicians

Norris Turney - Alto Sax

Charles Williams - Alto Sax

David Brooks - Tenor Sax

Larry Luger - Guitar

Lionel Hampton - Vibes

Bill Doggett - Organ, Piano (leader)

Larry Troit - Bass

Howard Overton - Drums

Sam Turner - Conga, Drums

1 Bill's Honky Tonk

2 Pots A Cookin'

3 I Wish You Love

4 Dig The Thing

5 Dug's Pad

6 Midnight Sun

7 Flying Home

8 Charlie's Alley

LE ROI DU JAZZ PIANO

ERROL PARKER – SOMETIMES I’M HAPPY

LP FONTANA Special – 826.512QY       France, 1969

Let’s start the year with a fairly rare LP by French pianist ERROL PARKER.

The LP was issued in 1969 on the French “Fontana Special” label which was Fontana's budget label.  In UK it was advertised as "The world's finest budget stereo series!".

However by 1969, Errol Parker was in New York, experimenting with musical concepts bearing no resemblance to the straight swing / stride piano on this LP. 

I assume the session took place  in 1960.   It is not listed in the discography at the end of his autobiography but in the chapter entitled “October 1960”, he mentions that his current trio featured Georges Luca (bass) and Charles Saudray (drums).

I did a bit of cleaning but did not want to alter the music (piano trios are pretty sensitive to too much noise removal).  FLAC files.

Tracks A3 and A6 are the same on the LP although A3 is listed as Cherokee.   Budget series …

Tracklist

A1       Soulful

A2       The Late Late Show

A3       Cute (listed as Cherokee but actually the same as track 6)

A4       Angel Eyes

A5       Day By Day

A6       Cute

B1        Sats

B2        Like Someone In Love

B3        Tea For Two

B4        For Heaven'S Sake

B5        Sometimes I'M Happy

Credits

Piano – Errol Parker

Bass – Georges Luca

Drums – Charles Saudrais