EXPO 67

MOE KOFFMAN QUARTET - Live at Expo 67
(Transcription Radio Canada LP, 1967)

Over the years, I've found LPs in some unlikely places. For instance, this LP was salvaged from the trash can of Radio Comores - a small archipelago in the South West Indian Ocean - in the late Nineties. It is a CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Cortporation) transcription of a concert given by the Moe Koffman Quartet at the Montreal World Expo 1967. 

It was recorded at the Canadian Pavillon as part of a series of concerts showcasing the best of Canadian jazz (for more info on Montreal 67 Expo jazz concerts, click HERE).


There are some good solos by reed player Moe Koffman on this album but he was clearly trying to be "with it" by chasing trends of the era. The repertoire (which includes "Comin' Home Baby," "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy," "Watermelon Man" and a remake of Koffman's big seller "Swinging Shepherd Blues") is dominated by jazz hits of the era and Koffman, who sometimes plays two tenors at once (sounding like a one-handed Rahsaan Roland Kirk!), also plays an electrified sax but is best on his flute. The Montreal-based organ-bass-drums rhythm section does their job well and there are enough worthwhile Koffman solos (particularly on the medium-up tempo "Spectacular" which is really "There Will Never Be Another You") to make this set worth picking up (...) (AMG).


Considering that the LP come from a pile of rubbish, it is a miracle that it was still in listenable condition.  I took it last week to Records Magician Paul D. who applied his wizardry to it and came up with a wonderfully clean sound which we are now offering you. Wow!  Couldn't believe that nice crisp sound - without scratches and other pops - came from my old battered LP. The Wizard did it again!  And there's more coming soon ... 


Warning: it's in WAV and it's a big file. Be patient and you won't regret it.


Credits and tracks:
Personnel: Moe Koffman (flute, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone); Art Ayre (organ), Gary Binsted (e-bass), Andy Cree (drums).


Trivia: 
Art Ayre was for a while the organist of Jack London & the Sparrows, which, after the arrival of  East-Germany born singer John Kay would eventually mutate into Steppenwolf.

n.b.: this is not the back cover of the LP. It's taken from the Web.  After all the hard work to make the old LP listenable we realised it had been re-issued on CD in 1999. Listen and then buy it here.

VASTRAP

ROBBIE JANSEN – VASTRAP ISLAND (1991, South Africa)

 In the comments of a previous South African Jazz post (Cape Jazz – 24 Sept. 2011), a visitor (thejazzmd) wrote “Love SA Jazz, and there is so little Robbie Jansen out there- so thank you!”

Well, mate, this one is for you! Hope you’ll enjoy it.

It is Robbie Jansen’s first album as a leader and I reckon it is a bit of a mixed bag of afro-rock / smooth jazz / Cape Music, not entirely convincing (especially after hearing his contribution to the Sabenza album by Basil "Mannenberg" Coetzee) but even in such a context Robbie’s flute and alto are always a pleasure to the ears.  It is also a great party record that goes well with a few beers and a braai!

WARNING TO THE JAZZ AYATOLLAHS: Beware, I wouldn’t call this a “jazz” album, rather a Cape Music album with a jazzy tinge.

Credits :

Robbie Jansen : alto sax, flute, fife, leqd vocals, acoustic guitar, percussions

Drums: Jack Momple, Monty Weber

Electric guitar: Erol Dyers, Paul Peterson

Acoustic guitar: Erol Dyers

Electric keyboards: Hilton Schilder, Murray Anderson

Acoustic piano: Hilton Schilder

Bass: Stephen Erasmus

Ripped from a currently OOP CD.

p.s.: I'm not sure whether Sabenza has been posted  on a blog already.  It's a beautiful album that any fan of Cape Jazz should possess.  If there is a demand, I'll rip my LP when I'll get a chance.

03 Feb. 2012: somebody was faster than me ... listen to Sabenza HERE

A NIGHT IN TUNISIA

ERROL PARKER TENTET - A NIGHT IN TUNISIA
(Sahara Records, 1991)

 Algeria-born pianist/drummer /composer and arranger Ralph Schecroun (aka Errol Parker) ranks among the most underrated modern jazz creators.  He was a true original like Sun Ra and a few others, musicians who cannot be easily categorized and pigeonholed.
Mostly self-taught on piano, he moved to Paris in 1947 to study sculpture but was soon playing jazz. Parker (under his original name Raph Schecroun) recorded on sessions led by Kenny Clarke, James Moody, and Django Reinhardt, and played off and on with Don Byas during 1956-1958. He recorded some commercial music on organ in 1960 and then, to escape from an exclusive contract so as to record jazz versions of Top 40 material on piano, he used the pseudonym Errol Parker. The latter records sold so well that he permanently changed his name.  In 1963, Errol Parker was the victim of a car accident which let him badly injured and almost put a term to his career as a pianist due to a loss of dexterity and speed.  He didn’t give up music though.  In 1968, he emigrated to New York  and started experimenting with new musical forms.  Utilizing poly-tonality (playing in two keys at once), simultaneous soloing, and his own drumming (which achieves an African sound by substituting a conga for the snare drum), Parker's tentet sounded unlike any other group.  Although he kept on playing piano occasionally, especially electric piano, he became more and more interested in percussions and reconverted as a drummer, a bit out of necessity as he couldn’t find a drummer who could play his complex rhythmic structures.

 In 1982, while teaching at the Williamsburg Music Center, he formed a big band that eventually became his tentet. Due to the eight horns he utilized, Parker stopped playing piano except for solo engagements and stuck to drums. His recordings (which include a solo piano tribute to Thelonious Monk) utilized such sidemen as Robin Eubanks, Wallace Roney, Donald Harrison, Steve Coleman, Graham Haynes, Philip Harper, Byard Lancaster, and Jimmy Owens, among others. Parker died of liver cancer on June 2, 1998.
(Source: Scott Yarrow-AMG and Wikipedia and Errol Parker's autobiography).


Errol Parker Tentet - A Night in Tunisia (1991), OOP CD.

If you 're interested in knowing more about the life and career of Ralph Schecroun / Errol Parker, read his autobiography.

SWEDISH DELIGHT

BERT DAHLANDER

JAZZ WITH A SWEDISH ACCENT

(Everyday, 1976)

 Another very rare album from Paul D.'s mythical treasure vault. This time an LP recorded in 1971, in Sweden, by Swedish-born / US resident drummer Bert Dahlander.

The album was posted briefly on the FJD blog in non-downloadable format.  I copy its introduction to the album, I wouldn't write it better (I hope the FJD blog owner won’t mind): 

“Never judge a record by its cover. That's the lesson you'll learn if you ever get the chance to spin Swedish drummer Bert Dahlander's "Jazz With A Swedish Accent" (which you never will, because I'm the only one on earth who owns it). Despite looking straight out of the Fernwood Tonight show, this is is very swingin' jazz record with strong sax work, memorable compositions (by Dahlander himself) and, most suprising, a funky Hammond organ that wouldn't be out of place a the old Five Spot (…)

I wish to add just two comments

(i)                even more surprising than the funky Hammond, is Lill Magnus’ boppish accordion somewhat reminiscent of Matt Matthews or Art Van Damme.

(ii)             No mate, you're not the only one on earth owning this album, there are actually two people in the world owning a copy of this album : you and Paul D.

Tracks and credits: see sleeve. All composition by Bert Dahlander

Nils-Bertil Dahlander was born May 13, 1928 in Göteborg, Sweden to Nils and Engla Karlmark Dahlander.

As a young child he was given piano and violin lessons, but he loved rhythm and became an internationally acclaimed jazz drummer. When he was 14, his parents gave him a book on Picasso, which fueled his interest as an artist. In Sweden, he led a quartet and played in a radio band. After making some recordings with celebrated Swedish jazz musician Lars Gullin in 1951 and 1952, his interests turned to the United States. He came to New York in 1958, knowing no one and unable to speak English. He started playing at the Metropole, the “jazz center” of New York. As he built his reputation, he became friends with legendary jazz drummers Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich. He also signed an endorsement with the drum maker Slingerland, supplying him with his drums. Bert eventually met and played with people such as Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Harry James, Dave Brubeck. He was a member of Chet Baker group, and was in a trio with Teddy Wilson.

Bert also had a love for painting. His paintings were inspired by his music and he named several of them after songs. He often painted after playing until two or three in the morning to relax. He never did like to sell his paintings because “You can never replace a painting.”

Bert died at the age of 83, on Monday, June 6, 2011, in Mesquite, Nevada.

(Source: obituary).

OOP album. Link in comments (WAV).

By the way, I haven't received much  comments - if any - on the recently posted albums.  If you download the music, just say Thanks, it will be appreciated.  

CHOROS & JAZZ BAROQUE

O TRIO
(Maurício Carrilho, Paulo Sérgio Santos and Pedro Amorim, Brasil, 1993)


It's amazing what one could find in discounted bin. Some of the best music I have comes straight from the 1 € CD bin.  And this OOP CD is a case in point. Absolutely delightful music!


I forgot to scan the sleeve notes but here is what AMG has to say about this group:

O Trio is a choro group which has been giving an important contribution for the development of the tradition. O Trio has no percussion, instead they count on two of the most experienced choro players in Brazil and an internationally awarded classical wind musician (also an excellent chorão). They're searching for a kind of flexibility that withdraws from folklore, but manages to keep their music deeply emotional and faithful to the choro genre while absorbing erudite influences. In 1986, Maurício Carrilho (violão or acoustic guitar), Pedro Amorim (mandolin/violão tenor), and Paulo Sérgio Santos (clarinet, soprano/alto saxes) teamed up to celebrate Radamés Gnattali's 80th anniversary. After performances in Europe, U. S., and Japan, they recorded their first album, O Trio (released in Europe in 1993), which was praised by critics and won the 1994 Sharp prize as best instrumental album. O Trio also won the 1994 Sharp prize as best instrumental group. In 1995 O Trio recorded an album accompanying Teca Calazans.

This album mixes traditional choro numbers by the great composers such as Ernesto Nazareth, Pixinguinha etc. with Scott Joplin's ragtimes,  There is definitely a common Afro-American heritage underlaying these New World musics (and one could also include early Tango in the list).

Beautiful music, hope you'll enjoy it!

Comin' soon : rare Swedish Jazz ... à suivre!

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.

JAZZ & STRINGS – the Belgian Touch

Steve Houben + strings
featuring Guy Cabay / Michel Herr / Dennis Luxion (Belgium, 1982)

 For many years Belgian saxophonist / flautist Steve Houben had a dream: that one day he’d  set up a big band associating a jazz ensemble and a string section.  In 1983, the dream became reality ! It was a première in the fairly rich history of Belgian Jazz.  This first experiment in Belgium met a real popular, if un-expected, success, and was especially well received on stage. 

Obviously, the formula filled the expectation of a large and curious public, demonstrating that there was an audience for sophisticated and adventurous jazz in Belgium.

The success of the record rests obviously on the talent of Steve Houben but benefits greatly from the combined talents of the three composers - Michel Herr, Guy Cabay and Denis Luxion – who crafted 12 original pieces especially for the project.

The original album was released on the LDH label in 1983 and it is the original LP which was used for this rip.  The album was remixed and re-released on CD in 1995 on the Igloo label.

I thought it was OOP but it is still available from Igloo.  Which raises a bit of a conscience dilemma: should I still post it or shouldn’t I?

I do not think that I’m doing a disservice to Steve Houben or Igloo by bringing this music to the attention of a much larger international audience.

So listen to the album and if you like it, buy it here.

Tracks :

1. The lady in red shoes (Dennis Luxion)

2. Thinking of you (M. Herr)

3. Ephémérides (Guy Cabay)

4. Unsung song (Dennis Luxion)

5. Pastel puzzle for Toots : Ouverture, Choral, Little Blues, Désinence (Guy Cabay)

6. Long distance (M. Herr) (theme from the tv film San Francisco)

Musicians :

Steve Houben - alto & soprano saxophone, flute

Michel Herr - piano, composer/arranger of tracks 2 & 6

Guy Cabay - vibraphone, composer/arranger of tracks 3 & 5

Dennis Luxion -piano, composer/arranger of tracks 1 & 4

Michel Hatzigeorgiou - electric bass

Mimi Verderame - drums

+ string section, conducted by the composers

Recorded in 1982 at Gam studio in Waismes, Belgium. LP (LDH 1004).

A CD version, remixed, was released in 1995 (Igloo IGL121).

A NEW SOUND FROM ITALY

A NEW SOUND FROM ITALY

Basso – Valdambrini Octet (Italy, 1959)

Paul D, who is a fine connaisseur of Italian Jazz, suggested we post something Italian this month.  There are already a few excellent blogs devoted to Transalpine Jazz and we did not want to duplicate any post already available.  We decided to start with one of the most famous partnerships in the history of Italian / European Jazz: tenor sax Gianni Basso & trumpet-player Oscar Valdambrini aka Basso - Valdambrini.

As the first Basso-Valdambrini Quintet LP (1959) is already posted on the Jazz from Italy blog, we settled to post the second album, A New Sound from Italy, also recorded in 1959 but in an Octet configuration. The LP is pretty rare in vinyl format but it had been reissued on CD by a small Italian label in 2003.  The CD combined two LPs under the title "Blues for Gassman": this LP and the album Basso Valdambrini present Dino Piana.  However, to the best of our knowledge, the CD is already OOP. 

Since Paul has both the LP and the CD, he just ripped the eight original tracks from the CD. Less work and probably better sound quality!

So here is an opportunity to hear this classic EuroJazz LP which features also Swedish legend Lars Gullin on six out of the eight selections.

A new sound from italy

a)  Oscar Valdambrini (tp) Mario Pezzotta (tb) Attilio Donadio (as) Gianni Basso (ts) Lars Gullin (bar) Renato Sellani (p) Franco Cerri (b) Jimmy Pratt (d)

Milan, December 10, 1959

b)  same  -  Milan, December 17, 1959

c)  Oscar Valdambrini (tp) Mario Pezzotta (tb) Glauco Masetti (as) Gianni Basso (ts) Lars Gullin (bar) Renato Sellani (p) Franco Cerri (b) Jimmy Pratt (d)

Milan, December 21, 1959

d)  Oscar Valdambrini (tp) Mario Pezzotta (tb) Glauco Masetti (as) Gianni Basso (ts) Attilio Donadio (bar) Renato Sellani (p) Franco Cerri (b) Jimmy Pratt (d)

Milan, December 23, 1959 

1.  INDIANA (c)

2.  FASCINATING RHYTHM (a)

3.  BLUES FOR GASSMAN (c)

4.  FATA MORGANA (a)

5.  HOW ABOUT YOU (b)

6.  THERE WILL NEVER BE ANOTHER YOU (d)

7.  PETER OF APRIL (b)

8.  HOW DEEP IS THE OCEAN (d)

 Basso-Valdambrini discography here

CAPE JAZZ

CAPE JAZZ CLASSICS (South Africa, 1995.)

I love South African Jazz.  This is amother CD I picked up in Jo’Burg in the early 00’s.

Don’t dismiss it as some cheap Gallo compilation, this is a selection of live tracks by some of Cape Town Icons (Basil “Mannenberg” Coetzee, Robbie Jansen, Winston “Makunku” Ngosi, Hilton Schilder  …). There is no indication of the recording dates.  


I was lucky to see some of those guys “live” at a small festival at the University of Cape Town in 1988 and they sounded pretty much like what’s on this CD so I guess these are late 80s early 90s recordings.

Robbie Jansen

Anyhow, these versions are as good or even better than any studio version I’ve heard. 

1.  Robbie Jansen & Sons of Table Mountain

   Tsakwe / Royal Blue

Robbie Jansen              alto saxophone & vocals

Alex van Heerden        fluegelhorn

Hilton Schilder             piano

Steven Erasmus            bass

Jack Mompie                drums

Hilton Schilder

Sylvia Mdnunyelwa

         2.   Sylvia Mdnunyelwa with guest Winston “Makunku” Ngosi  
Bayeza

Sylvia Mdnunyelwa     vocal

Winston “Makunku” Ngosi          tenor sax

George Werner             piano

Spencer Mbadu            bass

Babes Ndamase            drums

Winston "Makunku" Ngosi

3.        Pat Matshikza with guest Basil “Mannenberg” Coetzee

          Stop & Start

Pat Matshiksa

Pat Matshikza               piano & vocals

Basil “Mannenberg” Coetzee        tenor sax

Spencer Mbadu            bass

Ivan Bell                      drums

4. Robbie Jansen & Sons of Table Mountain

  Kalahari Thirst

Same as (1)

5.     

5. Pat Matshikza
with guests Basil “Mannenberg” Coetzee & Robbie Jansen

Tshona

Same as (3) + Robbie Jansen : alto sax

6.      Ezra & Duke Ngcukana        You think you know me

Ezra Ngcukana

Ezra Ngcukana             tenor sax

Duke Ngcukana            fluegelhorn

George Werner             piano

Spencer Mbadu             bass

Babes Ndamase            drums

Duke Ngcukana

7.      Robbie Jansen & Sons of Table Mountain   Mannenberg

Same as (1) and (4)

To me the highlights are the Sons of Table Mountain tracks, the infectious “Stop & Start” and the Pat Matshikza track with both Coetzee and Jansen,  … If these tracks don’t get you shaking your booty, you’re either stone deaf or you ‘ve got a hole in your soul !  There’s so  much love and happiness in this music!