Aleksey Kozlov And Arsenal - Burned By Time... Volume 1 (1998 compilation, rec. 1977-79)

Russian saxophonist Aleksey Kozlov formed his 'jazz-rock ensemble' Arsenal in 1973; not sure if Arsenal are still on the go today, but they were releasing albums as recently as 2013.  This collection reissues Arsenal's debut LP from 1979 (tracks 1-4) alongside other early material.

When I got hold of this, my brain tried to go through the obvious US/European comparisons: Mahavishnu, Weather Report, Return To Forever... even Soft Machine?  Not really any of those strictly work, and I'm not even sure how well known those groups would've been in 1970s Russia.  The latter two might be closest, but if anything, there's a bit of a stronger classical influence here than outright jazz-fusion, maybe closer to the best prog rock, especially in tracks like Suite In A Major and the final bonus track Gavotte & March.

Anyway, there is a lot of great funky jazz here, lots of it ripe for sampling, or just enjoying the grooves.  The opener Dangerous Game starts and ends with a funky theme, including some great fuzzed lead guitar, and a more improvisational mid-section where Kozlov takes the lead.  Also from the original album, The Tree combines prog-influenced, keyboard driven uptempo sections with a great atmospheric breakdown, and there's even a short sung section (in Russian) on the aforementioned Suite.  Out of the additional tracks, the funky Roots is my favourite.  Whatever comparisons Arsenal might evoke from better-known acts in its genre, this is just highly enjoyable stuff.

original cover of 'Arsenal Jazz-Rock Ensemble' LP, 1979

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John Adams - Grand Pianola Music / Steve Reich - Vermont Counterpoint, Eight Lines (1985)

Adams & Reich always complement each other well on disc, so here's a great recording from the 80s, originally issued on LP in 1984 without Vermont Counterpoint, then as an expanded CD a year later.  The main work is John Adams' 32-minute Grand Pianola Music, composed in 1981.  The creative spark was a dream Adams had, of being pursued on the interstate by black limousines transforming into pianos.  It does chug along with the lightness of an atmospheric dreamscape, assisted by wordless female voices.  The more forceful third movement gives it a dramatic conclusion.

Steve Reich's Vermont Counterpoint was commissioned in 1982 by flautist Ransom Wilson, who plays it here.  When performed live, the piece can either be played by eleven flutes or a soloist with a tape backing, the parts weaving in and out of each other to create another dreamlike atmosphere.  Closing this collection is Eight Lines, which was a slightly rewritten version of Octet from Reich's time at ECM (see links below).  The main difference is that Eight Lines doubles the string quartet to make performance easier; this is a fine version, but I think I prefer the original, maybe just from familiarity.

Original CD cover, 1985

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John Adams at SGTG:
The Chairman Dances, etc
Road Movies, etc
Harmonium etc (scroll past main post)
Steve Reich at SGTG:
Drumming, Six Pianos etc
Octet etc
Tehilim
Sextet/Six Marimbas + bonus concert feat. Music For 18 Musicians
Adams & Reich:
Variations/Shaker Loops

Keith Jarrett - Vienna Concert (1992)

Just over an hour of solo Jarrett from the State Opera House, Vienna, on 13 July 1991.  If, like me, part of your enjoyment of Keith Jarrett's later solo recordings are the unintentionally hilarious sleevenotes, this one's a doozy.  There's a brief enconium from Manfred Eicher, comparing Jarrett to Bach; an excerpt from poet/writer Robert Bly for whatever reason; and this from the pianist himself: "I have courted the fire for a very long time, and many sparks have flown in the past, but the music on this recording speaks, finally, the language of the flame itself."  Okay, thanks Keith.

The Vienna concert recording is, admittedly, one of Jarrett's very best.  The 40-minute first part is one of the most effective and engrossing examples of his progression from blues/jazz-based improvisation in his earlier solo concert releases, to something approaching classical brilliance.  This is Jarrett well on his way to La Scala (link below).  It develops subtly and beautifully from quiet, reflective beginnings to a knotty middle section and a stately coda.  Part II is darker and more hesitant, but still manages an urgent-sounding finale before 'the language of the flame' unexpectedly flickers away, rather than burning brightly to the last.  A great entry in Jarrett's concert catalogue, well worth repeated investment in.

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Previously posted at SGTG:
Expectations
The Köln Concert
Hymns/Spheres
G. I. Gurdjieff: Sacred Hymns
Invocations/The Moth And The Flame
Concerts: Bregenz/München
Setting Standards: New York Sessions
Dark Intervals
Changeless
At The Blue Note: Saturday, June 4th 1994, 1st Set
Tokyo '96
La Scala

Van Morrison - Poetic Champions Compose (1987)

Completing my posts of 80s Van Morrison (there's three from the decade missing that I'm not as big a fan of) is this 1987 effort.  First conceived of as a wholly instrumental record, Van got as far as three instrumental tracks before retreating from the idea.  Those three, which appear as bookends and a midpoint to the album are all great contemplative pieces, with Van's sax playing suitably mellow and atmospheric.

Poetic Champions Compose came out to mixed reviews; by this point, you were either on board with Van Morrison's introspective, new-age period or not.  In hindsight, it comes across either as a warmer version of Inarticulate Speech or an advance on No Guru with the edges slightly smoother again (all links below).  For me, Poetic Champions is just a beautifully meditative rumination on Morrison's usual spiritual concerns (the declaration of 'No Guru, No Method, No Teacher' seemingly reneged on, with among other things a catchy tribute to Zen writer Alan Watts), and makes particularly good Sunday afternoon listening.  Or indeed any other day of the week, for the Watts tribute and other highlights like Queen Of The Slipstream, the live favourite Did Ye Get Healed and a decent, heartfelt workout for the traditional Motherless Child.

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Previously posted at SGTG:
Saint Dominic's Preview
Common One
Beautiful Vision
Inarticulate Speech Of The Heart
No Guru, No Method, No Teacher

Various Artists - Bali: Les Grands Gong Kebyar Des Années Soixante (1994 compi, rec. 1969-71)

Some pretty explosive stuff today, folks - because that's basically what 'kebyar' means.  One of the foremost styles of modern Balinese gamelan, kebyar originated in the early 20th century from a synthesis of devotional and royal court styles.  According to the liner notes for this compilation, "Gong kebyar music is music with strong, almost symphonic dynamics.  To appreciate all of its nuances, it is desirable to listen to it at rather high volume."  So yeah, crank it up.

Wikipedia also notes that, other than the very smallest ensembles, gamelan in general is never performed indoors as the percussive orchestras of gongs, drums and various metallophones would be physically painful to listen to in an enclosed space.  It's little wonder then that some of the early 80s post-industrialists (23 Skidoo in particular) latched on to gamelan for inspiration.  The intricate patterns and variations were also influential to the likes of Steve Reich.

The two hours of kebyar gamelan captured here by the Ocara label (I used to see their worldwide recordings in charity shops all the time - wish I'd grabbed more of them) puts the spotlight on four of the premier kebyar orchestras of the late 60s, with two or three tracks each.  The pieces range in length from three minutes to almost 27 (the opening track on Disc 2), and I think it's the second disc that edges it overall for me, with just four long tracks to really let the hypnotic magic of this sound work on you.

Disc 1 link
Disc 2 link
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Elis Regina & Antonio Carlos Jobim - Elis & Tom (1974)

29-year old Elis Regina was already about 20 albums into her career when Philips Records of Brazil made a wish come true for her as a special anniversary gift (she'd been at the label for ten years): an album shared with Antonio Carlos 'Tom' Jobim.  The album that resulted became a hugely popular masterpiece for both artists - one of the elder statesmen of bossanova, and one of the biggest stars of Brazilian popular music, or MPB.

Sadly, Elis' star would only burn brightly for another seven years, before her death at just 36 from accidental overdose.  Elis & Tom remains one of the highlights of her catalogue, as well as Jobim's.  The album sets out a relaxed, informal vibe from the outset, as Jobim tries to make Elis laugh (and succeeds) towards the end of his classic naturalist free-association song, Águas de Março. 

After that, there's another thirteen classics by Jobim and some of his co-writers, including Triste (first released on Wave - see links below), Corcovado (aka Quiet Nights in its English versions), and Chovendo na Roseira, known as Children's Games on Stone Flower.  An absolutely gorgeous, late-night collection of songs from start to finish, in mostly understated arrangements.

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Jobim at SGTG:
Wave
Stone Flower
Urubu

Sweet People - Summer Dream (1981 compi, rec. 1978/81)

Another nice little charity shop oddity, which I picked up suspecting it had a bit of the James Lasts about it.  Wasn't actually far off; Alain Morisod's Sweet People are a Swiss easy listening/instrumental pop outfit that have been on the go since the 70s.  This release compiles the highlights of their first two Polydor LPs from 1978 & 1981, with such minor European hits as Et Les Oiseaux Chantaient featuring wordless vocals, birdsong and a gentle background.  Elsewhere, there's bits of whistling, lapping waves, and more birds.

Oddly enough, several Sweet People albums on discogs have been given the 'Downtempo' tag, as if they were Boards Of Canada records or something.  To modern ears, I suppose there is a certain strange, odd appeal to this stuff in places, and it could be highly sampleable in the more chilled corners of today's electronic world.  Enjoy just under an hour of pure musical diazepam.

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Harry Partch - The Music Of Harry Partch (1989 compi, rec. 1950-67)

Some more unique music from the master instrument builder and microtonal composer, Harry Partch (see link below for a late-60s CBS recording).  This compilation collects some of Partch's earliest recordings, mostly with his "Gate 5 Ensemble" - apparently often just Partch himself playing all the instruments in overdub - released on his own Gate 5 Records label.

The earliest recording here, from Partch's first studio on pianist Gunnar Johansen's Northern California ranch, is The Letter, written 1943 and taped in 1950.  The words were written to Partch from an old hobo friend in the 1930s, and feature Partch and some fellow players on his adapted kitharas and marimbas, whilst Partch sing-speaks the old friend's misdeeds.

Moving to an old shipyard in Sausalito in early 1953, Partch recorded his Plectra & Percussion Dances LP, of which Castor & Pollux is one of his relatively well-known pieces.  A re-recording of that one would appear on his first major-label recording (link below), as would an expanded version of his Windsong film score, appearing here in a 1958 recording (it opens the CBS LP under the name Daphne Of The Dunes).  While the CBS versions might offer a closer inspection of Partch's sound, the mono, lo-fi versions that appear here are wonderful to listen to in the way they capture his developing genius, recording & editing everything in his own studio. 

Relocating again in the early 60s, this time to Petaluma, Partch devised the series of 23 minute-long duet & trio features for his instruments that then combined by overdubbing into quartets & quintets - all of which comprises the wonderful, 35-minute And On The Seventh Day Petals Fell In Petaluma.  An engrossing, ever-changing kaleidoscope of odd sounds and rhythms, it's the definite highlight here. Like most of Partch's music, it could perhaps be seen as a sort of Western take on gamelan music - which reminds me, got a gamelan compilation for posting; will do that next week.

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Previously posted at SGTG: The World Of Harry Partch

Charles Mingus - Let My Children Hear Music (1972)

"Special acknowledgement to Teo Macero for his untiring efforts in producing the best album I have ever made", Mingus stated at the foot of the back cover notes on this 1972 LP.  Let My Children Hear Music was the great writer, arranger & musician's return to Columbia, and a late-career renaissance after a period of inactivity.  On his deathbed in 1979, Mingus sent a message to Sy Johnson, the key arranger on this album, declaring it his favourite of all his recordings.

That's two fairly unequivocal recommendations from the man himself, but how does LMCHM sound today?  Still as phenomenal, as far as I'm concerned.  An hour [including Taurus In The Arena Of Life, dropped from the original LP] of Mingus' most ambitious and colourful material since The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady (see links below), it just keeps on giving with every listen.  From the slow introduction to The Shoes Of The Fisherman's Wife Are Some Jive Ass Slippers to the final howling winds of The I Of Hurricane Sue (a tribute to Mrs Mingus), this is orchestrated jazz at its finest.

As expected from Mingus, not all of the material was brand new: Adagio Ma Non Troppo reworks themes from his solo piano LP (see below), and the Edgar Allan Poe-esque Chill Of Death was actually written in 1939 when Mingus was a teenager, and precociously absorbing influences from Richard Strauss.  My two absolute favourite tracks here are the furious groove of Hobo Ho and the Stockhausen-at-the-circus brilliance of Don't Be Afraid, The Clown's Afraid Too, but the recommended tracks are: all of them.  Download and hear music.

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Previously posted at SGTG:
Oh Yeah
The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady
Mingus Plays Piano
plus:
Money Jungle
Blue Moods
BBC Proms Tribute by Metropole Orkest

Various Artists - Motown Chartbusters Volume 3 (1969)

Here's another thing I started listening to in the late 90s, which also subsequently became a summer tradition for me to dig out and enjoy afresh - although it's still 45 minutes of truly timeless music at any time of year.  In 1997, these British Tamla-Motown compilation LPs from the 60s and 70s came out in a fresh wave of budget CD reissues, and this one was reviewed as the absolute jewel in the crown.

Not all the tracks selected for these original LPs were the most recent Motown hits of the day - some dated back a few years, reflecting either a re-release of the song, or the delay in being issued for the UK charts, and suchlike.  This is what led to Volume 3 having a particularly outstanding tracklist, bookended by I Heard It Through The Grapevine (1968) and The Tracks Of My Tears (1965).  Virtually everything in between is pure gold, so to mention the highlights would be to list almost all sixteen tracks.  Just enjoy some prime pop-soul music - and in the words of one of the album's extra sublime entries, summer's here, and the time is right for dancing in the streets.  Or if your physique's anything like mine, at least walking sedately in the streets.

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Stanley Turrentine - Salt Song (1971)

Sometime in the late 90s, I couldn't sleep and turned on the radio.  What I randomly encountered in the wee small hours was a beautifully mellow piece of orchestrated jazz, led by a saxophone and featuring a gospel choir refrain of "I told Jesus, I told Jesus" - and I was hooked.  Found the album a few years later, on one of the first mp3 blogs I ever followed; which blog that was escapes me now, but the album's remained an enduring favourite.

Stanley Turrentine (1934-2000) spent the first decade of his career on Blue Note, before signing to Creed Taylor's newly independent CTI imprint.  Salt Song was Turrentine's second album for CTI, and arguably his best, with his gently breezy tone seemingly made for the in-house arrangements of Eumir Deodato.  I remember including Salt Song's opener, Freddie Hubbard's Gibraltar, on a mix CD for a DJ mate who was a Bob James obsessive, and he absolutely loved it.  Eric Gale's slinky guitar part is almost an equal lead instrument over the Carter & Cobham groove.

The album's second half starts in upbeat Latin mode, with the Milton Nascimento-penned title track, and ends with another muscular groove (and a great Gale solo) in Storm, the only Turrentine original.  In between is another lush ballad, I Haven't Got Anything Better To Do, which had also been done by Astrud Gilberto on her album of the same name.  CD remasters add another Nascimento tune, Vera Cruz - as mentioned on Friday - which dated back to the Spring of 1971, and the sessions for Turrentine's (sort of) collaboration with Gilberto.  All of which brings us neatly to the album below...

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bonus post: Gilberto With Turrentine

...and to Astrud Gilberto's only album for CTI.  If intended as a full collaboration with Turrentine as per the title, in the end only three tracks featured both artists, and only further track featured Stanley Turrentine.  Unhappy with the way the album was going, Gilberto then walked out on the sessions, leaving Vera Cruz instrumental, and the other instrumental track To A Flame featuring neither headline artist.

So if this album ended up as a bit of a 'could have been' - I'd certainly have loved to hear Astrud sing one of my favourite Stephen Stills songs - what remains is still a great listen for anyone who enjoys the CTI ensemble in its heyday.  The first two tracks, a Bacharach/David song then a Deodato arrangement of a Brazilian tune, certainly set up a potentially classic Astrud Gilberto album, and she's in fine voice throughout.

P.S. Just learned of the passing of João Gilberto, bossanova pioneer and Astrud's ex-husband - RIP.

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Milton Nascimento - Clube Da Esquina 2 (1978)

Second album from the Clube Da Esquina collective of musicians from Minas Gerais, Brazil, that had been established by Milton Nascimento and Lo Borges at the beginning of the 70s.  Following the success of their first album and Milton Nascimento's subsequent solo albums (see links below), the collective regrouped in 1978 for another double album.  If, as I initially did, you might assume the album cover above was another impromptu shot of Brazilian children, it can be surprising to learn it was taken by English photography pioneer Frank M. Sutcliffe, circa 1890.  That's just the first difference between this album and its predecessor.

Clube Da Esquina 2 was credited to Nascimento alone as the primary artist; while still involved as a musician, Lo Borges was more peripheral to this project rather than a partner, and only has three songwriting credits.  Milton takes most of the rest, shared with his usual songwriting partners of the time, and there's more songs by outside writers.  The result is an album with a much broader scope, and while the greater diversity has its own reward, it takes longer to digest (and not just in length - 15 minutes over its predecessor, despite having only two more tracks), running through a range of Brazilian folk themes and the various MPB styles of the time.

One other thing that made the first Clube De Esquina album such a joy in its accessibility was the Beatlesque sensibility that Nascimento and Borges brought to so many songs.  This time around, waiting for something with that poppy immediacy will take until the final quarter of the album (Maria Maria).  None of this should put anyone off approaching Clube Da Esquina 2 - live with it for a week or two, and it'll take just as strong a residency deep in your soul.  Nascimento's impassioned longings for unity and understanding; for lost loved ones; for all of Brazil's historical pain, and an urge to keep moving forward, is instilled in every one of his songs (and on key ones by others).  The highlights from the other group members and guests are many - more great guitar work from Beto Guedes, for instance, and the legendary Elis Regina as the first vocalist on O Que Foi Feito Deverá/De Vera, aka Vera Cruz.  More Elis Regina to come in the weeks ahead, and a different look at Vera Cruz coming on Monday.

Disc 1 link
Disc 2 link
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Previously posted at SGTG:
Clube Da Esquina
Milagre Dos Peixes
Native Dancer
Minas/Geraes

Miles Davis - Blue Moods (1955)

An often-overlooked mini masterpiece of early Miles, Blue Moods was recorded in July 1955 for Charles Mingus' Debut label.  Four tracks in just under 27 minutes of cool, smoky perfection, Blue Moods has an interesting (and unique in Miles' catalogue) lineup that contributes to its mellow atmosphere: trumpet, trombone (Britt Woodman), vibraphone (Teddy Charles), bass (Mingus) and drums (Elvin Jones).

By 1955 in jazz, the 10" mini-LP was on its way out, and longer albums becoming the norm; this is likely why the original liner notes pointed out that the brevity of this 12" LP was an audiophile choice to experiment with wider grooves.  Perhaps also true is that only these four tracks were rehearsed and taped; the CD excuses the runtime by stating that no bonus material was available to pad it out.  In any case, Blue Moods suits its length just fine, letting you give your full attention to four beautifully-rendered tunes.  None were penned by the participants, making this a pure exercise in song interpretation.

First up is the slow, crepuscular take on Eden Ahbez's Nature Boy, made famous by Nat King Cole, with Miles' mellifluous tone blowing gentle wisps over the not-too-wet vibraphone setting.  Next is the Broadway number Alone Together, in a great Mingus arrangement - more Mingus next week, btw.  The album's second half pairs the only slightly more upbeat There's No You with the movie standard Easy Living, which completes the hazy after-hours mood.  An absolutely gorgeous little record from start to finish, that deserves much greater recognition in Miles' lengthy discography.

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Christina Kubisch & Fabrizio Plessi - Two And Two (1977)

In the early 70s, Christina Kubisch (b. 1948, Bremen) was a trained musician and composer; Fabrizio Plessi (b. 1940, Reggio Eimilia) was a painter.  A meeting at a summer workshop sparked a collaboration that would satisfy both their desires to do something different, and their first performance project, Two And Two, would lead to lifelong work as sound & visual installation artists.

This album of the soundtrack to Two And Two, which they'd been performing for over three years, was released in 1977.  This is where I do the well-rehearsed line that always crops up in posts where the music had an integral visual/performance element: you might only be able to imagine the full performance when the sound is captured on record (there are some images of the performance video screens on the album cover), but the sound here is enjoyable enough in and of itself that it stands up to repeated listens as a great experimental album.

The chosen instrumentation was mostly non-standard, and conceived with great ingenuity that would've provided another striking visual element to performances.  The four pieces are titled Earth, Fire, Air and Water, with sounds chosen to invoke these elements to varying degrees.  Earth features Kubisch on alto flute and voice, and Plessi on cello with the strings electronically vibrated.  It's the most musical of the pieces, creating a rumbling drone that anticipates post-millennium Einstürzende Neubauten by decades.

Fire is simply based on Plessi using a contact mic on a metal fan, whilst Kubisch plays slide whistle.  Her use of the instrument is particularly inspired, transforming a sound best known for comic relief into something sounding like a forlorn robot spinning in circles as it malfunctions in the fire.  Here's another well-worn SGTG line for Air: Kubisch's flute sans headpiece sounds like a more fully-developed version of Kraftwerk 2's outer limits, before Plessi's unsettling accordion drone pulls it back to the more ambient-industrial moments of Kraftwerk 1.  Last but not least, Water features Kubisch recording some metronomes whilst Plessi sprays steel drums with a water jet, creating a melodic progression of sorts.  Engrossing and highly enjoyable stuff.

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