Jazz Archives

On the surface, John Stubblefield and his compatriots offered a number of approaches (funk-fusion, Latin, calypso, swing) creativelyrendered. But careful listening revealed an all-too-telling commercial underbelly that put subtle though damaging constraints on the music. So while the leader had a passionate tenor outing (shades of the Pharoah Sanders of yesteryear) on the Trane-influenced "East,"and played some sinewy soprano on the Weather Report-like title cut and "Things," and keyboardist Geri Allen spotlighted her adept skills at imaginatively convoluting phrases over and around stated and implied bar lines (to say nothing of her solid chops overall), and the whole band illustrated solid facility as a group as well as individuals, overall, the album didn't reach the heights to which it aspired.

:::Review by Milo Fine:::

John Stubblefield - Bushman Song (1986)

A1 Serenade To The Mother Land 5:15

A2 Some Things Never Change 7:24

A3 Mwé Malad O 4:15 A4 Loss Of A Moment 3:28

B1 Bushman Song 7:15

B2 East Side - West Side 10:21

B3 Calypso Rose 4:09

Credits

Bass – Charnett Moffett

Drums, Percussion – Victor Lewis

Percussion – Mino Cinelu

Piano, Keyboards [Yamaha Dx-7] – Geri Allen

Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – John Stubblefield

Vocals – Mino Cinelu (tracks: A3)

Obscure and underrated jazz rock from Germany.

Kjol - Take it on (1979)
A1. Do it Again 3:52
A2. For Maggie 9:00
A3. Maria 7:42
B1. Moving Force 6:43
B2. Eleonore`s Downfall 8:50
B3. Green Island 3:38

Info
Label : private german press
Pressing : Z 165 - west germany
Year : 1979

The band Billy Hart assembled for this fine session is remarkable: John Stubblefield on tenor and soprano saxes, Mark Feldman on violin, David Kikoski on piano, David Fiuczynski on guitar, and Santi Debriano on bass. Marc Copland, who produced the album, plays keyboards on tracks five and six. Unorthodox textures abound, thanks to the fruitful juxtaposition of Feldman's mournful violin, Fiuczynski's overdriven yet lyrical guitar, and Stubblefield's soaring saxes. Hart employs these three melody voices in various combinations, keeping the sound consistently fresh. The tracks do sound somewhat similar, however, tending toward open harmonic structures held together loosely by swing and Latin grooves. Each bandmember contributes one tune, save for Hart, who contributes two.
Fiuczynski's "Melanos" is the most unpredictable piece, with its screaming guitar solo and its Jeckyl-and-Hyde transitions between abstraction, cheery Latin, and uptempo swing. Feldman's "Asylum" is also a good deal more unusual than the rest. Of Hart's compositions, "Amethyst" falls roughly within the enigmatic, ethereal universe of his old band Quest with David Liebman and Richard Beirach, while "Irah" is painted in bolder strokes, with powerful solos by Feldman and Fiuczynski. The album ends with an interesting version of Kikoski's "Dirty Dogs," which graced the pianist's 1989 album Presage. In short, there's plenty of beautiful music on the album, plenty of representative brilliance from all these fine players, and even a substantial amount of originality and vision.

:::Review by David R. Adler:::

Billy Hart - Amethyst (1993)

1. Amethyst 12:14
2. King of Harts 7:35
3. El junque 7:32
4. Melanos 10:09
5. Irah 6:52
6. Asylum 12:05
7. Dirty Dog 10:25


Credits
Billy Hart: drums
John Stubblefield: tenor & soprano saxophone
Mark Feldman: violin
David Kikoski: piano
David Fiuczynski: guitar
Santi Debriano: bass
Marc Copland: keyboards (on 5,6)

Ben’s self-titled debut is a classic example of 70s British jazz-rock, beautifully executed. Here are lengthy multi-part suites, excellent musicianship and an overall very appealing early 70′s, very jazzy progressive rock sound with lots of flute, sax, keyboards and guitar.
The group’s harmonic blend of jazz and progressive rock and the considerable talent of each musician takes the listener on an inspired and vivid journey.  

:::Review by myspace.com:::

Ben - Ben (1971)

01. The Influence 10:08
a) The Wooing Of The Child
b) The Innocence Of The Child
c) The Interest Of The Youth
d) The Involvement Of The Man
e) The Realization
f) The Wooing Of The Child
g) The Conclusion
02. Gibbon 9:32
03. Christmas Execution 7:21
04. Gismo 11:50

Credits
- Peter Davey / sax, flute, clarinet
- Alex McCleery / harpsicord, electric piano, mini moog
- Gerry Reid / guitar
- Len Surtess / bass
- Dave Sheen / drums

Wow! AltrOck Productions just can't miss! Yugen, Ciccada, SKE, Kurai, and now Camembert! Music is alive and well, people! And with great production all around! Refreshing, mesmerizing and, in the case of Schnörgl Attahk, humorous and upbeat. Horns, harps and tuned percussion all jamming with and off of one another! This is one group I want to see live! Haven't been back to Strasbourg since 1979 but, who knows? Maybe in the next couple of years?!
The transitional songs ("Clacos Zéro," Clacos 1" et "Clacos 2") are excellent (and often quite funny!) but the big monsters [e.g. "Untung Untungen" (10/10), "El ruotuav ed sraM" (10/10), et "Le meurtrier volant" (9/10)] are incroyable! I listen to "Untung" and "ruotuav" (Vulture from Mars) over and over and find my body and spirit reacting quite the same way I did upon first hearing MAGMA's MDK a few years ago: avec une danse joyeuse, sauvage et frénétique! It is wonderful! The pause at the halfway mark in "Untung" is so startling and such a letdown, yet it's so exciting when the music returns and builds and builds, jelling and spiraling its way in perfect collaboration up and then down to a stop--it's just like a rollercoaster ride! And one can just feel the morose Poe-like tension of "Le meurtrier."
Unfortunately, the 5-part suite which ends the album, entitled "La danse du Chameau" (7/10) doesn't succeed in conveying or evoking this same response. (Plodding like the camel for which it is named, the perfect harmony of "The Vulture of Mars" and "Le meurtrier volant" seems long past.) In the vein of its inspirateur, GONG, the band puts forth some jazzy jams, but, also like GONG, IMHO, the jamming seems a bit pointless--or ecstatic and masturbatory--depending on one's psycho-neuro-chemical state. For some reason, the band seems to have mostly abandoned the wonderful collective weaves of the amazing first 30 minutes of the album. Too bad. That was quite a ride! 4.5 stars rated up for its sheer freshness, enjoyability, and perfect sound production of its compositions.

:::Review by BrufordFreak:::

Camembert - Schnorgl Attahk (2011)

1. Infinicheese (1:35)
2. Clacos Zero (0:35)
3.Untung Untungan (11:13)
4. Clacos 1 : Notre Mere ? Tous (1:58)
5. El Ruotuav Ed Sram (8:16)
6. Clacos 2 : Die Experimente Von Dr Frankenschnoergl (0:48)
7. Le Meurtrier Volant (9:01)
8. La Danse du Chameau - Batifolade (Part1) (5:29)
9. Soif! (Part2) (1:17)
10. La Tempete De Sable (Part3) (4:51)
11. Reveries Lubriques (Part 4) (1:09)
12. The Final Run (Part5) (5:01)

Credits
Fabrice Toussaint - trombone; percussion
Bernard Eber - trumpet; voices
Pierre Wawzyniak - bass
Philemon Walter - drums
Guillaume Gravelin - harp
Vincent Sexauer - el. guitar
With
Julien Traveletti - bass trombone (3, 5, 7, 8)
Francesco Zago - ac. guitar (3, 4)