Lol Coxhill-soprano saxophone improvisations(coxhill-shock lp 33)1990

Here's the first of a series of posts ripped from the collection of my old friend Iain,someone with whom Ive shared many journeys of musical discovery over the years..who also happens to be a self confessed lurker, he states that after having downloaded so many rarities over the past year ..he'd like to give a little back and share some of his own.
English improvising saxophonist Lol Coxhill is a much loved favourite..

Lol coxhill , one of Europe's greatest jazz men/free improvisers is probably unjustly remembered more by progressive rock fans ,for his association with the so called canterbury scene,and the likes of Kevin Ayres, delivery and the Damned ,and for his bit part in Derek Jarman's film Caravaggio, than for being one of the greatest free improvisers alive.
Coxhill started out in the late forties playing bebop and Afro Cuban jazz, he was a contemporary of and frequent guest with the likes of Tubby Hayes and Joe Harriott.
He was also around in the mid 60's when the first signs of a completely free music scene first emerged in Britain..and he has performed and recorded with most of those pioneers ...SME, The Brotherhood of Breath,Company, Evan Parker,Paul Rutherford , Eddie Prevost and so on ..in seemingly endless permutations.
He has also recorded dozens of solo soprano saxophone sessions..and they are among the wonders of 20th century music.
Abstract expressionist painter william Dekooning's description of himself as a 'slipping glimpser'is what most immediately comes to my mind in describing Coxhill's solo improvisations...slippery they are often oddly loping in much the same way as say one of the more wayward improvisations of a Lee Konitz, or a Sonny Rollins.
theres a great deal of Sly humour present and Coxhill rarely resorts to histrionic cliches, his improvisations are quite kaleidoscopic in breadth, as a melodic improvisor he's simply peerless.. melodies spiraling out and unfurling seemingly effortlessly until its almost hallucinatory in intensity! not to mention the 'pastelate intervals'

No idea about the provenance of this record..it has all the hall marks of being a bootleg, but could just as easily have been released by Coxhill himself.
no track titles, no clearly labeled a or b sides..this isn't even mentioned in the discography under Coxhill's name on the European improvised music site.
links in mp3 and flac in the comments

enjoy!!
more Coxhill to follow in the next few weeks!
heres a link to Lol Coxhills Website 'a life in music'
http://www.lolcoxhill.com