The Trio - Live in S.Anna Arresi '09

Silence : three Masters at work !

Rec. Live in S.Anna Arresi, Italy, on August 29, 2009
(radio broadcast)

Muhal Richard Abrams,piano
Roscoe Mitchell,reeds
George Lewis,trombone,lap-top

1. Track #1 (1:01:09)

Cecil Taylor Trio - Live in Alassio '75

An year of many great concerts that 1975 for the C.T.U., but no
official recordings, so we have to be pleased with the audience
recordings or with some rare broadcast like that posted by sotise
here.

Rec. live in Alassio, Italy, on September 6, 1975
(mics recording)

Cecil Taylor,piano
Jimmy Lyons,alto saxophone
Andrew Cyrille,drums

1. Untitled Improvisation (1:26:29)

Marty Ehrlich & John Lindberg Quartet - Live in Moers '80

Youngs of great promise (at the time of this recording), both the leaders
have then confirmed, during the years, the expectations of that debut
period. A particular mention for J.Betsch, largely underrated drummer.

Rec. live at the "9th Moers Festival", Moers, Germany,
on May 23, 1980 (mics recording)

Marty Ehrlich,alto saxophone,bass clarinet,flute
Hugh Ragin,trumpet
John Lindberg,bass
John Betsch,drums

1. Track #1 (34:04)
2. Track #2 (26:27)

Total Time 1:00:31

Lee Konitz Nonet - Live in Middleheim '79

"It was a tragedy that Lee Konitz's versatile nonet was not
able to succeed commercially. Just like its leader, the group
was able to stretch from swing standards, bop and cool jazz
to freer improvisations and challenging originals."
Great songbook, great arrangements (most written by Sy
Johnson), great interplay among the nine players, the nonet
remains (in my opinion), one of the peaks in Lee's career.

Rec. live in Middleheim, Belgium, prob. August, 1979
(mics recording)

Lee Konitz,alto & soprano saxophones
Ronnie Cuber,baritone & soprano saxophones
Red Rodney,trumpet
John Eckert,trumpet,flugelhorn
Jimmy Knepper,trombone
Sam Burtis,bass trombone,tuba
Ben Aranov,piano
Ray Drummond,bass
Billy Hart,drums

01. Milestones [M.Davis] (10:31)
02. Footprints [W.Shorter] (08:14)
03. If You Could See Me Now [T.Dameron/C.Sigman] (07:38)
04. Chi Chi [C.Parker] (09:56)
05. Time's Lie [C.Corea] (13:54)
06. April [L.Tristano] (08:42)
07. Stardust [H.Carmichael] (06:40)
08. You Stepped Out Of A Dream [N.H.Brown/G.Kahn] (10:13)
09. Who You [J.Knepper] (12:08)
10. Without A Song [E.Eliscu/B.Rose/V.Youmans] (10:15)
11. Giant Steps [J.Coltrane] (10:41)
12. Matrix [C.Corea] (13:57)

Total Time 2:02:54

Johnny Mbizo Dyani - African Bass

Here's some more Johnny Mbizo Dyani, this time a session recorded in Milano in November 1979, about a month or so prior to the Stockholm sessions we featured in the last post. This, however, is a solo/duo set with drummer/percussionist Clifford Jarvis and quite different from the Stockholm session. Only three pieces on this record, first a solo bass track with added Mbizo vocals, then a piano-drums duo with Jarvis on drums and then finally, on the second side, an extended duo piece, starting with vocal improvisations and handclaps, then sequing into a bass-drums duo, starting and ending with a four note motiv and developing into a drum solo with some frenzied arco playing from Mbizo in the middle. A much more closeted, intimate set, this one, featuring the fat, thick tone of Mbizo's bass, of which I'll never grow tired.

This one was out on the Italian Red Record label and has never been rereleased. A bit of background static on this disc, but hopefully, not too distracting. This one is for Igor/Selim and their valuable discographical project, to which this is a small contribution.

The basic facts:
Johnny M. Dyani - African Bass
Red Record VPA 149

Johnny M. Dyani - bass, piano, voice
Clifford Jarvis - drums, voice

Side1
Afrikan Anthem (Zulu) (trad. arr. J.M. Dyani)
Afrikan Blues (J.M.Dyani)
Ithi-Gqi (J.M.Dyani)

Side2
South Afrikan (trad.arr. J.M.Dyani)
The Robin Irland Struff (J.M.Dyani)

Recorded at Barigozzi Studio, Milan, 14/11/79
Produced by Sergio Veschi
Photos: E. Carminati

It's actually listed as "Irland", but I trust it's a typo for "Island". There's no date of release for this record, but as the session was in late 1979, I guess we're talking 1980 or later.

As always, enjoy!

K.Wheeler/E.Parker/P.Rutherford/B.Guy/N.Morris + RAI B.B. - Live in Rome '80

Fifth event/concert for the series "I Concerti di Un Certo Discorso".

here the complete list of all concerts.

Rec. live at "Teatro dell'Opera", Rome, Italy,
on April 14, 1980 (radio broadcast)

Kenny Wheeler,trumpet,flugelhorn
Evan Parker,tenor & soprano saxophones
Paul Rutherford,trombone
Barry Guy,bass
Nigel Morris,drums
+
RAI Big Band :
Nino Culasso/Doriano Beltrame/Cicci Santucci/Michele
Lacerenza,tp - Giancarlo Beccattini/Ernesto Pumpo/
Marco Pellacani/Gennaro Baldino,tb - Gianni Oddi/Baldo
Maestri/Sal Genovese/Beppe Carrieri/Carlo Metallo,reeds
- Sergio Coppetelli/Pino Rucher,gt - Maurizio Majorana,b -
Carlo Zoffoli,vib - Roberto Pregadio,p - Roberto Zappulla,dr

1. Track #1 (08:46)
2. Track #2 (20:01)
3. Track #3 (22:03)
4. Track #4 (08:55)
5. Track #5 [inc.] (04:13)

Total Time 1:04:01

Cassandra Wilson - Live in Verona '94

Basically the live version of the album "Blue Light 'Til Dawn",
one of the true peaks in all Cassandra's career.

Rec. live at "Teatro Romano", Verona, Italy,
on June 25, 1994 (mics recording)

Cassandra Wilson,vocal
Brandon Ross,guitar,musical conductor
Charlie Burnham,violin,harmonica,mandolin
Lonnie Plaxico,bass
Jeffrey Haynes,percussion
Lance Carter,drums

01. Come On In My Kitchen [R.Johnson] (6:17)
02. Children Of The Night [T.Bell/L.Creed] (9:09)
03. Skylark [H.Carmichael] (9:46)
04. Redbone [C.Wilson] (12:27)
05. I Can’t Stand The Rain [A.Peebles/D.Bryant/B.Miller] (7:11)
06. Band Intro (0:42)
07. Blue Light 'Til Dawn [C.Wilson] (6:20)
08. Black Crow [J.Mitchell] (8:35)
09. Tupelo Honey [V.Morrison] (8:00)
10. Hellhound On My Trail [R.Johnson] (5:21)

Total Time 1:13:51

Keith Tippett - Live in Milan '79

"bra robs" has asked for some more live performance of british & south
african bands, here's an integration to the previous post : Mr. Tippett
recorded during his first ever solo piano tour.

Rec. live in Milan, Italy, on May 7, 1979
(mics recording)

Keith Tippett,piano,toys

1. Track #1 (35:50)
2. Track #2 (41:33)

Total Time 1:17:23

Elton Dean Quartet - Live in Milan '79

Curiously, this great quartet (directly derived from E.Dean's
Ninesense), didn't left us any official recording.
Magnificently supported by the rhythmic-section, the late English
saxophonist shows all his qualities, especially with the saxello.

Rec. live at "Teatro Cristallo", Milan, Italy,
on February 25, 1979 (mix recording)

Elton Dean.alto saxophone,saxello
Keith Tippett,upright piano
Harry Miller,bass
Louis Moholo,drums

1. Oasis (20:35)
2. Nancy [With The Laughing Face] (11:21)
3. Dede-Burbup (04:37)
4. That's For Cha/Seven For Lee/Fara [inc.] (27:24)

Total Time 1:03:58

Dexter Gordon Quartet - Live in Genoa '81

Another Giant among the tenor players, Dexter here is in excellent
form and well accompanied by a fine rhythmic-section. Great music.

Rec. live at "Villa Imperiale", Genoa, Italy
on July 7, 1981 (mics recording)

Dexter Gordon,tenor saxophone
Kirk Lightsey,piano
David Eubanks,bass
Eddie Gladden,drums

1. It's You Or No One [S.Cahn/J.Styne] (13:55)
2. Hi-Fly [R.Weston] (19:03)
3. More Than You Know [E.Eliscu/B.Rose/R.Stewart] (22:50)
4. Backstairs [D.Gordon] (30:26)

Total Time 1:26:15

Sonny Rollins Quintet - Live in Milan '82

The old "Saxophone Colossus" is still around (nearly eighty years old),
playing and recording his music. God Bless Sonny!

Rec. live at "Teatro Ciak", Milan, Italy,
on November 2, 1982 (mics recording)

Sonny Rollins,tenor saxophone
Yoshiaki Masuo/Bobby Broom,guitars
Lincoln Goines,electric bass
Tommy Campbell,drums

1. Best Wishes (26:42)
2. Coconut Bread (10:22)
3. Cabin In The Sky (09:23)
4. I'm Old Fashioned (29:06)
5. Global Warming (09:11)
6. Don't Stop The Carnival (14:09)
7. McGhee (17:35)
8. I'll Be Seeing You (03:39)
9. Azalea (09:49)

Total Time 2:10:01

Assagai Afro Rock Festival

As I promised some weeks ago here's a digitised version of the OOP Afro Rock Festival featuring the Dudu Pukwana-led Assagai along with Simba also featuring Pukwana, some early Osibisa tracks, and two a piece from afro-rock bands Chaka and Grutz.

The title of the record shouldn't lead you to think this is a recording of a music festival celebrating the early years of British afro-rock. This is 'festival' as in "a compilation of tracks from bands that are vaguely connected musically to try and capitalise on the popularity of one of the bands after they left our label". The front cover is indicative of the sorts of simplistic notions of African music and musicians commonly deployed in the UK at the time, and thus the way a whole continent of music was rammed into a narrow cultural and economic niche.

This isn't the sort of music which usually gets posted at ISol, but you will enjoy it if you like rythmically-driven jazz improvisations with an afro-beat flavour. If you are a completist for the music of Dudu Pukwana, Louis Moholo and Mongezi Feza then here's one that (as far as I can tell) is not available in blog-land. It has been sitting undigitised in my collection, and it is a very long time since I last listened to it, but it is far better than my memory of playing it last suggested. It did lead me on to Pukwana's Spear records, and then to the Blue Notes and free jazz experiments, and I rather assigned this earlier record to the 'exoticised pop' category

Afro-rock was a marketing term coined in Britain in the early 1970s to describe the music of Osibisa who popularised African music with a dance beat to rock and pop loving Brits. Osibisa were remarkably successful, with chart hits, sell out tours and lots of music press coverage. Pukwana went after the same market with far less success with Assagai, and rock-hybrid Simba.

There's virtually nothing of the Kwela-influenced jazz, let alone free improvisation associated with Pukwana's other projects. However, there is some great playing on both the two Assagai tracks and the collaborations with progressive rock band, Jade Warrior, as Simba (yes, even on the cover of Louie Louie).

1973 Assagai, Chaka, Grutz, Simba and Osibisa Afro Rock Festival

Simba:
Dudu Pukwana (alto and piano)
Mongezi Feza (tenor)
Bizo Muggikana (tenor)
Fred Frederick (tenor/baratone)
Tony Duhig (guitar)
Jon Field (bass guitar)
Glyn Havard (flute/percussion)

Assagai:
Dudu Pukwana (alto and piano)
Mongezi Feza (tenor)
Bizo Muggikana (tenor)
Fred Frederick (tenor/baratone)
Fred Coker (guitar)
Charles Cuonogbo ? (bass guitar)
Louis Moholo (drums)
Terry Quaye (conga)
Smiley de Jonnes (congas/percussion)
Martha Mdenge (vocals)
with: Tony Duhig, Jon Field, and Glyn Havard (from prog rock band Jade Warrior)

1. African Rhapsody Part 1 (by Chaka)
2. Black Ant (by Osibisa)
3. Kotoka (by Osibisa)
4. Movin’ (by Simba)
5. Louie Louie (by Simba)
6. Kondo (by Assagai)
7. Jabula (by Assagai)
8. Tiksh Billa (by Grutz)
9. Listen Here (by Grutz)
10. African Rhapsody Part 2 (by Chaka)

Johnny Mbizo Dyani - Witchdoctor's Son 'Together'

Following Dudu Pukwana's Zila, here's Johnny Mbizo Dyani's Witchdoctor's Son. This is not to be confused with the Witchdoctor's Son that came out on the Steeplechase label with a different line-up, though with Dudu Pukwana in both. This here is a Swedish - South African crew assembled by Mbizo for a session in Stockholm in late 1979 - early 1980. Most of the South Africans on the record were living in Sweden at the time, including Mbizo while Pukwana flew in from London for the session. Kenny Haakonson, guitarist with the prog rock outfit Kebnekajse was roped in as well as drummer Bosse Skoglund, old chums of Mbizo.

What we have here is one side of Mbizo compositions drawing on the popular SA music of the 50s and later, one traditional (in fact the same tune as the one on the Zila album posted previously), one quickie fusion number and then the odd one out, I thought, "Kalahari", named after the Botswana desert. Here Haakonson gets to do a proggish uptempo piece which would not out of place on a Kebnekajse record from the 70s, though normally not associated with Mbizo, though . Mbizo has vacated the bass for keyboards and handles vocal duties on this record.

All in all, this is eminently danceable and groovable, and an appropriate follow-up to Zila, of which there'll be more later (and more Dyani, of course).

Basic facts:

1. Together
2. Johnny's Kwela
3. Marabi Soweto
4. High Priest
5. Kalahari
6. Crossroads
7. Tula Tula

All compositions by Johnny Mbizo Dyani, except 7, traditional, arranged by JMD.

Johnny Mbizo Dyani - keyboards, vocals
Dudu Pukwana - altosax, whistles
Virimuje Shimmy Radise - tenor sax
Kenny Hakansson - electric guitars
Hassan Ban - congas
Bosse Skoglund - drums
Felix Perrera - South African trad. harp

Produced by Stanley Koonin at Sound City Studios, Stockholm, Dec.1979-Jan.1980.

This was released posthumously on the Cadillac label in 1987 and label head John Jack is listed as executive producer, though whether he may have had anything to do with the original sessions is not clear.

Chris McGregor Quintet + RAI Big Band - Live in Mestre '80

This is the fourth event/concert organized by the Italian RAI
(during 1980), with its own B.B. supporting the work of some
great contemporary composers/arrangers.
Even without D.Pukwana/M.Osborne/G.Windo/etc, McGregor
was able to produce some noteworthy music.

here the complete list of all concerts.

Rec. live at "Teatro Corso", Mestre, Italy,
on April 2, 1980 (radio broadcast)

Chris McGregor,piano,conductor
Radu Malfatti,trombone
Harry Miller,bass
Louis Moholo,drums
Jean-Claude Montredon,percussions
+
RAI Big Band :
Nino Culasso/Doriano Beltrame/Cicci Santucci/Michele
Lacerenza,tp - Giancarlo Beccattini/Ernesto Pumpo/
Marco Pellacani/Gennaro Baldino,tb - Gianni Oddi/Baldo
Maestri/Sal Genovese/Beppe Carrieri/Carlo Metallo,reeds
- Sergio Coppetelli/Pino Rucher,gt - Maurizio Majorana,b -
Carlo Zoffoli,vib - Roberto Pregadio,p - Roberto Zappulla,dr

1. Track #1 (06:00)
2. Track #2 (11:05)
3. Track #3 (15:04)
4. Track #4 (09:25)
5. Track #5 (06:29)
6. Track #6 (15:39)

Total Time 1:03:44

Oliver Lake - Live in Berkeley '77

This recording brings back the "heroic loft jazz scene" of the
Seventies : when making and listening to the music was an
easier and more spontaneus gesture.

Rec. live At "Mapenzi Club", Berkeley, CA, on
February 19, 1977 (radio broadcast)

Oliver Lake,alto & soprano saxophones,
flute,percussions,poetry

01. Track #1 (06:01)
02. Track #2 (06:14)
03. Track #3 (06:00)
04. Track #4 (09:16)
05. Track #5 (31:13)
06. Track #6 (07:22)

Total Time 1:06:09

Old And New Dreams - Live in Nervi '79

"A virtual reincarnation of Ornette Coleman's first ensembles, the
cooperative Old and New Dreams brought together trumpeter Don
Cherry, tenor saxophonist Dewey Redman, bassist Charlie Haden,
and drummer Ed Blackwell to reinterpret the master's early repertoire.
By the time their first album was released in 1978, ECM's Old and New
Dreams, all four musicians were leaders with their own projects;
this perhaps explains the intermittent nature of their ensuing
collaboration (four albums in ten years).
The quality of the group's recordings was uniformly high;
the two ECM albums benefit from that label's characteristic clarity
of sound. With the deaths of Cherry and Blackwell in the '90s,
further collaborations of course became impossible.
However, the band's limited yet superb output is an important
complement to the work they did under Coleman's leadership
in the late '50s and early '60s."

Rec. live in Nervi, Italy, on July 21, 1979
(mix recording)

Dewey Redman,tenor saxophone,musette
Don Cherry,trumpet,piano
Charlie Haden,bass
Eddie Blackwell,drums

01. Happy House [O.Coleman] (13:58)
02. Chairman Mao [C.Haden] (14:29)
03. Dewey's Tune [D.Redman] (11:05)
04. Guinea [D.Cherry] (05:07)
05. Lonely Woman/Open Or Close [O.Coleman] (18:41)

Total Time 1:03:22