19 October 2010

Michael.J.Smith--Geomusic 3-(Polskie Nagrania/Pronit lp Z-SX O614) 1976



































Here is another rather scarce , lp , by the enigmatic Michael J Smith , whom ,most readers may recognise as a major Collaborator of both Steve Lacy& Anthony Braxton, and more recently Noah Howard.

I love this record , which is a further installment of what smith calls his Non Notational system of composition 'geomusic(S)'.
There are no liner notes to this or the other 2 Smith Lp's in my possesion , but his methodology like those of his namesake Master-Wadada, and perhaps Cecil Taylor seems to involve organically evolving free improvisations stemming from repeated fragments of melody , and the inversions of those motifs and patterns.

Some of these pieces evolve from simple structures , becoming squalls of almost branch like complexity , very reminiscent of say , a contemporary composer in the vein of Brian Fernyhough.
A Couple of tracks hint at a much more firmly rooted tonality ,standard song structures and more primal Ethnological explorations.

For this record he has 2 very fine collaborators in Zbigniew Namyslowski ,an early major collaborator of Krisztof Komeda,Tomasz Stanko and Smith himself .

Jacek Bednarek , was a Polish bassist, who's work I'm not all that familiar with , although he does play on the incredible New Jazz ensemble's Burning Flowers set ,Generously shared by Onxdlib a few pages back.


Despite being Smiths compositions , this record has the feel of a real collaborative effort , with the very distinctive contributions of Bednarek and Namyslowski , essential to it's over all success.

Smith , now in his seventies , resides in Tyringe in Sweden, and apparently continues to compose and record.
His internet presence apart from a myspace page is virtually nil , and even there , one sees no reference to his most recent recordings ...
a pity , I for one would love to hear more recent 'Geomusics'

a very nice record .

On another note iwould like to mention that i once had an lp on Storyville , from 1975 of Smith's Featuring Lawrence Cook and Kent Carter...its something i would Appreciate hearing again , so please in the event that you have it and are able to share it please consider this a request... i cant even remember the name of the record ....TIT i think it was called , though i may be wrong .
If you want us to keep sharing Here .... please consider Sharing with us !


players
Michael Smith - piano;
Zbigniew Namyslowski - alto saxophone, cello, flute;
Jacek Bednarek - bass;

20 comments:

  1. FLAC & PICS
    http://www.megaupload.com/?d=0IWA7KTD

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  2. Do You know that exist another "Geomusic" recorded in Warsaw in October 1976
    http://www.diapazon.pl/PelnaPlyta.php?Id=4819

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  3. "Jacek Bednarek , was a Czech/Moravian bassist..."
    He was the Polish bass player
    http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacek_Bednarek_(muzyk)
    Only in Polish language but... it better than nothing.

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  4. Sardo , i posted that here about 18 months ago, i have the lp, and also a Saj/fmp lp called austin stream, from 75 or 6 also with Camille Bernard, and Kent Carter.

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  5. @SOTISE
    Oh, yes. I didn't saw :(
    I have this LP almost "virgin", and I think that I must start with ripping Lps.
    Only problem I have that my PC is in another room than my Hi Fi :(
    I need to resolve this problem in any way.

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  6. Sardo ,i plug 2 imput jacks, from my stereo, straight into a potable digital recording device (zoom H4) which carries a soundcard, then transfer the digital data to my computer.
    simple and effective.

    this is the one i use.

    http://www.zoom.co.jp/english/products/h4/

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  7. Hello everybody! I'm the first time on this blog, then maybe I introduce myself. I'm from Poland. My name is Pawel Baranowski (sometimes known under the nick "pavbaranov"). I'm jazzfan and jazz journalist (for example in Diapazon). Ok ;)
    First. Jacek Bednarek was Polish musician.
    Second. According to my knowledge, there were 2 LP's recorded in Poland under the name of Michael Smith. First was "Geomusic" (sometimes called "XIV Geomusic" recorded 19th December, 1975 for Poljazz under the catalog number ZSX061. It's recorded by trio: Michael Smith on piano, Zbigniew Namysłowski on alto saxophone (A 2, 4, B 3), cello(A 1, 3), flute (B 1) and Jacek Bednarek on bass.
    Second was "Geomusic" recorded in 1976 and edited by Polskie Nagrania/Muza under the catalogue number SX-1476. It was recorded by sextet: Michael Smith on piano,
    Laurence Cook on alto sax, Kent (there is a mistake in Diapazon) Carter on bass and cello, Claude Canille Bernard on drums and Jacek Bednarek on bass and Zbigniew Namysłowski on alto sax and cello.
    The music presented in this post is from the first LP. The cover is also frem this LP.
    PS: Sorry, for my English ;)
    PS2: If U want, I could translate Jacek Bednarek's bios for you.
    PS3: Jacek Bednarek was a member of marvelous duo Bednarek-Zgraja (only bass and flute). Tou could find some of his music on: http://welovepolishjazz.blogspot.com/search?q=Bednarek

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  8. @pavbaranov
    Pawel, see above. SOLTISE just wrote about 2nd Goemusic, also posted here many moths ago :)
    http://inconstantsol.blogspot.com/2008/12/michael-smith-geomusic-polskie-nagrania.html
    PS. My English is worse :)))
    PS2. http://pavbaranov.blogspot.com/
    is alive, how I see.
    PS3. What is with Diapazon. You know something about future this volcano of jazz information.:(

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  9. @SOTISE
    Thanks! I must to buy, undoubtedly.
    H4 or anorher recorded
    What do You think about
    TASCAM DR 07?
    Saluti!

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  10. @Sardo
    Yes, I know 'bout SOTISE's post. My is just for explain everything (the label in the title is still bad).
    Actually Diapazon is dead becouse of Andrzej E.Grabowski's death. I'm a member of Diapazon Fund and must talk with Marek Winiarski about future of Diapazon. Unfortunetly I haven't enough time for this. I supose, that Diapazon won't be alive no more. Maybe something insteed...

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  11. @pavbaranov, the info in the title of the post , is what's on the label of the lp(exept for the date) if you download you'll see that i've included the lable's from both sides , the only thing i got wrong was the date , a guess and pretty cl;ose considering there is no info about this release anywhere online , that i could find.
    its not even mentioned in the Lord or Bruyninckx discographies i have at my disposal.

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  12. @ sotise
    I think I must explain.
    Poljazz was the record club of Polish Jazz Society, so Poljazz was the editor (label), like Polskie Nagrania (since 1946 to 1955 as Muza), (with own press) and Pronit (also with own press line) but because in Poland in 60', 70's all records was pressed on vinyl from chemical concern Pronit on two press lines: Pronit in small city Pionki near Radom and Polskie Nagrania in Warsaw all another labels like Poljazz, Veriton, and later some small labels: Wifon, Polton, Savitor in 80 must press in this two places. So the label in this way are: Poljazz, Pronit, Polskie Nagrania - Muza, Veriton etc
    and is not important where all Lps was physically done.
    By the way, later in 80's probably all Lps for another new Polish labels Tonpress, (also without press line) was made in Russian Melodia Records.
    see here
    http://www.mediafire.com/?t58cweonuk63za4

    @ pavbaranov
    It's very sad, 50 years is not time for dying:(

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  13. @SOTISE. I've just downloaded it, and... It's very strange to ordinary people didn't leave in Poland those time.
    You have got this record: http://www.kppg.waw.pl/plyta.php?plyta=2016
    As you see the cover is different then you've got. Yours is surrogate cover. It's usual practice in Poljazz label.
    In those times, Poljazz was a label but they haven't got press (?) of LP's. They press theirs LP's in Pronit or Polskie Nagrania later in Melodia too. LP's pressed by Polskie Nagrania/Pronit recived "Polskie Nagrania" or "Pronit" on labels. It looks like edited by Polskie Nagrania/Pronit by there isn't true; even the number "Z-SXxxxx" is Pronit's number not Poljazz's (they usually used PSJ-xxx number). All of them tell us, that Geomusic was edited as a colaborative work of Poljazz and Pronit (I don't know way, but sometimes on LPs pressed by Pronit was name of Polskie Nagrania too even when the particulary LP wasn't in Polskie Nagrania's catalog.
    I'm sure, that yours Geomusic (sometimes called Geomusic 111) was edited by Poljazz - a "LP's club of Polish Jazz Society" under the "Biały Kruk Czarnego Krążka" sublabel. It was a kind of music club (you should be a member). Theirs LPs weren't officialy distributed at all.
    Some of theirs LPs were bootlegs for sure. Maybe Mr.Smith even not know about this record ;) I'm sure, that this LP was not belong to Polskie Nagrania's catalog.
    The second one is published by Muza. You could find it on: http://www.kppg.waw.pl/plyta.php?plyta=638

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  14. Pavbaranov, Sardo thanks for your imput and clarifications.
    i thought "Biały Kruk Czarnego Krążka" must be some kind of jazz record club,interesting that Pronit was a chemical concern, i have a few other lp's on "Pronit" and one a K.Penderecki, lp has both Pronit /Polskie Nagrania on the labels...
    anyhow thanks again..
    Sardo , good luck with the digital devices... I know that Tascam makes good multitrack tape recorders, not sure about their digi stuff.

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  15. @pavbaranov
    First 77 titles of Poljazz had various numbers between Z-SX 0545 - Z-SX 0708
    and since 1980 as PSJ... starting from PSJ 080.
    Pronit LPs had various signs: SX, ZSX, XL, (like Polskie Nagrania - Muza) also PLP, SLP and even M (Musicorama series).
    If I know well, Poljazz in 1982 had about 12000 members and pressed from the beginning in 1972 to 1982 almost 800000 copies, maximum 100000 LPs by year (in 1982).

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  16. best comments ever on this post. thx fer the record

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  17. New Rip-16-1-013
    http://www2.zippyshare.com/v/81824601/file.html

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  18. re post, please SOTISE ....
    Big THX !....

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  19. This one was reisuued on CD in 2011 and seems to be still in print.
    F.e. http://www.amazon.com/Geomusic-111-PL-ZBIGNIEW-MICHAEL-NAMYSLOWSKI/dp/B004UPLOVK
    -

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  20. Hi A re-up would be great, Thanks in anticipation

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