JULiE DRiSCOLL - 1969 (Polydor 1971)

This remarkable album was reissued on CD third times, but none of it is recently available. Earliest One Way Records version sounded poor, next issue on Disconforme seems fine to me sonically - I prefer it before latest release on Eclectic Disc (I was hoping in another issue on their succesors Esoteric Recordings, but they seems to have different preferences). So here is Disconforme sound with scans of Eclectic Disc booklet w/liner notes by Sid Smith and song lyrics.
Not as much avant jazz, but really experimental songwriting. And first meeting of Julie and Keith Tippett, I can strongly recommend also their latest song based project - Nostalgia 77 Sessions feat. Keith and Julie Tippett on Thru Thougts label.

JULiE DRiSCOLL - 1969 (Polydor 1971)

Julie Driscoll - vocals, acoustic guitar
with:
Chris Spedding - elg [1] / bg [3]
Jeff Clyne - db [1/2/5/7]
Mark Charig - cornet [1/7]
Elton Dean - as [1/7]
Nick Evans - tb [1/7]
Trevor Tomkins - d [1/3/7]
Keith Tippett - p [2/7] / celeste [2] / arrangements
Karl Jenkins - oboe [3]
Bud Parkes - tpt [3]
Stan Sulzmann - as [3]
Derek Wadsworth - tb [3]
Brian Godding - elg / voices [4/6/8]
Jim Cregan - g [4]
Brian Belshaw - bg / voices [4]
Barry Reeves - d [4]
Bob Downes - fl [5]
Jim Cregan - g [4]

Tracks: 1. A New Awakening [JD] (3:51) - 2. Those That We Love [JD] (4:48) - 3. Leaving It All Behind [JD] (4:51) - 4. Break Out [JD] (5:23) - 5. The Choice [JD] (5:59) - 6. Lullaby [JD] (4:23) - 7. Walk Down [JD] (4:16) - 8. I Nearly Forgot... But I Went Back [JD] (5:10) 

Recorded Oct 1969-Feb 1970 at Advision Studios, London. Produced by Giorgio Gomelsky.

OOP CD Disconforme DISC 1966 CD (released 2000)

SPONTANEOUS MUSIC ENSEMBLE "UNRELEASED STUDIO RECORDINGS 1966 - 1968"

Soundwise these recordings are a bit muffled but the music's really excellent IMHO.
Maybe someone has a better version!?

The Double Trio track was recorded about two month before Brötzmann's 'Machine Gun' - makes for an interesting comparison.

Maybe one day it will see a proper release....

1. Juicy (from the unreleased Cul-de-Sac soundtrack) (K. Komeda/2:10/completed track)
Kenny Wheeler, trumpet
Paul Rutherford, trombone
Trevor Watts, alto saxophone, breathing
Jeff Clyne, bass
John Stevens, drums, percussion

Recorded by Eddie Kramer, probably at Olympic Sound Studios, London, April 1966.
The Ensemble was apparently commissioned via Eddie Kramer to record compositions by Krzysztof Komeda for the soundtrack of Roman Polanski’s 1966 film Cul-de-Sac, an offbeat black-comedy set on the island of Lindisfarne.


2. Springboard (and radio announcement) (Stevens/3:56)
Kenny Wheeler, trumpet, fluegelhorn
Paul Rutherford, trombone
Evan Parker, soprano & tenor saxophone
Trevor Watts, alto saxophone, flute, oboe
Derek Bailey, guitar
Barry Guy, bass
John Stevens, drums

Recorded live by BBC Radio at the Paris cinema, London, Mon March 20, 1967;
tr: BBC Radio Light Programme The Jazz Scene (Jazz Club slot), March 26, 1967.


3. Willow Trio - Part 2 (extract 7:59)
Evan Parker, soprano saxophone
Barre Phillips, bass
John Stevens, percussion

Recorded by Eddie Kramer at Olympic Sound Studios, London, October 6, 1967. Willow Trio sessions.


4. Double Trio - Part 1 (32:05)
Evan Parker, soprano saxophone
Trevor Watts, alto saxophone
Dave Holland, bass
Peter Kowald, bass
Rashied Ali, drums, percussion
John Stevens, drums, percussion

Recorded by Eddie Kramer at Olympic Sound Studios, London, March 10, 1968. Unreleased studio session.
 Island (unissued)

JEFF CLYNE - IAN CARR - TREVOR WATTS - JOHN STEVENS "SPRINGBOARD" (POLYDOR, 1966)

This was previously posted by kinabalu in December 2009. 
As the links are long gone I thought it would be time for a re-up.
In fact it was this post (thank you kinabalu!) which made me aware about this excellent and still not re-issued LP. 
New rip in flac with (small) cover pictures.

And here's the original text from Kinabalu:

Well, whaddyaknow! I made a request for this in the last post and here it is, served on a golden platter by reader "corvimax" who dipped into the big pool of the P2Ps to retrieve the goodies for our joint enjoyment here on the blog.

Having listened to it several times, it remains a huge mystery why this album has not been deemed worthy of reissue after 40 years, still fetching bundles of money on the collector's market.

This was recorded in 1966, but only released in 1969 on Polydor.

The basic facts:

Jeff Clyne, Ian Carr, Trevor Watts, John Stevens - Springboard

1. Love Was Born [TW]
2. C4 [JS]
3. Ballad [JC]
4. Helen's Clown [TW]
5. Ou Sont Les Neiges D'Antan [IC]
6. Crazy Jane [IC]
7. Springboard [JS]

Ian Carr - trumpet, flugehorn
Trevor Watts - alto sax
Jeff Clyne - bass
John Stevens - drums

Recorded at Regent Sound Studio, London.

(Aug 1966, Polydor 545007)

This is a brilliant album, probably "free" by the standards of the time, but not really free in the sense of the later compact minimalism of the Spontaneous Music Ensemble. It also predates the later fusion of Nucleus, of which Carr and Clyne were founder members, but there are elements of the later Amalgam obviously, with three of the members present here. Perhaps one can hear shades of the early Ornette Coleman and Joe Harriott combos who were pioneers in defining the new thing in the late 50s. It's unorthodox, but still very melodious, chemically free of the mid- to late-60s blow-outs associated with the ESP label. Whatever labels to attach, this is fresh to these ears, more than 40 years after the fact.

After listening to this album, I would advise our followers to listen to the John Stevens - Chemistry - album which we have posted here before. Interesting linkages and continuities from this to the later Chemistry from the mid-70s.

As always, enjoy! More to come! And another thanks to "cortimax" for digging this out of the virtual ether.