David Sanborn – Love & Happiness (live, 1985)

David William Sanborn (July 30, 1945 – May 12, 2024) was an American alto saxophonist. Though Sanborn worked in many genres, his solo recordings typically blended jazz with instrumental pop and R&B.

He released his first solo album Taking Off in 1975, but had been playing the saxophone since before he was in high school and was a session musician long before its release.

He was active as a session musician, playing on several albums by various artists.

One of the most commercially successful American saxophonists to earn prominence since the 1980s, Sanborn was described by critic Scott Yanow as “the most influential saxophonist on pop, R&B, and crossover players of the past 20 years.” He was often identified with radio-friendly smooth jazz, but expressed a disinclination for the genre and his association with it.

Sanborn died of complications from prostate cancer in Tarrytown, New York, on May 12, 2024, at the age of 78. He had been diagnosed with the disease in 2018. (wikipedia)

And here´s a fantastic live recording:

This classic David Sanborn’s Love and Happiness concert takes us back outdoors to some magic moments at the peak of the great jazz, pop and session man’s popularity with a star-studded supporting cast. Featured in this movie are the following:

Excellent in quality, this video is equally suited for streaming on your laptop or smart TV. So, pull up a seat or, better yet, spread the picnic blanket in your living room, open a bottle of your favorite beverage, light a Citronella candle, and let the festivities begin!

Cheers David Sanborn !

Perrsonnel:
Hiram Bullock (guitar)
Don Grolnick (keyboards)
Marcus Miller (bass)
David Sanborn (saxophone)
Buddy Williams (drums)
+
Hamish Stuart (vocals on 01.)

Tracklist:
01. Love & Happiness (Green/Hodges) 6.29
02. Run For Cover (Miller) 6.56
03. Lisa (Sanborn) 5.38
04. Straight To The Heart (Miller) 5-06
05. Smile (Perkinson) 10.29

*
**

More from David Sanborn in this blog:
The official website:

Brave New World – Impressions On Reading Aldous Huxley (1972)

This band emerged from Hamburg and lasted only a few years. It included a mixture of local musicians and two “foreigners”. The German musicians were Reinhart Firchow (recorders, flutes, ocarina, stylophone, percussion, vocals), Lucas Lindholm (bass, bass fiddle, organ, piano), Dicky Tarrach (drums, percussion), Herb Geller (flutes, cor anglais, alto/soprano/tenor saxes, organ), the Irishman John O’Brien-Docker (guitars, organ, percussion, vocals, wind chimes) and Esther Daniels (vocals). As you can tell from the name of the band and one album title, their coming together was to make their instrumental interpretation of Aldous Huxley’s novel – A Brave New World. Being almost entirely an instrumental band (apart from some occasional voices) they created a most unique sound which combined together successfully different styles such as folk, psychedelic rock and electronics. Their use of wind instruments (woodwinds), peculiar percussion patterns, flute, saxophones and a stylopohone gives their music a special otherworldly sound. A possible sound-alike would be Annexus Quam (in the psychedelic rock approach) and Between (in the ethereal, atmospheric sound). Sadly, after they released Impressions on Reading Aldous Huxley in 1972 and then dissolved. It is commonly referred to as an essential album in any krautrock album collection. (by Assaf Vestin)

Although Germany’s early Krautrock scene took on many forms from spoken word polito-rock and heavy guitar based progressive rock to jazz-fusion and a slightly more progressive version of what would become known simply as Deutschrock, the best and most authentic form of the Kraut scene came from the bands that pushed the boundaries of the world of unrestrained psychedelia. Bands like Amon Duul II, Can, Cluster and countless others who focused more on transcendental dreamy atmospheres and mind-bending lysergic tones and timbres offered true escapism into hitherto unthinkable soundscapes that altered the very nature of the music industry itself and in the process crafted musical journeys that were more like a multi-dimensional awakening rather than a mere musical escapade.

While many of the aforementioned bands are widely known, there were also many that existed for very short time, recorded a mere single album and then dissipated into the history books and swept aside from the tide of musical changes that have ensued over the following decades. Coming from Hamburg, the kosmische BRAVE NEW WORLD released its one and only contribution to the greater Kraut scene but what a unique album it was. IMPRESSIONS ON READING ALDOUS HUXLEY was released in 1972 and as the title clearly states inspired by the English writer and philosopher who wrote nearly 50 books and illustrated the commonalities between Western and Eastern mysticism with “The Doors Of Perception” most famously having been the inspiration behind the moniker and subject matter of the US band The Doors. This band too took its name from another Huxley novel that appeared in 1932.

BRAVE NEW WORLD was created by Reinhart Firchow (recorders, flutes, ocarina, Stylophone, percussion, vocals), John O’Brien-Docker (guitars, organ, percussion, vocals, wind chimes) and Herb Geller (flutes, cor anglais, saxophones, organ) and along for the ride was Dicky Tarrach (drums, percussion), Lucas Lindholm (bass, bass fiddle, organ, piano) and Esther Daniels (voice). Irishman John O’Brien-Docker had previously played on Die City Preachers and Marcel, and also recorded as Inga & John, the Inga Rumpf of Frumpy fame. IMPRESSIONS ON READING ALDOUS HUXLEY emerged as one of the most eclectic Kraut offerings of the era. Through its seven psych-electronic fueled tracks, the band engaged in a freeform consciousness stream in the vein of Annexus Quam, the cyclical psychedelic grooves of Amon Duul II, jazz-tinged flavors from the Embryo book as well as rock oriented guitar soloing and heavy doses of lysergic organ runs.

Add some ethnic flavors in the vein of Agitation Free, a dash of whimsical vocal incantations from time to time in tandem with occasional pop hooks, dreamy folk inspired flute flavors and no clear linear delivery and it doesn’t take long at all to discover you’ve entered some truly unique territory on this under the radar Kraut gem. Although some classic Krautrock albums can conjure up some strange and freaky emotional responses, IMPRESSIONS ON READING ALDOUS HUXLEY offers one of those pleasant hallucinogenic trips with a colorful palette of perfectly orchestrated transitions from various forms of musical motifs to another that don’t dance too deep in the darkness but rather keep things just above the surface to allow the light to shine in. The whole affair evokes a triumphant return to the sacred balance beyond the corrupted control systems of our planetary prison complex.

This is a bizarre little album that is really like going on a 40-minute journey since the album starts off in a happy flute dominated Medieval folk setting and then slowly transmogrifies into one new musical motif after another becoming more comfortable in its idiosyncratic delivery system. Towards the end of the album there are moments that remind you of what the chamber rock bands such as Univers Zero and Present would adopt and create entire careers behind with slow brooding cadences that spiral out in cyclical loops and allow improvisational contrapuntal elements to congregate into bizarre mood altering concoctions. Despite the transcendental disconnect that the album paints in certain plentitude, the return back to jazzy and rock oriented motifs recallibrates the mood setting as do the pastoral flute segments, sometimes both styles having a call and response conversational effect.

Any way you slice it, BRAVE NEW WORLD delivered a beautiful specimen of Krautrock like no other and this stand alone album still sounds utterly unique nearly 50 years after its release. By craftily taking many of the concurrent strategies of the contemporary Krautrock scene and weaving them into one single tapestry of an album’s length, IMPRESSIONS ON READING ALDOUS HUXLEY seems like it prognosticated its one-shot nature by cramming an entire career of ideas into a single musical offering. One of those rare examples of a freaky progressive psychedelic experience that takes you through myriad soundscapes but exudes an uplifting vibe. Think of this band as a mix of other Krautsters such as Between, Amon Duul II, Embryo, Agitation Free, Achim Reichel, Annexus Quam and Tomorrow’s Gift and you’re on the right path. Definitely one of the more adventurous and experimental of Germany’s diverse musical movement that was a response to England’s psychedelic rock 60s. Responses to Kraut bands obviously vary because the impact is more on an emotional level rather than a technical one but for my tastes BRAVE NEW WORLD delivered the perfect example of the eclectic and psychedelic German stylistic approach. (by Silly Puppy)

Personnel:
John O’Brien-Docker (guitar, organ, percussion, wind chomes, spoken voice bei 07.)
Reinhart Firchow (recorders, flute, ocarina, stylophone, percussion, vocals)
Herb Geller (saxophone, flute, organ, cor d’anglais)
Lucas Lindholm (bass, fiddle, keyboards)
Dicky Tarrach (drums, percussion)
+
Esther Daniels (spoken voice bei 03.)

Tracklist:
01. Prologue (Firchow/O’Brien-Docker) 1.00
02. Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon… Ford (O’Brien-Docker) 7.38
03. Lenina (Herb Geller/John O’Brien-Docker) – 4:19
04. Soma (John O’Brien-Docker/Herb Geller) – 5:17
05. Malpais Corn Dance (John O’Brien-Docker) – 3:23
06. The End (John O’Brien-Docker/Reinhart Firchow) – 17:39
07. Epilogue (Reinhart Firchow/John O’Brien-Docker) – 1:25

*
**

Barbara Thompson – Barbara Thompson’s Jubiaba (1978)

Barbara Gracey Thompson MBE (27 July 1944 – 9 July 2022) was an English jazz saxophonist, flautist and composer. She studied clarinet, flute, piano and classical composition at the Royal College of Music, but the music of Duke Ellington and John Coltrane made her shift her interests to jazz and saxophone. She was married to drummer Jon Hiseman of Colosseum from 1967 until his death in 2018.

Around 1970, Thompson was part of Neil Ardley’s New Jazz Orchestra and appeared on albums by Colosseum. Beginning in 1975, she was involved in the foundation of three bands:

United Jazz and Rock Ensemble, a “band of bandleaders” with Wolfgang Dauner (p), Volker Kriegel (g), Albert Mangelsdorff (tb), Eberhard Weber (b), Ian Carr (tp), Charlie Mariano (sax), Ack van Rooyen (tp) and Jon Hiseman (dr).
Barbara Thompson’s Jubiaba (9-piece Latin/rock band) including Peter Lemer, Roy Babbington, Henry Lowther, Ian Hamer, Derek Wadsworth, Trevor Tomkins, Bill Le Sage, Glyn Thomas.
Barbara Thompson’s Paraphernalia, a band with Peter Lemer (p), Billy Thompson (v), Dave Ball (b) and Jon Hiseman on drums.

She was awarded the MBE in 1996 for services to music. Due to Parkinson’s disease, which was diagnosed in 1997, she retired as an active saxophonist in 2001 with a farewell tour. After a period of working as a composer exclusively, she returned to the stage in 2003 for a tour with Colosseum.

After she was hospitalised with atrial fibrillation, her attendance in an accident and emergency department was featured in an episode of the Channel 4 fly-on-the-wall television documentary 24 Hours in A&E in October 2020.

Thompson worked closely with Andrew Lloyd Webber on musicals[5] such as Cats and Starlight Express, his Requiem, and Lloyd Webber’s 1978 classical-fusion album Variations. She wrote several classical compositions, music for film and television, a musical of her own and songs for the United Jazz and Rock Ensemble, Barbara Thompson’s Paraphernalia and her big band Moving Parts. She was a regular, along with her husband drummer Jon Hiseman and bassist David “Dill” Katz in the underground “Cellar Bar” at South Hill Park Arts Centre in Bracknell during the late 1970s and 1980s.

She played the incidental music in the ITV police series A Touch of Frost, starring David Jason. She also played flute on Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of the Worlds.

Thompson was married to Colosseum drummer Jon Hiseman, from 1967 until his death in June 2018. The couple’s son Marcus was born in 1972, and their daughter Anna (now known as singer/songwriter Ana Gracey) in 1975.

An autobiography, Journey to a Destination Unknown, was published in 2020. Thompson died on 9 July 2022, aged 77, after having Parkinson’s disease for 25 years. (wikipedia)

Jubiaba – Portugese for Old Voodoo Priest – is a wonderful album, marvellously arranged by Don Airey & starring an incredible Latin based fusion band. (rarevinyl.com)

With her JUBIABA BAND, clear Latin melodies and rhythms find their way into her musical universe.

In other words. Another highlight in the career of the great Barbara Thompson …

… one of the few albums on which her husband Jn Hiseman is not on the drums.

Personnel:
Roy Babbington (bass, guitar)
Ian Hamer (trumpet)
Peter Lemer (piano, synthesizer)
Henry Lowther (trumpet)
Bill Le Sage (vibraphone, percussion)
Glyn Thomas (percussion)
Barbara Thompson (saxophone, flute)
Trevor Tomkins (drums)
Derek Wadsworth (trombone)

Tracklist:
01. The Funky Flunky (Thompson) 6.20
02. Seega (Thomas) 4.15
03. Helena (Wadsworth) 5.32
04. Cuban Thing (Thomas) 5.00
05. Black Pearl (Wadsworth) 5.10
06. Touch Of Blue (Thompson) 4.32
07. Slum Goddess (Lemer) 6.04

*
**

More from Barbara Thompson in this blog:

The official website:

The Bigroup – Big Hammer (1971)

This album was a project by Johnny Scott

John Scott (born Patrick John O’Hara Scott, 1 November 1930), also known as Johnny Scott and Patrick John Scott, is an English film composer and music conductor. Scott has collaborated with well-known directors and producers, including Mark Damon, Richard Donner, Charlton Heston, Mike Hodges, Hugh Hudson, Norman Jewison, Irvin Kershner, Ilaiyaraaja, Daniel Petrie, Roger Spottiswoode, and Norman J. Warren.

Scott was born in Bishopston, Bristol, England. His father, a musician in the Bristol Police Band, gave him his first music lessons. At the age of 14, he enrolled in the British Army (in the Royal Artillery Band, Woolwich) as a Boy Musician in order to continue his musical studies of the clarinet, harp and saxophone.

Later, Scott toured with some of the best-known British bands of the era. He was hired by EMI to arrange and conduct some of its most popular artists and, during this time, worked with Beatles producer George Martin (playing flute in the band’s 1965 recording “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away”). Scott also recorded such artists as Tom Jones, Cilla Black, and The Hollies. As a musician, he played with The Julian Bream Consort, John Dankworth, Cleo Laine, Yehudi Menuhin, Nelson Riddle and Ravi Shankar.

Credited as Johnny Scott, and playing flute, he led a jazz quintet, quartet and trio during the 1960s: his three part Study for Jazz Quintet was included on the 1962 compilation album Jazz Tête-à-Tête recorded by Denis Preston. He played for Henry Mancini and was principal saxophonist in John Barry’s soundtrack to the James Bond film Goldfinger (1964).

Since the 1960s, Scott has composed for more than 100 film and television productions. Some of Scott’s most praised and recognized scores are Antony and Cleopatra (1972), England Made Me (1973), North Dallas Forty (1979), The Final Countdown (1980), Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984) and The Shooting Party (1985).

His TV work includes the themes to the BBC current affairs programmes Nationwide and Midweek, incidental music for the ITV series Rosemary and Thyme, and documentaries by French explorer Jacques Cousteau. He also composed the instrumental piece “Gathering Crowds” for a stock music library. While the opening bars of the piece were used briefly in 1976 by ABC for its nightly national news program, the piece would later become iconic in the US for its use as the closing theme for the long-running syndicated Major League Baseball highlights show This Week in Baseball.

Scott is also active as a classical composer (having written a symphony, a ballet, four string quartets and a guitar concerto) and as a conductor. Orchestras that he has conducted include the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Munich Symphony Orchestra, the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Budapest Opera Orchestra, the Lubliana Radio Orchestra and the Prague Philharmonic.

In 2006–2008, Scott served as the artistic director of the Hollywood Symphony Orchestra.

On 16 October 2013 Scott was presented with a BASCA Gold Badge Award in recognition of his contribution to music. (wikipedia)

Underrated jazz prog from 1971. “Big Hammer” is an all instrumental exploitation psych album features fuzz and wah-wah guitar, organ, flute and sitar. Musically, they sound more like a late 60s group than a pioneering cutting edge post-Swimming London progressive band from 1971. Big Hammer has been much in demand by progressive rock collectors and one listen to it will tell why – pretty much every track is a killer ! (by Doug Larson)

Peer International Library Limited was a London based production music library company that was established in the late 1960s by Dennis Berry (aka Peter Dennis). It was closely affiliated with the other library company Southern, – which was also run by Dennis Berry. They often shared releases and that’s why certain titles appear on both Peer and Southern catalogue. This album here, called Big hammer, was credited to a band called The Bigroup, but without a doubt it was some studio musicians group with a made up name for the album. And it was also released on Southern.

The Spain edition:

The opening track “Big hammer” starts the album strongly. It’s a banging midtempo psych funk track with a hint of oriental vibe every now and then. A stronger oriental vibe comes with the next one, a downtempo sitar and flute driven mellow groover “Anna purna”. I’m not exactly sure if it actually is a sitar but sounds a lot of it. After the dramatic “Devil’s stronghold”, comes “Rolling”. It starts promisingly with a nice break, but then turns into a melancholic midtempo groover. Next up are two quite heavy downtempo psych funk tracks called “Beat norm” and “Heavy lift”. After them comes one of the best tracks on the album, “What’s coming”. It’s a strong upbeat track with heavy breakbeat drums and some wailing melodies on top. Then there’s again two mellow but psych heavy tracks called “Blow-suck blues” and “Gentle swell” before we get to the last track, “Bombilation”. “Bombilation” is a great midtempo organ driven psych funk groover with some electric guitar work (I’m still not a fan of those) and banging beats. All the songs are relatively long for a library record, all the tracks except one are over three minutes what makes it a more pleasant one to listen. (by Mista Tibbz)

In today’s culture, one might presume the Bigroup to be some sort of avant garde transsexual troupe. But most likely in 1971, it stood for nothing more than “The Big Group”. Then again, they do have a composition entitled ‘Blow-Suck Blues’, so perhaps they were ahead of their time after all? Musically, however, they sound more like a late 60s group than a pioneering cutting edge post-Swinging London progressive band from 1971. “Big Hammer” is, in effect – if not actually the case – an all instrumental film library psychedelic album with copious flute, sitar, surf guitar, and roller rink organ. There’s not much in the way of compositional development, which would be typical of the incidental film music genre. Somewhat similar to the groups like Blue Phantom, Hungry Wolf, The Underground Set, Psycheground Group, or Fourth Sensation. Great stuff! (by Ashratom (RYM).

And … a real strong bass !

Personnel:
Anthony King (keyboards, synthesizer)
Johnny Scott  (saxophone, flute, clarinet)’
+
a bunch of unknown studio musicians

Alternate front+ backcover:

Tracklist:
01. Big Hammer 4.11
02. Annapurna 3.39
03. Devil’s Stronghold 3.24
04. Rolling 3.15
05. Beat Norm 3.15
06. Heavy Lift 4.15
07. What’s Coming? 3.46
08. Blow-Suck Blues 2.37
09. Gentle Swell 3.21
10. Bombilation 3.41

Music composed by Johnny Scott
except 08. composed by Anthony King

*
**

Another edition from Spain:

Anthony King (real name Anthony Frederick Lilly)
British songwriter and arranger, active since ca. 1960s. Often collaborated with John Schroeder. In the late 1960s, Status Quo recorded some of his songs. He was a library music composer and a prolific arranger of strings for reggae records intended for pop market (often spelled Tony King). Not to be confused with reggae singer Tony King  who was only a performing act.

Lenny MacDowell – Retrospective (2011)

I don’t quite understand why he hasn’t achieved a higher profile in Germany. I’m talking about Friedemann Leinert.

Lenny Mac Dowell’s (* 1950) music career began in 1978 with his album “Flute Power”, when he recorded an instrumental rock version of Jethro Tull’s „Locomotive Breath“. With this track, he reached a successful week-long direct entry in the charts. 1979 Mac Dowell released „Flexible“, two years later, a live record (1981). His breakthrough came with the album „Magic Flute“, produced in 1983 as the first rock-instantaneous disk ever. The music magazines „Audio“ and „Stereo Play“ titled Lenny Mac Dowell as „rock flutist number one in Germany.“ After countless tours with musicians from the Band „Birth Control“ – Manni von Bohr, Horst Stachelhaus or Zeus B. Held and repeated major productions with musicians such as Pete York (Spencer Davis Group) and Wolfgang Schmid (Passport), Mac Dowell decided to start his own label „Blue Flame Records“.

An era of musical experimentation continued – under his own production. After „Flying Torso“ came „Balance of Power“, which went more into the esoteric realms – finest meditation music with new age elements. The album „The Farthest Shore“ also reflected the more meditative and esoteric sounds. In 1987 Lenny Mac Dowell released „Autumn Breath“ in a collaborative project with Christoph Spendel and during the 90’s he re-released past productions again under his own flag.

With the project „Blue Planet“, Lenny Mac Dowell creates a musical ethnic experiment. Flute combined with arabic and percussion elements. Together with the musicians Hakim Ludin and Dhafer Youssef, „Peace for Kabul“ was released – an Oriental trip; with „Masala“, Mac Dowell tripped around India. As a producer, Lenny Mac Dowell made himself a name with the Uzbek superstar Yulduz Usmanova, Nasiba and Mokhira; also with countless compilations.

During Lenny Mac Dowell’s music studies in Freiburg, Germany and before the first production in 1978 was released, he often played with gypsy musicians such as Daniel Patay and Zipflo Rheinhardt and many other formations at home in funk, soul and jazz. With the album “Launch Control” Lenny Mac Dowell goes back to those roots when he began to experiment with flute and jazz. Mac Dowell felt primarily inspired by artists such as Jeremy Steig or Roland Kirk. Even Herbie Man’s „Memphis Underground“ got a new “sound coat” on „Launch Control“ and also belongs to artists that influence him a lot. Covers, such as „Summertime“ and „Ain’t it Sunshine“, performed with the formation Jazzamor, belong to his extended repertoire. The jazzy interplay with pianist Christoph Spendel is always so in chime, that Mac Dowell works with him over and over. Flute and piano is a focal point in the music of Lenny Mac Dowell.

With the production „Get Ready“ Lenny Mac Dowell once again explores other ways of how to embed flute as a classical instrument into the Pop environment. Soul, funk, jazz and jazz-rock elements are found in such titles as the cover of Donny Hathaway’s song „The Ghetto”. How to connect flute with African-American styles, such as funk and soul, if one does not have any African-American roots, but a sophisticated understanding of music? How does your own culture best blend into such a musical environment and still sound harmonious? To discover this musically, Lenny Mac Dowell never tires of new opportunities.

„Retrospective“ is the latest double album reflecting the times Mac Dowell spends discovering the musical diversity of his classical instrument, the flute in popular music. Orchestral recordings with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and live recordings from the 80′, plus the legendary „direct cut“ recordings, where bands played live in the Studio directly onto the matrix of the vinyl – back then a novelty – all this are essential components of this double album. This recording technology promised an extraordinary dynamism and was also regarded as so-called “speaker killer” in the audiophile scene, because of the high dynamic. The studio recordings of the 70’s to the present time represents the spectrum of Lenny Mac Dowell’s music from past to present. A “Retrospective” is the result.
A connection of electronic possibilities ranging from the classical flute, alto, bass or Bamboo all the way to his owndeveloped Synth Flute equipment, Lenny Mac Dowell has a further infinite creative field for his music. In live and studio recordings, he shows how to conjure extraordinary sounds with the „Magic Flute“. (Press release)

After twenty records you can already look back on your own career with a “retrospective”. Flute player Lenny MacDowell spreads his musical career out to us on two CDs in over one hundred and fifty minutes, which does some justice to his extensive output. After all, the musician started in 1978 with his “Flute Power” and the album of the same name, on which he shone with songs like “Bouree” and “Locomotive Breath”.

MacDowell quickly established himself as the number one rock flutist in Germany, a reputation that he solidified with records such as “Magic Flute”, for which he won the Birth Controllers Zeus B. Held, Manni von Bohr and Horst Stachelhaus. This “Retrospective”, including his contributions to the Jazzamor project (the cover versions “Ain’t No Sunshine” and “Summertime”), is dedicated above all to this rocky phase. And of course the coupling also contains mentioned Tull classics, but above all own material, which connects rock with esoteric kitsch with “Old Turkish Bath”, “Deep Sea Bed” and “Golden Flute Mantra”. (eclips.de)

Conclusion: An exemplary retrospective! (The accompanying booklet contains an extensive interview with him and the music journalist Siegfried Schmidt-Joos and lots of useful detailed information). However, I can’t understand why not a single song from the three albums with Pete York and Wolfgang Schmidt is included.

Personnel:

Tracklist:

CD 1:
01. The Creation of Earth (Leinert/Kolovonitis) 4.02
02.  Summertime (feat. Jazzamor) (Gershwin) 4.47
03. Get Ready (Leinert) 5.34
04. Is It Funky (Leinert) 6.45
05. Ain’t No Sunshine (feat. Jazzamor) (Withers) 3.42
06. Ocean Drive South Beach (Leinert) 6.37
07. Solar Energy Solution (Leinert) 5.26
08. To Remember (Leinert) 7.33
09. Flight Gear Launch Control (Leinert) 6.37
10. Radioactive Live (Leinert) 10.23
11. Memphis Underground (Mann) 5.51
12. Golden Flute Tantra (Leinert) 7.32

CD 2:
01. Bouree (Bach) 3.45
02. Flute Power Part 2 (Leinert) 5.26
03. Please Fasten Your Seat Belts (Leinert) 4.47
04. Thai Stick Restaurant (live version) (Leinert) 7.01
05. Waves XXL (Leinert) 6.30
06. Straight On Your Way (Leinert) 7.01
07. Old Turkish Bath (Leinert) 5.58
08. Crosswind Forever (Leinert) 6.24
09. Sing-Sing in Papua (Leinert) 6.34
10. Flying Torso (live) (Leinert) 9.50
11. Locomotive Breath (Anderson) 4.22
12. Deep Sea Bed (Leinert) 10.16

*
**

Lenny MacDowell with Wolfgang Schmid & Pete York:

The official website:

Various Artists – Havana Jam (1979)

Havana Jam was a three-day music festival that took place at the Karl Marx Theatre in Havana, Cuba, from March 2 to March 4, 1979. The event was sponsored by Bruce Lundvall, the president of Columbia Records, Jerry Masucci, the president of Fania Records, and the Cuban Ministry of Culture.

The festival included American acts such as Weather Report, the CBS Jazz All-Stars, the Trio of Doom, Fania All-Stars, Stephen Stills, Billy Swan, Bonnie Bramlett, Mike Finnigan, Kris Kristofferson, Tony Williams, Jaco Pastorius, John McLaughlin, Rita Coolidge, and Billy Joel, as well as Cuban acts by Irakere, Pacho Alonso, Zaida Arrate, Elena Burke, Orquesta de Santiago de Cuba, Conjunto Yaguarimú, Frank Emilio Flynn, Juan Pablo Torres, Los Papines, Tata Güines, Cuban Percussion Ensemble, Sara González, Pablo Milanés, Manguaré, and Orquesta Aragón.

In 1977, U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Cuban President Fidel Castro started to loosen the political tension between the two countries and opened Interest Sections both in Havana and Washington, D.C. It was the first time in almost two decades after Castro’s rise to power that there was a real interest in establishing a normalization of diplomatic relations and the lifting of the United States embargo against Cuba.

Jazz guitarist John McLaughlin, jazz keyboardist Joe Zawinul, and jazz electric bassist Jaco Pastorius pose for a portrait while relaxing at a beach near Havana before performing at Havana Jam, an historic three-day series of music concerts sponsored by the American music industry and the Cuban government in April, 1979 in Havana, Cuba:

In April 1978, CBS Records director Bruce Lundvall, together with a group of the company’s music enthusiasts, made a four-day trip to Havana, where they took great interest to Cuban music, and especially to Afro-Cuban jazz band Irakere.

After months of discussion, Lundvall signed Irakere and in July the group traveled to New York to perform an unannounced guest set at the famed Newport Jazz Festival-New York. Rave reviews led to an invitation from the prestigious Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland.

A few months later, Irakere won their first Grammy with the album Irakere, recorded at their Montreux Jazz Festival and Newport Jazz Festival performances. Then, in the Fall of 1978, he joined forces with Fania Records director Jerry Masucci and convinced the Cuban cultural authorities to organize a three-day festival in Havana with the participation of Cuban and American musicians. The event would be recorded and televised for the enjoyment of both the Cuban and American people.

This event, spontaneously entitled Havana Jam, was set for March 2 through 4, 1979. For assistance in the planning of the event, Lundvall brought aboard Jock McLean and Phil Sandhaus of Columbia’s artists development department, who then enlisted Showco (a Dallas-based concert production company) and Studio Instrument Rentals to help organize the event.

By early February, the Lundvall and his team had organized the roster for the event. Representing the U.S. would be Billy Joel, Stephen Stills, Weather Report, Kris Kristofferson with Rita Coolidge, the Fania All-Stars and the CBS Jazz All-Stars, a group conceptualized by Lundvall which was scheduled to feature more than 20 top jazz artists on the label.

As the event came closer, other CBS Records personnel began working to organize it. Rehearsals were scheduled for the CBS Jazz All-Stars, travel accommodations were made, equipment was rented, a wide cross-section of media was invited, and both recording and videotaping plans were confirmed.

Trio Of Doom (John McLaughlin, Tony Williams, Jaco Pastorius):

Record producers Bert deCoteaux and Mike Berniker flew down with a crew from the CBS Recording Studios along with a support team and mobile 24-track Recording Studio from Record Plant NY.

The musicians landed at the José Martí airport on March 1.

Havana Jam was an invitation-only event, with mostly cultural personalities and members of the Communist Party and their children in attendance, though some students from different art and music schools were also invited.

The festival was hardly mentioned in the Cuban press, and thirty years later not many Cubans know it ever existed.  (wikipedia)

Live at the Karl Marx Theater in Cuba, on 3rd, 4th and 5th March 1979, featuring The Stephen Stills Band, Kris Kristofferson & Rita Coolidge, Weather Report, Irakere and Fania All-Stars. Showcasing several of the most popular acts from the US and Cuba, 1979 s groundbreaking Havana Jam festival represented a historical step toward establishing a cultural exchange between the enemy nations. Originally broadcast on KBFH-FM, the music captured on this set spans salsa, jazz-rock, singer-songwriter and mainstream rock, all infused with the excitement and energy of the event itself. )press release)

In 1979 many of Columbia’s top recording artists made a rare visit to Cuba where they performed (and recorded) at a series of concerts with some of the top Cuban groups. This double LP (unlike the strictly jazz Havana Jam 2) covers a wide range of music from Weather Report, the CBS Jazz All-Stars (an allstar group with Dexter Gordon, Stan Getz and Woody Shaw) and The Trio of Doom (John McLaughlin, Jaco Pastorius and Tony Williams) to Irakere, Stephen Stills, Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge. There is enough worthwhile jazz on the two-fer to make this set worth picking up. (by Scott Yanow)

And I was able to discover many interesting Cuban musicians (like Irakere, Sara González, Orquesta Aragon and the Cuban Percussion Ensemble) on this album and yes … I could finally listen to Mike Finnegan and Bonnie Bramlett again!

Tracklist:
01. Weather Report: Black Market (Zawinul) 8.52
02. Irakere: Concerto Para Flaut Y Adagio De Mozart (Rivera/Mozart) 9.41
03. Stephen Stills: Cuba Al Fin (S.Stills/T.Stills) 7:49
04. Sara González: Su Nombre Es Pueblo (González) 3.52
05. CBS Jazz All-Stars: Project “S” (Heath) 8.29
06. Orquesta Aragon: Que Barla Mionda (Valdés) 7.37
07. Kris Kristofferson: Living Legend (Kristofferson) 4.27
08. Rita Coolidge: (Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher And Higher (Smith/Miner/Kackson) 3.27
09. CBS Jazz All-Stars: Black Stockings (Laws) 6.16
10. Mike Finnegan & Bonnie Bramlett: How Wrong Can You Be (Gronenthal/Grace) 4.42
11. Fania All Stars: Juan Pachanga (Blades/Ramirez/Masucci) 4.38
12. Trio Of Doom: Dark Prince (McLaughlin) 3.49
13. Cuban Percussion Ensemble: Scherezada (Rimsky-Korsakov) / Sun Sun (Traditional) 7.36

*
**

Billboard February 10, 1979:

Kollektiv – Live 1973 (2005)

Founded in Krefeld, Germany in 1970 – Disbanded in 1978 – Brief reunion in 1987

Clearly reminiscent of the ORGANISATION pre-KRAFTWERK sound mixed with the jazzy sound of EMBRYO, KOLLEKTIV plays a rather avant-garde music inspired by both elements of psychedelic music, electronics combined with Jazz interfits.
The band was originally composed of Jogi Karpenkiel (bass) who joined the band “The Phantoms”, an utterly pop band who changed their name to become the” Rambo Zambo Bluesband”,” Bluesology” and finally ORGANISATION. Jogi Karpenkiel and Klaus Dapper (tenor/baritone/soprano saxes, flutes) got out of “Bluesology” to form the band “The Generals”, which will later change their style and will finally start to be known as KOLLEKTIV when both Waldemar Karpenkiel (drums) and Jürgen Havix (guitar, sitar) joined them to form the definitive lineup.

Their self-titled first album is very reminiscent of Kraftwerk’s first works, featuring lots of saxophone, guitar solos, flutes and electronic collages in a rather complex structuration that makes their reputation of a Jazz-rock band quite inaccurate and restrictive.
Although this was their sole record released in the 70’s, some live sessions recorded in those years were recently issued on cd by the “Long Hair Music” label such as the “SWF-Sessions Volume 5” or the “Live 1973” concert records which feature excellent remasterised sound of old hidden masterpieces.

KOLLEKTIV are an important obscure short-lived Krautrock band that unfortunately broke out after their first release (Jogi Karpenkiel will later join GURU GURU).
Recommended for those interested in the more Jazz fusion-oriented bands of Krautrock! (www.progarchives.com)

In the liner notes the band tells us the significance of the name KOLLEKTIV. We “share the same aims and values, not just with regard to music. We do not seperate into soloist and accompanist (rhythm slave). Each musician and each instrument has the same rights. Our pieces aren’t individual compositions; they are born out of and grow through creative collaboration. After all, our name is saying : we are our own roadies, manager, technicians, bus driver, record producers and article writers, and three of us share the same birthday.” Another important revelation in their liner notes is : “The structure of our music is more simple than usual jazz, instead we pay more attention to sounds and moods. We mainly do improvisations. Even the themes and arranged parts were once improvised. We try to expand the tone quality by sometimes strong electronic alienation of the guitar, flute and saxaphone, and apart from the “small underground-set” fuzz tone and wah-wah, we use echo, octavoice, phaser, ring-modulators, vibrators and sound filters. In our experience, our music is equally accepted by both jazz and rock people…so let’s call it “Rock-Jazz”. Lots of great pictures in the liner notes as well, including some from the outdoor concert.

“Rapunzel” has a very relaxed climate as smooth sax melodies along with drums, bass and guitar fill out the sound. The song calms down even more 3 minutes in until we get a jazzy section 4 1/2 minutes in. The guitar and bass melody after 5 minutes is cool. Sax is back 7 minutes in to end song. “Subo” opens with pastoral flute melodies, kind of dreamy actually with light drums and gentle guitar. 9 minutes in the sound builds and collapses, this continues until we get some spacey flute sounds to end it.

“Rambo Zambo” is a 24 minute epic of improv. Experimental sounds until the sound kicks in 3 1/2 minutes in as drums and bass come in. A nice rhythm is the result. After 6 minutes we get some sax that has been tampered with in some way, as different melodies come and go. “Forsterlied” is a 2 minute song that features dissonant sounds followed by spoken words. This continues throughout this tune. “Gageg (exerpt)” has a mellow beginning as flute and light drums lead the way. The gentle guitar reminds me of “Subo”. Outbreaks come and go and the song ends with flute.

This is a great piece of history really. A live concert by KOLLEKTIV somewhere in Germany in 1973. Interesting that there is no crowd noise at all (too stoned), but the pictures are a nice touch. There are some fantastic moments on this recording. (by Mellotron Storm)

Or: nothing better could have happened to German jazz-rock at that time.

Personnel:
Klaus Dapper (saxophone, flute)
Jürgen Havix (guitar, zither)
Jürgen „Jogi” Karpenkiel (bass)
Waldemar „Waldo” Karpenkiel (drums)

Tracklist:
01. Rapunzel 8.03
02. Subo 15.29
03. Rambo Zambo 24.18
04., Försterlied 1.51
05. Gageg (Excerpt) 12.42

Music:
Klaus Dapper – Jürgen Havix – Jürgen Karpenkiel – Waldemar Karpenkiel

*
**

Keef Hartley Band – Overdog (1971)

Keith “Keef” Hartley (8 April 1944 – 26 November 2011) was an English drummer and bandleader. He fronted his own band, known as the Keef Hartley Band or Keef Hartley’s Big Band, and played at Woodstock. He was later a member of Dog Soldier, and variously worked with Rory Storm, the Artwoods and John Mayall.

Keith Hartley was born in Plungington, north-west Preston, Lancashire. He studied drumming under Lloyd Ryan, who also taught Phil Collins the drum rudiments. His career began as the replacement for Ringo Starr as a drummer for Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, a Liverpool-based band, after Ringo joined the Beatles. Subsequently, he played and recorded with the Artwoods, then achieved some renown as John Mayall’s drummer (including his role as the only musician, other than Mayall, to play on Mayall’s 1967 “solo” record The Blues Alone).

He then formed The Keef Hartley (Big) Band, mixing elements of jazz, blues, and rock and roll; the group played at Woodstock in 1969. However, the band was the only artist that played at the festival whose set was never included on any officially released album (prior to 2019), nor on the soundtrack of the film.

They released five albums, including Halfbreed and The Battle of North West Six (characterised by a reviewer for the Vancouver Sun as “an amazing display of virtuosity”).

While in John Mayall’s band, Mayall had pushed Hartley to form his own group. A mock-up of the “firing” of Hartley was heard on the Halfbreed album’s opening track, “Sacked”. The band for the first album comprised: Miller Anderson, guitar and vocals, Gary Thain (bass), later with Uriah Heep; Peter Dines (organ) and Ian Cruickshank (as “Spit James”) (guitar). Later members to join Hartley’s fluid line-up included Mick Weaver (aka Wynder K. Frog) organ, Henry Lowther (b. 11 July 1941, Leicester, England; trumpet/violin), Jimmy Jewell (saxophone), Johnny Almond (flute), Jon Hiseman and Harry Beckett. Hartley, often dressed as an American Indian sometimes in full head-dress and war-paint, was a popular attraction on the small club scene. The Battle of NW6 in 1969 further enhanced his club reputation, although chart success still eluded him. By the time of the third album both Lowther and Jewell had departed.

After that Hartley released a ‘solo’ album (Lancashire Hustler, 1973) and then he formed Dog Soldier with Miller Anderson (guitar), Paul Bliss (bass), Derek Griffiths (guitar) and Mel Simpson (keyboards). They released an eponymous album in 1975, which had a remastered release in early 2011 on CD on the Esoteric label.

In 2007, Hartley released a ghostwritten autobiography, Halfbreed (A Rock and Roll Journey That Happened Against All the Odds). Hartley wrote about his life growing up in Preston, and his career as a drummer and bandleader, including the Keef Hartley Band’s appearance at Woodstock.

Hartley died of complications from surgery on 26 November 2011, aged 67, at Royal Preston Hospital in Fulwood, north Preston. (wikipedia)

After the subtleties and suppleness of 1970’s The Time Is Near…, the Keef Hartley Band’s third full-length, the group returned the following year with Overdog, a set that kicks them into overdrive. Opening with a dramatic flourish of wah-wah guitar, the anthemic “You Can Choose” instantly wipes all memories of the intricate design of the preceding album off the board. Big and brash, “Choose” pounds rock into funk with savage delight. In contrast, “Plain Talkin'” is all grit and glory, strutting its Stax-y antecedents center-stage, and smugly smirking at their hard-rocking ex-Brit beat contemporaries, who lost the blues in their rush to rock. Elsewhere, “Overdog” puts paid to prog rock pretentiousness, as the band slyly slide from haunting wah-wah guitar and spacy effects straight into funk, and back out again through coursing, driving instrumental sections. It’s a spliced styling that’s reiterated to even more dramatic effect on “Theme Song.” Keef Hartley’s drums keeps those segments pulsing, but it’s “Roundabout” that’s his true showcase, as his skins rumble away under layers of dramatic brass passages and crash around the guitar solos.

His drumming reaches an apotheosis on the song’s 7″ version, a blistering attack of swing-styled beats that prods the brass to even greater heights, while his crack drumming on the flip side of the single pushes the guitarist into hyper-speed and the horns into rousing solos of speed jazz, only to collapse into slower passages of big rock that slams straight into Detroit. After that, the gentler, jazzy excursions of “Imitations from Home” are a well-deserved breather, although not for Hartley, whose intricate patterns keep him on his toes. Only the Beatlesque “We Are All the Same” provides any concession to contemporary pop audiences, but KHB cared little for them, so intent were they on proving to rock fans that there was no need to desert R&B, soul, and funk in their search for more experimental music and/or harder sounds. On their last set, they delicately pointed out the possibilities; here they hammer it home. (by Jo-Ann Greene)

And Miller Anderson is one of the most underrated guitarists from the UK.

Personnel:
Miller Anderson (vocals, guitar)
Dave Caswell (trumpet, flugelhorn)
Keef Hartley (drums, percussion)
Lyle Jenkins (saxophone, flute)
Mick Weaver (keyboards)
Gary Thain (bass)
+
Johnny Almond (flute on 03.)
Peter Dines (keyboards on 05.)
Jon Hiseman (drums, percussion on 03.)
+
background vocals:
Ingrid Thomas – Joan Knighton – Valerie Charrington

Tracklist:
01. You Can Choose (Anderson) 5.29
02. Plain Talkin’ (Anderson) 3.24
03. Theme Song – En Route – Theme Song – Reprise (Anderson/Hartley/Thain) 8.05
04. Overdog (Anderson) 4.20
05. Roundabout (Anderson) 6.07
06. Imitations From Home (Hartley) 3.36
07. We Are All The Same (Anderson) 4.41

*
**

More from the Keef Hartley Band in this blog:

Herbie Mann – Hold On, I’m Comin’ (1973)

Herbert Jay Solomon (April 16, 1930 – July 1, 2003), known by his stage name Herbie Mann, was an American jazz flute player and important early practitioner of world music. Early in his career, he also played tenor saxophone and clarinet (including bass clarinet), but Mann was among the first jazz musicians to specialize on the flute. His most popular single was “Hi-Jack”, which was a Billboard No. 1 dance hit for three weeks in 1975.

Mann emphasized the groove approach in his music. Mann felt that from his repertoire, the “epitome of a groove record” was Memphis Underground or Push Push, because the “rhythm section locked all in one perception.”

Mann was married to Susan Janeal Arison. His four children are: Paul Mann, Claudia Mann, Laura Mann-Lepik and Geoffrey Mann. Geoff is a multi-instrumentalist who plays drums for Los Angeles-based metal/afrobeat group Here Lies Man.

After a long battle with prostate cancer, Herbie Mann died at age 73 on July 1, 2003, at his home in Pecos, New Mexico. (wikipedia)

This is one of the best Herbie Mann recordings and arguably his most rewarding of the 1970s. This long out of print LP features the leader/flutist, David Newman (on tenor and flute), the avant-garde guitarist Sonny Sharrock, and a fine backup rhythm section (electric pianist Pat Rebillot, bassist Andy Muson, and drummer Reggie Ferguson) stretching out on a variety of R&Bish material including “Respect Yourself,” “Memphis Underground,” and “Hold on, I’m Comin’.” The high quality of the solos and the spirited ensembles (which were inspired by the audience at the 1972 New York Jazz Festival) make this a generally memorable session. (by Scott Yanow)

Recorded live at the Yankee Stadium, NYC on July 8, 1972, except 03 live at the  Pavillon Montreux in Switzerland on June 25, 1972

Personnel:
Reggie Ferguson (drums)
Herbie Mann (flute)
Andy Muson (bass)
David Newman (saxophone, flute)
Pat Rebillot (piano)
Sonny Sharrock (guitar)

Tracklist:
01. (Gimme Some of That Good Old) Soul Beat Momma (Mann) 7.36
02. Never Can Say Goodbye (Davis) 4.36
03. Respect Yourself (Ingram/Rice) 8.52
04. Memphis Underground (Mann) 13.07
05. Hold On, I’m Comin’ (Hayes/Porter) 4.08

*
**

More from Herbie Mann in this blog:

An unofficial website:

Wolfgang Dauner’s Et Cetera – Live (1973)

Wolfgang Dauner (30 December 1935 – 10 January 2020) was a German jazz pianist who co-founded the United Jazz + Rock Ensemble. He worked with Hans Koller, Albert Mangelsdorff, Volker Kriegel and Ack van Rooyen and composed for radio, television, and film.

Dauner attended the Musikhochschule in Stuttgart, where he focused on composition, piano, and trumpet. In the 1960s he belonged to a sextet led by Joki Freund. As the leader of his trio, he recorded for the first time in 1964, an early session in the history of European free jazz. In 1969, he was leader and composer for Radio Jazz Group Stuttgart. A year later he started the jazz rock band Et Cetera. With Hans Koller, he began the Free Sound & Super Brass Big Band. In 1975, he was a founding member of the United Jazz and Rock Ensemble.

It was a collaboration of trombonist Albert Mangelsdorff, trumpeter Ack van Rooyen, sax player Charlie Mariano, bassist Eberhard Weber and guitarist Volker Kriegel.Additionally, he worked as a composer in radio, film, and television. He composed two chamber operas.

Dauner was married to Randi Bubat, a stage and costume designer. He was the father of German drummer Florian Dauner.

He died in Stuttgart on 10 January 2020. (wikipedia)

A spectacular 2-LP live studio album recorded in 1973 by Et Cetera, a group led by Wolfgang Dauner, one of the leading pianists of contemporary/experimental jazz in Germany. The quintet expanded on the sound of their 1970 ECM masterpiece “Output” and added Indian ethnic elements to the mix. The band has evolved in a psychedelic direction by absorbing music and other elements, resulting in agonizing experimental jazz rock. The introduction of the essence of Indian music and the creation of a groove through the constant refrain of minimal phrases show the influence of Miles Davis. Super deep sound world, over 80 minutes in total. It is no exaggeration to say that this is a milestone of German psychedelic jazz. (organicmusic.jp)

An album for free spirits, not always easy to bear (“Es soll ein Stück vom Willi sein”), but also breathtaking jazz-rock (“Plumcake”).

Or else: not for the faint-hearted … adventurous, crazy … an album that could probably only have been made in this era … with an unleashed Wolfgang Dauner and two no less crazy drummers (“C G X 3 And Blues”)

Recorded live at Sielmingen, May 1973
except 08.: Studio recording (Dauner Studio)

Personnel:
Fred Braceful (drums)
Wolfgang Dauner (keyboards, synthesizer)
Lala Kovacev (drums)
Jürgen Schmidt-Oehm (violin, flute)
Matthias Thurow (bass, sitar)

Tracklist:
01. Twelve And Nine (Dauner) 12.00
02. Introduction (Kovacev/Braceful/Schmidt-Oehm/Thurow/Dauner) 10.14
03. Es soll ein Stück vom Willi sein (Schmidt-Oehm) 8.33
04. Plumcake (Thurow) 9.29
05. Applause + annoucement 0.56
06. C G X 3 And Blues (Dauner) 21.17
07. The Love That Cannot Speak It’s Name (Dauner) 16.07
08. Nemo’s Dream (Dauner) 4.16

*
**

More from Wolfgang Dauner in this blog:

The official website: