★Tiger Bay
Now Jazz Ramwong
2024 Repress. Eastern-infused outstanding album by German trombonist Albert Mangelsdorff – recording here in 1964, but sounding years ahead of his time, with an amazing a blend of jazz and Asian styles! The album's one of Mangelsdorff's best ever – a set of rhythmic tunes that seem clearly informed by the work of Ornette and Joe Harriott, but also based along eastern themes picked up by the group on a tour of the Orient – and performed by a sharp-edged quintet that includes Heinz Sauer on tenor …
Gli Occhi Freddi Della Paura
New remastered reissue, the only credited soundtrack appearance of Gruppo di Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza, makes you wish Ennio Morricone had used his free improv unit for that purpose more often. Gli Occhi Fredda Della Paura, or Cold Eyes of Fear, is an Italian slasher (giallo) from 1971. The score has Il Gruppo augmented by a rhythm section and a fuzz-wah guitarist (most likely Alessandro Alessandroni). The results sound like a creepy take on 70s Miles Davis, with driving jazz beats a la C…
Spasmo
2024 repress. This great score for Umberto Lenzi's 1974 cult thriller Spasmo, by the maestro Ennio Morricone, creates a disorienting and disturbing effect, with unusual, almost avant-garde-like sounds, instrumentation, and composition. "Sweetness and darkness – perfectly blended together in this classic mid 70s soundtrack by Ennio Morricone! The main theme of the film – "Bambole" – is one of those Mondo Morricone type numbers that floats along on a gossamy sheen – vocals gliding softly over ligh…
Water Music
Nice Price! Recorded in 1985, Water Music is the first "Japanese" solo album by Mott The Hoople keyboard player Morgan Fisher, released on Satoro Takazawa aka Pneuma's label LLE. Six mesmerizing ambient tracks are played out as a multi-sensorial improvisation on a Yamaha DX7 digital synthesizer plus grand piano, tape delays, bowed guitar and shell chimes. The result is an highly contemplative album that flows as a powerful yet ethereal journey through the element of water. Completely remastered …
Where Fortune Smiles
Re-mastered edition of the 1971 album performed by the legendary enterprise consisting of John McLaughlin on guitars, John Surman on reeds, Karl Berger on vibes, Stu Martin on drums, and Dave Holland on bass. Recorded at the end of May 1970 at the Apostolic Studios in New York, “Fortune Smiles” is a jazz fusion LP that sees all five musicians experimenting equally with their outstanding music qualities. Released here as a picture disc and featuring the original Dawn Records folded insert, the al…
Wilde Flowers
Although the band never released an album during the years of their activity, Wilde Flowers is certainly to be counted among the foundation stones of the Canterbury scene of the mid-to-late Sixties. After their departure from the band, the members formed other two seminal groups of the Canterbury Sound: Soft Machine (Robert Wyatt, Kevin Ayers, and Hugh Hopper) and Caravan (David Sinclair, Richard Sinclair, Pye Hastings, and Richard Coughlan)
Katonah
The American tenor saxophonist Steve Grossman flew to Japan to record this studio session that features an incredible line up of four local musicians: Takehiro Honda is on the piano with a rhythm section of Hideo Kawahara, Yasushi Yoneki, and Masahiro Yoshida, all working together with a tremendous energy. The recordings are dated February 1986, and include the eponymous Katonah, Afternoon in Paris(J. Lewis), and Friday the 13th (T. Monk).It is worth remembering that Grossman started his journey…