Thad Jones - And The Danish Radio Big Band & Eclipse (2013) {2CD Set, Storyville Records Digital Issue rec 1978-1980}
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© 1978-80, 2013 Storyville Records
Jazz / Modern Big Band / Modern Arrangement / Cornet

The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Big Band visited Scandinavia a couple of times and was a sensation. Later when Mel Lewis and Thad Jones had some difficulties Thad got an offer from the Danish Radio Big Band where his first season was (1977-78). Thad Jones wanted to play his own music and played as many as ten radio broadcasts per year at the Montmartre Club. At the same time he also started up his own big band, Eclipse, with his own repertoire, based at Jazzhus Slukefter in the Tivoli Garden.

Various Artists - The Big Stiff Box Set (2007) {4CD Set, Salvo SALVOBX402 rec 1976-1986}
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© 1976-86, 2007 Stiff Records / Salvo | SALVOBX402
Rock / New Wave / Punk / Alternative / Power Pop / Pub Rock / Rock & Roll

Stiff Records will go down in history as the most important UK independent label ever. The Stiff staff have released some of the most legendary punk and new wave records of all time, covering every cool musical revolution first and with style. This is a hundred track slice of punk and new wave history, complete with 68 page book. "If it ain’t Stiff it ain’t worth a f*ck!"

Tania Maria's debut is a mix of hushed bossa numbers and up-tempo, jazz-inflected sambas that show off the prowess of her nine-piece band. "Zé," which belongs to the latter category, is an original tune that begins with Maria's slightly over-the-top scatting and builds into a kickin' samba jam; on "Para Chick," a Tom Jobim instrumental, the group is at its most improvisational, with Maria herself (on piano) dishing out some fine solos; and on the tempo-shifting "Ideias E Ideias," Maria manages to sound like Astrud Gilberto and Ella Fitzgerald within the span of a few chord changes. Though it's heavy on the standard bossa/samba fare, it's also a uniformly solid album and a fine introduction to Maria's catalog.

Free were an English rock band formed in London in 1968, best known for their 1970 signature song "All Right Now". They disbanded in 1973 and lead singer Paul Rodgers went on to become a frontman of the band Bad Company along with Simon Kirke on drums. Lead guitarist Paul Kossoff formed Back Street Crawler in 1975, but died from a pulmonary embolism at the age of 25 in 1976. Bassist Andy Fraser formed Sharks…

The Long Hello was an instrumental progressive album recorded in August 1973 by David Jackson, Hugh Banton, Guy Evans & Friends (including another ex-Van Der Graaf Generator - bassist Nic Potter and guitarist Ced Curtis - both at the time of the session were members of Rare Bird) soon after VDGG was disbanded. The music on that album was truly beautiful, well-arranged, quite relaxing and very melodic (with plenty of flute, sax and classical guitar) but also dark, twisted and most of the time very similar to the early VDGG style. This unjustly underrated record was originally signed by the band members, titled 'The Long Hello’ and released in 1974 on Italian United Artists label. 2 years later it was reissued in the UK (with different cover and with reversed sides) by the band ‘The Long Hello’ themselves as a limited edition of 5000 copies. This CD has been carefully remastered from original, analogue source.

Paulinho da Viola - Foi um Rio Que Passou em Minha Vida (1970) {Odeon–EMI 8525042 rel 1996}
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© 1970, 1996 Odeon / EMI Music Brasil | 852504 2
Jazz / Brazilian Jazz / Samba / Brazilian Pop / MPB

This record from 1970 is a gem. It's Samba, sure, but it combines the beauty of simplicity and authenticity with lush orchestrations on several of the songs. It alters between dance songs and more laid-back songs. Those delight with their sweet saudade. Paulinho da Viola has a warm baritone voice that reveals his inspirations are the singers from the fifties and before. And he plays a lovely guitar. Foi Um Rio que Passou em Minha Vida is yet another Brazilian beauty that is out of print.

The Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1970, by songwriters/multi-instrumentalists Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood with drummer Bev Bevan. Their music is characterised by a fusion of Beatlesque pop, classical arrangements, and futuristic iconography. After Wood's departure in 1972, Lynne became the band's leader, arranging and producing every album while writing virtually all of their original material…

The Jazz Club series is an attractive addition to the Verve catalogue. With it's modern design and popular choice of repertoire, the Jazz Club is not only opened for Jazz fans, but for everyone that loves good music.
Kai Warner was the stage name of Werner Last (27 October 1926 - 9 July 1982), a German bandleader and musician, and the brother of James Last and Robert Last.

Max Roach & Anthony Braxton - Birth And Rebirth (1978) {Black Saint BSR 0024 CD}
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© 1978 Black Saint | BSR 0024 CD
Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Post Bop / Saxophone / Drums

The first of drummer Max Roach's two duet sets with multireedist Anthony Braxton consists of seven fairly free improvisations that they created in the studio. Each of the selections (particularly "Birth" which builds gradually in intensity to a ferocious level, the waltz time of "Magic and Music," the atmospheric "Tropical Forest" and "Softshoe") have their own plot and purpose. Braxton (who performs on alto, soprano, sopranino and clarinet) and Roach continually inspire each other, which is probably why they would record a second set the following year. Stimulating avant-garde music.

Max Roach & Anthony Braxton - One in Two, Two in One (1979) {hat ART CD 6030 rel 1989}
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© 1979, 1989 Hat Hut Records | hat ART CD 6030
Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Post Bop / Saxophone / Drums

The second of two duet albums by drummer Max Roach and multi-reedist Anthony Braxton was recorded live and released on this two-LP set; this is the more interesting of the two projects since it is a nearly 78-minute continual improvisation. Braxton gets to stretch out on alto, soprano, sopranino, contra bass clarinet (which really gets a monstrous sound), clarinet, and flute. With Roach pushing Braxton, the results are quite adventurous, yet full of joy. Followers of avant-garde jazz can consider this set to be essential.

This is a wonderful but very underrated debut album from progressive Norwegian Popol Vuh (NOT the more recognizable German krautrock band!), who in 1975 (after two albums) changed its name to Popol Ace. Their eponymous long play was released in 1972 on Polydor label and today is considered by many listeners a progressive masterpiece with slightly jazzy and bluesy feeling, with many tempo and moods changes and plenty of acoustic/electric guitars, Hammond organ, electric piano, mellotron and flute interplay. This carefully remastered CD edition is necessary for fans of early Genesis, Caravan, King Crimson, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Focus & Jethro Tull.

Boxer were a rock band formed by keyboardist Mike Patto and guitarist Ollie Halsall in 1975. They signed to Virgin and three albums followed, Below the Belt (1975), Absolutely (1977) and Bloodletting (1979), which also featured Bobby Tench and Boz Burrell. The band dissolved after Absolutely when Patto became ill…