Jazzis Web Shop News 01/2008

Just a quick note to let everybody know that January has been a record month as far as the amount of new additions.

Many new additions are still waiting in the queue and with the current rate of 1 new item every day the queue stretches well into mid-March by now.

The total amount of active items is about 1,700 and by the end of the year it should reach the 2,000 figure, which BTW is far beyond what I planned it to be when I started this thing. There is simply so much great music around

Please visit the Sales section, which is being replentished from time to time with items that are phased out. This stuff is all out of print and this is the last opportunity to get it, and now for a ridiculous price.

https://www/jazzis.com/shop/default.asp?s=sale

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ALBUM

Today’s addition is a another DVD by the legendary UK musician John Mayall, which brigs us his 70th Birthday Concert:

John Mayall – “70th Birthday Concert”

This superb DVD documents the special 70th Birthday concert organized as a tribute to one of UK greatest and most important musicians - bandleader and champion of the Blues – John Mayall. Mayall was a pivotal figure, which shaped the British musical scene since the mid-1960s and was crucial as a precursor of Blues, Blues-Rock, Rock and even Jazz-Rock. Over the years Mayall’s band included the creme de la creme of British players, who later became the heroes and spawned countless famous bands. The list is just too long to be included here, but every music lover surely knows them all. The most sensational event of the concert was the one-time reunion of the Bluesbreakers lineup, which included Eric Clapton and recorded one of the most influential Blues albums of all times. Another guitar hero – Mick Taylor – also joins Mayall on the stage, and the list of legends goes on and on. These are well over two hours of some of the best Blues music one can imagine and I can’t even think of a Blues fan anywhere in the world not having this in their collection. Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and DTS, 137 minutes.

https://www.jazzis.com/shop/default.asp?item=102425

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DVD

Today’s addition is a monster DVD by the legendary Fusion band Weather Report:

Weather Report – “Live At Montreux 1976”

Every piece of music by the legendary Fusion pioneers Weather Report is worth it’s weight in gold, and considering this one is a well filmed and well recorded brilliant performance at the Swiss Montreux Jazz Festival, this is truly a priceless addition to the band’s legacy. WR appeared twice at Montreux, this being the first of the two. The lineup is probably the strongest one of the band’s mid-life period, and includes Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, Jaco Pastorius, Alex Acuña and Manolo Badrena – the same band that was to record “Heavy Weather” a few months later. Everything that made WR great is evident here – the individual soloing, the incredible interplay and telepathic connection between the players, the great tunes and the total devotion to their music. It must have been pretty hot on the July night, as everybody sweats intensely, and the music is nothing but brilliant. I was lucky to see WR quite a few times, and this DVD is a great evidence of how incredible this band was live, even at times when their studio efforts suffered. This is an absolute must to all WR fans and all Fusion-heads out there. Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and DTS, 84 minutes.

https://www.jazzis.com/shop/default.asp?item=102426

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DVD

Today’s addition is a new edition of the classic Led Zeppelin film:

Led Zeppelin – “The Song Remains The Same (Special Edition)”

There would have be nothing easier for Led Zeppelin than to release the film that documents their 1973 Madison Square Garden performance as a straight-forward documentary, the same way as other concert / festival footage was released. The band decided to take this a step further and augmented the concert footage with fantasy sequences, behind-the-stage scenes and at-home glimpses of all four heroes, creating what might be considered as one of the first major scale video-clips. Regardless of the fact if this additional material is great cinematography (a debate that belongs elsewhere), the overall effect works very well and most importantly depicts the era where Rock musicians were almighty Superheroes. But of course the film also includes a brilliant performance and some of the best Rock music ever recorded. Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham playing together were a Force of Nature, way beyond any other Rock band that walked the earth at the time. Phenomenal instrumental skills, telepathic interplay, dramatic vocals and a wall of sound effect of immense intensity were but a few of their virtues. The film captures all of that and more in superb visual and audio quality and the miracle is preserved for eternity. The new (2007) edition adds a whole extra DVD, which includes lots of never previously seen material, but most importantly some of the original concert footage that was edited out from the film edition. Absolutely Essential! Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and DTS, 137 minutes.

https://www.jazzis.com/shop/default.asp?item=102427

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BOX SET

Today’s addition is a wonderful new box set that collectors will kill for:

Sandy Denny – “Live At The BBC”

This lavishly and lovingly produced box set collects all existing (audio & video) BBC recordings by Folk-Rock heroin Sandy Denny, who was not only one of the most distinctive voices of the Golden Age but also a superb songwriter. This collection spans from 1966 to 1973 and covers her solo career, which was before and after her being a member of Strawbs, Fairport Convention and Fotheringay. Most of the material included here presents Sandy as “naked” as a singer can appear – just her hair-raising vocals and acoustic guitar or piano (only a few tracks include other backing musicians), which of course is for the best as she never really needed anything more. Her angelic and deeply penetrating voice and her theatrical ability to express the lyrics are so powerful that the experience is almost unparalleled. Most of the songs are her own (music & lyrics) and just a few are her arrangements of traditional folk material. The DVD includes the only footage in existence of Sandy performing. The set also includes beautiful photographs and excerpts of Sandy’s diaries. Sandy’s tragically premature death in 1978 put an end to her exquisite input to the world of music and she is sadly missed. I don’t think anything more needs to be said here – this is absolutely brilliant stuff, beyond essential for anybody who truly loves music and a must in any decent music collection.

https://www.jazzis.com/shop/default.asp?item=102428

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BOX SET

Today’s addition is another wonderful new box set that collectors will kill for:

Pentangle – “The Time Has Come: 1967-1973”

British Folk-Rock band Pentangle was the finest representative of the Folk-Rock genre and their unique blend of Folk, Rock and Jazz enriched the music world immensely. With the combined talents of singer Jacqui McShee, guitarists John Renbourn and Bert Jansch, bassist Danny Thompson and drummer Terry Cox they were unbeatable and reached beyond anything the audiences were familiar with. The amazing vocal harmonies and the dazzling guitar duos, backed by the best rhythm section on the British Isles were a blast. The band went through two distinct “life cycles”, the first of which is documented on this lavish and beautiful box set. The music includes some studio tracks released on the band’s albums, but over 70 % of the tracks are previously unreleased and include singles, outtakes, soundtracks and a plethora of live recordings. The first 2 CDs cover studio material and the other two include live material (concert, radio and TV) and soundtracks. I can’t even imagine any Folk-Rock / Pentangle fan not having this beauty in their collection.

https://www.jazzis.com/shop/default.asp?item=102429

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As already announced, I'm proud to have the Vocalion label releases finally in my shop.

The Vocalion label is owned by sound maverick / engineer Michael Dutton and specializes in reissuing remastered versions of material, which has immense histrical value.

Although the majority of the label's activity falls outside of the scope of the Jazzis Web Shop, they do include a lot of Jazz and Jazz-Rock recorded in the UK in late 1960s and 1970s, which is some of the best music ever recorded. All of this stuff has been unavailable for decades and hearing it now, wonderfully remastered by Mr. Dutton, is a delight.

It will take me a couple of weeks to add all the 30 releases initially brought in, but you can all follow the additions using the link below:

https://www.jazzis.com/shop/default.asp?label=vocalion

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ALBUM

It’s time to start adding those wonderful British reissues on the splendid Vocalion label. Today’s addition is one of my all time favorite albums, which I’ve cherished for almost 40 years now:

John Cameron – “Off Centre”

British composer / arranger / pianist John Cameron is mostly known to the world for his pioneering work as a composer of film scores and arranger of countless albums, but in the late 1960s he was also an active Jazz player and his quartet played many gigs at the time and also managed to record this album, which remains to this very day as one of my all time favorites. Unfortunately this is almost the solitary session, which allows us to hear John’s exquisite piano work, and therefore it has also an immense historic importance. The quartet also included three absolutely marvelous players: saxophonists and flautist Harold McNair (one of the greatest talents of the British Jazz scene who passed away at a tragically young age), extraordinary bassist Danny Thompson and drummer Tony Carr, who was a central figure on the British scene for many years. This album is special for many reasons, but I’ll mention just a few: first the absolutely brilliant compositions by John, with ingenious melodic lines and unusual time signatures – so typical of the British Jazz around that period; second the divine playing by Harold, whose flute work was second to none; third the level of musicianship displayed by all the players, which is absolutely stunning. Combined, all these factors contribute to making this album so special. Hearing it on CD for the first time, with the magnificent remastering by Michael Dutton, was a great experience and I’m delighted that this gem is available again to be enjoyed by the new generation of music lovers. Beyond essential!

https://www.jazzis.com/shop/default.asp?item=102430

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ALBUM

Today’s addition is another release on the Vocalion label, which revives the British Jazz and Jazz-Rock scene of the late 1960s / early 1970s – the most glorious and creative period in the country’s cultural development.

Amancio D`Silva – “Konkan Dance”

Guitarist / composer Amancio D`Silva was born in Goa, India and arrived in London in 1967, where he was immediately absorbed by the burgeoning local Jazz scene. Similarly to many other musicians, who arrived in the ex-Empire’s Capital from the colonial countries (but mostly from India), D`Silva was already “armed” with a vast musical tradition of his native county. The liberal cultural atmosphere of the London scene and the openness to other cultural influences where a major factor in creating a cultural amalgam between the Western Jazz tradition and the Eastern musical treasures. Several players practiced the new Jazz-World Fusion direction, like the John Mayer / Joe Harriott ensemble with the revolutionary “Indo-Jazz Fusions“ recordings. Although D`Silva participated in a wide variety of sessions, his unique guitar voice always included a subtle Eastern undertone. However, on his solo recording projects, where his own compositions were mainly featured, this influence was much more apparent. He recorded five brilliant solo albums, of which this was the last. For some strange reason the last album was never released at the time and this is the first time this great music can be heard, which of course is a reason to celebrate, as anything recorded by this brilliant musician is an important heritage and a document of the era. The musicians participating in this recording come from the ranks of legendary British Jazz scene: Don Rendell – saxophone, Stan Tracey – piano and Alan Branscombe – flute, vibes and electric piano. A sitar and two tabla players add the Indian flavor to the music, which flows beautifully like a river of sound in an enchanted garden. Absolute must!

https://www.jazzis.com/shop/default.asp?item=102431

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