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viewing 1 To 8 of 8 items
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2CD/DVD
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REELR 021/23CD
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Electric guitar radical G.F. Fitz-Gerald and soprano saxophone subversive Lol Coxhill; dual masters of spontaneous art and intuitive music, unleash The Poppy Seed Affair, a three disc collection for your edification and confoundment. The Poppy Seed Affair film was produced in 1981 by London's anarch-oholic troupe, The Matchbox Purveyors; Ian Hinchcliffe, Jeff Nuttall, Mark Long, G.F. Fitz-Gerald, Lol Coxhill & Foxy. Inimitable soundtrack by Lol Coxhill, sometimes in trio with drummer Robert Wyatt and bassist Archie Leggett. Now rescued from utter obscurity to DVD (NTSC all-region; run time: 30 minutes), this comedic tour-de-farce juggles the insane and the inane with a twist of the profane. Complementing this complete experience are two extraordinary compact discs mastered directly from true-to-life tape recordings out of the G.F. Fitz-Gerald archive. CD1 is an intimate, close-mic concert recording of Fitz-Gerald & Coxhill at Newcastle's Spectro Arts Workshop, 1981. Here, the duo's mercurial genius for spatial sonics is fully displayed. CD2 collects several works for tape, beginning with "Listen Collage," which reconstructs, à la Faust Tapes, random room sounds of bizarre hippie domesticity, bedroom radios, tape recorders and ambient street sounds from London's Ladbrooke Grove during the spring of 1969. Unmistakably, this is a prodigious 20-minute audio adventure unique to its epoch. Following "Listen Collage" are two extended works for prepared guitars and sundry effects, leading to the sampled tape loop trip "Band In My Head." And lastly, a tape collage for The Matchbox Purveyors' stage show, The Team. This entire disc transforms the magic of the creative moment into deeply experiential realms for our mind's-eye. Furthermore, in refusing to impose any impure digital processing whatsoever, these analog recordings remain en vérité. Few guitarists have so audaciously scaled the sonic heights G.F. Fitz-Gerald has, no other saxophonist sounds as Lol Coxhill does, and Reel Recordings proudly presents a profusion of their unadulterated artistry throughout this rare archival collection. The Poppy Seed Affair is delivered as a numbered limited edition of 500 copies.
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CD
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REELR 016CD
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Reel Recordings presents the Don Rendell-Ian Carr Quintet, Live At The Union 1966 in affiliation with the February 23, 2010 Queen Elizabeth Hall concert, "Ian Carr: A Celebration Of His Life And Music." All proceeds from this CD to benefit Britain's Alzheimer's Research Trust.
Jazz in Britain during the 1960s found many musical voices speaking uniquely beyond their American inspiration, but few spoke as eloquently as the Don Rendell - Ian Carr Quintet. Formed in 1964 by modernists Don Rendell (saxes/flutes) and the late Ian Carr (trumpet/flugelhorn), their quintet was perfected by the tremendous rhythm section of composer Michael Garrick (piano), Dave Green (double bass) and Trevor Tompkins (drums). While a handful of classic records made for EMI/Columbia UK between 1964 and 1969 remain among the most sought-after missing discs in many a British jazz record collection, it was on the bandstand where the Quintet's music found its greatest expression. What a revelation then, to discover this lost private recording, which captured six chapters, played from the stylistically expansive book of compositions penned by Don Rendell, Ian Carr, and Michael Garrick. The Quintet's concert took place at the Students Union Hall at London's University College on December 12, 1966, among an intimate and enthusiastic audience of friends, and remarkably, recorded by George Foster. Deputizing for bassist Dave Green, who left early due to a double booking at Ronnie Scott's Old Place, was New Jazz Orchestra's bassist Tony Reeves, who plays beautifully throughout. From the exhilarating, and hitherto unreleased "Trane's Mood," through the lyrical "Webster's Mood," the quintet's performance overflows with emotion and beauty.
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REELR 013CD
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Splinters is remembered, indeed lionized by knowing UK jazz fans, as the monumental musical meeting of tenor giant Tubby Hayes, trumpeter Kenny Wheeler, saxophonist Trevor Watts, pianist Stan Tracey, bassist Jeff Clyne, and legendary drummers John Stevens and Phil Seamen. Split The Difference is the rare recording Trevor Watts made of the group's first public appearance, at London's 100 Club on May 22nd, 1972. Two extended sets of continuous collective improvisation comprise this full-length CD release; the first opportunity to experience this leaderless ensemble of British jazz greats with their special musical personalities summoned to create group music with robust, telepathic energy, as informed by the great history of modern jazz. Their cauldron of emotionally-extroverted playing, as it boils over a torrent of exuberant double drumming from John Stevens and Phil Seamen, is a sheer wonder for the ear to behold. Moreover, such exhilaration is preserved in a dynamic recording that allows the listener to bear witness to this once-in-a-lifetime event. Reel Recordings' remastering care was guided by the sonic requirements for the music itself, which was captured as an analog tape recording. Including personal reflections from Trevor Watts, and 100 Club concert photographs by Jak Kilby, Split The Difference guarantees an experience to be filed under: essential.
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REELR 011CD
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This is a previously unreleased recording from the late '70s by Bob Downes Open Music. Bob Downes is a multi-instrumentalist composer possessing a distinctive musical personality and prowess. Through bodily breath emanates sublime sounds from an array of flutes, poignant patterns from his alto and tenor saxophone performances, and engaging expressions of complimentary vocalizations. Open Music is the moniker under which Bob has produced an eclectic range of records since 1968. However, none of the above prepares the listener for the profoundly engrossing experience that is Crossing Borders. Composed during an extended tour throughout South America in 1973, and evocative of the exotic locales encountered, Crossing Borders is a compendium of musical precision, mysticism, and tranquility. During the late '70s Bob Downes produced a beautifully warm analog recording of his programmatic vision, colluding with contemporaries guitarist Brian Godding, trombonist Paul Rutherford , bassists Barry Guy, Mark Meggido and Paul Bridge, and drummers Denis Smith and John Stevens. Thirty years later, this unreleased record finally sees the light of day, and it has aged like a fine wine. A recording this special comes deservedly wrapped with our highest recommendation for everyone prepared to cross musical borders!
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REELR 006CD
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Mike Osborne (1941-2007) was an alto saxophonist without a peer among his fellow British country men, a musician of profound personality with a gift for jazz composition. Mike was first heard in the '60s as a soloist of incendiary character in the Mike Westbrook Concert Band, and his never less than passionate sound was ubiquitous throughout the heyday of British jazz in the 1970s. He recorded and performed extensively with the leading composers of the era; Chris McGregor, Michael Gibbs, and Barry Guy. With John Surman and Alan Skidmore, "Ozzie," as he was affectionately known by friends, formed the celebrated saxophone trio SOS, while also leading numerous bands under his own name. It's no secret that Mike Osborne suffered from schizophrenia, and in 1983, circumstances forced his retreat from London, robbing both Mike and his audience of further music-making. In 2007, Reel Recordings approached Mike's guardian with recently uncovered Hi-Fidelity recordings of the Osborne Quartet in the early 1980s, a hitherto undocumented period. Mike was delighted to hear the music back and blessed Force Of Nature with deep admiration for his fellow musicians; trumpeter Dave Holdsworth, bassist Marcio Mattos, and drummer Brian Abrahams. Together they blend the base ingredients of melody, harmony and rhythm toward boiling points beyond belief. To wit, there's also the quartet's non-stop 42-minute performance before an appreciative audience in Cologne, Germany. Included is a live-in-studio set with the muscular rhythm section of Paul Bridge (1940-2001) and Tony Marsh. Together, these recordings provide proof positive that music from Mike Osborne truly is a Force Of Nature.
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REELR 003CD
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Gerry F. Fitz-Gerald is a Scottish-born guitarist, possessed with kaleidoscopic imagination and commanding ability for improvisational music conversation. Lol Coxhill is a British legend, internationally recognized for his inimitable soprano saxophone sounds and situational performance art. Gerry's discography rests with his psychedelic rock masterpiece "Mouseproof," a contribution for Guitar Solos II album (with Fred Frith, Derek Bailey, Hans Reichel), and Coxhill's Fleas in Custard record, while Lol's catalog is now a published book. In 1975, the duo resided with the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, welcoming unsuspecting audiences for "An Evening of Improvised Music and Confused Humor." The concerts were beautifully recorded, and Gerry edited the many hours of music at Tom Newman's barge studio, only to have the resulting program shelved by Virgin Records. These master tapes present Lol's soprano saxophone and Gerry's electric guitar with great accuracy and presence. This is eccentric music-making, presented as "Three Fairy Dances," brimming with buoyancy and painted with cohesive sound colors. Echoes Of Duneden invites an intimate experience to the open-hearted listener.
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REELR 004CD
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Drummer Ken Hyder left his Dundee, Scotland home during the summer of 1970, and headed for the London jazz scene, where he quickly found himself replacing Robert Wyatt on the vacated throne of Mal Dean's Amazing Band. Study with John Stevens led to his playing with numerous different cutting-edge musicians at John's Little Theater Club, which was the center of new music in the 1970s. Soon Hyder founded his own band, Talisker, focusing on spontaneously improvised music and traditional Scottish folk music, with both aesthetics being mutually informed. The instrumentation driven by Ken was unique: paired double bass and paired reeds (alto, tenor, clarinets) with voices and whistles. In 1975, Talisker recorded their debut album, the breathtakingly beautiful Dreaming Of Glenisla, which was released on the Virgin subsidiary, Caroline Records. By turns serene and sensuous, impassioned and celebratory, this magnificent marriage of musical styles ultimately proves seamless. However, Dreaming Of Glenisla's success was more than musical; with micro and macro-dynamics gloriously preserved, it stands among the finest acoustic recordings of its generation. This long-awaited reissue of Ken Hyder's classic album is augmented with previously unreleased studio recordings of his grand quintet, Talisker.
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REELR 001CD
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Pam and Gary Windo were coupled in spirit with a private passion for the musical road less traveled. During their marriage, Gary taught Pam how to approach the piano as an "expressive extension of life," the aesthetic which informed his mastery of the tenor saxophone. Their mutual support flowered into numerous compositions for various recording projects, while journeys into the realm of free improvisation remained private. In 1976, an opportunity to perform at the Maidstone College of Art as a duo allowed them to bring along the rhythm section from the Brotherhood of Breath, bassist Harry Miller and drummer Louis Moholo for a set. Gary captured this concert by placing on stage a consumer reel-to-reel tape recorder and stereo microphone. In addition, an extraordinary private home session with the magnificent percussionist from Ovary Lodge, Frank Perry, was recorded. Reel Recordings has meticulously remastered and edited 40 minutes of explosive and exploratory episodes of moments frozen in time. With friends in tow, the extant recordings of Gary and Pam Windo soaring in improvisational flight, with gale force winds in their slipstream, can now be experienced. Avant Gardeners is a vital, visceral listen, rooted in love and passion.
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