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German-born composer/trumpeter Michael Mantler and his then-wife Carla Bley were instrumental in developing within jazz the idea of self-sufficiency and independence from established record companies. Their creation of the Jazz Composer's Orchestra, with recordings released on their own label, was the culmination of this endeavor, and the first recording was one of the masterpieces of creative music in the '60s. Mantler had come from the European avant-classical tradition and sought to provide an orchestral framework supporting some of the most advanced musicians in avant-garde jazz -- and he succeeded magnificently. His style tends toward the brooding and darkly romantic with harsh, cynical edges, a perfect foil for the robust, shackle-breaking improvisations found herein. The cloudy, roiling swirls that open "Communications #8," echoed by Bley's stabbing piano chords, lay the groundwork for inspired soloing by Don Cherry and the pre-Last Tango and still extremely fiery Gato Barbieri. Subsequent pieces include an amazing feedback showcase for Larry Coryell and a gorgeous, somber work featuring bassist Steve Swallow and trombonist Roswell Rudd. All of this is a preview for, well, "Preview," an utterly incendiary flight by Pharoah Sanders over a pounding rhythm by the orchestra, a piece that will leave the listener bruised, battered, and exhilarated. Except that the best is yet to come: a 34-minute, two-part composition, a concerto for Cecil Taylor and orchestra, that finds the pianist at the height of his powers, just beginning to enter the third phase of his development where he fused ultra-high energy playing with rigorous logic and heartbreaking beauty. The breadth of this piece, its expansiveness, and its tension between order and chaos is one of the single high watermarks of avant-garde jazz. Communications is a masterwork in and of itself and laid the basis for stunning work by others in decades hence, notably Barry Guy and his London Jazz Composer's Orchestra. It's an essential document for anyone interested in avant jazz and late-20th century creative music.
© Brian Olewnick /TiVo
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Jimmy Knepper, Trombone, AssociatedPerformer - Howard Johnson, Tuba, AssociatedPerformer - Gato Barbieri, Tenor Saxophone, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Don Cherry, Cornet, AssociatedPerformer - Paul Goodman, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Lew Tabackin, Tenor Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - CARLA BLEY, Piano, AssociatedPerformer - Charles Davis, Baritone Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Bob Donovan, Alto Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Steve Lacy, Soprano Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Michael Mantler, Composer, Conductor, Producer, MainArtist - The Jazz Composer's Orchestra, MainArtist - Andrew Cyrille, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Bob Northern, French Horn, AssociatedPerformer - Jack Jeffers, Bass Trombone, AssociatedPerformer - Kent Carter, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Lloyd Michels, Flugelhorn, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1968 JCOA Records, under exclusive license to Universal Music Classics & Jazz - a division of Universal Music GmbH
Ron Carter, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Jimmy Knepper, Trombone, AssociatedPerformer - Howard Johnson, Tuba, AssociatedPerformer - Paul Goodman, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Lew Tabackin, Tenor Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - LARRY CORYELL, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - CARLA BLEY, Piano, AssociatedPerformer - Charles Davis, Baritone Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Bob Donovan, Alto Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Beaver Harris, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Michael Mantler, Composer, Conductor, Producer, MainArtist - The Jazz Composer's Orchestra, MainArtist - Bob Northern, French Horn, AssociatedPerformer - Jack Jeffers, Bass Trombone, AssociatedPerformer - Lloyd Michels, Flugelhorn, AssociatedPerformer - Al Gibbons, Soprano Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1968 JCOA Records, under exclusive license to Universal Music Classics & Jazz - a division of Universal Music GmbH
Ron Carter, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Jimmy Knepper, Trombone, AssociatedPerformer - Howard Johnson, Tuba, AssociatedPerformer - Paul Goodman, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Lew Tabackin, Tenor Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Steve Swallow, Double Bass, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Roswell Rudd, Trombone, AssociatedPerformer - CARLA BLEY, Piano, AssociatedPerformer - Charles Davis, Baritone Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Bob Donovan, Alto Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Beaver Harris, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Michael Mantler, Composer, Conductor, Producer, MainArtist - The Jazz Composer's Orchestra, MainArtist - Bob Northern, French Horn, AssociatedPerformer - Jack Jeffers, Bass Trombone, AssociatedPerformer - Lloyd Michels, Flugelhorn, AssociatedPerformer - Al Gibbons, Soprano Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1968 JCOA Records, under exclusive license to Universal Music Classics & Jazz - a division of Universal Music GmbH
Ron Carter, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Jimmy Knepper, Trombone, AssociatedPerformer - Howard Johnson, Tuba, AssociatedPerformer - Paul Goodman, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Pharoah Sanders, Tenor Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Lew Tabackin, Tenor Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - CARLA BLEY, Piano, AssociatedPerformer - Charles Davis, Baritone Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Bob Donovan, Alto Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Beaver Harris, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Michael Mantler, Composer, Conductor, Producer, MainArtist - The Jazz Composer's Orchestra, MainArtist - Bob Northern, French Horn, AssociatedPerformer - Jack Jeffers, Bass Trombone, AssociatedPerformer - Lloyd Michels, Flugelhorn, AssociatedPerformer - Al Gibbons, Soprano Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1968 JCOA Records, under exclusive license to Universal Music Classics & Jazz - a division of Universal Music GmbH
Cecil Taylor, Piano, AssociatedPerformer - Jimmy Knepper, Trombone, AssociatedPerformer - Howard Johnson, Tuba, AssociatedPerformer - Paul Goodman, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Lew Tabackin, Tenor Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Bob Cunningham, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Charles Davis, Baritone Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Bob Donovan, Alto Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Michael Mantler, Composer, Conductor, Producer, MainArtist - The Jazz Composer's Orchestra, MainArtist - Andrew Cyrille, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Bob Northern, French Horn, AssociatedPerformer - Jack Jeffers, Bass Trombone, AssociatedPerformer - Lloyd Michels, Flugelhorn, AssociatedPerformer - Al Gibbons, Soprano Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1968 JCOA Records, under exclusive license to Universal Music Classics & Jazz - a division of Universal Music GmbH
Cecil Taylor, Piano, AssociatedPerformer - Jimmy Knepper, Trombone, AssociatedPerformer - Howard Johnson, Tuba, AssociatedPerformer - Paul Goodman, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Lew Tabackin, Tenor Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Bob Cunningham, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Charles Davis, Baritone Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Bob Donovan, Alto Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Michael Mantler, Composer, Conductor, Producer, MainArtist - The Jazz Composer's Orchestra, MainArtist - Andrew Cyrille, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Bob Northern, French Horn, AssociatedPerformer - Jack Jeffers, Bass Trombone, AssociatedPerformer - Lloyd Michels, Flugelhorn, AssociatedPerformer - Al Gibbons, Soprano Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1968 JCOA Records, under exclusive license to Universal Music Classics & Jazz - a division of Universal Music GmbH
Album review
German-born composer/trumpeter Michael Mantler and his then-wife Carla Bley were instrumental in developing within jazz the idea of self-sufficiency and independence from established record companies. Their creation of the Jazz Composer's Orchestra, with recordings released on their own label, was the culmination of this endeavor, and the first recording was one of the masterpieces of creative music in the '60s. Mantler had come from the European avant-classical tradition and sought to provide an orchestral framework supporting some of the most advanced musicians in avant-garde jazz -- and he succeeded magnificently. His style tends toward the brooding and darkly romantic with harsh, cynical edges, a perfect foil for the robust, shackle-breaking improvisations found herein. The cloudy, roiling swirls that open "Communications #8," echoed by Bley's stabbing piano chords, lay the groundwork for inspired soloing by Don Cherry and the pre-Last Tango and still extremely fiery Gato Barbieri. Subsequent pieces include an amazing feedback showcase for Larry Coryell and a gorgeous, somber work featuring bassist Steve Swallow and trombonist Roswell Rudd. All of this is a preview for, well, "Preview," an utterly incendiary flight by Pharoah Sanders over a pounding rhythm by the orchestra, a piece that will leave the listener bruised, battered, and exhilarated. Except that the best is yet to come: a 34-minute, two-part composition, a concerto for Cecil Taylor and orchestra, that finds the pianist at the height of his powers, just beginning to enter the third phase of his development where he fused ultra-high energy playing with rigorous logic and heartbreaking beauty. The breadth of this piece, its expansiveness, and its tension between order and chaos is one of the single high watermarks of avant-garde jazz. Communications is a masterwork in and of itself and laid the basis for stunning work by others in decades hence, notably Barry Guy and his London Jazz Composer's Orchestra. It's an essential document for anyone interested in avant jazz and late-20th century creative music.
© Brian Olewnick /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 6 track(s)
- Total length: 01:13:16
- Main artists: The Jazz Composer's Orchestra Michael Mantler
- Composer: Michael Mantler
- Label: JCOA
- Genre: Jazz
© 1968 JCOA Records ℗ 1968 JCOA Records
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