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Classic British Modern & Free Jazz Recommendations

Both Jazz in Britain and Jazz Today presented by Charles Fox on Radio 3 along with Brian Case (Melody Maker), Chris Sheridan and Barrie McRae (Jazz Journal) were all part of my early jazz education.
 
Evan Parker’s Monoceros being reissued using the original direct cut plates. I have a white label Nimbus direct cut test pressing, and I can confirm it sounds amazing on all counts - for those with an ear for this type of thing. Release page from Honest Jon’s records:

Evan Parker
Monoceros
TREADER

His monumental LP of solo soprano saxophone improvisations, recorded direct-cut and issued by Incus in 1978.
Lovingly reissued by Treader — the CD is from PSI — using the original stampers, in a gorgeous hand-assembled sleeve, with glossy front and matt back, flaps out.
Unmissable.

‘Parker uses rapid tonguing techniques and circular breathing to create a sound all his own, marked by the simultaneous intonation of multiple notes. One hears a note as well as all the residual tones around it; each breath ends up sounding like a battle between the different registers of the horn. At various times, Parker’s saxophone sounds like dolphin speech, electronic tape squeals, or human murmurs; namely, anything but what it actually is. His language on the instrument is essential listening for anyone interested in acoustic experimental music’ (AllMusic).

‘Eight years after Topography Of The Lungs, and two years after his Saxophone Solos, Monoceros was the most muscular statement of Evan Parker’s solo saxophone muse. Superbly recorded, it seemed to place the listener within the chaotic air flows of the saxophone’s own tubing. Philip Clark said: ‘Parker’s dialogue with the saxophone throws up so much that is unexpected, and indeed unknowable, that the problem he faces is how to keep pace with his own invention’’ (The Wire, Best Albums Of The Year).
 
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Thanks Graham - I'll being getting that.

Everything on Treader is done with such care and attention to detail I'm sure it will sound (and look!) fantastic.
 
paulfromcamden said:
Everything on Treader is done with such care and attention to detail I'm sure it will sound (and look!) fantastic.
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Treader is a label name I keep seeing from time to time, but have no experience of. Using original stampers - especially in this instance - speaks volumes about care and attention to detail. Have you any particular Treader recommendations or background info? I know nothing about them.
 
Treader is run by John Coxon and Ashley Wales who were (are?) Spring Heeled Jack (John also played in Spiritualized for a long while).

Both are involved in improvised music - Ashley is normally one of the conductors at the the London Improvisers Orchestra's monthly concerts.

I don't have as many of their releases as I should - probably because they only released CDs for a long time.

Perhaps a good place to start is their first release, Evan Parker with Birds featuring Evan playing with John, Ashley and field recordings of birds.
 
paulfromcamden said:
Treader is run by John Coxon and Ashley Wales who were (are?) Spring Heeled Jack (John also played in Spiritualized for a long while).
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Thanks for the clarification. As soon as I asked the question I remembered the Treader CD releases, it was their more recent production of LPs that threw me as being the same label. BTW, I may have already said this, but Honest Jon’s reissues of Derek Bailey’s and Company’s Incus titles are excellent. Cut at Abbey Road from master tapes and pressed at Pallas, with some very nice documentary photographs - especially those by Jack Kilby. I’ve bought several of them for the bonus material alone even though I have originals.
 
Thanks Graham and Paul, Monoceros and Evan Parker with Birds now ordered. Very tempted by some of those Company reissues as well, but already very over spent on vinyl lately.
Wish I had bought some of those Incus originals on release. There was a record shop in Holborn, now long gone, almost opposite the Princess Louise pub that for some reason I remember and it always seemed to have the Incus releases in their window, but I never bought any. :(
 
poco a poco said:
Very tempted by some of those Company reissues as well, but already very over spent on vinyl lately.
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Know the problem. Derek’s solo LP Aida is a desert island disc for me, it is stunning and he’s at the top of his game. Recorded at gigs in London and Paris in 1980, DB had just returned from a solo tour of Japan - which was quite something for a solo improv musician back then. You can hear the Japanese influence in some of his playing here, he’d experienced playing with Japanese classical players, especially his use of timbre and attack. I also love his work with drummers. His duos with Han Bennink and Jami Muir are exceptional, and I know the Muir was a favourite of his when he was pushed to make such a distinction.
 
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From the excellent jazz in Britain label. The 2 Harry South Big Band tracks are particularly good on this one.
 
Picked this up from my local record store the other day. Unfortunately of dubious origin but sounds good. Just noticed some distortion on Side 2 - definitely a needle drop then but such a stupidly rare album that I can live with that.

 
I’ve just Round to buying a copy of Steve Harris / Zain’s “Above Our Heads the Sky Splits Open”. It’s 16 years old so decidedly post 70’s but nearly classic. I’m a bit late to the show here - I must have picked it up half a dozen times in stores since I read the Crown review in Cook and Morton’s Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD. It’s at the electric, and in places more groove driven, end of free improve - distorted guitars and samples alongside sax and strings - but is a fabulous record. I can’t believe I took so long to get a copy. It’s a great sounding record as well.
 
mikechadwick said:
Picked this up from my local record store the other day. Unfortunately of dubious origin but sounds good. Just noticed some distortion on Side 2 - definitely a needle drop then but such a stupidly rare album that I can live with that.
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The Mike Taylor trio certainly is a great album. I bet your heart missed a beat when you saw it, if like me your initial thought is it could be an original.

For those interested it is also available to stream on Quboz and Tidal, taken from the CD that was released around 2000 ( second hand copies are fairly rare and expensive). I believe the CD was copied from master tapes - according to interviews over the years with Giles Peterson et al.
 
Graham H said:
The Mike Taylor trio certainly is a great album. I bet your heart missed a beat when you saw it, if like me your initial thought is it could be an original.

For those interested it is also available to stream on Quboz and Tidal, taken from the CD that was released around 2000 ( second hand copies are fairly rare and expensive). I believe the CD was copied from master tapes - according to interviews over the years with Giles Peterson et al.
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The CD is indeed fantastic - one of the best quality recordings of the era I've heard. The sheer presence is fantastic!

Also, 'Pendulum' is an exceptional sounding CD: sadly, Universal were none too pleased with the release by Sunbeam and ensured it was pulled after around 1,000 copies were produced. However, there has been a more recent press release indicating that Decca may finally release this on vinyl. We can but hope...

95E56CB6-F826-4300-8178-8180D7984EC1 by call_me_theo, on Flickr
 
Theo said:
The CD is indeed fantastic - one of the best quality recordings of the era I've heard. The sheer presence is fantastic!

Also, 'Pendulum' is an exceptional sounding CD: sadly, Universal were none too pleased with the release by Sunbeam and ensured it was pulled after around 1,000 copies were produced. However, there has been a more recent press release indicating that Decca may finally release this on vinyl
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Great news I’m in for all three of those, let’s hope they do a nice job. The reissue Collier’s Deep Dark Blue Centre on CD was a needle drop and dull as ditch water.
 
Graham H said:
Great news I’m in for all three of those, let’s hope they do a nice job. The reissue Collier’s Deep Dark Blue Centre on CD was a needle drop and dull as ditch water.
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I have the LP probably of that same reissue which is alright. Symphony of Scorpions is really good.
 
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