March 28, 2009

GEORGE GRUNTZ PIANO CONCLAVE - PALAIS ANTHOLOGY (1975, LP, GERMANY)

Second and rarest album by this George Gruntz led octet that includes six keyboardists over a rhythm section and has the slow cosmic breakbeat gem "Hal-Lucy-'n-o'-One Step" with killer drumbreaks courtesy of Alphonse Mouzon. Solid album and a prime slice of progressive funky Euro jazz.
Track list:
1. Rumba Orgiastica 2. English Moxplott 3. Hymny Shimmy 4. Hal-Lucy-N-O-One-Step 5. Zookie Cookie 6. Lookie Pookie 7. Tango Teclado 8. Titty-Chickie-Fitterbug 9. Shoo-Fly-Shuffle 10. Charles Stone and Quickflip
Personnel: Gordon Beck: Fender Rhodes, Grand Piano, Human Voice; Wolfgang Dauner: Fender Rhodes, Clavinet, Synthesizer, Grand Piano, Organ; George Gruntz: Fender Rhodes, Grand Piano, Synthesizer; Joachim Kuhn: Fender Rhodes, Grand Piano; Martial Solal: Grand Piano; Jasper Van't Hof: Keyboards; John Lee: Bass; Alphonse Mouzon: Drums.
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March 12, 2009

MAGISTER DIXIT - CELLULE DE CRISE (2006, FRANCE)

Great french prog/zeuhl band!!
Demo recorded in 2006, no more info...
Magister Dixit are: Stephane Marcaillou (Guitare, Chant, Textes et Compositions), Mélanie Fossier (Chant), Sophie Perret (Piano, Chant), Bita Rezvannia-picot (Violon), Chant Jean-Pierre Albert (Batterie), Stephan Garcia (Basse)
Tracklist: 1.Endless 2.Les potits archers 3.De Profundis (part 2) 4. De Profundis (part 3) 5. La merveille
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March 11, 2009

BANCO DEL MUTUO SOCCORSO - GAROFANO ROSSO (1976, CD, ITALY)

Instrumental soundtrack for film of the same name. A masterpiece!!
Track List: 1. Zobeida (2:40) 2. Funerale (4:28) 3. 10 Giugno 1924 (4:28) 4. Quasi Saltarello (1:38) 5. Esterno Notte (Casa di Giovanna) (3:15) 6. Garofano Rosso (5:02) 7. Suggestioni Di Un Ritorno In Campagna (7:38) 8. Passeggiata In Bicicletta E Corteo Dei Dimostranti (2:53) 9. Tema Di Giovanna (2:35) 10. Siracusa: Appunti D'Epoca (2:12) 11. Notturno Breve (2:20) 12. Lasciando La Casa Antica (2:35) Total Time: 41:40

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MIKE KENEALLY - BOIL THAT DUST SPECK (1994, USA, CD)

Mike on 1994's BTDS: "This was an album I very much needed to make-- an album wrenched out of my darkest depths while in the throes of an exciting variety of emotional torment, this album is a lot less goofy than hat." The result has been heralded as a masterpiece by critics and fans. Its songs have been a major part of Mike's live sets for years and head-ripping live versions are featured his 2006 Guitar Therapy Live release. BTDS has been unavailable for eons, and collectors have paid exhorbitant prices for it.
Tracklist: 1.Sooth 2.'Cause Of Breakfast 3.The Desired Effect 4.Skunk 5.I'm Glad There's Lemon-Freshened Thorax In You 6.Top Of Stove Melting 7.Aglow 8.Bryan Beller's Favorite Song 9.Deep-Fried Skinks Are Go! 10.Good Morning, Sometime 11.Them Dolphins Is Smart 12.1988 Was A Million Years Ago 13.Yep, Them Dolphins Is Smart, Alright 14.Bullys (sic) 15.My Dilemma 16.Helen Was Brash 17.Weekend 18.Land Of Broken Dreams 19.Blameless (The Floating Face) 20.That Claim-Jumping Swine, O'Bannon 21.Faithful Axe 22.Natty Trousers 23.Scotch 24.There Have Been Bad Moments 25.Frang Tang, The Valentine Bear 26.I Will 27.In The Bone World 28.The Old Boat Guy, Part One 29.The Old Boat Guy, Part Two 30.The Old Boat Guy, Part Three.
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March 07, 2009

MASTER CYLINDER - ELSEWHERE (1980, LP, USA)

Hard-to-find but good jazz rock with a Canterbury flair at times from this Texas-based group. Lineup includes keys, guitar, bass, and drums, but various guest play woodwind and brass instruments, and there’s even a Serge modular keyboardist! A promo writeup states: “The music of Master Cylinder is a smooth blend of everything from tight ensemble composition to totally free improvisation; complex layers of polyrhythms to surging waves of pure sound; sections and bits of compostion surfacing from the flow and then redissolving".
"On the usually soulless Inner City label, Master Cylinder was anything but that. Their album has a strong melodic sense, and it seems the group must've been informed by the Canterbury groups like early Soft Machine or National Health, as well as the DC based Happy the Man. While ostensibly a jazz album, it's these rock elements that bring Master Cylinder to the next level. A very good album that time has forgot".(Thomashayes)
tracklist:
1. Overture 2. Isabelle 3. Elsewhere 4. Silhouette 5. Blasp 1937 6. Pllus 3 7.Hobb & Gebb
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CARDIACS - MR. AND MRS. SMITH AND MR. DRAKE (1984, TAPE, ENGLAND)


This is an album performed by a side project of Cardiacs, created by Tim Smith, Sarah Smith and William D. Drake. They later named the project The Sea Nymphs.

Gramigna - Gran Disordine Sotto Il Cielo (1977, LP, Italy)


This largely unknown group from northern Italy has only released an album, but this can be a nice surprise to anyone into the Canterbury/Rock In Opposition sound, that only had good releases in Italy by STORMY SIX and PICCHIO DAL POZZO.Their ten-track concept album "Gran disordine sotto il cielo" has strong similarities with the english group HENRY COW in the use of the female voice of Françoise Godard and such instruments as bassoon, oboe and violin. An interesting album indeed, this deserves to be heard.

Il gruppo era composto da: Mario Ultre (batteria, percussioni e voce), Roul Scacchi (basso, chitarra e voce), Maurizio Martelli (chitarre, mandolino, sitar, salterio e cetre), Alberto Mompellio (tastiere, violino e voce), Umberto Calice (voce solista e percussioni), Francoise Goddard: voce solista e chitarra), Dino Mariani (fagotto), Mario Arcari (oboe)

1977 Gran disordine sotto il cielo
Ultima Spiaggia (ZPLS 34011)
Lato A
Per / Alice nel pozzo / Alice e le Regine / Alice oltre lo specchio / Piccole voci
Lato B
Ombre rosse / Per il bene della patria / È una notte / Arrivano i barbari / Tarantola
Testi di Paolo Farnetti (con la collaborazione di Giovanna Pezzuoli e Francoise Goddard per Alice nel pozzo e Alice oltre lo specchio e di Cesare Brie per Per il bene della patria)
Musiche di Maurizio Martelli: Ombre rosse, Tarantola e di Alberto Mompellio: Per, Alice nel pozzo, Alice e le regine, Alice oltre lo specchio (su temi di Francoise Goddard), È una notte, Per il bene della patria, Arrivano i barbari (da idee di Roul Scacchi), Piccole voci (con la collaborazione di Maurizio Martelli e Franco Mompellio).
Con la collaborazione di Flaviano Cuffari (batteria in Alice nel pozzo, Piccole voci, Ombre rosse, Per il bene della patria) e Nanni Ricordi, Lella Cardente, Gianfranco e Roberto Manfredi (voci recitanti in Piccole voci e Per il bene della patria).
Coordinamento ed elaborazione musicale di Alberto Mompellio, con l'aiuto in studio di Gianluigi Pezzera.
Registrazioni effettuate a Milano nel marzo-aprile 1977 presso gli Studi Ricordi.
Tecnico del suono e missaggi: Gianluigi Pezzera (con l'aiuto di Giorgio Anastasi e Walter Patergnani)
Copertina di Lella Cardente e Daniela Napoli
Edizioni Musicali: RCA

RITUAL - THE HEMULIC VOLUNTARY BAND (2007, SWEDEN, CD)

Great prog from Sweden, similar to Gentle Giant.
tracklist:
1. The Hemulic Voluntary Band 2. In The Wild 3. Late In November 4. The Groke 5. Waiting By The Bridge 6. A Dangerous Journey
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