Black Saint

Billy Harper - Black Saint (1975) {Black Saint 120001-2 rel 1993}
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© 1975, 1993 Black Saint | 120001-2
Jazz / Modal Music / Post-Bop / Saxophone

Tenor saxophonist Billy Harper helped launch the Italy-based Black Saint jazz label with this 1975 release. And not only does this represent the inaugural outing for the label, it also signifies one of the finest modern jazz releases of the '70s. Influenced by tenor sax giant John Coltrane, Harper proceeded to mold a distinctly personalized sound awash with slight inferences of R&B and hard bop. Additionally, the saxophonist's melodic gifts come to the forefront throughout this often-invigorating studio date.

David Murray Octets - The Complete Remastered Recordings On Black Saint & Soul Note (2011) {5CD BoxSet, CAM Jazz rec 1980-1991}
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© 1980-91, 2011 CAM Jazz / Black Saint / Soul Note | BXS 1010
Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Modern Creative / Saxophone / Bass Clarinet

Tenor sax and bass clarinet player's excellent series of Octet efforts for Black Saint in the 80s – a run of brilliant albums with lineups featuring Henry Threadgill, Olu Dara, Butch Morris, George Lewis, Anthony Davis, Bobby Bradford, Hugh Ragin, James Spaulding and other great players – 5 albums in a CD box set in the Complete Remastered Recordings On Black Saint & Soul Note series! It includes the Ming album from 1980, Home from '82, Murray's Steps (released in '83), New Life from '87 and Hope Scope from '91 – each in a cardboard sleeve with the original album art and each remastered. (All albums come in cardboard sleeve replicas of the original album covers!)

Enrico Rava - The Complete Remastered Recordings on Black Saint & Soul Note (2010) {5CD Set CAM Jazz BXS1002 rec 1972-1994}
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© 1972-94, 2010 CAM Jazz / Black Saint / Soul Note | BXS 1002
Jazz / Post Bop / Modern Creative / Trumpet

Good news! Five of Italian trumpeter Enrico Rava's Black Saint and Soul Note recordings have been reissued by CAM Jazz in one of those pretty white box sets with each LP reproduced as a separate CD tucked into a miniature record jacket. Born at Trieste in 1939, Rava later attributed his lifelong pursuit of modern jazz to the influence of Miles Davis. One might add Don Cherry and Freddie Hubbard to that equation, along with maybe Richard Williams and Lee Morgan. In order to fully comprehend what he was up to from the '70s onward, it is important to consider the artistic company that Rava kept during the ‘60s. Take a moment, for example, to ponder the blended influences of Chet Baker and Gato Barbieri.

Jimmy Giuffre - The Complete Remastered Recordings On Black Saint & Soul Note (2012) {4CD Set Cam London BXS 1016 rec 1983-93}
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© 1983-93, 2012 CAM London / Black Saint / Soul Note | BXS 1016
Jazz / Cool / Avant-Garde Jazz

The closely affiliated Black Saint and Soul Note labels were established in the 1970s by Italian jazz lover Giacomo Pellicciotti, and together they released some of the most forward-thinking jazz recordings on the market during their four decades of independent existence (both labels were acquired by another company in 2008). In 2011, the labels' new owner began releasing a series of budget-priced box sets documenting the complete output of particular artists, each individual disc housed in an LP-style cardboard sleeve. This one features four albums by reedman and noted avant-cool composer Jimmy Giuffre. The box offers three albums (Dragonfly, Quasar, and Liquid Dancers) by the Jimmy Giuffre 4, which included keyboardist Pete Levin, bassist Bob Nieske, and drummer Randy Kaye.

Charles Mingus - The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady / Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus (1963-64) {Impulse! 2-on-1 Series Remaster rel 2011}
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© 1963-64, 2011 Impulse! / Verve / Universal Music | 06025 2780953
Jazz / Progressive Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Modern Big Band / Post Bop / Bass / Piano

Of all the titles in the Impulse! 2 on 1 series, this volume may be the very finest. It pairs two indisputable classic Charles Mingus titles – both of which have endured for nearly 50 years – that were cut during the same year. While The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady was recorded on January 20, 1963, the recording that ended up as Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus was begun that very day, but not finished until September. The former album is rightly regarded as one of (if not the) Mingus' masterpieces for its use of colors, tonalities, expansive harmonies, and the juxtaposition of numerous aspects of the jazz tradition – from Ellingtonian swing to hard bop, to West Coast and new-thing jazz – employing a vocal chorus, and even Latin and flamenco flourishes in a single conceptual work played by an 11-piece orchestra.

Lester Bowie - The Complete Remastered Recordings On Black Saint & Soul Note (2010) {3CD Set Cam London BXS 1006 rec 1978-1988}
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© 1978-88, 2010 Cam London | BXS 1006
Jazz / Modern Creative / Avant-Garde Jazz / Trumpet

As Black Saint and Soul Note continue their boxed set "Complete Recordings Of" series in 2011, this volume by Lester Bowie is one of the most diverse. Containing three discs cut over a decade, it reflects the numerous dimensions in Bowie's musical persona, from fiery improviser to post-modern formalist and engaged ensemble member, and above all, his love for the entire jazz, blues, and gospel music traditions. The first disc in the collection is 1978's 5th Power. It's the only title here that showcases Bowie actually leading an ensemble under his own name. His session personnel for the date were saxophonist Arthur Blythe, pianist Amina Claudine Myers (who also sings on the rousing gospel-jazz of "God Has Smiled on Me"), bassist Malachi Favors, and drummer Philip Wilson.

David Murray - The Complete Remastered Recordings On Black Saint & Soul Note, Vol. 2 (2013) {7CD BoxSet CAM Jazz rec 1979-1993}
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© 1979-93, 2013 CAM Jazz / Black Saint / Soul Note | BXS 1024
Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Modern Creative / Saxophone / Bass Clarinet

Murray's first box set in this series was one of Black Saint/Soul Note's better reissues. And this second volume is it's equal, and in some instances possibly better. The seven albums here span the years 1979 to 1993, and show Murray in different playing styles, but always close to the top of his skills. If you've read this far you're probably familiar with Murray's music, so I'll be brief in my album notes.