While scoring a horror film in England in 1978, Roger Kellaway took time out to record a way-out, free-form duo session with the British clarinetist Tony Coe; the album was not released until 2000 on a small German label. This is Kellaway unchained, letting fly with no preconceptions or restrictions whatsoever (except in the final blues track "The Burgundy Bruise"), creating music closer to style and spirit to that of avant-garde 20th century classical territory than his usual jazz stomping grounds. All you need to know about Coe's work is that his two main influences at the time were Paul Gonsalves and Alban Berg, and he leans decidedly towards Berg here, complementing Kellaway with flights into outer atonal space on his rare 1840-vintage C clarinet…
Considered by many to be one of the Great British Jazz recordings of the 20th Century, this acclaimed "Lost Masterpiece" has only had limited availability on CD. It was beautifully recorded in 1976, featuring the cream of British Jazz Muscians including Barbara Thompson, Tony Coe, Ian Carr & Paul Buckmaster. Now issued in all its glory via 24Bit 96 k/Hz digital remastering. When it was originally released, Karl Dallas in Melody Maker said: "This work is possibly the most significant piece of composition since 'Sgt.Pepper', 'Pet Sounds', 'Miles Ahead' and 'Tubular Bells'. Its beauty and sense of structure will mark it out in no uncertain terms as ONE OF THE GREAT MUSICAL ACHIEVEMENTS OF OUR AGE."
Crescendo in Duke is jarring. Not in a ridiculous or repellant kind of way— after all, it’s a collection of Duke Ellington compositions. Safe enough. It’s of the high quality usually associated with French pianist Benoît Delbecq, too. It’s just that it’s so straight-ahead, it’s all but unrecognizable as a Delbecq album. Delbecq’s made a name for himself with his prepared piano, creating a catalog of unorthodox jazz that can easily silence any grumblings about the gimmicky nature of mucking around the inside of a piano. But aside from a loop that underlies “Portrait of Wellman Braud” and a quirky take on “Whirlpool,” there’s not much of that here. Just the usual big band business with a more modestly-sized band.
Reissue with the latest remastering. Comes with liner notes. One of those great records from the 70s that makes you say "man, Phil Woods was hip!" The session was cut in London with an electrified big band led by Chris Gunning, and featuring keyboards by the groovy Gordon Beck – kind of a blend of strings, keys, and woodwinds – providing some lush backdrops that allow Phil to really open up on some great solos. The style is similar to Phil's album Images, done with Michel Legrand – but with some more electric touches – and like that album, it's got a wonderfully fluid, lyrical approach that's quite different from the harder-jamming fusion albums Woods cut in Europe. Titles include "Canto De Ossanha", "Sails", "Roses", "Without You", "Jesse", and "O Morro".
Richard S. Sinclair is an English progressive rock bassist, guitarist, and vocalist who has been a member of several bands of the Canterbury scene (Caravan, Hatfield and the North, The Wilde Flowers). R.S.V.P. was released in June, 1994 and with the exception of Andy Ward and Jimmy Hastings, all the participants were new: Didier Malherbe, the sax player from Gong, Kit Watkins, the fabulous keyboard player from Happy The Man and later Camel (where he met Andy Ward), Tony Coe (famous jazz clarinet player, from Canterbury, whose father used to play music with Sinclair's), drummer Dave Cohen, a friend from the States who had played with the band on their late 1993 European tour, not forgetting older friends, Pip Pyle (who contributed lyrics to the opening song, the great "What's Rattlin'?") and Hugh Hopper (who played bass on a beautiful improvised piece with Tony Coe on clarinet)…