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| MPS Records - Three further re-issues by George Gruntz (Jan. 27th, 2016) The Band - The Alpine Power Plant //1972 Formed in 1972 by Swiss jazz giants pianist George Gruntz, alto saxophonist Flavio Ambrosetti, his son, trumpeter Franco Ambrosetti, and drummer Daniel Humair, The Band would later metamorphose into the George Gruntz Concert Jazz Band. The predilection towards a combination of international jazz all-stars and home-grown compositions is already in evidence on this, their first album, and a bevy of jazz greats are along for the ride. The complex contrapuntal Our Suite Dig features brilliant solos by trumpeter Franco and father Flavio on alto before settling down into a loping ¾ that moves back into a riveting 4/4 and a taste of ensemble freedom. The samba feel of Pistrophallobus has US trumpeter Virgil Jones' hot solo followed by a hard-swinging Eddie Daniels on tenor and father Flavio on soprano, with drummer Humair escorting the band back to the theme. George Gruntz - St. Peter Power //1968 The church organ's role in classical music runs from Buxtahude and Bach on through to such contemporary composers as Hindemith and Messian, but jazz musicians have tended to stay clear of this mighty instrument and its orchestral power. Not so Swiss jazz maestro George Grunz; on this 1968 MPS album, accompanied by two European jazz masters, bassist Eberhard Weber and drummer Daniel Humair, Gruntz utilizes the organ as "a vehicle to elevate some of the most beautiful ballad-like melodies to a world of sound completely new to jazz." Line-Up: Eberhard Weber (Bass), Daniel Humair (Drums), George Gruntz (Organ) Piano Conclave - Palais Anthology //1975 Dubbed "the Keyboard Philharmonic", and directed by the Swiss master pianist/composer George Gruntz, this 1975 album features six of the greatest European jazz keyboardists of the period. French master Martial Solal, Englishman Gordon Beck, Germans Wolfgang Dauner and Joachim Kühn, and Netherlander Jasper van't Hof join Gruntz in a pianistic extravaganza of a particular sort, accompanied by the crack American bass and drum team of John Lee and Alphonse Mouzon. British critic Mike Hennessey termed the album "an anthology, in highly contemporary musical dress, of all those celebrated nostalgic dances of the thirties." With all of the pieces composed by the various pianists, the high-octane play has more to do with 70's fusion and the avant-garde than the musical mores of the Jazz Age. Line-Up: John Lee (Bass), Alphonse Mouzon (Drums), Wolfgang Dauner (Electric Piano, Clavinet, Organ, Synthesizer, Grand Piano), Gordon Beck (Electric Piano, Grand Piano, Voice), Martial Solal (Grand Piano), Joachim Kühn (Piano, Grand Piano), George Gruntz (Piano, Grand Piano, Synthesizer), Jasper van't Hof (Piano, Organ, Voice) MPS Records New Digital Releases Digital Mastered for iTunes Distribution: Edel:Kultur/ Kontor New Media MPS Records Release Date: January 27th, 2017 (2 months exclusively on iTunes. Subsequently available on all common download services.) Mastered for iTunes // 24-bit-Transfer from original master tapes // produced by Dirk Sommer write your comments about the article :: © 2017 Jazz News :: home page |