Label: MPS Records – MPS 15029
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album / Country: France / Released. 1965
Style: Post Bop, Avant-garde Jazz, Free Jazz
Recorded in concert August 31, 1965 at Beethoven Hall, Stuttgart.
Cover – William Hopkins
Engineer – Rolf Donner
Composer – George Russell
Producer, Liner Notes – Joachim E. Berendt
Distributed By – Musidisc-Europe
A1 - Freein' Up . . . . . . . . . . 12:53
A2 - Lydia And Her Friends . . . . . . . . . . 7:02
B1a - Lydia In Bags Groove . . . . . . . . . . 5:20
B2b - Lydia's Confirmation . . . . . . . . . . 7:17
B3c - Lydia Round Midnight . . . . . . . . . . 3:42
B4d - Takin' Lydia Home . . . . . . . . . . 2:34
George Russell – piano
Don Cherry – trumpet
Bertil Loevgren – trumpet
Brian Trentham – trombone
Ray Pitts – tenor saxophone
Cam Brown – bass
Al Heath – drums
This intriguing two LP's was innovative composer George Russell's first recording after breaking up his young combo of the early '60s. Recorded in Germany at a concert, Russell (who plays fairly basic piano) is joined by cornetist Don Cherry, trumpeter Bertil Lovgren, trombonist Brian Trentham, tenor saxophonist Ray Pitts, bassist Cameron Brown and drummer Albert "Tootie" Heath for explorations of several lengthy pieces and a remake of "You Are My Sunshine." Most unusual is a suite dedicated to Russell's Lydian concept that includes abstract versions of "Bags' Groove,""Confirmation" and "'Round Midnight."
Label: SABA – SB 15 060
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Gatefold / Country: Germany / Released: 1966
Style: Post Bop, Avant-garde Jazz, Free Jazz
Recorded in concert August 31, 1965 at Beethoven Hall, Stuttgart.
Cover, Layout – William Hopkins
Engineer [Recording Engineer, Special Cut] – Rolf Donner
Liner Notes [Translated By] – Hans J. Mauerer
Photography By – Manfred Schaeffer
Producer, Liner Notes – Joachim E. Berendt
Recording Supervisor [Recording Director] – Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer, Willi Fruth
A1 - You Are My Sunshine . . . . . . . . . . 13:06
(Composed By – Charles Mitchell, Jimmie Davis)
A2 - Oh Jazz, Po Jazz . . . . . . . . . . 5:38
(Composed By – George Russell)
B1 - Oh Jazz, Po Jazz (continued) . . . . . . . . . . 5:57
(Composed By – George Russell)
B2 – Volupte . . . . . . . . . . . 12:22
(Composed By – George Russell)
George Russell – piano
Don Cherry – trumpet
Bertil Loevgren – trumpet
Brian Trentham – trombone
Ray Pitts – tenor saxophone
Cam Brown – bass
Al Heath – drums
Most of the Sextet's music teems with life and invention, creating its often oblique and occasionally rather disquieting impact through a world of sound that, while entirely fresh, relates directly to the modes of organisation which Russell had brought into being with his earlier works and which continued in his later. Although the main line of his development at this stage runs through the Sextet recordings, they were not the only achievement of this intensely creative period. Contemporaneous with them were two orchestral LPs, New York NY and Jazz In The Space Age. The latter is one of the peaks of Russell's entire career, but, like his European years, it must wait till next time...
If you find it, buy this albums!