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2007 Comes with a DVD label sampler "Smorgasbord Vorspeise Appetizers" - A compilation of excerpts from the entire ESP catalog. |
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ESP 4033 Norman
Howard & Joe Phillips / Burn Baby Burn
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ESP 4034 Various Artists - Movement Soul Volume Two
A continuation from the earlier Alan Ribback work, produced by Michael D. Anderson. The CD examines untapped and historically important achievements and tragedies in the lives of a people during the Civil Rights era. This compilation presents facts on events in black history that merit their being acknowledged. Other forth coming volumes will present further historical developments that will remain an important part of American history seen and unseen. Each CD will examine different aspects of the Civil Rights Movement featuring interview footage, press releases, and music heard during the time of each theme. The production of this CD is to encourage people of all races the do more study involving the Civil Rights era and other thematic topics that also address stages of development during this era. It is hoped that people of all races will better understand the on-going struggle of African Americans and the many achievements towards the development of this country which dispel the negative connotations passed down through families for generations Personnel Eloise Wilson, Ralph Ellison, Babs Gonzales, others Elois Wilson9:102.Address to Congress Mary McLeod Bethune (1939)5:403.Father, I stretch forth my hands Reverend C.L. Franklin 1:474.Black Pilots Mission to Italy William A. Campbell2:295.Behold, I make all things new Reverend C.L. Franklin0:336.Anti-lynching bill Helen Gahagan Douglas3:137.Take your burdens to the Lord Joe Townsend2:098.Blacks vote in South Carolina News Report (1948) 1:279.Rough and rocky road The Nightingale Jubilaires2:1010.Josephine Baker makes citizen's arrest - News Report (1951)1:0111.Dewey Philips Clip Radio Broadcast0:5712.(book) The Invisible Man Ralph Ellison3:3113.These New York Neighbors Babs Gonzales2:3414.Brown V. Board of Education Thurgood Marshall2:2915.Sticks and stones Sugarchile Robinson2:3516.1960 Sit-ins George Simkins1:4917.The Day of the Sit-ins Geneva Tisdale2:5818.Recalls Greensboro, N.C. George Simkins0:5519.Sit Down Children The Helen Robinson Youth Choir2:1220.Prayer Unknown Preacher2:3321.1960 Texas Anti-segregation demonstration - News Report2:3622.The Lord's Prayer Mount Hope Baptist Church Choir3:2123.1961 Greenwood, MI voter registration -Bob Moses4:4324.Day of Registration Fannie Lou Hamer2:0025.I'm determined The Meditation Singers2:24 All works 2007 Syndicore Music BMI. Credits Back cover layout & design by SooKyung Lee. Production Coordination: George Abi-Hanna.
"As a whole, the three volumes in this series are something of a museum which needs no further building other than that of your bookshelf" - Eugene Chadbourne, Signal To Noise |
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ESP 4035 Albert Ayler - The Hilversum Session
A legendary recording by tenor saxophonist Ayler with his amazing working band, recorded in Holland for radio play, here digitally remastered with new artwork. Personnel Albert Ayler: tenor saxophone All songs by Albert Ayler except Infant Happiness (Don Cherry). All songs 2007 Syndicore Music (BMI). Credits Recorded on November 9, 1964, Hilversum, The Netherlands. Recording Engineer: Jan Schelling. Session originally produced by VARA-Radio by Michel de Ruyer and Aad Bos. Digital restoration by Douglas McGregor. Production Manager: George Abi-Hanna. Cover photo: Eliot Landy Design by Omar Khouri. Notes by Russ Musto.
"These cats play together with the kind of intuition and foresight only a seasoned group can; they understand the nuances of the language they are speaking and know how to offer those to the listener emotionally, musically, and even culturally. Finally, as for the sound of the recording, it has never been better. The remastering job is excellent, providing excellent fidelity and balance -- not always true on the ESP-Disk' offerings in the past. Included in the package are fine liner notes by Russ Musto, and a neat poster of Ayler. If someone would take the same care with Ayler's Lörrach, Paris 1966, recordings (owned by Hat is Switzerland) and reissue those in this fashion, we have have a definitive recorded portrait of the great saxophonist. This is a welcome issue." - Thom Jurek, All Music Guide "The reissue offers pristine sound and demonstrates that with all the recent Ayler tributes, inspired-bys and meditations on, there's nothing like the real thing." - Jeff Stockton, All About Jazz |
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ESP 4036 Bud Powell - Live at the Blue Note Cafe, Paris 1961
Bud Powell was one of the major architects of bebop; his piano style became the template for most other bop pianists. But a head injury incurred during a police beating, combined with alcohol and drug abuse and poor medical treatment (including electroshock), made him mentally unstable and led to a deterioration in his playing. Eventually he moved to France to get away from the exacerbating conditions of New York. His later work has a bad reputation; the increasing unpredictability of his personality led to nights where he could barely perform, and tales of his erratic behavior spread. But he had his good nights too, and his later work cannot be uniformly dismissed. The evenings documented on this album's material, which ESP licensed from his wife after his death, were two of his good nights, and not just because he's in the company of famed compatriots Zoot Sims (for half the album) and Kenny Clarke. For that matter, the less famous Pierre Michelot was one of the best French jazzers. They explore the nooks and crannies of bop standards and compositions of Powell's mentor, Thelonious Monk. Many players develop new styles in their later years, and Powell's changed playing - less flashy than in his youth - can easily be ascribed to that natural evolution rather than to anything traumatic. The lightness of touch, the humor (like Monk's) of these performances is fully enjoyable on its own terms, and disapprovingly holding it up to his early work for comparison makes no more sense in Powell's case than it does in Miles Davis'. This is superb jazz that requires no apologies. This edition restores the original cover art. PersonnelBud Powell: piano Front cover art: Francis Paudras; Engineer: Alan Douglas; Digital Restoration: Douglas McGregor; Digital Editing & liner notes: Steve Holtje Press Quotes "Live at the Blue Note Cafe, Paris 1961 shows the pianist in a comfortable setting in front of an appreciative crowd."- Stewart Mason, All Music Guide
ESP 1066 remastered |
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ESP 4037 Sunny Murray
Reissued and Expanded! Classic and important '66 release from the innovative drummer Sunny Murray in a quintet session, remastered and with bonus interview track between Murray and ESP label founder Bernard Stollman. Sunny Murray is one of the most important drummers in the development of free jazz. In his work as a member of the groups of Cecil Taylor and then Albert Ayler, he was a pioneer in the abandonment of steady time, the freest of the free, taking the drums out of their subordinate timekeeping role and standing as an equal in the music's textures. He was a crucial component of ESP-Disk’s first jazz release, Ayler's Spiritual Unity, of which critic Ekkehard Jost wrote, "Ayler's negation of fixed pitches finds a counterpart in Peacock's and Murray's negation of the beat. In no group of this time is so little heard of a steady beat." For his ESP leader session on July 23, 1966, he used an excellent group. It was the recorded debut for French trumpeter Jacques Coursil (after making a splash in the ‘60s, he stopped making records until 2005 when John Zorn – who’d taken French lessons from him – coaxed him back into the studio), whose mighty tone, influenced by New Orleans jazz, helps him hold his own with the two saxophonists. Byard Lancaster (like Murray a product of Philadelphia) also made his recording debut on this LP, and his solos are highlights. Though largely sticking to his native city, he’s remained active and productive ever since. The other altoist on the gig, the mysterious Jack Graham, is not documented on any other sessions; he’s subordinate to Lancaster, but the two-alto sound is part of what makes this album distinctive. Like Murray, bassist Alan Silva had worked under Cecil Taylor (his recording debut had come two months earlier on Cecil’s Unit Structures); later he would work with Ayler and make an album of his own for ESP. He’s been an admired and much used player, aside from a bit of a hiatus in the ‘80s.
Sunny Murray: percussion All compositions by Sunny Murray except Angels And Devils (Jacques Coursil) Credits Engineer: David Hancock. Production Manager: George Abi-Hanna. Digital restoration: Douglas McGregor. Photographer: Sandra Stollman. Design by Omark Khouri.
"Murray's pan-rhythmic approach, effortlessly swinging in often implied or seemingly nonexistent meters, has been highly influential on generations of jazz drummers." "Murray's percussion work, setting up complex webs of pulsations using a remarkably small kit -- what he does with a snare, floor tom, and cymbals beggars belief -- is without precedent in the history of jazz" - Dan Warburton, All Music Guide "Sunny Murray illuminates jazz drumming. His open meters and timing set rhythm and pulse on a new and invigorating course. In doing so, he gave jazz drumming a dynamism and drive that still resonates." - jerry D'Souza, All About Jazz
ESP 1032 remastered with interviews |
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2007 Tracks 2, 4 to 6 recorded in January 1966 and previously released as ESP 1032. No further information provided on the additional interview tracks. Tracklisting and durations according to the actual order on the CD. In the tracklisting stated on the release tracks 2 and 3 are switched, and the durations are differing more or less, in two cases considerably: for track 5 a duration of 11:22 is stated, 8:34 for track 6. |
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ESP 4038 Burton Greene - Bloom in the Commune
Pianist Burton Greene was part of the first wave of free jazz experimentation in the early 1960s, having played with Albert Ayler, Alan Silva, Cecil Taylor, Marion Brown, Patty Waters and numerous others. This CD release features five pieces, all of which are characterized by Greene's bracing style and penchant for fusing genres, Originally released as ESP 1024, “Bloom in the Commune” has been digitally remastered and includes bonus interviews with Burton and ESP-Disk’ founder, Bernard Stollman.
Burton Greene: piano, piano harp, percussion All compositions Syndicore Music BMI. Credits All interviews conducted by Michael D. Anderson from MDA Music inc. Digital Restoration: Douglas McGregor. Cover Photo: Guy Kopelowicz. Graphic Design: Peov.
"As with so many of the early ESP albums, this is not one to be missed" - Marc Medwin, All About Jazz "Augmented with audio interviews and including Greene's original liner essay, this reissue is a welcome addition to the growing ESP archiving catalog" - Clifford Allen, Signal To Noise History ESP 1024 remastered with interviews
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2007 All compositions Syndicore Music BMI. |
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ESP 4039 Billie Holiday - Rare Live Recordings 1935-1959 During the more than twenty-five years of her career, Holiday gave an unknown number of live performances on TV and radio and in clubs and concert halls, many of which were recorded both officially and unofficially by sound engineers, fellow musicians, and fans. Today ESP-Disk Records, which for many years has been assembling unofficial recordings of several artists from before 1972, has released one of the most comprehensive collections of live Billie Holiday recordings to date, some previously available but most not. These Holiday recordings, laid out in chronological order, not only demonstrate the arc of Holiday’s development as a vocalist, but give a rare behind-the-scenes look into how the singer approached her musicians and her audience.
During the more than twenty-five years of her career, Holiday gave an unknown number of live performances on TV and radio and in clubs and concert halls, many of which were recorded both officially and unofficially by sound engineers, fellow musicians, and fans. ESP-Disk Records, which for many years has been assembling unofficial recordings of several artists from before 1972, has released one of the most comprehensive collections of live Billie Holiday recordings to date, some previously available but most not. These Holiday recordings, laid out in chronological order, not only demonstrate the arc of Holiday’s development as a vocalist, but give a rare behind-the-scenes look into how the singer approached her musicians and her audience.
The Duke Ellington Orchestra, Teddy Wilson, Lester Young, Count Basie, Artie Shaw, Stan Getz and more! |
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ESP 4040 Lester Young - Live At
Birdland
Lester Young one of the most influential tenor saxophonists in jazz history. This album contains previously unavailable 1950s broadcasts recorded at Birdland, with an array of stellar side-performers. It is our pleasure to pay homage to Prez (Lester Young) with this disc. Personnel Lester Young: tenor saxophone Track 1-7, January 15, 1953 Credits Research, compilation, audio transfer & producer: Michael D. Anderson. Digital Restoration: Douglas McGregor. Graphic Design: Peov. Photos provided by The Institute of Jazz Studies.
"Young has many fine moments on this collection, excelling on both his uptempo "Lester Leaps In" and introspective ballad performances such as "These Foolish Things" and "Polka Dots and Moonbeams."" - Alex Henderson, All Music Guide "Live at Birdland is a must-own for Prez completists" - Graham L. Flanagan, All About Jazz |
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ESP 4041 Lindha
Kallerdahl - Gold
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2007 Recorded November 27th and 28th 2006 at Epidemin, Goteborg, Sweden. Mixed January 29th and 30th 2007 at Epidemin. |
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DVD ESP 4042 Alan Roth - Inside Out In The Open
Inside Out In The Open is an hour-long documentary about a form of jazz, popularly known as free jazz. The film is an exploration of that music through the voices and performances of over twenty such musicians, from those who were its first generation to younger musicians joining the tradition. Unlike more encyclopedic documentaries, Inside Out In The Open unfolds in a more organic and musical form, revealing multiple aspects of this music and its makers. The editing structure is reflective and complimentary to the music. Free-form jazz, also known as the "the new thing," or "avant-garde jazz," burst on the scene in the early '60s, led by Ornette Coleman and Cecil Taylor. It vastly extended the boundaries in rhythm, sound, and harmonics, stressing collective improvisation, with an expansive openness and with deep personal emotion.
Featured Interviews: Credits Produced, directed and edited by Alan Roth. Camera: Omer Ali Kazma, Alan Roth, Peter Schmuhl. Interview audio recording: Matthew Hutchinson, Matthew Silver. Online editor: Tom Hayes.
"...director Alan Roth set out to capture the essence behind the term through interviews and footage of live recordings, aiming exclusively at musicians who had helped change the focus and direction of jazz, artists who cast away the conventions of composition and found inspiration in their individuality." - Jerry D'Souza, All About Jazz "...an accessible film that dispels many of the myths around free jazz and reveals the inherent beauty and passion in the making of the music." - John Sharpe, All About Jazz |
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ESP 4043 Don Cherry - Live at Cafe Montmartre, Volume Two
After he left Ornette Coleman's quartet, trumpeter Don Cherry worked with a variety of collaborators and traveled more widely. He met Leandro "Gato" Barbieri in Italy years before the Argentinian saxophonist became a superstar; back then he was still heavily influenced by Albert Ayler. Cherry and Barbieri quickly bonded and began working together, with Cherry's Blue Note album Complete Communion, recorded with Barbieri (using a different rhythm section) on Christmas Eve of 1965, their first studio collaboration. They worked together in Europe so often that they had a regular quintet with German vibraphonist Karl Berger, French bassist Jean Francois Jenny Clark, and Italian drummer Aldo Romano. Clark, however, could not make the band's month-long residency at Copenhagen's most famous jazz club, so young American bassist Cameron Brown was called to replace him -- but he's not the bassist here. These performances were recorded for radio broadcast, and Danish radio rules said at least one native had to be in the band. Thus Bo Steif slid into the group for these recordings -- and stayed after Brown's musical commitments took him elsewhere. All three volumes of ESP-Disk's series of concert recordings from this group's 1966 feature performances of Cherry's suite Complete Communion from the album of the same name, but before we get to that on this night, there's a rather interesting program of shorter pieces. After a brief opening theme making reference to Cherry's time with Coleman (see if you can recognize it), Cherry's move into world music is heralded with a lengthy version of Luiz Bonfa's theme for the movie Black Orpheus. Next comes Cherry's tribute to another recent collaborator, Albert Ayler (Cherry and Ayler can be heard on ESP1016 and ESP4035), quoting Ayler's "Ghosts." "Remembrance" is actually the final section of the Blue Note version of the Complete Communion suite, but here it stands alone; Elephantasy, the other suite on that LP, is played much more briefly here before we finally get Complete Communion.
Don Cherry: trumpet All works 2008 Syndicore Music (BMI) Credits Recorded on March 31, 1966 in Copenhagen, Denmark
"It has been over 40 years since the performance and it has not lost its impact." – Jerry D'Souza, All About Jazz "This joyously free yet well organized modern music is to some extent an outgrowth of Cherry's early experiences with Ornette Coleman but is much more directly inspired by the imaginative principles and grandly expressive behavior of Albert Ayler."
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2008 Recorded March 31, 1966. This is part two of the recordings from Cherry's month long engagement at Café Montmartre. Cherry is credited with all compositions, but track 3 is based on compositions by Albert Ayler. Track 2 includes themes by Ornette Coleman and parts of Luis Bonfa's "Orfeu Negro" - uncredited, but mentioned in the liner notes. Issued in a digipack. |
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ESP 4044 Yuganaut - This Musicship
Drawing from the traditions of Sun Ra, the Art Ensemble of Chicago as well as Miles Davis in his '60s and '70s electric period, multi-instrumentalists Steve Rush, Tom Abbs and Geoff Mann expand the trio format to new heights. From frenzied free-for-alls to delicate compositions, Yuganaut take the music out into outer space and back. Personnel Stephen Rush: Fender Rhodes, Moog, bells, recorder, slide whistle, euphonium, maraca, ocarina, harmonica, voice, frog clave, turkey, duck & elk calls Yuganaut, Channeling, Stimulus, Statement, and Perspective by Yuganaut. Stumblechuck, Time Cycle and Hymn for Roscoe by Stephen Rush. Whacked in the Head and Missing Limbs by Tom Abbs. Internal/External and Gobble Gobble by Geoff Mann. Steven Rush (RushDie Music BMI), Tom Abbs (Thomas Abbs Music BMI), Geoff Mann (DrummerMan Records ASCAP). Credits Recorded, mixed & mastered by Geoff Mann at DrummerMan Records & Recording Studio, Brooklyn, NY June 2005. Artwork by M. P. Landis from the WD (yuganaut) series. Produced by Yuganaut 2006. Design & layout by Miles Bachman & Michael Sanzone.
Stephen Rush, Tom Abbs, and Geoff Mann create genuinely unpredictable soundscapes throughout this highly diverse disc, but always with attention to organic development and flow... Yuganaut proves that their chosen style of musical expression can be the sound of something genuinely startling. - Dave Lynch / All Music Guide "Three men - driven by an inspired and fearless abandon - who have come together to weave a sonic statement of utter brilliance." - Alex Jasperse / Muse's Muse |
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2008 Recorded, mixed & mastered at DrummerMan Records & Recording Studio, Brooklyn, NY June 2005. |
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ESP 4045 The Holy Modal Rounders - Live in 65
A rousing live album from the Rounders featuring songs spanning their careers on both the ESP and Prestige labels. A must-have for any Rounders fan! Digitally Remastered. Booklet with essay by John Kruth.
Peter Stampfel: Banjo, Fiddle, Violin, Arranger, Vocals, Electric Fiddle All songs: Traditional, Arrangement by Steve Weber & Peter Stampfel (HMR Music ASCAP), (Stampfel Ocity Songs ASCAP) & (Syndicore Music BMI) except Track 5 (Universal Polygram International ASCAP), Track 10 (House of Cash Southwind Music BMI), (Ludlow Music Inc., BMI), (Unichappell Music BMI). Track 15 (Warner Brothers Music ASCAP). Credits Recorded live at Chess Mate, in Detroit, 1965. Production Manager: Tom Abbs. Digital Remastering by Douglas McGregor. Design & Layout by Miles Bachman & Michael Sanzone. |
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ESP 4046 Totem> - Solar Forge
TOTEM> is a benchmark in the world of experimental sound and contemporary improvisation. TOTEM> is a noise rock/free improvisation trio that ventures from walls of sound to exploring microscopic sound worlds. With guitarist Bruce Eisenbeil, bassist Tom Blancate and drummer Andrew Drury this trio makes music that is fresh, uncategorizable, and at the frontiers of understanding. TOTEM> has been influenced by adverse circumstances, extremes, paradoxes and technology - both primitive and futuristic.
Bruce Eisenbeil: guitar All compositions by Bruce Eisenbeil, Tom Blancarte & Andrew Drury (2008 Ironaxe Publishing BMI & Syndicore Music BMI. Credits Produced by Bruce Eisenbeil, Tom Blancarte, Andew Drury. Recorded by Ross Bonadonna on August 5, 2007, at Wombat Studio, Brookyn, NY. Engineering by Ross Bonadonna. Mixed by Andrew Drury at The Boat, Brooklyn, NY. Mastered by Steven Walcott at The Engine Room, Brooklyn, NY. Recorded to Pro Tools HD at 24 bit/88.2 KHz. Production Manager: Tom Abbs. Artwork by M.P. Landis. Band photography by Alissa Schwartz. Design & Layout by Miles Bachman & Michael Sanzone.
"...a prime example of how electric and acoustic instruments can be productive allies in avant-garde jazz." - Alex Henderson, All Music Guide "As a bandleader, ensemble player and soloist, Eisenbeil has really emerged as a visionary leader in the NYC improvised music scene, especially in the last few years. He's earned a spot amongst Marc Ribot, Fred Frith, Henry Kaiser and Nels Cline as one of the premier avant garde guitarists out there today. Solar Forge makes a strong case for Bruce Eisenbeil to be included in that kind of company." - Pico "Definitely compulsory listening." - Alex Henderson, All Music Guide |
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ESP 4047 Yximalloo -
Unpop
Yximalloo is a one-man mysterious phenomenon. He has maintained obscurity, even though he has been making and recording music since the 1970's and his champions include artists as diverse as Jad Fair (Half Japanese), Momus, and members of Animal Collective. This is Yximalloo's first recording in nine years and his first to include his one-man-band sound of guitar, laptop and vocals. It builds on his primitive trance-like rhythms mixed with offbeat pop sensibilities by way of crude electronic sampling. A true masterpiece, a modern-day Moondog off the streets of present-day Tokyo, London, NYC, and wherever you happen to be.
Yximalloo: Dell Latitude c 600 All songs Sakura Wrecords (ASCAP) except Track 11, Peer International Corp. (BMI). Credits pStan's lyrics on 1. Cover design by Yximalloo. All other artwork by Jad Fair. Liner notes by Momus. Production Manager: Tom Abbs. Design & Layout by Miles Bachman and Fumi Tomita.
"Going much deeper, stronger, and innovative, Japanese electronic performance artist Yximalloo shrugs off any semblance of conventional rock, pop ,or even 21st century modern composition to create a retrograde landscape of tape samples, keyboard, vocal and percussion sounds produced on two- and four-track analog format micro-cassette recorded machinery." - Michael G. Nastos, All Music Guide "Here ESP-Disk returns to the insanity side of releases. Beats, found sounds, quirky electronics and seemingly unfinished tracks plus artwork by Jad Fair; what more could you ask for?" |
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ESP 4048 Speed, Cheek, & Leibovici -
Jugendstil
"An elder musician, composer, and producer once told me that the job of producer on a recording session ranged from simply making coffee to writing and arranging the whole album. On this session, I have a vague memory of ordering lunch for the band, but mainly I had the luxury of sitting in the booth and enjoy listening to the music. Stephane Furic's deceptively simple and elegant compositions pretty much played themselves, realized and colored by two of the greatest sounds on the planet, Chris Cheek and Chris Speed. My only job was to confirm the obvious great takes with the band, occasionally wanting to hear another, different version just for the sake of it. Listening to it after the fact, there is a relaxed and spacious magic to these sessions that I only now hear for the first time listening to the whole disc in context – all the more compliments to Stephane for hearing a total sound in his head, and having the instinct to choose musicians that gave him even more than he expected. Enjoy!" - Jim Black
Chris Speed: Clarinet 2.Carter Variations II 3.Carter Variations III 4.Carter Variations IV 5.Carter Variations V 6.Therego 7.A Music of Tranquility 8.Daffodils 9.Three Kinds of Folks 10.Feuillage Des Gestes 11.Les Nuits De La Chapoulie Publishing information Credits Composed by bassist/composer Stephane Furic Leibovici (The Twitter Machine, Crossing Brooklyn Ferry – Soul Note Records) this "trio music is based on compositional material which is developed through organic means (not repetitive means)." This session was recorded with long time collaborators Chris Speed and Chris Cheek, produced by Jim Black and recorded by Joey Marciano in NYC on June 20th, 2006. |
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