Wednesday 10 May 2017

By Request: the 1976 NDR Jazzworkshop with Dauner and Ponty





These records are not cheap as they are understandably rare, but looked quite interesting.  A few were posted previously (thanks for that!) on the inconstant sol blog (mostly free jazz or improvised) as can be seen here.

A bit of background can be found on wikipedia, translated from the original German:

The NDR Jazzworkshop was first organized in 1958, in which jazz musicians from different bands and different scenes worked together and presented their work results in the concert after several days of trial. The NDR radio station of the same name later remained for the documentation of recorded jazz concerts.

Unfortunately there is no complete discography to be found there, or even in the database here.
But as mentioned in the wikipedia page, some luminaries like (obviously, from the cuneiform release) Soft Machine, Volker Kriegel, and of course Wolfgang Dauner in this installment have appeared in different years.

In fact the presence of the latter composer, to whom an entire first side is dedicated, is obviously the reason this record was of interest.  So what can we say about Dauner's composition which begins with a bloodcurdling scream?  Well, suffice it to say I will never play it in front of my kids and my wife, and I think that says it all.

Sadly, Ponty's track is a bit disappointing with its simple three-chord change:





While the remainder of the tracks, with Eje Thelin's improvised wailing and Al Jarreau babbling in the old jazz manner, are best left unmentioned.



14 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. Thanks for the discovery JR!

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  3. Dang, we appreciate you Julian. Opening minds with this music, foreal.

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  4. Best Blog ever existed!!!
    No words....

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  5. The Wolfgang Dauner piece is a beast, thanks very much! RIP Michael Naura, who led the NDR Jazzworkshop and who recently passed away. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Naura

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    1. A great artist himself, without a doubt. Made some amazing albums... may he rest in peace!

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  6. Hi Julian, here is a very comprehensive overview of NDR Jazzworkshops. Episodes 151-300:
    http://jazzrealities.blogspot.de/search/label/NDR%20Jazz%20Workshop
    Scroll down and hit "Previous Posts" for the first 150 episodes.

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  7. After weeks of searching I eventually found it and of course the link has expired. ):- Any chance for a re-up?
    Thank you.

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    1. no problem, new upload
      https://www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/iv7rfx

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    2. Thank you very much for your kind and quick service. I still haven't listened to it yet, because I'm not sure whether my nerves are strong enough to withstand ("enjoy" will not be the right expression) the music (although I'm used to the hardest stuff). ;-)

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