MPS Germany Vinyl & CDs

Review: The Hip Walk is often said by both fans and critics to be one of Nathan Davis's finest albums. It finds him with his quintet and featuring Carmell Jones on top form back in 1995. At the time, Afro-American Davis was living in Europe and working with the likes of Art Blakey. Jones was an old school mate who plays trumpet on this record and is know for doing the same on Horace Silver's classic 1965 Song for My Father. Nathan's role was to hold down the rhythm section and he did so in style here across some top ballads and virtuoso solo exhibitions from his bandmates.

Review: Seldom does a compilation title explain exactly what's in store and allure with some level of mystique like Magic Peterson Sunshine. Especially when you see the label he's digging on: MPS. One of Germany's most influential, enduring and creative contributions to jazz, Musik Produktion Schwarzwald's archives contain all sorts of hidden treasures and obscurities for those who know where and how to find them. Gilles certainly does, as proved by this 15-strong collection that ranges from big band swing of Mark Murphy to the northern soul stomp of The Third Wave by way of the more experimental en-mass vocal adventures of George Gruntz, Peterson really has worked some magic throughout this curation.

Review: US clarinet icon Tony Scott stayed for six years in Asia and during that time hooked up with plenty of talented local musicians and brought them into the jazz fold. Improvisation is a traditional part of the gamelan sound of the region and is drawn upon here as his outfit The Indonesian All Stars perform their never before heard ethno-jazz arrangements. They went on tour around Europe and opened the Berlin Jazz Days in 1967. The album has been remastered from original tapes here for a reissue which means you no longer have to pay the high prices this once rare album has fetched over the years.