Just some classic Jazz goodness here.
This trio would go down in history as one of the most iconic of the late 70s. An all-star meeting of the artists that by 1975 had already made a name for themselves due to working with some of the giants of the genre, Gato Barbieri, Billy Cobham, Gil Evans, Enrico Rava, Miles Davis, Chick Corea, Derek Bailey, Anthony Braxton, Charles Lloyd, Bill Evans, Joe Henderson, the list goes on, you get the gist of it. By the time the Gateway project was started these three had already stablished unique styles and dynamics of their own, and had even already crossed paths in some live and studio lineups, so when that first album came to be it was very clear from the beginning that something special had taken place. From the fact that there was a somewhat unusual dynamic between electric guitar-bass-drums that gave place to some remarkable Fusion showcasing all the influences and styles that the three had acquired throughout their careers up to that point, to the huge charm that the group had when it came to be open about their process; it was all really special. Those first two albums, which would go down as landmarks of the "early" ECM years, were truly something remarkable due to the huge personality and chemistry that the trio showcased with their performances. Even if on studio they saw themselves somewhat limited due to technical restrains, they still managed to convey a clear idea of their huge potential. Surprisingly enough they wouldn't perform many live gigs during that initial 70s run, but the opinion from those who were lucky enough to attend some performances was always the same: pure greatness.
The world of Jazz bootlegs is one that is much more messy than the already complicated one for rock, and that's mainly because until relatively recently, the mid 90s and early 2000s or such, there just didn't seem to be that big of an interest even from some dedicated purists to actually catalog dates for performances, even for a lot of the big names in the scene. That aspect makes it so that every year or couple of years a "lost recording" pops up within an artist's discography all of a sudden, which is definitely curious but still very welcomed with open arms. In the case of the Gateway trio they have their late period, those 1983 performances and the ones from the 90s era which are not really ones that make my marbles go wild, very well documented, but those initial mid 70s performances are just odd to try to stumble upon, specially due to the fact that most of the tapes available are audience recordings that definitely have the sound quality get in the way of really appreciating the sets. To me, and to a lot of folk, this initial run of 1975 to 1978 was the golden age, the one where all three were at the top of their game with a remarkable onstage chemistry, with the 76 and 78 performances showcasing that in full splendor. Even if their presentations were sparse they still managed to turn heads wherever they went, so finding any recording, specially in nice sound quality, that manages to properly document that is always a bliss.
So that is what I bring here today, an apparent live radio broadcast recording of a gig they performed in Switzerland in 1977, a year before the release of their second album. One can already see the inclination towards longer pieces full of rich exchanges and powerful consistency throughout their whole run that would give birth to the massive A side of Gateway 2. It may be far from a flawless masterpiece of a performance, but it sure as hell is a blast to enjoy, with a very nice, clear, and enjoyable sound quality, ending up on a big gem to caress and treasure coming from one of the most delightful Jazz trios of the late 70s.
Hope you enjoy!
From the notes found on the bootleg:
"This apparently comes from a Swiss radio broadcast so it is probably not the whole concert, but this seems to be the complete broadcast of it. I did not notice any cut songs in the recording, just one where the FM announcer talks over a song that fades out. There is a little static in some parts, but it's never very prominent and only in a few parts. I was able to remove the worst of it and the result is a pretty enjoyable recording. Etree doesn't even list 1977 as a year for Gateway trio playing any shows, although this one has songs not familiar to 1975 shows (Bremen and Hamburg) and I believe it really is from 1977. I saw Jack DeJohnette with Directions in Feb. of 1978 and in 76, don't think they played much if at all in 77 so this could be what he was up to. Tracks 3 and 6 end with some radio announcer talk (not a lot). Thanks to Paul in Germany for sharing this with me (close to 30 years ago, probably), he's a big Abercrombie fan (there are a few like that) and may have recorded this broadcast so this is likely either a 1st or 2nd gen copy source for this recording. It's very hard to find any less than a very nice show from this trio, no exception with this one. It's all jazz, some straight ahead, some fusey, some avant-garde. John and Jack have been making great music together for a long time and are as fitting a combo together in their style as Cobham and McLaughlin are in theirs (and Fripp and Bruford)."
John Abercrombie - Guitar
Dave Holland - Bass
Jack DeJohnette - Drums
Basel, Switzerland, 29-06-1977
1. [untitled] (25:30)
2. [untitled] (10:00)
3. [untitled] (19:48)
4. [untitled] (9:02)
5. [untitled] (26:32)
6. [untitled] (24:54)
Download Here! - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1DqP5ITi-GfdPzLkGzxjfa7ldy1Kbhykv?usp=sharing
No comments:
Post a Comment