Product Description
The complete - and previously unheard - early work of a later celebrated jazz guitarist recorded in first-class audio quality and produced by SWF-Landesstudio Rheinland-Pfalz in Mainz, as it was then known. It is fascinating to discover the sources from which Volker Kriegel - just 19 years old at the time of the first session - derived inspiration for some of the best known jazz standards: John Lewis' Django, a relaxed Thelonious Monk (Rythm-A-Ning), Autumn Leaves, Norwegian Wood, and other down-tempo numbers of the bop and beat era before discovering his personal laid-back style.
Review
Although Kriegel is largely remembered today as a pioneer of Germany's jazz-rock movement, the pure jazz hightlighted on this set still retains an air of freshness and impressive technical dexterity. --Mark Holston
Presented in trio, quartet, and quintet format, Kriegel comes across as an accomplished guitarist in the mainstream jazz of the period, with an unassuming manner often suggestive of the musical style of Kenny Burrell. --Cadence Magazine
This two-disc set of 29 tracks, recorded during four sessions from the early to late 1960s, documents the early career of the late German guitarist Colker Kriegel. Until now, this versatile musician's artistic output was little-known outside of his homeland. Part of the label's "Lost Tapes" series, these unreleased dates are showcased in elegant packaging that's distinguished by handsome black-and-white graphics, eye-catching photos and a sharply penned biographical essay.
Kriegel, sporting black horn-rimmed glasses and a serious gaze, was just 19 in November 1963 when he, along with a bassist and drummer, recorded eight well-known standards. Having alread mastered an extensive stylistic vocabulary, the guitarist incorporated everything from straightahead, Jim Hall-influenced jazz on John Lewis' "Django" to bluesy, rockabilly vamps on a clever arrangement of W.C. Handy's "Saint Louis Blues." Kriegel had also learned how to project a sense of humor - he had a party with bent notes and dissonant chords on Thelonious Monk's "Rhythm-A-Ning" - and an aura of bravado, as demonstrated on "Tabu", a moody bit of 1930s-era Cuban exotica. --Jazziz, July 2014
Open Web Player
