VA - Spiritual Jazz 4: Americans In Europe (2013)

Excellent, in-depth compilation starring cherry-picked music from Sun Ra, Albert Ayler, Eric Dolphy, Don Cherry playing alongside European counterparts** "Radical new jazz sounds created as renowned ex-pat American jazzman mingle with the crème de la crème of their European counterparts. Early developments in world music inspired by trans-global cultural excursions to Asia, Africa and beyond. Exchange of ideas and a cultural meeting of minds as revolutionary jazz festivals take place behind the Iron Curtain. Advances in rhythm and sound where modal jazz and the prophetic music of John Coltrane merges with European folk traditions. This is Spiritual Jazz - as played by Americans in Europe. It's well known that throughout the 20th century, fed up with poor working conditions and racism in their home country, many American jazz musicians chose to leave the US in order to live and work in Europe. What's less well known is how their music developed and evolved during their time on the continent, and how the experience of being a musician in Europe was to shape their lives. Over the years countless jazz concerts, festivals and recordings featuring American jazz musicians have taken place all over Europe, yet it's remarkable how few of these musical artifacts have been evaluated by the jazz community. We seek to assess the European experiences of the American jazzman, with a specific focus on the progressive sounds of modal jazz and the avant garde. We examine the recordings made by those who crossed the Atlantic just to take in a short tour, as well as those who made more frequent trips, and of course those for whom Europe ultimately became their permanent place of residence."

Tracklist:

01. Pierre Cavalli – Studie Nr. 1 Fur 12-saitige Gitarre ft. Sahib Shihab
02. Johnny Hawksworth & Hampton Hawes – Jazz Rule
03. Clarence Peters – Born & Shake
04. Sahib Shihab – The Call
05. Sun Ra – Enlightenment
06. Albert Ayler – Summertime
07. Billy Gault – Mode For Trane
08. Frank Wright Sextet – T And W
09. Grachan Moncur III – When
10. Don Cherry & The New Eternal Rhythm Orchestra – Humus
11. Lee Konitz – Five Four And Three
12. Noah Howard Group – Ole
13. Bobby Hutcherson & Harold Land Sextet – The Creators
14. Eric Dolphy – Springtime