Sergei Kuryokhin - "Iblivyi Opossum. Live in France" {Russia} [1991] (avant fusion)

"Iblivy Opossum" is the account of live performance by Sergei Kuryokhin and his Pop-Mechanika Orchestra at Nantes, France on October 22, 1991. In my view, it is one of the most powerful and significant albums by Kuryokhin on the jazz side, featuring intense upbeat avant-fusion full of adventurous yet structured and coherent improvisations. The music combines thoughtfulness and wild epatage in just the right proportion and is indeed performed with a stroke of genius.


Line-up:

Sergei Kuriokhin - keyboards
Aleksandr Lyapin - guitar
Mikhail Kostyushkin - sax
Aleksandr Titov - bass
Sergei Letov - bass clarinet, tenor sax
Andrey Romanov - acoustic guitar
Sergey Schurakov - accordion
Boris Shaveynikov - drums
Aleksandr Kondrashkin - percussion
plus 13 guest artists

The following short bio of Sergei Kuryokhin is compiled from various sources, major ones being www.discogs.com and www.raig.ru: "Sergei Kuryokhin was a pianist, composer, band leader, actor, director and a prominent figure in the USSR. He first attracted public attention in late 1970s as a jazz pianist, playing solo as well as with Vladimir Chekasin, Anatoliy Vapirov and others. In the early 1980s, before he was allowed to travel outside the Soviet Union, some of his works published by Leo Records in the UK, as well as a number of TV programs made him one of the cult figures of the burgeoning Russian underground. In 1984, developing the concept of melting various art-elements, aesthetics, traditions, and cliches to form the new kind of art, he founded his own project known as Pop-Mechanika Orchestra. The band, which could be anything from a modest trio to a full blown multimedia extravaganza featuring a symphonic orchestra, a brass band, a rock group, a circus, a zoo, a gypsy singer, and whatever else his fantasy could bring up at the moment, subsequently toured most of the world. His music could be best described as a sort of spontaneous improvisation with strong elements of avant-garde jazz and rock, though there are quite many works which could easily satisfy tastes of admires of solo-instrumental, chamber, minimalist, or post-industrial music. He also scored for a number of popular movies, theatre spectacles, and documentaries. Sergei Kuryokhin's discography comprises over 40 LPs and CDs, but his importance stretches beyond his documented legacy. He was known and valued as a tireless catalyst of artistic life, as a creative force which united and formed the artistic community, as one of the strongest and most vital voices of a revolutionary era, the era which transformed the stagnant Soviet Union into new, yet unknown, but vibrant Russia".

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Linus - "Linus" {Korea} [1980] (hard prog)

Unfortunately i couldnt find informations/reviews about the band; friends especially who like Uriah Heep,Deep Purple like bands may enjoy Linus more.

thanks to zeme :)

Disparition - "Transmutations" {USA} [2007] (electronica)

This is one of my friend's work, As a listener i love the album, and i wanted to share with all PNF family :)
Hope you like the album as much as i do; here is some copy/paste:

"...It’s got a fairly wide range of styles, and was influenced by music from a number of different genres which I tried to combine in what I hope are interesting ways. The album art is by Sumudu Welaratna, and its based on the imagery of Splendor Solis, an alchemical manuscript from the 16th century attributed to Salomon Trismosin. The music on this album was influenced by this and other visual art by medieval and early modern alchemists, as is evident in some of the track names. Other conceptual influences included meteorological and geological phenomena, Balkan history and culture, current events, and nationalism. The musical influences range from contemporary electronic acts like Boards of Canada, Freescha, and the Boats to veterens like Brian Eno and progressive rock bands like King Crimson and Genesis, composers such as Bela Bartok and Frederic Chopin, and the central and eastern European folk music that influenced them...." more reviews & info here



You can find some more works and infos of Jon Bernstein at http://disparition.net/


Enjoy!

Marimba de Concierto de Bellas Artes - "Armonia Universal" {Guatemala/Japan} [1995]

“Universal Harmony, Beyond Time and Space” was created during visit that Marimba de Concierto to Japan, back in 1995. The piece is built with a combination of Guatemalan and Japanese sonorities, and also with original variations and melodies composed for marimba and koto, This event was a landmark in the development of the Guatemalan marimba since, for the first time this difficult task was attempted. And the attempt ended successfully because the Marimba de Concierto was able tu surpass all the technical limitations with new musical themes.

It stems from a very hard effort to broaden the marimba’s beauty to other audiences all over the world. And it is rewarding to hear the exotic sound of Koto, to imagine that one is wandering in a rain forest or in a small beautiful village, be it a Guatemalan or a Japanese one. Or, Simply, feel with this music joys of sunrise watching and birds singing.

Highly recommended to every world music lover

Thanks to Musashi :)

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Anatoliy Vapirov - "Mysteria" {Russia} [1977] (jazz/fusion)

Anatoliy Vapirov was one of the most prominent jazz artists in the Soviet Union in the mid and late 70s. He taught saxophone and jazz improvisation classes in Leningrad Conservatorium of Music, and in parallel worked with jazz bands, openly displaying his affiliation with underground rock movement and keen interest in contemporarty avant-garde. In 1976 and 1977 respectively, Anatoliy somehow managed to release two LPs in the USSR with music more than somewhat different from what the state-owned Melodia label was known for. More challenging and 'deviant' works in avant-jazz direction followed in late 70s and early 80s, and made their way to the West (via Leo Records, an independent British label) remaining unreleased in the Soviet Union. By that time, Vapirov's intellectual independency and non-conformism got him into the conflict with Soviet authorities which resulted in a framed-up court action against the artist and in his incarceration. After being discharged in mid-80s, Vapirov emigrated to Bulgaria. He is still quite active in the East European scene, running an annual jazz festival in Varna and participating in local and international music projects.

"Mysteria" is the second of the two early, 'Soviet' releases by Anatoliy Vapirov. It features an exquisite and well-crafted mix of chamber fusion and free jazz with light touches of Slavic spiritual music. This is a vinyl rip, the cover is not available. My hearty thanks go to Mr. Medvedev, Russia, for kindly sharing the original record from his collection.

Line-up:

Anatoliy Vapirov - tenor & soprano saxophone
Boris Lebedinsky - guitar
V. Dunayevsky - bass
Daniel Martin - drums

Tracklist:

1. Mysteria (beginning)
2. Mysteria (ending)

Link in comments.

Lougarou - "Lougarou" {Canada} [1976] (prog folk/rock)

Garolou (or Lougarou, as they were initially called) developed around the nucleus of the Lalonde brothers, Marc and Michel. Native Ontarians, the nomads reunited in 1974, as part of a theater troupe in Prince Edward Island. They soon found themselves in contact with first-rate musicians from the East Coast, notably guitarist George Antoniak and keyboardist Steven Naylor. With the addition of drummer Michel "Stan" Deguire, the first line-up moved to the Laurentians, and quickly set to the task of building up a repertoire of valid rock music with progressive overtones. They found their repertoire from an unlikely source: archives of French-Canadian traditional folk music from noted musicologists such as Father Anselme Chiasson. ..Although crowds were receptive to their brand of traditional rock music, record company executives were not forthcoming. In a gesture of faith, Le Studio in Morin Heights, Quebec, opened their doors to the group during off-hours, with the group owing nothing until they secured a recording contract with the finished masters.

Antoniak and Naylor would leave the group soon after their first album, to be replaced with guitarist Gilles Beaudoin and keyboardist Réginald Guay. (Beaudoin would leave before the third album, in turn replaced by Gaston Gagnon.) Although lineup changes are common, name changes are less so: faced with a... read more here

Parno Graszt - "Járom az utam" {Hungary} [2004] (gypsy)

"A few months ago I saw a delightful documentary on BBC4 about a Hungarian Gypsy village band called, on the film, Parno Grass. The next time I saw my friend Ian Anderson, I asked him if he'd seen it; he said he had - and also had their CD. Then, a few weeks ago, that generous man sent me a spare copy he'd unearthed from what must be one of the largest collections of records in the country - so here it is, up for review.
But first I'd like to return to the film for a moment; I called it delightful - and it is, in so many ways. It begins, on May Day morning, 2002, with the band's leader, József Oláh, leaving his house on foot to meet up with the other members, preparatory to the day's musical activities. The 'other members of the band' being, in this instance, practically the whole of the village of Paszab - for this is a real village band, numbering from the core 7 members, up to 20 or so, depending on who's around. The local touring version is 17-strong, including ten dancers of three generations - from 10 to 71 years old! In the course of the morning we climb on board a wagon pulled by the parno graszt, the White Horse of the CD's title, and meet the band's great-grandmother - yes, all 17 share the same great-grandmother!

We learn about life in the village, how they earn a living, how the band has made them more prosperous and more self-assured, and about their recent trip to a festival in Holland where "They treated us like Princes!" - and we realise that this means that their hosts treated them just like any of the other guests ... not something they are used to. A visiting local politician is told of the "only slight" racialism of their Hungarian neighbours; "They still hate us, but they don't burn our houses."

We also discover that, back in the late-1950s, a far-sighted village elder decided that their music and dance culture was both valuable and important, and in danger of being swamped by new influences from outside - and set about encouraging the participation of the youth of the community. Today's vibrant village culture, and Parno Graszt, is the result of his labours. In the film we see young dancers huddled round a TV watching, with great enthusiasm, films from half a century ago of their now elderly relatives dancing and playing - with some of these same relatives in attendance to instruct them in the subtleties of their art.

But the most delightful, and surprising, thing of all is the music. We are used to the stereotypical images of the Hungarian Gypsies; the café violinist, the cymbalom orchestra ... but this is only how some of them earn a living in a country where little else is open to them. Here in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg, the most underdeveloped, and"...read more here

Namgar - "Hatar" {Russia-Mongolia} [2003] (folk)

Buryat vocalist Namgar Lkhasaranova leads the ensemble that takes her name, accompanied on traditional instruments from Buryat and Mongolian tradition. Here is an earthy sound from an expert ensemble of musicians from Russia and Mongolia.
The ensemble says of itself:
Buryats live in Russia, where it borders with Mongolia and Manchuria. Buddhism, Shamanism, and the natural beauty of South Siberia contributed to their tradition. They share a lot of musical themes with their relatives Mongolians, with a special attention to dance tunes that became extinct in Mongolia. Namgar is a group of versatile musicians that create the sound both authentic and easily accessible. The group made their first appearance on the international stage at Riddu Riddu Festival in Norway in 2002, along with Mari Boine and a bunch of other World Music celebrities. The repertoire of Namgar consists of the songs and melodies shared by Buryats and Mongolians, embracing the world of sounds as big as from the Lake Baikal in the East of Russia to the Great Wall in China, from the songs of shamanist gatherings of Siberia to celebration songs you might hear at a midsummer fest in Mongolia to exquisite melodies from Inner Mongolia. Looking like characters from the ancient legends of Asia on stage, the group delivers the music that is both exotic and easily accessible.

Four musicians were drawn together by this ancient music little known to the world in January 2001, in Moscow, Russia Namgar Lhasaranova and Jipo from Ulan-Ude, Buryatia (South Siberia), Altay and Urna from Mongolia. Their collaboration sprung from the songs and music of the Hori Buryats, as well as from Mongolian compositions, as Buryats and Mongolians share many common musical traditions.

The heart of this project, Namgar (Namgar Ayushievna Lhasaranova) whose name was used to call the entire group, grew up in a Buryat family in a tiny village of Kunkur near the border crossing of Russia, Mongolia, and China. Hori Buryat tribes to which Namgar belongs, historically were supporters of Chingis Khan and important commanders of the Mongol Invasion. Their songs and dances date back to the glorious times of the Mongolian Empire, preserving many genres and..read more here

Pascal Duffard - "Dieu Est Fou" {France} [1976] (zeuhl)

well i couldnt find english review, here is german one: "Passend zum soeben durchlebten Zeuhl-Spektakel in der Johanniskirche in Würzburg soll heute von einer Scheibe die Rede sein, die zeigt, bis in welche Bereiche der populären französischen Musik der Einfluss von Christian Vanders Kultband Magma Mitte der 70er vorgedrungen war. Ausgehend von den zahlreichen, hauptsächlich dem Jazz entliehenen Instrumentalisten, die nach Ende ihres Gastspiels die arrangementtechnischen und kompositorischen Eigenheiten des Vanderschen Oeuvre in ihre eigenen Projekte einbrachten, grassierte der Zeuhlvirus natürlich hauptsächlich im Jazzrock und allem, was man dafür halten konnte. Aber selbst im Folk und tatsächlich auch in der Vertonung von Poesie, in Frankreich als "Chanson" bekannt und geliebt, kam diese schwer beschreibbare Melange aus bassbetonter Polyrhythmik, flirrenden hypnotisch-repetitiven Klangmustern und neutönerisch gefärbten Melodiefetzen zu Ehren. Eine dieser allerdings nicht sonderlich zahlreichen französischen Scheiben ist Pascal Duffards "Dieu est fou". Er hatte sich zu seinem ersten und einzigen Album, 1976 auf dem Majorlabel CBS erschienen und von Giorgio Gomelsky produziert, einige Magma- bzw. ZAO-Mitstreiter der frühen Jahre geholt, um seine lyrischen Ergüsse mit einem 5stimmigen Chor, diversen Bläsern und dem üblichen Rock-Line Up zu vertonen. Quer durch die gesamte abendländische Musikkultur des 20. Jahrhunderts tobt der Komponist, Pianist, Arrangeur und Sänger mit Unterstützung von 18(!) illustren Gästen wie Francis Moze, Yochk'o Seffer, Claude Engel und anderen Größen der französischen Jazz(Rock)-Szene. 42 Minuten Spielzeit verteilen sich ziemlich gleichmäßig auf 6 Songs, deren Instrumental- und Gesangsanteile sich in etwa die Waage halten. Stravinsky und Zappa lassen grüßen, die Walkürenchöre drohen wagnerianisch und mutieren zwischendurch zu magmaesken Vokalgebilden, Bass und Schlagzeug lassen sperrige Rhythmik entstehen, und trotzdem wirkt das Ganze wie aus einem Guss. Wie fast immer bei solchen Hybriden - man kennt das ja zur Genüge aus dem Progressiverock - war dem Album kein kommerzieller Erfolg beschieden: zu rockig für die elitäre Avantgarde, zu schräg und sperrig selbst noch für Zeuhl-Gewohnte. Die kleine Auflage hat allerdings über die Jahre zu einem solchen Preisanstieg in der Sammlerszene geführt, dass eventuell zum Verkauf bereite Besitzer dieser Scheibe zumindest jetzt eine dreistellige Summe fordern können." (review by Charly Heidenreich)

thanks to my friend Zen :)

Máquina! - "Why? Máquina!" {Spain} [1970] (Psycho Prog) (@320)

Máquina! is maybe the very first underground rock group to have recorded in Franco’s Spain, their first single dating back to early 69, and the following year, their first Lp was out with a striking artwork depicting a clock coming out from a croissant meaning that it was time to wake-up (and have breakfast) in Spain: The album was called Why? Máquina! and it was clearly so rebellious under a dictature that fellow group Tapiman (and Barcelona crosstown rivals/friends) answered them with a track Don’t Ask Why. The five-piece group developed a high-energy Hammond-driven psych/prog rock with two lead guitarists, with many extraordinary musical moments given the context of those years. It is not known if Guitarist Paris is related to Pan & Regaliz’s singer Guillem Paris.
Two years later, the group recorded with a different line-up (both guitarists having left) their next album live with a much different bluesier sound complete with a brass section (and almost all new material) reminiscent of Chicago Transit Authority.
I am at a loss to explain what became of these guys, since Máquina! disbanded, but their legacy remains, with a superb and stunning debut album and a quite pleasant follow-up. http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=2383

01. I Believe (4:15)
02. Why? (11:51)
03. Why? (continuacio) (12:54)
04. Let Me Be Born (3:06)
Bonus
05. Earth’s Daughter (2:55)
06. Look Away Our Hapiness (7:05)

- JM Paris / guitars
- Luis Cabanach / guitars, bass
- JM Vilaseca / drums
- Enrique Herrera / keyboards
- Jordi Batiste / vocals, flute, bass

01. I Believe ....
02. Why?.....

Link for download "Máquina! Why? Máquina!" in comments ...

Saint Just - "La Casa Del Lago" {Italy} [1974] (Prog Folk)

SAINT JUST was a seventies Italian progressive group but not really reminiscent of the typical Italian sound. Influences from folk, psychedelic and classical can be heard in their music. The most remarkable instrument in their music is the vocals of Jane Sorrenti that float above the music. Her vocal delivery is definitely an acquired taste. The group released only two albums and the line-up is very different in these two albums. In the 1st album there were only three official members of which the saxophonist Robert Fix was not included in the 2nd album. For their 2nd album the remaining members Jane Sorrenti and Antonio Verde (classical guitar, bass) added electric guitarists Tito Rinesi and Andrea Faccenda as well as a drummer Fulvio Maras.
The first self-titled album, released in 1973, is more acoustic than the predecessor “La Casa del Lago”, released in 1974, which is more in the classic Italian tradition and therefore more easily accessible. Both albums are considered very good. http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=987

01. Tristana (6:41)
02. Nella Vita, Un Pianto (11:04)
03. Viaggio Nel Tempo (6:33)
04. La Casa del Lago (6:28)
05. Messicano (5:28)
06. La Terra della Verita (2:44)

- Jenny Sorrenti / vocals
- Antonio Verde / guitar, bass, vocals
- Robert Fix / sax (1973)
- Tito Rinesi / guitar, vocals (1974)
- Andrea Faccenda / guitar, keyboards (1974)
- Fulvio Maras / drums, percussion (1974)

Guests:
- Alan Sorrenti
- Gianni Guarracino
- Tony Esposito


01. Tristana ...
04. La Casa del Lago ...


Link for download "Saint Just - La Casa Del Lago" in comments ...