MPS Records reissues six albums on vinyl and CD from its historic catalogue

Jazz lovers and record collectors have a lot to be thankful for as MPS Records is reissuing eleven albums on vinyl and CD from their historic catalogue this month. Germany’s first jazz label dropped six titles on Friday in North America via Edel Germany in partnership with Bob Frank Entertainment, including albums by Albert Mangelsdorff, Art Van Damme, Clark Terry, Joe Pass, John Taylor Trio and the Michael Naura Quartet.

Founded in 1968 by Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer, MPS was the recording home for legendary artists including Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Peterson, Dexter Gordon, Freddie Hubbard, The Count Basie Orchestra and George Duke. Last summer, MPS reissued 31 albums on vinyl and CD, the success of which created the interest and

demand to reissue additional titles.

Mangelsdorff was a revolutionary experimentalist who developed the art of jazz polyphonics, an avant-garde technique in which he simultaneously blew and sang into his trombone. The German keeps fine company on “Albert Mangelsdorff and His Friends,” a stellar duets collection recorded over an 18-month span on which he is paired up with Don Cherry, Elvin Jones, Lee Konitz, Attila Zoller, Karl Berger and Wolfgang Dauner.

Van Damme was another innovator who changed the image of the accordion, proving that the instrument synonymous with polka could be cool when placed in a jazz setting alongside guitar and vibes. The trio of

instruments formed Van Damme’s swinging signature sound as captured on “Ecstasy,” which was recorded in 1967-68 utilizing MPS’s house rhythm section comprised of German bassist Peter White and Swiss drummer Charly Antolini.

Terry changed the perception of the flugelhorn, legitimizing it as a leading voice in jazz. Honored with a GRAMMY lifetime achievement award, Terry’s precise and prodigious horn interprets classic ballads on “Clark After Dark: The Ballad Artistry of Clark Terry,” along with the title track, an original penned by the trumpeter and Peter Herbolzheimer, who conducted the 50-piece orchestra that backed Terry on the album. The session illumined by 28 sweeping strings has a romantic, late-night vibe, an idyllic setting to

showcase Terry’s beautiful horn play.   

Regarded as one of the greatest guitarists of the twentieth century, Pass serves up a mix of standards and originals on “Intercontinental.” The trio, anchored by German acoustic bassist Eberhard Weber and British drummer Kenny Clare, recorded in MPS’s studio in 1970, swings through a set list spanning selections by Antonio Carlos Jobim, Cole Porter, Michel Legrand, and Benny Goodman and his orchestra.

Considered one of the most important voices from the European jazz scene, pianist John Taylor emerged from playing in the house band at famed London nightspot Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club to concert performances and recording dates accompanying iconic jazz

artists and as a leader. Taylor’s trio, bassist Chris Laurence and drummer Tony Levin, rifle through a handful of Taylor’s wide-ranging compositions on “Decipher.” First issued in 1973, Taylor’s sophomore outing offers sumptuous tastes of the nimble noodler’s virtuosity amidst swinging rhythms and emotional melodies.

A freeform amalgam of jazz, rock and blues, the Michael Naura Quartet’s “Call” consists of eight originals written by Naura. The pianist was studying philosophy, sociology and graphic arts in Berlin when he formed his first band with vibraphonist Wolfgang Schlüter in the 1950s, a combo that mixed blues, bebop and European avant-garde. On this 1970 release, Schlüter is by Naura’s side along with frequent collaborator drummer Joe Nay. Weber played electric bass on this recording, Naura’s first after an eight-year gap, an album that reveals the bandleader in a new and different light.