So I got hold of a copy of Harry Miller's Isipingo's 'Family affair' (an ILXOR taped it for me) and that's killer stuff.
Among them you have Mike Osborne on Alto Sax and his playing just shakes the earth for me (I can't talk about it right now). So I bought 'Outback' a reissue on the FMR label and just gave it a listen a couple of hours ago and that's really wonderful.
What else should i look out for?
― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Saturday, 21 June 2003 20:19 (twenty-two years ago)
Hey Julio, you KNEW I'd respond to this post, wouldn't you? ;-)
Not much Osborne to be got at the moment, sadly; most of his best stuff is out of print. But if you can find 'em, his Ogun records - specifically the "Border Crossing" and "All Night Long" trio sessions with Miller/Moholo (OG 300 and OG 700) - are indispensable, as is his duo album "Tandem" with Stan Tracey live at Bracknell '76 (OG 210). There's another Osborne/Tracey album "Original" on Cadillac, but "Tandem" is better.
Apart from that, look for any of the early Mike Westbrook stuff - Celebration, Release and Marching Song were all reissued on Deram a couple of years ago but were swiftly deleted. He's fantastic on all of them. Metropolis is still available on CD but BGO botched the transfer big-time; try & find the vinyl original. Perhaps his best playing with Westbrook was behind Norma Winstone on the Love Songs album - this is still available on Jap import.
Oh, and the amazing "SOS" sax/electronica trio album with Surman and Skidmore (Ogun OG 400) - years ahead of its time, predates WSQ/Rova/etc., still turns up in Ray's Jazz Shop 2nd-hand section quite regularly.
Finally, there's his work with the Brotherhood of Breath. He's on the first two RCA albums but doesn't really solo on the first album (which is still available and ESSENTIAL anyway!). His main solo features are on the second album "Brotherhood" which irritatingly still hasn't been reissued, although his composition "Think Of Something" resurfaces on their live Cuneiform album "Travelling Somewhere" which IS available. He's in the line-up for "Procession" (OG 524) but again isn't featured as a soloist.
― Marcello Carlin, Sunday, 22 June 2003 10:07 (twenty-two years ago)
eleven months pass...
Reviving this for Julio's benefit 'cos he doesn't always read my blog: but just to let you know that Ogun have just reissued Border Crossing and Marcel's Muse on one CD. Beautifully packaged and remastered; absolutely essential, especially the Border Crossing session - some of the most incendiary alto playing you'll ever hear from anyone.
― Marcello Carlin, Wednesday, 26 May 2004 08:06 (twenty-one years ago)
thanks marcello: I did actually get hold of 'marcel's muse' on vinyl, say round a couple of months after this thread was started.
I'll get this.
― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Wednesday, 26 May 2004 08:47 (twenty-one years ago)
one year passes...
Osborne really plays his balls off, each note is his last type of vibe.
The Border Crossing/Marcel's Muse twofer was my intro. Will have to search out some of the other stuff on this thread. There is a large ensemble Mike Westbrook Concert Band album that I heard at some point but don't own it. I'm not really sure what it was but it had Mike Osborne and was killer. The solo stuff, his playing reminds me of Booker Little's or something. Maybe that's not it, I can't quite place it.
― mcd (mcd), Tuesday, 21 June 2005 15:03 (twenty years ago)