Newly discovered 1965 concerts by the late clarinetist and saxophonist Jimmy Giuffre will be released June 10 by the new label Elemental Music, a partnership between American producer Zev Feldman and the Barcelona-based distributor Distrijazz. According to a press release, the label will specialize in releasing newly discovered archival or out-of-print jazz. New York Concerts, by the Jimmy Giuffre 3 & 4, is described as a two-disc set offering “a rare and revelatory glimpse into” what the release calls Giuffre’s “discographical dark period,” the decade between 1962 and 1971 which went largely undocumented.
“These recordings are the latest treasures to be unearthed from the seemingly inexhaustible troves of producer/engineer George Klabin, who in the last few years has also released essential ‘lost’ recordings on his Resonance Records imprint by Bill Evans (Live at Art D’Lugoff’s Top of the Gate) and the forthcoming Charles Lloyd (Manhattan Stories),” says the press release.
New York Concerts was brought to Barcelona-based Distrijazz founder Jordi Soley, resulting in the establishment of the new archival label and the initial Giuffre release.
The press release details the content of the recording as such: “The first disc was recorded in September 1965 at Judson Hall during Charlotte Moorman’s New York Festival of the Avant Garde, produced by saxophonist and jazz critic Don Heckman, on a triple bill with bands led by Heckman and Charles Lloyd. The concert marks the only performance by this particular trio with bassist Richard Davis and drummer Joe Chambers, who when interviewed for the CD booklet, had no recollection of the date even happening.
“Disc two travels slightly back in time to May 1965, with a performance in an empty Wollman Auditorium on the campus of Columbia University. Then 19-year-old Columbia student Klabin had recently been appointed head of the jazz department at WKCR-FM, the university’s radio station, and wanted to present original recordings as part of his show. He invited Giuffre with that goal in mind, and recorded his quartet, with Chambers, pianist Don Friedman, and bassist Barre Phillips.
“Both of these recordings were made expressly for Klabin’s radio show, aired once, and then filed away for nearly five decades. The pristine sound quality reveals Klabin’s prodigious talents at an early age, close-miking each musician and mixing live to a Crown 2-track tape recorder. The release was mixed, mastered, and restored by Klabin and Fran Gala at the Resonance Records Studios in Beverly Hills.”
Originally Published