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One of the earliest albums on the Free Jazz Productions label – a large group session led by trumpeter Manfred Schoof, and featuring a wealth of great talents from the European avant garde of the 60s – including Peter Brotzmann on tenor, Enrico Rava on trumpet, Irene Schweizer and Alexander Von Schlippenbach on piano, Derek Bailey on guitar, Evan Parker on soprano sax, Paul Rutherford on trombone, and both Han Bennink and Pierre Favre on drums! The album features one long track – Schoof's "European Echoes" – the kind of extended, freewheeling, large group improvisation that was exemplary of the united front being expressed across nations by the free jazz movement of the late 60s. Still as powerful today as it was back then!

A landmark record – and most likely the best of the late 60s Jazz Meets The World series on MPS! The album features a unique ensemble comprised of a few core parts – The Indian Trio of Dewan Mothihar on sitar and vocal, Keshave Sathe on tabla, and Kusum Thakur on tambura; the Irene Schweizer Trio, here heard not as "out" as on other recordings, and with a contemplative, modal sound; and the jazz horns of Barney Wilen (tenor and soprano sax) and Manfred Schoof (trumpet and cornet) – adding in a level of improvisation on top of the rhythmic progression and sonic experimentation of the other two parts of the whole. The album's got three long tracks – "Yaad", "Brigach & Ganges", and "Sun Love" – all of which create a unique blend of Indian music, modal rhythms, and European jazz – somehow managing to filter all the elements together without any colonialist overtones, and coming up with a sound that's even greater than the sum of its parts!

A landmark in the European avant scene of the 60s – the first self-released album by pianist Alexander Von Schlippenbach – an all star session that features work by Peter Brotzmann, Manfred Schoof, Paul Rutherford, Han Bennink, and others! The work here is very free and a spacious – with slow-building, tentative rumblings from all players involved, gently feeling out the space between them as the set goes on – energy levels increasing with confidence as tighter and stronger movements emerge. Titles include "The Living Music", "Into The Staggerin", "Tower", "Wave", "Past Time", and "Lollopalooza". Greatness!

Amazing sounds from Heiner Stadler – an artist who's not just remembered for his own work on piano, but for his great talent for choosing excellent players to work with! In fact, this album may well be best known for the musicians working with Heiner more than for his own talents – a well-chosen batch of sharp-edged, yet soulful early 70s musicians – including both Joe Farrell and Tyrone Washington on tenor, Reggie Workman and Barre Phillips on bass, Jimmy Owens on trumpet, Dee Dee Bridgewater on vocals, Manfred Schoof on cornet, Wolfgang Dauner on piano, and Lenny White and Joe Chambers on drums! With players like that, it's hard to miss – and Heiner makes music that's got some of the free, open exchange of the new thing generation, mixed with the spiritual undercurrents of the loft jazz period – really letting the key soloists express themselves strongly. CD features 8 tracks from both volumes of the albums – "No Exercise", "Three Problems", "Heidi", "Bea's Flat", "Love In The Middle Of The Air", "UCS", and "All Tones".

An excellent 70s European session recorded by Waldron – featuring a quintet with Steve Lacy on soprano sax, Manfred Schoof on trumpet, Jimmy Woode on bass, and Makaya Ntshoko on drums. The tracks are all long – with an approach that's in that later Waldron modal mode on the rhythms, but which gets freer and more open on the solos. Titles include "The Seagulls Of Kristiansund", "Hurray For Herbie", and "One-Upmanship".

Probably our favorite entry in this excellent series of classic "jazz meets world music" recordings from MPS. This CD compiles material from 3 rare recordings from the 60's – Djanger Bali by Tony Scott, Sakura Sakura by Hideo Shiraki, and the various artists comp called Jazz Meets India. The Tony Scott stuff is insanely wonderful, and he plays with the Indonesian all stars on a number of jazz renderings of classic gamelon melodies, and a haunting version of summertime. The sound is amazing, the the 5 tracks are some of the most compelling jazz tracks we've heard in ages. Another highlight is the two tracks that bring together the Irene Schweizer trio with Barney Wilen and Manfred Schoof. They play two long tracks – "Yaad" and "Sun Love" – with a haunting "Indian" feel that goes very out in parts. The last 4 tracks are by Hideo Shiraki and his quintet, with Terumasa Hino on trumpet and some added koto playing. The sound is fantastic on all cuts, and the CD's an amazing batch of tracks that will haunt you forever!

A brilliant recording from this seminal group – recorded by Conny Plank in his famous studio – and featuring Manfred Schoof and Kenny Wheeler on trumpets, Peter Brotzmann and Evan Parker on tenor, Gunter Christmann and Albert Mangelsdorff on trombone, and Alexander Von Schlippenbach on accordion!