One of the greatest albums of European jazz from the early 60s – a tremendous effort from pianist Michael Naura, wor
king here with lots of vibes and a fair bit of grooves – in a style that sounds a lot like some of the best early recordings made by the team of Roy Ayers and Jack Wilson! The groove here is definitely modern, but also plenty darn soulful too – and thanks to some alto sax in the mix, the tracks have a cutting quality that really gives them an edge – a kind of rasp that predates some of the late 60s soulfulness of the Saba/
MPS scene, of which this album is a definite precursor! Alongside Naura's piano, the group also features vibes by Wolfgang Schluter, alto sax by Peter Reinke, bass by Wolfgang Luschert, and drums by the great Joe Nay – soaring together on tunes that includes
Tubby Hayes' "Down In The Village", Oliver Nelson's "Three Seconds", Jackie McLean's "Dr Jekyll", and the originals "Night Flower", "Stratosphere", and "Grunga Mood".
(Original mono pressing! Cover and label have some very light aging – but this is a great copy.)