The German jazz scene in 1963 – a year when the nation's musicians were really finding their own sorts of sounds – and breaking free from just American-inspired modes! The set brings together all the best players from that year – and begins with an all-star jam at the start, then moves into smaller group readings that are even more compelling – as they allow for the individual voices and styles of the players to really come to the forefront! The recording quality is great – this must have been a radio project, or conceived as a full album back in the day – and we'd rank the music here right up there with the most exciting sounds from the earliest years of the Saba/
MPS label. Titles include the leadoff number "Madame B" – arranged and composed by saxophonist Joki Freund, who plays in the Deutschen All Stars group with Albert Mangelsdorff on trombone, Rolf Kuhn on clarinet, Gerry Weinkopf on flute, Helmut Brandt on baritone, Ingfried Hoffmann on organ, Peter
Trunk on bass, Joe Nay on drums, Emil Mangelsdorff on alto, Hans Koller on tenor, and Conny Jackel on trumpet. Other titles include "Ruth" by the Albert Mangelsdorff/
Hans Koller Septet with Wolfgang Schlitter on vibes and Michael Naura on piano; "Meeting At The Barberina" by the Horst Jankowski/
Rolf Kuhn quintet; "Andreas" by the Helmut Brandt Sextet with Schluter's vibes; "Anything Else" by the Joki Freund Quintet, "When You're Young" by The Feetwarmers; "Joes Blues" by the Klaus Doldinger Quartet with Ingfried Hoffmann on Hammond; "Rainy Clouds" by the Michael Naura Quintet with Schluter on vibes; and "Gerti" by the All Star Sax Group, with Koller, Mangelsdorff, Freund, Doldinger, and Brandt.