Saturday 24 October 2015

Theo Loevendie Consort - Chess! -1972- (LP, BASF), Netherlands


This record is most likely the first real jazz album I've put on the blog so far, but it's a real classic in its genre. Theo Loevendie is a Dutch jazz clarinetist and composer and has been one of the key figures in Dutch jazz and improvisation since the sixties. In the early seventies Loevendie created two albums under the name Theo Loevendie Consort: Chess and Mandela (both have been reissued on a CD which is also out of print).

The Theo Loevendie Consort is basically a Dutch supergroup of jazz and impro musicians. The group consisted of trombonist Willem van Manen, icon of Dutch jazz: saxophonist Hans Dulfer, bass clarinet wizard Harry Sparnaay (to be found on this blog), pianist Leo Cuypers, bass player Arjen Gorter, saxophonist Leo van Oostrom and drummer Martin van Duynhoven (who was also in Group 1850, one of the best psychedelic Dutch bands from the sixties and seventies). You can find all these musicians on countless albums over at Inconstant Sol, as well as more Loevendie stuff.

Chess! is an important album in the Dutch (free)jazz realm, but to my personal taste not the best effort you'd expect from a supergroup like this. I suppose it was hard for them to find the right balance between their melody foundations and free jazz outburst and the space everyone had within that division. But then again maybe that's exactly what they tried to do according to the liner notes, namely:  "Anthitheses, depicting a fight between worn-out traditions and the modern improvisation approach". For example the first piece chess is a nice combination of a simple happy melody and free jazz. The piece brasilia combines a Brazilian-like melody with chaotic saxophone bursts. All in all the whole is a cool example of Dutch free jazz and does grasp the groovy spirit of that particular time in Holland. Maybe it's just that one has too high expectations being confronted with a supergroup of this degree.

Get it HERE

8 comments:

  1. Thanks for putting those Dutch rarities. For over two decades I've been looking for Loek Dikker's first LP "Love and Cry Super Nimbus". Would you be able to track it down?
    Btw - I have the German band Circles. I can send it to you if you tell me where.
    Thanks for running this blog.

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    1. Hey! Wow, I´ve never heard of that album. What a rarity, will be on the lookout here in Holland. Will definitely post it if I find a copy.

      Would be absolutely amazing if you could send the Circles material, maybe I can put it up here on the blog if you´d approve! Do you happen to have Circles´ even rarer side project LP D.O.C.(Das organisierte Chaos)- Chaos Pop & Cosmic Boogie (1984)?

      You can WeTransfer me the circles files to bencemeijer@gmail.com

      Thank you very much for your comment! And Circles stuff!

      Bence

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    2. I have Loek Bikker's first LP "Love and Cry Supernimbus" in its original cover. It is for sale. If you want to make an offer, email to ivocirkel@planet.nl. Ivo

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  2. Yes, I do have them all. I'll flick you these things over in a couple of days.
    Cheers,
    T.

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  3. I've sent you the requested files now.
    Cheers,
    S.

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  4. Hi Bence
    I just discovered your blog recently, I'm mostly interested by jazz. I just want to correct an information regarding the availability of the cd that contains both Chess and Mandela, it is still available but only in the Nederland jazz archives web site. Foreign customers can also order it by asking the site to place the order because the web site is not in English.

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  5. Hi!
    I dont want to bother too much, but you have here great music to be discovered
    Can you reupload this?

    Sincerely

    JRAC

    ReplyDelete