Everyday is Record Store Day here at The Jazz Meet. All we need to entice us into town is a new release sheet or a cheeky call to say there’s a fresh second-hand collection been alleviated from it’s (once careful) owner. That being said though it seems Jazzman Records might just have something tantalizing for jazz fanatics just in time for this year’s annual event.
In recent years, there has certainly been a resurgence in the release of jazz vinyl reissues, as more and more rare and unreleased records continue to be unearthed by collectors. One of the record labels who have remained at the forefront of this market is the famed London imprint Jazzman Records, whose slogan ‘we dig deeper’ can also be said to embody the spirit of its proprietor ‘Jazzman Gerald’ Short. A formidable record collector and dealer in his own right, Gerald has spent much of the last couple of years painstakingly documenting the career of the late French jazz pianist, arranger and composer Jef Gilson, and now having already revived a lot of his past work over two double albums, this April 19th sees the Jazzman pull something special off his shelves.
It appears the label has worked meticulously behind the scenes in recent months to bring us a 5 LP box set from Gilson which documents his explorations into Malagasy Jazz. The fully licensed and digitally restored set, which will be limited to just 500 copies worldwide, comprises of the three original LPs from Malagasy that Gilson released in the early 1970s (on the highly collectible and ultimately rare Palm Records label) as well as a further two albums of Afro-Spiritual jazz that had until now remained unissued. Also included is a bonus 7″ single of the super-rare 45 which only ever came out in Madagascar and of course, extensive liner notes (both in English and French!) with previously unpublished photographs and interviews with the musicians.
The release of the boxset will hopefully go some way to illustrate Gilson’s pivotal role in the development of world jazz. A keen student of music in all its forms, his visit to Madagascar in 1969, and his later immersion in Malagasy society, led to a rare cultural exchange of ideas which fundamentally led to his very early experiments in Ethnic Jazz.
TRACKLIST
(Gilson ‎”Malagasy” Palm Records, PALM 1)
1. A Tana (5:20)
2. Avaradoha (6:21)
3. Chant Inca (4:12)
4. Sodina (6:34)
5. The Creator Has a Master-Plan (12:08)
6. Malagasy (7:05)
(Gilson ‎”Malagasy At Newport-Paris” Palm Records, PALM 5)
7. Newport Bounce (5:50)
8. Salegy Jef (6:10)
9. Solo Frank (5:56)
10. Buddah’s Vision (5:58)
11. Veloma Lava (4:47)
12. Valiha Del (4:52)
13. Requiem Pour Django (7:28)
14. Dizzy 48 (5:21)
15. 1973 (1:59)
(Sylvain Marc & Del Rabenja “Madagascar now – Maintenant ‘Zao'”, Palm Records, PALM 4 )
16. Valiha Ny Dada (7:36)
17. Katramo (5:33)
18. Hommage À Rakotozafy (4:52)
19. Amore Ny Canal (3:47)
20. Del-Light (3:54)
21. Ô Ambalavoa (8:38)
22. Rotaka (Fais Peter) (9:01)
(Unreleased)
23. Colchiques Dans Les Prés (:10:46)
24. Unknown 1 (8:35)
25. Unknown 2 (14:22)
26. Unknown 3 (5:31)
27. Chant Inca (Live) (5:38)
28. Dizzy 48 (Live) (4:49)
29. Prélude En Sol Mineur (4:43)
30. Les Touches Noires (4:53)
31. Unknown 4 (20:04)