Bratislava Jazz Days - 1987

 

The international jazz festival BJD is one of the greatest events of this kind in central Europe. It regularly welcomes the best-known jazz stars.

BJD have been held every year since 1975 in the cultural centre PKO in the second half of October. It was created by Peter Lipa, the most prominent personality of Slovak jazz.

At the break of the 1970s and 1980s, BDJ were a great professional festival and successively it presented such personalities of world jazz as Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, John McLaughlin, Bobbie McFerrin, Al DiMeola, Jean Luc Ponty, Kurt Elling, Jack DeJohnette, Marcus Miller, David Sanborn, Richard Bona, Matt Bianco, Mike Stern Band, Spyro Gyra and many others.

The jazz lovers could hear every stream that enriches jazz, from free jazz, through jazz rock, jazz funk, fusion and many other streams presented by bigbands, chamber ensembles and soloists.

-from Slovakia.Travel

   

When a group of enthusiasts organized the first year of Bratislava Jazz Days in 1975, none of them would even imagine later great success of the event. It became a European class festival with annual appearance of world jazz stars.
In the beginning, musicians from Czechoslovakia and neighboring socialist countries performed at the festival. In 1977, musical groups from Western Europe appeared there for the first time - a Finnish big band Retuperä and German trio Weiden. In 1979, Bratislava welcomed the first American musician - trumpeter Lee Harper.
In the early 1980s, Bratislava Jazz Days became a big, professional festival with performances of various jazz musicians from Czechoslovakia and several European countries.
In 1982 harmonica player and guitarist Jean Toots Thielemans appeared at the Jazz Days - the first world class musician. One year later, in 1983, a radical change happened. Two American superstar jazzmen arrived in Bratislava - guitarist Larry Corryell and drummer Jack De Johnette together with his group Special Edition.
Since then a lot of celebrities have performed there, for example:
Chick Corea & Gary Burton, Oregon, John McLauglin, Stanley Clarke, Bobby McFerrin, Flora Purim & Airto Moreira, Lester Bowie & Bras Fantasy, Billy Cobham, Sun Ra Arkestra, Michael Brecker, Steve Coleman's Five Elements, Michel Camilo, Herbie Hancock, James Blood Ulmer, Cassandra Wilson, Stanley Jordan, John Scofield, Wynton Marsalis, Take 6, Michel Petrucciani, The Zawinul Syndicate, Bob Berg, Georgie Fame, Jean Luc Ponty, Ray Brown, Maceo Parker, Betty Carter, Steps Ahead, Hiram Bullock, Vienna Art Orchestra, Yellowjackets, Bill Evans And Push, Vernon Reid, Al Di Meola, Courtney Pine, Larry Coryell's Eleventh House, Bill Bruford's Earthworks, Grand Slam (Jim Hall, Joe Lovano, George Mraz, Lewis Nash), David Sanchez, Bebel Gilberto, Lew Tabackin, Kurt Elling, James Carter, Joey DeFrancesco, Lucky Peterson, Robben Ford, Mezzoforte, Victor Bailey, Marcus Miller.
The festival is held in Bratislava Park kultúry a oddychu. Bratislava Jazz Days is organized by Rock Pop Bratislava agency

-bjd.sk homepage


551. [371]  Sun Ra Arkestra


Bratislava Jazz Days 1987

Sun Ra (p, syn); Fred Adams (tp); unidentified (tp, flg); Tyrone Hill (tb, dance); Marshall Allen (as, fl, perc); Pat Patrick (as); Danny Ray Thompson (as, bars, fl); John Gilmore (ts, cl, timb, voc); James Jacson (fl, bsn, Inf-d); Leroy Taylor [Eloe Omoe] (bcl, cacl, perc); Danny Davis (as, fl); Kenny Williams (ts, bars, dance); Robert A. Williams (space instruments); unidentified (eg); Oscar Fleming Brown (b); Earl C. "Buster" Smith (d); Samarai Celestial (d); Bushdancers: June Tyson, Judith A. Holton, Cheryl Banks, Greg Pratt, Darrel Brown.

~possibly minus the guitarist. June Tyson was present but does not sing on this track.

Bratislava, Czechoslovakia,

October 25, 1987

Limehouse Blues (Brahman-Furber)

Opus 9115 2080-81, a 2-LP set titled Bratislava Jazz Days, was released in Chechoslovakia, probably in 1988. The single track by the Arkestra appeared as the second cut on Side A; it was mislabeled "We Travel the Spaceways"! Date and location from album jacket; personnel ct. ct and Ralph Pleshar tracked down this obscure album.

There are also excerpts from many Czech bands, Billy Cobham, Mike Brecker, John Abercrombie, and ensembles from Sweden, Poland, Hungary, and the USSR. It is not known whether tapes of the rest of the Arkestra's performance are extant.
from The Earthly Recordings 2nd ed. Campbell/Trent

MANY THANKS TO VINYLUST for sharing with us his copy of this rare LP.

Bratislava Jazz Days '87

               1. Naima / Můj Starý Přítel 8:27
               2. We Travel The Spaceways (Limehouse Blues) / Sun Ra Arkestra 3:52
               3. Celoročné Blues / Combo Petra Lipu 4:44
               4. In The Times Of My Life / Billy Cobham Band 9:27
               5. Ako Malé Deti / Skupina Matúša Jakabčica 8:58
               6. Folly / Itchy Fingers 5:34
               7. Vietor Od Chrbta / V-V System 4:09
               8. Walic / Walk Away 7:30
               9. Under The Blanket Of Blue / Smoking Band 5:45
               10. Sore / Trio (7) 6:43
               11. Original Rays / Michael Brecker Band 13:07
               12. Greetings Of The Sun / Magyar Jazz Quartet 6:45
               13. Fágel Vágen / Frederyk Noren Band 11:17
               14. Hippityville / John Abercrombie Trio 7:00

FLAC pt.1
FLAC pt.2
(linked files)

or

320

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