Various Artists-Montreux Summit Vol.1

This 2 record set is one I bought at a store on Rt. 23 near St. Peter’s Village. They sold mostly comics and video games but they did have some used records for sale. I did buy three records that day, one was so bad I had to trash it. This is on Colombia Records from 1977 and features many artists signed to them. The last day of a nearly month long Montreux International Jazz Festival. According to the extensive liner notes on the inside of the gatefold cover this was the 11th year of the festival. It was held at the newly built casino on the shores of Lake Geneva. The old casino burnt to the ground earlier as recounted in the Deep Purple’s “Smoke On The Water”. A six hour jam session on July 25 1977 with the 16 performers listed on the cover plus a five piece brass section and players from Maynard Ferguson’s band, there were 25 people on the stage. Two side long compositions lasting over 20 minutes feature short solos on most of the instruments with a long drum and conga solo at the end of “Andromeda”, the last one of the night. “Bahama Mama” has a more Fusion sound with Bob James play synthesizer with guitar by Eric Gale and Janne Schaffer. “Instant Eyes” is a mellow Wayne Shorter composition with sax by Dexter Gordon and Stan Getz and piano by Bob James. Not a bad Jazz record but I’m not a big fan of large ensemble playing preferring smaller groups of three to five musicians. Has some pops and crackles from much playing but sounds OK.

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