Long considered a holy grail of British jazz, trumpet legend/iconic composer Kenny Wheeler’s classic 1969 Fontana leader debut, Windmill Tilter, has remained curiously out of print–never, in fact, appearing legitimately on CD.

Until now. Thanks to Andy Gray and BGO Records–a label responsible for a wealth of 1960s and ’70s British jazz reissues–Windmill Tilter is finally available on CD and it’s been worth the wait. Not only does it find Wheeler–listed here as “Ken,” a Canadian expat who, emigrating to England in the 1950s, quickly made it into the British jazz elite, despite an introverted nature that might have been self-limiting, had he not been such a remarkable player–in early fine form as a composer, but with the participation of saxophonist/bandleader m: John Dankworth‘s Orchestra, it’s a window into the early careers of a couple other younger players destined for greatness…
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Both m: Hadley Caliman and m: Pete Christlieb were active on Los Angeles jazz scene going on 50 years ago, and the two tenor saxophonists actually performed together at the time. Real life got in the way, guiding each man in his allotted direction. Origin Records’ house pianist (and All About Jazz Contributor) m: Bill Anschell brought the two together for Reunion, composing a good old fashioned cooker to open the disc…
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It is easy to admire the audacity of Aram Shelton’s quartet. Not that the reedman writes insolent and defiant music; but given the attention-grab improvisers are facing today, he is so very loyal to the melody. This group is quartet subset of his Fast Citizens sextet, minus trumpet and cello, here, pairing things down to tenor saxophonist m: Keefe Jackson, bassist Anton Hatwich and drummer Marc Riordan…
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Rhyme and Reason is a spare collection of just six charts that swing with both familiar and unfamiliar time. All four members of this vibrant quartet, fronted by pianist m: Keith Javors and saxophonist Oleg Kireyev, seem prepared to let the music flow from the most commonly known musical focal point out into the sea of surprise, where each of the artists appears to corral the unknown. Javors has a rather forthright style, but does not shy away from the softer emotions, and his music lies in the eye of the proverbial centrifuge of the yin-yang. He appears to be the go-to man who seizes the moment, while at the same time opening the doors of perception, not only for himself to explore, but also for the other musicians, who quickly latch on to the openings he has created…
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