J&F Quintet - Contrast. 1976 Switzerland

This one goes back to the heyday of the CDRWL about a decade ago, when I had received multiple submissions of rarities yet to be reissued. This one came from He Who Shall Not Be Named, who is still a very active blogger it appears. Though this title he hasn't featured, at least that I could find. Let's take a look at my initial notes, which I've edited as I don't necessarily hear everything I did the first time.

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Contrast is a pure jazz album with a rock subtext. Flute with rock styled rhythms lay the foundation for sax and keyboard (mainly piano) solos. These rock foundations recall no less a luminary than Soft Machine, so they definitely make your head rise when listening. Some of the atmospheric flute passages recall the great Lloyd McNeill Quartet. And as we do immerse ourselves further into Side 2, the album does change its tone from jazz to rock. And goes from very good to extraordinary. This is a deep release. Of the top echelon of jazz releases that experimented with rock structures, energy, and tones. Requires a couple of listens to fully comprehend. Contrast comes highly recommended.

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On last night's listen to the new reissue LP, the Soft Machine reference becomes apparent on A2, so I wouldn't agree that it becomes more rock as it goes. It's a unique jazz album for certain. I'd also mentioned some about the use of language, but it was more sparse than I'd originally realized. Otherwise I captured the sound pretty well the first go round. Continues to be highly recommended.

Ownership: LP: 2023 BBE. Single sleeve with insert that includes a recent interview and some history. Recent online acquisition (2023). Nice reissue and it's all I need for the collection, as originals are still scarce and quite expensive. No CD as of yet, so we'll leave the CDRWL tag. My original notes also captured: On the back of the original LP it says: "The J + F Quintet got known as a "Hard-Bop" group in German, French and Swiss Jazz clubs. For the last three years this group has played in the underground, concerning itself with experimental music. The group also finds time for studio recording sessions and film soundtracks.   This record is a representative example of their compositions, containing a wide spectrum of Jazz oriented music. If we here the motif of a folksong or of a classical chord, it doesn't disturb us, on the contrary we feel that the musicians use the different forms and join them with love in a perfect union.   The musicians of the J + F Quintet consider the record to be sketches in sound, and we would like to point them out as sketches of a very contrasty, interesting and lively world."

10/6/13 (CDRWL); 2/9/20 (new entry); 7/26/23 (LP reissue update)