Sam Records - 84.023 - 180 Gram Virgin Vinyl - AAA 100% Analogue

750 Copies Limited Edition - Pressed at Pallas in Germany

All Analogue Audiophile Mastering - Barclay 84003

 

All in all, due to its superb sound, and the skill of the quintet, the purchase of this LP comes highly recommended.- Audiophile Audition

 

After hitting Paris in 1950, saxophonist Bobby Jaspar enthralled jazz fans and jazzmen alike with his smooth, elegant playing, with the lyricism of his tranquil phrases heavily influenced by Stan Getz in particular. So when Jaspar began regularly performing with a small ensemble at the Club St-Germain five years later, he adopted the same instrumentation as that of his idol’s illustrious quintet, with Sacha Distel on guitar and René Urtreger on piano in the roles of Jimmy Raney and Al Haig, respectively. 

 

Contrary to what its title might suggest, "Modern Jazz au Club St-Germain" was actually recorded in the studio. It features compositions by Milt Jackson, Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis along with a handful of standards, in which the angular aridity of bebop gives way to the generous and yet sensitive idiom of cool jazz. 

Jaspar’s premature death in 1963 robbed the jazz world of a promising talent; this record is among his best efforts as a leader.

Bobby Jaspar is in top form here!!!

 

Bobby Jaspar was a well known bop-oriented tenor saxophonist and flautist from Belgium. He was active in Europe in the 1950s before moving to New York, where he was fairly active before passing away in 1963. While in Europe Bobby played in sessions with Toots Thielmans, Jimmy Raney, and Chet Baker. He met vocalist Blossom Dearie, whom he married. In New York, his skills were such that he backed J.J. Johnson, Miles Davis, and Donald Byrd. Tragically his career was cut short by heart problems.

His all-star band recording from 1955 was issued by Emarcy/Gitanes as part of their extensive Jazz in Paris series. Now in a limited edition 180 gm vinyl, pressed by Pallas in Germany from the original master tapes, Sam Records has re-released this Parisian session that features well known standards. The acoustics are superb for the time period. There is a vibrancy to the recording that brings out the strengths of the band. Sacha Distel, the guitarist, never got his due as a first rate guitarist, and Rene Urtreger could hold his own with anyone on the European continent at that time.

“Bag’s Groove” is done at a laid-back pace with Jaspar blowing in a mellow blues-based manner. “Memory of Dick” follows, and again Jaspar shines as he blows in a cool manner which brings to mind Lester Young. Querson, on bass, though a bit distant in the mix is rock steady on bass, especially backing Urtreger’s piano. “Miles Tone” is a take on Miles’ “Milestones.”

Other winning numbers include Jaspar’s moody “I’ll Remember April” where Bobby’s estimable flute playing is shown. “Night in Tunisia” is done in pure bop fashion that is a match for stateside bop of the ‘50s.

All in all, due to its superb sound, and the skill of the quintet, the purchase of this LP comes highly recommended. There is not enough Bobby Jaspar material out there, and only Barney Wilen, comes to mind as a comparable European tenor player.

Bobby Jaspar – tenor sax; Rene Urtreger – piano; Sacha Distel – guitar; Bennoit Quersin – bass; Jean-Louise Viale – drums)

 

Recording: December 1955 at the Pathé Magellan studio, Paris

 

In the tradition of labels wholly devoted to vinyl re-pressing, Sam Records puts out a product of top-notch musical and visual quality.

 

While so many labels confine themselves to re-mastering digital versions (read: CDs) and reproducing the original artwork by simply scanning the cover, Sam Records uses only master tapes and re-creates record covers using the original photographs, paintings and/or drawings. That generally involves some painstaking detective work, so it’s a job for conscientious professionals, not corner-cutting amateurs.

 

Our re-pressings pay tribute to the people – the musicians, producers, labels, photographers, graphic artists and sound engineers – who created the original recordings that have become enduring legends of 1950s and ’60s jazz.

 

After our 2006 edition of the famous album Peace Treaty, recorded by saxophonist Nathan Davis in Paris in 1965 on the label SFP, Sam Records has now come out with a series of new editions, available exclusively on facsimile vinyl records:

 

 - Pressed in Germany on 180 gram vinyl

 

 - Front and back covers are identical to the originals, made using original negatives or

    prints if still available.

 

 - Each record comes with a large-sized high-quality print of a photograph from the

    archives of Jean-Pierre Leloir.

 

 - Each re-pressing is a limited edition.