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For the past fifty years the Keith Prowse/Peter Maurice (KPM) library has been, and continues to be, the world's leading supplier of pre-recorded ('library') music to the film, television and radio industries. During KPM's 1960s and '70s heyday many of the UK 's foremost big band composers wrote for its now-legendary '1000' series of recordings; this Vocalion release brings together some of the best examples of their work recorded between 1967 and 1975. The disc kicks off with David Lindup's brilliant 1970 album When the Saints Go, featuring an all-star British big band led by Lindup. Originally issued on KPM's commercially distributed 'Aristocrat' imprint, the tracks were shortly afterwards issued (in mono) under different titles in the '1000' series; all are presented here in their original, full-length stereo versions. Among the many highlights is the pounding, funky big band groove of The Killing of Brother Dragon (aka The Zodiac), famous for its inclusion in the 1997 UK comedy film 'The Full Monty'. And let's not forget the raucous funk of Dance for the King of France (aka French Kick) featuring a distorted electric guitar freakout from ace session-man Alan Parker. Also on offer are the beautiful, relaxed grooves of The Visionary and Full Circle plus the exhilarating, punchy big band jazz of Bolt from the Blue, The Talisman and To Hounds, which feature typically excellent contributions from stalwarts of the British jazz scene such as Kenny Wheeler, Ray Swinfield and Laurie Holloway.
The second half of the disc compiles some of the very best modern big band music written for the '1000' series throughout the late 1960s and '70s, representing several of the UK 's most gifted composer-arrangers. Keith Mansfield delivers hard-hitting, dramatic funk with Behind the Scene (1970), Hot Property (1973) and Man with a Mission (1974), as does David Lindup with The Fast Machine (1972) and Grand Slam (1975). John ny Pearson's A Reasonable Amount of Sanity (1968) and Motion Underscore (1968) keep things swinging yet progressive, the former sporting excellent trumpet and double bass solo spots. Syd Dale chips in with three excellent scores, one of which showcases a particularly stunning tenor sax solo by the inimitable Tony Coe (Huckleberry Fine, 1969), while British jazz legend Kenny Wheeler provides two fantastic examples of big band jazz in Early Bird (1970) and City Sequence (1970). There is much more to savour on this superb release, which presents many of the pieces in stereo for the first time.
Remastered from the original analogue stereo tapes.
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