Alfred Harth
This Earth!
ECM Records (Germany) 1984
ECM 1264 (LP) Original pressing. textured sleeve.
sleeve : EX-(color-faded on one side.)
media : EX/EX(some slightly noise.)
A superb 1984 leader date by German reed and wind player Alfred Harth, who formed the free improvisation group Just Music in 1967 and went on to release work on ECM in 1970. This remarkable quintet brings together an absolutely faultless cast—Paul Bley on piano, Trilok Gurtu on percussion, Maggie Nicols on voice, and Barre Phillips on bass—one of those lineups that already tells you you’re in safe hands. Given the personnel, one might expect a free improvisation session, but this album is in fact deeply rooted in composed structures. What unfolds is a highly singular form of avant-contemporary jazz, where a cold, decadent atmosphere almost like concrete coexists with an extraordinary sense of grace and romanticism. That rare tension runs beautifully through the entire album. Nicols’ vocal contributions are especially stunning, giving the music an even sharper and more distinctive contour. Very highly recommended. Original German pressing.
A1: Female is the Sun
A2: Relation to Light, Colour and Feeling
B4: Transformate, Transcend Tones and Images