Mumps
A Matter of Taste
MPS (Germany) 1977
68.169 (LP) Original pressing., Black label
sleeve : EX(SOC, light scuffing on part of the top)
media : EX+/EX+(some parts have slight static noise)
A masterpiece album released in 1977 by Mumps, a jazz quartet featuring renowned jazz musicians familiar from ECM and other labels: John Surman (bs), Barre Phillips (b, vo), Albert Mangelsdorff (tb, g, vo), and Stu Martin (ds, perc, synth). The ethnic free jazz, reminiscent of Don Cherry and Edward Vesala's Nordic ethnic jazz, is truly magnificent. Examples include A4, which features synthesizers in a primitive Afro-jazz style reminiscent of the Art Ensemble of Chicago; B1, which is full of positive feelings where all parts explode and release their souls; and B2, which evokes a scene of encountering an elephant in the jungle with its sense of liberation. The sparkling, vibrant life force hidden within the chaos is palpable. Here, you can hear John Surman's ECM work, which was also featured in the guidebook "OBSCURE SOUND REVISED EDITION," in a different form. Original German pressing.
B2: The Strange Tale of Mr. Misster B3: But The Accordion Stays