Fritz Pauer Live at the Berlin Jazz Galerie (mps, 1970)

A piano album that features some nice compositions...

Peter Thorup's 1978 Rejsen Til Kina [temporary only]

"Poems from China" by Tom Kristensen first published in 1922.  Music by Thorup.

Looking over the information on this release I was surprised to see it was released to CD some time ago, accordingly, I won't have a link....

A nice surprise to see Knudsen on keys.  (Of course I posted his masterpiece Anima some time ago in a lossless.)

The first track really sets the tone here:





I think we should all be grateful that this doesn't descend-- not even for a moment, or note-- into the pentatonic simplistic silliness so typical of "chinese"- influenced music.

Atlantic Bridge - Atlantic Bridge (USA - 1970)

If you enjoy jazz-rock interpretations of pop songs like "MacArthur Park," "Something" and :Dear Prudence," this is for you.  Nothing ground-breaking, but considering that it was released in 1970, it was a bit ahead of its time.

Norwegian Band Vanessa, in 1975's City Lips and 1976's Black and White

This band blew me away when I first heard them, very early on in my prog initiation, since they sounded so much like my favourite Orchestra Njervudarov.

Their first record shockingly sells for several hundred euros now, though it seems like a basic funk-fusion work along the lines of Kjol, Moose Loose, Scope, Kornet, my / our old discovery Alpha Omega from Australia, and so many others....

Leaves of Love:

Sunhouse - Sunhouse (BEL- 1977)

Obscure jazz-rock from Belgium that was included on the CD Reissue Wish List.  Here's what the CDRWL had to say about it:

Sunhouse - s/t (Belgium) 1977 JWS Records. Typical late 1970s sax lead funky jazz fusion, but with some inspired guitar leads. Dealers are trying hard to compare with Placebo, but no way. More like the later albums by Release Music Orchestra, Nova, Aera and countless obscurities like Patchwork, Michael Borner's Sun, CCPP, and, well, seemingly half of this reissue wish list.

Le Théâtre Du Chêne Noir ‎– Miss Madona (EP) (FRA - 1973)

You may be familiar with Chêne Noir's other releases, two of which appeared on Mutant Sounds back in the day.  You can still find an in-depth description of the band there.

This EP, though, is pretty hard to find. Here are some comments from someone selling it (I've left comments in tact, so excuse the errors) ... It features "the dark, meditative bulky black mass of Le Chant du Cirque with piano, sax and haunted voices. Intense and beautiful at the same time, often considered as a prog band, this tune is just brilliant spiritual jazz. The flip side is also superb with Le Numéro De Miss Madonna probably one of the best avant / spirit jazz recorded in France."

TCB - Open for Business (USA - 1970)

Before there was LOL and IMHO, there was TCB.  That's right ... Taking Care of Business, which this band does for the most part.  Listeners will find elements of brass rock, psychedelic, blues rock and more ... but proggers will be most interested in the side-long final track, "Magic," which at times sounds like it was influenced by the Allmans' "Whipping Post."