Jef Gilson

• HQ VIRGIN VINYL 180 GRAM

• LIMITED TO 500 COPIES

Some of the earliest music ever from groundbreaking French pianist Jef Gilson – and proof that right at the start, he was already in a unique space that was all his own!

Gilson was a real standout in the European postwar scene – and he was one of the first in the 60s to really try to find a new voice for himself and his contemporaries – a great lineup here that works in shifting arrays on these beautifully vivid compositions by Gilson – tracks that always have a pulsating rhythmic core, but some very unusual modern solos out front!

There's a mix of earthy elements and forward-thinking instrumentation that reminds us maybe of Randy Weston at his most modern – or like some of the music on the British scene to come – but given the date of these sides, Gilson may well have beat everyone to the punch.

PERSONNEL:

• Jef Gilson - (piano)
• Jean-Luc Ponty - (violin)
• François Jeanneau - (soprano sax)
• Michel Portal - (alto sax)
• Jean-Louis Chautemps - (tenor sax)
• William Boucaya - (baritone sax)
• Fred Gérard, Georges Gay, René Léger, Michel Poli, Ivan Jullien - (trumpet)
• Bernard Vitet, Joe Martin - (flugelhorn)
• Mowgli Jospin - (trombone)
• Jean-Claude Petit - (piano)
• Jacques Thollot - (drums)

TRACKS:

• SIDE A
• A1 Le Grand Bidou
• A2 Fable Of Gutenberg
• A3 Three Four One
• A4 Curious
• A5 Indicatif : L'Autoroute 1

• SIDE B
• B1 Anamorphose
• B2 Blue-Bizz
• B3 Windy Blues
• B4 Bitonalité
• B5 Indicatif : L'Autoroute 2