Miroslav Vitous – Miroslav Vitous Group

Miroslav Vitous group

Year: 1981
Label: ECM
Info: album is only avaible on vinyl and out-of-print

Artists:
Miroslav Vitous -> Bass
John Surman -> Soprano and Baritone Saxophones, Bass Clarinet
Kenny Kirkland -> Piano
Jon Christensen -> Drums

Titles:
1. When Face Gets Pale / 5:51
2. Second Meeting / 5:01
3. Number Six / 5:48
4. Inner Peace / 7:26
5. Interplay / 9:59
6. Gears / 6:35
7. Sleeping Beauty / 5:07
8. Eagle / 2:00

Miroslav Vitous – First Meeting

Recorded May 1979 at Talent Studio, Oslo
Engineer: Jan Erik Kongshaug
Produced by Manfred Eicher

MUSICIANS:
Miroslav Vitous bass
John Surman soprano saxophone, bass clarinet
Kenny Kirkland piano
Jon Christensen drums

TRACKS:
1. Silver Lake
2. Beautiful Place To
3. Trees
4. Recycle
5. First Meeting
6. Concerto In Three Parts
7. You Make Me So Happy

 

Miroslav Vitous – Live at ‘Onkel Pö’ in Hamburg, Germany, 1980-01-31

Details:
MIROSLAV VITOUS QUARTET
Live at ‘Onkel Pö’ in Hamburg, Germany, 1980-01-31LINEUP
Miroslav Vitous -b
John Surman -sax,bcl
Kenny Kirkland -p
Jon Christensen -d
TRACKS
01. SILVER LAKE 12.24
02. WHEN FACE GETS PALE 9.34
03. REVISED EDITION 15.48
04. MOUNTAIN IN THE CLOUDS 14.10
Total Time: 51.57 min
Vitous of course is perhaps most noted as being a founder member of Weather Report, so was in the vanguard of early fusion. He also played in the excellent trio with Chick Corea and Roy Haynes, and more lately with Jan Garbarek.
I don’t know whether this quartet played together often, but on this recording they really get it together. The first track is reminiscent of WR, Surman even sounding remarkably like Wayne Shorter. The third track starts off with a ferocious soprano solo from Surman, and turns into one of the numbers from an early album of his, I don’t recall which one.
I’d never heard of Kenny Kirkland, but apparently he played with Wynton and Branford Marsalis among others and featured on Vitous’s ECM recordings. He had a drugs problem and died at an early age in 1998.
This is a very good quality FM broadcast. Thanks to ricola for seeding.