Jazz Articles about Gunter Hampel

About Gunter Hampel

Album Review

Marion Brown: Live in Europe 1968 & 1972

Read "Live in Europe 1968 & 1972" reviewed by John Sharpe

by John Sharpe
November 9, 2026

Live In Europe 1968 & 1972 captures Marion Brown at a pivotal juncture, balancing the kinetic energy of his earlier free-jazz work with a growing interest in more spacious improvisation. The saxophonist first achieved prominence thanks to his appearance on John Coltrane's monumental Ascension (Impulse!, 1965). However the raised profile did not translate into more work. He found greater acceptance following a move from New York City to Europe in 1967. Here he forged alliances with fellow expatriates bassist Barre ...

Album Review

Marion Brown: Live in Europe 1968 & 1972

Read "Live in Europe 1968 & 1972" reviewed by Mark Corroto

by Mark Corroto
June 29, 2026

There was not much room in the crowded landscape of the 1960s avant-garde for everyone to receive equal attention. Critics and listeners alike gravitated toward the towering presence of John Coltrane, whose music dominated both record sales and jazz journalism. As a result, visionary figures such as Eric Dolphy, Albert Ayler and Marion Brown often found themselves working in the margins, their contributions receiving widespread recognition only after the fact. Fortunately, their music was documented, preserved, and remains available for ...

Album Review

Marion Brown: Three For Shepp To Gesprachsfetzen Revisited

Read "Three For Shepp To Gesprachsfetzen Revisited" reviewed by Alberto Bazzurro

by Alberto Bazzurro
November 8, 2024

Tre brani di Marion Brown e altrettanti di Archie Shepp compongono il primo dei due album riuniti, come sempre meritoriamente, in questo CD, provenendo da quello che rappresenta il debutto dell'altosassofonista georgiano su Impulse!, inciso il 1° dicembre 1966 (dopo un paio di ESP e un Fontana) e pubblicato l'anno seguente. La stessa Impulse!, come già aveva fatto con lo stesso Shepp riferendolo a Coltrane per Four for Trane, ricicla per l'occasione la stessa formula riferendo Brown al collega di ...

Album Review

Marion Brown: Three For Shepp To Gesprachsfetzen Revisited

Read "Three For Shepp To Gesprachsfetzen Revisited" reviewed by Mark Corroto

by Mark Corroto
June 1, 2024

It's not too late to catch up with alto saxophonist and composer Marion Brown. Thanks to this excellent reissue and remaster series, you can hear the innovative recordings from this master musician. This release follows his 1965/66 discs Capricorn Moon To Juba Lee Revisited (ezz-thetics, 2019) and 1966/67 discs Why Not? Porto Novo! Revisited (ezz-thetics, 2020). Chris May's excellent liner notes posit an answer to Brown's relative obscurity. He essentially lays the blame on marketing. Record labels and ...

Liner Notes

Marion Brown: Three For Shepp To Gesprachsfetzen Revisited

by Chris May
April 21, 2024

"It is often those we hear the least that we should listen to the most." So wrote the Guadeloupean pianist Jonathan Jurion on the release of his album Le Temps Fou: The Music Of Marion Brown (Komos, 2019). Just why Marion Brown has become such a rarely acknowledged figure is unclear. He possessed all the qualifications needed to go large plus a few extras for good measure. He was a good-looking man. He dressed well (telling Dave ...

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Album Review

Gunter Hampel: Vibes Vibes (Vibrafon Solos 2008)

Read "Vibes Vibes (Vibrafon Solos 2008)" reviewed by Marc Medwin

by Marc Medwin
September 7, 2009

Glass, shimmer, impressionism and cool all vie for prominence throughout these excursions into the multiplicitous world multi-instrumentalist Gunter Hampel creates on every solo . Logical proportions are exposed only to disappear; tones glisten, swell and fade, either in rapid succession or in glacial dance. This is only the second solo release from the prolific improviser on his own label, a company which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year and a more fitting one would be hard to imagine.

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Album Review

Gunter Hampel Group: Music From Europe

Read "Music From Europe" reviewed by Jerry D'Souza

by Jerry D'Souza
October 8, 2008

Gunter Hampel (vibraphone, bass clarinet and flute) grew up studying German folk and European classical music. When he was eight he heard Louis Armstrong and jazz for the first time. Though he did not understand a word of English, he felt Armstrong communicating with him. This had an indelible influence and Hampel went on to win several jazz competitions. Hampel became a professional jazz musician in 1958 when he was 21. His ideas moved in a different direction ...