Hat Hut Records at Fifty

The three albums below are some of the ezz-thetics and First Visit album releases that arrived in 2025 adorned with a sticker featuring a large 50 on it plus the explanation, "celebrating 50 years of Hat Hut records." Rewinding fifty years, we find that Hat Hut was founded by Werner X. Uehlinger in 1975, the first Hat Hut release being Black Magic Man by a Joe McPhee quartet which had been recorded live in concert at Vassar College, New York, in December 1970. Its catalogue number was HAT A, in common with all twenty of the label's first twenty releases through to HAT Y/Z/Z by Jimmy Lyons... As the three releases below demonstrate, the label has come a very long way in the decades since those first releases...

Christopher Kunz & Florian Fischer
Die Unwucht, Disperation And Focus
First Visit
2025

Born in Karlsruhe, Germany, in 1992, Christopher Kunz plays soprano and tenor saxophones. He made his recording debut in 2019 with the cassette which was recorded live in Leipzig in a quartet, and was limited to just eleven numbered copies. His next album Die Unwucht was released on ezz-thetics in 2021, having been recorded in June 2020 in Langenzenn, Germany. It was Kunz' first recording with German jazz drummer Florian Fischer who was born in Furth in 1993 and is now based in Berlin.. All of that album's duo pieces were jointly credited to Kunz and Fischer.

So, Die Unwucht, Disperation And Focus , which was released on First Visit rather than ezz-thetics, can be considered as a sequel to Die Unwucht, not because of the re-used title but because Kunz and Fischer adopt playing styles similar to those on the ezz-thetics album. Both of them play continuously throughout the eight tracks which vary in length from 2' 57" to 9' 50" and total 41'10" and were recorded on May 27th and 28th 2023, in a little garden plot in Langenzenn . Each of them has his own unmistakable style of playing which is instantly recognisable and owes nothing to the style of other players .

Russ Johnson, Christian Weber, Dieter Ulrich
To Walk On Eggshells
ezz-thetics
2025

This album, To Walk on Eggshells was recorded at DRS Radiostudio 2 in Zurich, on December 1st 2009 by Martin Pearson. This is its first release on any label. It features a trio comprising Brooklyn-based trumpeter Russ Johnson, who is active in jazz, improvised music and contemporary music, and also teaches. He is joined by jazz musician and double bassist Christian Weber who was born in Zurich in 1972 and is based in Neuchatel, having moved to Graz in 1993 to study at the academy of music and performing arts. The trio is completed by Swiss jazz drummer Dieter Ulrich who was born in October 1958

The album comprises nine tracks ranging in length from 4' 22" to 6' 56" and totalling 49' 45." Of the nine tracks, four are credited to Johnson, three to Ulrich, and two to Weber. Irrespective of who wrote which piece, the trio has a consistent, coherent sound throughout. Johnson's trumpet is in the spotlight most of the time, soloing freely, with Weber and Ulrich interacting with it rather than just keeping rhythm. Overall, this democratic attitude among the three players allows anything at any time, leading to a refreshing sense of freedom throughout

Joe Henderson
Our Thing To In 'N Out Revisited
ezz-thetics
2025

Originally recorded in the renowned Van Gelder Studios in New Jersey, on September 9th 1963 and on April 10th 1964 with two slightly different quintets, the albums which comprise this release were first released on vinyl by Blue Note, entitled Our Thing and In 'N Out. Both those albums featured Joe Henderson on tenor saxophone and Kenny Dorham on trumpet, each of whom supplied five of the ten compositions here. On the September recording they were joined by Andrew Hill on piano (soon to record his own masterpiece Point of Departure alongside Henderson and Dorham in March 1964) as well as Eddie Khan on double bass and Pete La Rocha on drums. On the April '64 recording, the quintet was completed by Richard Davis on double bass plus McCoy Tyner on piano and Elvin Jones on drums, the latter pair who would record A Love Supreme with John Coltrane, later in 1964.

All of which emphasises what an exciting place New York was in the early 60's when jazz's New Thing was becoming popular due to many of those mentioned above. At the time of their releases, these two Henderson albums were rightly praised and given high ratings. As ever, this ezz-thetics release has immaculate sound, making it the best re-issue of this music which still sounds as fresh and listenable as ever. Ideal for jazz afficionados old and young. Not to be missed...

Tracks and Personnel

Die Unwucht, Disperation And Focus

Tracks: The sowing of Pressluftschwammerl; Duspersion and Focus; Fleischof Doom; Ant icks; Engage and Hold; Ponzipump; Second Intake; Processionary Moth.

Personnel: Christopher Kunz: soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone; Florian Fischer: drums.

To Walk On Eggshells

Tracks: Lifted; No Folk's Song; Pointillistic; For A. R.: To Walk On Eggshells; Subject Matter? Hidden Upsides of Contortion; Confession; Exits Locked. .

Personnel: Russ Johnson: trumpet; Christian Weber: double bass; Dieter Ulrich: drums.

Our Thing To In 'N Out Revisited

Tracks: Teeter Totter; Pedro's Time; Our Thing; Back Road; Escapade; In 'N Out; Punjab; Serenity; Short Story; Brown's Town.

Personnel: Joe Henderson: tenor saxophone; Kenny Dorham: trumpet; Andrew Hill: piano (1-5); Eddie Khan: double bass (1-5); Pete La Roca: drums (1-5); McCoy Tyner: piano (6-10); Richard Davis double bass (6-10); Elvin Jones: drums (6-10).

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