VA - Born Free, The 12th German Jazz Festival 1970 [2015] (9 x CDs)

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VA - Born Free, The 12th German Jazz Festival 1970 [2015] (9 x CDs)

This 9-CD box set from B.Free Records is a monumental archival release documenting the full breadth of the 12th German Jazz Festival, held in Frankfurt across three concerts in March 1970. Original pressings of the 1970 vinyl were limited to only a few thousand copies, and MPS stopped producing the title after that first run. That scarcity has turned surviving copies, especially those with the original gatefold sleeve intact, into prized collectibles, often fetching premium prices on the resale market. While a 2015 CD reissue and a later limited‑edition vinyl revival made the music more accessible to new ears, many purists still favor the warmth and authenticity of the first‑generation LP.

This expanded 2015 edition runs over 10 hours and features previously unreleased material, restored audio, and a 32-page booklet packed with rare photos and artist credits. It’s one of the deepest dives into European free jazz ever committed to disc.

The set opens with the German Jazz Festival Big Band, a powerhouse ensemble featuring Albert Mangelsdorff, Heinz Sauer, Volker Kriegel, and Manfred Schoof. Their pieces, like “Intoxication” and “Jazzminers Dance in Frankfurt”, set the tone: bold, brassy, and unafraid to swing into abstraction. From there, the box unfolds like a sonic map of the avant-garde. Dave Pike’s vibraphone-led quartet delivers psychedelic grooves; Wolfgang Dauner’s Radio Jazz Group Stuttgart experiments with ring modulators and clavichords; and Karin Krog’s haunting vocals float over Pike’s compositions.

Phil Woods’ European Rhythm Machine brings fierce energy on “Freedom Jazz Dance,” while Klaus Doldinger’s quartet and the Frederic Rabold Crew explore modal and fusion textures. The deeper discs dive into pure improvisation: Just Music, Limbus 4, and Free Jazz Group Wiesbaden stretch time and tone, while Peter Brötzmann’s infamous “Fuck de Boere” erupts with political rage.

Later CDs spotlight Alexander von Schlippenbach, Pierre Favre, and Joachim Kühn, each pushing the envelope of form and freedom. Gunter Hampel’s group closes the set with a suite of chamber-jazz compositions that feel ritualistic and deeply personal.

This isn’t just a reissue, it’s a resurrection. For collectors, it’s rare and essential. For historians, it’s a complete snapshot of a scene in full bloom. And for listeners, it’s a thrilling, sometimes overwhelming ride through jazz’s outer limits. (B)

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Track lists

CD01

01 German Jazz Festival Big Band - Introduction 2:15

02 German Jazz Festival Big Band - Intoxication 14:03

03 German Jazz Festival Big Band - Jazzminers Dance in Frankfurt 11:30

04 German Jazz Festival Big Band - Palazzo Blue 6:14

05 Dave Pike Set - Introduction 0:50

06 Dave Pike Set - Attack of the Green Misers 9:12

07 Dave Pike Set - Turn Around, Mrs. Lot 9:20

08 Dave Pike Set - But Anyway / Velvet Vibrations 5:44

09 Dave Pike Set - Good Time Charlie at the Big Washdown 7:44

CD02

01 Albert Mangelsdorff - Introduction 0:40

02 Albert Mangelsdorff - Blues Booth (Albert Mangelsdorff Quartett) 18:10

03 Albert Mangelsdorff - Croco Di Mama (Albert Mangelsdorff Quartett) 11:45

04 Wolfgang Dauner - Introduction 1:12

05 Wolfgang Dauner - Bluesy Bluesy (Radio Jazz Group Stuttgart & Wolfgang Dauner) 11:02

06 Wolfgang Dauner - The Pendler (Radio Jazz Group Stuttgart & Wolfgang Dauner) 16:05

07 Wolfgang Dauner - Reaping Machine / Diäthylaminoäthyl (Radio Jazz Group Stuttgart & Wolfgang Dauner) 17:36

CD03

01 Karin Krog - Introduction 1:23

02 Karin Krog - One for Kathy (Karin Krog and Her Friends) 6:37

03 Karin Krog - Green Light (Karin Krog and Her Friends) 4:25

04 Phil Woods - Introduction 0:59

05 Phil Woods - Freedom Jazz Dance / Ode a Jean-Louis (Phil Woods & His European Rhythm Machine) 21:24

06 Phil Woods - Josua (Phil Woods & His European Rhythm Machine) 4:18

07 Phil Woods - The Meeting (Phil Woods & His European Rhythm Machine) 14:49

CD04

01 Klaus Doldinger - Introduction 1:25

02 Klaus Doldinger - The Windmills of Your Mind (Klaus Doldinger Quartett) 8:45

03 Klaus Doldinger - Sahara (Klaus Doldinger Quartett) 17:26

04 Frederic Rabold Crew - Introduction 1:36

05 Frederic Rabold Crew - Exus '70 9:21

06 Frederic Rabold Crew - Tangente 7:53

07 Frederic Rabold Crew - Beerdigung Eines Avantgardisten 12:12

08 Jazzworkers - Action Playing 7:34

CD05

01 Frankfurter Trio für Improvisation - Introduction 0:48

02 Frankfurter Trio für Improvisation - Invention 2 2:56

03 Frankfurter Trio für Improvisation - Invention 2 3:23

04 Frankfurter Trio für Improvisation - Invention 2 2:36

05 Frankfurter Trio für Improvisation - Invention 2 4:00

06 Frankfurter Trio für Improvisation - Invention 2 3:05

07 Frankfurter Trio für Improvisation - Invention 2 3:18

08 Frankfurter Trio für Improvisation - Invention 2 2:20

09 Just Music - Introduction 0:49

10 Just Music - 22. Marz 1970 27:22

11 Modern Jazz Quintet Karlsruhe - Introduction 0:45

12 Modern Jazz Quintet Karlsruhe - The Sun is Coming Over 13:11

13 Modern Jazz Quintet Karlsruhe - Position 2001 12:56

CD06

01 Free Jazz Group Wiesbaden - Introduction 0:28

02 Free Jazz Group Wiesbaden - Frictions 13:12

03 Free Jazz Group Wiesbaden - Frictions 20:56

04 Limbus - Introduction 0:58

05 Limbus - Kundalini (Limbus 4) 27:09

CD07

01 Peter Brötzmann - Introduction 1:58

02 Peter Brötzmann - Fuck De Boere (Peter Brötzmann Group) 13:40

03 Peter Brötzmann - Fuck De Boere (Peter Brötzmann Group) 23:13

04 Manfred Schoof - Introduction 0:36

05 Manfred Schoof - Vier Sätze Aus Page One (Manfred Schoof New Jazz Trio) 24:43

CD08

01 Alexander von Schlippenbach - Introduction 0:22

02 Alexander von Schlippenbach - Panama Rose / Globe City / Village / Fly (Alexander von Schlippenbach Trio) 27:47

03 Pierre Favre - Introduction 0:45

04 Pierre Favre - Siddharta (Pierre Favre Group) 26:26

05 Rolf & Joachim Kühn - Introduction 0:42

06 Rolf & Joachim Kühn - Rue De La Boule Rouge (Joachim Kühn Group + Rolf Kühn) 23:40

CD09

01 Gunter Hampel - Introduction (Gunter Hampel Group) 0:39

02 Gunter Hampel - Op. 53, 1st Movement "The Bull" / Le Mat / Op. 53, 6th Movement "The Bull" / Op. 76, Balance / Op. 75, Ritual / Op. 59, Centering (Gunter Hampel Group) 39:13

03 European Free Jazz Orchestra of the Art Ensemble of Chicago - Introduction 1:51

04 European Free Jazz Orchestra of the Art Ensemble of Chicago - Getting to Know You All 35:26

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Music weaves itself into the fabric of our emotions, dances through the corridors of memory, and whispers to the soul of who we are. Sharing these stories deepens the connection, turning the experience into something timeless and profound.

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