by MItchell Feldman

Today it is rather uncommon for an American jazz musician to set up residence in Europe and become an expatriate (as many improvisers did in the '60s.) What one finds in the '80s is that many performers simply spend several months each year on the Continent touring the numerous jazz festivals that occur there. The governments of Germany and Italy, for example, provide arts organizations and radio stations with substantial funding that enable musicians to receive top-dollar for their appearances. Enterprising individuals in these countries have taken the next logical step and formed record companies that record American jazz musicians when they are in the neighborhood. As a result it is more commonplace to find current recordings from our most modern jazz musicians being released on European-based record labels than one their American counterparts. The American recording industry has never figured out how to market the more avant-garde jazz styles anyway.

In Europe, the most active record company at the moment is Italy's Black Saint Records. Together with its subsidiary label Soul Note, Black Saint releases more than 20 albums a year featuring such artists as Association for the Advancement of Creative Musician members Famoudou Don Moye, Joseph Jarman, Lester Bowie, Muhal Ruchard Abrams, Georgie Lewis and Leroy Jenkins. The more mainstream Soul Note catalogue includes the work of Dannie Richmond, George Adams, Max Roach and George Russell. Available in America from Rounder Records (186 Willow Ave., Somerville, MA 02144, (617) 354-0700), these are truly state-of-the- art artists captured at the peak of their careers.

Black Saint just released Ming (BSR 0045), a magnificent recording featuring the David Murray Octet. At the ripe old age of 25, Murray is a leading voice on tenor saxophone who does independent projects when he is not performing with The World Saxophone Quartet (with Julius Hemphill, Hamiet Bluiett and Oliver Lake). Side one showcases a freer type of jazz than side two, which features the title track (a ballad) as well as some of the bluesiest ensemble writing and blowing this side of Charles Mingus.

Just released on Soul Note are two albums by pianist Andrew Hill. Faces of Hope (Soul Note SN 1010) is a collection of solo performances, while Strange Serenade is a trio recording featuring Hill with bassist Alan Silva and percussionist Freddie Waits. A native of Haiti, Hill was once a member of Rahsaan Roland Kirk's band in Los Angeles and recorded a number of albums as a leader for Blue Note Records in the '60s. He has abstracted the music of jazz influences Budd Powell, Art Tatum and Thelonious Monk to form a personal piano style that places him in the creative vanguard of modern jazz.

Other recent Soul Note and Black Saint recordings that might be of interest are: George Russell's Electronic Sonata For Souls Loved By Nature - 1980 (Soul Note SN 1009), a fusion album that surpasses anything the genre has produced since Miles Davis' work in the early 70s; From The Root To The Source (Soul Note SN 1007), a gospel album featuring Amina Claudine Myers, Malachi Favors Maghostus, Phillip Wilson and Martha and Fontella Bass (remember "Rescue Me"?); Live Air (Black Saint BSR 0034) featuring the trio of Fred Hopkins, Steve McCall and Henry Threadgill recorded live at Sam Rivers' loft Studio Rivbea in 1976 and at the University of Michigan in 1977; Flat-Out jump Suite (Black Saint BSR 0040) by the Julius Hemphill Quartet featuring Olu Dara on trumpet, Warren Smith on percussion and Abdul Wadud on cello (check out the cut "Head"); and Mama and Daddy (Black Saint BSR 0041) featuring a big band led by A.A.C.M. founder Muhal Richard Abrams (the title track is fantastic).

Germany's Moers Music is an outgrowth of the Moers Music Festival and this relatively new company has a nice selection of recordings by such improvisers as Anthony Braxton, James "Blood" Ulmer, Barry Altschul, Leo Smith, Sunny Murray, the Anthony David/James Newton Duo and other New Musicians. Just released are: Three Gentlemen from Chicago (Moers Music 01076) by the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, dubbed "the little Art Ensemble" by their fans; trombonist Ray Anderson's Harrisburg Half Life (Moers Music 01074) which is dedicated to all people working against nuclear disasters; and No Wave (Moers Music 01072) featuring the Music Revelation Ensemble led by guitarist James "Blood" Ulmer. This last recording contains the still-developing trend referred to as "punk jazz" as Ulmer, a veteran of Ornette Coleman's mid-70s band, has applied Coleman's "harmelodic" concept of performance to the guitar and jazz-rock tus1on. Moers Music recordings are available in America from Daybreak Express, 169 7th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11215.

Should you want to find any of these recordings in Atlanta I would suggest going to Wax 'N' Facts, 432 Moreland Ave., NE or to Turtle's Northeast Plaza store on the Buford Highway. If they don't have what you want in stock, they'll order it for you.