Fitz Gore & The Talismen
Catalogue number:
Release date: May, 2009
Jazzaggression and Plastic Strip Press are proud to present the rare recordings of Jamaican born saxophone player Fitz Gore and his group The Talismen recorded between the years 1975-1979. The selection is carefully picked by Gore's wife Gisela together with Johan Fredrik Lavik and Lars Mørch Finborud; the material is sourced from three extremely rare private pressed LP's: Soundmagnificat (1975), Soundnitia (1975), Soundmusication (1976), and the EP Soundnova (1979), all originally released by Gisela's and Fitz's private label GORBRA RECORDS, based in Bonn, Germany.
Fitz Gore came from Jamaica to Europe in the early 50s and learned to play the tenor saxophone by himself. He travelled to various locations in Europe looking for musicians to play with and developed his unique spiritual ideas in music. For Gore the spiritual meanings - to be for real and authenticity - to play a meaning - were more important than to play licks. Gore lived for a period in Copenhagen and then in Paris where he acquainted with legendary musicians like Dexter Gordon, Johnny Griffin, Mal Waldron, Steve McCall, Jimmy Woode before moving to Bonn, the capitol of West Germany, together with his wife Gisela. Here he formed the group The Talismen consisting at various times of musicians Ulrich Kurth (piano), Lukoki Mampasi (electric piano), Lamont Hampton (congas) Gerard Ebbo (bass) and Philippe Zobda-Quitman (drums) all hailing from different countries such as Morocco, Germany and Martinique. With one foot in the modal jazz tradition and the other one deep in Jamaican and Ethiopian music, Gore and his Talismen created some amazing spiritual afro-jazz which reminds of Mulatu Astatke, Dr. Lloyd Miller and Pharoah Sanders or to put it in Gores own category- this is Lion Rock.
Just check out the killer groovers Lion Rock (Gisela), Musication or the amazing ballad Reqiuem for Julian "Cannonball" Adderley to understand his musical visions.
The release comes in a 6-page digipack and gatefold vinyl with newly written linernotes by Gores fellow musician Ulrich Kurth and original linernotes by danish jazz critic Roland Baggeneas. Also included is rare private photos and original cover art all pressed in a limited number of 500 copies only.
Tracklist CD version
1. Gisela (Lion Rock)
2. Musication 1
3. Delilah
4. Requiem For Julian "Cannonball" Adderley
5. Song For My father
6. Pelestiah
7. Porcelain
Tracklist LP version
Side A
1. Gisela (Lion Rock)
2. Musication 1
3. Delilah
Side B
1. Requiem For Julian "Cannonball" Adderley
2. Song For My Father