The Complete Poland Concerts, 1976 and 1978 is a compilation of the complete live recordings made by the Thad Jones / Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra in Poland in August 1976 and October 1978. Two additional tracks from a 1978 Berlin concert round out the album.
Release history Most of the 1978 Poland concert tracks and the two Berlin tracks were previously released outside Poland on WestWind Jazz releases, A Touch of Class and Body and Soul respectively. The 1976 Sopot (Jazz Jantar) tracks had previously been available only on a domestic Polish release from PolJazz.
Track listing Disc 1: "Fingers" (T. Jones) – 14:05 "Thank You" (J. Dodgion) – 6:55 "Take a Ladder" (R. Scott) – 8:50 "Greetings and Salutations" (T. Jones) – 13:50 "A Child Is Born" – 9:45 "Intimacy of the Blues" (Strayhorn) – 16:25 Disc 2: "Quietude" (Jones) – 7:26 "Samba Con Get Chu" (Brookmeyer) – 13:35 "Cecilia Is Love" (Foster) – 7:06 "I Love You" (Porter) – 5:57 "And I Love You So" (McLean) – 7:33 "That's Freedom" (Jones) – 9:14 "Fingers" – 14:14
Tracks 1.1 - 1.4 previously released on Poljazz LP ZSX 637 Tracks 1.5 and 1.6 previously released on Body and Soul, West Wind Jazz WW2048 Tracks 2.1 - 2.3 and 2.7 previously released on Poljazz LP ZSX 697 Tracks 2.1 - 2.6 previously released on A Touch of Class, West Wind Jazz WW2402
Personnel Thad Jones – flugelhorn Mel Lewis – drums John Mosca – trombone 1976 Sopot: Disc 1 tracks 1–4 Harold Danko – piano Dwight R. Bowman – bass Edward I. Xiques – alto saxophone Jerry D. Dodgion – alto saxophone Arnold L. Schneider – tenor saxophone Gregory D. Herbert – tenor saxophone Pepper Adams – baritone saxophone Al Porcino – trumpet Earl Gardner – trumpet Frank Gordon – trumpet Lynn Nicholson – trumpet William M. Campbell – trombone Clifford A. Adams – trombone Earl P. McIntyre – trombone 1978 Berlin: Disc 1 tracks 5–6; 1978 Warsaw: Disc 2 Jim McNeely – piano Jasper Lundgaard – bass Dick Oatts – alto saxophone Steve Coleman – alto saxophone Rick Perry – tenor saxophone Robert Rockwell – tenor saxophone Charles Davis – baritone saxophone Ron Tooley – trumpet Simo Salminin – trumpet Irvin Stokes – trumpet Larry Moss – trumpet Doug Purviance – trombone Lolly Bienenfeld – trombone Lu Robertson – trombone
References
The Complete (Live in) Poland Concerts 1976, 1978 (Gambit 69320) at allmusic.com
External links Thad Jones & Mel Lewis - 1 (Poljazz ZSX 637) at discogs.com Thad Jones & Mel Lewis - 2 (Poljazz ZSX 697) at discogs.com A Touch of Class (West Wind Jazz WW 2402) at allmusic.com Body & Soul (West Wind Jazz WW 2407) at allmusic.com