Various Artists Hyperituals, Vol. 2 (Black Saint)

HYPERITUALS VOL. 2 - BLACK SAINT | liner notes A deep dive into the titles released by these legendary jazz labels refreshes, and at the same time reveals with unprecedented depth, the history and vital relevance of this music. The back catalogues of Blue Note or CTI are Aladdin's caves glittering with sound gems ready to be set into brand new jewellery, in addition to being biographies of the aesthetic and cultural richness of African American sound - an expressive force that never stops pulsing. Another vast, incredibly stimulating yet little-known catalogue is that of Black Saint / Soul Note, an Italian'double'label based in Milan. Starting in the 1970s, by the 1980s it had established itself as one of the most important imprints for international jazz. Virtually all of the brightest names in creative jazz or the 'avant-garde' of the era, left important artefacts: prominent Americans on the label included Anthony Braxton, Max Roach, Archie Shepp, Don Cherry, David Murray, Roscoe Mitchell and Sun Ra. It also gathered innovative Europeans such as Enrico Rava, Misha Mengelberg, Giorgio Gaslini, to mention just a few. Today these musicians are considered some of the greats of African American music, but in the mid-1970s they found it difficult, sometimes almost impossible, to release their music in the United States. While American imprints seemed more interested in fusion music, and club and festival networks turned out to be increasingly competitive, the old world of continental Europe not only acclaimed these musicians as artists but welcomed them, with full honours,to its festivals and concert halls. Jazz players of that generation frequently spent time in Europe, including Italy, a situation that offered them opportunities to record live performances and to release sessions that were ignored in the US. Founded in 1975 by Giacomo Pellicciotti and Giacomo Battistella – who owned the shop of the same name which was Milan's high