Search - EUROPAFEST: Jazz Highlights on DVD

A time capsule with gems and discards

The Delite Rancher | Phoenix, Arizona | 02/08/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Recorded at Germany's Theaterhaus Stuttgart in 1990, "Europafest: Jazz Highlights" features several live performances. A strength of "Europafest" is the variety. Eclectic Jazz styles range from rockin' and avant-garde to straight and various incarnations of world music. This release is the only official video document of some featured bands. One of the more interesting performances is oud player Rabih Abou-Khalil's group with percussion legend Glen Velez. John Zorn's Naked City features an all-star band with none other than Bill Frisell. Sun Ra's onstage theatrics are legendary and his drama can be seen here in all its glory. Archie Shepp's performance reminisces John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme." All in all, the musical choices for "Europafest" are uneven. There are sparklers and duds. For example, Steps Ahead makes us grateful that the 1980s are over as a musical decade. The production for this DVD is excellent. The camera work and audio is very good. While not mixed for surround sound, the menus were created with painstaking detail. Each musical piece is broken down into sub-parts so that the connoisseur can jump to individual solos. Not a hastily created flim-flam, this DVD is a labor of love created for serious listeners. "Europafest: Jazz Highlights" features some curiosities and musical legends. While some of this material is dated, most of it is interesting if not compelling. The potential consumer has to weigh these elements."