Swiss Movement: Montreux 30th Anniversary Edition

An amazing amalgam. Listening to this brings life to the dead. Wish I had bought it years ago.

If you like blues and you like Jazz and you like improvisation when it's really "happening", buy this and don't worry- it's a must have in your top shelf CD library. It's become a classic performance and it really sounds great. Liner notes are a great read too.

I used to listen to the record of this - a lot - during College. Well, sometimes you buy a CD of something you used to listen to on record, and it sounds thin and harsh and not very musical. Not here. This recording preserves the original analogue sound, except that it's much more dynamic and clear than anything that my record player could produce. Audiophiles will appreciate the remastering of this older recording. You hear the vintage signature, but it's still clear and listenable and engaging. Nice.

The liner notes tell you that the pieces were done ad hoc by these guys with basically no rehearsal, yet it was just one of those magical instances where despite lack of preparation and good set up, everything just clicked and, as they say in the Jazz, it's "got that swing".

I was a freshman in high school when Swiss Movement was first released and very quickly it became one of those albums you had to own if you were to be considered musically hip. To a ninth-grader on the cutting edge while many of his classmates were grooving to lame acts like Bobby Goldsboro and Paul Revere and the Raiders, this was close to musical nirvana. Ten years ago, my vinyl recordings long packed away, I bought this to reacquaint myself with an album that meant so much all those years ago. And do you know what? Although it is no longer cutting-edge, it still sounds as strong as it ever did.
In revisiting Swiss Movement, I find that Compared To What still sounds relevant today in the context of the current political climate. Not only are the lyrics incisive, the music is peerless. I also greatly enjoy the funky You Got It In Your Soulness and The Generation Gap. The only song I don't really care for is the constipated Kathleen's Theme.
The CD comes with an informative booklet that talks about the musicians, the music itself and a little about the Montreux Jazz Festival and Rhino Records' program of reissuing recordings made there. What the booklet doesn't give you is the CD's playing time which annoys me. Because by today's standards, the CD seems very short even with the one miserly bonus track included. Nevertheless, Swiss Movement remains a musical touchstone of a generation and is a CD that any jazz lover should own.

This album is a must for any jazz collection. The live performance is amazing. These two performers and the side men produce a sound that has that groove that stays with you. I had the vinyl of this for many years and it is nice to get a CD of it that still has that sound (without the warmth of hiss and scratches).

Got the c.d. quickly, in great shape - love the c.d! Especially, "Compared to What"