Look out for a massive retrospective from England's greatest Coltranian as Mark Wastell's remarkable avant-garde Confront label is issuing a vast record of achievement by Alan Skidmore entitled A Supreme Love featuring Elvin Jones, Weather Report, Kenny Wheeler, S. O. S. and Mask Symphonic gems. Hearing John Coltrane play live in Walthamstow, before even East 17 postcode days mapped the endless terraces and mock Tudorbethan vistas of the north east London suburbs, changed Skid's life as it also on a mo 'stow tip massively impacted upon free improv icon of the music the great Evan Parker also present at the Granada Theatre on a Jazz at the Philharmonic tour organised by Norman Granz that 17 November night. Parker's blistering Walthamstow Moon ('61 Revisited) blew us away five years ago. The full, remarkable track listings are:

A SUPREME LOVE: CHAPTER ONE (disc I)

The Skidmores with Alan Haven

1. Now’s The Time (Charlie Parker)
2. Don’t Get Around Much Anymore (Duke Ellington)
3. The Preacher (Horace Silver) Jimmy Skidmore (tenor saxophone), Alan Skidmore (tenor saxophone), Alan Haven (organ), unidentified (drums) Recorded London 1961

Alexis Korner Blues Incorporated

4. Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting (Charles Mingus)
5. Honesty (David Baker) Alexis Korner (guitar), Alan Skidmore (tenor saxophone), Chris Pyne (trombone), Danny Thompson (double bass), Terry Cox (drums) Recorded London, April/June 1965

Humphrey Lyttelton Big Band

6. Skid’s Kid (Kenny Graham) Humphrey Lyttelton, Greg Bowen, Bert Courtney, Kenny Wheeler, Ian Carr (trumpets), Chris Pyne, Eddie Harvey, Mike Smith (trombones), Ray Warleigh, Ronnie Ross, John Surman, Tony Coe, Alan Skidmore (saxophones), Colin Purbrook (piano), Ron Mathewson (double bass), Jackie Dougan (drums), Kenny Graham (composer, arranger, director) Recorded London 1966

Alan Skidmore Quartet

7. What Is This Thing Called Love (Cole Porter)
8. Autumn Leaves (Joseph Kosma) Alan Skidmore (tenor saxophone), Bob Cornford (piano), Dave Holland (double bass), Alan Jackson (drums) Recorded London, 29 August 1967

Alan Skidmore Quintet

9. Old San Juan (John Warren)
10. Once Upon A Time (John Surman)
11. Free For Al (Alan Skidmore) Alan Skidmore (tenor saxophone), Kenny Wheeler (trumpet), Harry Miller (double bass), John Taylor (piano), Tony Oxley (drums) Recorded at Monteux Jazz Festival, Casino de Montreux, Switzerland, 19 June 1969

Alan Skidmore Quintet

12. Double Meaning (Fritz Pauer) Alan Skidmore (tenor saxophone), Kenny Wheeler (trumpet), Harry Miller (double bass), John Taylor (piano), Tony Oxley (drums) Recorded London, 27 October 1969

A SUPREME LOVE: CHAPTER TWO (disc II)

Weather Report + Guests (NDR Workshop 73)

1. Directions (Joe Zawinul) Wayne Shorter (soprano saxophone), Josef Zawinul (keyboards), Miroslav Vitous (double bass), Alphonse Mouzon (drums), Dom Um Romao (percussion), Eje Thelin (trombone), Alan Skidmore (tenor saxophone), John Surman (baritone saxophone) Recorded at Funkhausstellung, Berlin, Germany, September 3, 1971

Alan Skidmore Quintet

2. Folk Nik (John Surman) Alan Skidmore (tenor saxophone), Malcolm Griffiths (trombone), John Taylor (piano), Chris Laurence (double bass), Tony Levin (drums), Dietrich Schulz-Köhn (announcer) Recorded at 13th Deutsches Jazzfestival, Kongresshalle, Frankfurt, Germany, 24 March 1972

S.O.S.

3. Country Dance (Alan Skidmore/Mike Osborne/John Surman) Alan Skidmore (tenor saxophone), Mike Osborne (alto saxophone), John Surman (soprano saxophone) Recorded London, 27 January 1974

Alan Skidmore with Österreichische Rundfunksender Big Band

4. Up There (Alan Skidmore/arr. John Warren) Recorded at ORS Jazz Time, Vienna, Austria, 25 May 1976

Alan Skidmore / Tony Levin

5. Oxford Road, B13 (Alan Skidmore/Tony Levin) Alan Skidmore (tenor & soprano saxophone, drums, percussion), Tony Levin (drums, percussion) Recorded in Tony Levin’s music room, Oxford Road, Birmingham, 21 July 1977

Alan Skidmore / Tony Levin / Tony Oxley

6. Way Out East (Alan Skidmore/Tony Levin/Tony Oxley) Alan Skidmore (drums, percussion), Tony Levin (drums, percussion,) Tony Oxley (drums, percussion) Recorded in Tony Levin’s music room, Oxford Road, Birmingham, November 1977

A SUPREME LOVE: CHAPTER THREE (disc III)

S.O.H.

1. Dutch Dreams (Ali’s Waltz) (Jan Huydts/Ali Haurand) Alan Skidmore (soprano saxophone), Ali Haurand (double bass), Tony Oxley (drums) Recorded at Fabrik, Hamburg Germany, 19 October 1981

Alan Skidmore with Radio-Philharmonie Hannover des NDR

2. Nature Boy (Eden Ahbez) Alan Skidmore (tenor saxophone), Radio-Philharmonie Hannover des NDR, Colin Towns (arranger) Recorded at Norddeutscher Rundfunk, Hannover, Germany, December 1989

Tenor Tonic

3. Modal Tonic (Alan Skidmore) Alan Skidmore (tenor saxophone), Paul Dunmall (tenor saxophone), Paul Rogers (double bass), Tony Levin (drums) Recorded at Pendley Jazz Festival, Tring, England, 6 July 1985

Alan Skidmore with Radio-Philharmonie Hannover des NDR

4. I Remember Clifford (Benny Golson) Alan Skidmore (tenor saxophone), Radio-Philharmonie Hannover des NDR, Horst Mühlbradt (arranger) Recorded at Norddeutscher Rundfunk, Hannover, Germany, December 1989

Alan Skidmore Trio

5. Moving Along (Alan Skidmore) Alan Skidmore (tenor saxophone), Mick Hutton (double bass), Spike Wells (drums) Recorded London, 26 October 1987

Alan Skidmore with Colin Towns’ Mask Symphonic

6. After the Rain (John Coltrane) Alan Skidmore (tenor saxophone), Colin Towns’ Mask Symphonic, Colin Towns (arranger) Recorded, CTS, Wembley, London 1989

Elvin Jones Jazz Machine

7. George And Me (Elvin Jones) Alan Skidmore (tenor saxophone), Sonny Fortune (tenor saxophone), unidentified (piano), unidentified (double bass), Elvin Jones (drums) Recorded Ronnie Scott’s, London 1988

A SUPREME LOVE: CHAPTER FOUR (disc IV)

Alan Skidmore & Kenny Wheeler with Jazz Live Trio

1. Just Once (Alan Skidmore) Alan Skidmore (tenor saxophone), Kenny Wheeler (trumpet), Klaus Koenig (piano), Peter Frei (double bass), Pierre Favre (drums) Recorded at Radio Studio DRS ( Studio 2 ), Zurich, Switzerland, 19 January 1980

Alan Skidmore / John Surman

2. Jass (Alan Skidmore/John Surman)
3. Ist (Mike Osborne)
4. Riffing Together (Alan Skidmore/John Surman) Alan Skidmore (tenor saxophone), John Surman (baritone saxophone) Recorded at Mike Osborne Benefit Night at 100 Club, London, 30 April 1991

Alan Skidmore Quartet

5. Easy to Remember (Richard Rogers/Lorenz Hart)
6. K.A.N.S.Y. (Alan Skidmore) Alan Skidmore (tenor saxophone), Steve Melling (piano), Arnie Somogyi (double bass), Mark Taylor (drums) Recorded London, 1992

Alan Skidmore Quartet

7. Spiritual (John Coltrane)
8. Take the Coltrane (Duke Ellington) Alan Skidmore (tenor saxophone), Steve Melling (piano), Arnie Somogyi (double bass), Stephen Keogh (drums) Recorded at Cheltenham Jazz Festival, Cheltenham, England, 5 April 1997

A SUPREME LOVE: CHAPTER FIVE (disc V)

Alan Skidmore Quartet

1. But Not For Me (George Gershwin/arr. John Coltrane)
2. Naima (John Coltrane)
3. Impressions (John Coltrane) Alan Skidmore (tenor saxophone), Steve Melling (piano), Arnie Somogyi (double bass), Gary Husband (drums) Recorded NDR Studio, Hamburg, Germany, 10 March 2000

Colin Towns Mask Orchestra

4. John (Colin Towns) Colin Towns Mask Orchestra featuring Alan Skidmore (tenor saxophone), Colin Towns (composer, arranger, conductor), Guy Barker, Henry Lowther, Martin Shaw, Graham Russell, Nathan Bray (trumpets), Barnaby Dickinson, Roger Williams, Pat Hartley, Liam Kirkman (trombones), Nigel Hitchcock, Simon Allen, Phil Todd, Julian Arguelles (saxophones), Dudley Phillips (double bass), David Hartley (piano), Ian Thomas (drums), John Parricelli (guitar), Paul Clarvis (percussion) Recorded at Moers Festival, Moers, Germany, 13 May 2005

Alan Skidmore’s Ubizu

5. Africa (John Coltrane) Alan Skidmore (tenor saxophone), Ingolf Burkhardt (trumpet), Steve Melling (piano), Mike Paxton (drums), Colin Towns (keyboards), Neville Malcolm (double bass), Saidi Kanda (percussion), Musa Mboob (percussion) Recorded London, England, January 2008

Alan Skidmore Quartet

6. Giant Steps (John Coltrane) Alan Skidmore (tenor saxophone), Steve Melling (piano), Geoff Gascoyne: double bass, Tony Levin: drums Recorded at Fleece Jazz Club, Suffolk, England, 2011

Alan Skidmore Quartet + Georgie Fame

7. Mr. PC (John Coltrane)
8. Jumpin with Symphony Sid (Lester Young/lyrics by King Pleasure Alan Skidmore (tenor Saxophone), Steve Melling (piano), Geoff Gascoyne (double bass), Ian Palmer (drums), Georgie Fame (vocals) Recorded at A European Jazz Jamboree, Kammermusiksaal der Philharmonie Berlin, Germany, 19 September 2008

A SUPREME LOVE: CHAPTER SIX (disc VI)

Alan Skidmore Quartet + Ed Jones & Howard Cottle

1. Transition (John Coltrane)
2. Chasin’ the Trane (John Coltrane) Alan Skidmore (tenor saxophone), Steve Melling (piano), Andrew Cleyndert (double bass), Miles Levin (drums), Ed Jones (tenor saxophone), Howard Cottle (tenor saxophone) Recorded at Café OTO, London, England, 17 July 2019

Alan Skidmore Quartet

3. Resolution (John Coltrane)
4. Pursuance (John Coltrane)
5. Psalm (John Coltrane) Alan Skidmore (tenor saxophone), Steve Melling (piano), Andrew Cleyndert (double bass), Miles Levin (drums)

Alan Skidmore, photos: cover art detail and Confront. The release date of the 6-CD set is scheduled for 7 July.

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