Bill Dixon - The Complete Recordings on Black Saint and Soul Note

I'll make this brief, even though the contents of this box set could have me talking forever.Basically what you have here is the complete Soul Note recordings of Bill Dixon. The works cover a period between 1980 and 1998. You get Dixon in a broad range of settings, from Septets to Duo's (with Tony Oxley!). No matter where you find him, Bill is Bill, he really shines throughout.The set consists of 9 discs (!), and to buy them individually would cost in excess of 100 quid, so you can't complain about the price. When you take into account that the first album here is every bit as good as the last, there's no excuse not to take the plunge.It ships is a clam-shell case which is made of sturdy stuff. Each CD comes in a reproduction sleeve giving you the original cover-art (many are from paintings by Dixon). Sadly you lose most of the liner notes, and there's no booklet in the box.On top of that the discs have been remastered. I had two of the discs as single releases, and they do sound a little better here (though don't expect ECM sound quality, these are far more real than that!)So what of the music? Well, Dixon is a master with silence and space, and he knows how to plumb emotional highs and lows. There's no-one else like him. For the price this is a steal, and you need it. Now.

One of the great bargains in currently available recorded music. Bill Dixon came from the jazz tradition, and while his work retains strong elements of free-jazz playing it evolved into a very unusual kind of modern chamber music. There is an extraordinary use of space and silence, against which his trumpet makes plaintive, yearning statements, often using blurred, smeared notes and breathy sounds. He worked with some great bass players like William Parker and Barry Guy, and wonderful listening drummers like Tony Oxley. Hearing his music can be like overhearing a group of players making slow, tentative and beautiful sounds - delicate, but not minimalist - in the nave of a reverberant church. This is some of the greatest and (it probably goes without saying) underrated new music of the late 20th century. Not your EST-style of rocked-up jazz, but if you're willing to be patient if offers up great rewards.