CM Musictrain

August of 1969 was the month after the first man landed on the moon, and a turning point in music history. With the Woodstock Festival came the creation of several major record labels that would focus on the rock’n’roll market. Around August 20th, Miles Davis recorded the visionary album “Bitches Brew”, and a few days later, a spectacular Danish landmark recording session, C.M. MUSIC TRAIN, took place in Copenhagen. The bandleader was saxophone player Carsten Meinert, who also composed the music for the session. At that time, the Carsten Meinert Quartet could be heard playing around Europe at various jazz festivals, and the quartet’s album, TO YOU, has been a sought-after collector’s item for many years. The other band members on the C.M. MUSIC TRAIN recording were mostly upcoming young Danish musicians who would make their mark on the local music scene over the years that followed. The music of C.M. MUSIC TRAIN has its roots in 1960’s jazz, but was simultaneously looking into the future, suggesting directions that jazz music would come to explore: the Spanish flavored San Sebastian, in the tradition of jazz experiments with world music; and Before Sunrise, influenced by free jazz. The title tune was an early fusion of jazz and rock, and This Time was the offspring of the modal jazz explored in the 1960s. Before the fusion movement of the 70s was established, this wholly original Danish record had already emerged, inspired by many sources including rock, world music, John Coltrane, Albert Ayler, Pharoah Sanders, Charles Mingus, Gil Evans, James Brown, Eddie Harris, Gary Burton/Larry Coryell, Oliver Nelson, and Miles Davis. The music was originally released on the legendary Danish label, “Spectator Records”. It is uncertain, however, exactly how many records were initially distributed, because shortly after the release, the recording studio and the office burned down. More recently, a tape with some extra takes from the session resurfaced, and they are included here in this 50th Anniversary edition. The old tracks have been restored and enhanced using the tools of modern sound technology to get the music as close as possible to the intended quality of the original. This new remix contains more of the innocence, power, intensity, and daring youth captured in this special moment in jazz, and human, history. Not necessarily an album to enjoy as “background music,” but the sound of the 1960s in full flight – sometimes rough, clattering and messy, but never unimportant. The album has been a sought-after collector’s item and is released on CD with extra material, alternative takes and a 24 pages booklet with rare photos from the session and essays by Ole Matthiessen and Carsten Meinert. The LP-edition is released as a limited Collector’s edition / 180 Gram Vinyl, and appears as close to the original release as possible.