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45 Vinyl 12” (3 Tracks): Sonorama T-52
THE METRONOME QUINTET - At The EXPO 70
THE-METRONOME-QUINTET-At-The-EXPO70-A
THE-METRONOME-QUINTET-At-The-EXPO70-B
S 01
Track
Composer
Time
01
EXPO-Blues
Bruno Spoerri
3:09
02
Hadaka No Shima
Hikaru Hayashi
3:45
S 02
Track
Composer
Time
01
Japan Suite: Kuroda Bushi -
 
 
 
Kusatsu Yumomi Uta – Hohai Bushi -
 
 
 
Kaigara Bushi – Yamagata Obako
Trad./Arr. Bruno Spoerri
6:19
The Metronome Quintet:
Ueli Staub: Vibraphone, Bruno Spoerri – Saxophones, Martin Hugelshofer – Piano, Organ
Felix Rogner - Bass, Rolf Bänninger – Drums, Percussion

Recorded May 1970 in Zuerich at KS-Productions, original cover design by Advico-Delpire advertising agency, Gockhausen/ Zuerich. All tracks originally released 1970 on a completely vanished 45 vinyl EP pressed in small amounts on the Swiss Columbia label. Remastered 2010 (at 24 bit/ 48 Khz).
The original EP "At The Expo 70" was recorded in 1970 by the Metronome Quintet after their returning from Japan in a Zurich studio. The very rare vinyl single, released in short run on the EMI/ Columbia label, contains three specific compositions as part of a concert programme, which was performed in the EXPO-Hall in Osaka/ Japan on April 24, 1970, at the occasion of the official Swiss Day. Only briefly, the three tracks were available for the music fan on record, banished to a rare slice and widely unknown in the collective musical memory. Finally the aficionados and collectors brought it up again over the years and bestowed this record a legendary reputation to this day.

At the time the Japanese audience was delighted of timeless and cleverly arranged Modern and Modal Jazz by the quintet, as it has been only performed back then and is impossible to find today. The combo played at the height of her artistic abilities with a highly spiritual component, in this case inspired by Far Eastern sounds and melodies of traditional Japanese folk music. Without doubt, these recordings belong to the best repertory of the "Jazz Meets the World“ movement of the 1960s, which opened Jazz in the direction of world music in many European countries.

From the mid-1960s there were not only publicly-funded tours of European jazz musicians in many so called „third world“ countries, but also great jazz recordings with strong influences from Arabic, Indian, South American or indeed Asian music culture. On their journeys the best European musicians devoted themselves to the indigenous music cultures of foreign countries and were including them in their work. With the exclusive reissue on vinyl-12 "(limited to 500 Copies), the wonderful music of the" Metronome Quintet" is available again as a" blueprint "of the nascent World Jazz movement. Especially for this reissue, the opening piece "EXPO-Blues" was also preceded by a Japanese radio announcement from the concert in Osaka (comes from the tape collection of the quintet).


The Metronome Quintet in Japan (memories of Martin Hugelshofer/ 2010):

As usual during world exhibitions, there was a" Day of Switzerland” at the EXPO `70 in Osaka, and the 24 of April 1970 was convened. The Cultural Foundation "Pro Helvetia" had the task of making the artistic program for the event. In addition to the traditional values, the image of a cosmopolitan Switzerland should have been mediated. The Swiss Chamber Ballet, which danced to the music of the Metronome Quintet (record "At the Zoo"), has been committed as the main attraction of the cultural part. That was how our orchestra became incorporated into the programme. Apart from a few jazz titles we prepared two prior arrangements of our former saxophonist Bruno Spoerri especially for this occasion: a Swiss folk song suite, and a Japan-Suite (with Japanese folk songs). Around our presence at the EXPO, an independent agent also organized a Japanese concert tour for the quintet. This led to concerts in Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka and allowed us to experience and understand the wondrous far-off land a little better. Moreover, the "Metronome Quintet" played on the biggest stages, the longest pianos and in gigantic halls (with public!), that our group has seen in their - now aged 57 - story ever. (Martin Hugelshofer)

Producer for reissue: Ekkehart Fleischhammer, original recordings mastered by Jury Lutz (24 Bit / 48 Khz), original cover art adapted by Patrick Haase (rab.bit). Special thanks to Bruno Spoerri and Martin Hugelshofer.