Opium for Franz

Opium for Franz (also listed as Opium/For Franz) is an album by trumpeters Franz Koglmann and Bill Dixon. It was recorded during 1975 and 1976 in Vienna and Paris, and was issued on LP with hand-made cover art by the small, obscure Pipe label, founded by Koglmann in 1973, and having a total of three releases in its catalog. In 2019, the album was reissued by the Black Monk label.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

Opium for Franz
Studio album by
Franz Koglmann and Bill Dixon
Released1977
RecordedDecember 19, 1975; August 6, 1976; November 3, 1976
StudioStudio Heinz, Vienna; Studio Acousti, Paris
GenreFree jazz
Length35:25
LabelPipe Records
PR 152
2019 reissue cover

In 2001, three tracks from the album were reissued by the Between the Lines label on Opium.[7]

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
All About Jazz[4]
The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz[8]

In a review for AllMusic, Eugene Chadbourne wrote: "back when [Koglmann] put out this album by himself, there were no banks to back him up and everything was done by hand, literally. Lucky fans who can scramble up a copy of the original vinyl pressing will be the proud owners of a totally handmade piece of work, the paper collage design glued and stamped on the front cover and the liner notes literally written individually on each copy in magic marker."[1]

Mark Corroto of All About Jazz called the album a "gem of a recording," and commented: "These... sessions are significant for the introduction and recognition of Koglmann's horn and, probably more importantly, his compositions." Regarding Dixon's "For Franz," he remarked: "As with much of Dixon's and Koglmann's music, the mode is cinematic. Dixon arranges the parts to mix melody with meditations, solos vault into the composition and recede. Fans of Dixon's later work will hear the early seeds planted here."[4]

Writing for JazzWord, Ken Waxman stated that the recordings "confirm the continued validity of freely expressed improvisation. They also show why nationalism, musical or otherwise, promotes more bluster than brilliance."[5]

Track listing
Side A
  1. "For Franz" (Bill Dixon) – 17:04
Side B
  1. "Der Vogel, Opium (To Jean Cocteau)" (Franz Koglmann) – 6:38
  2. "Carmilla (To Sheridan Le Fanu)" (Franz Koglmann) – 4:56
  3. "Karl Und Das Löschpapier (To Konrad Bayer)" (Franz Koglmann) – 8:47
  • Track A1 was recorded at Studio Heinz in Vienna, Austria, on August 6, 1976. Tracks B1 and B2 were recorded at Studio Acousti in Paris, France on December 19, 1975. Track B3 was recorded at Studio Heinz in Vienna, Austria on November 3, 1976.

Personnel
Track A1
Tracks B1 and B2
  • Franz Koglmann – flugelhorn
  • Steve Lacy – soprano saxophone
  • Joseph Traindl – trombone
  • Cesarius Alvim Bothello – bass
  • Aldo Romano – drums
Track B3
  • Franz Koglmann – trumpet
  • Tony Michlmayr – bass
  • Gerd Geier – computer

References
  1. Chadbourne, Eugene. "Opium for Franz". AllMusic. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  2. "Franz Koglmann/Bill Dixon - Opium for Franz". Jazz Music Archives. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  3. "Treader discography". JazzLists. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  4. Corroto, Mark (February 25, 2019). "Franz Koglmann / Bill Dixon: Opium For Franz". All About Jazz. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  5. Waxman, Ken (September 1, 2020). "Franz Koglmann". JazzWord. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  6. "Franz Koglmann (Austria - exploring Sweden)". Ensemble Reconsil: Exploring the World. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  7. "Bill Dixon / Franz Koglmann / Steve Lacy - Opium". Jazz Music Archives. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  8. Larkin, Colin, ed. (2004). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz. Virgin Books. p. 247.
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