Four Reasons (Remastered) Dave Pike Set

• 1Greater Kalesh No. 4805:47
• 2Professor Porno's Romance03:49
• 3Cornflower Girl02:45
• 4The Seventh Day02:46
• 5Turn Around Mrs. Lot05:17
• 6Goodtime Charlie At the Big Washdown06:56
• 7A Nose Opener05:19
• 8Four Reasons - Sitting On My Knees05:45
• Total Runtime38:24

Info for Four Reasons (Remastered)

Funky, fantastic, and nicely tripped-out – one of the legendary MPS classics by the Dave Pike Set of the late 60s – a combo that did a great job of mixing Dave's vibes with some headier sounds and psychedelic elements! There's a warmth here that's missing from some of the other Pike dates for MPS – wonderful tones that really show Dave growing a lot as an artist, and settling into a beautiful working relationship with guitarist Volker Kriegel – who also plays some sitar and electric bass on the record too! Main bass bits, though, are handled by J.A. Rettenbacher – who's got this bottom sense of flow that's really wonderful – kind of a building swell that works perfectly, no matter what the flavor of the tune – and there's a mighty nice array of flavors on the set. The group's completed by drummer Peter Baumeister, who's no slouch either – and titles include 'Greater Kalesh No 48', 'Professer Porno's Romance', 'Cornflower Girl', 'The Seventh Day', and 'A Nose Opener'.

Dave Pike, Vibraphone, Tambourine
J. A. Rettenbacher, Bass, Cello
Peter Baumeister, Drums, Percussion
Volker Kriegel, Guitar, Sitar, Bass

Recorded August 1969 at MPS Tonstudio Villingen
Engineered by Rolf Donner
Produced by Willi Fruth

Digitally remastered

David Samuel Pike
(born March 23, 1938 in Detroit, Michigan) is a jazz vibraphone and marimba player. He appears on many Herbie Mann albums as well as those by Bill Evans, Nick Brignola, Paul Bley and Kenny Clarke. He has also recorded extensively as leader, including a number of albums on MPS Records.

He learned drums at the age of eight and is self-taught on vibes. Pike made his recording debut with the Paul Bley Quartet in 1958. He began putting an amplifier on his vibes when working with flautist Herbie Mann in the early 1960s. By the late 1960s, Pike's music became more exploratory, contributing a unique voice and new contexts that pushed the envelope in times remembered for their exploratory nature. Doors of Perception, released in 1970 for the Atlantic Records subsidiary Vortex Records and produced by former boss Herbie Mann, explored ballads, modal territory, musique concrète, with free and lyrical improvisation, and included musicians like alto saxophonist Lee Konitz, bassist Chuck Israels and pianist Don Friedman.

Pike's move to Europe and tenure at MPS Records records produced some of the most original jazz of the period. With the collaboration of Volker Kriegel (guitar), J. A. Rettenbacher (acoustic and electric bass), and Peter Baumeister (drums), he formed the Dave Pike Set. The group recorded six records from 1969-1972 that ran the gamut from funky grooves to free, textural territory. The group, though short-lived, created a unique identity and textural palette. Kriegel's compositional and instrumental (playing acoustic, classical, and electric guitar as well as sitar) contributions to the group helped set the Dave Pike Set's sound apart, organically incorporating influences from jazz, soul jazz, psychedelia, avant-garde music, and World music.

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