Electrecord & Romanian Jazz.

Electrecord is a Romanian record label founded in 1932. It served as the only record label in Communist Romania. It was then transformed into the national recording company, following the centralization-oriented socialist doctrine. Electrecord has survived until today and, in spite of its reduced popularity, it is still releasing a number of records every year.

In order to avoid disc importing from Western Europe and U.S., Electrecord was often demanded to release copies of some of the discs released abroad (just as recording companies in U.S.S.R. were doing themselves). Even today it is the subject of many anecdotes complaining about the bad quality of Romanian discs; a comparison between an import and a local copy would be the most eloquent proof.

All in all, Electrecord had a very difficult task to maintain a good balance between the government's demands and that of the artists and listeners. Despite the bad quality of recordings and lack of information with disk covers (regarding line ups and personnel), Electrecord proposed a number of collection discs, of which the most successful were those of the Formaţii de muzică pop & Jazz series. One must keep in mind that even the word rock was a concept very difficult to accept by the regime!)

Aura Urziceanu - Seara de Jazz cu 1974 (Electrecord)

Here is a vocalized song from 1974 by beautiful Romania's greatest singer, Aura Urziceanu.
Aura Urziceanu (aka Aura Rully, Aura Borealis) was born in 1946 in Bucharest in a family of musicians. She started studying the violin with her father when she was 5 and singing when she was 16 years old. In 1969, after being awarded the second prize at the National Festival in Mamaia, she left for a long tour in Canada and USA, where she appeared on stage together with Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald.

Back in the old Continent for a short time, she represented Romania at the International Festival of Knokke, Belgium, in 1971. She won the "European Cup" with the Romanian team and, together with the European team, the long wished-for "World Cup", in a strong contest with the USA team. She was also awarded the Press prize for the best interpreter of the Festival and, as unprecedented event in the 13 years of existence of this competition, she received mark 10 from all the members of the jury. In 1972 she made her first appearance at the famous New York (Newport) Festival, together with Duke Ellington. She has toured in the USSR, France, Germany, Italy, the UK, Poland, Bulgaria, Brazil, Portugal, Japan and Australia. She has still toured with Quincy Jones, Thad Jones, Mel Lewis, Dizzy Gillespie, Ahmad Djamal, Bill Evans, Paul Desmond, Hank Jones, Art Hampton, Joe Pass. Aura still performs and is at ease as well with jazz as with classical music and folklore.

Taste :

Aura Urziceanu - Surpriza

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By Electric Looser