If you are born an orphan, life starts uphill. In a sense, Mad, by Trevor Watts’ Amalgam, was born with a similar handicap, seemingly destined for limited discographic fortune: it had no cover. The Dutch label Synton released it in 1974 in the most spartan fashion imaginable. The album only acquired its own – and rather unattractive – sleeve in 2008, when Future Music Records (FMR) organised a reissue, perhaps transferring an untouched vinyl source, much as it did when issuing another CD-R reprint of Deep, also by Watts’ band. Another fine record whose traces, like those of Mad, have largely vanished. Lost objects – not only the original editions but also the phantom reissues. And yet Amalgam was a substantial chapter both in the history of the York-born saxophonist and in the broader story of British and European jazz. The group’s discography remains in fragile condition. Complete availability is […]
A sound laboratory: Trevor Watts’ Amalgam
The British saxophonist Trevor Watts is approaching ninety, yet shows no sign of slowing down. He continues straight along his chosen path. We retrace his recording career, beginning with one of his most unusual works.
