Spiritual Jazz 18: Behind The Iron Curtain Part 1 Esoteric Modal & Progressive Jazz From Central & Eastern Europe 1962-1988 vinyl

The Iron Curtain, a politically charged term of the 20th century, symbolised the divide between East and West. Winston Churchill famously referenced this metaphor, describing how an "Iron Curtain" descended upon Europe, obscuring the actions behind it. This two-parter record from Jazzman does the impossible, lifting the curtain through sound alone, representing jazz's ablation of political and cultural barriers, as it flourished in Soviet states and exposed the contradictory histories of Soviet jazz, from the 1960s to the 80s. Despite Cold War tensions and MADs, the Soviets didn't hold their breath for a second, embracing the jazz modernisms of hard bop, modal, Latin jazz and Eastern folk-jazz. The resilience of jazz artists during an era of geopolitical conflict thus offers a sprightly affirmation of spirituality and formal reinvention, in the face of adversity.