Part 5: Other Great Albums Just Outside the Fringes of Jazz-Rock Fusion

Outlier Bands / Albums

(that is, whose sound cannot quite be considered Jazz-Rock Fusion) 

MANEIGE Les porches (1975)

The Québecois band of serious musicians take a step forward from their previous album, their self-titled debut, in both compositional freedom and sound production. 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Alain Bergeron / piano, flutes, saxophone
- Jérôme Langlois/ piano, guitar, clarinet, string arrangements
- Yves Léonard / electric bass, tuba
- Gilles Schetagne / drums, percussion
- Vincent Langlois / percussion, piano solo (1e)
With:
- Denis Lapierre / electric guitar (3)
- Raôul Duguay / trumpets & vocals (1f)
- Peter Schenkman / violin
- Albert Pratz / violin
- Walter Babiak / violin
- Bill Richards / violin
- Paul Picard / bongos & xylophone (3a, 3b)

1. "Les porches de Notre-Dame" (19:14) The opening epic is so refined and majestic--opening with a section that feels as stately as a Russian nationalist song. (It's not very proggy, though; more classical.) "Suite I" is so gorgeous, sounding very much like the modern day Greek Prog Folk band, CICCADA. Suite II sounds and so French! Like Ravel, Fauré, or Debussey--with its piano, flute and tubular bells/vibraphone trio format, while "Suite III" shows the band's sound beginning to take on a jazzier, more-MIKE OLDFIELD sound palette while the arrangements and melodies harken back more to folk traditions. (Province-mates CONVENTUM sounded a bit like this in 1979.) The "Déscouverture" section is more classical (using an upright piano?) The final section "Les porches" is the first to use any electrified instruments--including a vocal addition in which a quite unusual male voice sings. The effect is quite romantic and emotional! The song wends its way into a three-chord major-minor-minor "Stairway to Heaven" blues-rock end progression and pace while piano, electric guitar, trumpet, and, later, saxophone weave their individual noodling to the song's end. 

Other than the closing movement, there is very little jazz or rock in this suite, but it is absolutely awesome, start to finish! (40/40):

a) Ouverture (3:03)
b) Suite I (2:34)
c) Suite II (0:45)
d) Suite III (3:25)
e) Désouverture (2:48)
f) Les Porches (6:50)

2. "La grosse torche" (1:24) folk melodies given a bit of a symphonic prog sound. (4.375/5)

3. "Les aventures de saxinette et Clarophone" (15:41) This is far more straightforward jazz with a little jazz-rock à la THE SOFT MACHINE than the opener--and it's a kind of B-level jazz-less-rock at that. It has a prolonged opening section in which nothing is really established or developed (other than sound palette). The middle section ("Chapitre I, épisode 2") finally establishes a structure rhythm and repeated chord progression over which vibes, saxes, and clarinets take turns soloing. About ahlfway through an electric guitar enters to solo a bluesy solo before the suite moves into the next movement. With "Chapitre II, épisode 1" the music becomes sax-dominated--even into the next section, "Chapitre II, épisode 2," where it gets really weird: with some crowd noises before a section which feels as if the listener is shut in a closet. (Why? To avoid the crowd? To think? The thoughts may provide one great idea, but that idea is quickly forgotten and left behind in lieu of the usual banal patterns and habits of the day. Weird.) The final section is much more disciplined and cerebral before falling into the sway of a friendly little folk melody.

A fine effort full of character, wit, beauty, and creativity, and excellent performances, but, personally, I prefer the band's self-titled debut album over this one. (27.5/30):

a) Chapitre I, épisode 1 (3:47)
b) Chapitre I, épisode 2 (5:16)
c) Chapitre II, épisode 1 (1:31)
d) Chapitre II, épisode 2 (2:34)
e) Chapitre III (2:33)

4. "Chromo part I" (2:36) now this is jazz rock! Kind of cheesy bass play but great flutes and reeds. (4.375/5)

5. "Chromo part II" (1:37) part two of the Chromo suite, this one has some of the pretentiousness of a Canterbury act but then flies into some serious jazz-rock territory. (4.375/5)

Total Time 40:32

French jazz fusion band Maneige's most highly acclaimed album opens with a superb side-long folk-classical epic, "Les Porches de Notre-Dame" but then falters a little with two brief pieces that feel more like practice études and one other strange epic, "Les aventures de saxinette and clarophone." The band's winds section and tuned percussion players are deserving of superlatives.

95.59 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a certifiable masterpiece

JUKKA TOLONEN Tolonen! (1971)

Recorded in Helsinki in October of 1971, Jukka leads his Wigwam friends through an awesome folk- and jazz-informed representative of his unique and definitively progressive ideas.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Jukka Tolonen / electric & acoustic guitars, piano, spinet, composer & arranger
With:
- Jukka Gustavson / Lowrey organ (5)
- Pekka Poyry / soprano (1, 3) & alto (2) saxophones
- Pekka Pohjola / bass (1, 4, 5)
- Heikki Virtanen / bass (2)
- Reino Laine / drums (1, 2), cowbell (2)
- Ronnie Österberg / drums (4, 5)

1. "Elements - Earth/Fire/Water/Air" (8:06) a song that sounds as if The Grateful Dead were being joined by a classically-trained Bluegrass/Folk band. Very interesting--and very invigorating. Great play from everybody involved: especially Jukka himself (on acoustic guitars, wah-wah guitar and piano and spinet!) and Pekka Pohjola on bass (melodic, as usual). The uncredited flute player deserves some flowers as well. I think they did it: they covered all four of the elements! Excellent suite--comprised of four equally great sections. (14.75/15)

2. "Ramblin" (9:02) soprano sax starts off up top while Jukka and bassist Heikki Virtanen set up the semi-funky R&B, semi jazz-rock motif for further soloing by both Pekka Poyry and Jukka. This bass player is impressive! (Perhaps as much for how forward in the mix he's been placed.) Jukka is also very impressive: using both technical skills and effects as needed/desired. Still, he does show that he's young and has more to learn--especially in the isolated solo he has in the third minute. His jazz Django-like strumming is also pretty advanced though I expect he'll get cleaner with experience. His work behind the sax, within the rhythm corps, is almost as impressive: that sixth minute is pretty amazing! Mr. Poyry does, however, manage to crawl out from beneath his leader's shadow in the seventh and eighth minutes. Very nice! (And you all know that I am not a sax man.) The song's final two minutes sees everybody gelling into an even-keeled ensemble, which is nice. Evenso, Jukka can't stop impressing me with his virtuosic instincts and displays. (19.25/20)

3. "Mountains" (6:35) slow guitar chord strums (one chord) while "distant" horn plays sentimentally behind. This goes on for 130 long, Rodrigo/"Aranjuez"-like seconds before the sax fades away, replaced by a couple of Mike Oldfield-like mandolin- and 12-string-sounding guitars for a little less than a minute before the original motif is brought back for a round of melodic repetition. Then the two motifs are cleverly melded into one interesting weave. I love creativity like this! Excellent song. Excellent emotional conveyance. (9.25/10)   

4. "Wanderland" (5:02) Pekka Pohjola, Ronnie Österberg and multiple tracks of multiple instruments devoted to Jukka's guitars, acoustic and electric, spinet, and piano make for a great tune that reminds me of the instrumental sides of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Comus, The Strawbs, Gryphon, and other anachronistic prog and folkie pop artists; just a sweet, nice folk AMERICA-like tune (recorded a month before America was to release their Amazing first album). (9.25/10)

5. "Last Night" (Live at Tavastia-Club) (3:26) full on, ear-splitting (high volume) rock 'n' roll--complete with electric everything and rollicking organ to boot. This shows Jukka and the gang's rock/prog rock proclivities. (8.625/10)

Total Time 32:11

My verdict is that, while Jukka is definitely a jazz-trained guitarist, like so much of the output coming from the Wigwam family of musicians, this is not as much a Jazz-Rock Fusion album as an album of wide-ranging progressive rock: there's rock, folk-jazz, prog, and folk-pop music (sans lyrics) and a little creative/experimental Jazz-Rock Fusion (before it really existed as its own musical domain). With technical skills and creative instincts like those presented on this album, I look forward with great anticipation to hearing and reviewing all of Jukka's 1970s output! 

94.04 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a masterpiece of creative and wide-ranging folk- and jazz-infused progressive rock music. I would not, however, call this a proper representation of Jazz-Rock Fusion. HIGHLY recommended! Especially if you like really creative, inventive song palettes and song constructs.

P.S. I would rate this down for its unseemly brevity, but it's just too likeable--and too fascinating.

ATOLL L'araignée-mal (1975)

Top notch symphonic prog from France with amazing production, composition, power, and melody.

Line-up / Musicians

- André Balzer / lead vocals, percussion
- Christian Beya / guitar
- Michel Taillet / Eminent synth, clavinet, percussion, backing vocals
- Richard Aubert / violin
- Jean Luc Thillot / bass, vocals
- Alain Gozzo / drums, percussion, backing vocals
With:
-Bruno Géhin / piano, Fender electric piano, Mellotron, Mini-Moog

- Laurent Gianez / sax (5) 

1. "Le Photographe Exorciste" (9:10) theatric three-part suite with very theatric opening section, prog-rich mid-section and then brilliant electric guitar exhibition in the finale section. (18.333/20)

2. "Cazotte N°1" (6:00) speedy jazz-rock fusion-infused prog with violin and tight jazz-rock rhythm corps fully featured. Overall, this song feels like a highly-competent and wholly-original blend of 1975 Fusion III-era MICHAL URBANIAK, No Mystery RETURN TO FOREVER, and second-incarnation MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA's Apocalypse. I find Michel Taillet's clavinet and bassist Jean Luc Thillot's work to be very impressive throughout this excellent piece. (9.75/10)

3. "Le Voleur d'extase" (7:30) electric violin with pastoral electronic prog instrumentation in support open this before André Balzer steps in to start singing (with a heavily-treated but still-recognizable and admirable display of emotion). After only one introductory verse the band shifts into high gear to take us into a very theatric section in which a choir of vocalists add their "ho, ho, ho" punctuation points to the band's music. Kind of PFM "L'isola di niente" like. Cool! several other different and separate instrumental motifs are explored over the next couple of minutes before there is a little break in which Michel Taillet's or Bruno Géhin's keyboard bridges the band into a new more ALLMAN BROTHERS-like motif in which guitarist Christian Beya solos impressively in a Southern Rock style over the clavinet, Fender Rhodes, thick jazz bass, and fiery drums of Alain Gozzo. Impressive and by no means a weak song, just not as good as the others on the album. (13.375/15)

4. "L'Araignée-Mal" (21:20) since I first heard this song, I've considered it one "classic era" progressive rock's pinnacle/mountaintop prog epics. (38.5/40):
 - a. Imaginez Le Temps (6:40) Impossibly gorgeous! Prog perfection in every way possible! I love the synths and violin. (10/10)
 - b. L'Araignée-Mal (5:05) starts off rather dully but builds with amazing emotion coming from the vocals, drums, bass and panning synths. (10/10)
 - c. Les Robots Débiles (3:35) great bass, guitars, and keys in this dynamic and diverse (mostly) instrumental section. And I love the clavinet as a foundational piece. The vocals, while continuing to be full of power and emotion, might be a bit over the top here. (9.5/10)
 - d. Le Cimetière De Plastique (6:00) (9/10)

I also love how the four sections aren't stop and go, the music shifts and blends from one movement to the next.

Total time 44:00 

94.07 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a certifiable masterpiece of progressive rock music of the very highest order and caliber. L'araignée-mal deserves to be in the conversation with all of the very best albums of the Big Six, best RPI, and best Jazz-Rock Fusion albums of the 1970s.

DR. DOPO JAM Entrée (1973)

Wonderful theatric psychedelic avant-garde jazz music from Roskilde, Danemark.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Lars Bisgaard / vocals
- Lars Rasmussen / lead guitar, violin
- Kristian Pommer / rhythm guitar, piano, Moog, vocals, composer & arranger (excl. 6)
- Anders Gaardmand / tenor & soprano saxophones, flute
- Poul "Skak" Snitker / trumpet, flute, bass, composer & arranger (6)
- Vagn Hansen / bass
- Niels "Vejmand" Christensen / drums
- Bent Clausen / drums, vibraphone

1. "Essentia Suite" (25:04) a very entertaining and enjoyable adventure in musical theatre. I have to admit to being quite surprised at how well it flows, how well recorded it is, and how engaged I remained throughout. I love the forward mixing of all the instruments and the stellar clarity and definition of each and every instrument. The music does get a little too-rock 'n' roll at times--especially in the Elvis-like final movement. (47.5/50) 
- a. Opening "HELLO"
- b. Essentia I, Sanquine
- c. Essentia II, Choleric
- d. Essentia III, Melancholic
- e. Essentia IV, Phlegmatic
- f. Qvinta Essentia: VITA
- g. Overture: Absorbia
     g.a. Heart-Theme, Solaria
     g.b. Brain-Theme, Lunaria
     g.c. Liver-Theme, Jupiter
     g.d. Kidney-Theme, Venus
- h. VI: The Complete Pentagram

2. "Samelam-Samelam" (4:10) blues-rock feeling as if resuscitated from the late 1950s. Great in the instrumental portion after Lars says, "Sock it to me, Baby." How can I help but not like this music?!(8.875/10)
 

3. "Entree's" (3:54) a little 1960s game show theme music or else an overture to a peppy moralistic hippie-happy stage musical. Whatever this is, it's delightful! Keyboard artist and band leader Kristian Pommer should get more credit for his wonderful clavinet playing here. The rhythmists Bent Clausen and Niels "Vejmand" Christensen as well. Heck! Everybody is spot on with this one! (9.25/10)

4. "Spring-Theme-Summer-Theme" (3:55) a delightful piece of music very much in the vein as Billy and Gene Page's big 1964 hit, "The In Crowd." (9.3333333/10)

5. "In The Morning" (2:01) another gorgeous piece that feels as if it would be a perfect fit for the American Tribal Love-Rock Musical, Hair. (5/5)

6. "Desserts: Forest-Flower-Picking-Preludium" (7:29) sounds very much like something SUPERSISTER would have been putting out at the same time: quirky yet sophisticated and driven by the attention span of someone with Attention Deficit Disorder. Nice extended lead (fuzz) guitar work from Lars Rasmussen Probably the weakest total package on the album (it feels like a bit of studio jamming filler)--both compositionally and sound engineering-wise--but still better than 95% of the stuff out there! (8.75/10)

Total time 46:33

While never too complex musically, the ideas are quite wild and expressive in an almost-spontaneous way. All the music is actually quite melodic, pretty, and even quite danceable. Well recorded and engineered, lead singer/vocalist Lars Bisgaard is quite talented--blessed with a beautiful voice and a perfect English accent. The comparisons to the music of both Frank Zappa and the Canterbury Scene artists are quite warranted as well as Brass Rock bands like Chicago and Blood, Sweat and Tears. The musicianship is quite high with all instruments being present with absolute confidence and competency.

      I'm going to have trouble grouping this album with the true jazz-rock fusers yet the amazing number of styles and sounds experimented and fused with here definitely deserve some kind of major recognition, however, at the same time, I will understand all of the people who will exclaim that if I admit this album into my J-R Fuse compendium then Frank Zappa's stuff should be as well. Maybe I will!

93.38 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; an excellent masterpiece of chameleonic music theater from some pretty focused musicians.

P.S. I will not be including the band's follow-up album, Fat Dogs & Danishmen in my compendium because I feel that it shows the band "overstaying their welcome" in the Frank Zappa world of inanities:

I find this album far less satisfying than its predecessor mostly due to the feeling of conceit and ego coming from the singer and sound. It's as if the band now knows how clever, refreshing, and unique they are and are basking in the glory and attention. Also, on a similar trajectory to that of Frank Zappa, the slide into "potty humour" I find rather cheap and unnecessary. Silliness for the sake of laughs and shock and silliness is just not my cup of tea: it's one of the things that turned me sour on our own beloved and late Colin Tench as well as The Beatles and Frank Zappa. The sound production is still quite nice, the musicianship a little more relaxed and "easy," while the band retains its admirable stylistic flexibility. Don't get me wrong: I still enjoyed the music quite a lot; it's just that I fail to find the joy or purpose in producing this kind of music. I mean: Do these humans, now fifty years on, look back with any kind of pride at this album? Or does it cause more of a cringe/embarrassment factor? They can be proud of their musicianship and, I'm sure, revel in the good feelings of comaraderie for the times and compatriots involved in the creation of these times. 

(THE) WEB I Spider (1971) 

An album that just came to my attention due to a 19-year old discussion thread on ProgArchives on the subject of Jazz-Rock Fusion masterpieces. Why have I never heard of this!? Other than Psychedelic Paul, why is no one ever mentioning this amazing album?!

Line-up / Musicians:
- Dave Lawson / vocals, piano, organ, Mellotron, harpsichord, producer (6,7)
- Tony Edwards / electric & acoustic guitars
- Tom Harris / tenor & soprano saxophones, concert & alto flutes, tambourine
- John Eaton / bass, cabassa
- Lennie Wright / drums, timpani, congas, güiro, vibes, co-producer
- Kenny Beveridge / drums, bongos, woodblock, jawbone

1. "Concerto for Bedsprings" (10:10) (18/20):
- a. "I Can't Sleep" - a motif that sounds like something from Van Der Graaf Generator and The Soft Machine as well as a preview/inspiration for Renaissance's "A Trip to the Fair." (4.375/5)
- b. "Sack Song" - here the band slips into a care-free happy-go-lucky instrumental interlude that swings like Joe Jackson or something from Paul Weller's Style Council project. (5/5)
- c. "Peaceful Sleep" - piano, vibes and voice make this motif sound even more like something whimsical from Joe Jackson with a tinge of Roddy Frame in the vocal and lyrics. (4.5/5) 
- d. "You Can Keep the Good Life" - a bit of a rebelliousness in the loose, adolescent vocal with some nice sax play from Tom Harris. Repetitious and, over time, monotonous--just like the grueling, repetitve schedule of "the good life"! (4.375/5) 
- e. "Loner" - a brief finale to acknowledge the anti-establishment attitude decided upon by this angst-ridden teen. So very Gen Z!

2. "I Spider" (8:30) from the opening organ chords and bass notes this one has the listener wrapped within one of its paralytic cocoons. Dave Lawson's wizard-like vocals only enhances the spell, giving this a Demons and Wizards sound and feel--and only 18 months before Uriah Heep's album was released! I absolutely love this song--and find it hard to believe that it came out in 1970! It's so clean, well-engineered (with multiple tracks performed by several musicians). It feels so confident and mature! Please keep me cocooned here forever: eat me slowly; I love this drug you're feeding me! (20/20)

3. "Love You" (5:21) another Roddy Frame motif turns Joe Jackson. Awesome! (9.125/10)

4. "Ymphasomniac" (6:43) the albums first song to approach the true Jazz-Rock Fusion sound, but it sounds so intentional, so "by the numbers" that you find yourself questioning the band's ability to pull it off. By the second half you realize that it's just a interlude/filler vamp (with some great organ play from Dave Lawson!) (8.875/10)

5. "Always I Wait" (8:10) almost falling completely into the EGG/HATFIELD & THE NORTH field of Canterbury dreams. Bass, drums, vibes, and especially organ take a jazzier turn in the instrumental second half. (13.5/15)

Total Time 38:54

This is very cool prog with Jazz, Canterbury, and Roddy Frame-like Pop-Soul -fusion elements--prog with a Soft Machine attitude and Van Der Graaf Generator musical sensibilities. 

93.0 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a minor masterpiece of wonderfully-rendered jazzy-prog--prog with an attitude!

JOHN ABERCROMBIE & RALPH TOWNER Sargasso Sea (1976)

Two guitar virtuosos blending their sensitive-yet-fluid styles for an album of duets. It's hard to imagine anything better. 

Line-up / Musicians:
- John Abercrombie / acoustic & electric guitars, composer
AND
- Ralph Towner / 12-string & classical guitars, piano, composer

1. "Fable" (8:41) like a stripped down "Blue in Green." Absolutely beautiful in every aspect imaginable. (19.5/20)

2. "Avenue" (5:19) veering into the Spanish/Flamenco traditions. (And these guys aren't even Spanish! That's what I'm talking about when I use the word "virtuoso": an artist's ability to easily morph into a variety of styles while convincing the listener that that style is the one and only/best style that he/she plays.) (9.5/10)

3. "Sargasso Sea" (4:01) opening with discordant chords doesn't faze me: the sounds are too good. (It's kind of hard to make a 12-string sound discordant--unless it's out of tune.) Ralph's piano tinkers away beneath both 12-string and volume-pedal-controlled electric guitar. The construct is what I imagine a song made in which the musicians only play half of what is on the song charts: skipping half of everything in each measure. The sounds being produced the electric guitar in the second half, coupled with the discordant chords being played on the 13-string, are a bit weird and, to me, nonsensical. (8.75/10)

4. "Over and Gone" (2:51) four tracks, four guitars, starting with a classical guitar soloing over the gentle support of a second strummed classical guitar, but then the duo are joined by two steel-stringed acoustic guitars playing with and within the melody lines that make up the weave of this brief but beautiful song.   (9/10)

5. "Elbow Room" (5:11) strummed steel-string acoustic guitar supports a soloing twangy, echo-effected electric guitar. Not my favorite though I love listening to creative, reactive rhythm guitar play like this. (8.66667/10)

6. "Staircase" (6:25) the same instrumental sound palette as the previous song with much gentler playing styles to both the acoustic guitar support and the twangy-electric guitar soloing. The song definitely gets better in the second half when only acoustic guitars are being played (again deploying more of a Spanish chord and melody structure and style as in "Avenue"). (8.875/10)

7. "Romantic Descension" (3:17) as suggested by the title, this is a duet of stunning beauty, supple interaction; two musicians expressing while on the absolute same wavelength. Even prettier than anything on John McLaughlin's tribute to Bill Evans, Time Remembered. (10/10)

8. "Parasol" (5:24) a song that sounds like something that might come from Pat Metheny: brilliant, erudite chord phrasing from Ralph's gentle and respectful acoustic guitar while John solos up top with his slightly twangy electric guitar. Piano joins in around the half-way point while the support guitar continues, eventually moving to the front for some Chick Corea-like soloing while the two guitars support with uncommon elegance. I'm not as much a fan of the melodies in this one, but the structure and respectful interplay is gorgeous. (9.333/10) 

Total Time 41:09

What I appreciate the most about this album is the way the artists seem to prize beauty over flash and flair: the egos never became more important than the emotional inputs and elegant results of every song. I feel as if this is such a rare achievement in the world of music. Perhaps this is one of the gifts that Manfred Eicher and his ECM label were able to bestow upon the world: a label that seemed to value the way their published product soared and resonated above money, time, and egos; where timeless beauty was prized over commerce and fame. The only negative of taking the time to get to know this album (and write its review) is the fact that I'm looking for Jazz-Rock Fusion, not so much straight folk-jazz like this.

92.92 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; an album displaying the stunning connection between two guitar masters. It DEFINITELY doesn't get any better than this! 

STAN GETZ Getz/Gilberto (1964)

Don't overlook the fact that both Antonio Carlos Jobim and Astrud Gilberto grace this album--it's not just Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto.

Line-up/Musicians:
- Antonio Carlos Jobim / guitar, piano
- Astrud Gilberto / vocals
- Joao Gilberto / guitar, vocals
- Milton Banana / drums
- Stan Getz / tenor sax
- Tommy Williams / bass

A1. "The Girl From Ipanema" (5:15) can a song get more perfect than this one?! (10/10)

A2. "Doralice" (2:45) Joao Gilberto is a smooth singer but not quite as smooth as Stan Getz is with his breathy tenor sax. Sexy! (9.125/10)

A3. "Para Machuchar Meu Coração (To Hurt My Heart)" (5:07) another bossa nova song that sounds like a classic with a slightly louder presence given to both the percussion and to Antonio's piano. Even Joao's voice is mixed much more into the foreground--as if he's singing to you while you're in his arms on the dance floor! Also unusual for the bulk of the album is the amount of time that the singing is given versus that to Mr. Getz' sax (or S. Jobim's piano). I have to admit that this song is not my favorite--the melodies don't grab me as well as many of the album's other songs--and yet the smooth, perfectly-arranged and -mixed instrumental performances seem flawless. (8.875/10)

A4. "Desafinado" (4:05) another iconic song, sung so smoothly by Joao Gilberto over the perfect Spanish guitar and piano tinkling support. At the end of the second minute Joao stops singing and Stan jumps right in over the exact same accompaniment and motif, playing rather closely with the main melody, only branching out on his own in his second time through the verse. Beautiful (which is an understatement). The finale with Joao's vocalese bass notes and the little is  (9.5/10)

B1. "Corcovado" (4:15) Astrud and Joao take turns spinning their magical voices over Jobim's piano and Joao's Spanish guitar while Tommy Williams and Milton Banana hold the line beneath all of them. Stan merely makes appearances in-between the vocals. Beautiful. Probably a hit in Brasíl as popular as "The Girl … " (9/10)

B2. "Só Danço Samba (Jazz Samba)" (3:30) another beautiful and subtly nuanced romantic dance tune with Joao performing the lead vocal over piano, plucked guitar chords, bass and brushed drums with Stan providing a longer, more impassioned sax solo in the second and third minutes. Great melodies, rhythm, and some flashy sax play from the maestro. (9.125/10)

B3. "O Grande Amor" (5:25) this one opens with some plaintive sax play with minimal support from Jobim's piano beneath. Then the rhythm section joins in, ramping the pace up into a danceable bossa nova. At the 1:15 mark Stan backs down as Joao enters singing in a much lower (almost strained) voice. He sounds serious and contemplative. Stan returns in the third minute for the next solo, eventually yielding to Antonio's piano for a bit before retaking the lead for the final minute. Nice. I can definitely see why Stan Getz was so popular: he's so smooth and respectful of the audience's love for melody and emotion. (9/10)

B4. "Vivo Sonhando" (2:52) the usual lineup and sound palette with Joao opening up in the lead with his singing, by the end of the first minute it turns to Stan's sax to take the lead, and, I swear, he out smooth's one of the smoothest voices I've ever heard with a very breathy, delicately performed solo to the song's end. (9.25/10)

Total time: 33:14

How can one find fault with this sublime and pacifying collection of songs? And does anyone else notice the remarkable similarities in Jobim's piano playing style to that of modern master, Diana Krall? No wonder Ms. Krall has covered so many bossa nova, samba, and other Latin styled songs. Again, this, my first direct exposure to the saxophone play of Stan Getz, definitely conveys many reasons for Señor Getz's tremendous popularity and place in the history of both jazz and popular music.

92.34 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a masterpiece of absolutely sublime genre-blending, cross-cultural music. How could one deny the popularity of bossa nova in the United States when albums like this were being made?

JUKKA TOLONEN Summer Games (1973)

Finnish guitarist Jukka Tolonen takes another turn as band leader, rendering here more of his folk-tinged ideas into beautiful prog-pop songs.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Jukka Tolonen / electric & acoustic guitars, Mini-Moog, tabla, piano, composer & arranger
With:
- Pekka Poyry / soprano (1, 2, 6) & alto (5) saxophones, flute (2-4)
- Jussi Aalto/ trombone (1, 4-6)
- Erkki Koskimo / trombone (2, 3)
- Paroni Paakkunainen/ flute (1, 5, 6)
- Erik Danholm/ flute (2)
- Heikki Virtanen / string bass (1), bass (2-5)
- Esko Rosnell / drums (3-5), percussion (1)
- Reino Laine / drums (2)

1. "Wedding Song" (4:50) more beautiful anachronistic folk-tinged music from Jukka (like "Mountains" and "Wanderland" from his 1971 debut solo album). (9.5/10)

2. "A Warm Trip With Taija" (8:45) borrowing a bit from The ZOMBIES "She's Not There" in the way of guitar chord progression and poppy hippie feel, Jukka sets free his buddies Pekka Poyry and Erik Danholm on flutes as well as bassist extraordinaire Heikki Virtanen and bongo-percussionist Reino Laine. It's as if Blood, Sweat & Tears were merged with German prog folk band EDEN! (18.875/20)

3. "Impressions of India" (5:27) funny how Jukka's impressions of India start out with some Andalusian-sounding classical Spanish guitar! Having the tabla-sounding Moroccan clay hand drum enter in the second minute helps give it a little more Indian, but the Flamenco guitar and Western flute melodies don't help. He's trying to reach Indian melodies but just keeps missing. Still, the performances are all excellent. And one simply can't fault a young idealist for trying! (8.875/10)

4. "Thinking Of You In The Moonshine" (6:28) this dude is such a romantic! How can one not love him?! Though this song drags a bit like a New Orleans funeral march, the prominent presence of the trombone almost gives this a chamber-classical feel. In the fourth minute everybody seems to drop out, leaving only guitar and then a Damon Albarn-like hand drum pattern which is quickly joined by a variety of jazz-rock instruments, including the wah-wah guitar, electric bass, trombone and flutes, and full drum kit. Jukka delivers a Mark Knopfler-caliber guitar solo over this ensemble to fill out and finish the song. (8.875/10) 

5. "Summer Games" (5:25) bass, drums, piano, and percussion are joined by flute and alto sax and, later, trombone, giving this bossa nova-like song a Burt Bacharach sound and feel. In the second half of the second minute, Paroni Paakkunainen gets the first true solo, on his flute, which is then followed by Jukka on the piano,  Pekka Poyry's alto sax, more piano (or is it a Moog?), before trombone and horn section return us to that Burt Bacharach world--all the while Jukka's acoustic and electric guitars contribute to the rhythm tracks below. Very upbeat and cheery song. Me like! (But then, I'm a sucker for anything Burt Bacharach-like.) (9.3333/10)

6. "See You (Missing My Crazy Baby)" (3:36) another beautiful Prog Folk tune that could accompany many a wedding party. (9/10)

Total Time: 34:31

I have to admit to being quite surprised at how little flash and flare Jukka exposes us to on this album that comes from his guitar. I think he is content to let his compositions speak for his talent and skill rather than his virtuosic guitar skills. I like this dude! At the same time, this is not an album that I could ever deign a Jazz-Rock Fusion album; it's more Prog Folk, World music, or Crossover prog to my ears and mind.

Is there something about Finnish technology or economy that prohibits their music artists from pressing anything on vinyl that is longer than 17-minutes per side? Just wondering (as so many early rock, jazz, and prog albums I review that come from Finnish record companies seem to have that brevity in common).

92.08 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of Crossover or Pop-Folk-oriented Prog; definitely an album of finely crafted and beautiful and soothing music (though by no means what I'd consider "Smooth Jazz").

FLAMENGO Kuře v Hodinkách (1972)

Great Jazz-Rock from Czechoslovakia.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Jan Kubik / saxophone, flute, clarinet, vocals
- Pavel Fort / guitar, vocals
- Ivan Khunt / organ, vocals
- Vladimir Guma Kulhanek / bass guitar, vocals
- Jaroslav Erno Sedivy / drums
- Vladimir Misik / vocals, guitar

1." Kure V Hodinkach (Introdukce) / Chicken In The Watch (Introduction)" (2:30) what a warm and inviting saxophone sound and style with an equally warm hard rock sound palette to match. Organist Ivan Khunt presents an astonishingly saxophone sound. Bassist Vladimir Guma Kulhanek is so in the pocket! And Jan Kubik's used of multiple tracks for his wind instruments all help to create such a warm envelope of sonority! (4.5/5)

2. "Rám Prístích Obrazu / Frames Of Future Picture"s (4:00) reverting more into a heavy blues-rock pastiche, with Jan Kubik (or Vladimir Misik)'s rock vocals the band's music certainly takes on much more of a BLOOD SWEAT AND TEARS-like blues-jazz-rock sound. Except for the drums, the instruments and voices are very well recorded and rendered. Great JC Superstar-like scream from Jan to close it out. (8.875/10)

3. "Jenom Láska Ví Kam / Only Love Knows Where" (2:55) more heavy blues-based jazz rock with some very URIAH HEEP similarities. Nice guitar work in the solo during the end of the second minute. I like this well enough though it's not the Jazz-Rock Fusion I came here for. (8.875/10)

4. "Já A Dým / Me And The Smoke" (4:55) flute and acoustic guitar paint a very plaintive folk feeling in the intro, then Jan joins in singing with a emotive performance that suddenly turns at 1:25 into JTULL territory before landing in some beautifully melodic SANTANA turf. Great fully-prog song. My favorite song on the album. (10/10)

5. "Chvíle Chvil / Moment Of The Moments" (4:20) more rock-oriented jazz-rock on which Ivan's organ is the most notable yet--despite the leadership of the saxophone and guitars. Another song that plays out more like a URIAH HEEP, Led Zeppelin, or Black Sabbath song. It is, however, pretty and memorable. I even like the use of left and right channels to compartmentalize some of the instruments. (9/10)

6. "Pár Století / Some Centuries" (6:30) pensive electric guitar chords picked and plucked open this song giving it quite a full latency of potential energy--potential that is soon revealed, in small pieces, through, first, vibraphone, then bass, spaced out tom-tom and delicate cymbal play, and "background" reverbed lead vocal. Great melodies and harmonic relations throughout! At 4:15 the band switches gears: traveling down a light, jazzier, happy-go-lucky side path for a flute-led and vibraphone-dominated motif. Then they switch back into a heavier version of one of the earlier motifs for the closing. Awesome construct! My second favorite song. (9.75/10)

7. "Doky, Vlaky, Hlad A Boty / Dockyards, Trains, Hunger And Shoes" (4:30) another jazz-rock tune: a rock form displayed with jazz clothing and accoutrements. The lyrics sung in the band's native tongue give it a familiar FERMÁTA or SBB feel though served over a kind of LIGHTHOUSE/URIAH HEEP music. I love the interplay between the lead guitar and saxophone in the final couple minutes. (8.875/10)

8. "Stále Dál / Further On" (3:15) a song that opens like some kind of cross between JTULL and CREAM. The dual ejaculation of the melodies in the chorus are examples of pure rock bliss. (9.125/10)

9. "Kure V Hodinkach / Chicken In The Watch " (5:30) the title song, in my opinion, always raises expectations. This one lives up to any expectations--especially when based on the buildup after the previous eight songs. This is a most excellent song in many aspects: sound palette, construct and performance, creative idoisyncracies, vocal and melodies, and sound engineering. This song would have received heavy radio play on the album-oriented FM stations in my hometown of Detroit back in the day. Great song. My other top three. (9.25/10)

Total time: 38:25

Not a Jazz-Rock Fusion album, more like a hard rock album with jazz-rock tendencies, whatever it is it is an example of excellent songwriting, performance, and sonic rendering. 

92.06 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a most excellent minor masterpiece of jazz-rock-tinged heavy progressive rock. If you like Uriah Heep, Jethro Tull, Lighthouse, or the heavier rockers of the early blues--rock and progressive rock scenes, you will love this! 

DIDIER LOCKWOOD New World (1979)

French violinist records an album for MPS in the Netherlands with an international all-star cast. Here we find Didier deciding to reach backward toward a more classic acoustic-oriented jazz, sounding very much like the music Stéphane Grappelli and the great European jazz violinists of the 1950s and 60s. Didier even goes so far as to cover several jazz "classics"--as if he feels he has to prove himself to the Jazz community.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Didier Lockwood / violin, bass-violin
With:
- John Etheridge / guitar (5, 8, 9)
- Jean-Michel Kajdan / guitar (5)
- Gordon Beck (Nucleus, Allan Holdsworth) / piano
- Francis Lockwood / piano (6)
- Niels-Henning Orsted-Pedersen / bass
- Anthony "Tony" Williams / drums

1. "Vieux Pape" (5:19) opening with a sound palette and style that sounds completely acoustic Sixties, this Didier composition is highly melodic and richly-full with the busy, virtuosic jazz musicianship of pianist Gordon Beck, bassist Niels-Henning Orsted-Pedersen, and drummer extraordinaire, Tony Williams while Didier puts in a performance that would make him worthy for competition with the great Jean-Luc Ponty. Beck's wonderful piano play is capped by a solo that finds me thinking of the late, great Chick Corea. Lovely! Then Niels-Henning Orsted-Pedersen takes a turn in the spotlight and he's also quite wonderful--projecting lovely melody despite moving along the fretboard of his stand-up double bass at breakneck speeds. (9.25/10)

2. "Autumn Leaves" (5:24) a fully-jazz expression of the jazz classic (which was originally composed by Frenchmen Joseph Kosma and lyricist Jacques Prévoert when titled "Les feiulles mortes"--meaning "dead leaves"). Great performances--especially if you like high quality jazz musicianship. Also, I never really realized how wonderfully this song's main melody lends itself to expression on the acoustic violin. A kind of revelation! Gordon Beck's pristine solo in the second minute is so clean, crisp and yet beautiful. And Niels-Henning Orsted-Pedersen's walking bass line so perfect for holding it all together. (9.3333/10)

3. "La Manufacture De Sucre Engloutie" (3:50) gorgeous piano chord play opens this song--a composition credited to both Gordon Beck and Didier. Listening to this song truly is like being in the presence of humans possessed with a direct line to otherworldly beauty. I can definitely see how anomolous music mathematician Allan Holdsworth forged such a deep and lasting bond with Mr. Beck. (9.75/10)

4. "New World" (5:04) composed by Didier's brother, Francis, the ensemble really has fun with this one--especially, methinks, Didier and Tony. A great listen of impressive musicianship. (9.25/10)

5. "The Last Blade Of Grass" (4:26) the first song to sound a little like J-R Fusion with electrified violin, electric guitars, this song is attributed to guest fusion guitarist Jean-Michel Kajdan. Jean-Michel's performance is particularly impressive for its fiery dexterity as well as emotional expressiveness. Matter of fact, the rest of the band seem rather sleepy when set beside J-M's play: as if they're all stunned, standing in jaw-on-the-floor shock, as they go through their motions perfunctorily while Jean-Michel plays. In fact, it takes a full 20-to-30 seconds after Jean-Michel pauses for the others to re-focus and put some passion back into their own play--including the next soloist himself (Didier)! In the end, everybody gets up to speed and the song finishes well, but those first two minutes were extraordinary! (9.3333/10)

6. "My Memories Of You" (5:40) interesting that this Francis Lockwood-penned song title and sound, chord progressions all sound like a song of a similar name that would find its way onto Vangelis Pappathanassiou's soundtrack for the 1982 sci-fi film Blade Runner. This duet between the Lockwood brothers finds the one using electrified violin, the other using a standard grand piano. (8.875/10)

7. "Giant Steps" (2:10) an interesting sprint through one of the giants of jazz history. (4.5/5)

8. "Pent-up House" (2:31) a Sonny Rollins song that Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli made their own on which guitarist John Etheridge quite capably takes the role of Django, while Didier, of course, takes that of Stéphane. Quite a respectful and faithful rendering. (9.125/10)

9. "Zbiggy" (6:55) a tribute to the recently-deceased Polish-born jazz violinist Zbigniew Seifert. Perishing of cancer at the age of 32, "Zbiggy" had been an early pioneer of electrified violin sounds and an active member of the "free jazz" movement though he contributed significantly to the J-R Fusion albums of Volker Kriegel, Jan "Ptaszyn" Wróbleweski, Jasper van 't Hof, Joachim Kühn, Hans Koller, Charlie Mariano, and Glenn Moore's Oregon. Didier's song here allows his collaborators (Tony Williams, John Etheridge, Gordon Beck, and Niels-Henning Orsted-Pedersen) to also pay tribute to their lost compatriot. Kind of a two-chord high-speed, dynamic vamp that allows for lots of soloing. (13.375/15)

Total Time: 41:19

It's all great acoustic jazz--maybe "rock" can be tagged onto the descriptive referents, but it's really just jazz. To me, this album is more of a retrospective tribute to Jazz history than a step forward in the evolution of Jazz-Rock Fusion. At the same time, after repeated listens I've come to appreciate the absolute genius of the performances of these jazz stalwarts. Beautiful!  

91.99 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; while not what I would consider an expression or full-fledged Jazz-Rock Fusion, this is without a doubt a wonderful expression of music, musicianship, and jazz of the absolute highest quality and must, therefore, be extolled as a masterpiece of music--general Götterdämmerung-ed music--no matter what genre or category you choose to assign it to. 

OPUS-5 Contre-courant (1976)

Part symphonic rock, part jazz-rock fusion (especially in the piano), part folk (especially in the harmonium-like vocal harmonies), this band from Québec sounds like a cross between Maneige, Harmonium, and Sloche (which just happen to be all Québec bands).

1. "Les temps des Pissenlits" (9:10) Central to the success of this great song is the HARMONIUM-like earworm choral vocal repeated over the course of the second two-thirds. (18.5/20)

2. "Il Çtait magicien" (11:40) opens like a CAMEL-RICK WAKEMAN piece. Other sounds and motifs that are familiar remind me of RENAISSANCE, TRAFFIC, ELP, and even ELTON JOHN. Not always cohesive or easily flowing, there is so much great music and musicianship on display here that I can't help but rate it highly. Strange that it goes so quite/delicate with two minutes to go. Quite anti-climactic. (18/20)

3. "Les saigneurs" (9:21) opens with anachronistic sounding steel-string guitar work--Anthony Phillips "Private Parts and Pieces"-like. At the end of the second minute tom-toms usher in a choral vocal section that sounds very much like a FOCUS-like play on classical traditions. Even the piano play and stop-and-go forms used feel FOCUS and/or GENTLE GIANT like. In the fourth minute, the musicians stop for a totally a cappella section before heading back into a jazzy flute and piano led "Moondance" like motif. Quite complex and virtuosic. The sixth and seventh minutes find the music alternating between precise jazz motifs and "Ancient"-sounding vocal responses. Then we move into a more pop music sounding section with gentle melodies and a simple instrumental chordal weave. (18.75/20)

4. "Le Bal" (5:42) sounds quite a bit like early Genesis--even the quirky story form structure of the song. Very nice keyboards and vocals. Quite and interesting and engaging song. (9/10)

5. "Contre-courant" (3:55) nature/harbor sounds mixed with odd synth sound lead into brief choral bank before the piano-based rock motif takes off in a GENTLE GIANT/FOCUS direction--lots of quirk playing off of very serious sounding classical riffs and motifs. Fascinating! Especially if this is, as it feels, intended to be a kind of tongue-in-cheek classical-rock fusion. (9/10)

Despite the obvious skill and virtuosity of all of the musicians involved, central to the band's achievements are the keyboard play of Olivier Du Plessis: he is a marvel to listen to. I am also quite impressed by the bass and flute playing and the vocals.

91.56 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; an excellent contribution of FOCUS/CAMEL-like progressive rock music. In fact, this music--and the temperament conveyed through it--is quite on the same par as all of the afore-mentioned bands. I call this a masterpiece! (It's just not true Jazz-Rock Fusion.)

KORNI GRUPA (KORNELYANS) Not an Ordinary Life  (1974) 

Sophisticated prog rock from the Serbian portion of the former Yugoslavia. I can see why this band is considered one of, if note the, greatest rock/prog bands ever to come out of that nation state.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Zlatko Pejakovic / lead vocals
- Josip Bocek / electric & acoustic guitars, backing vocals
- Kornelije Kovac / keyboards, backing vocals
- Bojan Hreljac / bass
- Vladimir Furduj / drums

1. "Rising" (2:14) quite lovely, well produced, keyboard-led instrumental proggy Jazz-Rock. (4.625/5)

2. "Not an Ordinary Life" (10:16) sounding very much like a cross between early QUEEN, RARE EARTH, and early URIAH HEEP. I'm quite surprised to hear the excellent command of English spoken/sung throughout this song. Great change to an adventurous, theatric RARE EARTH-like motif around the three-minute mark. Some truly excellent drumming, guitar, and keyboard play during the extended solo patch in the middle. In the seventh minute the music switches into a very prog-rock focus with its CHRIS SQUIRE "Close to the Edge" bass line and dynamic (if also circus-like) keyboard play. A rather surprisingly mature and sophisticated composition pulled off with excellent musicianship and excellent sound quality! At 8:45 the music then moves into a grooving Jazz-Rock motif over which guitarist Josip Bocek shreds (in two tracks!) while lead singer Zlatko Pejakovic takes us out with his theatric vocal performance. (19.125/20)

3. "Generation 1942" (6:32) here exhibiting a style more similar to bands like CHICAGO and STYX (and Starcastle and, yes, Yes), the music is so pleasant, well-composed, and creatively rendered I find in total shock. I don't particularly like this style of music (it's now rather dated) but I definitely appreciate the skill and creative genius that went into its creation and production. (9/10)

4. "Fall of the Land of Women" (5:30) employing a distortion-making effect to Zlatko's voice gives this heavy prog song an Arthur Brown-like quality--but it's also in the forcefulness of his vocal delivery. The hard-driving MUSEO ROSENBACH/LE ORME-like music is quite complex with high-quality rock solos from multiple keys and electric guitar as well as solid tracks contributed by bass, drums, percussion, and acoustic guitars. Bassist Bojan Hreljac and keyboard wiz Kornelije Kovac are particularly awesome. (8.875/10)

5. "Temporary Parting" (3:58) solo piano and organ play from Kornelije opens this one before the arrival of a Jon Camp-like bass and syncopated drumming from Vladimir Furduj expose what is obviously a RENAISSANCE-like effort. Even the motif change at 3:00 is in full compliance with the Renaissance approach to making prog out of classically-inspired pieces. (9/10)

6. "Man with a White Flag" (11:43) another heavy rock motif opens this (sounding like a heavier GRAND FUNK RAILROAD or maybe URIAH HEEP) while Zlatko and his background singers sing in quite the GRAND FUNK style. There's a little Gentle Giant and Thin Lizzy in the instrumental passage between the first vocal section and the second. The vocal excellence really rises to the top in the second vocal section, even successfully transforming to monastery-like male choir in the fifth minute. Nice doubled-up synth solo in the sixth minute. The stylistic switch at the end of the seventh minute into a more high-powered-blues-rock motif--for Kornelije's piano solo--is awesome. Then the softer synth and organ-founded motif over which Zltako's voice sings so tenderly is equally impressive. Pulsing bass at the austere nine-minute mark gradually form into another dramatic motif: where Zlatko's URIAH HEEP-like treated voice performs as if from a cage. This culminates in a rising pitch bridge to a more cruising rock motif over which Kornelije returns to his bluesy piano soloing--during which the music is slowly faded out over the course of about 25 seconds. Though, again, this is not particularly my favorite kind of musical style--even in the prog rock form it is in--I cannot help but admire and appreciate the skill and maturity it took to put this together and perform it so flawlessly. (18/20)

Total Time 40:13

Considering that this band's 1972 debut album was only the fourth full-length studio album released in Yugoslavia of a rock band, the production here (in 1974) is incredible. The band had had six or seven years to work together before the recording of this album and it shows in both the skill level of the musicians but also in the sophistication of the compositions. The fact of the band's desire to make its mark in both the radio-friendly pop culture and the more instrumentally-lauded world of progressive rock music is also markedly present here.

91.50 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; though I would never call this music "Jazz-Rock Fusion" I am over-the-moon impressed with every aspect of it. Quite entertaining (theatric) and excellent progressive rock music. Highly recommended for any and all progheads--especially if you like the spirit and styles of prog's "Classic Era" best.

CHASE Chase (1971)

If the Don Ellis Orchestra produced Blood Sweat and Tears and they composed for Broadway musicals.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Bill Chase / trumpet
- Ted Piercefield / trumpet, lead vocal on "Handbags and Gladrags" and "Boys and Girls Together"
- Alan Ware / trumpet
- Jerry Van Blair / trumpet, lead vocal on "Hello Groceries"
- Phil Porter / keyboards
- Dennis Johnson / bass guitar, vocals
- Angel South / guitar, vocals
- Jay Burrid / percussion
- Terry Richards / lead vocals

1. "Open Up Wide" (3:48) amazing full-throttle brass rock. (8.875/10)

2. "Livin' In Heat" (2:54) a little Broadway musical feel to this one (as well as BS&T). I guess the lead vocals hear must be attributed to Dennis Johnson. (8.875/10)

3. "Hello Groceries" (2:56) R&B brass rock. Jerry Van Blair's lead vocal is pure R&B. (8.75/10)

4. "Handbags and Gladrags" (3:23) slowed down New Orleans funereal music start turns into New York City open air style jazz-rock. Love the wavy, layered horn arrangements in the back ground. Lead vocalist Ted Piercefield sure sounds like David Clayton Thomas. (9/10) 

5. "Get It On" (2:59) (8.666667/10)

6. "Boys and Girls Together" (2:56) Ted Piercefield again in the lead vocals. (8.666667/10)

7. "Invitation to a River" (14:13) so much like the soundtrack and arias from a single act of a Broadway musical. Even so, it would be considered great, moving theater music. (27.75/30)
a) "Two Minds Meet" - Dennis Johnson again on lead vocals?
b) "Stay" - slow and atmospheric with choral background vocals supporting Dennis' plaintive lead. 
c) "Paint It Sad" - there's that David Clayton Thomas sound and feel again.
d) "Reflections" (ad lib) -  Astounding horn play--especially from lead trumpeter Bill Chase.
e) "River" - more akin to the slow and plaintive music and lyrics of the second movement.

Total time - 33:09

The horn play is amazing throughout this album--so crisp and clear, creative and powerful--but the songs aren't always as engaging and are rarely inventive or forward-thinking (except for the horn arrangements) as some of the other J-R Fusion artists of the day. I feel that Bill and company's compositional and stylistic orientations are quite similar to the music Stephen Schwartz was doing for musical theater.

91.02 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of theatric brass rock. 

JANNE SCHAFFER Janne Schaffer (1973)

There are several alternate editions of this album that include a wide number of different songs that were not present on the original Midnight Sun release. Normally, I ignore these later and alternate versions and go for the original only, but, having happened upon a recording that included the awesome songs, "The Chinese," and the use of English titles for "Kulan," "Jordbruksmaskinen," "Fillins Mignon," and "Vindarnas Madrass" ("Marbles," "Harvest Machine," "Fillet Mignon," and "Air Mattress," respectively) as well as a mess of additional songs that turn out to come from his 1974 release, Janne Schaffer's Andra, I balked! As alluded to above, the problem is that I like them all! But, I will try to 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Stefan Brolund / bass
- Ola Brunkert / drums
- Bengt Karlsson / guitar
- Janne Schaffer / guitar
- Björn J:Son Lindh / piano, flute

1. "Halkans Affär (4:20) a song that feels grounded in some of the great blues-rock/rock 'n' roll chords, riffs, and hooks of the 1960s--Allman Brothers, Buffalo Springfield, early Thin Lizzy, even Paul Revere And The Raiders, etc.--but it's Janne and Bengt's guitar play that are the featured meal here. (As twin guitars is the key feature overall--often harmonizing with each other--I guess it would be appropriate to cite this as a link between The Allman Brothers and Thin Lizzy.) (9/10) 

2. "No Registration (6:10)  a Larry Coryell-like exercise turns down a few side streets, e.g. with some amped up Ray Manzarek "Riders in the Storm" electric piano, some funky-chunky electric jazz bass, and some great delicate and power-chord electric guitar play (from both guitarists). It's great listening--greatly entertaining and engaging--but, again, it's barely touching that which I consider to be Jazz-Rock Fusion. Still, I like it! Very much! (9.25/10)

 
3. "Kulan (Marbles)" (4:57) an acoustic start with an Indian feel due to the droning sound coming from Stefan Brolund's bowed double bass, at the end of the first minute the guitar, soft electric piano, and Danny Thompson-like double bass begin rendering something that is more akin to something by THE PENTANGLE or some American artist: there is a sound and feel like an American Western mental-spiritual, mind-wandering balm or desert dream--Janne's solo on the acoustic guitar sounding and feeling like one particular member of AMERICA's guitar sound and style (or perhaps it's how the guitar was miked and recorded). Björn J:Son Lindh's Ray Manzarek electric piano chords and riffs shimmering in the left channel. Beautiful tune! (9.25/10)

4. "Titus" (3:46) electric guitar, bass, drums, tabla (!), and two tracks given to Björn J:Son Lindh's gorgeous flute play make for a very beautiful and interesting folk-tinged Smooth Jazz tune. Janne and company keep hitting it out of the park! (9.25/10)

. 
5. "Jordbruksmaskinen (Harvest Machine)" (8:10) this song defintely opens with 75 seconds of space music that sounds exactly like something the American jazz-fusion artists who were venturing into experimentations with the new synthesizers and their vast array of artificial sounds in the early 1970s (Herbie Hancock and Lenny White, thanks to Dr. Pat Gleeson, as well as Larry Coryell, Lonnie Liston Smith, Joe Zawinul, and Jan Hammer.) But then, at 1:20, the electric guitars and bass interrupt with some jarring power chords that make me think more of some of the early pioneers of "Heavy Metal" music (like Led Zeppelin) and Jeff Beck. But then there is a launch into a jazzy rock guitar Eric Clapton/Jimi Hendrix/Randy California-like passage--which is then quickly interrupted by an odd little "interlude" before coming back with more of an aggressive Larry Coryell funk orientation so that guest Jan Bandel can solo on his vibraphone alongside Björn J:Son Lindh's electric piano while the guitarists play some awesome rhythm funk guitar. In the sixth minute there is another "interlude" slow down into sort-of-spacey music before the band restarts the funk-anchored blues-rock lead wah-wah guitar shredding. The musicianship and sound throughout this is awesome; it's just not my favorite style of rock or fusion. (13.625/15)

6. "Daniel Sover" (0:35) a beautiful little strings trio with Janne, Bengt and Stefan playing all acoustic instruments. (4.5/5)

7. "Did You Ever Love a Woman" (4:42) B.B. King?! It even sounds like B.B singing but that is, no doubt, Janne on electric guitar. Was this like a recording of Janne playing over the top of B.B.'s own recording--like an early Karaoke experience--or maybe Janne's whole band playing over/with B.B.? The horns are all attributed to Swedish musicians--and the vocal is credited to "Blues singer" Slim Notini, so I guess this really is a re-do/cover! But, still I'm confused! (9/10)

8. "Fillins Mignon" (3:17) opens just like a Led Zeppelin, Cream, or Joe Walsh song. The twin guitar play and interplay is awesome--especially in the beautiful second minute when one peals off to lead and the other lays back to provide rhythm support--and then they reverse their roles while switching their style and sound like Dr. Jekyll turning into Mr. Hyde (or Jan Akkerman turning into Joe Walsh). (8.75/10)

9. "Vindarnas Madrass (Air Mattress)" (3:34) a jazzy stop-and-go exercise in jerky syncopation being blended, alternatingly, with gentle folk and aggressive hard rock elements. Such creative vision! I just love the superb manifestations of such fresh and innovative ideas! Flutes, vibraphone, congas, funky bass, and, of course, a wide variety of guitar sounds and styles. Awesome! (9.125/10)

Bonus: "The Chinese" (3:18) (alternative to "Did You Ever Love a Woman") Definitely coming from the rock background and compositional perspective, this song feels like something from one of rock's early melodic geniuses. Great groove with some great riffs to hook the listener in--and the interesting skills flourishes and creative guitar sound production to keep him engaged. (9.25/10)

Total Time 39:31

I guess it's the finesse of the guitarist and the occasional jazziness of Stefan Brolund's electric bass that make people want to categorize this music under the Jazz-Rock Fusion umbrella, but, like a lot of Jeff Beck, this is less Jazz, more rock (and blues-rock), but, yes, there are occasional Larry Coryell-like flashes of brilliance, otherwise it's more like advancing rock 'n' roll--or rock 'n' roll infused with jazzy ideas and techniques.

I do, however, want to give high praise to the amazing sound production, amazing bass creativity of Stefan Brolund, awesome skill and diversity of "second fiddle" guitarist Bengt Karlsson (and Björn J:Son Lindh's flute play!), as well as the solid drumming of Ola Brunkert. Well done, Boys!

91.0 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; an awesome collection of well-polished and highly-creative songs--a minor masterpiece!--just not sure this belongs in the Jazz-Rock Fusion category. Still, it is a wonderful album that I HIGHLY RECOMMEND for any lover of masterful, creative, eclectic prog-related song crafting and whole-band musicianship--and great sound! 

Interestingly, Janne did contribute to a number of certifiable Jazz-Rock Fusion albums in the 1970s, most notably the brilliant Ablution one-off, two Pop Workshop albums, a couple Gabor Szabo, Rune Gustafsson, Putte Wickman, and Mads Vinding Group albums, as well as, later, a couple of prog rock band Isuldur's Bane's albums near the turn of the century, but he (and several of his band mates on this album) may be most famous for their contributions as the studio and live band to Sweden's international pop sensation, ABBA.

AZTECA Azteca (1972)

Another San Francisco band out of and in the vein of a funked up Latin-Cubano/SANTANA sound (including the contributions of several of Carlos' key collaborators like the Escovedo family). 

Lineup / Musicians:
- Paul Jackson / acoustic bass, electric bass [Fender]
- Victor Pantoja / congas, vocals 
- Lenny White / drums, vocals 
- George Muribus / electric piano 
- Flip Nuñez / organ 

- George DiQuattro / piano [acoustic], clavinet 
- Mel Martin / soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, flute, piccolo flute 
- Bob Ferreira / tenor saxophone, flute, piccolo flute 
- Coke Escovedo / timbales, producer 
- Tom Harrell / trumpet 
- Jules Rowell / valve trombone 
- Wendy Haas / vocals 
- Errol Knowles / vocals 

- Pete Escovedo / vocals 
- Rico Reyes (SANTANA) / vocals 

With:

- Jim Vincent / guitar (A3, A5, B1)
- Neal Schon / guitar (A3, A5, B1)

A1. "La Piedra Del Sol" (1:13) definitely a polite introduction to the sound palette the rest of the album will hold: horns, percussion, and electric keys, guitars, and bass, here given an orchestral form. (4.5/5)

A2. "Mamita Linda" (3:40) like a professionally-crafted Latin drum-line from Havana or Panama City, this one flows pretty well (Paul Jackson's bass sound is a little incongruous) and then the Cuban-style piccolo, timbales, piano, and group male vocals are awesome! (Now I see where the Miami Sound Machine got their sound.) Excellent music! Who says musica Cubano isn't full-fledged jazz?! (9/10)

A3. "Ain't Got No Special Woman" (5:59) a little Curtis MAYFIELD flair for vocalist Rico Reyes to sing over. More blues-based R&B than J-R fusion. Nice guitar work from Jim Vincent and Neal Schon in the third and fourth minutes which is then followed by a sudden shift into a purely-Latin section to close. (8.875/10)

A4. "Empty Prophet" (5:27) a very soulful male vocal performance is supported as if by a studio orchestra giving this song more of a Lou Rawls or Coleman Hawkins feel. Very well done though definitely not belonging in the domain of Jazz-Rock Fusion. (9/10)

A5. "Can't Take The Funk Out Of Me" (4:22) again I am so reminded of the music of CURTIS MAYFIELD's debut albums despite the Parliament-like funk horns and vocal arrangements. Errol Knowles' raspy soul/R&B vocal is wonderfully supported/accented by the gospel-like background choir. Lenny White is a real standout as is the clavinet play from George DiQuattro, and this is one of the better Paul Jackson performances on the album. Rated down for not being as fusiony as the others. (8.75/10)

"Peace Everybody" (4:30) Paul and Lenny open this one as if in a competitive race. And then the rather crisp and well-arranged horns join in with the percussionists and rest of the band to support a choral vocal of the title words. The anti-war vocals in between the choral chants are quite like those of The Fifth Dimension or a Stephen Schwartz Broadway musical. This reminds me a lot of Billy Cobham's first band, DREAMS--even when the AVERAGE WHITE BAND section that supports Mel Martin's dynamic saxophone solo in fourth minute. (9/10)

"Non Pacem" (6:39) an excellent multiple motif song with choir vocals like Giants with some excellent solos from Tom Harrell on trumpet and Mel Martin on Soprano Saxophone as well as super solid contributions to the rhythm track from multiple percussionists. Latin jazz-rock funk rarely gets better than this! (10/10)

"Ah! Ah!" (3:24) a repetitious blend of Cubano-style horn-and-percussion-based structure with R&B electric instruments and a very Caribbe-sounding vocal arrangement. (8.875/10)

"Love Not Then" (5:00) such a pretty R&B groove--right up there with The Fifth Dimension, Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight & The Pips, and even Marvin Gaye. Great instrumental performances of an awesome arrangement. I love both the smooth female lead and boy choir background vocals. This could have/should have been a radio hit! (9/10)

"Azteca" (4:45) a scrum of horns, percussion and bass notes opens this before all falling into line for a fairly smooth and melodic, almost Curtis Mayfield R&B-like jam. I love the structure of this with its  shifts into Cubano and more-straightforward jazz motifs. Love the enthusiastic piano play from George DiQuattro as well as the drumming of Lenny White! (9.25/10)

"Theme: La Piedra Del Sol" (1:52) as if the opening song had been veritably cut in two, this feels as if it picks up in the middle of something and then proceeds to usher (and march) us into the night. Nice. Very professional. (4.625/5)

I'm surprised at how often I find myself finding Paul Jackson's bass play (and sound) to be the weak link in the individual songs on this album. The compositions are superlative with all of their Caribbean influences 

90.875 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of Latin-grounded music of a variety of styles (not all jazz or Jazz-Rock Fusion oriented). Still, highly recommended for the sake of the highly sophisticated conpositions and arrangements. 

BRIAN AUGER, JULIE DRISCOLL & THE TRINITY Street Noise (1969)

The Julie Driscoll/Brian Auger Trinity collaboration comes to an end with this double album: which is a perfect testament to an amazing singer and her wonderful support crew musicians. I think it only just that this "support crew" is given their due: their own Side (Three); time to shine on their own.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Brian "Auge" Auger / organ, piano, electric piano, vocals
- Julie "Jools" Driscoll / vocals, acoustic guitar
- Clive "Toli" Thacker / drums & percussion
- David "Lobs" Ambrose / 4- & 6-string electric bass, acoustic guitar, vocals

LP Side One:
1. "Tropic of Capricorn" (5:32) syncopated cymbal play with matching organ, piano and bass notes leads into the establishment of a kind of ELP/"Take Five" jazzy blues-rock motif, which then smooths out with vocals into what sounds very much like something from THE SOFT MACHINE's second album. The ensuing instrumental section adds some Ray Manzarek-style organ soloing while Clive Thacker and David Ambrose keep the rhythm section very interesting yet very tight. This is really cool stuff--including a really impressive (and so well-recorded) drum solo in the fifth minute! (9.5/10)

2. "Czechoslovakia" (6:21) rockin' music that sounds like both a Sandy Denny-led JEFFERSON AIRPLANE and a pissed-off Grace Slick-led RENAISSANCE (and even Canterbury bands like EGG and The Soft Machine). This Julie Driscoll is a force! The stripped down guitar + Julie center passage is so powerful--so much like the very best of the strong-Mama female singers of the second half of the 1960s. It's important to remember the Czechoslovakian uprising of 1968 that was so brutally suppressed by the Soviet army. (9.25/10)

3. "Take Me to the Water" (4:17) the "Negro spiritual" (that must surely have influenced Al Green's "Take Me to the River") here done in a fairly standard (for the time) gospel blues style in which it opens as a dirge before shifting into gear as a wake-like celebration. Very powerfully rendered. As I said above, this Julie Driscoll is a force! (This is really my first fully-focused exposure to her singing.) (8.875/10)

4. "Word About Colour" (1:38) Julie's anguished voice, here accompanied by a lone acoustic guitar, delivers another very powerful vocal. More bluesy folk than jazz-rock but that's okay. (4.625/5)

LP Side Two:
5. "Light My Fire" (4:21) Yep, The Trinity did a cover of the Doors' monster hit. Stripped down, bluesy, with some awesome funk/R&B bass from David Ambrose and virtuosic blues organ from the band leader. Julie gives a very passionate rendering and interpretation to the Jim Morrison vocal and Clive Thacker is rock solid. (9/10)

6. "Indian Rope Man" (3:22) here The Trinity take on a rather obscure Richie Havens song and give it the SPENCER DAVIS GROUP treatment. Stevie Winwood could not have done it better. The band is so tight! And what an organ solo by Brian! (9.125/10)

7. "When I Was a Young Girl" (7:03) droning organ softly cushions and floats Julie's plaintive vocals on their version of this 1952 Tex Galdden song that had been made famous by Feist and, more recently, Nina Simone. Tom's and gentle arpeggiated bass chords are added as the song goes on. Man! I find it hard to imagine anyone recording/performing this song better than Julie does here. Incredible! Makes Grace Slick's most impassioned vocals pale in comparison. Still, these amazingly emotional vocal performances do not help make either Jazz-Rock Fusion or Progressive Rock music launch. (14/15)

8. "Flesh Failures (Let the Sunshine In)" (3:04) a version of this song far more attuned to the stage performance from Hair than any of the pop versions that had been made by the likes of The Fifth Dimension and The Spencer Davis Group in the first years of its existence. Great performance from Julie but also from Brian's loud organ. (8.875/10)

     (Hair premiered on Broadway on April 11, 1968. It had premiered the year before [on October 17] Off Broadway [at Joseph Papp's Public Theater] but was such an immediate hit that it was moved to Broadway within six months. Its first soundtrack recording was released on May 6, 1968, as performed by the original Broadway cast. Within the first two years of its existence, the song was covered by other artists on vinyl recordings no less than 20 times. Hair was, by the way, the first rock musical to play on Broadway.)

LP Side Three (the "no Julie" side):
9. "Ellis Island" (4:10) a flat-out crazy display of solo organ play over a tight blues-rock motif. And the organ is recorded so cleanly! I have to reward the band, and especially Brian, for this one. (9.125/10)

  
10. "In Search of the Sun" (4:22) gentle-yet-insistent psychedelic blues-rock with Brian singing the lead vocal. He's really good! Not unlike Spurogyra's Martin Cockerham. Solid if unspectacular song. It's just so solid, so mature and well-polished that I have to reward it. (9/10) 

11. "Finally Found You Out" (4:12) more great blues-rock with great organ play--not as up-front in-your-face as his work on "Ellis Island" but definitely more dynamic and passionate. The guy is massively good! Piano and a more laid back background motif provided by the "cool" rhythm section. Song fades out. Apparently, there "wasn't time" to add the vocal/singing track before the song/album had to go to press.  (9.25/10)

12. "Looking in the Eye of the World" (5:02) a real "old"feeling blues piano-and-voice tune that sounds like something right out of Mark Isham and Charlélie Couture's music from the 1988 film, The Moderns. (One of my all-time favorite soundtracks.) (9/10)

LP Side Four:
13. "Vauxhall to Lambeth Bridge" (6:31) Julie is back with a more blues-folk-Americana-like performance that rivals anything Sandy Denny, Maddie Prior, Laura Nyro, Grace Slick, Karen Dalton, or even Nina Simone were doing at the time. The instrumental accompaniment is solely Dave Ambrose's MASON WILLIAMS-like acoustic guitar. Wonderful song with a vocal performance that stands out, for me, as one of the greats. (9.75/10) 

14. "All Blues Davis" (5:41) piano, bass, and drums launch into a unified march through a MILES DAVIS song with Julie Driscoll providing a true blues vocal over the top (something that is not present in Miles' original version from the 1959 masterpiece, Kind of Blue). Julie's performance sounds very much like the kind of highly-individualistic take Nina Simone would put on a classic song like this. Brian's piano work is great though the way the piano's sound is rendered on the record leaves a lot to be desired. (9/10)

15. "I've Got Life" (4:28) the weirdest and weakest song on the album, sounding far too much like an aberrant white Baptist corruption of a Negro Spiritual. The organ and other instrumental performances are awesome; it's just Julie's misfitted performance that grates. Too bad. I hate to see this amazing album with so many incredible Julie performances maligned and diminished. (8.375/10)

16. "Save the Country" (3:58) Julie's cover of Laura Nyro's peacenik anthem. The blues-jazz bent that Dave and Brian give the song is awesome. Julie's vocal seems a little loose and haphazard--not as well versed or invested as her other performances. Plus, it's poorly recorded. Then there's the unfortunate circumstance of giving little room or for the voices of the instrumentalists--other than David's excellent electric bass. Brian and Clive seem relegated to orchestra pit musicians for a rock musical. (8.5/10)

Total Time: 74:02

Though this album is by no means a straight up jazz-rock fusion, prog, or even jazz-rock album, it has many elements throughout the album that would make strong representation to all three of the newly-emerging musical genres. Where the album's music clearly stands out is in the stunningly powerful performances by singer Julie Driscoll, the dynamic organ play of Brian Auger (both in support and in lead capacities) as well as the near-virtuosic performances of the rhythm section performers, Clive Thacker and David Ambrose. Too bad about the album's final two songs.

90.78 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a masterpiece of folk- and psychedelic-tinged jazzy blues rock that happens to present some of the finest female vocal performances of the 1960s. 

MISSING LINK Nevergreen! (1972)

Proggy Jazz-Rock Fusion from Deutschland--produced and engineered by Dieter Dierks. Sadly, this is the band's one and only album.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Markus Sing / guitar
- Gunther Latuschik / saxophone
- Gabriel Dominik Mueller / vocal
- Dieter Miekautsch / keyboard
- Dave Schratzenstaller / bass
- Holger Brandt / drums

1. "Spoiled love" (5:19) opens with heavy rock chords and sound palette that sounds just like it comes from the kind of Black Sabbath or albums that SPINAL TAP made their name on for their parodies. Getting into the meat of the song there are some ELP-like sounds and chord progressions (and skill displays) before the organ and bass fall into line for the support of Gabriel Dominik Mueller's excellent voice to sing over. Great song established with stellar performances from all of the instrumentalists though especially Markus Sing's amazing lead guitar solo in the third and fourth minutes. I love how it goes soft for Dieter Miekautsch's electric piano solo (with added Mellotron later) for the final motif as bassist Dave Schratzenstaller's Greg Lake-like lines remind the listener of KING CRIMSON's In the Court of the Crimson King. Saxophone joins in with a little over a minute to go before Gabriel returns in the final minute; here he reminds me a lot of Roye Albrighton's voice for NEKTAR. (9.5/10)

2. "Song for Ann" (2:49) a great Keith Emerson-like piano solo. Stunningly gorgeous! (5/5)

3. "Time will change" (5:31) very disciplined almost-mathematical Jazz-Rock that is built a little like Paul Desmond's "Take Five" while sporting some "I'm a Man" descnding chords to regularly bridge the band into a reset. Nice piano, electric guitar, and saxophone. A new blues-rockin' motif starts around 2:45 which eventually supports the TRAFFIC/VAN MORRISON-like vocals that arrive in the fourth minute. (How much this reminds me of the 1990s HAPPY MONDAYS!) Awesome bass and rhythm guitar play along with Gabriel's excellent blues-rock vocal. Not my favorite style of music but definitely a great construct with quite excellent and creative performances from everybody in the band. (9.125/10)

4. "Only me" (5:07) more power psychedelic blues-rock that seems quite inspired by bands from a few years earlier like Traffic, Blood, Sweat & Tears, and even Santana. (8.875/10)

5. "Sorcery" (5:23) a blues-rock vamp over which sax, electric guitar, and keys elicit some impressive solos--especially Markus  searing wah-wah guitar. The sound palette drifts into some really nice ALLMAN BROTHERS territory in the fourth and fifth minutes just before everybody throws any restraint to the ground for a free-for-all race to the finish. (8.875/10)

6. "Filled up" (6:26) More interestingly-constructed music that seems to have its hands in several pies: rockabilly, Baroque, and even the angular, anachronistic quirk of Gentle Giant. The vocal section in the fourth and fifth minutes is like GG being performed by Peter Hammill's VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR or The Netherlands' FOCUS. Interesting--and definitely way more proggy than jazzy. Too bad Gabriel's vocal track is recorded/processed rather poorly. (8.875/10)

7. "Kids hunting" (6:11) on this one I hear a 60s rock start turn VDGG with some AREA injected into the music in the second minute. Vocals enter at the three-minute mark with a kind of DEREK SHULMAN style of singing used in the first vocal motif. But then the band switches to a more rapid-paced rock motif in which Gabriel's voice sounds more like Sabbath's Ozzie Osborne. The vocal performance is nice but, again, it's recorded/rendered rather poorly--like Grand Funk Railroad's early renderings of Mark Farner's lead vocals. (9/10)

Total Time: 36:46

Too bad these talented musicians (and songwriters) didn't stay together: there is some very high-quality musicianship as well as highly-creative song construction going on here. Only guitarist Markus Sing and keyboardist Dieter Miekautsch went on to contribute to any other successful bands (Konstantin Wecker and Missus Beastly/Embryo, respectively).

90.77 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of creative, skillfully-rendered progressive rock music. Despite the Jazz-Rock Fusion classification, I only hear rock-derived progressive rock here.

LARRY CORYELL The Restful Mind  (1975)

A collection of Coryell compositions performed and recorded with the help of three of the Oregon quartet: Ralph Towner, Collin Walcott, and Glen Moore.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Larry Coryell / acoustic and electric guitars
- Ralph Towner / guitar
- Collin Walcott / tabla and congas
- Glen Moore / double bass

1. "Improvisation on Robert de Visee's Menuet II" (8:14) a great fusion of rock, power jazz, and world folk/ethnic musical traditions with Ralph Towner's acoustic 12-string, Colin Walcott's tablas, and Glen Moore's double bass playing essential roles in the Oregon-like tapestry. But don't get me wrong: this is not an Oregon song; it's a Larry Coryell  composition and Larry's lead guitar (which sounds like one of Ovation's new plug-in electrified acoustic guitars) is almost completely in the lead. (13.375/15)

2. "Ann Arbor" (5:00) another acoustic guitar tune that sounds more like it came out of the Folk or World Ethnic traditions while Larry strums his steel-string acoustic tout seul. After about 30 seconds of introductory strumming, he switches to more classical-sounding picking, but then, in the third minute, he returns to more folk- (or bludgrass-) oriented strum and picking while Ralph, Glen, and Collin join in. Yes, bluegrass might be the more accurate category for this spirited music. Ralph, by the way, does an admirable job of harmonizing and countering Larry's picking, strumming, and riffing. Nice little tune. (9/10)

3. "Pavane for a Dead Princess" (5:39) Larry's one solo performance on the album sounds like the folk musings of any number of acoustic guitar masters from the 1960s and 1970s--even/especially, to me, Anthony Phillips. (It reminds me of the experience of listening to Ant's 2005 guitar master class, Field Day.) Beautiful music with quite evocative if anachronistic melody lines. (9.125/10)

4. "Improvisation on Robert de Visee's Sarabande" (5:20) more anachronistic acoustic guitar play, this time capturing a far-older feel than that of the  previous song. Even with the note-bending and other dynamic picking techniques added in the third minute (as Ralph, Glen, and Collin gradually "sneak" in). Some absolutely gorgeous melodies played with some rather extraordinary emotion. I think every guitar fan should hear this very special song. It is a masterpiece! (And a tear-jerker!) (10/10)

5. "Song for Jim Webb" (3:15) Considering the dedication offered in the song's title, there is a surprising lack of "earworm" melody hooks that was so typical of the compositions of Jim(my) Webb (author of songs like "Wichita Lineman," "MacArthur Park," By the Time I Get to Phoenix," and "Up, Up and Away"). Also, the spaciousness and simplicity of the music doesn't give much opportunity for the Oregon boys to contribute. (8.75/10)

6. "Julie la Belle" (5:46) an oddity that takes a while to develop, form, and reveal its true nature and style (something from the era of the Beat Generation). I like Larry's play with harmony and melody but Glen and Collin's Beat contributions are almost embarrassing. In the fourth minute, however, the song stops and picks back up in a totally different direction: this one feeling much more French Canadian--like the music of proggy folk bands like Harmonium and Conventum. I absolutely LOVE those last two minutes! (8.875/10)

7. "The Restful Mind" (3:09) another gorgeous solo steel-string guitar song built around arpeggiations of a circle of chords Larry has put together. Nice. (8.875/10)

Total Time: 36:25

This is not your typical Jazz-Rock Fusion (or jazz, prog, folk, world music, or even guitar) outing. Despite the accreditation of the Oregon contingent, the album is truly a solo acoustic guitar album: other than the opening song, there is little "extra" that Glen, Collin, or even Ralph add to Larry's music.

90.667 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of excellent acoustic guitar compositions. A pleasant and pleasurable listening experience of all lover's of the acoustic guitar.

PASSPORT Garden of Eden (1979)

For Garden of Eden Klaus Doldinger has managed to retain the participation of the new core of collaborators that he had on the previous year's Ataraxia (Sky Blue); the only loss (and it is significant) is of the Louis brothers, Elmer and Roy (percussion and guitar, respectively).

Line-up / Musicians:
- Klaus Doldinger / saxophones, keyboards, clarinet
- Willy Ketzer / drums, percussion
- Kevin Mulligan / guitar, vocals
- Dieter Petereit / bass
- Hendrik Schaper / keyboards
Guest musicians:
- Kathy Bartney / vocals (4-6)
- Horst Ramthor / harp (2a)

1. "Big bang" (3:53) a long spacey/atmospheric synth intro is joined by Disco drums, percussion, and the rest of the band while Klaus steps in with a soprano sax to lead the way. There is a little bit of the ELOY sound emanating from this as well as, in the later portions, some JACO PASTORIUS-imitative bass play. (8.6667/10)

2. "Garden of Eden": (8:51) (18.875/20)
a) "Dawn" (1:54) the beautiful and soothing pastoral Nature intro that I've always loved. Yes, Mike Oldfield, and may have been source inspirations for this. (5/5)
b) "Light I" (1:53) enter Kevin Mulligan's English vocals, presented in a kind of YES/Jon Anderson mode. Then drums and electric guitar begin to introduce themselves before a second verse. Sax, Moog, and electric guitar add their ten cents worth along the way. (4.375/5)
c) "Light II" (5:04) now launching into a fun, forward-moving passage that reminds one of the music of NARADA MICHAEL WALDEN and THE ELOY as well as future Trevor Horn projects like The Buggles and Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Nice vocal melodies from Kevin and Kathy Barney. Excellent jazzy New Age prog. (9.5/10)

3. "Snake" (4:49) gorgeous journey down a lazy river. Great slow, drawn out melodies. (9.5/10)

4. "Gates of paradise" (3:47) more Hiram Bullock/Narada Michael Walden-like music, here bringing out the funk with some new slap bass and deep thrum chords. Vocals are okay, though the melodies are great, it's just that the multi-track (chorused?) effect on a lead vocalist that was popular at the time (as with Narada Michael Walden's treatment of his own voice as well as some of Al Jarreau's): a little schlocky. There's also a little more of the NOVA sound here. (8.875/10)

5. "Dreamware" (5:00) Disco with all of the concurrent tricks: slap-and pluck bass, Ernie Isley guitar sound in the rhythm (styled like George Johnson), Evelyn Champagne King hand claps, electric piano chords, and synth sound used for the solo over the top. Great quality upbeat and uptempo disco dance music. (9.125/10) 

6. "Good Earth smile" (5:04) another pop/radio-oriented tune that has one foot in the world of American Gospel-oriented Southern Rock and one in the Weather Report school of Adult Contemporary jazz. (8.6667/10)

7. "Children's dance" (3:39) another song that seems to come straight out of the WEATHER REPORT repertoire of happy-go-lucky pop tunes. (8.75/10) 

Total Time: 35:03

By far the proggiest of Klaus' albums. When they're proggy, the songs are really great. When he tries to turn back toward the latest trends in Jazz-Rock Fusion and Weather Report/Crusaders pop jazz it falls into the category of average (for that time very good).  

90.57 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; an album blessed with great prog but then also cursed with schlocky, now-dated pop. Fortunately for we prog lovers, the progginess and high quality of the other explorations wins out.

JAZZ Q Symbiosis (1974)

A band from Czechoslovakia that I'd not heard of before this album. How such wonderful and creative music was coming out of Communist countries is a bit of a mystery to me--as well as how they were gaining access behind the "Iron Curtain" to the "Western" music that was obviously inspiring is equally curious. I might need to bone up on my 20th Century history a little.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Jiř Rotter, Leek Semelka, Pavel Dydovič, Vladimr Mik / backing vocals
- Vladimr Padrůněk / bass
- Jan Kubk / clarinet
- Jiř Tomek / congas
- Alexander Čihař / double bass
- Michal Vrbovec / drums
- Martin Kratochvíl / electric piano, piano, organ, harpsichord, leader
- Frantiek Francl / guitar
- Joan Duggan / lead vocals
- Radek Pobořil / trumpet

1. "Ze tmy do světla (From Dark to Light)" (6:05) plodding, cinematic music that is suddenly disrupted by an androgenous, at-times almost Janis Joplin ("Pearl")-like vocal from Joan Duggan: singing Portia's famous "The quality of mercy is not strained, …" from William Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice. while employing a little of John McLaughlin's "Resolution" beneath parts of it. (8.75/10)

2. "Ztracená láska (Lost Soul)" (6:05) a much-more-blues-rock song with raspy Pearl-like vocals singing what sounds like more famous poetry over some Jeff Beck like heavy blues-rock music. Joan Duggan's voice is strong, powerful, confident, and definitely the best part of these songs, but it's raw, bluesy style is not usually one of my favorites. Maybe the excellent musicianship beneath her helps elevate her performances. (8.875/10)

3. "Hvězdný pták (Starbird)" (7:25) opens as a beautiful, heavily emotional song to support the gorgeous vocal (in English) from Joan Duggan. Though slow and sometimes simple (and plodding) the music of the first three and a half minutes is filled with so many wonderfully interesting and engaging nuances and flourishes, and then there is an all-instrumental period in the fifth and sixth minutes in which electric guitar and electric piano get the chance to solo--and then the shift to Latin rhythms and scatting for the final 0:45 is totally wonderful. Not your usual prog lover's jazz-rock fusion song, but an excellent song anyway: great melodies  (14/15)

4. "Čaroděj (The Wizard)" (16:25) opens with 75 seconds of gentle electric piano play before bass line, rhythm guitar line, and drums and percussion line up to set up the Latinized rock foundation over which Joan Duggan again sings. She is quite a talent! After a couple of minutes supporting the vocal, the rhythm section continues on in the same SANTANA-like vein in support of a nice Martin Kratochvíl electric piano solo. In the seventh minute we see the return of Joan Duggan in the spotlight. I really like her vocal style: it reminds me a bit of Annette Peacock. Guitarist Frantiek Francl gets a little shine in the eighth minute before the music completely stops to allow some spacious electric piano chords to support electric bassist Vladimr Padrůněk's solo over the next two minutes. I really enjoy the dynamic range exhibited in this one: the upbeat happy-go-lucky parts supporting Joan's fun vocal contrasted with the heavier, more serious passage given to the bass solo and beyond. The musicians fall a little into more rudimentary blues-rock toward the end, but it's still a great listen. (27.5/30)

5. "Epilogue" (3:25) dreamy electric piano, electric bass, and "distant" horns and percussion populate this instrumental's sonic field as we bring the album to a close. It's a cross between Rainer Brüninghaus and "Auld Lang Syne." (8.75/10)

Total Time 39:25

To my mind (and ears), this is album's music is a step backwards for this band--or, at least, as step away from Jazz-Rock Fusion (which is, I have to admit, what I'm always hoping to find) and more into heavy blues-rock.

90.50 on the Fishscales = A-/4.5 stars; a minor-masterpiece of interesting and unusual vocal jazz-rock music. 

DREAMS Dreams (1970)

Jazz-infused rock music in the CHICAGO/BLOOD SWEAT & TEARS vein from New York City. Recorded in 1970 at three CBS studios in New York City and Chicago, the band's first of only two albums was released in November by Columbia Records.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Michael Brecker / tenor sax & flute

- Randy Brecker / trumpet & flugelhorn

- Billy Cobham / drums & percussion

- Jeff Kent / keyboards, guitar & vocals

- Doug Lubahn / bass & vocals

- Barry Rogers / trombone & Wagner tuba

- Edward Vernon / vocals

- John Abercrombie / lead guitar

1. "Devil Lady" (3:33) a very concise BS&T-modeled song. (I get the very distinct feeling that the iconic LaBelle song, "Lady Marmalade" pretty much lifted the music from this song,.) Solid song that might have deserved radio airplay. (8.75/10)

2. "15 Miles to Provo" (3:01) a more mainstream pop-oriented song of the CHICAGO, Jimmy Webb or Eric Burden orientation--except for the elaborate play of the horn section that joins in (and dominates) late in the first minute. Besides the dynamic (though oddly engineered) horn play, I like the organ play here from Jeff Kent. (8.75/10)

3. "The Maryanne" (2:25) a very pretty strummed-acoustic guitar-based love song, bass and horns join Doug Lubahn and Edward Vernon as the song progresses. Nice. (9.25/10)

4. "Holli Be Home" (5:42) delicate cymbal play with electric guitar harmonics makes for a very pretty opening. "Distant" horns join in before Ed Vernon takes the lead in vocals. He's mixed a little into the back of the mix--sounding like a song from Broadway's Godspell. The horns are so amazing in support--even getting lead time third minute's instrumental passage (with electric guitar and Tenor Sax). Such a well-constructed song; too bad the sound mix is a little off. Nice song! (9.25/10)

5. "Try Me" (5:10) hard driving jazz-infused rock music with Sly Stone-like vocals, very tight, dynamic, and essential horn play, solid bass play, and emphatic drum play. Watch out world: here is Billy Cobham! (9/10)

6. "Dream Suite: Asset Stop/Jane/Crunchy Granola" (15:21) the first movement is a totally-R&B groove with tenor sax to start it out before the band chimes in and supports vocalist Edward Vernon on a very David Clayton-Thomas-like bluesy-rock performance. The wild horn interplay in the brief instrumental passage in the fourth minute is quite remarkable--and it continues after Ed's next soulful passage. (A great vocal performance here, by the way.)

     The transition into the second movement, "Jane" is quite murky--almost uneventful as the band members just seem to peter out. At the end of nearly a minute of this nebulous amorphous pool the band reemerges with a more blues-oriented song. One simply cannot help but notice the dextrous skill of these musicians in so many instances of this album, here Billy Cobham's lightning fast fills and the horn players' remarkably precise accents. 

     The third and final movement of this is hard-drivin' jazz-rock fusion, "Crunchy Granola," sounds like it could come from Side One of CHICAGO's 1969 debut album, Chicago Transit Authority--the most accomplished and jazz-rock side of that wonderful album. Billy really gets to shine here beneath all of the funky elements interplaying above. It presents as a long high speed jam until the final two minutes when the music again devolves into the kind of soup of malaise that occurred at the end of the first movement--but is now rescued by an impressive Billy Cobham drum solo. Cool! Wish it had all been as catchy and dynamic as that first movement. (26.5/30)

7. "New York" (5:43) announced by a repeated horn bank chord before dynamic bass, drums and keys jump in--with choral vocals singing a very engaging melody with anthemic lyrics. Great organ and tenor sax performances in the first instrumental passage, trumpet in the second, electric guitar in the third. Such a great, lively tune! The horns, bass, and group vocals are the definite winners here! (9.75/10)

These musicians are so well-adapted to one another --and the horns are incredibly tight when they need to be yet incredibly skilled when they contribute as individuals.

90.278 on the Fishscales = A-/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of incredibly well-performed jazz-infused rock music from a veritable all-star lineup of future Hall of Fame artists. 

KORNI GRUPA (KORNYLANS) Korni Grupa (1972)

An early fan-favorite from Belgrade, Yugoslavia (now Serbia). 

Line-up / Musicians:

- Zlatko Pejakovic / lead vocals

- Josip Bocek / electric & acoustic guitars, backing vocals, arrangements (1)

- Kornelije Kovac / organ, piano, electric piano, harpsichord, vibes, backing vocals

- Bojan Hreljac / bass, percussion

- Vladimir Furduj / drums, congas, tambourine

1. "Glas sa obale boje" (4:27) except for the two tracks devoted to THIN LIZZY-like "twin" guitars, this song sounds like a song from a GRAND FUNK RAILROAD album of this time. Nothing Jazz-Rock Fusion about this bombastic prog-related song. (But it may have been popular in Yugoslavia). (8.5/10)

2. "Put na istok" (14:20)  (26.66667/30):

- Prvi dan - more solid proto-prog like blues-rock sounding like something coming from Latin America at the same time. (8.5/10)

- Drugi dan - shifting a bit into slightly more funk and jazziness--and then TRAFFIC-like, then back to blues-rock with a little more power. (8.6667/10)

- Dilema - the BANCO MUTUO SOCCORSO (or AREA) comparisons are warranted for this gentle little baroque keyboard-centric movement. (4.5/5)

- Zemlja - AREA might be the more appropriate band to compare the final movement to--especially dute to the hard-infusion of Serbian/Balkan/Ottoman music. (5/5)

3. "Moj bol" (10:27) more disciplined jazz-rock with true jazz foundations, electric instrumentation as well as Serbian percussion play. Vocals joining in during the second and third minutes again feel very RPI-like--the whole song's vibe becoming much more BANCO-like from here on despite some very TRAFFIC/"Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys" passages. Nice searing electric guitar soloing in the eighth minute. Quite an excellent and deeply satisfying song. (18.5/20)

4. "Bezglave Ja-Ha horde" (6:46) more nice-flowing Jazz-Rock Fusion that is a  vehicle for vocals from the very start--again giving it a very RPI sound and feeling. But it's so good! The vocalist has the voice and talent quite like AREA leader DEMETRIO STRATOS! If this had appeared on an RPI album during the same year it would have been an instant classic! (14.5/15)

5. "Tata Ko i mama Spo" (4:12) opening like a GEORGE HARRISON song, guitars (acoustic strumming, "weeping" electric soloing in the background). Full band joins in as vocalist starts to sing his powerful. voice--this time reminding me very much of LOS JAIVAS' lead vocalist Eduardo "Gato" Alquinta on the Pablo Naruda album. It's okay for a 1960s blues/folk rock song. (8.5/10)

Total Time 40:12

Not pure Jazz-Rock Fusion, more of an eclectic run through early blues-rock prog rock with some jazz-infusions and, more, lots of local ethnic melodies and styles as well as ethnic Serbian instruments. There are more instances of the band showing its being inspired by Grand Funk, Traffic, Santana, and Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso than any jazz-rock fusion band. 

90.20 on the Fishscales = A-/4.5 stars; a minor masterpiece of early but eclectic (and imitative) prog music.  

LARRY CORYELL Basics (Recorded in 1968 and 1969; released in 1976.)

Though not released until 1976, the songs collected and packaged here were recorded in sessions that happened in 1968 and 1969. The music here is predominantly blues and blues-rock with very little Jazz-Rock Fusion

Line-up / Musicians:
- Larry Coryell / guitar, vocals
With:
- Michael Mandel / organ
- Ron Carter / electric bass
- Chuck Rainey / electric bass
- Bernard Purdie / drums
- Steve Haas / drums
- Ray Mantilla / percussion
- uncredited / saxophone (1, 7)

1. "Call to the Higher Consciousness" (5:17) a very basic blues rock song constructed from a very basic blues chord progression. Larry, an oddly uncredited saxophone soloist, and congas take turns playing over the basic blues rhythm track as provided by front-mixed bass, drums, Ray Mantilla's percussion play, and Mike Mandel's distant organ. Sounds like a garage practice session for a new high school "band" of 16-year olds (albeit, gifted 16-year olds). No disrespect to Larry, but Ray is the only one here on this recording that sounds like he's on a professional level. (8.66667/10)

2. "Slow Blues" (4:22) pure blues. Some top notch blues guitar play from the bandleader--and I've seen/heard a lot of the greats! And pretty well recorded (as opposed to song #1). A solid blues song with some praise-worthy lead guitar work. (9/10)

3. "Friday Night" (2:22) more blues rock, this time with a little more Swamp fell and a lot more Buddy Guy-like rock orientation to it. I can hear quite a bit of Stevie Ray Vaughn in this one. Great bass and drum play from Chuck and Bernard. (I'm assuming.) (4.75/5)

4. "Half a Heart" (3:30) a SANTANA-like song that has a melody to hook onto as well as some mature structure with multifarious chord sophisticated progressions and more stunning lead guitar work (though much more rock-oriented on this one) and vocals! In the second half of the second minute. (He's got a really good voice!) Is this the song that spawned Becker and Fagen's "Do It Again"? Sure sounds like it!   (9.33333/10)

5. "Sex" (4:32) a rock-sided blues rock tune with a looseness that reminds me of a Stevie Winwood song. Great percussion and bass work while Larry wows us yet again with his ROGER McGUINN/Byrds-like/inspired 12-string lead guitar work. (9.25/10)

6. "Tyrone" (3:00) Larry covering a Larry Young composition with the same lineup and sound palette as the previous song. There is a little "Walk on the Wild Side" feel coming from the bass players lines. Nice solid team of drums and congas behind Larry's impressive guitar phrasing and skills. (8.875/10)

7. "Jam with Albert" (2:55) could the uncredited saxophone player on songs 1 & 7 be none-other than ground-breaking musician Albert Ayler--a man who would be dead within two years of these recording sessions (at the ripe young age of 34)? Given Larry's ubiquitous and fearless full immersion into the New York City music scene since his arrival in 1965 my hypothesis would not be a far stretch--and with the way the musical performances unfold on this song, I would not put it past the two, either. Nice rock song that feels and sounds like something that could've come off of a Jeff Beck album of the same time (Larry is really cooking on that rock guitar--and the rhythm trio [bass, drums, and congas] are incredibly tight!) (8.875/10)

8. "Organ Blues" (5:19) the only song on the album in which an organ plays a significant role, the interplay between Larry and Mike Mandel feels very loose and comfortable: both very mutually respectful and supportive. (This song represents the birth of a long and very industrious collaborative relationship for the two.) Otherwise a very standard-sounding blues song--one that sounds as common as an I-IV-V or I-VI-IV-V progression is in rock music. (8.875/10)

Total Time 31:17

I don't know if the music on this album is ordered in chronological order according to when they were first recorded , but they almost play out like that: simplest first, most sophisticated/mature toward the end. Most all of my individual song ratings are higher than my musical tastes would have predicted. This is due to the fact of nice sound recording, great instrumental performances--especially from the often-jaw-dropping play of one Lorenz Albert Van DeLinder III (aka Larry Coryell).

90.167 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars;a minor masterpiece of Blues Rock that might very well also be considered an example of proto-jazz-rock fusion--certainly an astonishing display of guitar pyrotechnics: each song a master class unto itself. HIGHLY recommended to any fan of the evolution of the electric guitar and for any fan of the highest caliber guitarists who ever wielded an axe.

FINNFOREST Finnforest  (1975) 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Pekka Tegelman / acoustic & electric guitars, bass (6, 7)
- Jukka Rissanen / organ, piano, el. piano, synthesizer
- Jussi Tegelman / drums

1. "Mikä yö!" (5:27) the extended solo church organ in the beginning of this does not prepare one for the CAMEL-like onslaught of guitars and drums that join in the second minute. A very cool, very prog-centric song that I feel bears little to no commonality to anything going on in the world of Jazz-Rock Fusion. (9.25/10)

2. "Sanaton laulu" (3:51) 30-seconds of BACH-like organ arpeggi precede the joinder drums and, later, Andy Latimer-like guitar. In the third minute there is a total shift into a more guitar-centric motif but then the song comes to an end that feels almost Midlothian Again, Camel is the dominant model for this very well rendered song. (9/10)

3. "Happea" (4:39) using stop-and-go syncopation makes this high-speed song feel like it comes from the world of EMERSON, LAKE AND PALMER or TRIUMVIRAT. Guitarist Pekka Tegelman's chosen guitar sound and style here emulate those of Dutch virtuoso JAN AKKERMAN. At the halfway point things slow down for the adoption of a FOCUS-like passage in which the Thijs Van Leer-like organ leads over the solid rock drumming of Jussi Tegelman. This takes to the song's end. A very nice song that mystifies me with its two completely different motifs. (9.125/10)

  

4. "Koin siipesi" (2:52) now for something more slowed down, spacious, spacey, and PROCOL HARUM-organ like within which Pekka plays an acoustic guitar with the aplomb of JAN AKKERMAN on Focus' gorgeous "Love, Remembered" (from 1973's Focus III). The drum sounds and stylings and wah-wah-ed electric guitar at the end make it different but still very pretty. (8.875/10)

5. "Paikalliset tuulet" (4:17) and off to the races Jussi and Pekka take us. Pekka's machine gun distorted-guitar gushes are met with some trills and frills from Jukka's organ in the second minute before Pekka and Jukka start a section in which two new, over-dubbed tracks duel it out over the continued play of the previous full palette. Then there is a spacey drum solo in the third minute in which Jussi's drums are all processed through a flanger. Pretty cool! (8.875/10)

6. "Aallon vaihto" (4:54) the first song that bears any crossover resemblance to Jazz-Rock Fusion music, this one sounds like a song from one of Larry Coryell's power trios. Jussi Tegelman's drumming skills really show and shine on this one and brother Pekka is a very good bass player! (9/10)

   
7. "Kunnes" (4:34) tense, dramatic organ, bass, and drums entwine to create a motif that might sound familiar if coming from pretentious Jazz-Rock Fusion artists like The Mahavishnu Orchestra, Cervello, Area, or Fermáta (and, later--in the 21st Century--MAD CRAYON). Nice guitar, keys, and drumming. (9/10) 

8. "P.S." (1:40) obviously the capture of a nice idea that never got developed into a full-scale song. (4.375/5)

Total Time: 32:15

I can definitely see why some fans extol this album and band high-enough to name their I find no flaws with this album other than the fact that there is a lot of imitation going on. Since the trio has chosen such a high echelon of bands/artists to imitate, and since they've done such a great job "making it their own," I can give them a pass. I applaud their creativity and high standards of musicianship.

90.0 on the Fishscales = A-/4.5 stars; the music on this album is of such a high quality--so well meted out and rendered--that I want to assign a full five star rating, BUT there are still plenty of areas to grow (including band originality/identity), so I'm going to only give four.

TOSHIYUKI MIYAMA AND HIS NEW HERD (MASAHIKO SATO) Yamataifu (1972)

This is an artist/composer (and his arranger) who no doubt was extremely inspired by America's Free Jazz, Post Bop, and more-recent Jazz-Rock fusion experimentation. My feeling is that, as a modern big band leader and world music enthusiast, he would have gotten on famously with American band leader DON ELLIS.  

Line-up / Musicians:
- Masahiko Sato / arrangement, electric piano
- Toshiyuki Miyama / conductor
- Masao Kunisada / bass
- Masaru Hiromi / drums
- Kozaburo Yamamoto / guitar
- Yoshinobu Imashiro / piano
- Kazumi Oguro, Shinji Nakayama / alto saxophone
- Miki Matsui / baritone saxophone
- Kiyoshi Saito, Shoji Maeda / tenor saxophone
- Masamichi Uetaka, Seiichi Tokura, Takeshi Aoki, Teruhiko Kataoka / trombone
- Bunji Murata, Kenichi Sano, Koji Hadori, Kunio Fujisaki / trumpet

A. "Ichi" (19:21) Is this really jazz-rock fusion? Despite its definite inspiration from both John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, and Pharoah Sanders, it also expresses a debt to Tony Williams, Don Ellis, and Miles Davis. It's definitely avant garde--like 1960s big band avant garde--and, I believe, highly scripted. There's even a similarity here to the earliest music published by Magma. The longer it plays, the more I find myself liking it! The odd electronic sounds remind me very much of some of the weird sounds coming out of Teo Macero's treatment of Miles Davis' band's Bitches Brew songs as well as Herbie Hancock's upcoming work with his Headhunters and beyond while it also traipses into the realm of soundtrack electronica.

     Part 2 of the jam sees a turn toward a quieter, more sparsely populated instrumental palette while the individual and banked horns take turns blasting their two cents worth, again sounding more Big Band-like (even more DON ELLIS-like) as the instruments reconstitute and rebuild their momentum. Fascintating, interesting, entertaining, (36.75/40)

B1. "Ni" (12:17) weird sound and harmonic experiments in discordant, sound-fx-type chiller music that, while employing the latest in electronic instrumental sound that were commonly being incorporated into the jazz-rock infusionists, is not as Jazz-Rock oriented as it is avant garde classical--though there is a lot in common here, for me, with the awful stuff coming from Miles Davis' Bitches Brew. It also reminds me of the chaotic cacophonous music used in the pre-cognition chimpanzee scenes in the 2001: A Space Odyssey soundtrack. The drumming, when there is any (after the 6:50 mark), sometimes outright sucks, at other times comes across as absolutely brilliant. This is a very impressive "song"--especially for the development and evolution of avant-garde jazz. It is certainly entertaining, but not exactly what I'd call enjoyable music--and certainly not the type of music you would use for a dance party. (21.5/25)

B2. "San" (4:53) opens up with some fast moving lounge jazz of a very serious nature. But then the big band horns enter and make it obvious that this music could hardly be played in a dark, smokey jazz lounge--at least not the ones made de rigeur since the secretive Underworld mentality of the Beatnik and BeBop eras had formed around this kind of music. Then, the crazy, polyphonic and polymetric practices of Toshiyuki's music takes over. Again: impressive if not very cozy or heart-warming. (9.25/10)

Total Time 36:31

Not the kind of music I was expecting from a 1972 "Jazz-Rock Fusion" release: this is more akin to the work that French-Belgian bands UNIVERS ZERO and PRÉSENT would be doing at the end of the decade.

P.S. The version I found of this album has the black and red cover and is titled "Yamataifu" with MASAHIKO SATO listed as one of Toshiyuki's collaborators--the arranger and electric pianist.

90.0 on the Fishscales = A-/4.5 stars; an excellent, possibly masterpiece-level recording of avant garde Jazz-Rock that would most highly recommended to those prog lovers who are into highly technical yet experimental avant garde music.

GINO VANNELLI Storm at Sunup  (1975)

The Canadian brother-brother team of singer-songwriter Gino Vannelli and keyboard wizard Joe Vannelli let loose with their third studio album, this one broaching the popular and expression-expanding domain of Jazz-Rock Fusion and continuing their unusual and unorthodox championing of the use of keyboards alone in providing their songs' bass lines and horn sounds as they did on 1974's Powerful People (grâce à keyboard maestro, Richard Baker).

Lineup / Musicians:

- Gino Vannelli / vocals, composer

- Joe Vannelli / electric piano, piano, synthesizers, engineer

- Graham Lear / drums

- Sergio Pastora / congas, bongos

- Richard Baker / organ, organ bass, synthesizer, synth horn arranger

- John L. Mandel / percussion

With:

- Jay Graydon / electric guitar

- Don Bailey / harmonica

- Jerome Richardson / saxophones [tenor & soprano] 

A1A. "Storm At Sunup" (6:37) one of the best jazz-rock fusion jam songs by non-jazz fusion artist ever made--and then it runs into the wonderfully seductive radio hit song "Love Me Now." Genius! (10/10)

A1B. "Love Me Now" (3:44) One of my favorite Gino Vannelli love songs, it has everything plus the unusual and effusive sexuality spilling over like a volcano. (9.5/10)

A3. "Mama Coco" (3:06) a very cool and unusual Latin funk love song--like something that should be coming out of Motown or Stax. (8.75/10)

A4. "Father And Son" (3:13) a bare-bones love-and-gratitude song. Not as jazzy, more classic crooning. (8.4/10)

B1. "Where Am I Going" (7:47) The song's weakness are the bare areas in which Joe's electric piano exists tout seul as well as its melody choices. It sounds like it's trying to do a reprise of the album's immaculate opener. The Vegas-like smoothed-out final two minutes of Latin grooving is the song's highpoint. (13.125/15)

B2. "Keep On Walking" (3:49) opening with Don Bailey's plaintive harmonica is a nice touch. The heart-wrenching Soul song that follows is simple yet made quite powerful by Gino's extraordinary vocal performance. (8.75/10)

B3. "Love Is A Night" (3:51) a little more funky R&B presented in which to try to ground Gino's ethereal vocal. The song's only failing is how similar it sounds to Side One's hit, "Love Me Now." (8.875/10)

B4. "Gettin' High" (3:25) talking drum and bass line open this one before Joe's Fender Rhodes and Gino's sexy story-telling voice join in to present another extraordinarily smooth and unique vocal performance. Jerome Richardson's saxophone in between Gino's verses is a nice touch, as is the infusion of Latin percussion early in the third minute. (8.875/10)

Total time: 35:31

Already clearly bridging the waters of pop music and jazz fusion since their debut Storm at Sunup definitely tests the J-R Fusion waters more than ever before--especially with the album-opening suite of "Storm at Sunup" and "Love Me Now." In my opinion the Joe and Gino team presents music history with one of the most advanced fusion arranger-composers in history--and it's not just Gino's unusually jazzy vocals but the amazingly full and sophisticated Latin-jazz and funk arrangements they give each and every song they produce. The percussion team of drummer Graham Lear, conga/bongo player Sergio Pastora, and general percussionist John L. Mandel are extraordinary in the way they're given so much freedom and light in which to shine. 

89.74 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of jazz-infused, electronically-drenched, and percussion-rich songs over which exist the masterful vocal performances of one of music's all-time great voices. 

CHICAGO Chicago Transit Authority (1969)

The debut album by the group from the city of its name--a group whose seven founding members would stay the same through ten years and eleven studio albums (one a "greatest hits")--until the tragic death of singer-guitarist Terry Kath (one of Jimi Hendrix's most respected and studied guitarists). A pretty remarkable phenomenon.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Terry Kath / electric & acoustic guitars, lead (1, 9, 12) & backing vocals
- Robert Lamm / piano, Wurlitzer, Hammond, Hohner pianet, maracas, lead (2-11) & backing vocals
- Lee Loughnane / trumpet, claves, backing vocals
- James Pankow / trombone, cowbell, brass arrangements
- Walter Parazaider / saxophones, tambourine, backing vocals
- Peter Cetera / bass, lead (4, 9, 11) & backing vocals, agogo bells
- Daniel Seraphine / drums, percussion

LP 1

Side One ("The Jazz-Rock Fusion Side")
1. "Introduction" (6:35) a mostly-instrumental song that does exactly what the title says: introducing the band and its complex, multi-layered Jazz-Rock Fusion orientation. The displays of time signatures, variety of mood motifs, with some very complex layering and stellar individual performances fully demonstrate the virtuosity of the collective which, then, reflects on the talents of all of the individuals as well. For me it's the playing of drummer Daniel Seraphine, bass player Peter Cetera, and trombonist James Pankow that really stand out. The septet is so tight! Absolutely brilliant! What an album opener! (9.75/10)

2. "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?" (4:35) Robert Lamm's jazzy solo lounge piano in the opening 75 seconds is definitely misleading for what is to come. What a big, anthemic song it becomes! Lee Loughnane's trumpet looms so big over the top! And then there are the timeless lyrics as sung so powerfully by Robert Lamm. (Great b vox, too!) And then, of course, there are the iconic horns. Wow!(9.5/10)

3. "Beginnings" (7:54) one of the best/my favorite J-R Fuse songs of all-time. Terry Kath's acoustic rhythm guitar performance is one of the strongest you'll ever hear. The horns are perfect throughout--even moreso in the closing jam--as is Peter Cetera's rock-solid bass and Daniel Seraphine's drums--but the closing jam's vocal chant and percussion play is so rollicking fun: as infectious as anything Santana ever played on stage! (15/15)

Side Two ("The Blues-Rock Side")

4. "Questions 67 and 68" (5:03) A very cool composition that is, in my opinion, flawed a bit by the incongruity of Terry Kath's dirty-distorted (though dynamic) lead guitar play with the pristine clarity of the piano and vocals of Peter Cetera. The bass and horn blasts are a good match for Terry's lightning guitar runs, and the song, overall, is quite engaging--especially with sections like the "Up, Up and Away" motif in the third minute--but there are inconsistencies. (9/10)

5. "Listen" (3:22) blues rock with Latin percussion arrangement. This song feels as if was written five or six years before and revived for this album as one of the final fillers to make it a double album. One of Robert Lamm's raspy-raunchier vocal performances. The musicians just don't do enough to elevate it to the level established by the first three songs. (8.5/10)

6. "Poem 58" (8:35) interesting that this little-considered song is the band's longest of the first disc of their debut album. Rooted in R&B, Terry Kath, Peter Cetera, and Danny Seraphine set themselves up as a little power trio à la CREAM or the BAND OF GYPSYS so that Terry can show off more of his guitar skills and ideas. I imagine this to be one of the songs to have earned Jimi Hendrix's notice and adulation. At 4:50 the band's palette and orientation changes quite radically as the rhythm section opens up and slows down and the horns join in. Vocals and background vocals take over the foreground for a minute before Terry's searing blues-rock lead moves into the very front of the song while the other instrumentalists maintain their support with a James-Brown-like motif. And to think that, lyrically, this turns out to be a love "poem" just strikes me as odd and incongruous. (There is a little incongruity and unaddressed, even subliminal, conflict within several of the Chicago songs.) (17.5/20)

LP 2

Side One ("Terry Kath's Side")
7. "Free Form Guitar" (6:47) I was always fascinated by this song in my early teens: first of all for its experimental sound(s), but also for the fact that a band and record company would allow a song like this to A) be recorded, B) be considered for representation on an album to be published, and B) finally included on the internationally-published and marketed vinyl product. The cajones! Musically, this is mostly listenable as a curio, a time-capsule representation of the skills and technological experimentation and capacity available in 1968-69. (13/15)

8. "South California Purples" (6:11) I got to know and love this song because I played this side of CTA to death: I LOVED "I'm a Man," was fascinated by "Free Form Guitar" and really enjoyed the DEEP PURPLE-like simple bass, guitar, and drum pattern and the solos that could be played over and within it. (8.875/10)

9. "I'm A Man" (7:43) an absolutely iconic cover of Steve Winwood's famous song originally released by the Spencer Davis Group in January of 1967. Terry Kath's performances--on both electric guitar and vocal--are nothing short of ground-breaking--and the percussion work, organ, and background vocal performances are not far behind. (14/15)

Side Two ("The Political Side")
10. "Prologue (August 29, 1968)" (0:58) Led by the famous "The whole world is watching" crowd chant from the Democratic National Convention hosted by the city of Chicago in 1968, the band then tries to make sense of the events through song and lyric with the following song.

11. Someday (August 29, 1968)" (4:11) The band's processing of the events of the crowd demonstrations at the Democratic National Convention in 1968. (8.75/10)

12. "Liberation" (14:38) the album's longest song, 7:45 of it is a power rock guitar jam, the second part turns more bluesy but that ninth minute seems to revert into a vehicle for more of Terry Kath's free-form guitar --or at least it threatens to do so: this time the rest of the band members are right on board with Terry, presenting their own creative sounds to try to match or support Terry's acid-psych tripping. Then, from 11:30, the music breaks down into very lovely gentle blues-rock jam. (Is this where some of Dutch band FOCUS got their ideas?) I love the genuine emotion of Terry's "Thank you, People" before the frenetic Chuck Berry finale. (26.333333/30)

Total Time: 76:36

This album had/has such a different feel than any/all other Chicago albums (even the half-jazzy VII or the avant/RIO II); it is a true collection of experimental/progressive songs--many of which are on the jazz-rock side of the spectrum. From start to finish each song is testing boundaries, pushing composers' and performer's limits. The fact that radio play was achieved by any of these songs is miraculous cuz they're all long songs (much longer than the proscribed 2-3 minute AM pop standard), yet I heard over half of these songs on the FM radio in my home town of Detroit. (Thank you, WABX!)

     The double album's first side is it's most thorough and complex whole-band rendering of some very advanced compositions--truly befitting of the new jazz-and-rock fusion movement. Side Two presents three songs that sound much more representational of an older, more foundational "blues-rock" incarnation of the band. Side Three seems to bend/cater to the band's most experimental member, guitarist Terry Kath. (I think they all understood what a genius they had in the form of Terry.) Side Four seems to allow the band to express the angsty zeitgeist of the Vietnam/Civil Rights/Nixon times. This does not make a fully or even partially perfect "jazz-rock fusion" album, but there are definitely lots of musical elements being fused into this album's whole.

89.45 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; rated up for creativity and sheer guts; a minor masterpiece of early or proto-jazz-rock fusion.

OUT OF FOCUS Wake Up! (1970)

The debut from this München-based  band, Wake Up! is an album of psychedelic blues-rock music in the vein of The Rolling Stones, Cream, or even early Jethro Tull. 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Remigius Drechsler / guitar
- Hennes Hering / keyboards
- Moran Neumüller / vocals, saxes, flutes
- Klaus Spöri / drums
- Stefan Wisheu / bass

1. "See how a white negro flies" (5:48) a song that opens announcing clearly that the band is firmly entrenched in blues rock sound palettes of the previous two years. Flutes and organ add some spice over the top of the insistent motif. Vocalist Moran Neumüller sings in a haunting voice similar to other psychedelic blues rock icons of the late 1960s. Remigius Drechsler's distorted lead electric guitar solos in the fourth minute. Again, this could come straight out of anything that CREAM or BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD had been doing in the previous two years. Though derivative, it is a very solid example of late 1960s psychedelic blues-based rock 'n' roll. (8.875/10)

  
2. "God saved the queen, cried Jesus" (7:28) the Mick Jagger-like vocals and provocative lyrics give this early Jethro-Tull-like song some teeth. With the much softer, delicate instrumental passage in the fourth minute, with its Ian MacDonald-like extended flute solo, serves notice of the band's prog aspirations. This is then followed by a heavier section over which Moran's flute continues to be the main soloist. Singing and guitar soloing follows before the JTULL-like finish. Pretty remarkable song! (13.5/15)

  
3. "Hey John" (9:35) opens with a pensive bass, guitar, a cymbal note-by-note interplay overwhich Moran's flute sings mellifluously. When the full band kicks into full dynamics it is with a very familiar LED ZEPPELIN-like descending four-chord progression. Things spread out again for the entrance of Moran's Mick Jagger-like vocal, delivered in a kind of Robert Plant style. In fact, the whole song feels like a replication/variation of Zep's "Heartbreaker." Nicely done extended tribute (though Remigius is not Jimmy Page and drummer Klaus Spöri is no John Bonham). I really like Hennes Hering's unusual Hammond solo in the middle. Also, I'd like to commend the clean, clear sound gleaned from Stefan Wisheu's electric bass: it's very important to the overall "mature" and "professional" sound of the album. (17.75/20)

4. "No name" (3:06) opening with Moran's a cappella voice, almost whisper-sung, before the band bursts into a heavy blues rock motif with flute, theatric vocals, Hammond, and electric guitar each adding their distinctive flourishes. I love the cute little upper register guitar garnishes over the bass and Hammond in the instrumental mid-section. Kind of cool! (9/10)

5. "World's end" (9:55) a fairly simple chord structure presents this anthemic feeling--as if the band is truly expressing their thoughts, concern, and confusion over the state of the world's social-political scene (the Cold War tensions and the misguided expeditions of the American military [Vietnam]). There is quite a feeling of Krautrock solidarity in the hypnotic commitment to such strict rhythmic foundations in this one--at least up until the quite passage that serves as a reset and reconfirmation of the overall insistence to the song's and then ends up surprising us by starting a new motif for the 45 seconds of the song. Trippy! And powerful. Definitely a great representation of the angst of 1970. (18.5/20)

6. "Dark, darker" (11:37) Moran's vocal is mixed quite uniquely for this song: as if in an isolated, separated chamber. The music is remarkably simple and almost emotion-lessly mathematical in its rhythmic foundations, giving the musicians the feeling that they're "dialing it in" i.e. not fully invested. Even in the circular three-chord instrumental jam supporting the frantic flute solo in the song's middle third feels too rote (especially in the bass, guitar, and organ play). Then there is a pause that allows a reset, which sees the band filling the final three minutes of the song with some militaristic pulse-running before everything ends with some crashing instruments and musicians (whose fatigue is well-captured on tape during the final minute of recording: "Are we done?" and "Ughhh!" being expelled as the musicians shut down, unplug and put away their instruments. Weird and sadly anti-climactic song. (17.25/20)

Total Time: 47:29

With four unusually-long songs crammed into this 47 and a half minute long album, one can only guess at the band's full intentions. What I love most about the songs on this album is the clear "team" approach to song construction and performance on display with each: no one musician/artist is really trying to grab the spotlight; everybody seems fully supportive of the effort to present fully-developed and fully-integrated songs. 

89.34 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars;  a near-masterpiece of angst-filled compositions that feel so precisely representative of the zeitgeist of the times. If it weren't for the weakness of the final "song of exhaustion" this would probably qualify as a masterpiece.

JAN HAMMER The First Seven Days (1975)

A prog-like concept album?! (From The Year in Which Anything Was Possible!) With The First Seven Days Jan Hammer grabs the commercially-successful progressive rock bull by the horns and tries his hand at "soundtrack" music (something he will excel at in the near future) as artists like Mike Oldfield, Rick Wakeman, Vangelis Papathanassiou, Jeff Wayne, Patrick Moraz, Larry Fast, David Sancious, and so many others had been trying to do for the previous year or two.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Jan Hammer / piano, Fender Rhodes electric piano, Mellotron, Moog, Freeman String & Oberheim synths, digital sequencer, drums, percussion, producer
With:
- Steven Kindler / violin (2, 5-7)
- David Earle Johnson / congas & percussion (5, 6)

1. "Darkness/Earth In Search Of A Sun" (4:31) decent soundtrack music with everything performed by Jan himself. Impressive! (9/10)

2. "Light/Sun" (6:44) the "Light" component of this song/suite is comprised of a treated(?) jazz piano played over Oberheim synth strings in a near-melody-less fashion (with a poorly recorded piano). The second half of the song sees Jan moving totally into full synthesizer mode à la Japanese artists Tomita and Kitaro as well as Todd Rundgren (side two of 1975's Initiation),Vangelis Papathanassiou, Larry Fast, and to a different degree, Kraftwerk were doing. I rather like this second part--and, surprisingly, moreso with each repeated listen (perhaps because it sounds so much like a personal favorite "song" [suite] of mine: Tod Rundgren's "Treatise on Cosmic Fire")! (9/10)

3. "Oceans And Continents" (6:16) hi-lo bounced piano chords over and within which various "strings" and Moog sounds are laid out and/or woven. It's pretty though rather simple; what it does do is capture a mood--much in the way that New Age artists like Suzanne Ciani, Philip Aaberg, Liz Story, Yanni and David Lanz would soon be making careers out of. (8.875/10)

4. "Fourth Day - Plants And Trees" (2:46) oddly melodic "classical" piano, tout seul (until synths, 'tron, et al. join in during the final minute). (8.875/10)

5. "The Animals" (6:14) African drums displayed prominently beneath Jan's strings, Moog, and other strands of synths. An hypnotic tune that is, ultimately, rather enjoyable. The shift in tempo and dynamic at the 3:50 mark, I take it, is meant to represent the wild herds on the plains--or the dynamic chases that occur as the predators hunt down their food prey. The percussion play on this song is my favorite element despite the Mahavishnu-level epithets of machine gun spray emanated from Jan's keys at the end. (8.875/10)

6. "Sixth Day - The People" (7:15) piano and Steve Kindler's violin dancing a rather formal, almost classical, duet for the first two minutes. Then Steve fast-bows a single note while Jan introduces some odd synthetic sounds (sequenced) into the mix and the dance starts over. The sequenced synthesizer, it would seem, might be intended to depict society and advancements in technology--things that contributed not only as survival tools but, eventually, as means to comfort, ease, and, hopefully, artistic creativity.--especially as the weave thickens and grows in complexity over the course of the length of the song. Interesting. And not a bad representation for the addition of humankind. (13.5/15)

7. "The Seventh Day" (6:11) repetitious piano chord and melody could very well connote the Day of Rest. The full-build of the musical palette and form would certainly lend itself to thinking of relaxing--at least for the first 90 seconds. Add drums, violin, and synths and we have a more plotted out day presented to us: brunch, church, group entertainment (involving Nature?), family gathering (for a Sunday meal). Nice finish to a surprisingly satisfying (though fairly simple) album. (8.875/10)

Total Time 40:08

An album that feels oddly brief for the number of things The Creator god accomplished over the space of those seven "days." I have to admit that I'm a bit surprised at the (admirable) restraint shown by one of Power Fusion's founding disciples! Who knew that Jan could grasp a concept such as "Less is more"? 

89.33 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of remarkably-well-crafted progressive rock soundtrack music! 

COLOSSEUM II Strange New Flesh  (1976)

A band of some of Britain's finest prog rock musicians has its feet in rock, classic rock, and prog rock though they seem to be trying to exhibit their instrumental prowess as a power Jazz-Rock Fusion band.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Mike Starrs / lead vocals
- Gary Moore / guitars, vocals
- Don Airey / Fender Rhodes, Steinway grand piano, ARP Odyssey, ARP Solina, Minimoog, Hammond organ, clavinet
- Neil Murray / bass
- Jon Hiseman / drums, percussion, timpani, gong, producer

1. "Dark Side of the Moog" (6:17) a song that has a bombastic, proggy side to it, probably thanks to composers and lead instrumentalists Gary Moore and Don Airy. I hear Patrick Moraz, Brand X, and Jan Hammer in this music: great musicianship but there's something a little off (forced) that is difficult to explain. (9/10)

2. "Down to You" (9:05) a cover of a Joni Mitchell song picked up by Gary Moore that Don Airey has amplified and embellished with his own Renaissance-like piano-and-acoustic-guitar mid-section. Mike Starrs' lead vocal gives it a Journey-like sound and feel though I hear some of Robert Plant's bluesyness in there as well. The overall sound palette and engineering style just feels more Prog Wannabe Classic Rock oriented than Jazz-Rock Fusion. (17.625/20)

3. "Gemini and Leo" (4:48) a song whose music feels more oriented to the funk sounds and styles of contemporary artists like Jan Hammer and Billy Cobham, but then Mike Starrs' Robert-Plant-like vocal enters and suddenly Gary Moore is a blues-rock guitarist. Don't get me wrong: There is great musicianship throughout (especially coming from drummer Jon Hiseman and funk keyboardist Don Airey), it's just that something feels a little too cringeworthy--as if we're hearing a kind of music that the Western World might (should) be rather embarrassed about. (8.75/10)

4. "Secret Places" (3:59) another song that feels cringeworthy: like a classic rock band covering a Bay City Rollers or Loverboy song. The bass, drums, and keyboard work are wonderful but the vocals and guitars are pure hair band rock. (8.6667/10)

5. "On Second Thoughts" (7:30) schlocky/syrupy electric piano supports a weird "muted" electric guitar sound soloing away for the first minute of this song before bass and drums enter to establish the slow, plaintive music to support Mike Starrs' Gino Vannelli/George Michael-like vocal on what feels like a take Norman Connors' "You Are My Starship" music. Great blues-proggy Classic Rock sound with pretty amazing super-nuanced musicianship from everyone involved--even Mike's multiple tracks. (13.5/15)

6. "Winds" (10:23) a song that comes across as something more akin to the music of GINO VANNELLI, VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR or American band BABYLON when Mike Starrs is singing, more like some supergroup when it's instrumental. The musicianship is so high quality that you find yourself feeling that this must certainly be an all-star conglomeration of Jazz-Rock Fusion artists, must certainly be a consortium of Southern Rock celebrities, must certainly be the finest gathering of Classic Rock musicians ever collected on one stage, and yet it's Colosseum II! Then it finishes with a vocal-led motif that feels as if taken straight off of Matthew Parmenter's great power epic from Unfolded Like Staircase, "The Storm" (or, rather, as if MP lifted the motif from this album for the most dramatic part of his song "The Storm").  I find myself loving this song more for it's amazing musicianship and overall feel than I find myself cringing from its schlocky excessive bombast. (18.25/20)

Total Time 42:02

The band definitely has the dynamic high-energy Mahavishnu/RTF thing going on but keyboardist Don Airey gives them a definite foothold in the prog element as well. Mike Starrs, however, anchors the band in the bluesy classic rock traditions more attuned to Led Zeppelin, Styx, and Journey. This album can only qualify as Jazz-Rock Fusion based upon the outstanding skills and jazzy instincts displayed by the musicians, while it is really not J-R Fusion so much as bluesy Classic Rock--a choice that is made self-evident by the presence and support of the use of singer Mike Starrs as one of the band's main tools of expression. I must add that I firmly hold drummer Jon Hiseman in the absolute highest esteem and keyboard player Don Airy and guitarist Gary Moore are right there with him--as is bassist Neil Murray--and Mike Starrs is certainly as talented and skilled as, say, the great Gino Vannelli--but together they have a quite enigmatic even nebulous identity. 

89.167 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an album of absolute highest-class musicianship whose song presentations feel like hodge-podge pieces from different puzzles glued together almost haphazardly and with multiple and disparate goals in mind. Being exposed to this album is definitely one of the strangest listening experiences I've ever had in my lifetime!

SINTESIS Sintesis (1976)

A group of musicians with varying degrees of experience who met and formed a band through associations at the University in Rosario, Sintesis came from pre-military regime Argentina, a promising band of adventurous, even visionary creatives, whose progress and development was brought to a sudden end by the 1976 military overthrow of the Péron regime in Argentina and the successive "Dirty War" in which thousands of Argentines were killed, disappeared, and/or subjected to torture during a period of military oppression and authoritarian rule. The military junta engaged in a campaign of violence and repression against suspected political opponents, including left-wing activists, students, intellectuals, and even artists. Though the band members of Sintesis were able to avoid violence by fleeing to other places on the globe, some may recognize the name of violinist Sergio Polizzi for his contribution to BUBU's 1978 release, Anabelas. 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Luis "Chachi" Ferreyra / saxophone
- José A. Migoya / guitar
- Juan C. Ricci / bass
- Julio Cusmai / drums
- Mariano Zarich (La Pesada) / saxophone
- Oscar Tissera (Alberto Favero, Piero, Oscar Alleman con Jorge Anders Y Son Orquestra, Heloisa Raso con Sebastião Tapajos) / flute
- Santiago Aldana / clarinet
- Sergio Polizzi / violin

1. "Lo Obvio Según Yo" (3:50) obtuse and angular music of high degree of difficulty, especially in terms of shifting, changing time signatures and suddenly-changing stylistic modalities. Though this still feels like some rudimentary whole-band practice exercise, the skill levels on display--especially in the first motif, are quite remarkable (even in the bluesy second motif, the longest, but more in the final one). (8.75/10)

  
2. "Sin Nada" (5:26) this one adds violin and flute to the mix, resulting in something much more jazz-classical in sound and nature--like something from Québecois band CONVENTUM, American band HAPPY THE MAN, Japanese proggers KENSO and MR. SIRIUS, or even some of AFTER CRYING's 1990s material. Again, the band has chosen to merge three different motifs into this one "song"--most of which really puts on display Sergio Polizzi's violin prowess, though flutist Oscar Tissera's talents are also to be noted. Guitarist José Migoya has the last turn in the spotlight but doesn't quite wow me as much as the previous two. (8.875/10)

3. "La Necesidad De Amar...A Veces" (3:42) a great song to display the talents of (and dispel my previous low estimation of) drummer Julio Cusmai and bass player Juan Ricci. Here the saxophonists (Chachi and Mariano Zarich) do a remarkable interweave of their two dynamic and soloing instruments: definitely the song's highlight and one of the more impressive displays on the album. (9.125/10)

4. "Algunas Maneras De Expresarme" (3:27) a guitar-centric song on which José Migoya gets the chance to "show off." Nice drum work in support by Julio Cusmai but my favorite parts are the interplay (and feeding off one another) of bass player Juan Ricci with José. (8.875/10)

5. "Todo Lo Necesario Para Lo Necesario" (2:21) a cool little centerless avant garde tune with bass, two saxes and clarinet opening the song before drums and, later, guitar join in. Several time shifts lead to different feeling motifs, all of which are pretty fascinating for the three-part weave being enacted over the top. (4.75/5)

6. "El Final" (8:02) in interesting start evolves into a song motif that sounds as if it came from a 1960s Beatnick-turned-Rock 'n' Roll band. The solos from sax, flute, and guitar are good--they almost succeed in distracting the listener from the very rudimentary rhythm tracks, but in the end it's just a two-chord vamp existing solely for as a vehicle for the veterans to show off their At 4:10 there is a little bridge that tries to get the listener's blood going which serves to make a break for the electric guitar to take a turn with a distorted fuzz sound. At 5:20 there is a stoppage to all rhythm instruments to allow for a two-flute and bass trio. At 6:05 drums and sax rejoin, making for a nice weave with the flutes and bass before falling into a 1960s game show theme song and then an uncalled-for (and, frankly, undeserved/unearned) drum solo to bridge us into yet another 1960s game show theme song. (13.125/15)

7. "Reminiscencias" (bonus track on 2016 CD release) (5:30) a smoother, more groove-oriented and different, more synthesized and modern sound palette than the band's other pieces (which might explain how and why this song was not among the songs on the original release: it's more of a Smooth Jazz vamp over which guitarist José Migoya was able to play around on his new guitar synthesizer. Sounds more like something from the experimental period of Allan Holdsworth's SynthAxe period in the 1980s. (8.875/10)

Total time: 32:43

An album of boundary-pushing creativity by a band of highly skilled, highly-disciplined musicians who had a musical vision that ranks among the greatest creatives in the world. The bass and drums are well-skilled, they are definitely not in the same league as the lead instruments. One of my problems with this collection of songs is how each and every song sounds as if performed and recorded by a totally new ensemble: some have violin, most don't; some have sax, some don't; some have guitar, some don't; none have keyboards(!); some songs feel free and loose, some feel restricted and like someone pushed "record" during a practice session. Most of the songs feel disconnected from one another 

I do have to comment on the fact that other music reviewers before me have praised this album to what I think are rather excessive ends; I do not think that the products on this album stand up next to any level of top tier albums or songs from the lauded and honored Masters of J-R F, Avant/RIO, or prog, and nor do I think that any of the six songs on this 27-minute long EP (32:43 if you count the seventh song, "Reminiscencias" that was tacked on to the end for the 2016 CD re-release from BlueArt Records) represent polished or "finished," much less fully-developed, songs: they all could use a ton more work before they rise out of the "demo" level into public release level renderings. Yes, these are talented, spirited and ambitious men--especially the two seasoned veterans (flute player Oscar Tissera and sax player Mariano Zarich), but think about it: if music was really in the blood of these men, don't you think we would have heard more from more of them in the years after stability and artistic and intellectual freedoms were restored to their native country?

89.167 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an intriguing albeit brief album of unfinished, unpolished songs that leave the listener wondering, "What if?"

SECRET OYSTER Vidunderlige Kælling (1975)

Secret Oyster's third album fulfills the prog potential and direction that was suggested on their previous two albums.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Claus Bøhling / guitar, sitar
- Kenneth Knudsen / piano, electric piano, Moog & string synths
- Karsten Vogel / saxophones [alto & soprano], string synth
- Jess Staehr / bass
- Ole Streenberg / drums & percussion, accordion
With:
- Keld Jensen / mandolin (8)
- Palle Mikkelborg / String synth & trumpet (6)
- Kasper Winding / percussion (3, 7)

Side One (The Astarte Suite) (the "German" side):

1. "Intro" (2:10) all keyboard for the first 30 seconds, then flanged drums, electric bass, electric guitar and 
treated sax enter to give it a futuristic (though now dated) feel. Is this an indication that the band is moving more toward the progressive rock domain? (4.333/5)

2. "Stjernerne pa gaden (The Stars in the Street)" (5:41) veering away from the Popol Vuh-like Kosmische
Musik they seemed to be exploring on the last album (especially on the second side), the band is still obviously deeply entranced by the new world of synthesizers and electronic effects. (8.75/10)

3. "Sirenerne (The Sirens)" (5:03) though elements here seem to indicate J-R Fusion, the song really comes across more as a dramatic/cinematic prog song akin to the music being made below the border by bands like The Eloy and Grobschnitt. This flow and constancy of this song is making it seem as if the band is trying to create a suite of Eloy-like space/psychedelic music. (8.875/10)

4. "Astarte" (6:28) the theme/suite continues, here developing into a futuristic smorgasbord of synthetics and odd associates (Moog, sitar, electric guitars, reverb saxophones) over hypnotic drum and bass (though still more proggy than Kosmische/Krautrock). I like the slow and insidious build up of tension and volume over the course of the entire six and a half minutes. (9/10)

Side Two (The "French" Side):

5. "Solitude" (4:07) Side Two starts with a SATIE-like piano piece that is supported by some synth and bass. Obviously we're finished with the single-flow theme that was Side One. Pretty and filled with mystery and uncertainty, even frailty, it's a beautiful piece that serves well as a transitional bridge. (9.333/10)

6. "Tango-bourgeoise" (2:47) an odd piece--like something from Kitaro or Tomita in which the band attempts to render some classical piece via electronics. (8.667/10)

 
7. "Bellevue" (3:20) more silliness made possible through the use of electronics. Nice funk-rock rhythm track. Inspired by the musical explorations of Jean Michel Jarre? (8.75/10)

8. "Valse du soir" (1:55) accordion music! (Or have I been duped into believing that a synthesizer-generated sound is an accordion?!) I love this type of music (as well as the accordion) but should I be impressed or perturbed that this sits pretty on a supposed-Jazz-Rock Fusion (or progressive rock) album? I guess Yes' seminal Fragile album gave rock artists a lot of license, grace, and leeway. (9/10)

9. "Outro" (5:06) back to the hard-driving ELOY-like space rock. Awesome foundation from the rhythm section--as well as awesome play from them--especially Jess Staehr and Ole Streenberg. The interwoven synths, guitar, and sax solos are nice, too. (9/10)

Total Time 36:37

The least Jazz-Rock Fusion of this band's supposed Fusion output. I've read that the band was literally recording the material for this album at the same time as that for Krakenhaus--sometimes splitting their days and nights between the two! Perhaps that is how/why this album comes across as 

89.13 on the Fishscales = B+/four stars; an excellent display of two-sided split personalities: the Germanic Space/Psychedelic Prog of Side One and the ambiguous Gallic themes of Side Two. Definitely recommended to all prog lovers.

DICK HECKSTALL-SMITH (Dust in the Air Suspended Marks the Place Where) A Story Ended (1974)

Nice album title. For all intents and purposes, on paper this album reads as just another Colosseum album--or, at least, an offshoot album.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Dick Heckstall-Smith / tenor & soprano saxes
With:
- Paul Williams / vocals (2, 4, 6)
- Chris Farlowe / vocals (5)
- Caleb Quaye / electric & acoustic (2, 4) guitars
- Chris Spedding / guitar (5)
- Graham Bond / organ (3, 5), vocals (3), piano (4), Moog (5)
- Dave Greenslade / piano (2)
- Gordon Beck / piano (4)
- Mark Clarke / bass, vocals (1, 3)
- Rob Tait / drums
- Jon Hiseman / congas & bongos & maracas (2), drums (5), production

1. "Future Song" (4:06) almost hard rock--even the vocal (courtesy of bassist Mark Clarke) is unusually aggressive--especially for something that is supposed to be grounded in Jazz-Rock Fusion. (This is more like Jazz-Rock if anything on the Jazz fringe.) The sax play of bandleader Dick Heckstall-Smith is, of course, supposed to be the featured element of this album, and it is quite prevalent--as is the work of electric guitarist. Powerful, an okay song, but by no means a contribution to J-R Fusion. (8.75/10)

2. "Crabs" (5:12) piano, bass, and drums support vocalist Paul Williams (and Dick's tenor sax) in a Dr. JOHN/LEON RUSSELL/TOM WAITS-like song and vocal performance. When the music moves into upbeat, uptempo mode for the choruses it sounds much more like the music of DAVID CLAYTON-THOMAS-led BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS (without the banked horns). Nice creative jazz-rock. (8.875/10)

3. "Moses In The Bullrushourses" (3:41) another song that sounds right out of the Blood, Sweat & Tears or early Joe Walsh catalogue of music. Vocalist Graham Bond gets a little lost and drowned out by the thick weave of music in which he sings. Nice group background vocals from Mark Clarke and Graham (on a second track). Graham's organ play is quite animated as well. (8.75/10)

4. "What The Morning Was After" (5:30) opens sounding like a variation on the opening to John Coltrane's "Acknowledgement" from A Love Supreme. But then the song restarts at 0:35 as an acoustic guitar-based early STEELY DAN-like tune (think "Doctor Wu"). At 2:35 there is even a cool shift into an uptempo BLOOD, SWEAT & TEARS/RICHIE HAVENS-like motif (reminding me very much of the first vocal motif and melody line in Steely Dan's "Aja"). A very cool song that I like very much for its idiosyncratic (and eclectic) construct and melody lines. (9.3333/10)

5. "The Pirate's Dream" (11:09) the only song with drum virtuoso Jon Hiseman sitting behind the drum kit. Chris Spedding is also a contributor to this heavy rocker with both prog and jazz-rock tendencies. Next to vocalist Chris Farlowe and bassist Mark Clarke, Dick is the busiest and most impressive performer on this odd journey of a song. The group vocals are also impressive and Graham Bond's presence as organist and Moog contributor is also notable and appreciated. (17.75/20)

6. "Same Old Thing" (6:41) an old-time swamp blues guitar beginning eventually is joined by drums and bass and Paul Williams' gravelly blues rock voice. Dick starts to sneak his sax into the spaces between verbal phrases in the way a blues guitarist does (and Caleb Quaye does in the channel opposite Dick). The tempo and motif switches a little at the two-minute mark and then, less than a minute later, Paul rests, making room for Caleb's classic jazz-blues-rock guitar to solo. Dick takes the next solo starting at 3:48: smooth and melodic with some nice, very solid bass and drums beneath him until the 4:37 mark at which time a second (and third?) saxophone joins in to play off of, take over from, and supplant the previous track. Paul returns to screech and scrawl out the songs finale JOE COCKER style. Very adroitly and creatively done, just not my kind of music. (8.875/10)

Total time: 36:19

I can see (and hear) the reasons for the respect if not love for this album as the musicianship is always at a high, high level and the songwriting is wonderfully creative. This is just not the kind of music that has ever turned me on. 

89.05 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent addition of blues- and jazz-rock-dominated music rendered by an assortment of highly-skilled musicians.

WIGWAM Fairyport (1971)

The the this is the founding quartet's third album since forming in 1968, it is their first to fully satisfy all of the requirements of inclusion into the Jazz-Rock Fusion and/or Progressive Rock music categories. Their version of jazz-rock fusion is far simpler, far more melody-driven and even pop-friendly than the stuff coming out of Herbie Hancock or the Mahavishnu Orchestra.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Jukka Gustavson / vocals, acoustic & electric pianos, organ
- Jim Pembroke / vocals, harmonica, piano (2, 12), electric piano (14)
- Pekka Pohjola / bass, violins, acoustic guitar (10), piano (8-9), celeste & harpsichord (9), backing vocals (3)
- Ronnie Österberg / drums, congas, percussion, backing vocals (3)
With:
- Jukka Tolonen / guitar (2, 7, 13)
- Eero Koivistoinen / soprano saxophone
- Pekka Pöyry / soprano saxophone
- Tapio Louhensalo / bassoon
- Risto Pensola / clarinet
- Hannu Sexelin / clarinet
- Unto Haapa-aho / bass clarinet
- Ilmari Varila / oboe

1. "Losing Hold" (7:06) though the whole band plays tight, cohesive music throughout this song, it is the Canterbury-like keyboards of Jukka Gustavson that lead and draw the most notice. The lead vocals (assuming they're by Jim Pembroke due to their being English) are quite similar to those early vocals of prog icons Peter Gabriel and Roye Albrighton. I love the melodies of this song if not-so-much the bluesy-organ-rock style. Prog Hall-of-Famer Pekka Pohjola's bass prowess really shines in the instrumental second half. (14.25/15)

2. "Lost Without A Trace" (2:29) delicate vocal with piano accompaniment--all by Jim Pembroke. (8.75/10)

3. "Fairyport" (6:53) theatric Elvis Costello-like vocals over piano with the combo in relatively sedate attendance; this is truly a pop song. It's not until the 2:20 mark when a lounge-jazz piano style takes the band into a lounge jazz style not unlike that of Vince Guaraldi. When the lead instrument becomes a dirty organ at 3:25 the music turns full blues-rock--old blues rock. Too bad. Luckily it turns another corner at 5:05 into a. chamber/folk type of music with oboe and clarinet before reverting to the Elvis Costello motif for the final minute. (13.5/15)

4. "Gray Traitors" (2:48) a song that starts out sounding very much like a vehicle for one of PeterGabriel's weird little stories, eventually turns symphonic instrumental for the next song to continue. (8.875/10)

5. "Caffkaff, The Country Psychologist" (5:22) piano and voice, with the piano chords following the vocal melody almost note for note--at least for the first 90 seconds. Then organ joins in but can't quite extricate the main melody/motif from those note-for-note piano chords. It feels more like a bare-bones practice for a song intended for a stage musical. At 2:39 the percussion and electric piano, then organ, try to hijack the music over to a jazz idiom--unsuccessfully for the first 45 seconds but then accomplished, moving the mood into a more DAVE BRUBECK "Take Five" like motif. Pekka's bass playing finally gets to shine a little bit despite the three keyboards maintaining dominance over the solos. (8.75/10)

6. "May Your Will Be Done Dear Lord" (5:28) this one seems to be based over a CAROLE KING-like piano chord progression. Organ, flute, bass and drums are not, however, being forced to follow along--are given freedom to fill space with their own melodious lines. The vocal is more plaintive, less confident and theatric. The sax and other wind instruments' contribution in the fifth minute is awesome! A very engaging song that ends up being a bit too loose and unpolished for high marks. (8.875/10)

7. "How To Make It Big In Hospital" (3:01) The band's attempt at either the Rolling Stones or Velvet Underground?! Nice bass work from Pekka. (8.6666667/10)

8. "Hot Mice" (3:19) a very nice, melodic lounge music that has the trademark changes of late 1960s Broadway musical--like Steven Schwartz or Burt Bacharach. (9/10)

9. "P.K.'s Supermarket" (2:20) polka style rhythm tracks over which barrel-hall piano plays. Sounds very French--though it's also very light and happy-go-lucky. I really like this! (4.75/5)

10. "One More Try" (3:26) more music theatre storytelling with voice paired up with piano, chord for chord. It's engaging and intimate, but then after the 1:30 mark the music takes a turn into post-Beat jazz with congas and Hammond organ being accompanied by drums and Pekka's great bass play. At the end of the third minute the music switches back to the opening motif but stays instrumental--never returns to vocal message-carrying. (8.875/10)

11. "Rockin' Ol' Galway" (2:27) sounds like something from Dr. John or the quirkier side of Peter Gabriel ("Counting out Time," "La Dolce Vita," or excuse me) as well as something like but too melodic and pretty for Frank Zappa. Once again Pekka Pohjola's bass play is quite remarkable. (8.875/10)

12. "Every Fold" (3:07) multiple voice vocals carry this tune over piano, bass, and drums. Distant organ and heavily-effected NEKTAR-like voice join in the background during the second minute. It ends up sounding almost like a BEATLES song. (8.75/10)

13. "Rave-Up For The Roadies" (17:20) * now this is different: the band really jamming like a JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE song--for seventeen long guitar-dominated minutes (raunchy electric guitar play courtesy of guest Jukka Tolonen). Though multi-themed and not too far off from the sound and musical style of the PINK FAIRIES, this is really not my cup of tea. (30.33333/35)

* Recorded Live at Hämis Club, Helsinki, 6th June 1971

Total Time: 65:35

88.94 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent progressive rock album; I'm not going to be able to include this in my Jazz-Rock Fusion lists due to its much greater pop-orientation. This is more like a cross between lounge jazz, 1960s Off-Broadway Music Theater, and Canterbury Style: playful, melodic music for the masses. 

TEMPEST Tempest (1973)

After Ian Carr (Neucleus)'s Belladonna, guitar prodigy Allan Holdsworth finds himself lured off by Belladonna producer and Colosseum founder and drummer (and former John Mayall Bluesbreaker), Jon Hiseman to try out the power rock trio format ( . . . as a quartet). 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Paul Williams (John Mayall) / vocals, acoustic guitar, keyboards
- Allan Holdsworth / guitar, violin, vocals
- Mark Clarke (Colosseum, Uriah Heep) / bass, keyboards, vocals (6)
- Jon Hiseman (John Mayall, Colosseum) / drums, percussion, producer

1. "Gorgon" (5:44) here the quartet tries out the style and sounds of The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Though the song opens with 90 seconds of beautiful acoustic guitar chords being picked while Paul's heavily-effected voice give the music a very proggy psychedelic sound, once they establish the Experience sound they do a pretty good job! Paul Williams' lead vocal is actually quite like Jimi's and the music is solid with, of course, some great bluesy rock guitar work from Allan. Did I mention how great these guys blend as vocal harmonists? (9.25/10)

2. "Foyers Of Fun" (3:41) CREAM, RARE EARTH, with a little GRAND FUNK RAILROAD in the mix and some stellar rock lead (and rhythm) guitar work. This band is made up of four very top notch musicians who can pull off very high quality "reproductions" of other band's styles while still instilling their own talents, skills, and creativity to make them sound even better than the originators. (9/10)

3. "Dark House" (5:02) the first "weak" song on the album falls short not due to poor performances or sound but for the sake of being long and overly-drawn-out with no real relief or high points. (8.75/10)

4. "Brothers" (3:37) a little funk in this melodic rocker. Great drumming, rhythm guitar work and group vocals with Paul's Richie Havens-like lead. The problem is that the gospel-blues-like stops and slow downs are a bit disruptive to the overall flow and power of the music. Great little guitar solo in third minute. Not a particularly great or memorable song, but that musicianship! (8.875/10)

5. "Up And On" (4:19) Paul's David Clayton Thomas voice sings over a pretty standard rock anthem. Great performances from all--especially Jon Hiseman (who is quickly climbing in my esteem of all-time great prog/rock/J-RF drummers). Again, this is not necessarily anything to write home about, but the musicianship is amazing--earning it extra points. (8.875/10)

6. "Grey And Black" (2:29) sounds like STYX before Styx had really evolved into the Styx sound that Styx has become known for.  (4.375/5)

7. "Strangeher" (4:07) blues/blues-rock on the level with and in the style of ZZ TOP. Impressive but not my cup of tea. (8.667/10)

8. "Upon Tomorrow" (6:41) Allan plays the violin! And he plays it well! The accompanying jazz-rock music is awesome if a little rudimentary. Luckily they have Jon Hiseman to fill in all the spaces with plenty of drumming awesomeness. (Plus, a track of Allan's rhythm guitar and a joinder in the third minute of Allan on lead guitar in place of the violin). The rockin' vocal second half of the song is okay with Paul's Richie Havens-like vocal performance being a highlight more than the music and other band members' performances. (8.875/10)

Total Time: 35:00

There is no doubt that these guys could easily have made a career at this power rock format: they are so talented and so good at making every minute of their songs full of clever and skilled creativity.

88.89 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; an album displaying some truly astonishing musical skills! I have to admit that this album would most certainly have earned higher marks had the music been more in the styles that I prefer.

WIGWAM Being (1974)

The Finnish band's fourth studio album but first since several members had flown off to try solo projects of their own (Pekka's 1974 release, Pihkasilmâ Kaarnakorva being the most notable). A collection of songs that show the band members' (Jim Pembroke's) movement away melodic, mainstream music theater toward a more humorous and satirical Frank Zappa and Canterbury form of musical expression. The first four songs of Side One flow one song into the next without formal breaks, giving the impression of a conceptually-sequenced suite. The music is far more sophisticated than those on their previous albums--jazzy but more quirky and prone to very sudden--and quite frequent, unannounced--melodic and stylistic shifts. 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Jim Pembroke / vocals, voice, piano (3, 10)
- Jukka Gustavson / vocals, piano, organ, Mini-Moog & VCS-3 synths
- Pekka Pohjola / bass, violin, piano (4), Mini-Moog (7)
- Ronnie Österberg / drums, percussion, backing vocals (3)
With:
- Taisto Wesslin / acoustic guitar
- Unto Haapa-aho / bass clarinet
- Paavo Honkanen / clarinet
- Pentti Lasanen / clarinet, flute
- Juhani Aaltonen / solo flute
- Erik Danholm / flute
- Kai Veisterä / flute
- Pentti Lahti / flute
- Seppo Paakkunainen / flute
- Pekka Pöyry / soprano sax, flute
- Ilmari Varila / oboe
- Aale Lingren / oboe
- Juhani Tapaninen / bassoon
- Jukka Ruohomäki / VCS-3 assistance
- Erkki Kurenniemi / VCS-3 assistance

1. "Proletarian" (2:10) (4.375/5)
2. "Inspired Machine" (1:25) back to music theater? cabaret music? (4.375/5)

3. "Petty-Bourgeois" (2:58) like something straight out of a HATFIELD AND THE NORTH album--only with the vocal theatricity of Peter Gabriel. (8.875/10)

4. "Pride of the Biosphere" (3:15) pure vocal theatre--all performed over solo theatre organ. (8.875/10)

5. "Pedagogue" (9:11) definitely music that could have come from one of the Canterbury Scene's vocal masters: The early Soft Machine, Matching Mole, Hatfield and the North or Caravan--perhaps more this latter band, though the vocal sounds more like something IAN ANDERSON would've done around this same time with Jethro Tull. (18/20)

6. "Crisader" (4:47) the next song sounds like a little more organ-dominated continuation of the previous song. (8.75/10)

7. "Planetist" (3:08) an instrumental in which the wind instruments play a huge role. Very FOCUS-like.  (9/10)

8. "Maestro Mercy" (2:32) flowing straight out of "Planetist," Jim's vocal here seems to harken back to some late 1960s blues-rock psychedelia--the organ-based opening like PROCOL HARUM. (9/10)

9. "Prophet" (6:11) another more-vocal/lyrics driven song that has some very nice music to fill the copious spaces between the lyrics. Nice to hear the vast improvements in sound engineering as well the band members' new instrument acquisitions. (8.875/10)

10. "Marvelry Skimmer" (2:32) another song that launches without break straight out of the previous song, this one is much more blues-centric as the organ and LEON RUSSELL-like vocal lead the way over the fairly straightforward 1960s blues-rock dirge. (8.75/10)

Total Time 38:09

I would have to categorize this music as more consistent with the parameters of avant/RIO music vocal or early vocal Canterbury music (à la Robert Wyatt or Kevin Ayers). The music is all ver ypleasant--very melodic--and highly entertaining, and the musicianship of the contributors is top notch (which is necessary to accomplish such demanding, sophisticated song structures). I love the band's improved sound engineering as well as the assorted new instruments they've added to their repertoire--and I love the confidence Jim Pembroke has gained in his quirky vocal storytelling as well as the band's new proclivity for more complicated time and key signature shifting. There are a lot of significant steps forward the band has made to get here--for which I offer my sincerest admiration and congratulations.  

88.875 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; of all the WIGWAM albums, this is easily my favorite. However, it is another album that I won't be able in good conscience to include in my Jazz-Rock Fusion lists--not because it's not prog: no! It's pure prog but far more of a Canterbury or avant garde/RIO nature than J-R Fuse. Still, highly entertaining and highly recommended.

MANEIGE Maneige (1975)

 The Québecois scene of progressive rock is really catching fire at the time that these six gentlemen are coming together for their first studio album.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Denis Lapierre / acoustic & electric guitars

- Jérôme Langlois / piano, organ, clarinet

- Alain Bergeron / flute, saxophone

- Yves Léonard / acoustic & electric basses

- Gilles Schetagne / drums, percussion

- Vincent Langlois / percussion, piano (4)

1. "Le Rafiot" (21:22) Any fan of The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway's "The Waiting Room" will be loving the opening four minutes to this great side-long epic. After that exhibition of percussion interplay, the band members' classical training really comes out (though there are slight hints of folk and jazz influences). The pianist, Jérôme Langlois, seems to be the leader (Is he using an upright piano?), but the contributions of the bass guitarist, flutist, and tuned percussionist(s) are not insignificant. There are similarities to Dutch band FOCUS' more acoustic-grounded songs, as well as to British proggers, RENAISSANCE, but there is also so much from classical and folk traditions: at times I feel as if I'm hearing a small orchestra's coverage of some obscure AARON COPELAND piece. More technically accomplished than emotionally-appealing, this does deserve high marks for performance and composition. (36/40)

2. "Une Année Sans Fin" (6:39) a kind of cabaret or vaudevile jazz piece that has real suggestions of avant garde/Rock-In -Opposition intentions, this one becomes more melodic and engaging in some of its short-lived motifs used during the second and third minutes. Nice JON CAMP-like electric bass play. I have to admit that I am quite surprised at how central the flutes and xylophones are. (8.75/10)

3. "Jean-Jacques" (4:13) barrel-hall piano that is trying to sound classical, is soon joined by bass, xylophone, drums, and flute. There are classical, folk, and jazz elements used throughout this one. Again, the electric bass has a familiar JON CAMP feel to it while some of the main motifs feel like 21st Century Greek artist, CICCADA. (8.875/10)

4. "Galerie III" (7:50) drums and xylophone open like something orchestra but then woodwind horns give it a whole other texture. A brief section of heavy bass chords in the second minute let you know that this song is not going to be but rather something quite more oriented to the avant-garde stylings becoming explored in England, France, and the Low Countries at this time. There are several extended parts that are more melodic, more mellow, offset by several more heavy-rock parts. An interesting song. Like its title, I think we're catching snapshots of several disparate styles just as one might if you moved from room to room in an art gallery. An odd thing to try to make into a song! (13/15)

Total time 40:04

88.83 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent debut album of avant and classical-founded music coming from some very well-trained French-Canadian musicians. Though this album is definitely on the more-classical and even jazz-oriented edges of the 1970s prog scene, it's just not jazzy enough to qualify, in my opinion, for the Jazz-Rock Fusion lists.

HANNIBAL Hannibal (1970) 

A jazz-rock one off from Birmingham. The musicians were obviously inspired by COLOSSEUM, CHICAGO, and BLOOD SWEAT AND TEARS as well as PROCOL HARUM, The SPENCER DAVIS GROUP and even Andrew LLOYD-WEBER.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Alex Boyce / vocals

- Adrian Ingram / lead guitar, composer

- Bill Hunt / Hammond organ, French horn

- Cliff Williams / tenor saxophone, clarinet

- Jack Griffits / bass

- John Parkes / drums

1. "Look Upon Me" (6:13) Oh! The bluesy kind of jazz-rock, not really what I'd call fusion. The music shifts to BLOOD SWEAT & TEARS territory for the second motif and chorus (part of which sounds as if it is intentionally lifted from Andrew LLOYD WEBER's Jesus Christ Superstar: Jesus' emotional performance in the "Garden of Gethsemane" scene (and song). There's quite a little of The Animals' "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" in there, too. Nice musicianship and pretty good sound reproduction throughout. (8.75/10)

2. "Winds of Change" (7:26) more music that feels as if it's on the verge of going PROCOL HARUM or ANIMALS with some nice (and original) melodic singing over the top of interesting, subtly shifting and changing instrumental performances beneath. The slower middle section sounds a lot like The SPENCER DAVIS GROUP, even when it picks up. The sound of the Hammond organ is so domineering despite the wonderfully performed and mixed bass and drums. The guitar and horn accents are pretty cool, too. The final sections up the tempo while letting the instrumentalists go unrestricted for a bit. Great blues-feeling song. (13.5/15)

3. "Bend for a Friend" (10:27) opens with a guitar and bass riff that sounds like a Sergio Leone film score. The rest of the band joins in and proceed to set up a motif that is quite stereotypic for what we consider "Indian music"--that is, the music of Native Americans (as depicted, of course, in the soundtracks of film and the occasional Indian-themed hit song). At the three-minute mark the motif switches to a different, more strident and jazzy interpretation of yet another fairly familiar N.A. melodic theme. Guitarist Adrian Ingram goes a bit crazy on his electric guitar, again bridging the jazz and blues-rock worlds throughout his solo: part Hendrix, part Johnny Mac (or Randy California). At the 5:30 mark there is another, rather radical thematic change--this one feeling as if we've started a completely different song. It's cinematic like something befitting a B-movie horror flick. At 6:30 we again stop to listen to a solo saxophone solo: that's right: a solo with absolutely no accompaniment. Finally, 45-seconds in drummer John Parker joins saxophonist Cliff Williams' chorused woodwind. Then in the tenth minute the rest of the band throbs their way back in before lining up to finish the song with original pseudo-Native American motif. Interesting song. (17.5/20)

4. "1066" (6:28) (a reference, I take it, to either the Norman Invasion or the Battle of Hastings.) opens with a bluesy motif beneath Alex's recitation of words and terms tied into the year 1066. But then the music turns anachronistic--almost "mediæval"--with flutes, bass, organ, and harpsichord and a Michael Giles-like drumming touch. I find this anachronistic motif the most interesting and favorite of the album. Next is a rather spacious percussion-dominated passage that is quite reminiscent of King Crimson's quiet passage in The Court of the Crimson King's "Moonchild." Bass and drums get their time in the spotlight here. Hearing this makes me wonder if Carl Palmer and Greg Lake heard this song before (finally) rendering Greg's 10-year old song "Lucky Man" to tape. A very interesting song that never really seems to gel into something consistent or cohesive. (8.875/10)

5. "Wet Legs" (4:44) a kind of jazzy intro morphs into another Blues-Rock riff-based alternating four-chord progression. In the second minute of this completely-instrumental song there is a temporary detour down a jazzy sidestreet, but then we return fairly quickly to the original motif for some funky organ play and slow ROBIN TROWER-like guitar soloing (ending in "The Note": a single guitar note that is held for 45 seconds of slow decay while the organ continues to bounce around rather excitedly). The two motifs cycle around a couple more times before the song cashes out. (8.875/10)

6. "Winter" (8:06) a song that sits on the fence from its very opening notes as to whether it's prog or J-R Fusion, soon reveals its (surprise!) blues-rock nature. Syncopated drumming is the only truly jazzy element over the first few minutes as a descending four-chord motif beneath vocalist Alex Boyce's R&B voice drives the song until the instrumental vamp of the fourth and fifth minutes. Here a different rock rhythm motif is played beneath Alex Ingram's guitar soloing. The dude has obviously had some training in both blues and jazz guitar play (and may revere artists like Wes Montgomery and John Mayall) as he unleashes a truly nicely evolving solo over the course of its three minute length. Then the band suddenly stops and lays down a very spacious, mellow, and gorgeous gentle JIMMY WEBB-like  motif to finish the song with. Great song though I wouldn't really call this Jazz-Rock Fusion--or even Jazz-Rock. (13.5/15)

Total Time 43:24

88.75 on the Fishscales = B+/four stars; an excellent album of well-crafted, superlatively-performed, and nicely-recorded Blues-Rock-moving-into-Jazz-Rock songs. Highly recommended to all lovers of progressive rock--especially if you're into the origins and development of Progressive Rock Music.

BURNIN' RED IVANHOE Right On (1974)

The band's fifth and final album before migrating over to the more-Jazz-Rock-oriented Secret Oyster.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Ole Fick / electric & acoustic guitars, vocals
- Kenneth Knudsen / piano, Fender Rhodes
- Karsten Vogel / soprano & alto saxophones, organ
- Jess Stæhr / bass, guitar & lead vocals (4)
- Bo Thrige Andersen / drums
With:
- Ole Prehn / bass (4)
- Karsten Lyng / lead guitar & vocals (4)

1. "August Suicidal" (4:32) sounds like a slightly more sophisticated 1960s Eric Burdon with The Animals or Arthur Brown's Crazy World. Organ, racing drums, guitar, and bass with pompous male vocalist singing and screaming over the top. Interesting bass guitar solo in the third minute.  (8.875/10)

2. "When I Look Into Your Eyes" (3:40) slow, polished 1960s psychedelic rock. They musicians are skilled and very disciplined, but I hear absolutely no elements in this song that would lead me to think, "Jazz-Rock Fusion." However, I greatly admire the control and maturity the band displays on this musical expression. (9/10)

3. "La Beauté Du Buste" (4:50) soprano saxophone, bass, and wah-wah-ed Fender Rhodes electric piano each soloing at the same time, forming an interesting and surprisingly palatable weave. Now, this could qualify for significant J-RF points--though there is nothing here that doesn't sound like it was inspired by Yes Fragile shorts or The Doors' L.A. Woman. (8.875/10) 

4. "Make Me Look Away" (5:40) this one feels almost straight out of the American South: like a Doors venture into Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; Arthur Lee's LOVE; The Eagles and Joe Walsh before they became one. The earliest Lynyrd Skynyrd. Very solid, great Southern Rock with one heck of a lead guitar sound (and, for that matter, that of the rhythm guitars, too) and skilled and passionate guitar soloing (from multiple guitars!). This could easily have been a major hit on FM radio stations in America! (10/10)

5. "Rockin' Rambler" (11:42) a cross between Creedence Clearwater Revival, Grand Funk Railroad, and Uriah Heep. More stellar sound production and mixing that fully and clearly captures the work of these talented musicians. The song itself is really just a 12-minute two-chord vamp within which Ole Fick sings (and talks) in his VAN MORRISON/JIM MORRISON/MICK JAGGER blended style while Karsten Vogel toots his alto sax along-side. The palette thins in the seventh minute while Ole and Karsten continue vamping. Kenneth Knudsen gets some shine on his Fender Rhodes in the tenth minute before a major slow down, space out takes over (though I can still feel/hear the "absent" two-chord vamp right up to Karsten's final squeak. (17.625/20)

6. "Tell Me" (5:20) back to the Eric Burdon & The Animals (or War) style and sound with Ole following the bass and sax's seven note rising scale melody line exactly during the verses. The choruses are a little more free and interesting, but those repeating verses get pretty irritating. Nice professional ROBIN TROWER-like guitar solo in the third and fourth minutes. A fine, polished performance of a somewhat weak composition. (8.75/10)

7. "Accident" (0:15) bloody nothing. Is the 15-second gap between songs the "accident."

8. "After The Carcrash" (3:00) treated electric guitars slowly weave their picked melodies with one another for the first 1:15. Then Karsten joins in with his plaintive sax. It's like a funereal dirge. Multiple sax tracks woven together are what take us out over the final minute. Kind of magical, that ending. (8.875/10)

Total time 38:59

No matter how finely crafted, performed, recorded, and produced these songs are (and there is a LOT of finery here) this album is in no way, shape, or form a Jazz-Rock Fusion album.

88.64 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent collection of finely rendered Southern Blues-Rock songs. Would have been great to play in rotation with my Rolling Stones, Doors, Uriah Heep, Crosby, Stills, Nash, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Eric Burdon albums.

KEITH JARRETT, JAN GARBAREK, PALLE DANIELSSON, JON CHRISTENSEN Belonging (1974) 

Recorded in for ECM Records on April 24 & 25 of 1974, this was Keith Jarrett's first collaboration with this European quartet--an ensemble that became known as "The Belonging Quartet" due to this album's title and which whom he would collaborate with some frequency over the next 20 years. The album included all Jarrett compositions recorded by Manfred Eicher in single takes (Keith was adamant about not doing multiple takes of any songs--and minimal rehearsal--and, apparently, quite a stickler for his "rules.") 

Lineup / Musicians:

- Keith Jarrett / piano, composer

- Jan Garbarek / saxophone

- Palle Danielsson / bass

- Jon Christensen / drums

A1. "Spiral Dance" (4:08) the drum and piano intro is okay (reminding me a lot of Jay Beckenstein's SPYRO GYRA) but then when Jan Garbarek's sax(es) join in and Palle Danielsson lets loose it really pops and swings. When Jan is leading the melody-making the music definitely feels more J-R Fusionen, but when it's just the piano trio it feels more like basic, standard jazz. (8.875/10)

A2. "Blossom" (12:18) a solo piano intro is joined at the end of the first minute by "Aud Lange Syne" sax play and spacious bass and brushed drums (mostly snare and cymbals), still, it's kind of cool how Jan plays within and outside of (but definitely connected to) Keith's improvisational piano playing. Again, I find myself reminded over and over of a Christmas song: like Nat King Cole's "Christmas Song." A little too close for comfort, despite the improvisational weaving. Also a lot of VINCE GUARALDI-like style and note-choosing from Keith. I can see why people credit Keith as being an heir to the great Bill Evans (even though Bill was still alive during the decade this album was made). But then, as with the previous song, the Jarrett soloing (and withdrawal of Jan's saxes) yields a far more standard jazz palette and less of an experimental Fusion feel. In the ninth minute there is a lovely "conversation" between Keith and Palle: these guys really are connecting--all of them--though Jon's play on the kit is pure support. As a song, something that I enjoy, this is great. As a display of leading-edge J-R Fuse it is rather poor--which makes it quite the challenge to rate. Keith Jarrett's hypnotic mastery of his instrument certainly makes it special. (22.375/25)

A3. "'Long As You Know You're Living Yours" (6:11) some gospel-sounding blues that's here given a full band treatment. When Jan Garbarek joins in with his saxophone in the second minute I am immediately taken into the world of 1970s (early) DAVID SANBORN. Though David made some great, even iconic songs ("The Chicago Song" to be sure) that sonorous almost whiny and "dirty" distorted sound that he introduced to the world on Todd Rundgren's Initiation album has never really sat well with me--in fact, may even have contributed to my dislike (or helped me to realize that I had no love) for the saxophone. (8.5/10)

B1. "Belonging" (2:12) a piano piece that seems to borrow, both melodically and harmonically, from other famous song riffs (that I'm unable to pinpoint at the moment). (4.375/5)

B2. "The Windup" (8:26) more joyful, upbeat, regionally-inspired (New Orleans?) piano-based music that conjures up the music of modern day spiritual savant, JON BATISTE. Despite the rollicking happy feel, this feels more jazzy than fusion; perhaps the closest instrument to infusing rock, folk, or world styles would be the drumming of Jon Christensen. His work here is also extraordinary. I mean, all of the performances here are virtuosic, but, for me, Christensen's drumming really stands out. (17.5/20)

B3. "Solstice" (13:15) contemplative piano and bass are soon joined by a-little-more-sonorous sax and brilliantly-reactive piano. Everybody is pretty much improvising (Jon merely doing occasional brush or cymbal work in the background) but Keith Jarrett's ability to play off of the others--especially Jan's saxophone--is quite extraordinary. (This may be my first instance of truly appreciating and understanding the near-universal acclaim and adulation Mr. Jarrett has always garnered from critics.) I can only imagine how the others--despite each of their own virtuosity--must, at times, get lost in Keith's genius--even cower in the light of his almost-superhuman powers.

     It's songs like these that always serve to diminish my esteem for the instruments that are restricted to single expression (like, here, Jan's saxophone). Though I've often found myself marveling at Jan Garbarek's saxophone playing (especially for the companions he selects to collaborate with), this is one of those songs that just makes me feel, "He's just a saxophone player." Also becoming obvious to me as I listen to this song is how much Keith Jarrett's playing style must have influenced that of Pat Metheny's primary collaborator: Lyle Mays. 

     While I don't love this song (it is not one of those songs that I'm going to play because of the emotional response it evokes in me; if I did choose to play it, it would be more for the intellectual interest and experience) I appreciate the genius on display through it. (27/30)

 

Total time: 56:30

88.625 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent jazz album from four virtuosic consummate jazz musicians.

ARCO IRIS Arco Iris (1970)

My first exposure to the music of this highly-acclaimed band from Argentina! I'm excited as I love the inextricably entwined infusion of Latin and indigenous folk traditions poured into South American musics.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Gustavo Santaolalla / guitar, lead vocals, piano (9), organ & guiro (10), Fx (7, 9), composer, arranger & producer
- Ara Tokatlian / flute, citarina (2), piano (3, 5, 7, 10), tenor sax (7, 9, 10), claves (10), backing vocals
- Guillermo Bordarampé / bass, cello (2, 8-10), timbales & Fx (7), maracas (10), backing vocals
With:
- Danais Wynnycka "Dana" / vocals (6) - uncredited

1. "Quiero Llegar" (3:51) using a bossa nova/"Take Five" rhythm pattern and palette foundation, some quite lovely folk vocals give it a SERGIO MENDES & BRASIL '66 kind of feel, but then at 1:45 the music takes a turn into a more rock and surfer-rock form for an extended instrumental passage. The first minute of the instrumental passage is early-60s sounding while the final minute takes on more of a DOORS sound and feel with the introduction of a rock electric guitar to deliver a rather aggressive solo. The delicately delivered vocals alone are worth numerous repeats. (9/10)

2. "Hoy Te Miré" (2:21) almost pure folk music with its all-acoustic instrumental palette (simply-strummed acoustic guitar, bass, vocals and background vocals). At 0:58 there is a sudden speed up with an electric lead guitar, but these instances are very brief and only happen twice and are followed by a return to the delicate folk music of the opening only with a zither-like instrument replacing the strummed acoustic guitar (citarina?) (8.875/10)

3. "Camino" (3:57) Prog Folk of a rock nature that turns blues rock with the instrumental final minute. I'm a sucker for these indigenous clay flutes used in South American music. A surprisingly well-composed and rendered song. (8.875/10)

4. "Coral" (1:16) an interesting blending of church/monastic choir vocals with ethnic/indigenous traditions. (4.375/5)

5. "Te Quiero, Te Espero" (2:36) delicately picked electric guitar chords with perfectly-matched electric bass support the delicate harmonized folk vocals of Gustavo and mates. Great, heart-wrenching melodies and harmonies. Reminds me of the power of Tracey Thorne's early solo music. Piano enters at the end to carry the melody home. (9.125/10)

6. "Luli" (0:41) Dana's operatic vocal is a little more warbly with her vibrato than I'm comfortable with. (4.25/5)

7. "Canción De Cuna Para El Niño Astronauta" (4:02) great soundscape created by classical guitar, saxes, and heavily-reverbed "room" of drums, electric bass, electric guitar and one extraordinary lead vocalist. (Still Gustavo?) A song that could have fit in perfectly with the psychedelic rock wave hitting San Francisco in the late 1960s. Awesome. (9.75/10)

8. "Y Una Flor (El Pastito)" (1:57) delicate anachronistic acoustic folk instruments like harp and recorders   help found a folk sound for a song that is more folk or liturgical than prog but still excellent and impressive. (4.5/5)

9. "Tiempo" (5:42) sax and rock band instrumentation (heavy electric bass) set up a blues rock flow over which Gustavo sings with a fire and aggressiveness that he doesn't use much on the rest of the album. At 1:30 the music shifts into a little more rock-oriented blues-rock for a brief passage before settling into a full-on psych rock/R&B passage with lots of free-form additions to the music--including wild purcussion and vocal sounds and some proficient wah-wah guitar soloing--all delivered over a very solid and groovy bass and drum rhythm pattern. Nice! Then there are a couple more odd shifts that let me know that this song is really a suite--the final passage being piano and flute delivering a pastoral finish. (8.875/10)

10. "Y Ahora Soy" (11:59) opening with an ominous bass arpeggio that is repeated over and over as it is joined by electric guitar, saxophone and theater/orchestra-like drums. At the one-minute mark the band switches gears to introduce a more jazzy palette and motif over which saxophonist Ara Tokatlian lays down his "vocal" melody for about 90 seconds. Then there is another stop and pause before the citarina and clay flute enter to introduce a more ethnically-traditional theme, but this lasts only about a minute before Gustavo and the rock band rejoin to present some awesome blues-rock music in which vocals, sax, and wah-wah-ed electric guitar take turns playing off one another. A sudden stop and pause at 5:27 seems to want to last, but then everybody comes back in full volume to continue the exposition of the same blues-rock motif--both the heavy and more-plaintive side of it (chorus and verse, respectively). At 7:20 another stop and pause clears the palette for entrance of a Latinized instrumental passage (that sounds like "Tequila") over which Ara saxophone and an interesting variety of percussion instruments weave and solo. At 9:30 that lead instrument becomes a distorted electric guitar. Not anything mind-blowing in terms of ground-breaking or musicianship, this is merely an interesting "first" epic. (21/25)

Total time 38:22

The vocal skills and sensibilities exhibited by these artists are definitely advanced: they all carry their tunes with near-perfect pitch, perfect harmonies, perfect inflection and pronunciation, and perfect dynamics; the vocals alone make this a wonderfully enjoyable listening experience. The infusion throughout this album of more ethnic instruments, melodies, and vocal stylings that are more traditional to South American cultures is something that adds tremendously to its inherent charm.

88.625 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a very solid and eminently enjoyable debut album from these talented and adventurous musicians. I am left feeling quite excited to continue to move forward chronologically in my exploration of Arco Iris' discography! 

P.S. I don't know why this band is listed among ProgArchives' Jazz-Rock Fusion artists as I hear very little jazz in this music; I'd be inclined to call this Prog Folk or Crossover. 

SONNY ROLLINS The Way I Feel  (1976)

Recorded on the West Coast (in Berkeley, CA) in October of 1976, Sonny is hoping to elevate his music into current public consciousness through both an attempt to get on the Jazz-Rock Fusion bandwagon but also through surrounding himself with fresh, young talent.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Sonny Rollins / tenor saxophone

- Charles Meeks / bass [electric]

- Patrice Rushen / clavinet, synthesizer

- Billy Cobham / drums

- Lee Ritenour / electric guitar

- Bill Summers / percussion, congas

With:

- Alex Blake / bass [acoustic] (A3, B2, B3)

Horn Section:

- Sonny Rollins (tenor saxophone)

- Oscar Brashear (trumpet)
- Gene Coe (trumpet)
- Chuck Findley (trumpet)
- George Bohanon (trombone)
- Lew McCreary (trombone)
- Don Waldrap (trombone)
- Alan Robinson (flugelhorn)
- Marilyn Robinson (French horn)
- Bill Green (piccolo, flute, soprano saxophone)

A1. "Island Lady" (5:51) upbeat, happy-go-lucky music for public consumption. Sounds like some island's cabana band. Other than Lee Ritenour's electric guitar solo and Patrice Rushen's electric piano play, a pretty simple and dull song. I mean, Sonny is a solid, no frills sax player--the kind that were a dime a dozen (though he does start to let loose with those shrill dog whistles at the end). (8.667/10)

A2. "Asfrantation Woogie" (3:14) more rather plain, milk-toasty simple consumer-friendly jazz despite the admirable activity of Patrice, Billy Cobham, and Bill Summers. It's just so drab and mundane: like something you'd expect at the annual county fair--or something that existed as a failed theme song for a half-season television show in the 1960s. (8.667/10)

A3. "Love Reborn" (5:13) this is the first song on the album to sound as if Sonny is wanting/expecting something truly jazzy, not just pop/consumer-friendly schlock--even when Sonny stops playing the sax at 1:45 and the band suddenly leaps into a refreshing Latin romp for Patrice Rushen to soar on her electric piano. But then, rather oddly, everybody goes back to sleep for Sonny's return at 3:05. At 3:40, the band jumps back into Latin dancing and Sonny goes along: accommodates his playing from dirge to Tom Scott-like dynamic-melodic. Nice! (9.125/10)

A4. "Happy Feel" (3:53) at least we're in the 1970s with this near-Disco tune (have I launched on you my theory that Billy Cobham inadvertently invented Disco?) Here a play on the main melody from Philly band M.F.S.B.'s 1974 monster hit, "T.S.O.P." Some great drumming from Billy, great electric bass play from Alex Blake, and awesome Fender Rhodes play from Patrice almost messes up Sonny's plan for lame and mundane--even serve to inspire his old ass to rev up for his second go round in the third and fourth minute. Hmm! I guess maybe the man can play. (8.875/10)

B1. "Shout It Out" (5:45) super funk that also sounds like it could fit in well as a soundtrack song for a Sesame Street sketch or some Saturday morning kids cartoon (other than Bill Cosby's Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids). (8.875/10)

B2. "The Way I Feel About You" (5:34) a seductive late night beauty. I guess Sonny knows what he's doing--though he's no Coltrane, Dexter Gordon, or Cannonball Adderley; he's more like Tom Scott--and he's not as corrupted as Dave Sanborn or Kenny G. (8.875/10)

B3. "Charm Baby" (7:25) schlocky smooth jazz that sounds rooted in the melodies of the early 1960s. More nice jazz guitar work from Mr. Ritenour through the fifth and sixth minutes. Even Sonny is solid and engaged (and engaging). (13.125/15)

Total Time: 36:54

One of the most challenging J-R Fuse albums I've ever tried to review due to all of the shlocky melodies and Sesame Street-friendly songs. Still, I commend the respect he's earned: respect that allowed him to either earn the money to recruit hungry, hot young musicians to his studio (and stage) sessions or for the thrill (and honor) of playing with a legend. Billy, Lee Ritenour, and the tremendously under-appreciated Patrice Rushen and Bill Summers perform quite admirably throughout, often elevating the songs to unthinkable heights when considering the base melodies and chord progressions they were all based on.  

88.61 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a collection of songs that are based on some rather saccharine melodies and chord progressions is elevated by the spirited contributions of the young musicians Sonny hired.

ALPHONZE MOUZON Funky Snakefoot (1973)

After breaking out on his own solo career the previous year with the fairly-successful The Essence of Mystery the respected Jazz-Rock Fusion drummer strives for more of the Soul/R&B market.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Alphonze Mouzon / drums, vocals (A2 to A4, B1 to B4), organ (B3), piano [Tack] (A1), synthesizer (A1, A3, A4, A6, B1 to B4)

- Gary King / bass (A1 to B1, B3, B6)
- Harry Whitaker / clavinet (A3, A5, B4)
- Ray Armando / congas, bongos (A1, A2, B1)
- Leon Pendarvis / electric piano (A1, A2, A4, B1, B2), organ (B3, B4), piano (A3, A5)
- Mike Mandel / electric piano (programmed by synthesizer) (A3, B6)
- Richie Resnicoff / guitars (A1, A2, A4, B1, B3)
- Angel Allende / percussion (A1)

- Steve Berrios / percussion (A1)

- Harry Whitaker / piano (A1, A2, A4, A6 to B3)
- Andy Gadsden / saxophone (A1, A5, B1, B3, B6)
- Mark Harowitz / pedal steel guitar and banjo (A6)

- Barry Rogers / trombone (A1, A5, B1, B3, B6)

- Randy Brecker / trumpet (A1, A5, B1, B3, B6)

A1. "I've Given You My Love" (4:43) opens up like an ABBA dance tune before quickly veering into the funkier pre-Disco realm. Alphonze's synth solo takes the first extended solo, then pianos, rhythm guitar, and horn blasts punctuate a bridge after the chorus to return to the verse and start over--with the lame synthesizer continuing to solo/announce the melodies (as if it were a human voice delivering lyrics). It's good, solid, definitely danceable and melodic, just not as interesting as--more like the music a TV talk show band would use between guests or to introduce a guest. It's definitely better in the final two minutes when organ and horns are more prominent. (8.875/10)

A2. "You Don't Know How Much I Love You" (4:40) opens with a drum beat like Barry White's "I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More, Baby" but then blends in some Marvin Gaye What's Going On before turning into something more like "Love's Theme" (with lyrics). This is definitely Al's poorest vocal performance on the album: there are way too many moments in which his pitch fails to stay in key. (8.375/10)

A3. "I Gotta Have You" (2:46) a song that plays out as a kind of humorous cheeky Stevie Wonder-like song. Very simple chord and rhythm structure over which Al sings the title lyric with a few add ons for emphasis. The dude is feeling sex-deprived. Same drum sound, same voice sound issues, and same synth drilling teeth from behind. (8.5/10)

A4. "My Life Is So Blue" (4:37) a song that is set up to be a little more classy, even elegant, with both it's construction, sound palette, and Gino Vannelli-like vocal styling. High marks for effort, demerits for coming across with too much schlock. (8.875/10)

A5. "Funky Snakefoot" (3:45) great drumming, great bass playing from Gary King, and great clavinet play from Harry Whitaker open this one, quickly establishing a very refreshing groove. Trumpet, piano, and trombone solos from Randy Brecker and Barry Rogers, respectively, in the second minute are brief but powerful. Andy Gadsden's saxophone in the fourth, also before the song fades out. Very high-spirited and fun! Easily the best song on the album (perhaps the only one). (9.3333/10)

A6. "My Little Rosebud" (2:02) a very openly tongue-in-cheek Country-Western parody. Mark Horowitz'  pedal steel guitar and banjo play are actually quite impressive. (4.25/5)

B1. "A Permanent Love" (4:20) more upbeat, uptempo soulful dance music over which Alphonze sings. The dude shows a little passion and feeling for this lyric; with the addition of the horn sections accents, the music sounds a little like contemporary Stevie Wonder. The lyrics are definitely meant to be the focal point of this one but the horn section is fun (would be fun to be a part of). (8.875/10)

B2. "The Beggar" (4:35) funky synth bass line opens this before cool, solid drum beat joins in. Electric piano, synth, organ, and Alphonze's voice join in. Too bad A's Eddie Murphy-like voice is recorded, engineered and mixed so oddly throughout this album (far into the back--almost muted). Again, the lyrics are meant to be the star of this song--much in the vein of popular social commentarist Gil Scott-Evans, methinks. The song is faded out right in the thick of A's rather impassioned delivery of lyrics. How odd!(8.75/10)

B3. "Oh Yes I Do" (4:35) bluesy-R&B that sounds a bit like The Temptations "Can't Get Next to You." Al starts singing right from the start: once again sounding very much like the voices Eddie Murphy would make popular on his Saturday Night Live musical skits, only, I don't think Al is trying to be comical. The Steohen Winwood blues organ chord progression keeps things organized as Al uses his drums and favorite synth sound to rouse a little more energy over the final two minute's instrumental passage. (8.75/10)

B4. "Tara, Tara" (3:35) nice drumming and keyboard work over this song that mimics Billy Preston, Stevie Wonder and predicts K.C. and the Sunshine Band a little. The drumming is impressive, I just wish it had been recorded and mixed a little better. (8.875/10)

B5. "Where I'm Drumming From" (1:20) sounds like someone fooling around on an early drum machine: rapid fire here, there, everywhere! (Is this where the sound was recorded from to make my first drum machine's programmed sounds?) It's as if a guitarist turned on the record button and just proceeded to spit out 90 seconds of runs. (4/5)

B6. "Ism" (3:08) opens with drums as if to impress--and they're flanged! Then big bombastic jazz chords are played over the continued impressive drumming with synth banks, horns, synth bass chords. I actually like these angular chord progressions though the drumming gets a little pompous and over-zealous from time to time. The man is all Animal tom- and cymbal-crashing--not even the cool flange effect can keep me from feeling embarrassed for Al's apparent need to impress. (9/10)

Total Time: 43:16

A jazzed-up Soul/R&B album with each and every song intended to have possible pop radio play (if only the Soul/R&B charts). It's fun, with no real low/deficiencies it's just not top tier production. Also, Alphonze just doesn't have the voice or vocal talent to pull of radio-quality hits and his drumming is     quite often embarrassingly over the top: as if the 25-year old feels some overwhelming drive to prove his skillfulness. (Was he dissed by the critics early on in his career?)

87.60 on the Fishscales = B-/3.5 stars; an interesting and often enjoyable display of Soul/R&B wannabe from a supposed upper-level Jazz-Rock Fusion. I had much higher expectations than this was able to delliver. 

JUKKA TOLONEN Hysterica (1975)

A year after The Hook, on which band leader and composer Jukka Tolonen takes a step further away from his folk and world music-tinged preferences toward harder, heavier rock. 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Jukka Tolonen / electric & acoustic guitars, piano (6), composer
With:
- Esa Kotilainen / Hammond organ, clavinet, Mini-Moog
- Pekka Poyry / soprano (6) & alto (3) saxophones, flute (5)
- Sakari Kukko / soprano sax & flute (4)
- Heikki Virtanen / bass
- Pekka Pohjola / bass (4)
- Esko Rosnell/ drums, tambourine (1, 3), shaker (3), claves & agogo (4)

1. "Jimi" (9:30) quite an obvious homage and imitation to rock guitar's greatest trailblazer and innovator, the rhythm section is surprisingly sparse (much less chaos than that which Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell routinely generated) and Jukka's performance is far less dynamic or technically impressive than Jimi's easy-going temporal mastery. This, unfortunately, the first half of this song feels like a teenage garage band's early attempts at exploring Jimi territory. Since Jukka was 23-years old at the time of these recording sessions, I must admit to being a little disappointed. And, no: even with warmup and synchronizing, the trio never really achieve those magical, masterful levels of the Jimi Hendrix Experience. (17.125/20)

2. "Django" (2:34) blues-rock musical motif that is set up to make room to show off Jukka's fast, clean-picking electric guitar prowess--with, of course, a bit of the folk-jazz perspective that Django Reinhardt was known for. There is quite a little in Jukka's style and sound that would compare him to Steely Dan stalwarts Denny Dias and Jeff "Skunk" Baxter as well. There just needs to be something a little more to elevate this song into a finished or fully-developed state. (8.875/10)

3. "Hysterica" (6:33) entering the fray of full-on rock-oriented jazz-rock. Nice horn section arrangements, nice drumming from Esko Rosnell, and impressive guitar play from Jukka--at times sounding a bit like Steve Howe, at others like a caffeinated B.B. King. Overall, the song has a bit of a cheesy television soundtrack/advertisement sound and feel, but the skill levels are pretty high with the band hitting all the changes and speed demands with admirable synchronization. Esa Kotilainen's MiniMoog solo in the last 90 seconds makes the song sound a lot like something from American band Starcastle. (8.875/10)

4. "Tiger" (7:02) opens with a fast-moving blues rock bass line (courtesy of Pekka Pohjola) repeating itself over and over in an unusual time signature as other instruments slowly, carefully join him. By the time the second minute rolls around there are percussion (agogo!), Hammond organ, saxes, and guitar playing a jazz-rock "Peter Gunn"-like motif. Airy flutes take over at the top of the motif in the third minute for a bit before a bridge takes us into a more R&B-like motif over which Pekka performs a brief but impressive bass solo before the horns take their turns. I love the awesome abrasive rhythm guitar strum-striking Jukka is doing here! Then Jukka finally takes a solo: it's okay. (I don't really like the Stephen Stills-like muted jazz guitar sound he's chosen here.) Great drumming from Esko Rosnell throughout. What an awesome rhythm section! This song makes me wish Pekka Pohjola were around for the whole album (which is not always my reaction to Pekka's presence). Easily the best song on the album: just great from start to finish. Even the cat-like cacophony at the end with Jukka rock-soloing over it is entertaining. (14.25/15)

5. "Silva The Cat" (4:50) a song that was even released as a 45-rpm single back in the day, it's cute and melodic, quite simple, tow-chord song--which makes it understandable that is would/could be popular as a teeny-bopper radio dance tune. The fuzz guitar soloing over the top from the second half of the second minute to the  is, to my ears, a bit annoying. I'm also not really happy with this simplistic tune on a Jazz-Rock Fusion album: it feels as if Jukka is pandering, debasing himself by selling out to the pressures for mass popularity, lowering his standards to an embarrassing level. (But, then, so many artists were doing the same--succumbing to the pressures from their record companies to try to make money.) (8.5/10)

6. "Windermere Avenue" (7:15) slowed down and straightened out, the sound and feel of this one almost lands this in Yacht Rock territory. The folky reeds and synth weave and Surfer Rock bass melody seem to substantiate this. Jukka's guitar solo doesn't start until the fourth minute and it's a bit smooth and easy--like a 461 Ocean Boulevard-era Eric Clapton solo. The main piano-based melody keeps bringing me into easy listening crossover country-rock tunes and artists like "Rhinestone Cowboy," Kenny Rogers, and  even Charlie Rich. (13.25/15)

Total Time: 37:44

One great song (that would become a concert staple and much-covered song by other up-coming artists over the decades), three solid if-odd ones, and two "throw away" songs does not, in my opinion, make for a great album. After his previous two solo efforts, I find myself greatly disappointed with this one (the growth was not as significant as I'd hoped for and, perhaps, expected). 

88.59 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a sorely inconsistent album of eclectic styles and sounds that proves to be quite a disappointment after the promise shown by Jukka's previous two albums. Recommended for "Tiger" and the three other solid, if-less-jazzy jams.

EMERGENCY Entrance (1972)

An album of brass-enhanced pop jazz-rock music not unlike that of Blood Sweat and Tears: the band's lead singer John Redpath's voice is pretty much a dead ringer for that of David Clayton Thomas. 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Hanus Berka / saxophone, flute, keyboards, mellotron
- Frank Diez / guitar
- Otto Bezloja / bass
- Jiøí Matousek  / keyboards
- John Redpath / drums, vocals
- Curt Cress / drums

1. "Why Am I Doin' It" (7:50) built a bit more like CHICAGO's version of "I'm a Man" this one rocks, it rolls, and it blues-rocks, it even jazz-rocks a little. Nice Terry KATH/David CLAYTON THOMAS vocal from drummer John Redpath but the song does over-stay its welcome a bit despite saxophonist Hanus Berkas enthusiastic play. (13.25/15)

2. "Happiness" (7:00) piano-based blues rock that sounds very Southern USA like the Allman Brothers, Leon Russell, Dr. John, or even Van Morrison. (12.75/15)

3. "Journey" (7:30) a very-Sixties Bay area-sounding blues rocker built over a repeating three-chord piano arpeggi does ramp up for a bit in the third minute form some brass-rock before reverting to the original motif for some bluesy piano pounding. Nice recording engineering delivering clear tracks for each and every one of the instruments. Very solid. (13.5/15)

4. "Emergency Entrance" (11:20) opens with a nice weave of drums, percussion and bass before weird mosquito-like synth joins in with piano and rhythm guitar. Flute takes the next solo (I'm assuming that the mosquito-synth was intended as the first) with mostly-percussion backing. A bit like instrumental palette and sound beneath Van MORRISON's "Moondance"--or if it were extended into an instrumental jam. Organ, piano, saxophone (briefly), and electric guitar get the next solos, in that order--all of it pretty "raunchy" (though cleanly recorded). It's a nice song for displaying the capabilities of the band's individuals. The second movement of the song is pure blues--with saxes, low-end guitar, and organ takin' us into the Swamp. There is crescendos at in the tenth minute with some whole-band blasts and then some high-tailin' runnin' out for the final minute. (17.5/20)

5. "Killin' Time" (10:20) a two-part suite that starts out quite gently, even emotionally beautiful reminding me of some of NEKTAR's more tender moments. John Redpath's vocals are also very gentle--like BOZ SCAGGS on "Harbor Lights." But then the song jumps into a different gear, coming together for some more Southern Rock bordering on Chicago melodically. Here John's vocal is much more than something from an Allman Brothers or Blood, Sweat and Tears album. After a brief saxophone solo the song moves into its second phase: this one more organ-based and organ-dominated like something from an early Brian Auger or ROD ARGENT jam. Jiøí Matousek is a very talented organist! Sax takes the next solo--here reminding me of why I don't like this overgrown kazoo. I have to admit that overall this is a pretty cool song. (18.25/20)

Total time: 44:00

While I came here because of my deep dive into Jazz-Rock Fusion--something this album is NOT--I have to admit that I really enjoyed this experience. My several listens through Entrance has helped soften my rather dismissive "complex" against blues-rock. 

88.53 on the Fishscales = B+/four stars; an excellent album of proggy/jazzy Blues-Rock music--one of the best of its kind that I've heard.

COLOSSEUM The Grass Is Greener  (1970)

This album is apparently quite the anomaly in that most of these songs have appeared on previous Colosseum albums but here they employ a different lineup of musicians. Plus, this was an album that was released only in North America--which seems to indicate that the band (or record company) was trying to gain a foothold across The Pond--one that they had obviously failed to gain with their previous releases. The offerings here are jazz-tinged psychedelic rock album that predicts the music of GENTLE GIANT while reaching back to familiar West Coast psychedelic power rock bands like like The Doors, Spirit, as well as taking advantage of the way paved by more successful British Invaders like The SPENDER DAVIS GROUP, PROCUL HARUM, and LED ZEPPELIN. 

Line-up / Musicians:
- David Clempson / guitar, vocals
- Dave Greenslade / Hammond organ, piano, percussion
- Dick Heckstall-Smith / tenor & soprano saxophones, woodwind
- Tony Reeves / bass, co-producer
- Jon Hiseman / drums
With:
- James Litherland / vocals (3)
- Neil Ardley / string quartet arrangements (3), big-band arrangements (4)

1. "Jumping Off the Sun" (3:00) psych rock in a GENTLE GIANT vocal form. The music is a bit closer to the psych rock bands of the late 1960s--like SPIRIT but those vocals sound just Derek Shulman. The musicianship is very high, very tight. (8.75/10)

2. "Lost Angeles" (5:30) this one sounds like a sophisticated THE WHO song with Paul Weller singing the vocal. Drummer Jon Hiseman is so good that you can tell that the rest of the band feeds off of (or is driven by) his powerful skill. Great Jimmy Page-like guitar solo from David Clempson in the third minute. The rest of the band around him (including a second guitar track) are equally great: all focused on delivering the unmitigated CREAM-like power that Hiseman and the spirit of this song seem to demand/require. I can finally hear Dick Heckstall-Smith's sax in the final minutes of this one. Excellent song. (9.3333/10)

3. "Elegy" (3:26) a famous song that brings to mind both SPENCER DAVIS and BRIAN AUGER. Guest vocalist James Litherland has a great, soulful voice. The song's basic chord progression and melodic hooks work very well: a very memorable song. The role of the soprano sax and Neil Ardley's strings is noticeable but not a major contributor. (9.66667/10)

4. "Butty's Blues" (6:45) yes, full on organ-lead blues: the first song on which Dave Greenslade gets to really shine. He's very good--with an excellent horn arrangement behind him from Neil Ardley and excellent bass and drum play from Tony Reeves and Jon Hiseman. Once the amazing "big band" intro is over at 1:28, the song turns into a very typical blues/blues-rock tune--like something JOHN MAYALL or ROBIN TROWER would do. But then the horns return to remind us of the modern juxtaposition and Dick's tenor sax takes a solo in place of the second vocal verse. The dynamic whole-band finish is awesome! I normally don't like blues/blues rock but the participation of the horns makes this very dynamic and exciting. (13.5/15)

5. "Rope Ladder to the Moon" (3:42) an outlier in that this song had not appeared on any previous Colosseum releases, the song was picked up Jack Bruce and made more famous as one of his anthemic concert favorites. It is a very cool song with great vocal, lyrics, melodies, and full-band support music. Rated up purely on the vocal performance & clever lyrics (and delivery). I have the feeling that this song may also have been influential to Derek Shulman and his brothers. (9/10)

6. "Bolero" (5:28) one might laugh upon seeing this title on the page but the band actually do Ravel's original quite some justice with this heavy, full power-rock version. Nice keyboard and sax play over Jon's impeccable drumming, but it's David Clempson's fiery, bold-like-TERRY KATH electric guitar solo that really gives it its unique identity. It is one of those great, truly original and, therefore, iconic guitar solos. As a matter of fact, it's so good (and the rest of the bands' performance on his coattails) that you are actually transported into forgetting that this is Ravel's "Bolero"!! (9.125/10)

7. "The Machine Demands a Sacrifice" (2:48) another song lifted off of the previous year's Valentyne Suite album, this one has a psychedelic feel not unlike that of Iron Butterfly's "In-a-gadda-da-vida"--especially in the drum-and-bass-centered music. (8.75/10)

8. "The Grass Is Greener" (7:31) one of the pieces lifted from the actual "Valentyne Suite," this one is gentler and more prog-tempered than the album's other tunes--probably because it's an instrumental on which the band hope to show off their skills as musicians. I'm surprised at the uncredited full-horn ensemble opening as well as the slower TRAFFIC/Southern Rock tempo. It seems as if all of the band's instruments gain some showing here with full-spotlight solos from Hammond organ, bass, volume-pedal-controlled electric guitar, even sax and drums. The tempo shift into high speed for final three minutes (as well as the long, protracted dénouement at the end) will become such a template for so many Southern Rock bands like LYNYRD SKYNYRD, MOLLY HATCHET, CHARLIE DANIELS, and THE OUTLAWS. (The Allman Brothers were already doing it--so maybe Colosseum picked up the idea from them.) (13.125/15)

Total Time 38:10

I very much like this album: it has great musicianship--feeling as if each member of the band is fully committed to and engaged with each song. At the same time, despite the presence of horn sections on several songs and despite the excellent (probably virtuosic) musicianship, I could probably never be convinced that this music is Jazz-Rock Fusion. It's just progressive blues-rock psychedelia dressed up in some jazz fittings.  

88.125 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; though I find the skillful and tight musicianship on this album to be exceptional, the songs are not always aligned with my own personal preferences. At the same time, I can definitely imagine the success and popularity that an album like this would have created in 1970/71.

BURNIN' RED IVANHOE Burnin' Red Ivanhoe (1970)

The second album released by Denmark's first progressive rock band results in a cornucopia of psychedelic rock with some infusion of jazz, though more blues, sounds and instruments.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Ole Fick / electric & 12-string (2) guitars, vocals

- Kim Menzer / mouthharp, trombone, tenor saxophone, flute, percussion (2)

- Karsten Vogel / soprano & alto saxophones, organ, piano (3)

- Jess Stæhr / bass, acoustic guitar (2)

- Bo Thrige Andersen / drums, percussion (2)

1. "Across The Windowsill (7:40) rooted in psychedelic pop music of the Argent/Animals ilk, this is a song that sounds like it could have come from the Sixties. Oh. Wait! It did! Four chord rock for the jam in the third through minutes over which Ole Fick solos on his electric guitar. Karsten Vogel's organ sound and riffs are straight out of the Animals' repertoire and Ole's voice is pure late Sixties Steve Winwood or Mark Farner. The most interesting thing in the song is the weird sounding saxophone soloing through the seventh and eighth minutes. All in all it's a very solid song for its time. (13.25/15)

    

2. "Canaltrip" (5:21) with their acoustic instruments only we get a conglomeration of Django-ed "Take Five" played in a relaxed Beatnick circle. Two acoustic guitarists, two percussionists, and Kim Menzer's tenor saxophone playing over five minutes of a two-chord cycle. Interesting--especially the purposely-raunchy sax play--but not sure it's worth five minutes of attention. Though Kim's sax play is awesome (as far as saxophone play goes), perhaps this one would have been better off left in the practice room. (8.75/10) 

3. "Rotating Irons" (8:19) harmonica leads us into a very laid-back, San Francisco-sounding blues-rock tune. Nice, steady play from the Lou Reed bass and drums. Free floating bluesy electric guitar joins for a bit before Ole Fick enters with a raspy shout vocal. This is as good as anything coming out of the U.S.'s West Coast psychedelic scene of the late 1960s. A slight increase in both tempo and intensity occurs at the end of the fourth minute as the organ's two chords and Kim's mouthharp rejoins, but it's really Ole's show: guitar and vocal alternating in the spotlight like a true star of the blues (B.B. King comes to mind). Very solid and engaging for this kind of music. (18/20) 

4. "Gong-Gong, The Elephant Song" (5:40) opens with one chord held long and hard while multiple horns spin around with the shaker percussion. Then the band jumps into gear with a near-surfer three-chord guitar riff repeated ad nauseum within a rhythm section that is moving along at a runner's pace. Kim's mouthharp takes the lead for a good long minute before any sign of the reeds returns, but then a motif switch allows the alto sax to grab the lead while the band returns to the pseudo-surfer motif.around the four minute mark the wind group comes together for a bit to announce room for the second saxophone, and then it just kind of ends, with each instrument sticking around a bit as if unsure if they're really supposed to stop. Nice solid jamming that yields nothing very memorable. (8.75/10) 

5. "Near The Sea" (3:58) here Ole sings as if he's Electric Dylan while the band accompanies him with some gentle folk R&B. Electrified folk, if you ask me. (8.75/10)

6. "Secret Oyster Service" (9:48) five minutes of spacious, pensive, bare-minimum of instrumental support for an extended tenor saxophone solo before the band breaks into a "I'm Just a Singer in a Rock 'n' Roll Band"-like rock motif only to continue to support a now-more frenetic saxophonist. in the eighth minute a second saxophone starts his engine and gets into the act while the others continue their crazy pace down the mountainside. While Karsten Vogel's alto screeches and wails, the rest of the band coalesces into a harmonically-texturalized flow for the big finish. Okay; that was that! (17.25/20) 

Total Time: 40:46

I'm not convinced this album should be anywhere near the Jazz-Rock Fusion classification; if it's due to their future production (and Kim Menzer's wind instrument acumen), I get it, but I'll not be including this album among the mainline J-R F albums.

87.94 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a nice display of burgeoning talent getting their chops in line. Not sure I'd recommend this album to anyone other than the die-hard fans of 1960s blues psych but it's not bad! 

CHASE Pure Music (1974)

The third and final album from this stellar group of brass rock musicians.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Bill Chase / trumpet, electric trumpet, flugel horn

- Jay Sollenberger / trumpet

- Joe Morrissey / trumpet

- Jim Oatts / trumpet

- Wally Yohn / keyboards

- John Emma / guitar, vocals

- Dartanyan Brown / bass, vocals

- Tom Gordon / drums

- Jim Peterik / vocals

1. "Weird Music No. 1" (5:38) as if trying to meld several style/traditions together at once--over a kind of Spanish foundation. Weird? Yes. Remarkable. Also yes. Great (and inventive) horn arrangements with the weird synth (and keyboard) work of Wally Yohn. I love the big horn build up around the four-minute mark before backing off for bass and tubular bells to fill beneath as more weird keyboard sounds gradually join in. Interesting. (8.875/10)

2. "Run Back To Mama" (3:11) a BLOOD SWEAT AND TEARS revival/update song. (8.75/10)

3. "Twinkles" (7:12) swirling piano arpeggi with beautifully melodic flugelhorn soloing over the top. bass and drums join in in the second minute. At the four minute mark everybody backs out so that the bass player, Dartanyan Brown, can have an extended solo all on his own. The others slowly rejoin in the fifth  minute, at first in support but then merging into a variation of the song's original Alice Coltrane-like motif. (13.25/15)

4. "Bochawa" (5:47) uptempo blues-rock music with weird synth and support from the band of horns. Nice horn solos between two trumpets as the other trumpets accent and support from behind. The song builds and builds in intensity into the fourth minute before a very funky Hammond organ solo takes over the lead. The horn section gradually rejoin--at first as if far in the background, but then stepping closer and closer to the front. Pretty cool stuff! Did I mention how great the bass and drums are? It seems as if everybody is screaming at the top of their volume scales in the last minute. Great horns and solos over kind of standard musical foundation. (8.875/10)

5. "Love Is On The Way" (3:45) okay vocal song probably meant to be radio-friendly. (8.5/10)

6. "Close Up Tight" (7:36) built over a funk groove from the rhythm section that sounds as if it were lifted from CHICAGO's "Introduction" from their 1969 debut album, Chicago Transit Authority. Not up to the dynamic and enthusiastic standard set by the original. I love the experimental synth sound used by Wally Yohn in his extended solo in the fifth and sixth minutes: it may, in fact, have saved the song for me! (13.25/15)

Total time 33:39

This album sounds far more commercial and radio-oriented and far less Stephen Schwartz-like. 

87.86 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent addition to any prog lover's music collection--especially if you love amazingly tight arrangements of top notch brass sections. 

FROM 0611 Cat Quarter (1971)

Early German blues-jazz obviously inspired by the new electric developments coming from New York City as well as the portable electric organ work of some of the extraordinary keyboard players who were pushing boundaries in the late1960s. One thing that makes this album stand out is that it is made up entirely of original compositions--mostly by saxophonist Gustl Mayr.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Gustl Mayr / tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, composer

- Dieter Von Goetze / electric bass

- Kurt Bong / percussion, drums

- Klaus Gobel / organ, composition (1) 

1. "Lollipop Mainliner" (4:22) sounds so Sixties-ish: like a mash up of "surf rock" and organ blues-rock. The construct definitely comes from the blues idiom. Interesting long slow down at the three-minute mark followed by the reprise-restart of the main theme to close. (8.75/10)

2. "Goose Pimples" (4:42) opens up sounding like a variation on Gerwshin's "Porgy and Bess," but then it goes full blues with some soprano saxophone soloing above the organ, bass, and drums. Organ takes over the lead soloing throughout the second minute before giving way to the sax again. (8.75/10)

3. "Chicks" (4:25) James Brown-like R&B--like "Mustang Sally" with a slight influx of surfer music. (8.5/10)

4. "Gargoyle" (4:46) the closest song to proto-prog Blues-Rock like something Brian Auger, Rod Argent, or even Keith Emerson might do. Gustl Mayr's wonderful soprano sax play is more akin to that of John Coltrane. This song really swings! My favorite song on the album. (9/10)

5. "Mood Blue" (4:10) a great movin' Jazz-Rock piece which really showcases Klaus Gobel's talents on the organ. The chorus bridge is a bit like the structure and chords of Steve Winwood's "I'm a Man." (8.875/10)

Side Two: "Fancy Suite" :

6. "Cat Quarter" (5:49) more organ and sax supporting jazzy R&B. (8.75/10)

7. "Dig It" (5:28) old-time blues construct that was probably very popular in the band's local beer halls. Sax gets the lead over the standard jazz drumming and fret-walking bass line but, of course, Klaus gets his time in the sun as well. (8.6666667/10)

8. "Fancy Soul" (5:15) opens with some adventurous bass play before sax, brushed drums, and sustained organ chords join in. This is jazz from the deep South: sad and emotive. Nice work from bassist Dieter Von Goetze and Gustl Mayr on the soprano sax--and I really like Klaus's restrained, respectful organ: giving full support and shine to Gustl. At the halfway point Gustl takes over the lead, mirroring Dieter's melody lines with great care and respect while still adding his virtuosic riffs and flourishes, and then Dieter is given the lead for the final minute and more. Nice! Another one of my top three songs. (8.875/10)

9. "Ruck-a-Sack" (4:10) another song that feels as if it would have been a great favorite in the local pubs and beer halls--it feels like an "old standard": full of simple catchy melodies and playing patterns. Nice cymbal play from drummer Kurt Bong. (8.666667/10)

Total time: 44:46

On the positive side, these songs are all recorded extremely well: with all instruments being rendered clearly and cleanly defined, but the soundscapes are a bit too sparse and spacious for my tastes. From a distance, this really is less Jazz-Rock Fusion despite its used of electric bass and organ; it's more jazzy Blues Rock.

87.59 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a beautifully-rendered collection of original music that all feels familiar in the way that popular jazz "standards" do. If you like melodic organ and sax play within a competent jazz combo, you might love this.

BURNIN' RED IVANHOE WWW (1972)

More psychedelia with more effected sound production and some jazz and proggy tendencies.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Ole Fick / guitar, percussion, vocals
- Kim Menzer / violin, trombone, flute
- Karsten Vogel / soprano & alto saxophones, organ, piano, composer (excl. 6)
- Jess Stæhr / bass, percussion
- Bo Thrige Andersen / drums

1. "The W.W.W. Suite":

- i. "Second Floor, Croydon" (8:37) Ole sings in a John Lennon-effected voice over some John Lennon-like music to open this one before the spacious pause in the beginning of the second minute which ends with the band launching into a Brit-Rock sounding pseudo-R&B theme. Sounds like BR Ivanhoe's version of "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood." The sound engineering is different from their previous album: more effects used on the bass and vocals with warmer treatments given to the organ, drums, and flutes--and with everybody brought more forward in the mix, making it much more intimate, as if the listener is inside the instrumentalists' circle on stage instead of 20 feet away. The organ, drums, and guitar playing are rather primitive while the vocalist and seem more adventurous. Nice sound but a little too primitive to garner high marks. (17/20)

- ii. "W.W.W." (6:07) droning amplifier feedback sound opens this one, holding for quite a while as organ, bass, cymbals, and violin gradually add their subtle experimentations and interjections. This loose weave of cacophonous tuning and warmup jamming continues well into the second half of the song until some peaceful flute- and whale-like violin notes seemingly soothe and calm the rest of the band members. Very interesting and, I have to admit, somehow enjoyable--not unlike a POPOL VUH listening experience. (8.75/10)

- iii. "Avez-Vous Kaskelainen" (4:47) the band here slowly congeals into a "Driver's Seat"-like organ-driven groove within which wah-wah-ed violin and electric guitar flit and float. Like an experimental DOORS jam that never made it to album. (8.75/10)

- iv. "Kaske-Vous Karse Mose" (3:49) Karsten Vogel's soprano sax gets to lead this with some nearly free-jazz playing, but not before his organ and Kim Menzer's flute set up a hypnotic, nearly-Krautrock foundation. Also featuring multi-tracking! (8.875/10)

5. "All About All" (4:08) strummed John Lennon-like acoustic guitar opens this one before the band jumps into a BADFINGER-like pop song about the band's history: musically and geopolitically. Fun and funny with some nice soprano sax playing throughout. (8.875/10)

6. "Oblong Serenade" (6:25) another Beatles imitation, this one from the Fab Four's psychedelic peak years. Pounded piano, trombone, and multiple track dedication to loose drunken-fun vocals gives it a lot of Magical Mystery Tour feel--as does the kazoo-like soprano sax play in the third minute. At 3:47 Jess Stæhr and Bo Thrige Anderson double the pace, providing the impetus to the rest of the soloists to up their energy levels--which Karsten Vogel, Ole Flick, and even a weak Kim Menzer do nicely on. their sax, electric guitar, and trombone, respectively. (8.875/10)

7. "Cucumber-Porcupine" (5:21) bass, bass drum, guitar, and alto sax all chime in on punctually playing a "Stand By Me"-like progression of riffs before flute, sax, and group choir vocals peel off to make their own melody lines. Drummer Bo Thrige Anderson eventually smooths out his rhythmic support into more of a rock style, but the bass and electric guitar continue to chug through the song's original staccato progression till the very end. The happy song seems to want to end the album with a feeling of laid-back cohesion and commisseration--as if we're all in this together and it's gonna be all right. Nice. (8.875/10)

Total Time 39:14

While I like the new, richer sound palette and experimental moods of the band being expressed on this album, I do not think it to contain many memorable songs: so many feel unfinished, as if the band were using these studio sessions to become more proficient with the new (and old) sounds of their instruments, work out new ideas and skills, as well as try to figure out how the individual band members can better serve the needs of the collective. Once again, I cannot in good faith consider this album a shining example of Jazz-Rock Fusion music; there is more of a jazz-like experimentalism being expressed here, but there is really very little jazz. More R&B than jazz. 

87.19 on the Fishscales = B-/four stars; a likable collection of songs in which a band is doing a lot of experimentation. But the question must be asked: How much of it is for themselves and their own growth and entertainment and how much for their audience? 

OUT OF FOCUS Out of Focus (1971)

The sophomore studio album from these talented München-based musicians. 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Remingius Drechsler / guitars, stylophone, tenor saxophone, flutes, voice
- Hennes Hering / organ, piano
- Moran Neumüller / soprano saxophone, vocals
- Klaus Spöri / drums
- Stephen Wishen / bass

1. "What Can a Poor Boy Do" (5:52) URIAH HEEP-like Hammond organ-led music over which Moran Neumüller gives an acerbic Damo Suzuki-style vocal performance. Moran's sax and Hennes Hering's organ have turns soloing and amping up the angst of the song in the sedcond and third minutes before bass and guitar take a turn "conversing" over Klaus Spöri's delicate cymbal play. The song continues to play out with alternating, sometimes brief and conversant blues-rock soloing for the duration of the song to its odd/cutesy end. Oh, no! Is the band stepping down: settling for lower, more radio-friendly styles and  standards? That would be such a shame--especially after their amazing debut album from the year before. (8.6667/10)

 
2. "It's Your Life" (4:31) folk-sounding picked acoustic-guitar-based music that sounds just like British Prog Folk bands SPIROGYRA and/or COMUS. No drums, electric bass, organ, flute, and second or third acoustic guitar tracks accompany Moran's Martin Cockerham-like voice. (8.875/10) 

3. "Whispering" (13:34) very sparse organ and cave-immersed whisper-spoken vocal open this one before the full band takes over at the end of the first minute. There's a little jazziness in this due to weave of the wah-wah-ed guitar, organ, and tenor saxophone--but they're all playing such simplistic melodies within the two-chord weave. Really disappointing. More like spiritless, automaton play of the "Dark, darker" final song of the Wake Up! album (the only disappointing song on that album). As the horns and organ support Remingius Drechsler's extended electric guitar solo throughout the fifth, sixth, and seventh minutes the listener achieves a numbed state of hypnosis due to the droning repetition of the rhythm-keepers. Sax takes over the lead in the eighth minute while the others drone CAN-like underneath. (25.75/30)    

4. "Blue Sunday Morning" (8:20) swirling Hammond organ played over plodding dreary, leaden drone-like Krautrock supports Moran's Mick Jagger-in-a-heroine-stupor spoken vocal. In the sixth minute the bass, organ, and drums begin to ramp up their intensity while Moran's vocal becomes more insistent, but then the unique sound of a "Stylophone" (like an early version of a Casiotone) begins an extended solo--which sounds like George Harrison singing along with one of his electric guitar solos from the same period. The music beneath takes on an outro jam in the vein of URIAH HEEP or TRAFFIC as the music plays on and out--fading out over a period of 25 seconds. (17.5/20)

5. "Fly Bird Fly" (5:09) flute soloing with less mellifluous flow, more jumping around in a staccato fashion, as picked guitar supports before the full band joins in with a bluesy-jazz motif that sounds a lot like something by VAN MORRISON from the same period. Mick Jagger vocals are followed by some nice swirling organ and clear-toned electric guitar solos. (8.66667/10)

6. "Television Program" (11:45) I knew it was only time before Moran could suppress one of his long, impassioned social justice speeches. The music in support is solid and tightly performed but, once again, too drone-metronomic with another two-chord motif spanning the first seven minutes. A quiet passage in the eighth minute precedes a more potent VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR/SEVEN IMPALE-like two-chord saxophone-led motif that takes us out for the final three-plus minutes of the album. (21.875/25)

Total Time: 49:11

I'd call this album quite a step down from the focused energy of their debut; it's as if they had fallen under the spell of the CAN-like pioneers of rhythmic drone music that we call and associate with the term "Krautrock." I have not, however, fallen under this same spell--occasionally a song evokes that "Kosmische" feeling in me, but, for the most part, no.   

86.98 on the Fishscales = B/3.5 stars; not the album to start your introduction to this immensely-talented band; this is very much a disappointment when compared to the band's debut but even moreso when placed alongside the three albums of recorded material that came after (all of which came from the recording sessions that turned out the band's third and final album, 1972's Four Letter Monday Afternoon). I recommend that you skip this one and go right to the excellent Four Letter Monday Afternoon, Not Too Late, or Rat Roads.

MOGUL THRASH Mogul Thrash (1971)

Recognize any of those band members' names? Right!?!? Was this an early "supergroup"? Not when several of the future superstars had not yet made names for themselves.

Line-up / Musicians:

- James Litherland / guitar, vocals

- Malcolm Duncan / tenor saxophone

- Michael Rosen / trumpet, Mellophone, guitar

- Roger Ball / alto, baritone & soprano saxes, brass arrangements

- John Wetton / bass, guitar, vocals

- Bill Harrisson / drums

With:

- Brian Auger / piano (5), producer

1. "Something Sad" (7:32) Britain's answer to brass-rockers CHICAGO. (13/15)

2. "Elegy" (9:37) The GUESS WHO's "No Time." Melodic when it becomes vocal-driven like Canada's LIGHTHOUSE. Quite nice rock 'n' roll but this is no Jazz-Rock Fusion. (18.25/20)

3. "Dreams Of Glass And Sand" (5:07) nice drum intro is filled out with highly-coordinated and syncopated guitar, bass, and horns to support James Litherland's (and John Wetton's--in b vox role) vocal. Nicely composed and performed. Drummer Bill Harrisson is impressive. (8.875/10)

4. "Going North, Going West (part 1)" (5:00) a bit of an ALLMAN BROTHERS feel to this one due to rhythm guitar and James' lead vocal sound and melody style. Nice when the sax gets to soloing in fourth minute. (8.75/10)

5. "Going North, Going West (part 2)" (7:07) the slowed down, sparsely populated lull after the saxophone storm. The instrumental portion is pure TERRY KATH Chicago, the vocals toward the end a return to a kind of LIGHTHOUSE/ALLMAN BROTHERS sound. (13.5/15)

5. "St. Peter" (3:39) pure pop-rock. (8.5/10)

6. "What's This I Hear" (7:17) Led Zeppelin-like B-grade Blues Rock (The GUESS WHO); not even remotely j-r fusion--not even the gentle saxophone lull in the fourth minute can make it so. (12.75/15)

Total Time: 47:57

An album of far more rock-infused music than your serious American Jazz-Rock Fusionists (a term that had not yet been coined much less accepted in the music world), BLOOD SWEAT AND TEARS, early CHICAGO and of course COLOSSEUM are the bands that come to mind as I listen to this. Great drumming and horn arrangements with some overplaying by aggressive bass player John Wetton (a problem I have with his bass playing throughout his career). 

86.97 on the Fishscales = B-/3.5 stars; good but not top notch by any stretch of the imagination--especially the further you progress into the album. 

EXMAGMA Goldball (1974)

Though started by Detroit-born American German-based soldier Fred Braceful, this German trio really packs a punch--and displays some very progressive writing and recording techniques. 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Thomas Balluff / organ, electric piano, clavinett-c effects
- Fred Braceful / sonor drums, percussion extraordinaire
- Andy Goldner / fretless electric bass, electric guitar, alto sax, tape recorder

1. "Marilyn F. Kennedy" (2:30) an awesome super-funky bass and clavinet-heavy high energy weave of organ, bass and drums that sound as if they're right in your lap (or brain)! (9.25/10)

2. "Dada" (3:36) slowing it down with space and multiple tracks dedicated to each musician for two electric pianos, bass and two guitars and lots of drum and percussive sounds, this three-part song definitely succeeds in rendering Dadism unto music. The final section has some awesome searing soloing from a heavily-treated electric guitar. (9/10)

3. "Adventures With Long S.tea" (2:53) again multiple instrumental tracks given to each performer, the slow, heavy, almost plodding weave has quite the math rock sound and formula--almost in the realm of KCRIMSON Red or "Discipline." Nice display of skills. (8.875/10)

4. "25 Two Seconds Before Sunrise" (4:53) spacey/psychedelic blues-rock on display here with some very interesting special effects and excellent superfluous percussion work. The first couple minutes feel as if the band is just showing off its sounds without every really congealing into a song with purpose, but then it never does meld into anything other than a plodding display of effects. (8.66667/10)

5. "Groove Tango Wolperaiso" (2:35) an étude of fusing blues with rock using all kinds of riffs pasted together with a glue of electronic/engineering effects. Very weird and, I have to say it: very German. (4.375/5)

6. "Jam Factory For People Insane" (4:04) with its Iggy Pop-like Beat era or punk rock vocal performance, this one comes in with quite a little surprise. After the vocal intro section, the song contains quite a display of drum and percussion acumen while rhythm guitar, bass, and organ play mathematically-conjured chords in support like robots, then it devolves into a TODD RUNDGREN-like A Wizard, A True Star-like party. (8.75/10)

7. "Habits" (5:57) like something off of Miles' Bitches Brew or Herbie's Mwandishi albums, this is bass and guitar-driven song is very spacious allowing it to contain lots of layers of busy-ness. (8.75/10)

8. "Dance Of The Crabs" (0:53) another little étude based on a circular chord sequence. (4.375/5)

9. "Greetings To The Maroccan Farmers" (6:36) opening with noises as if from a kitchen or workshop, the clearing of one's nasal passages signals the introduction of some actual musical instruments: piano with drum preparation sounds and percussion and, later, strums and hits on the frames and strings of various stringed instruments (including a snare drums' steel coils, a zither, and some unplugged electric guitars), breathy horn blows, shakers, nose flutes, goats bleats, more clanging of kitchen and workshop utensils and containers, all the while the piano playing a kind of soundtrack to rodent activity. All in all, a very interesting attempt at rendering a soundtrack to a real world situation (a Moroccan farm). Interesting but was this really necessary? Especially as the album's longest song? (8.5/10)

10. "Last But One Train To Amsterdam" (0:56) another brief whole-band dive into a mathematically-constructed chord sequence. (4.375/5)

Total Time: 34:53

Overall, I appreciate the talents and skills of the musicians but more I find myself enjoying and awed by the visionary recording and engineering techniques on display here: these guys are very uniquely focused, adventurous and gutsy! 

86.96 on the Fishscales = B-/3.5 stars; despite the engineering prowess and obvious instrumental talent on display here, the album is not a very successful display of rock, jazz, jazz-rock, Jazz-Rock Fusion, or progressive rock; this is more the type of songs collected by Krautrock bands like Neu, Faust, or perhaps Can. 

JAN GARBAREK QUARTET Afric Pepperbird (1970)

Jan's second album, his first with Manfred Eicher's ECM label.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Arild Andersen / bass, piano (thumb), xylophone

- Jon Christensen / percussion
- Jan Garbarek / clarinet, flute, percussion, saxophones [bass, tenor]
- Terje Rypdal / bugle, guitar

A1. "Scarabée" (6:15) kalimba, cymbals and other percussion play, long notes from a gentle saxophone, guitar chords, all building very slowly--like the discoveries in a detective spy novel. Impeccable sound rendering of music that seems to go for an effect, a setting, more than a structured song. Not the kind of musical listening experience (or even participatory experience) that I enjoy--unless in an Orff music class with the preschoolers and kindergarteners. (8.25/10)

A2. "Mah-Jong" (1:50) bass, cymbals, bass drum, snare drum, chromatic and dissonant guitar notes, chords and sounds, percussive play of other stringed instruments (like autoharp?). Intro to a Beatnik sit in. (4/5)

A3. "Beast Of Kommodo" (12:30) the first song that has some structural elements that I can hook into:  Arild's adherence to a steady four-chord line of bass chords, Jon Christensen's cymbal and big tom interplay, Terje Rypdal's gentle finger-plucked guitar chords (complementing Arild's bass chords until the seventh minute when the two separate), and Jan's mellifluous and innocuous sax play. Once Terje's chord play deviates from Arild's, Arild and Jon really go off into their own lands (with Jan picking up some percussion along the way). It is truly remarkable how melodic Jon Christensen's drum play is: such a master and virtuoso! The rhythm section reins themselves back in (now playing a different pattern) while Jan picks up different instruments like flute and bent sax notes and Terje begins to express more in single notes and blues-rock chords à la John Tropea and Eric Gale. Overall I find myself really liking this: more for the skills on display and non-discordant melodies the individuals choose to employ. The odd 30-second bass and flute finale is weirdly sliced onto the end for reasons I know not. (22.5/25)

B1. "Blow Away Zone" (8:35) more odd percussion work as Jon Christensen "splits himself" into half cymbalist, half tom-tom player. Terje's unconventional scraping of his guitar strings and odd striking/strumming of the non-fretted parts of his guitar strings takes the lead for a bit before Jan enters playing a crochety old bass sax with minimal care for the initial sounds he's creating. Eventually he reins it in and starts playing clearer notes and runs while Arlid's bass walks aimlessly around the fretboard, but Jan continues to mix in the scratchy, screechy atonal notes while Jon continues exploring his own Venn overlap of cymbals and toms and Terje continues playing parts of his guitar that aren't meant to play pleasant ear-charming music. Around the 6:00 minute mark every one stops to watch (I don't imagine they're drawn to listen) as Jan's screeching goes completely off the charts: sounding more like scared/dying seals, walruses, mandrills, and baboons than saxophones. Then everybody rejoins to contribute their own alien animal language inputs to bring the "song" to a close. The skill level and command of their instruments are extraordinary; the music not so much. (17/20)

B2. "MYB" (1:50) Beatnik bass, soft malleted toms and brushed snare, bent note guitar, and toneless, melody-less sax. Okay: where's the poet. (4/5)

B3. "Concentus" (0:47) like a top notch orchestra pit tuning and coming into entrainment. (4.5/5)

B4. "Afric Pepperbird" (8:00) I can definitely hear structure in this song: a set drum pattern, a melodic repeating bass line, rhythmic and melodic guitar and sax play. Overall, quite an enjoyable and image-evoking music experience. (13.5/15)

B5. "Blupp" (1:05) toms, sticks, and bird-like human-made vocal blips, all syncopated as if played by a trio of curious chimpanzees. (4.25/5)

Total Time: 41:27

As praised and acclaimed as this album is I cannot for the life of me pinpoint why--unless it is The Esoteric Circle's disdain for known forms, sounds, and structures while virtually eschewing the avant garde "free jazz" or "third stream" (perhaps expressing a little nostalgic holdover from the lost era of the Beat Generation).

86.667 on the Fishscales = C/three stars; I'm sure the musical knowledge and skill necessary to play this stuff is off the charts, but this is no music for me--and it is definitely nowhere near anything that fuses "rock 'n' roll" with "jazz" music! 

DZAMBLE Wołanie o słońce nad światem (1971)

A very successful album release this Polish band that sadly disbanded soon after its publication. 

Line-up / Musicians:

- Andrzej Zaucha / vocals

- Jerzy Horwath / organ, piano

- Marian Pawlik / bass, guitar

- Jerzy Bezucha / drums

- Benedykt Radecki / drums (10-12)

With:

- Marek Ałaszewski / vocals (5, 6)

- Marek Pawlak / vocals (5, 6)

- Janusz Muniak / flute, soprano & tenor saxophone

- Zbigniew Seifert / soprano saxophone (6, 7, 9)

- Tomasz Stańko / trumpet (6, 7, 9)

- Michał Urbaniak / bass, soprano & tenor saxophone, violin

- Jerzy Bartz / drums (1, 5, 9)

- Józef Gawrych / drums (1, 5, 9)

- Kwartet wokalny / backing vocals (2)

- Kwartet smyczkowy / string quartet (7)

1. "Święto strachów" (5:10) (8.66667/10)

2. "Hej, pomóżcie ludzie" (2:45) a song with an anthemic chorus that sounds like it was probably a big hit in Poland. (4.5/5)

3. "Muszę mieć dziewczynę" (3:02) violin is prominent contributor to this one. (8.66667/10)

4. "Naga rzeka" (4:57) the flute-led instrumental passage in the middle is founded on a motif sounding very much like Carole King's "I Feel the Earth Move." Nice song. (9/10)

5. "Dziewczyna, w która wierzę" (3:44) great Latin-oriented CHICAGO-like beat and rhythm track supports some interesting choral vocals that sound like something coming from a Cuban brass band! Once again the motif used for the instrumental section feels borrowed.  (8.75/10)

6. "Masz przewrócone w głowie" (3:28) sounds like a borrowed Aretha song usurped by macho men and a gospel choir. (8.5/10)

7. "Wymyśliłem ciebie" (2:59) half Bond cinema, half Chicago/Andrew Lloyd-Weber Jesus Christ Superstar. (8.75/10)

8. "Szczęście nosi twoje imię" (3:15) except for the John Coltrane-like soprano sax work, this one is very close/imitative of BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS. (8.5/10)

9. "Wołanie o słońce nad światem" (10:36) a not very successful blend of DOORS-like pop music with big band progressive jazz. I wish it weren't the case but this is the weakest song on the album--a blending of styles that feels more like a medley of hits than a prog/jazz suite. (17/20)

Total time: 39:59

More proggy and brass poppy than Jazz-Rock Fusion, it's very vocal-centric. I'm told that I would like this album much more if had command of the Polish language. Vocalist Anrzej Zaucha commands a very respectable voice sounding like a cross between Greg Lake and David Clayton Thomas. I don't like or approve of the band's habit of usurping music from big American hits for the instrumental passages even if they do have good taste in the song motifs they "borrow." It's masterful but hardly indicative of a band that wants to create their own compositions and sound--more like that of a cover band in the process of converting to/experimenting with original compositions.

86.67 on the Fishscales = C+/3.5 stars; a creative and synthesizing band of pop-oriented rockers whose music draws a bit too much from other artists. As musicians they are very good. Their excellent vocalist would go on to achieve martyr-legendary status after an early death.

DEMON FUZZ Afreaka (1970)

An odd cornucopia of blues-rock, brass-rock, jazz-rock, Afro-rock music that gives the listener the feeling that this band was still forming, still trying to figure out the direction it was going to go with its music.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Sleepy Jack Joseph / bass

- Ayinde Folarin / congas

- Paddy Corea / congas, flute, saxophone

- Steven John / drums

- W. Raphael Joseph / guitar

- Ray Rhoden / organ, piano

- Clarance Brooms Crosdale / trombone

- Smokey Adams / vocals

A1. "Past Present And Future" (9:50) heavily-distorted rock bass play with the accompaniment of cymbal play opens this one before sax, trombone, and electric guitar join in acting as a kind of horn section. W. Raphael Joseph's guitar takes the first solo, a brief one, before Ray Rhoden's organ takes over while the bass and percussionists below keep the momentum moving forward. Sleepy Jack Joseph's two note bass line gets rather annoying so I feel quite relieved when the music shifts at 4:20 to a more R&B-oriented parade plod. The horns feel as if they're supposed to be the featured sound in this section but they don't do anything exciting or adventurous. Then a little bridge at the six-minute mark signifies a shift into a keybaor-less section in which Raphael solos again (again briefly). Then the organ returns and another very monotonous four-note rhythm track is established to support a trombone solo. This music is so very simple! Even the drumming sounds so rudimentary (not to give the drummers rudiments a bad name). (16.5/20)

   

A2. "Disillusioned Man" (4:58) nice conga rhythm track opens this one before Keith Emerson-like organ joins in, leading the in-rushing of the rest of the bands, this time with sax acting more alone. Vocals start before the end of the first minute, a kind of Soulful variation of the BLOOD SWEAT & TEARS shtick. Smoky Adams has a nice voice: he pulls of some nice melody-making with some thoughtful lyrics over some very interesting music. The now-interesting near-minimalist weave then supports an extended soprano sax solo from Paddy Corea. (His instrument sounds much like an Irish Uilleann pipes.) A much more impressive song than that sad opener. (8.875/10)

  

A3. "Another Country" (8:28) after hearing the opening of this, the album's third song, I had to check back with the year of publication of this album: its rhythm tracks sound so 1969/70 Blood Sweat & Tears/Chicago Brass Rock! More singing on this one--a song that is more complicated musically, which makes Smokey Adam's job more difficult (finding a catchy, smooth-flowing melody to fit this herky-kerky music would be tough). A big shift into a different motif occurs in the third minute to what will become the firm but gentle support for an extended tenor sax solo. The new motif, while quite simple, is in actual fact quite hypnotic. Weird! (17.5/20)  

B1. "Hymn To Mother Earth" (8:10) what begins as a kind of a turns into a rather plaintive ballad of hope Luckily, it turns back into a driving, though still simplistic, blues-rocker with some nice work from the rhythm section--especially drummer Steven John. At the halfway point another brass-led motif bridges us into a nice, hypnotic rhythm pattern for a sax solo. The music returns to the ecologically-motivated vocal motif around the six minute mark and thereafter continues flowing in and out of the dynamic and slow motifs--like a Jimi Hendrix Experience song style. Overall, this is a very interesting song--especially in its construction but also for the fact that Smokey Adams can manage a fairly successful, even-keeled vocal over the top. (13.25/15)

B2. "Mercy (Variation No. 1)" (9:20) Opening with an obnoxious riff of organ arpeggio played with a slightly more interesting rhythm track from the rest of the band which then gradually straightens out to provide support and guidance for trombone and saxophone solos over the next few minutes. The percussion play within this one makes it, in my opinion, the only song that treads across the ocean into some native African sounding musical territory. Nice work Aynde Folarin, Paddy Corea, Steven John, and Sleepy Jack! Organist Ray Rhoden tries to inject some Egypt into the mix with a stereotypic Black Land arpeggio in the final minute. An okay song that still could have been better--more dynamic and energetic as so many drum-and-percussion-oriented African traditional musics are. (17.5/20)

Total time: 39:46

I do not feel or hear any profound or obvious connection to African music other than the possibilitiy of the performers being likely African-American. I do, however, hear a very slight Jamaican/Reggae inflection in a lot of the songs. Overall, this is a very pleasant, almost innocuous album to listen to, but there is nothing here that I feel is very fresh or innovative.  

 86.62 on the Fishscales = B-/3.5 stars; a fair album from musicians that can obviously do better--especially compared to that lame opening song. Would that the Side One had been more like Side Two--and Side 2 been more adventurous.

ARCO IRIS O El Regresso a la aurora  (1972)

My second exposure to the wonderfully creative music of this Argentine band.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Gustavo Santaolalla / acoustic, 12-string & electric guitars, charango, harmonica, percussion, voice, composer & libretto
- Ara Tokatlian / flute, alto, tenor & soprano saxes, keyboards, erke, erkencho, sicuri, quena, pincuyos, percussion, voice
- Guillermo Bordarampé / bass, double bass, percussion, voice
- Horacio Gianello / drums, percussion
With:
- Danais Wynnycka "Dana" / voice of Amancay
- José Ferrari / voice of The Maestro

CD 1 - "Acto primero" (47:23)
1. "Obertura" (12:52) Wow! What an intro: a mini-symphony for an overture! Jazz-rock, to be sure, but most of the time I'm feeling more of a Psychedelic Prog Rock vibe. I'm surprised right off the bat that I almost like the saxophone sound and style used by Ara Tokatlian. Though I'm not so enamored of the electric guitar sound effects selected by Gustavo Santaolalla, I am very much impressed and won over by his command of the acoustic guitars. (22.25/25)
2. "La canción de Nahuel" (5:53) interesting blues-rock dirge--especially if it's supposed to be our "hero"'s theme song! (8.75/10)
3. "Canto del pájaro dorado" (3:30) the first half is contemplative, almost desert-pastoral, but then it turns to South American themes for the second half. Well conceived, performed, and engineered. (8.875/10)
4. "Viaje astral" (2:25) gentle electric guitar arpeggi with sax, synths, organ, citarin, flutes and other incidentals meandering around the village square before piano, percussion, bass, and group vocals funnel us into a "Take Five"/bossa nova-like motif. Feels short and incomplete. (4.375/5)
5. "Tema del Maestro" (2:52) flute and Spanish guitar provide a gentle folk tune for the arduous travels of our hero. In the second minute the Teacher enters with wisdom and advice. Nahuel leaves with a little better clarity of his mission--and glimmers of how to accomplish/succeed. (4.5/5)
6. "Iluminación" (1:59) the melodic theme of the previous two songs is here carried forward and amplified by the band--especially by Ara's sonorous and nasal-sounding saxophone. (4.375/5)
7. "Hoy he visto al rey (Gira)" (3:29) finally we get to hear some of Gustavo's beautiful upper register voice on this Spanish-American folk song. Wonderful Simon & Garfunkel-like harmony arrangements with the background vocals. (8.875/10)
8. "Sígueme" (1:48) blues rock that sounds like both Blood, Sweat & Tears and Andrew Lloyd-Weber theatre music. (4.3333/5)
9. "El negro" (1:54) la musíca Sud Américan! Feels very colloquial. (4.25/5)
10. "Los campesinos y el viajero" (2:18) Caribbean rock that feels as if the band is trying to pull back to Anglo-European-style musical styles and sounds. (4.3333/5)
11. "El estudioso" (2:28) another cute little interlude. I feel like we're on a Canterbury Tales-like caravan pilgrimage--with lots of down time within which the tired travelers have to tell their stories. The second half is an energetic instrumental piece that could support a story of rollicking (mis) adventure grossly hyperbolized. (4.375/5)
12. "Oración de la partida" (2:53) Flute, synth flute, and slowly strummed Spanish guitar present yet another more-regionally-representative (and significant) piece of music. Too bad it had to stay in dirge-mode the entire three mintues. (4.25/5)
13. "Epílogo: Salvense ya" (3:02) opening with some very nice PENTANGLE-like guitar and singing, the music remains idiosyncratically South American--especially with the melodic and harmonic choices made for their delivery of their Spanish lyrics. Great composition with some awesome vocal performances--on a par with some of the stuff created by Serge Fiori or some of the other more-passionate male folk singers. Sadly, it's just not Jazz-Rock Fusion! (9/10)

CD 2 - "Acto segundo" (51:37)
14. "Recuerdo di mi ser" (3:43) another delivery mechanism for some gorgeous, almost-monastic-like vocal music, here using spacious guitar and bass with echoed flute to back Gustavo and the others. (9.125/10)
15. "Los siete peregrinos" (2:34) this sounds like something the USA's THE ASSOCIATION could/would've done at the end of their production career. It's pretty. Too bad it never reaches the heights of an Association song. (8.75/10)
16. "Tema de Amancay" (2:09) flutes and picked acoustic guitar support the near-operatic vocalese of Danais Wynnycka--here playing Nahuel's muse, Amancay. (4.625/5)

17. "Busco a Dios en Mí y en el Sol (Hombre)" (17:10) John Coltrane-sounding sax opens this one while bass, organ, chorused electric guitar, and percussives jockey around for position behind Ara. Then, surprise, surprise, at the one-minute mark the band unleashes a campy Rockabilly theme over which Gustavo sings with some power. Okay, we finally get some music that sounds like (early) Jazz-Rock. (I'm not quite ready to offer the "fusion" mantle.) The blues Hammond organ, however, takes over in the seventh minute, relenting only at 7:20 for the fuzzy electric guitar but thankfully providing us some much needed relief from an overly-long three-chord vamp (but not really as the three-chord structure returns to anchor the fuzz guitar solo). At 9:05 everybody cuts out to make way for an all-hands-on-deck percussion jam. The talking drums are the most interesting, of course, but the animated vocalizations and many playful percussive ejaculations are pretty entertaining, as well. This section goes on until 13:45 when the guitar and organ begin to reassert themselves and drive the percussives back to their place in the rhythm section. Thereafter the music settles into a blues-rock motif that borders on pure blues due to the bluesy lead guitar solo, but then at 15:30 the jumps onto a downhill autoroute for a bit before coming back to Earth with a rockin' blues-jazz vamp. A little too messy and rudimentary for superlatives. (30.5/35)
18. "Deserción del viajero" (0:49) sounds like a Los Jaivas call-to-prayer.
19. "La duda de los campesinos" (2:11) the continuation of the previous song. Sounds like a Serge Fiori vehicle for strong vocal delivery of his foreign language message. (8.75/10)
20. "El aliento de Dios" (3:17) another cool Prog Folk song that very easily compares to the 1970s output of Harmonium or some of the softer RPI bands like Maxophone or Celeste. (9/10)
21. "El viajero delata a los peregrinos" (2:17) the one-minute intro for this one sounds so much like something from an early URIAH HEEP, DEEP PURPLE, or PROCOL HARUM song. Then it turns more acoustic exploration like an early Jazz-Rock experimentalist like Terje Rypdal or Larry Coryell. (4.5/5)
22. "Persecución de los peregrinos" (6:51) what starts out with a proclamatory royal horn blast turns into another interesting, texturized, ambient jazz-rock exploration of space and acoustics. Around 1:15 the YARDBIRDS/LED ZEPPELIN blues-rock bass, drum, and guitar riffing begins, laying down a three chord pattern that provides the low end support for saxophone and, later, two channels of concurrent electric guitar soloing. Must've been fun for Gustavo. At the four-minute mark the music is smoothed out by some organ while Gustavo and one (or both) of the other men take turns with the lead vocal. A weird little theatric "bridge" at 5:43 interrupts the otherwise-five-minute flow of the two-chord Yard-Zep motif. The song is most interesting for its theatric vocal contributions to Nahuel's story. (8.75/10)  
23. "Viaje por las galerías subterraneas" (2:44) charango, bowed double bass, and soprano saxophone tell this unusual little colloquial story. (4.375/5)
24. "Salida al inmenso lago - Iluminación" (1:31) a female vocalese-with-guitar bridge that takes us from the charango theme to a rather melodramatic theme that kind of tells me that we're nearing the end of our story. (4.875/5) 
25. "Reencuentro con Amancay - Oremos" (2:13) opening with an odd little "singing in the bathroom stall" routine from Gustavo, it then turns into a Spanish guitar supported vocal ballad delivery. Nice construct with wonderful voice and flute arrangements. (4.875/5)
26. "Las colinas y el Maestro" (0:46) the flute and guitar duet conclusion of the previous song. 

27. "Epílogo: Sudamérica" (3:29) again, the feel of this spirited song and full orchestrated rock arrangement makes me feel as if I'm in the audience at the performance of a stage musical. I would stand and clap for this one. (8.875/10)

Total Time 99:00

I know 1972 was still fairly early in the development of Jazz-Rock Fusion as its own entity, but I find myself feeling almost 100% that embracing this epic concept album under the J-R Fuse umbrella is a mistake. This feels to me much more akin to the outputs of Psych, Canterbury, and Symphonic prog rockers than to those of any or all of the artists experimenting with or even dabbling with the new Jazz-Rock Fusion combinations and permutations. The fact of so much straight-time blues-rock-based rhythm structure is one of the key points in defense of my declaration. As a matter of fact, I'd call this album's music much closer to Québec band Harmonium's last studio album, Heptade, than anything I've ever heard from the true closet of Jazz-Rock Fusion albums. Though I am not a fan of the saxophone, Ara Tokatlian's Elio D'Anna (OSANNA, NOVA)-like sound and style is one that I often find enjoyable.

 86.54 on the Fishscales = B-/3.5 stars; though I am very impressed with the band's creativity and vocal and acoustic instrument talents--and I enjoy very much the experience of listening to this music--it does not stand up at all well as a Jazz-Rock Fusion album. It does qualify, in my estimation, as either a nice  rock opera representative of either the Prog Folk or Blues-Rock domains. I will not deny the significance this album, band, and music might have to Argentinians and/or Sud Américanos, but in terms how it fits into and/or contributes to the Progressive Rock or Jazz-Rock Fusion lexicons, I'd call this more akin to Proto-Prog like It's A Beautiful Day, The Collectors, Jefferson Airplane, Led Zeppelin, or Spirit. Still, I'm going to bump this up to a four star rating due to the overall entertainment value. The vocals and ingenious song designs alone may be worth it. 

KORNELYANS Ordinary Life (1974)

Line-up / Musicians:

- Zlatko Pejakovic / lead vocals

- Josip Bocek / electric & acoustic guitars, backing vocals

- Kornelije Kovac / keyboards, backing vocals

- Bojan Hreljac / bass

- Vladimir Furduj / drums

1. "Rising" (2:14) (/5)

2. "Not an Ordinary Life" (10:16) (/20)

3. "Generation 1942" (6:32) (/10)

4. "Fall of the Land of Women" (5:30) (/10)

5. "Temporary Parting" (3:58) (/10)

6. "Man with a White Flag" (11:43) (/20)

Total Time 40:13

 on the Fishscales = / stars;

DAVE PIKE SET Noisy Silence - Gentle Noise ø vibraphone-centered early Jazz-Rock (1969)

PHIL YOST Bent City (1967) ø experimental early proggy, folkie, psychedelic, avant jazz/but not really Jazz-Rock Fusion yet

SMAK Crna Dama (aka "Black Lady") ø more rock/prog rock than Jazz-Rock Fusion. Vocals throughout. (1977)

TASAVALLAN PRESIDENTTI Lambertland (1972) ø jazz-infused prog rock w/vocals