1974

 January

ATMOSPHERES (Featuring Clive Stevens and Friends) Atmospheres (1974)

Raw Jazz-Rock Fusion from Bristol, England-born bandleader Clive Stevens. Recorded in New York City on February 5th, 1972, with reputedly no rehearsals (three months before the demise and official breakup of John McLaughlin's first incarnation of the Mahavishnu Orchestra), the album wasn't released (by Capitol Records) until January of 1974. Why it took over two years for this album to be released is a mystery I'd like to know more about. 

Seeing this lineup of all-stars, I found myself especially curious--and excited--to hear this.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Clive Stevens / tenor sax, sopr sax, flute, perc
- Ralph Towner / electric piano, ring modulator
- Steve Khan / 6 & 12 str guitars
- John Abercrombie / electric guitar
- Harry Wilkinson / perc
- Rick Laird / bass
- Billy Cobham / drums

A1. "Earth Spirit" (5:30) opening with Rick Laird's bass right up front and center, then Billy Cobham's hi-hat, and Ralph Towner's dirty Fender Rhodes before Clive Stevens' soprano sax and the two guitarists join in, taking turns with Clive soloing over the top. Nice R&B-based groove, nice jam, nice melodies, not as nice sound engineering as on the band's next album. (9/10)

A2. "Nova '72" (5:52) the Mahavishnu rhythm section make themselves known right from the opening notes of this one, a fine piece of jazz-rock fusion that seems to suggest that the funk-rock direction might have been the direction half of the MO had wanted to travel when they were falling apart. Billy's drumming is rock solid while Rick Laird's bass play is fluid and attention-grabbing--as is the great Fender Rhodes play of Ralph Towner. Clive is the leader and his tenor sax is awesome though I am not much of a fan of the sax (except in big band horn section lineups); still, Clive's play is more enjoyable than 90% of the other sax players/solos I've heard. I find myself glad for guitarist Steve Khan and John Abercrombie's assignations to background positions. (9.25/10)

A3. "Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow" (6:40) a cool, danceable, almost-Earth, Wind & Fire rhythm track is established with Billy Cobham once again performing in his most commanding, rock channel with Rick Laird holding down the funk while Ralph Towner and the two guitarists literally flail away at their instruments beneath Clive's soprano sax solo. This one is interesting! How Billy and Rick can hold it together while Fender Rhodes and two electric guitars are livin' their best lives above! But somehow the craziness works! It blends, it fuses, it flows! Weird! (9.33333/10)

B1. "Astral Dreams" (9:21) another R&B track is established straight out of the gate while odd percussion instruments are employed with more restrained and conformed rhythm play from Towner, Khan, and Abercrombie. Nice melodies instituted by Clive on a treated soprano sax--solid enough to allow him to wander off every switch in motif into some pretty cool solos before coming back to the main melody. At 3:00 the band moves into a kind of dreamy bridge that allows them to reset before picking right up where they left off. A very melodic, almost STEELY DAN-like jam that really works for me. At 4:55 Steve Khan gets his first turn at an isolated solo--and it's decent (with special thanks going out to Billy Cobham for his awesomely dynamic support)! Rick Laird is just killing it: holding his own melody-production seminar despite all that's going on around him. Ralph is next on his Fender Rhodes before giving it up to Clive again--with Billy again flailing wildly in the bridges. (Wish his drums were recorded better--and mixed more integrally into the overall mix.) (18.5/20)

B2. "All Day Next Week" (6:50) opening as a sophisticated multi-themed jazz pop piece, the song shifts into smooth jazz-rock at 1:15 for a different motif before coming back to the more sophisticated jazz-pop at the end of the second minute. The laying back for soloing begins thereafter with Fender Rhodes, electric guitars (Steve and John each getting a turn) before Clive gets his say. Again, the play of Rick Laird over Billy's rock-solid drumming is so important! so necessary to the freedom offered to each of the other instrumentalists. The song never really presents us with anything extraordinary (other than Rick Laird's amazing and melodic bass play), but it's still great. (13.75/15)

B3. "The Parameters of Saturn" (5:47) an experimental foray into the crazy world of free-jazz with each and every instrumentalist going off in their own directions, some quite melodically (like the anchoring effect of Clive's calming sax), some more freely without regard for melody or matching rhythms with the others. Interesting and, because of Clive's calming presence in the eye of the hurricane, surprisingly listenable! (8.875/10)

I must say that, despite poor sound representation of Billy Cobham's drums, he and fellow Mahavishnu Orchestra alum Rick Laird put on a clinic on how important the rhythm section is to the confidence and comfort of a band's individuals and whole. It is told that this was Billy and Rick's only studio session outside of John McLaughlin's torrid and demanding schedule during the entire run of the MO. Also, it's too bad that percussionist Harry Wilkinson (Larry Coryell)'s work is mixed so deeply into the soundscapes cuz we all know he can be a force. The February 1972 recording date does help to explain, however, the early, raw, Mwandishi-like sound quality and compostional stylings of this album.

91.61 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of peak Jazz-Rock Fusion This is an album (and group)--like its successor--that deserves more attention with regards to its place in the history of the formation and evolution of Jazz-Rock Fusion.

EDDIE HENDERSON Inside Out (1974)

The end of Herbie Hancock's Mwandishi-era team lineup is officially an Eddie Henderson album due to Eddie's leadership (initiative, funding, and role as principle composer), and it's another great one. (The next of Eddie's album's, 1975's Sunburst, again has a great lineup of young and seasoned jazz musicians--including Bennie Maupin and George Duke--but there is a radical shift in musical styles toward a more radio- and sales-friendly "smooth" or "funky/disco" jazz fusion that became popular in the mid-70s.) Produced by Skip Drinkwater for Capricorn Records, Inside Out was recorded in San Francisco in October of 1973 at Pat Gleeson's Different Fur studio. The album wasn't mastered and released until January of 1974--long after Herbie had called it quits on the head-in-the-clouds, atmosphere-exploring Mwandishi septet. How the recording sessions for Inside Out happened after Herbie had dismantled the Mwandishi septet and after he had already recorded his new pop-oriented album is a mystery to me. If any one out there knows how this happened, please let me know! (Herbie recorded his first album with a new funk/R&B quartet in September, 1973. The album, Head Hunters, was released on October 13 or October 26 [depending on sources] to become the biggest selling jazz album of all-time--until George Benson's Breezin' laid claim to that title in 1976.) 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Eddie Henderson / trumpet, cornet, flugelhorn
With:
- Herbie Hancock / Fender Rhodes, clavinet, organ
- Patrick Gleeson / synthesizer
- Bennie Maupin / clarinet, bass clarinet, flute, alto flute, piccolo, tenor saxophone
- Buster Williams / acoustic & electric basses
- Eric Gravatt / drums
- Billy Hart / drums
- Bill Summers / congas

1. "Moussaka" (8:59) Patrick Gleeson and Bennie Maupin get first crack at opening this album: it sounds like the real-time sounds of a sunrise. At the end of the first minute Buster Williams' bass and Bill Summers congas start us off on a journey across the desert but then we slow way down as if to examine the scenery from some carapace high up above the desert floor. But then at 2:40 the journey recommences--exactly the same way it began at the one minute mark--this time allowing Eddie time to solo with his muted cornet. Then Herbie gets a turn in the fifth minute with his Fender Rhodes. Such a nice Caravanserai groove going beneath it all. Eddie retakes the reins with a muted flugelhorn at 5:30. A second track is given to Eddie for the intermittent dipersal of flourishes from his unmuted trumpet until at 7:30 that instrument takes the lead where he is joined by a legion of other horn and wind instruments (Obviously Eddie, Bennie, and Patrick have become enamored of multi-track overdubbing.) (18/20)

2. "Omnipresence" (2:14) another display of circling instruments that sounds/feels like the presence of something. The two drummers are busy as Eddie and the rest fill the cauldron with more ingredients in order to make the soup. (4.375/5)

3. "Discoveries" (5:08 ) multiple horns are tracking while Buster and the drummers are providing a kind of DEODATO version of "A Love Supreme" but then things veer right and we've got a more train-like cannonball racing downhill so that Bennie's clarinet, Herbie's clavinet and Fender Rhodes, Patrick's burbling saw synths, and Eddie's trumpets (muted and unmuted) can weave their off-set flourishes of melody. Very interesting and progressive. The music on this album is definitely exploring new, expanded ideas of what is linear and how melodies can be delivered by all of the instruments of a large ensemble while being out of sync with one another. I like this one more for its innovation than its engaging qualities. (8.875/10)

4. "Fusion" (3:33) a veritable continuation of the previous song (there is no break between the two) sees a shift in the rhythm track coming from both the bass and drums. Over the top Eddie, Bennie, and Herbie manage the melody delivery with subtle collaboration and admirable discipline. (8.875/10)

5. "Dreams" (7:21) drums and bass going rogue while the lead instruments hold the melody together simultaneously and smoothly. Interesting! The recording and engineering is so perfect: with every subtle sound captured and balanced gently into the mix. I can't recall hearing a jazz album on which each song's soundscape is so egalitarianly distributed. Rather amazing. And beautiful! (14/15)

6. "Inside Out" (9:25) It's Buster again to lead the way out of the gates. Drummers and clavinet follow as Eddie's horns and Bennie's tenor saxophone start their own journeys. Clavinet gets a little "me" time before multiple horns give a loosely banked MILES-like pepper spray--a pattern of delivery that Eddie continues to reinforce with his trumpet's own first foray as sole soloist. This is a really fun song to listen to while paying attention to any and every one of the individual musicians--listening for their subtle expressions of unrepressed individuality. Even the two drummers are playing so subtly off of one another, creating something that is spiraling around Buster's bass lines, feeding the other instrumentalists into explorations and expressions of their own creative heights.
     In the sixth minute Bennie gets the second extended solo with his tenor sax. I like the relaxed length of times given between soloists. Herbie's wah-ed Fender Rhodes gets the next solo, filling the eighth minute. Bennie and Eddie come squawking out of the pond like two geese (or more as each is given multiple tracks) to try to cut Herbie off but Herbie just continues on with both his Fender Rhodes soloing and his clavinet (multi-tracked or played simultaneously?--or, more likely, taken on by Bennie Maupin?) Very cool song to listen to over and over. (19/20)

7. "Exit #1" (2:54) the bookend opposite of the album's opening four minutes: this must be the sunset. Perfect! (5/5)

Total Time: 39:34

The music on this album is so much more experimental, feeling innovative on several fronts, than any of the previous Mwansishi-era albums. While not as melodic, the weaves are incredibly complex for the fact that it feels as if each individual musician has been set loose on his own path and journey with the same map and destination but with the freedom to follow their own independent paths and means to get there. It's really a breath-taking and marvellous to watch (and listen). If this isn't the peak of the experimentalism that was the spirit and intent of the Mwandishi albums, then I don't know what is.

91.91 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; musically this may be a minor masterpiece but to my ears there are developmental things going on here that, for me, proclaim an evolutionary jump in the progress of jazz-rock fusion--a jump that is in direct opposition to the pervasive tendency toward favoring smooth audience accessibility over mathematical and creative exploration and experimentation. I would definitely single out the album's title song as one of the peak achievements of the Jazz-Rock Fusion idiom. A Top 30 Favorite J-R Fuse Album from its "Classic Era."

JULIAN PRIESTER aka "PEPE MTOTO" Love, Love (January 1974)

Known more as Herbie Hancock's trombonist during the Mwandishi-era sex- and septets, this was Julian's first release after the formal disbanding of Herbe's Septet--here released and recorded under Manfred Eicher's new ECM label (as was Bennie Maupin's solo release of the same year, The Jewel in The Lotus). Working under his alter ego name, "Pepe Mtoto," a name Julian here is exploring the "cosmic music" that he found himself attracted to in the 1960s while working with Sun Ra and his Archestra, he recorded the album on June 28 and September 12, 1973 at Pat Gleeson's Different Fur Music studio in San Francisco, almost realizing the complete album as a one-man solo project, playing the roles of Bass Trombone, Tenor Trombone, Trombone [Alto], Baritone Horn, Horn [Post], Flute, Cowbell, Percussion [Small], Synthesizer [Arp 2600, Prototype Arp String Synthesizer], Producer, Mixer, and Composer on all songs with only synthesizer expert Patrick Gleeson (the seventh and final addition to Herbie's Septet) and drummer Ndugu Leon Chancler from his former band. 

LIneup /  Musicians:
Julian Priester ("Pepo Mtobo") - trombone, horns, whistle, flute, percussion, synthesizers
Patrick Gleeson - synthesizers
Hadley Caliman - flute, saxophone, clarinet
Mguanda David Johnson - flute, saxophone
Bill Connors - electric guitars
Bayete Umbra Zindiko (Todd Cochran) - piano, clavinet
Ron McClure - electric bass (Track 1)
Nyimbo Henry Franklin - electric bass (track 2)
Ndugu Leon Chancler - drums
Kamau Eric Gravatt - drums, congas

1. "Prologue/Love, Love" (19:30) an extremely engaging groove with some very Deodato-like keyboard and bass play providing the spine of the entire side-long song. The overall feel does have more of a long-play Krautrock feel despite the business of the contributing musicians (particularly keyboard artist Todd Cochran and electric guitarist Bill Connors but also bassist Ron McClure). The drums, percussion, and bass are incredibly solid and steady throughout, which offers the soloists very fecund ground on which to perform their psychedelic gymnastics. It feels as if all of the soloists were given plenty of room and encouragement to experiment and "go off"--even during the live recording. As a result, this is a great, eminently enjoyable, and also very soothing and hypnotic song. (37/40)

2. "Images/Eternal Worlds/Epilogue" (18:24) a song that seems founded far more in more-traditional form and structure despite the rogue bass playing of Henry Franklin. In the third minute, drummer Ndugu Leon Chancler and electric pianist Todd Cochran seem to fall back into Deodato-like mode, yet are free enough to expand upon their foundational forms to express themselves with admirable abandon. Pat Gleeson and Priester also seem to be having a creative free-for-all, spewing forth all kinds of animal-like noises (Julian seeming to concentrate on the elephantine). Even the sax player in gets into the act in the sixth and seventh minutes. This is some cosmic ride: entropy rules! Thus it is quite unexpected when the whole band suddenly shifts in the eighth minute into a sudden shift into a low-piano chord and cymbal-guided "Love Supreme"-like motif, congealing over the next two minutes into such tightly -engaged and -focused unit that their gradual, almost imperceptible transition into what feels like a high-speed Latin rumba line by the eleventh minute made me wonder (more that once) if I was still listening to the same album--or even the same band! These are obviously very serious and very skilled jazz musicians. Pianist Todd Cochran is especially impressive but so is everyone else. They are so tight! So skilled! So professional! After the first rather psychedelic song of hypnotic space funk and the chaotic opening seven minutes of this, I would never in a million years have predicted this amazingly sophisticated "big band" jazz! I love this song--immediately wanted to play it again and then left it on repeat for the whole morning! Wow! (39/40)

96.25 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; an amazingly fresh expression of the relatively new Jazz-Rock Fusion idiom containing free-form experimentation over super-solid rhythm play, spanning the spectrum from the spacey-psychedelic to the most professional big band sound. One of the finest J-R Fuse albums of its time (with great sound thanks to Manfred Eicher and his ECM label); definitely in my Top 10 Jazz-Rock Fusion Albums of prog's "Classic Era."

JONI MITCHELL Court and Spark (1974)

Joni spent a large amount of time of 1973 in the recording studio as she had taken it upon herself to both produce as much of the material herself and work hard to achieve her goal of merging her folk music background with her growing love and understanding of Jazz music into her own personal sound. Part of her success began to happen when she began collaborating with Jazz-Rock Fusion musicians, thus a large number of her usual collaborators--who were also friends--were weeded out in lieu of paid musicians. Fusion veteran Tom Scott and his steady band of L.A. session musicians, The L.A. Express, were the group she eventually depended on the most. The finished result was released on January 17 (or 14), 1974.

A1. "Court And Spark" (2:46) an awesome and telling opener. (9.333/10)

A2. "Help Me" (3:22) one of my absolute all-time favorite songs. Sheer perfection! (11/10)

A3. "Free Man In Paris" (3:02) another near-perfect (and so insightfully sarcastic song) (9.75/10)

A4. "People's Parties" (2:20) great familiarity. (9/10)

A5. "The Same Situation" (3:05) (8.875/10)

B1. "Car On A Hill" (2:58) (8.875/10)

B2. "Down To You" (5:36) Joni with her piano. So intimate! (8.875/10)

B3. "Just Like This Train" (4:23) "sour grapes" (9.125/10)

B4. "Raised On Robbery" (3:05) old-time rock 'n' roll (8.75/10)

B5. "Trouble Child" (3:57) plodding and methodical, concealing Joni's sharp-tongued criticism, acoustic guitar-led band with muted trumpet coming in after the first chorus. Nice work from the ensemble with a really cool and creative bridge to some nice jazziness at the 2:00 mark. Kudos to John Guerin, Jim Hughart, Dennis Budimir, and Joe Sample. (8.875/10)

B6. "Twisted" (2:18) jazzy spy jive. No wonder: it's a cover of an old jazz classic from Annie Ross and Wardell Gray. Interesting genius. (4.5/5)

Total time: 36:02

I resisted giving Joni Mitchell much of a chance in my youth because she was all about words and I have so much trouble hearing words and even more trouble ciphering out the often-layered meanings in words, phrases, sentences--especially lyrics and poetry. [Author's note: The irony in this is that I consider myself somewhat of a wordsmith: have been a prolific letter writer since age 16, which turned into being a writer of over 15 novels (13 published), with the discovery therein that the underlying cause and effect of my writing was therapeutic (each character of each novel is the exorcizing of a part or avenue of choice in my own life that is thereafter purged forever, thereby allowing me the freedom of moving on, moving forward with my own life.] There may also have been a little resistance to Joni's music due to her female brain circuitry. But now, 50 years later, I fully recognize how important Joni Mitchell and her music have been to the music world (even to Jazz-Rock Fusion)--and that Court and Spark is one of those displays of her extraordinary craft and skill that will stand forever--should stand forever--as a beacon of artistic and human achievement. Thank god for recorded music and thank god for Joni Mitchell.

91.39 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a masterpiece of pop-oriented Pop Folk Jazz-Rock music. Knowing Joni's love for and future path into Jazz music, I feel almost compelled to somehow include this album in the Compendium.

JOHN LEE & GERRY BROWN Infinite Jones (1974)

Release by Keytone Records in 1974, the Chris Hinze-produced album was recorded at Dureco Studio in Weesp, Netherlands, on June 23 & 24 in 1973 and then later re-released as Bamboo Madness in 1994.

Lineup / Musicians:

- John Lee / Electric Bass

- Gerry Brown / Drums

- Gary Bartz / Alto Sax, Soprano Sax, Slide Whistle, Percussion

- Chris Hinze / Flute, Alto Flue, Bass Flute, Piccolo Flute, Bamboo Flute, Producer

- Howard King / Percussion

- Henny Vonk / Vocals, Percussion

With:

- Jasper Van't Hof / Electric Piano, Organ (1, 2)

- Rob Van Den Broeck / Piano, Electric Piano (1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7)

- Hubert Eaves / Percussion, Piano, Electric Piano (1, 2. 4. 5, 7)

- Wim Stolwijk / Piano, Voice (6)  

A1. "Infinite Jones" (6:42) opening with some careful, pensive notes and play from Gerry Brown's cymbals (and, soon, snare) and John Lee's bass--sounding as if they're starting up the engine of a lawn mower or chain saw with the pull string--but soon the rest of the band begin to enter, all at first slowly, as if just joining the party, but then congealing into a wonderfully flowing jazz-rock fusion--one in which John Lee's front and center bass is very active along 100% of his fretboard while multiple electric pianos and piano's create a rich filler in the background and bluesy lead instrument over the top. Soprano saxophonist Gary Bartz gets plenty of lead and support time as well as does percussionist Henny Wonk's wordless vocalese at the end (previewing a tactic Pat Metheny will employ quite liberally over the course of his career). Great performances from all but especially impressive is John Lee. (8.875/10) 

A2. "Deliverance" (13:43) opening with a 25-second fireworks display from drummer Gerry Brown before he stops to allow John Lee, Gary Bartz, and the three keyboards players to step in and start building ther weave. Amazing speed coming from Gary Bartz' fingering of his soprano saxophone. Quite the RTF/GINO VANNELLI Jerome Richardson-like sound and melodies expressed over some very virtuosic performances from all of the contributors, especially Gerry, John, Gary, flutist Chris Hinze, and the three keyboard players. A top-notch J-R Fuze epic from some top notch musicians. High powered and eminently impressive! (28/30)

B1. "Jua" (7:04) another slow, scattered start in which the players seem to gather themselves in the effort to gradually create a jazz jam in the vein of MILES DAVIS' seminal In a Silent Way and Bitches Brew albums, this each individual instrumentalist seemingly soloing non-stop while holding together a complex weave over which individuals can step forward to solo. Saxophonist Gary Bartz is particularly powerful in this latter capacity while the pianist(s) provide a strong presence in support just beneath the soloist(s). Again, Henny Wonk provides matching vocalese to take the song's melody out at the end. Great pacing, weave intricacies, and melodies. (13.75/15)  

B2. "Absolute Posolutely" (2:57) drums with slide whistle for the song's entirety. Unusual song. Nice crisp drum playing. (4.375/5)

B3. "Rise On" (3:17) piano, double bass, and drums open this one, establishing a straight-line motif over which flutes and saxes create and carry the melodies. Gerry Brown's embellishments and fills are great as is Hubert Eaves' piano support. (Hubert was apparently a very busy man on this one: aslo playing percussion and electric piano.) Rollicking fun and perfectly measured. (9/10)     

B4. "Who Can See the Shadow of the Moon" (5:17) long, slow MAGMA-esque intro and build into a plodding pretentious piece of "Black Orpheus"-like mood music. Chris Hinze's flute playing is finally given its due with the support of Rob Van Den Broeck on piano and electric piano as well as Wim Stolwijk's piano and heavenly vocalese. Interesting and pretty but nothing to get too excited about despite John Lee's nice double bass play. (8.75/10)

B5. "Bamboo Madness" (2:30) Chris Hinze blowing hard on his bamboo flute while John Lee accompanies with some very funky bass play and Howard King and, eventually, Gerry Brown provide some awesome percussion and drum support, respectively. I love how John doubles up Chris' melody line in the final minute. (4.5/5) 

Total time: 41:28

90.88 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of Second Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion from an ensemble of virtuosi. Highly recommended for all J-R F fans and fans of great, creative ensemble work.

JEREMY STEIG Monium (1974)

Flute-led Jazz Fusion that was recorded in 1973 and then released by Columbia Records on January 25, 1974.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Jeremy Steig / flutes [C- and bass]

- Eddie Gomez / bass

- Marty Morell / drums, percussion

- Ray Mantilla / congas, timbales

A1. "Mason Land Express" (8:03) hard-drivin' wild man music! (13.5/15)

A2. "Bluesdom" (7:46) jazzified blues! Eddie and Marty seem to be really connected while Ray adds those timbales fills perfectly. It's a pretty standard three-chord blues progression for the first minute and a half but then at 1:38 Eddie and the rhythmatists take off into a full-one jazz romp with Jeremy responding accordingly. At the three-minute mark Eddie tries to bring the quartet back to Earth but even he cannot help but spice things up with some jazzed up blues licks. Meanwhile Jeremy sits back and watches as Marty segues into some fine, full-on rock drumming--jazzing it up just enough to disguise its true nature. Eddie's fine solo finally ends at 5:18 upon which time the quartet return to the blues-rock motif that started us off--until Marty somehow slips the corral and solos a bit before being reigned back in by the rest of the band. Some really fine musicianship--a lot of which was obviously improvised on the spot--by three fine masters of their crafts. Respect but I'm not as much a blues/blues rock fan. (13.25/15)

A3. "Djinn Djinn" (9:30) drummer Marty Morell's lone composition on the album, I swear I've seen/heard this title on other albums which would make it somewhat of a standard. Lots of fairly laid-back Afro-Caribbean percussion over/within which Eddie riffs the backbone five-note chord (as well as, later, some fine bowed double bass soloing) as several tracks of Jeremy's treated flutes wend and weave in airy-faerie dances that seem appropriate for a genie--until 4:20 when Eddie's bowed ghost-dance begins. Marty takes over the lead in the eighth minute as Ray tags along, the two giving quite a solid drum 'n' percussion clinic until Jeremy's dulcet tones return, in multiple tracks, at the 8:00 mark. From that point on, everybody kind of falls back into line (in at least one of their tracks) while the bowed bass and several flutes seem to continue their elusive haunting. Interesting and pretty entertaining. (17.875/20)

B1. "Space Maiden" (3:12) Eddie playing single note-grounded bass chords while Jeremy flits and floats above as if he's hypnotized like a cobra by a pungi pipe. Jazz. (8.75/10)

B2. "Monium" (7:50) solo flute is suddenly joined at the one-minute mark by some seriously sassy/attitude ridden rock drums (sounding more like some Acid Jazz or Hip Hop drumming) and jazz double bass. Man! That drum beat is so ahead of its time! He's beyond funk. Even stolid Eddie Gomez can't help but get sucked into doing some funked-up playing like he's never done. Meanwhile, Jeremy finds his way into the mix with some fine Afro-Ian Anderson bluesy-jazz flute play. Over time this groove and weave really gets into your blood! After repeated listens one can certainly feel how similarly "possessed" each of the  band members was while performing this. (13.875/15)

B3. "Dream Passage" (11:14) opens sounding like an awesome James Newton Howard or Alexandre Desplat soundtrack piece as Eddie's bowed bass plays a pattern that you'd swear came from a famous Yo-Yo Ma chamber orchestra piece, and Jeremy's bass flute provides several other bow-like background threads while the other flutes flit and flail in several other tracks and channels, filling the sonosphere with majestic music befitting David Darling's early-21st Century 8-string cello pieces. Suddenly at the very end of the third minute the whole landscape shifts into a jazzy kind of Ravel "Bolero" feel as Marty Morell's drums and Ray Mantilla's timbales seem to sneak in. Suddenly this is a very different feeling song: a very new and radically-different scene to this "dream." In the sixth minute Eddie takes a very standard jazz solo on his bass as Ray and Marty continue to travel around the sonic horizon (while Jeremy steps back and lets things unfold as they do). When Jeremy does return at the end of the eighth minute it's just before another strange, long fade which results in the restart of the opening motif at 8:55. Interesting. It's almost like something I'd expect from the soundtrack of a Christopher Nolan film or French Who-Dunnit. Majestic play, heavenly construction, everlasting impact. Music--or human expression through art--doesn't really get any better than this! (20/20)

Total Time: 47:35

Not as much rock or fusion here as there is experimental jazz and future jazz-funk--both of which are quite remarkable and fascinatingly interesting. At the same time, the level of creativity being exhibited by these virtuoso musicians is off the charts! I feel so blessed to have been made privvy to these wonderful pieces and performances!

91.84 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of highly creative and singularly visionary Jazz Fusion.

WAYNE SHORTER Moto Grosso (1974)

Recorded at A & R Recording Studio, New York City on April 3, 1970. Why it took so long for so many of Wayne Shorter's solo studio recording sessions to reach the public I'll never know. (Poor record label decision-making.) [Author's note: Further research leads me to a theory that the album was abandoned during production due to the sudden retirement of producer and Blue Note executive Duke Pearson. This sudden chaos in the Blue Note hierarchy might have caused the album to be shelved until a replacement crew could be lined up (or the album lined up for attention from one of the label's other producers). Plus, Wayne was keeping up such a hectic, non-stop schedule with touring and other projects that he probably couldn't find much time to insert himself into the situation (remember: this well before our current era of cordless or cell phone accessibility).] 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Wayne Shorter / tenor & soprano saxophones, composer (excl. track 4) & arranger
With:
- John McLaughlin / 12-string guitar
- Dave Holland / acoustic guitar, bass
- Ron Carter / double bass, cello
- Chick Corea / marimba, drums, percussion
- Micheline Pelzer / drums, percussion
- Miroslav Vitous / bass (unconfirmed)

1. "Moto Grosso Feio" (12:25) a long, mostly-slow, richly-textured piece that included marimba (from Chick Corea!), drums, bowed instruments like double bass (Dave Holland and maybe Miroslav Vitous) and cello (Ron Carter), multiple basses, and even some odd 12-string guitar, not to mention Wayne's soft and lilting soprano sax coos and teases! How/Why that guy never jumps to the front to completely dominate I don't know, but he doesn't. At the end of the tenth minute the whole band comes together behind Dave Holland's bass, Micheline Pelzer and Chick Corea's drumming and/or percussion play to propel things forward with a thick but still cohesive weave. So, a three-part suite of pure genius. I have tears! Genius! (24.25/25)

 
2. "Montezuma" (7:50) this one opens up with a fade in to a period in which the rhythm section is falling into a groove that sounds like something from the world of rock 'n' roll--or future Trip Hop. Once established--everybody grooving in sync (same lineup as the previous song)--Wayne finds inspiration to join in, employing a melody line that sounds/feels like a kind of variation on . I really like this big, loose, "high school jam" like feel coming from the rhythmatists--all of them being big-time superstars! Chick's marimba and Dave and Miroslav's bass lines are so melodic in and of themselves but gel perfectly together. Ron Carter's bowed cello comes in to back and sometimes mirror Wayne's melody lines while Micheline (and, later, Chick) continues to play solid Latin-feeling drum lines. By the second half of the song Wayne and Ron are in a direct harmonic duel between the cello and sax. (13.75/15)

  

3. "Antiqua" (5:20) bass harmonics, tremolo strummed treated 12-string guitar (Johnny Mac) and acoustic guitar (Dave Holland), and tremolo marimba high notes, cymbal-heavy reactive syncopated drumming, deep bass flourishing, and incessant mosquito-like soprano sax legato runs make up the fairly chaotic weave of this avant garde piece of free jazz. (8.875/10) 

4. "Vera Cruz" (5:05) gentle and constant marimba notes, strummed and calypso-harmonics 12-string guitar, then bass and cello with Wayne joining in from beneath with what sounds like a tenor sax (yay!) all gel together into a textural cushion of serene soul support. Even the chords, harmonies, and melodies all have a balming effect even if they're not major chords but slightly chromatically-arranged. This is an edge of chromatic chord construction that my puny little uneducated brain can tolerate--not unlike those proffered by Pat Metheny at his mastery level in the 80s and beyond. Beautiful if totally representative of the subtle, underlying decay of Western Civilization the second half of the 20th Century. (9.333/10)

5. "Iska" (11:20) opening with a kind of free-for-all of marimba, distant sax, hesitant tom and cymbal rolling, and some truly weird-effected strings playing at the highest pitch-ends of their fret-/fingerboards. John's 12-string, especially, sounds unhinged, untuned, and so-distorted. All the while the crazed frantic frenzy tries to find a center, a common direction and goal. I can appreciate the energy and intelligence that went into this song but I cannot say that I find it inspiring or enjoyable. (17.333/20) 

Total time 42:00

This is definitely one astonishing collection of boldly experimental songs that push well beyond the accepted boundaries of Jazz music and don't even qualify as avant garde. They're more impressionistic and proggy than avant garde, even fusions of world music. Having now gotten pretty intimate with each of the songs I have a better appreciation for the job left to the producer in order to polish and finish an album for public consumption: there were so many tracks being used, so many virtuosic threads to shape, balance, and then mix, that I can better understand the daunting task Blue Note members may have been intimitated to take on after Duke Pearson had abandoned it. 

91.91 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a minor masterpiece of early, experimental Jazz-Rock Fusion--one that explores a direction that very few jazz artists chose to take at that time. Would that others would have for we might have been able to see a more sustainable jazz-friendly niche genre for musicians to continue exploring instead of the more commercially-successful options that they were being pressured into following (like Jazz-Funk, Latin Jazz, Smooth Jazz, and other easy listening/adult contemporary forms and styles). While I am NOT a fan of the instrument Wayne Shorter prefers (soprano sax) or the way in which Wayne Shorter shapes and organizes melodies, I am really beginning to understand him fro being the creative genius that inspired so many others to ascend to such great heights.

JOE FARRELL Penny Arcade (1974)

Recorded at Van Gelder Studios, October, 1973, and then release by Creed Taylor's CTI Records early in 1974. With this album we see Joe's Chicago and Hispanic roots coming to the surface more (as so much repressed cultural aspects were coming to the surface in the early 1970s): Joe is moving away from the more traditional jazz perspectives that he nurtured with the likes of Elvin Jones, Buster Williams, Chick Corea, Jack DeJohnette, and Herbie Hancock, and the even the more youthful, rock-oriented perspective offered by Stanley Clarke on his previous album, Moon Germs. Bring on the inner city funk and Latin influences!

Line-up / Musicians:

- Joe Farrell / tenor sax, soprano sax, flute, piccolo flute
- Herbie Hancock / piano

- Herb Bushler / bass

- Steve Gadd / drums

- Don Alias / congas
- Joe Beck / guitar

A1. "Penny Arcade" (4:45) opening the album with a high-energy funk tune contributed by guitarist Joe Beck. It's a highly-sophisticated jazz-tinged R&B tune that would make the JBs and other bands of the ilk proud and it contains some great whole-group recitation passages as well as some nice open runs over which the musicians have a lot of space, freedom, and inspiration from which to solo. Joe Beck gets the first solo on his wah-wah-pedal-controlled electric guitar, then the band leader: moving straight into a melody that sounds like a close variation on the great funk song, "Streetbeater" by Quincy Jones that was made famous in every American household due to its use as the opening theme song to the weekly broadcast of the popular television situation comedy, Sanford and Son (which debuted in the Autumn of 1972). (9.125/10)

A2. "Too High" (13:15) opens like a great cover of Stevie Wonder's classic from his monster hit album from the same year, Innervisions. Knowing how much I already loved this song (as well as Stevie and his Innervisions album) I knew it would be difficult to not like this song, but the overall sound feels slightly hollow or dull, though the work of the rhythm section is exquisite--with Joe Beck, Herb Bushler, and Herbie Hancock really livening it up with their respective roles; it's the rather lackadaisical drumming and "weak" sound of the soprano sax that renders it weak over all. A tenor sax might have served to give a little more meat to the fine bones. Also, Joe should've unleashed Herbier earlier than he does as the dude showed in the opening minute and a half that he was primed and ready! A little more volume on Joe Beck's guitar would also have helped--and even more flange and volume on Herb's excellent bass. And if Don Alias is present I wouldn't know it! Or maybe Joe should've doubled up/banked his horn as one of many--a horn section! Anyway, the song falls far short of my Stevie Wonder-High expectations--and this song just invites a Jazz-Rock Fusion rendition! Too bad. (26.25/30)  

B1. "Hurricane Jane" (4:25) the rest of the album's songs are all Joe Farrell originals. This one has Steve Gadd fired up and really taking off, and it sports Joe playing multiple horns as a horn section as well as several cool tangents in which the band gets very engaged in some complex and syncopated whole-band recitations. Most of all, it's just so to finally hear the great Steve Gadd fully fired up! 90-seconds into the song the band falls into line for a vamp that supports individual solos. The first to solo is Joe Farrell on his tenor sax--but it's mixed far back into the soundscape--behind the drums, Rhodes, and rhythm guitar! Joe Beck's performance is awesome: whether he's playing some wah-wah rhythm or some jazzy/R&B lead, just spot on awesome. (9.125/10) 

B2. "Cloud Cream" (6:15) setting up a sumptuous warm breezy Latin island evening motif, we finally get to hear some of the inputs of the great Don Alias as every body else kind of starts off quiet and rather subdued--as if afraid to be notice above the waves of the palm trees and the smells of the piña coladas (you know: the lime and the coconut). Flute and keyboard duet the same melody line at first but then at 1:45 the band stalls for a salsa-like Chick Corea Hispanic break in order to bridge into the next section of solos: Joe's piccolo. Herbie's piano accompaniment beneath is almost as interesting (and loud) but then we come into another salsa-refresh to bridge us to Herbie's solo. It's nice: laid back Herbie sticking with the vibe of the song instead of elevating it or hijacking it, yet definitely bringing it back into the hard bop jazz of the 60s. Nice! And, surprise, he gets to take us into the final recapitulation of the main theme with Joe's piccolo. (9/10)

B3. "Geo Blue" (7:30) a very pleasant sound palette that sounds very 1960s "classic" lounge jazz: pretty, engaging, not too complex (though still quite subtly sophisticated--more in the soloists' melody lines instead of the pace and/or departure from "standard" and "Western familiar" pentatonic or major and minor key melody lines. Interestingly, this song could very easily have landed on one of Steely Dan's mid-1970s albums and I wouldn't have blinked--sounding very much like "Doctor Wu." Faultless if old-fashioned (and conjuring up a lot of nostalgia--for those "good old days," you know). This the kind of musical style in which I think the sax (not the soprano) and perhaps Joe Farrell sounds most fitting. (13.75/15)

Total Time 35:30

89.667 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of Jazz-Rock Fusion that shows an artist experimenting with a number of possible directions to take his music, including standard jazz, Latin Jazz, Pop, R&B, and Funk. Wait till the end of the year: with his next album, Upon This Rock, you get to hear the direction he chooses!

February

THE ELEVENTH HOUSE Introducing The Eleventh House with Larry Coryell (1974)

With 1969's Spaces (released, mysteriously, some 19 months after it was recorded), it felt as if guitarist Larry Coryell might have been a little reluctant to jump fully on board the Power Rock infusion of the Jazz-Rock Fusion movement, but then I'm sure he could see the commercial, critical, and financial success his band mates from that album were having: John McLaughlin and Billy Cobham with the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Miroslav Vitous with Weather Report, and Chick Corea with his Return To Forever project. Tapping into some of his more adventurous New York City-based friends, this was what he came up with. Though recorded in 1973 at Vanguard's 23rd Street Studio in New York City, Larry's loyal label did not release 

Introducing The Eleventh House with Larry Coryell until February of 1974.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Larry Coryell / guitar
- Randy Brecker / trumpet 
- Mike Mandel / piano, ARP synth
- Danny Trifan / bass
- Alphonse Mouzon / percussion

1. "Birdfingers" (3:07) Alphonse Mouzon gets us started, showing off a little of his skills before the song's swirling melody lines are launched by Larry Coryell and Randy Brecker and, later, Mike Mandel. Man! These guys are all moving!--especially the afore-mentioned trio. Great opener putting it all out there! (9.75/10)

2. "The Funky Waltz" (5:10) using a "Papa Was a Rolling Stone"-like bass and cymbal foundation the synth, trumpet and electric guitar lines established over the top are nice though the weird "fireworks"-like synth flares are pretty annoying. Larry's mute/wah-affected solos in the second and third minutes have the sound that is similar to that of the pedal steel that I hear from Steely Dan guitarist Jeff "Skunk" Baxter on Can't Buy a Thrill or the horns from the Pretzel Logic album. (8.66667/10)

3. "Low-Lee-Tah" (4:17) opening with a reverbed guitar arpeggio display similar to something we all heard on the Mahavishnu albums. The rest of the band slowly joins in, not yet shifting the tempo into anything above first gear but maintaining a great atmosphere of potential energy. Randy Brecker takes the first solo. I wish they had mixed him better: more a part of the song instead of feeling outside of the others. Larry takes the next solo using lots of bending of notes on the fretboards like John McLaughlin does with his special scooped frets for his Indian music. Pretty cool but not perfect. (9/10)

4. "Adam Smasher" (4:30) A bit of a Steely Dan sound to this one with the funk bass and drums and clavinet. Mike Mandel's Fender Rhodes takes the first solo sounding like the next Bob James generation of the Herbie/Chick sound. Randy's solo is interesting for his virtuosic use of the muting device. Larry's solo is next: he's using a wah-pedal/device that gives another shape and sound to his dextrous guitar play. (It almost sounds like the talkbox tube made famous by Peter Frampton.) (8.875/10)

5. "Joy Ride" (6:08) more laid back music that allows more space for the musicians to be heard and appreciated. During the first two minutes as the band establishes the foundations and framework of the song, Larry's guitar playing sounds almost like he's playing an acoustic: so smooth and fluid. Later he gets more aggressive and fiery in his particular way. The keys are particularly noticeable throughout, feeling something between Herbie Hancock and Bob James. I like the picking up of the pace in the fifth minute for the duelling between Larry and the wah-effected ARP and trumpet. Overall, another song that is perhaps a little too simple in its basic construct: like having white bread when you want wheat or rye. (8.75/10)

6. "Yin" (6:03) more power jazz-rock fusion that seems to be trying to sound like Billy-Cobham led Mahavishnu music. I like Larry's abrasive rhythm guitar while supporting Randy Brecker's great first solo. His solo in the third minute over the high-speed rhythm track below is awesome--as is the hard-driving work of bassist Danny Trifan and drummer Mouzon. Perhaps the best song on the album. Randy, Alphonse, and Danny are extraordinary. (9.75/10)

7. "Theme for a Dream" (3:26) slow and dreamy with a bit of a feel of an interlude song from a Broadway musical. The kind of musical landscape that spawned the Easy Listening and Smooth Jazz genres of music. Larry's muted and effected guitar sounds a lot like the virtuosic background guitar play of Steely Dan's great guitarists like Larry Carlton, Jay Graydon, Dean Parks, Hugh McCracken, and Lee Ritenour.  It's pretty! (8.875/10)

8. "Gratitude 'A So Low'" (3:21) a solo electric guitar song from Larry. Not very melodic nor even super impressive! (8.666667/10)

9. "Ism - Ejercicio" (3:59) trying to be heavy and ominous, it's just not working: neither the chord progression, low end, or pacing. The bass-and-drum race of the second minute is an odd and not altogether engaging motif, nor is the next heavy, plodding Mahavishnu-like blues-rock motif over which Randy's muting play solo ensues. Then there is the YES-like motif in the final minute in which Alphonse's drumming sounds out of sync with the others. (8.6666667/10)

10. "Right On Y'All" (4:21) a fairly together fast-driving song with more sounds and stylings that remind me of Steely Dan as well as some annoying cowbell, guitar play, and synth noises. (8.75/10)

Total Time 44:22

All of Larry's bandmates are quite competent with drummer Alphonse Mouzon receiving a lot of attention for his dynamic work, but, for me, it is trumpeter Randy Brecker who keeps stealing my attention away from the others--even from Larry himself. I agree with other reviewers that the songwriting on this album seemed to take a back seat to A) fitting into the genre and B) showing off the skills of the individual musicians. 

For as talented and skilled as Larry Coryell was, he must have had a stubborn streak running deep inside cuz the dude never quite fit in--never became as famous, always stuck to a very eccentric agenda and style of music--even his guitar sound remained "stuck" inside some kind of dirty, raunchy, macho that sounded as if he had to make more noise than everyone else. Maybe he had some kind of inferiority complex that he was compensating for. Maybe it's because he had to wear glasses. Or because he was from Seattle. But he had cool hair! My point is: the dude never really moved to the front of the class and I think this had a lot to do with his stubbornly eccentric choices: he wanted to be different and he was; it was just not the kind of 'different' that propels one to the top of the charts or in front of sold-out arena-size audiences.

89.75 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; there are some great, top tier J-R Fuse tunes and performances here--some real highs--but there are also a few duds, making this album as a whole the kind of middle of the road.

Michał URBANIAK Fusion (1974)

Polish expat Michał Urbaniak and his wife Urszula Dudziak immigrated to New York in September of 1973, three months after their Constellations band recorded their first album under their new contract with CBS. In more recent interviews, Michał and Ulla both recall their decision to come to the United States as a permanent move--saying that they fully intended on becoming US citizens from the start. The release of this album, Fusion, in February of 1974, may have been Columbia Records' way of celebrating the arrival and commitment made by their new-found power couple as the album is for all intents and purposes, a veritable re-packaging and re-release of that same studio LP from the previous year. Same songs (same exact recordings extracted from the same master tapes made in Germany). Same song order. Same everything. It is in fact the same collection of songs that was recorded in June of 1973, in Europe, and released, in Europe, later in 1973, under the title "Michał Urbaniak Constellation Super Constellation." In order to give proprietorship and thus new life and new title to this new version, CBS had Michał record one additional song in the US using American musicians. This was the song "Fusion," which would become the title of the "new" album as well as one of the side-monikers Columbia would use for the Jazz-Rock Fusion project they had in mind for Michał over the next couple of years. Unfortunately, the label would only continue their contract with Michał for three albums: this one, 1974's Atma, and 1975's Fusion III, three albums that are usually considered his peak contributions to the Jazz-Rock Fusion lexicon.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Michał Urbaniak / Electric violin, violectra, soprano sax
- Urszula Dudziak / Voice, percussion
- Adam Makowicz / Keyboards
- Wojciech Karolak / Hammond organ, Farfisa
- Czesław Bartkowski / Drums, Paiste cymbals

A1. "Good Times, Bad Times" (5:13) potent hard-driving bass, drums, and keys (organ, clavinet, and Fender Rhodes) support the smooth violin play of Mr. Urbaniak as well as the treated Northettes style vocalese of Ula Dudziak. Ula is most aggressive when she's off on her own, but she is "reigned in" for most of the song by running the same melody lines alongside her husband's violin or the right hand of Wojciech Karolak's organ. Strong, demanding composition. Great performance from drummer Czesław Bartkowski. (9/10)

A2. "Bahamian Harvest" (7:14) opens with a long Billy Cobham-like syncopated drum line over/within which Urlszula performs some GILLI SMYTH like pixie/faerie mischief. Multiple bass lines, coming from organ and Fender, help the two keyboardists drive the song forward so that Michał can get the most out of his electric violin and violectra (a Barcus Berry-electrified baritone violin). The second half of this song--the violin-dominated half--is the part of the song presents to the world the Jean-Luc Ponty "cruising" sound that would become the signature Jean-Luc Ponty sound even before Jean-Luc Ponty ever heard or conceived of it. (13.25/15)

A3. "Impromptu" (3:25) percussion instruments and loose Fender Rhodes support Michał's slow and pensive violin play (on two violins in two different tracks). Organ and other heavily-treated electronic keyboard sounds provide a kind of bubbling effect to go with the Fender and percussion sounds. (8.75/10)

A4. "Seresta" (6:06) an upbeat, cheery tune of electro-funk that presents Ula and Michał's instruments in an early version of what would become the Third pre-Fourth Wave Smooth Jazz that Brian Auger had already been pioneering and that Jean-Luc Ponty, Larry Young, and others would soon become fully entrenched in. Very cool, innovative percussion sounds being used here by both Czesław and Urszula. The big lead instruments are not only Michał and Ula but Wojciech Karolak's organ. Very new and fresh overall sound palette. (9.125/10)

B1. "Fusion" (2:55) chorused electric guitar arpeggi and congas open this one before bass, organ, clavinet and Fender Rhodes join in with Ula's vocal scat lines performing the lead melody along side her husband's electric violin and a Moog-y synth. (I'd love to know exactly who the "American musicians" Columbia employed to create this song with the Urbaniaks.) Sounds very much like some of those early GONG songs only with much richer and fuller sound engineering. (9/10)

B2. "Deep Mountain" (6:34) organ chord, introductory drum rolls, long-held bass and flanging violin notes behind which Ula's pretty voice soars like a smooth-flying raptor--all this lasting almost a minute and a half before Czesław and the keyboardists launch into the medium-paced funky track that they're going to play beneath Michał's wah-wah/flange-effected electric violin. Ula's duplication of the synth (or heavily-treated violin)'s main melody line is remarkable--and so charming. CBS most definitely must have had an idea of what they wanted from Urszula cuz she never ever gets as wild and crazy as she used to on the band's earlier albums; her singing lines are very smooth and supportive, often mixed well into the background (though mixed very clearly)--angelic like the three voices of Hatfield And The North's Northettes--rarely used as a lead instrument and never mixed out in the front. (I feel bad for her!) Adam Makowicz gets the next solo after Michał with his "dirty" Fender Rhodes. Very smooth, engaging, and well-performed. While I love the Northettes-like vocalizations asked of Urszula, I can't help but feel sorry for her being so much more reigned in than usual. (9/10)

B3. "Bengal" (13:51) Shakti-Shankar-like plaintive violin opens this one as frenetic Fender Rhodes, African-like percussion, organ, and drumming elements play wildly around in the background, beneath the increasingly effected-disrupted violin sounds. After more than two minutes the music smooths out from beneath with drums, bass, and percussion settling into fairly straightforward jazz play (while the "distant" Fender and Wulitzer organ continue their frenzied play). Ula is given free reign aand front billing for the fifth minute--and she does not disappoint with her Flora Purim-like scatting of a wide variety of African jungle noises. Drummer Czesław Bartkowski really shines throughout this entire song with his constantly creative rhythms and fills. Michał, of course, takes a few of the solo segments though there is a very interesting/entertaining passage in the tenth minute when two keyboardists (two channels of Adam Makozicz?) seem to both take on the frenzied, frantic lizard/instect style of their vocalist and violinist leader (all the while with Czesław Bartkowski absolutely killing it beneath them). While this song stands out for many people for many reasons, I find it less cohesive and less enjoyable than the previous three songs. It's too loose and spacey like something from Bitches Brew (an album I've never particularly enjoyed). Impressive performances and ideas brought to life, to be sure, but just not as enjoyable to listen, groove, or dance to as some of Michał's other stuff. (26.5/30)

Total time: 45:14

I happen to agree with many reviewers that Side Two of this album is superior to the music and songs of Side One. Another aspect of this album that renders it so essential as a representative of peak Jazz-Rock Fusion is the advanced sound recording and engineering techniques: it's so clear and clean, mixed with such excellent definition, despite the use of many effects on almost all of the individual mics and instruments. 

89.08 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of genre-defining Jazz-Rock Fusion music. Though this is not my favorite Michał Urbaniak album, the music is definitely back on track after the disturbingly substandard Inactin. 

TOM SCOTT AND THE L.A. EXPRESS Tom Scott and The L.A. Express (1974)

A son of a famous and prolific Hollywood music personality, not only was music in Tom's blood, he was able to take advantage of some of his father's experience and connections in the music, television, and film worlds to make a name for himself at a fairly young age. After years in the trenches of Los Angeles' jazz music scene--including working with Jan & Dean, The California Dreamers, and the great Don Ellis in his Orchestra--all as a teenager in 1966 and 1967 (appearing as a featured soloist on Don's iconic Live at Monterey ! and Live in 3 2/3/4th Time albums)--and still more working as a studio sessions player (with over 15 major albums contributed to before his first solo album was released in 1969)--Tom had finally made a name for himself, even earned himself his own recording contract (releasing his first album as band leader and composer in 1967 with the collaborative accompaniment of LA's famous Wrecking Crew), and participated in making several songs hits with his saxophone (including the theme songs for two of televisions biggest hits, The Streets of San Francisco (1972), and, in 1975 Starsky and Hutch).

     Tom Scott and The L.A. Express was recorded in L.A. during August and September of 1973 (while also working with Joni Mitchell, recording material for her Court and Spark album). The album was released by Ode Records in February of 1974.

     The album is also notable for the first credited appearance of a new technological achievement in music: the Lyricon. An instrument that Tom's association with would amount to something of a signature for him also happens to be an instrument of which Tom was the world's pioneer. Bill Bernardi's Lyricon is an electronic wind-senstive instrument that predated any and all horn synthesizers or computer/MIDI generated engineering. Bill patented the Lyricon in 1971 and then perfected and prepared it for commercial sales over the next couple years. Tom was the first person to purchase one of Bill's revolutionary instruments.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Tom Scott / saxes, woodwinds, moog synthesizer, percussion, Lyricon
- Larry Carlton (The [Jazz] Crusaders) / guitars

- Max Bennett / bass
- Joe Sample (The [Jazz] Crusaders) / piano, organ, ARP synthesizer

- John Guerin / drums, percussion
Guest artist:

- Joni Mitchell / vocal

A1. "Bless My Soul" (4:13) a funky R&B rhythm track is called out by a guitar trick from Larry Carlton that sets in motion a whole series of responses from Joe Sample's Fender Rhodes and Tom Scott's multiple tracks served up as the "horn section." This sets in motion a circular cycle of perpetual motion within and over which the musicians get to insert their idiosynchronous riffs and flourishes as well as a few solo outbursts (mostly from Tom's saxes.) (9/10) 

A2. "Sneakin' In The Back" (4:31) a pretty cool, almost mysterious, song that grooves due to John Guerin's driving drums and Max Bennett's vibrant, light bass lines, as well as Tom's sax inputs, but it's the unusual chords and sensitive finger touch methods of both Joe Sample on his ARP synthesizer and Larry Carlton's gentle almost-Country-Western finger picking that created the "mystery" sounds and feel. Pretty cool. (9/10)

 
A3. "King Cobra" (4:21) employing a sound and melody that felt like the iconic "Egyptian sound of Cleopatra" Tom creates the feeling and mystique of "The Temptress" with his opening melody line. The funky music (made so by Max Bennett's great bass tone and play as well as Joe's excellent funk electric piano play) is greatly enhanced by Larry's incredible chameleonic work on the electric guitar: rhythm, lead, mirroring Tom's "temptress" melody theme. Incredible! (Note at the end one of Tom's first recorded uses of the Lyricon!) (8.875/10)

A4. "Dahomey Dance" (3:40) Tom opens this with another earworm riff--borrowed from none other that John Coltrane (the composer credited to this song)--this one coming off of his multi-sax banked "horn section" and then The Express goes to work putting together one of the finest, most professional funk-R&B motifs you will likely ever hear. (The dudes have definitely been paying attention to the work of The Wrecking Crew and the JBs. Now it also becomes obvious and apparent how and that Tom founded The Blues Brothers.) (9.125/10)   

A5. "Nunya" (3:38) that's it! That's the secret Tom has learned from his father and the LA sessions musicians (like The Wrecking Crew and The Jazz Crusaders): if you open every song with an undeniably-addictive earworm, you've pretty much guaranteed your song's success. (A lesson that fellow Smooth Jazz high priest Bob James also mastered--to his great success.) this one opens with some more jazzy versions of R&B manoeuvers for a true J-R Fusion intro and then leap forward into a hard-drivin' J-R F masterclass. The boys are set free, unleashed, and they sure deliver: everybody here is on a level approaching The Mahavishnu Orchestra and Return To Forever. And for this one they don't even need a earworm hook (but they have a couple anyway--just in case, no doubt). The relatively short three-minute length is not surprising: working that hard at that speed must be exhausting! (9/10) 

B1. "Easy Life" (3:00) gentle and peaceful, this beautiful tune could easily serve as a lullaby or even late night massage song. A mellower, more soulful Motown like feel to this one really works--changes things up from the previous songs. What genius! Also, the unusual saxophone sound may indicate Tom's more confident use of his new toy, the Lyricon. (9/10)

B2. "Spindrift" (5:41) this song has always been my favorite on the album. It also served to galvanize my association of Tom Scott with the ascendancy and dominance of "Smooth Jazz" and "Yacht Rock" over the rest of the decade into the place it now holds as the pre-eminent market share holder over all other "Jazz" "Jazz-Related" "Adult Contemporary" and Late Night radio music formats in America. Max Bennett's funky bass line and John Guerin's sensitive drum play are literally mixed to be right in the listener's ears while The Crusaders' Joe Sample and Larry Carlton deliver their rich, intimate, and silky smooth Fender Rhodes and electric guitar chords as if they were massaging and caressing you as sexual foreplay. Such masterful performances! (9.625/10) 

 
B3. "Strut Your Stuff" (3:35) this time the opening hook is delivered by Joe Sample's electric piano and then reinforced by Tom and, lesser-so, Larry, while the rhythm section cushions the floor for everybody's stanky white boy Country funk. Not my favorite song or style of music but definitely praise-worthy performances by all. (8.875/10)

B4. "L.A. Expression" (6:20) Another complex song that demands highly skill musicianship to deliver --especially from drummer John Guerin (and boy does he deliver). It's divided up into two motifs: one dynamic and complex, the other kind of brooding, sneakily-smooth while Tom plays a melody line on his tenor sax that sounds familiar like that of a television theme show (like Sanford and Son). The musicianship is so top notch, the moods of the various layers so interesting and mesmerizing that one can listen to this song over and over just to pay attention to one single performer, each at a time, for the duration of the entire song, and never get bored. Larry Carlton, of course, is the one that really wows me, but John Guerin (as mentioned), Max, Joe, and even Tom are all eminently entertaining! (9.333/10) 

B5. "Vertigo" (2:30) more complex hard-drivin' music over some extraordinary John Guerin drumming and engagingly melodic Max Bennett bass play where Tom, Joe, and Larry each carry the main melody line together before breaking into 30-second solo exposés. (9.125/10) 

Total time: 41:29

90.96 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a wonderful display of the tricks of the trade of a commercially-successful musician and his hand-picked band of virtuosi. Never thought a Smooth Jazz composer/artist could come up with music to rival the speed, complexity, and skill-demand of The Mahavishnu Orchestra or Return To Forever but Tom and The L.A. Express may have just proved me wrong!

March

BRIAN AUGER'S OBLIVION EXPRESS Straight Ahead (1974)

My first exposure to the melodic and keyboard genius of one of rock/Jazz-Rock's all-time great musicians, this was Brian Auger's fifth release with his Oblivion Express sidemen. Recorded at CBS Studios, Whitfield Street, London, England and at RCA’s Music Center of the World, Hollywood, California, Straight Ahead was released by RCA Records in March (or May) of 1974.

 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Brian Auger/ vocals, piano, electric piano, organ, Moog synthesizer
- Jack Mills / guitar
- Barry Dean / bass guitar
- Steve Ferrone / drums
- Lennox Laington / congas
- Mirza Al Sharif/ timbales, percussion

1. "Beginning Again" (9:22) great percussion work from Mirza Al Sharif and Lennox Laington as well as drummer Steve Ferrone opens this one. Rhtyhm guitar, Fender Rhodes, electric bass jump in at the 0:43 mark presenting a chord-based progression within which bass player Barry Dean grabs your attention despite band leader Brian Auger's singing. Barry folds his note play very easily within the fast-paced rhythm track of the three percussionists while Brian sings for about a third of this very engaging song. When he's not singing, Brian's keyboard work is excellent--even exciting (which, in my mind, is very rare for a keyboard player). BTW, Brian has a very pleasant voice. Guitarist Jack Mills gets a brief solo (between 4:25 and 5:15) which amounts to nothing very exciting; it's the rhythmatists' work that really earns the bulk of the praise, in my opinion. (18.5/20)

2. "Bumpin' On Sunset" (10:51) one of the greatest three chord foundational riffs of Jazz-Rock Fusion's history supports some iconic organ play that is supported by some very solid band play and strings. It's only weird that nobody, and I do mean nobody else gets a moment of solo time. (18/20)

3. "Straight Ahead" (5:04) another song with some very catchy vocals that is made ten times better by some great, rich funk from the rhythm section as well as some great Fender Rhodes play from Brian. (9.5/10)

4. "Change" (8:10) guitar, bass, drums, percussion, and organ gradually, one instrument at a time, build a great foundation over which guitarist Jack Mills and singer Brian Auger get significant front time. Yet another catchy vocal melody (and lyric). Unfortunately, the great rhythm track occasionally gets a little monotonous. But, Brian finally gives some time in the spotlight to his other band members! (13.5/15)

5. "You'll Stay In My Heart" (3:44) a very catchy earworm of a love song that I've always felt deserved radio play (yes, even AM!). (8.875/10)

Total time 37:11

91.167 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of incredibly engaging and melodic keyboard-centric Jazz-Rock Fusion.

FRANK ZAPPA Apostrophe (1974)

Released on March 22, 1974.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Frank Zappa / guitars, bass, lead vocals, arranger & producer
With:
- Tony Duran / rhythm guitar (7)
- George Duke / keyboards, backing vocals
- Don 'Sugarcane' Harris / violin
- Jean-Luc Ponty / violin
- Ian Underwood / saxophone
- Napoleon Murphy Brock / saxophone, backing vocals
- Sal Marquez / trumpet
- Bruce Fowler / trombone
- Jack Bruce / bass (7)
- Alex Dmochowski ('Erroneous') / bass
- Tom Fowler / bass
- Jim Gordon / drums (6, 7)
- John Guerin / drums
- Aynsley Dunbar / drums
- Ralph Humphrey / drums
- Ruth Underwood / percussion
- Ray Collins, Kerry McNabb, Susie Glower, Debbie, Lynn, Ruben Ladron De Guevara & Robert Camarena / backing vocals
- Tina Turner & The Ikettes / backing vocals (uncredited)

1. "Don't Eat The Yellow Snow" (2:07) I don't care if this was Frank's highest charting radio hit, I just don't like Frank's potty humor. Nor do I like the R&B-based music that Frank falls back upon to make the foundation for his silly stuff (even though the material for Side One here came from one of Frank's dreams). (4.25/5)
2. "Nanook Rubs It" (4:37) a little jazzier and more complex music and "intelligent" (using intellectual content and high vocabulary) lyrics serves as the vehicle for scene two of Frank's Eskimo dream. But don't be deceived: it's not that great. (8.75/10)
3. "St. Alfonzo's Pancake Breakfast" (1:50) the pancake breakfast (scene two) at the parish of Father Alfonso up on the Alaskan tundra opens with xylophone-spiced prog fusion. (4.375/5 )
4. "Father O'Blivion" (2:18) Scene three of Frank's Eskimo dream shows a step up in terms of jazz-sophistication and jazz-rock fusion. This is high-quality music, certifiable as Jazz-Rock Fusion and, for. the first time in the suite, the RTF-like music might be allowed to outshine the pretentious, sophomoric lyrics. (4.625/5)
5. "Cosmik Debris" (4:14) the fifth and final installment of the radio play that came from a single Zappa dream comes to us in the form of some of that dark 'n' stanky bluesy R&B that Frank often uses for the close, intimate recitation of his social-political-commentary-loaded lyrics. (He just wants to be Black!) Some nice individual performances--including Frank's heavily-sarcastic theatric one--and effective use of a chorus of Black background vocalists to respond and react to his statements and declarations. (Was that really Tina Turner and The Ikettes?) The music is tight, well-performed, and the theatric vision that Frank demanded really worked, but it is not a song that I will ever find myself craving to return to. (8.75/10) 

6. "Excentrifugal Forz" (1:33) some fine guitar playing within and over some complexly-rhythmic hard rockin' music. (4.375/5)

7. "Apostrophe'" (5:50) some mainstream instrumental power rock (even enlisting the help of Cream veteran Jack Bruce). After an 85-second all-instrumental intro, the band backs down a bit to provide space for Frank's blues-based legato guitar playing: two minutes of it before drummer Jim Gordon is asked to bring them back to that opening motif--whereupon continues his Robbie Krieger-like shredding while other instruments amp themselves up around him (especially a fuzz-guitar--probably rhythm guitarist Tony Duran). And then, fade out, and that's it. Just a power rock jam . . . to show he can do a power rock jam? (8.875/10)

8. "Uncle Remus" (2:44) okay, now, back to the blues-rock formats for some social-political commentary. Nice New Orleans-style piano play from (I assume) George Duke, nice background vocal work from the rest of the tribe and some fine electric guitar rock 'n' roll soloing in the second half. (8.875/10)

9. "Stink-Foot" (6:32) still more bluesy R&B-informed rock for Frank to narrate his sarcastic street poetry over--and it's all about getting dog poop stuck on one's shoe. More interesting twangy electric guitar soloing in the middle over the two-chord vamp (8.75/10)

Total Time: 31:45

Despite some skilled performances on some sophisticated compositions, this is by no means a Jazz-Rock Fusion album; it's more like a Frank Zappa entertainment record that happens to use top-notch, highly-disciplined musicians to render Frank's singular idea of entertainment as perfectly as he would like it. There happen to fall into the pathway a number of jazzy or jazz-rock moments, ideas, and/or passages but overall we find Frank generating more potty humor using his blues and blues-rock/R&B templates as musical vehicles.

88.04 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a perfect example of Frank as the perfect entertainer for dope-smokin' teenage boys.

 

WEATHER REPORT Mysterious Traveller (1974)

Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter's fourth expression of their collaborative interpretation of "jazz-rock fusion" shows the band continuing their sound experimentation while adding some more form and multi-track engineering to the mix. Produced by Joe and Wayne, Mysterious Traveller was recorded at Devonshire Sound Studios in Los Angeles between November of 1973 and March of 1974 and then released in May-June by Columbia Records, or, as several sources claim, on March 24, 1974.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Joe Zawinul / piano, Rhodes, synth, kalimba (7), organ (7), tamboura (7), clay drum (7), maracas (7), tac piano & melodica (5), vocals (1,7), co-producer
- Wayne Shorter / soprano & tenor saxophones, co-producer
- Alphonso Johnson / bass
- Miroslav Vitous / bass (2)
- Ishmael Wilburn / drums
- Don Um Romao / percussion, drums (6)
With:
- Billie Barnum / vocals (1)
- Edna Wright / vocals (1)
- Marti McCall / vocals (1)
- Jessica Smith / voocals (1)
- James Gilstrap / vocals (1)
- Auger James Adderley / vocals (2)
- Skip Hadden / drums (1,4)
- Steve "Muruga" Booker / percussion (1)
- Ray Barretto / percussion (3)
- Steve Little / timpani (6)
- Don Ashworth / ocarina & woodwind (7)
- Isacoff / tabla & finger cymbals (7)

1. "Nubian Sundance" (live) (10:43) with this live performance--coming from quite an expanded stage lineup--we can definitely hear the "future" of this band's sound (including riff elements that will become "Birdland"). Newcomers Alphonse Johnson and Ishmael Wilburn sure bring a strong and steady presence to the rhythm section! This song also makes one wish for more vocals and/or choir presence in jazz-rock fusion. Though I still hear some of the textural approach to song and music building carrying over from their earlier albums (especially Sweetwater) I feel that there is a lot more polish and finish to this than anything from before. (18.75/20)

2. "American Tango" (3:42) a developmental step toward or preview of what will become "A Remark You Made." There's Joe still experimenting with the sounds he can get out of his synthesizers. (8.875/10)

3. "Cucumber Slumber" (8:25) gentle funk with congas to help usher along a fabric for Joe and Wayne to play over. Showing Joe still being enamored with his wah pedal effect on his electric piano. Not much on the top to make one shout out about this one. (17.5/20)

4. "Mysterious Traveller" (7:21) It feels odd to hear Joe's piano cuz it's been a while--and he's playing his electric one at the same time as well. Multi-tracking by Wayne on both his saxes. I like the way Joe is alternating his bass clef piano chords with the bass guitar's regular riffs. His electric piano play in the fifth minute is the song's highlight for me. (13.25/15)

5. "Blackthorn Rose" (5:05) a soft, spacious, and slow song of delicately played piano and sax. It starts out as a duet before Wayne's emotional playing calls for the joinder of a synth wash and melodica around the two minute mark. This one shows the duo definitely toying around with space as Joe's piano support of Wayne becomes very short-lived chords played in syncopated patterns. The final minute allows some normal piano play with a little more melodica. Cute. (8.875/10)

6. "Scarlet Woman" (5:43) wind sounds are gradually joined by soft timpani before some horn and synth horn blasts shock the hell out of us. The foundation is so spacious and atmospheric--like Native American drums being played outside on the Great Plains--which makes the unpatterned appearances of the horn and synth blasts so unsettling--even at the end of the song! The fourth minute sees some sax soloing during a longer stretch of quiet but then this is spoiled by a prolonged attack of the horn blasts. The song fades out with wind as if the Scarlet Woman had just been passing through the area of an Native American encampment--like a wild animal or spirit/ghost. Interesting. (8.75/10)

7. "Jungle Book" (7:22) more gentle spaciousness with human voices and odd percussion instruments with distant upright piano, bass, and ocarina all mixed together as if being viewed from some rocky outcropping above the campfire. Happy and celebratory--preceeding some of those similarly happy and complex songs from Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays in the early Group days and especially with As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls. (13.25/15)

Total Time: 48:21

Man! have the band progressed light years since their previous album! There is much more development than usual on some of the songs while, at the same time, this may be the most cinematic of all of the Weather Report albums I know.

89.25 on the Fishscales = B+/four stars; a near-masterpiece of forward-moving yet-still experimental jazz-rock fusion.

FLORA PURIM Butterfly Dreams  (1974)

Recorded December of 1973; released early in 1974. The question arises: Did Flora Purim and Urszula Dudziak rise up concurrently--before or oblivious to hearing one another--or did one find inspiration and courage in the other? Or, did someone appear on the scene before them to inspire them separately? (Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington, Ella Fitzgerald?)

Line-up / Musicians:
- Flora Purim / vocals

- Airto Moreira / drums, percussion

- Stanley Clarke / electric bass [Fender] (A1, A3, B3), acoustic bass (A2, A4, B1, B2, B4)

- George Duke / keyboards: electric piano (A1 to A3, B1 to B4), synthesizer [ARP] (A1, A4, B2, B4), clavinet (A1, B3), piano (A4)

- David Amaro / electric guitar (A1, A3, B3, B4), acoustic guitar (A4, B1, B2)

- Joe Henderson / flutes (A1, B4), tenor saxophone (A2, A4, B1, B4)

- Ernie Hood / zither (A4, B2 to B4)
Rhythm section [acoustic]: David Amaro (B4), George Duke (B4), Stanley Clarke (B4); 

   [acccompaniment only, all electric] David Amaro (A3), George Duke (A3), Stanley Clarke (A3

   [accompaniment only] Airto Moreira (A3)

A1. "Dr Jive (Part 1)" (2:15) opening with a Jazz-Funk tune from Stanley Clarke over which Flora pumps out some impressive wordless vocalese scatting while being pumped up by Joe Henderson's flute and David Amaro's electric guitar. Great, fun, super-funky opener! (4.5/5)

A2. "Butterfly Dreams" (7:03) Flora's ethereal voice starts out a little frail--pitchy--with an old Jazz chanteuse like opening over the two and a half minutes. It's almost as if she's trying to impress the listener with her "leading lady of Jazz" capabilities when, in fact, she's showing some of her weaknesses. By the three minute mark we're into a very cool, very rich, smooth, and melodic Jazz-Rock Fusion song with great double bass play from Stanley, great relaxed jazz drumming from Airto Moreira, great Fender Rhodes support from George Duke and some very lovely tenor sax play from Joe Henderson (and not just his solo but his accent flourishes and subtle under-tones as well). The musicianship is so solid (and that of Joe Henderson so inspired) but Flora leaves me feeling as if it's more an act, more show than real talent. (I've never heard this kind of pushing, pitchiness, or theatrics from Ulla, Sarah, Dinah, or even Ella.) (13.25/15) 

A3. "Dindi" (3:37) a gorgeous Brasilian-feeling love song (which makes sense since it was composed by Antonio Carlo Jobim and Vinicius DeMoraes). This is easily Flora's best (and my favorite) performance of the album. (9.125/10)

A4. "Summer Night" (5:59) a long wordless a cappella intro starts out this cover of a Dubin-Warren song, Flora singing over musicians who, at first, are just laying out some sound before slowly, gradually, building a song that shows both jazz, Latin, and rock influences. George Duke on piano is recorded kind of poorly (isolated in the lower left in the final mix) while saxist Joe Henderson is front and center between Flora's reverb-drenched "distant" vocalese. David Amaro's Brasilian acoustic guitar and Stanley's double bass, and husband Airto's drums and congas are all superlative in support. Flora's vocal performance is, for me, only okay: it's not mind-blowing or particularly convincing in its emotional impact (or input). (8.75/10)

   
B1. "Love Reborn" (3:42) George Duke's lush "cabana" music with Flora singing her own lyrics. Nice performances from Stanley, George on the Fender Rhodes, and especially David Amaro's Brasilian guitar in the right channel. Flora's performance is lovely--though it gets a bit muddled when she doubles up her presence with two non-synchronized tracks at the end. (9.125/10)

 
B2. "Moon Dreams" (5:03) a cover of an old Livingston-Evans song that Gismonti had provided lyrics for once upon a time, this one really grooves and runs--especially thanks to Stanley's outstanding double bass driving the train. Airto's percussive inputs are fun and George is animated and solid with his Rhodes and Flora is solid but it's really Stanley's show. Wow! I like the raw wild freedom of the reckless finish: it reminds me of Ulla and Michal, only theirs always seemed much more polished and finished. (8.875/10) 

B3. "Dr Jive (Part 2") (3:44) a return to Stanley's funk-jazz for Part 2: some animalistic party vocal scatting to open and set the mood with the fast-driving Jazz-Rock, but it's the searing electric guitar play of David Amaro in the middle two minutes that steals the show (despite great performances from every body else in the cast.) (9/10)

B4. "Light As A Feather" (5:57) a Flora-Stanley dual composition (that was also used on the Return to Forever album of the same name on which they both participated on back in 1972). I'm sure Stanley was quite honored and happy to revisit the song for a new rendition with three of the musicians who participated on its first rendition. This one is nice if less informed by rock than Brasilian and even folk perspectives. A solid but not stellar rendition. (8.875/10) 

Total Time: 37:10

All the right players, all the right instruments, all the right composers, so why didn't this music ignite more interest in both the pop and jazz worlds?

89.375 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a wonderful collection of Brasilian-influenced Third Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion with special commendation to Stanley Clarke, George Duke, Airto Moreira, and David Amaro for their stellar performances.

April

ARTI E MESTIERI Tilt - Immagini per un orecchio (1974)

Recorded in Roma, Italia, at Chantalain Studio, Tilt was released by Dischi Ricordi on April 1, 1974 and, later, Cramps Records.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Luigi "Gigi" Venegoni / electric & acoustic guitars, ARP2600 synthesizer (8), co-producer
- Beppe Crovella / acoustic & electric pianos, ARP2600 & Eminent synths, Mellotron, Hammond organ
- Giovanni Vigliar / violin, vocals, percussion
- Arturo Vitale / soprano & baritone saxes, clarinet & bass clarinet, vibraphone
- Marco Gallesi / bass
- Furio Chirico / drums, percussion

1. "Gravità 9,81" (4:05) opens the album with an energetic burst before backing off to allow for an almost chamber strings intro. At the one minute mark everybody in the band jumps into a fully-formed JEAN-LUC PONTY-sounding song of high speed, tight sequencing of high complexity, and very catchy melodic presentation with violin in the lead. At the two minute mark things break and shift to a slightly slower tempo a different structure as the bass and saxophone become more prominent. Amazing drumming throughout and nice presence of Mellotron in the background. At 3:40 we return to the violin theme of the second minute for the finale. Tight song of melodic and instrumental perfection. (9.5/10)

2. Strips (4:39) drum kit and piano and synth bass line open this before the 'tron and violin enter and the drums kick into full gear. Saxes enter later with a second melody introduced into the weave. After 90 seconds things stop and restart with vocals! Multi-voiced, gentle, even sappy--as acoustic guitars, xylophone, and Mellotron accompany in a gentler fashion than the previous section. At the three minute mark the vocals end and piano, violin, xylophone and acoustic guitar take turns with the melody in between singing sections while drums and bass support in a kind of staccato way for the final two minutes of the song. Unexpected and nice! (9/10)

3. Corrosione (1:37) opens with Mellotron strings before bass, keys, and cymbals crash in with two-stroke pattern over which roto-toms and sax. It turns out that this song is merely a bridge between "Strips" and "Positivo / Negativo" as both songs bleed into each other. A kind of three-chord experiment over which drummer gets to play and sax and keys hold down the melody and chordal structure before going into: (4.5/5)

4. "Positivo / Negativo" (3:29) opens with slow, forceful single-stroke strums of a 12-string guitar accompanied by congas. Violin, synths, cymbal play and vibraphone join in. The tempo shifts a couple of times as vibraphone takes a brief turn at lead until at 1:40 things stop, new keyboard instrument takes over the "strum" of the guitar as rest of band jumps it at breakneck speed to allow shapeshifting extravaganza of solo-turn-taking--saxes, violin, electric guitar, vibes, and then all in unison!--and this while the bass and drums are terrorizing the rhythm tracks beneath. Wow! Impressive! (9.5/10)

5. "In Cammino" (5:36) opens with some beautiful slow sax and, later, vocalise melody-making with piano and brushes providing some support. At 1:45 there is a stop as piano and electric piano provide a pretty bridge into a new section in which full band supports violin and sax dual lead melody establishment. Frequent stops, breaks, tempo and stylistic shifts follow though the busy bass, drums, and keys remain at the foundation of it all throughout. Nice electric piano and electric guitar soloing in the fifth minute. Man, this band is tight! J-RF doesn't get much better than this! (9.5/10)

6. "Farenheit" (1:15) opens as if a little piano interlude ditty, but after the first run through the piece, seconded by sax, and then full rhythm section for the third, and sax and violin for the fourth and fifth. (4.25/5)

7. "Articolazioni (13:24) opens a bit like something from PFM's Per un amico, slow and exploratory, not ready to commit to full song but willing to play around with a theme. At the one minute mark there is a pause before the band kicks into a mid-tempo, full band jazz-rock exposition with violin, sax and electric guitar providing the melody in triplicate. Music shifts behind speeded up, frenetic drums yet slowed down bass and keys while violin, sax, and guitar take turns teaming up or independently carrying the melody forward. At 2:46 there is another break before soprano saxophone restores the melody while drums and bass provide a slow, sparse, stoccato accompaniment. At 3:17 a cool drum roll across the toms signals a new full-on dynamic commitment, but this is short-lived as a lot of shifts and transition/transformations occur before a slightly more straightforward (Brian Auger-like) singing section begins by the end of the fourth minute. Cool tension in the transition at the 5:00 mark and thereafter--a kind of preview of BRUFORD/UK-ishness. Speaking of which, man is this drummer amazing! soft and loud, subtle and intricate, fills and cymbal work that have blinding speed, and always in command as the staunch time-keeper. Very cool instrumental sections broken up by brief vocal sections play out with lots of vibes, 'tron, violin and sax in the lead. One neat thing about this band seems to be that the lead instrument is always propelling the songs' melodies with very detailed, intricate, and often-doubled up melody lines and that the actual "solos" are actually very few and brief. At 10:30 there is a big downshift in both tempo, delicacy, and mood with vibes and violin establishing the melody while drums do all kinds of wildly impressive subtleties before sensitive singing enters. At l1:45 band amps up for the full exposition of the current melody before 'tron and flanged strummed electric guitar guide us into a kind of GENESIS "As Sure as Eggs Is Eggs" finale. Great song with dazzling but never over-the-top or overwhelming complexity, constant beauty in the melodies. (24/25)

8. "Tilt" (2:29) an exercise/étude in synthesizer weirdness--including special effects being applied to saxophones and violin. Not exactly melodic or very memorable, it is a fitting representative of the infatuations that new technologies must have been causing adventurous musicians in the early 1970s. (4/5)

Total Time 36:34

How is this album, this band not as famous and talked about as other Italian prog from the mid-70s? The instrumental prowess, mature songwriting, broad dynamics, and great production here is to my mind on par with PFM, Banco, and Cervello and even AREA! Prog of ANY era does not get better than this--especially in the fact that acoustic and folk elements are worked in and there were no computers! Where are people finding the deficiencies or inadequacies! Not in melody. Not in sophistication. Not in sound quality. Is it in the seeming lack of originality? (I read all the comparisons to Mahvishnu and Jean-Luc Ponty.) Break out albums happen. The fact that they emulated--that they inspire other musicians to create in a similar style--should be rewarded not penalized! To strive to be the best--to go through doors that other geniuses have opened--should be lauded and encouraged, not denigrated and discouraged! They may even end up refining something to make it even better! But it could never happen if they are discouraged from trying. I have no hesitation calling this album a masterpiece of progressive rock music--composition and performances of the absolute highest caliber---and, best of all, very accessible/engaging and enjoyable (as opposed to some of the obtuse and jarring music made by Mahvishnu, Miles, and even Yes. Check this album out everybody! It's a work of genius, passion, and inspiration from start to finish. It should be heralded as one of the shining pieces of 1970s progressive rock music--not just RPI or jazz-rock fusion.

92.81 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a true masterpiece of jazz-rock fusion from the classic era of Rock Progressivo Italiano that exists as one of my Top 10 Favorite Jazz-Rock Fusion Albums from J-RF's "Classic Era."

EBERHARD WEBER The Colours of Chloë (1974)

After a decade of learning and growing under the guidance and support of artists like Wolfgang Dauner, George Gruntz, Baden Powell, Art Van Damme, Stéphane Grappelli, Rolf Kuhn, Michael Naura, and Volker Kriegel, one of the jazz's most unique, most creative bass players in history finally strikes out on his own. Praise be ECM Records, Eberhard's new and now-forever label. The material for the album was recorded at the end of December, 1973, at Tonstudio Bauer in Ludwigsburg, specifically on December 31.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Eberhard Weber / double bass, cello, ocarina, vocals (choir)
With:
- Rainer Brüninghaus / piano, synth
- Ack van Rooyen / flugelhorn
- Südfunk Symphony Orchestra, Stuttgart / cello
- Peter Giger / drums, percussion
- Ralf Hübner / drums (2)
- Gisela Schäuble / vocals (choir)

1. "More Colours" (6:40) the minimalist orchestrated music with Eberhard's inventive "piccolo" bass techniques and Rainer Brünignhaus' piano ministrations, all of which they would perfect for Side One of The Following Morning but here only sound weird, separated, and not very melodic or pretty. (13.125/10)

 
2. "The Colours of Chloë" (7:45) cello, piano, and sounding like the inspiration for Brian Eno's first two or three Ambient Music records--until 1:40, that is, when cymbals, bass, and synth take over with a truly Jazz-Rock Fusion motif (despite having very little rhythm base--future Pat Metheny-like stuff). Then, at the end of the third minute piano and, later, bowed strings, provide a floating fabric for Eberhard to play his echoing double bass. Beautiful stuff that turns jazzier when Eberhard and Ralf Hübner's drums start playing a more traditional jazz rhythm track for Rainer to really go to work with some stunning modern jazz piano playing. A very cool and innovative song--both in structure and sound palette execution. Manfred Eicher's touch definitely counts for something, as well. (14/15) 

3. "An Evening with Vincent van Ritz" (5:46) two minutes of moody bass and mid-range strings taking us through a repeated slow progression of four chords, over and over, as Gisela Schäube sings choir-like wordless vocalese over(within) the weave--until the two-minute mark when a dynamic jazz combo of Latin-infused drumming, wild-walking bass, and chord-hopping Fender Rhodes sets a motif up beneath the trumpet soloing of Ack van Rooyen. Though coordinated and together, each of the four musicians are quite adventurous and expressive in their performances, start to finish, but then at 5:08 we're cut back into the opening motif as if the middle jazz combo section never happened. Weird. One song inside another. (8.875/10)

4. "No Motion Picture" (19:56) opens as if Eberhard and Rainer had been a part of Terry Riley's 1960s experimental adventures into what we now call Minimalism. A minute is given to each round of the presented motif and then it's like they just push the reset/restart button--until 2:30 when everybody takes a sudden left turn into a plodding Fender Rhodes chord progression beneath which Peter Giger provides wave-like cymbal crashes and some kind of flute/recorder sound (it's Eberhard's ocarina!) generates an airy near-droning lead melody up top. At 3:45 Eberhard is let out of his cage while the others stop to rest (and observe) as the composer explores his new freedom over the fretboard of his double bass. What did Eberhard use to create this distinctive, perhaps unique, sound that now becomes his signature? By the end of the sixth minute we've shifted back to some variations on the opening two themes (the Terry Riley minimalism and the plodding ocarina motif). Nice, engaging slow descending chord progressions carry this forward until Rainer's Fender Rhodes (and the ECM engineers) sweetly bridges us into a motif with piano and electric piano making harmonizing arpeggi in the upper registers. I like this section, all piano, very much. (I've always like Rainer Brüninghaus' piano play: his melodic choices have a real deep and profound connection to my soul!) In the 12th minute it feels as if he's starting to climb out of it: so cool! So beautiful. Again, I can see where Brian Eno and Harold Budd (and maybe Philip Glass) got some of their inspiration. The Terry Riley/Soft Machine "Out-Bloody-Rageous" section that ensues is pretty cool, and then it's followed by a sparse drum and percussion solo section that sounds greatly inspired by African and Caribbean instrument sounds and stylings--for a bout two minutes--before revolving back to the Terry Riley/Soft Machine-like motif. Marimba leads the next percussion section starting at 14:30 and then once more back to the Riley-Softs motif with bass, horn, and synths now participating in the weave--before yet another unexpected return to the ploddingly-slow ocarina motif at 16:05. More varied and developed recapitulations of previously exposed themes carry the tune to its end. Wow! What an odd, unusual ride! 

     The most striking thing about this 20-minute song is how odd and hodge-podged all of the various expositions, developments, and recapitulations of the movements are; it's just like a symphony, only a weird one! I like it--very much--though I think they could have improved a few parts (why ocarina?) My favorite movement is, however, the five minutes in the middle (~7:00 to 12:00) when Rainer Brüninghaus is alone (with himself). (36.75/40)

Total time 40:07

While I am greatly appreciative of the creative sound and structural designs of Eberhard and, to a lesser extent, Manfred Eicher (I actually think his and engineers Martin Wieland and Kurt Rapp's editing is one of the more disappointing and detracting elements of these songs: they are no Teo Maceros), I do find the music of his successive albums, Yellow Fields, The Following Morning, and Fluid Rustle far more accessible and enjoyable. Still, Eberhard was 34-years old at the time of making this album: mature enough to know what he liked, as well as to compose some well-thought-out creations. This would be only the beginning of his peak period of masterful creations.

90.333 on the Fishscales = A-/4.5 stars; a minor masterpiece of boundary-pushing Jazz-Rock Fusion. The Colours of Chloë is one of my 100 favorite Jazz-Rock Fusion albums of the "Classic Era."

BILLY COBHAM Crosswinds (1974)

Drummer Billy Cobham's sophomore effort at bandleader Crosswinds was recorded early in 1974 in NYC at Electric Lady Studios (produced by he and engineer Ken Scott) and then released in April by Atlantic Records.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Billy Cobham / drums, percussion, arrangements, orchestration & co-producer
With:
- John Williams / Acoustic Bass (tracks: A2)
- John Abercrombie / Acoustic Guitar (tracks: A2), Guitar (tracks: A1, A4 to B3)
- John Williams / Bass, Acoustic Bass (tracks: A1, A4 to B3)
- George Duke / Keyboards (tracks: A1, A2, A4 to B3)
- Billy Cobham / Percussion
- Lee Pastora / Percussion [Latin] (tracks: A1, A4 to B3)
- Garnett Brown / Trombone (tracks: A1, A2, A4 to B3)
- Randy Brecker / Trumpet (tracks: A1, A4 to B3)
- Michael Brecker / Woodwind (tracks: A1, A4 to B3)

1. "Spanish Moss - A Sound Portrait" :
- a. "Spanish Moss" (4:11) human-generated wind sounds (synths and cymbals and gongs) open this one before the whole band jumps into a highway-driving cruise through New Jersey or the Taconic Parkway. Beautiful scenery A gorgeously-constructed song with subtle and heavily-nuanced performances from all of the performers--especially Billy, Lee Pastora, and keyboard artist George Duke. (9.25/10)
- b. "Savannah The Serene" (5:14) some gentle drums and bass over which Randy Brecker solos in the first minute. I adore John Williams' sensitive bass play on this song. Also George Duke's expert and mature--and innovative--keyboard work. (9.75/10)
- c. "Storm" (2:52) George Duke wind synth washes with Billy's heavily-flanged tom-tom and cymbal play taking over in the second half of the first minute. Interesting. Did Billy have fun with this? In the end, it must have been hard to feel satisfied. (4.375/5)
- d. "Flash Flood" (5:08) how could this movement be from the same suite as the previous experimental piece? Musically, they have seemingly nothing to do with one another. At the same time, the polyphonic and polyrhythmic Latin rhythms and horns are wonderful. John Abercrombie's heavily-effected electric guitar solo in the third and fourth minutes is unfortunately contrasted with "real time" Fender Rhodes and, thereby almost lost. Too bad cuz it's a rather nice solo. (9/10)

2. "Pleasant Pheasant" (5:21) constructed over a funk bass line with clavinet and Fender Rhodes and straightforward drumming we get solos from Michael Brecker on sax and then Randy. It's a solid brass rock instrumental with great pace and energy but, unfortunately, it's just one of those songs that feel like they're a dime a dozen; nothing special here except for solid performances. In my opinion a 35-minute album should showcase new and exciting musical ideas not just high quality renditions of things that have already been done. (8.5/10)

3. "Heather" (8:40) very soft and mellow atmosphere, like something for late night radio, created by George Duke's sensitive Fender Rhodes play and John Williams' bass while Billy accompanies without drawing any attention to himself. Michael Brecker's sax gets the first solo--and a thing of beauty it is. Then George gets to tinkle the upper ivories of his Fender while Billy begins to show a little more life beneath--for a minute, but then everybody just kind of backs off--including the soloist! Again: It just feels kind of strange (and wasteful) to dedicate almost nine of your 35 minutes to a song of this minimal dynamic I mean, I get the textural nuance and maturity of restraint it takes to perform--and feel this kind of music, but when your reputation comes from being one of the most talented and dynamic drummers who ever held sticks, this seems a waste. (Kudos to Billy and George for having the courage to incorporate this one into their album--and to Columbia Records for sponsoring it!) (17.375/20)

4. "Crosswind" (3:42) Lee Pastora comes out on top with regards to who draws the most of my attention on this one. (Which is a backhanded way of saying, "What a waste!") (8.5/10)

Total time 35:08

I have to admit to being quite disappointed in having given this album so much of my attention today--this despite some fine work from innovative keyboard artist George Duke and rock solid performances from the Brecker Brothers. Billy gave up a lot of prestige to offer this to what I expect was his expectant fan base. After such a fine start with the wonderful Spanish Moss sound portrait, the rest just didn't live up to the same standard of dynamism.  

88.91 on the Fishscales = B+/four stars; an inconsistent album of jazz-rock fusion in which a ridiculously-average or overly-subtle Side Two failed to live up to the expectations set by the wonderful Side One suite.  

AREA Caution Radiation Area (1974)

An album that upset and disturbed a lot of people who had been blown away by the band's debut the year before, Arbeit Macht Frei. Caution Radiation Area put on display too much edge, too many aggressive and experimental sounds and constructions--often fully going over to the realms of jazz-rock fusion and even avant garde music. The album was recorded early in 1974, after the arrival of new bass player Ares Tavolazzi, and then released to the public by Cramps Records on April 5 of the same year.  

Line-up / Musicians:

- Demetrio Stratos / vocals, organ, harpsichord, steel drums, percussion
- Paolo Tofani / guitar, flute, EMS synthesizer
- Patrizio Fariselli / piano, electric piano, ARP synthesizer, bass clarinet
- Ares Tavolazzi / bass, double bass, trombone
- Giulio Capiozzo / drums, percussion

1. "Cometa Rossa" (4:00) employing some Arabian folk instruments and melodies, the song does a great job of setting up Demetrio's astounding a cappella vocal in the middle. (9/10)

2. "ZYG (Crescita zero)" (5:27) pure instrumental jazz tending toward the crazed world of avant garde. BUT the musicianship is incredible and performed so tightly. Astonishing! (10/10)

3. "Brujo" (8:02) an extended foray into unstructured musical chaos--like a long ELP, GENESIS or TODD RUNDGREN intro--the jazz musicianship of the song in the fourth and fifth minutes is quite CHICK COREA/RETURN TO FOREVER-like (though it also sounds like the crazed section of YES' "Gates of Delirium" between the 8:00 and 13:00 minute marks). The final two minutes of eerie synth-supported cave-like vocals does little to make the song more endearing. (12.5/15)

4. "Mirage" (10:27) opening with four minutes of free-form sound experimentation, the rhythm section finally kicks in with a hard-driving structure over (and beneath) which the synth and horn experimentations continue. At 5:45 everything cuts out and we're exposed to multiple tracks of Demtrio's whispering voices, gutteral word recitations, and haunted ghost screams. Breaking glass at 7:10 stops the vocal mayhem, unleashing, instead, a cacophony of instrumental mayhem. ("Ahem! A little humanity, please!") Droning synths, fast-running double bass, underscore the out-of-control guitar shredding before Fender Rohdes enters to bring in some calm and order--within which sax and Demetrio vocalise scat. Ends with some Tibetan-like monastic chants. Weird song that retains little significance this many years later. (16/20)

5. "Lobotomia" (4:23) an instrumental synth solo of electronically-distorted sound waves. Interesting but four and a half minutes of this? But, heck! Many other mainstream artists were doing it! (E.g. Todd Rundgren, Keith Emerson, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Larry Fast, Jan Hammer, and George Duke). (8/10)

Total Time: 32:19

85.38 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a wonderful example of the kind of experimentation going on within music and particularly progressive rock music in 1973-4.

MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA Apocalypse (1974)

After John McLaughlin's failed attempt to keep the original Mahavishnu Orchestra placated and nurtured, he went to Carlos Santana and found new inspiration. Add in a mix of musicians who couldn't wait to play with him--including the violinist he'd hoped to have for his first incarnation of the Mahavishnu Orchestra--and a new hope arises for a new version of his ground-breaking experiment in power jazz-rock. Add to the mix the London Symphony Orchestra and we have the makings of something very interesting. Recorded at AIR Studios in London in March of 1974, this George Martin-produced album was released in April.

Line-up / Musicians:
- John McLaughlin / guitars, vocal composer
- Gayle Moran / keyboards, vocals
- Jean-Luc Ponty / violins (electric & baritone electric)
- Ralphe Armstrong / bass, double bass, vocals
- Michael Walden / drums, percussion, vocals, clavinet (?)
With:
- London Symphony Orchestra
- Hugh Beau / orchestra leader
- Michael Tilson Thomas / piano (2), orchestra conductor
- Michael Gibbs / orchestration
- Marsha Westbrook / viola
- Carol Shive / violin, vocals
- Philip Hirschi / cello, vocals

1. "Power of Love" (4:13) descending piano chords are soon joined by horn/wind section of orchestra sounding very cinematic. Classical guitar joins in around the one-minute mark and then Jean-Luc Ponty's heavily-treated electric violin as the orchestral strings swirl around the individual soloists quite magnificently, repeating the same ascending melody line. Sounds like a dream come true: guitar, violin, and piano power trio with London Symphony Orchestra. Wow! So beautiful! I could/should loop this on an eternal repeat! (10/10)

2. "Vision Is a Naked Sword" (14:18) crescendoing cymbals precede an ominous bowed-bass intro over which dynamic drumming of Narada Michael Walden joins in. At the 1:25 mark the horn-led full orchestra joins in spouting out a continued ominous chord progression. It's furious and powerful, it's bold and beautiful. Then things settle down in the fourth minute for a bit while Jean-Luc begins his time up front, but the orchestra swells again before dropping off, leaving an open space that drummer Walden gladly fills. A whole-band primordial soup then ensues in which all of the individuals are arpeggio-riffing with no apparent coherent goal until the Orchestra jumps in and starts doing its own version of arpeggio riffing, trampling over the individual soloists for a bit. In the middle of the seventh minute the two sides (orchestra and individualists) seem to reach a balance as all members' inputs are being heard. The eighth minute unveils a surprising change of pace and motif as playful bass and very playful funky rhythm guitar establish the grounds for Michael and Jean-Luc to play over. It's one big happy playground! Since there is so little egocentric flash and flare here, this makes me think that this is quite possibly the best Mahavishnu composition I've ever heard. John's interesting muted "rhythm lead" guitar is given the front for the tenth and eleventh minutes before teaming up with Jean-Luc and Gayle to release a spray of bullets in tandem before the orchestra jumps in to take over. But then, at 12:50, the rock band takes over gelling in a cool weave of fertile soil over which the Orchestra rises to the front as the soloist! The finish is typical Mahavishnu flare but it's brief and conclusive. A surprisingly egalitarian composition! (28.5/30)

3. "Smile of the Beyond" (8:00) Gayle sings in her beautiful operatic voice with the accompaniment of the London Symphony Orchestra for the opening four minutes. It's quite lovely if a little protracted! Then, as if another song, the band launches into a very pop-sounding rock form built around the melody of Gayle's vocal (which is continued internittantly in the background by a Gayle Moran-led choir), guitar, drums, bass, and violin all firing at high speed. But then, in the seventh minute, the rock elements disappear whereupon Gayle and the LSO return as the sole musical elements to the finish. Interesting blend; I'm not sure it worked, overall. (13.125/15)

4. "Wings of Karma" (6:06) full orchestra (mostly strings) takes the first two-minutes before the Fender Rhodes-led chords introduce a moderately-paced song form, but then when everybody in the Mahavishnu Orchestra joins in it becomes a very odd almost-disharmonious mix of incongruous playing--almost as if every individual is flying off in their own directions with little guidance or adherence to the keyboard pace and melodies. The instrumentalists are all very impressive (especially, I have to say, the young drummer), but I'm not sure it all works--this despite the song's title. The band once again drops off in lieu of Michael Tilson Thomas closing out the song with an all-orchestra finish. Not my favorite. (8.75/10)

5. "Hymn to Him" (19:19) a pretty orchestral opening is blended (finally!) with the rock and electric instruments from the very beginning--which is the way it should be--with the rock quintet emerging with the song's dominant form only in the fourth and fifth minutes, finally establishing ascendency at 5:10. The way the orchestra has been interwoven up to this point in a give-and-take kind of way is absolute perfection--nothing short of amazing! The barrage of instrumental fireworks (from John and Michael, at first, with a little craziness from Ralphe Armstrong, then Jean-Luc in the eighth minute) that ensues is is nicely balanced by Gayle's patient Fender Rhodes chords and occasional LSO flares. In the seventh minute John produces an absolutely amazing rock guitar solo. At the eight-minute mark, however, there is a total changeover into what feels like an orchestra-less jazz-rock motif. This is nice, with Gayle's Fender Rhodes getting some lead time and John's eccentric electric wah-ed guitar strumming in support in their usual fascinating way. (The man is truly an unheralded genius at accenting rhythm guitar support.) Ralphe gets the next extended solo in the tenth and eleventh minutes--a solo that seems to just keep on going even when Jean-Luc takes over in the front-and-center position.
     At times on this album it feels as if Jean-Luc is convinced that he needs to come from more of a blues-rock orientation. This is unfortunate because, in my opinion, he is much more noticeable and effective as a melodic rock soloist. Anyway, he does get some stunning firecrackers in--especially in opposition to John's machine gun Roman candle spray. And I love how the drums and bass pick up the pace in the fifteenth minute! But then the LSO jump back into the mix (to great effect) as the rest of the jazz-rockers try to keep their barrage flowing. It seems that only Michael Walden and Jean-Luc Ponty are willing to stay the course--until the 17-minute mark when the fleet reaches the calmer waters of the port bay--at which time they unleash some beautifully-ecstatic bursts of celebratory sounds as the orchestra slowly cradle them into port.
     A brilliant if still not perfect composition. I really think the blend of the two orchestras here is not only some of the best I've ever heard between jazz or rock band and symphonic orchestra but incredibly inter-supportive with stunningly-beautiful melodies coming from multiple fronts. (37.75/40)

Total Time 51:56

I found it very comforting and reassuring that John did not feel the need to jump out of the blocks with bullets spraying--that the first song, "Power of Love" showed the kind of restraint and beauty that can only come with serene confidence; this just let me know that this time around using the Mahavishnu Orchestra moniker--this "incarnation"--he was feeling far less need to impress. But then, as the album plays on, I find myself tiring a bit of the LSO-Mahavhisnu-LSO format used by all of the songs. I know you have to get your money's worth of such an esteemed group as the LSO (and Michael Tilson Thomas), and I don not mean to belittle the orchestra arrangements and performances: they're amazing--but I really am surprised at the fact that the Mahavishnu Orchestra gets only about 50 percent of the album's 52 minutes. Also, as impressive as Michael Walden's skills are, he is, for my tastes, a little too cymbal-happy (not unlike my major complaint of Who drummer Keith Moon). Perhaps if the cymbals weren't mixed so high as to shade some of the band's other sounds it wouldn't be so annoying. And then there's the fact that John's acquisition of his "dream" partner in violinist Jean-Luc Ponty results is so little front time for the fiddle master. Too bad. At the same, I do call this my favorite Mahavishnu album. I really love the experimentalism of the next album, Visions of the Emerald Beyond--on which Jean-Luc has far more face time and Michael less temerity--and I've always felt a little "left out" or put off by the machine gun showmanship of the first two (three counting the live Eternity album). On Apocalypse, there's just something comforting about the cushioning that the LSO provides.

93.45 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a true masterpiece of jazz-rock fusion and what I consider the Mahavishnu Orchestra's best album of finely-crafted fusion songs. For me this is definitely a Top 20 Jazz-Rock Fusion from the "Classic Era," but more, it is an album that also earns a place in my Top 10 "Favorites."

HORACEE ARNOLD Tales of the Exonerated Flea  (1974)

Released by Columbia Records in April of 1974, this work of jazz veteran drummer Horace Arnold comes "out of the blue" with a similar mind-blowing effect to that of Hermann Szobel's work from a year later. Wow! And what a lineup!  

Line-up / Musicians:
- Horacee Arnold / drums, percussion, timpani

- Clint Huston / bass

- George Mraz / bass

- Rick Laird / bass
- John Abercrombie / electric guitar
- Ralph Towner / 12-string guitar
- Art Webb / flute, flute [alto]
- Dom Um Romao / percussion
- Dave Johnson / percussion, congas
- Sonny Fortune / soprano saxophone, flute
- Jan Hammer / synthesizer [Moog], electric piano, piano
- David Friedman / vibraphone, marimba [bass]

A1. "Puppett Of The Seasons" (4:31) great weave of dynamic instruments all coordinated and infused with a Mahavishnu-like spirit, coming at us with polyphonic voices like flutes, synths and basses leading the way over the thick-with-percussion rhythm palette. Jan Hammer, Art Webb, and the guitarists are equally engaged, equally invested in presenting their components of the polyrhythmic weave, with Jan getting the first true "solo" late in the song--at the end of the third minute! Very cool! Sounds like a preview of 1981's "Discipline" from King Crimson's masterful Discipline album. (9.25/10)

A2. "Sing Nightjar" (11:09) Ralph Towner's soloing electrified 12-string guitar opens this before bass, drums, and flute enter. Marimba and other percussion instruments take a turn in the third minute while Horacee and Art Webb accompany them. The song is tight, never boring or monotonous, always presenting multiple tracks of dynamic activity even if/when one musician might be in the spotlight--and that percussion team is so amazing the way they keep feeding off each other, always pushing to give something more, to reach for a higher output. 

     It's so weird to hear a fusion song in which the soloists are less interesting than the action on display by the rhythmatists! But this is the case here for all but Art Webb: I cannot recall ever hearing a flutist pushing that hard, displaying that kind of virtuosity, at every moment they're on. (18.875/20)

A3. "Benzélé Windows" (6:57) The Ba-Benzélé tribe of Central Africa are famous for their dense, complicated, improvised polyphonic communal singing. The multiple voices are certainly felt in the opening of this song but then things simplify a bit for the second motif in which Art Webb's flute solos. At 2:30 everything stops for the band to reset into an odd-timed funk pattern over which Sonny Fortune takes a turn as the soloist with his soprano sax. The percussionists around Horacee take liberty with time and melody as the drums and basses stay in straight time and Sonny and Jan Hammer continue weaving in and around them all. After learning what the title referred to, I must admit to being a little surprised at the minimal use of polyrhythms and polyphonics. There is, however, a great peak in the final minute with both Sonny and, later, Jan hitting sustained crescendo notes while the rest of the band ramp up their volumes.  (13.875/15) 

B1. "Tales Of The Exonerated Flea" (3:45) this one has the sound and feel of a CHICK COREA/RETURN TO FOREVER song as the bass, keys, and flutes all keep tightly adhered to a complex staccato and syncopated melody for the opening 1:20 before Art, Jan, and one of the bassists break free to express a little more individualistically over the solid rhythm track (in which Horacee drives hard). The melodies, again, are quite akin to those used by Chick, RTF, and Mahavishnu, but still accessible. (9.25/10)

B2. "Delicate Evasions" (4:28) a loose, spacious, and considerably more Oriental folk-like percussion weave (one that reminds me of Mickey Hart's Planet Drum albums in the 1990s) of tablas, marimbas, "jungle" percussion instruments, low, rhythmic horn toots, high piccolo flights, and hypnotic odd time signature bass lines, all woven together in a pleasant, hypnotic dream weave with very few soloists. Mesmerizing and fascinating. (9.25/10)

B3. "Chinnereth II" (8:06) I'm not sure if Horace meant for this song to refer the ancient "Sea of Gallilee" or there is a completely other significance to its title, but here we get a fairly straight-forward though-thickly woven Deodato-like motif within and over which John Abercrombie's searing electric guitar wails away. Meanwhile the basses, rhythm guitar, horns, electric piano, and percussionists all contribute extravagantly if loosely to the underlying cool groove. Sonny Fortune's soprano sax takes the second solo over the rich groove but when at the six-minute mark it becomes Jan's turn, the motif expressed by the rhythmatists shifts radically: into something more staccato and frenetic (controlled chaos) while Jan and then Art solo, at first separately and then trying to play the same melody lines together (but failing to really ever synch up). Still, another cool composition with great foundational weaves. (13.75/15)

B4. "Euroaquilo Silence" (5:44) a wonderful drumming exposé over which Jan Hammer and, to a lesser degree, John Abercrombie lay out some incredible space sounds with their respective electronic instruments. Definitely a deep exploration of all that Jazz-Rock Fusion was trying to exploit and uncover. (9/10)

Time total: 44:40

Horacee has brought together an absolutely top-of-the-mountain list of musicians for this album--musicians who know how to shine in short bursts while helping to elevate the complexity and of the entire weave at all times: there is no slouching at any point on any of these songs: the guys are all working, creating, pushing for more for themselves and more for the whole. Quite a display of masterful musicianship and, giving drummer and bandleader Horacee Arnold his due, top of the heap compositions. (Horacee has really grown as a composer in the year since Tribe was put together and released.) I've never heard a flute player as intrepid and constantly dynamic as Art Webb, a percussion team as alive as Horacee, Dave Johnson, Dom Um Romao, and David Friedman are. Many of the reviews I've been able to find of this album call this "one of the most fascinating, soulful, and truly successful albums of the entire genre" and "a lost masterpiece." Though I do not detect the presence of the credited guitar and horn virtuosi on every song, every song presents rich fusion weaves and sounds that should not be missed.

92.50 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a masterpiece of Jazz-Rock Fusion that I am so grateful to have been revealed to me. I mean, who's ever heard of Horacee Arnold? But I'm here to tell you: EVERYBODY should! 

May

CARLOS GARNETT Black Love  (1974)

Recorded January 18th and 21st, 1974 at C.I. Recording Studi, N.Y.C. and then released by Muse Records sometime in May of the year.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Carlos Garnett / saxophones [tenor, alto, soprano]; vocals (A1, A2)

- Jabali-Billy Hart / drums

- Onaje Allan Gumbs / piano, electric piano, keyboards

- Mauricio Smith / flute

- Charles Sullivan / trumpet  

With:

- Alex Blake / bass (A1, B1, B2)

- Reggie Lucas / electric guitar (A1, B1, B2)

- Norman Connors/ drums (tracks: A1, A3, B1, B2)

- James Mtume / congas (A1, A3, B1, B2)

- Guilherme Franco / percussion (A1, A3, B1, B2)

- Ayodele Jenkins / vocals (A1); backing vocals (A2, B1) 

- Dee Dee Bridgewater / backing vocals (A1, A2, B1); vocals (A3)

- Buster Williams / bass (A2, A3)

- Carlos Chambers / yodeling (tracks: B1)

A1. "Black Love" (5:31) a funk song that seems to exist to support the vibrant tribal chants of a vocal ensemble, horn section, and : it sounds like something from a collaboration between Parliament Funkadelic and Aretha Franklin and all of her background singers. Ayodele Jenkins is the powerful female singer leading this Aretha-like gospel-rock attack while the b vox, alto sax, electric piano, funky Alex Blake bass and expanded rhythm section all wend and weave their way within and without. Music that reminds me of WAR, SLY & THE FAMILY STONE, and even BETTY DAVIS. Great song. (9.25/10)

A2. "Ebonesque" (8:22) sounds so much like the sound of KAMASI WASHINGTON's 2015 masterpiece, The Epic. While Carlos solos on his tenor sax above a spacious, slow-moving motif, an ensemble of vocalists adds their own quite-remarkable threads to the weave. So creative! What a visionary this dude was! His sax performance, however, is filled with a lot of flaws--especially in the second half when he's really trying to push it out. Still, this is such a cool song! (18.6667/20)

A3. "Banks Of The Nile" (4:15) vibrant, almost-festive Jazz with dynamic scat vocals from Dee Dee Bridgewater (8.875/10)

B1. "Mother Of The Future" (7:40) a shakin' and movin'--really rollicking dance tune with great ensemble vocals from Dee Dee and Ayodele. A Latin percussion-bass and kind of Afro-Caribbean rumba feel allow for some great performances--maybe the best from Carlos on his tenor sax. The percussion break mid-song, which leads to the really odd yodeling of Carlos Chambers, is very interesting. When the band congeals to return for the finish I'm almost relieved--though I completely feel and comprehend the spiritual significance of that percussion-yodeling section, it's the meat of that vocal-and-sax dominated Latin rhythm motif that keeps me movin' (14.125/15)

B2. "Taurus Woman" (12:37) using a very funky, "underwater" flange-and-wah-wahed bass from Alex Blake, some awesome clavinet and electric piano from Onaje and cool wah-wah rhythm guitar from Reggie Lucas, Carlos' vocal team, Mauricio Smith's flute, and Charles Sullivan's wicked trumpet get to lead the way toward the promised land and then some. About halfway through Carlos switches to his soprano sax as the band grooves heavily through the molasses swamp. Even Reggie, Onaje, and Alex get some generous solo time--in the eighth, ninth, tenth, and eleventh minutes, respectively. (22.625/25)

Total time: 38:25

Allan Gumbs and the rhythm section really do so much to propel and hold these songs together but the lead performances from the vocalists and Carlos' saxes are quite unique and extraordinary. This is a man--and band--who are really celebrating their Black heritage! And I LOVE IT! 

91.93 on the Fishscales = /five stars; a minor masterpiece of soulful Jazz-Rock Fusion. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: This is an album that simply has to be experienced for its extraordinary energy and spirit.

GIL SCOT-HERON and BRIAN JACKSON Winter in America (1974)

Recorded on September 4, 5 and October 15, 1973 at D&B Sound, Silver Springs, Maryland and then released by Strata-East ‎in May of 1974.

Line-up/Musicians:

- Gil Scott-Heron / vocals, electric piano

- Brian Jackson / electric piano, piano [acoustic], flute, vocals

- Danny Bowens / bass [Fender]

- Bob Adams / drums [traps]

A1. "Peace Go With You, Brother (As-Salaam-Alaikum)" (5:30) while Brian Jackson's rich, reverberating electric piano definitely gives this a Jazz-Rock Fusion feel, the opening group chant and successive plaintive vocal from Gil make it feel more like a Soul, Gospel, or Contemporary Black militant tune. It sounds so great, though! (9.125/10)

A2. "Rivers Of My Fathers" (8:29) gentle lounge piano with bass and rims-and-hi-hat drum support give lots of room for Gil to deliver an also-lounge-sounding vocal performance. Cool use of effects from the engineering console on Gil's voice. Had I walked into the lounge at the time this was being performed I would have been very happy but, like most lounge music, it would, I fear, fall quite easily into the background ambiance for small table conversations to occur within. (17.625/20)

 
A3. "A Very Precious Time" (5:13) a step up from the previous lounge song but more of that stripped down solo sound. (8.75/10)

A4. "Back Home" (2:50) another pleasant background song. (8.75/10)

B1. "The Bottle" (5:14) one of Gil's most iconic songs delivers another one of those socially-piercing lyrics using music that is propelled by Danny Bowen's great bass sound and line, as well as Joe Farrell's nice flute playing flying around in the background with Gil's impassioned and relaxed near-rap vocal delivery of his powerful lyric. The main two-chord electric piano motif gets a little monotonous, but, luckily, Gil, Joe, and Danny keep our spirits up with their wonderful performances. (9/10)

B2. "Song For Bobby Smith" (4:42) a late night in memorium. Pretty. Simple. Probably Gil playing alone in the studio--even performing the electric piano part himself. (8.75/10)

B3. "Your Daddy Loves You" (2:57) another Gil, electric piano, and flourishing background flute song. Pretty and lyrically-driven and emotional. Nice. (8.875/10)

B4. "H2Ogate Blues" (8:23) a running rap-diatribe on the social-political corporate-controlled capitalism scene at the time of the Post-Nixon, post-Vietnam all delivered over a piano-led blues combo. As a biting political accounting it is so inciteful, as a piece of Jazz-Rock Fusion this is nowhere near the mark. (17.5/20)

B5. "Peace Go With You Brother (Wa-Alaikum-Salaam)" (1:11) the bookend of the opener--one of the few Jazz-Rock Fusion sounding motifs on the album. (4.5/5)

Total Time: 44:29

With Brian Jackson playing some dynamic though smooth and melodic flute on many of the songs, it makes me believe, without authentication, that Gil is playing a lot of the electric piano.

87.50 on the Fishscales = C/three stars; though there are elements of Jazz-Rock Fusion present, this is by no means a J-R F album, but when Gil hits the mark with his poetry and lyrics, he really hits a nerve!

WEATHER REPORT Mysterious Traveller (1974)

Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter's fourth expression of their collaborative interpretation of "jazz-rock fusion" shows the band continuing their sound experimentation while adding some more form and multi-track engineering to the mix. Produced by Joe and Wayne, Mysterious Traveller was recorded at Devonshire Sound Studios in Los Angeles between November of 1973 and March of 1974 and then released in May-June by Columbia Records.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Joe Zawinul / piano, Rhodes, synth, kalimba (7), organ (7), tamboura (7), clay drum (7), maracas (7), tac piano & melodica (5), vocals (1,7), co-producer
- Wayne Shorter / soprano & tenor saxophones, co-producer
- Alphonso Johnson / bass
- Miroslav Vitous / bass (2)
- Ishmael Wilburn / drums
- Don Um Romao / percussion, drums (6)
With:
- Billie Barnum / vocals (1)
- Edna Wright / vocals (1)
- Marti McCall / vocals (1)
- Jessica Smith / voocals (1)
- James Gilstrap / vocals (1)
- Auger James Adderley / vocals (2)
- Skip Hadden / drums (1,4)
- Steve "Muruga" Booker / percussion (1)
- Ray Barretto / percussion (3)
- Steve Little / timpani (6)
- Don Ashworth / ocarina & woodwind (7)
- Isacoff / tabla & finger cymbals (7)

1. "Nubian Sundance" (live) (10:43) with this live performance--coming from quite an expanded stage lineup--we can definitely hear the "future" of this band's sound (including riff elements that will become "Birdland"). Newcomers Alphonse Johnson and Ishmael Wilburn sure bring a strong and steady presence to the rhythm section! This song also makes one wish for more vocals and/or choir presence in jazz-rock fusion. Though I still hear some of the textural approach to song and music building carrying over from their earlier albums (especially Sweetwater) I feel that there is a lot more polish and finish to this than anything from before. (18.75/20)

2. "American Tango" (3:42) a developmental step toward or preview of what will become "A Remark You Made." There's Joe still experimenting with the sounds he can get out of his synthesizers. (8.875/10)

3. "Cucumber Slumber" (8:25) gentle funk with congas to help usher along a fabric for Joe and Wayne to play over. Showing Joe still being enamored with his wah pedal effect on his electric piano. Not much on the top to make one shout out about this one. (17.5/20)

4. "Mysterious Traveller" (7:21) It feels odd to hear Joe's piano cuz it's been a while--and he's playing his electric one at the same time as well. Multi-tracking by Wayne on both his saxes. I like the way Joe is alternating his bass clef piano chords with the bass guitar's regular riffs. His electric piano play in the fifth minute is the song's highlight for me. (13.25/15)

5. "Blackthorn Rose" (5:05) a soft, spacious, and slow song of delicately played piano and sax. It starts out as a duet before Wayne's emotional playing calls for the joinder of a synth wash and melodica around the two minute mark. This one shows the duo definitely toying around with space as Joe's piano support of Wayne becomes very short-lived chords played in syncopated patterns. The final minute allows some normal piano play with a little more melodica. Cute. (8.875/10)

6. "Scarlet Woman" (5:43) wind sounds are gradually joined by soft timpani before some horn and synth horn blasts shock the hell out of us. The foundation is so spacious and atmospheric--like Native American drums being played outside on the Great Plains--which makes the unpatterned appearances of the horn and synth blasts so unsettling--even at the end of the song! The fourth minute sees some sax soloing during a longer stretch of quiet but then this is spoiled by a prolonged attack of the horn blasts. The song fades out with wind as if the Scarlet Woman had just been passing through the area of an Native American encampment--like a wild animal or spirit/ghost. Interesting. (8.75/10)

7. "Jungle Book" (7:22) more gentle spaciousness with human voices and odd percussion instruments with distant upright piano, bass, and ocarina all mixed together as if being viewed from some rocky outcropping above the campfire. Happy and celebratory--preceeding some of those similarly happy and complex songs from Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays in the early Group days and especially with As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls. (13.25/15)

Total Time: 48:21

Man have the band progressed light years since their previous album with much more development than usual on some of the songs while, at the same time, this may be the most cinematic of all of the Weather Report albums I know.

90.50 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of forward-moving yet-still experimental jazz-rock fusion.

June

BOB JAMES One (1974)

After "apprentice" work under Quincy Jones and as an arranger for Creed Taylor and his record label's stable of studio musicians, Creed backed Bob to start up his solo career. The album was recorded between February and April of 1974 and then released by CTI Records on June 4.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Bob James / keyboards
- Gary King / bass
- Steve Gadd / drums
- Idris Muhammad / drums
- Richie Resnicoff / guitar
- Eric Weissberg / pedal steel guitar
- Ralph MacDonald / percussion
- Dave Friedman / vibes
- Grover Washington, Jr. / soprano saxophone
- Hugh McCracken / harmonica
- Jon Faddis / trumpet and flugelhorn
With:
Thad Jones / trumpet and flugelhorn
Victor Paz / trumpet
Alan Rubin / trumpet
Lew Soloff / trumpet
Marvin Stamm / trumpet
Wayne Andre / trombone
Paul Faulise / bass trombone
Jack Gale / bass trombone
Alan Ralph / bass trombone
George Marge / alto flute and recorder
Romeo Penque / alto flute and recorder
Max Ellen / violin
Paul Gershman / violin
Emanuel Green / violin
Harold Kohon / violin
Charles Libove / violin
Harry Lookofsky / violin
Joe Malin / violin
David Nadien / violin
Gene Orloff / violin
Seymour Barab / cello
Jesse Levy / cello
Charles McCracken / cello
George Ricci / cello
Alan Shulman / cello
Anthony Sophos / cello

A1. "Valley Of The Shadows" (9:42) great sound, great musicians over a not-so great composition (where are the earworm melodies?) Trying too hard to sound like DEODATO's "Also Sprach Zarathustra: 2001" (17.5/20)

A2. "In The Garden" (3:06) again, like Deodato's prelude here is a smooth-jazzified version of Pachelbel's famous Canon (in D Maj, P 37). It's rather sad in this countrified form. (8.6667/10)

A3. "Soulero" (3:22) a song that is credited as composition by Bob and Richard Evans though it existed since 1965 when Eddie Higgins recorded it (with Richard) as the B-side of his single "Beautiful Dreamer" that sounds a lot like the Ravel "Bolero"-inspired Sketches in Spain. Nicely sophisticated. (8.75/10)

B1. "Night On Bald Mountain" (5:51) the music everyone knows from the Disney use in the uber-popular Fantasia animated film. At least Bob and his gents make it jazzy. (8.875/10)

B2. "Feel Like Making Love" (6:40) Bob & Company's smooth jazz rendition of the Roberta Flack hit. Definitely sounds like a song rendered--and destined--for the Adult Contemporary/Easy Listening/Elevator Music audiences. Pretty, but so was the original. (8.75/10)

B3. "Nautilus" (5:08) Bob's second and only other original composition--and the one that really launched his career as a solo artist. Spacious and slow paced in a way that predicts and feeds into all of the jazz-tinged music that would hit the radio waves in 1975 & 6. There is some great orchestration integrated into this one as well as some awesome bass play (courtesy of Gary King). (9/10)

Total Time: 34:02

87.92 on the Fishscales = B-/3.5 stars; a nice presentation of well-performed and -arranged Smooth Jazz--one that relies too heavily on known songs and too little on interesting and engaging melodies.

IDRIS MUHAMMAD Power of Soul (1974)

Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder's studios in New Jersey during March of 1974; Conflicting information regarding its release date: some say KUDU Records released it on April 14, some say June, some say November. Regardless of when it was published in 1974, this an album that is filtered through the preferences and tastes of producer, arranger, and keyboardist Bob James--as advertized in big bold letters on the album cover (which in itself was quite an unusual touch for the day).

Line-up/Musicians:

- Idris Muhammad / drums
- Grover Washington Jr / soprano and tenor saxophones
- Bob James / keyboards
- Gary King / bass
- Joe Beck / guitar
- Ralph MacDonald / percussion
- Randy Brecker / trumpet, fluglehorn

A1. "Power Of Soul" (7:07) one of the more aggressive, dynamic and funky tunes you're likely to hear from a Bob James produced album--yet this is still honed in, tightly reined, to prevent it from going too loose, too free, or too complex and cerebral like the direction the Mahavishnu Orchestra pointed the way toward (a direction favored and appreciated more by musicians than consumers). (13.375/15)

A2. "Piece Of Mind" (9:24) a Smooth Jazz piece that fits easily into the Bob James lexicon of perfection. Great sound. Great melodies and chord progressions. Great solo and individual performances. So easy to like and enjoy. Great Smooth Jazz. Grover Washington, Jr. is especially impressive on his tenor sax. (17.875/20)

B1. "The Saddest Thing" (7:10) a soft, gentle, orchestrated Smooth Jazz piece that feels like the warm ocean breezes so prevalent and comforting in the Florida, the Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico. Randy Brecker's smooth flugelhorn and Grover Washington's soprano sax are perfectly suited to the overall ambiance but it is the incredible rhythm guitar playing of Joe Beck that is, for me, the most impressive. Gary King is great and Bob's own Fender Rhodes play is impeccably solid. (13.375/15)

B2. "Loran's Dance" (10:39) a bluesy, moody piece on which Bob and Idris have chosen to use an interesting (different) snare drum sound (one that reminds me of those used by Post Rock bands like TALK TALK and drummer Steve Jansen). The slower, methodic pace allows for a lot of room for the rest of the musicians to inject their creativity, which is really nice--and which results in some really fine performances from not only the soloists (Randy, Grover, Joe, and Bob) but each and every one of the rhythmatists: Gary, Joe, Idris, and Bob can all be heard, studied, admired quite easily. A truly exceptional song--one of those ones that makes the whole Smooth Jazz idiom quite tolerable. (19.5/20)

Total Time: 34:22

It's not that I don't like or respect the fine work Bob James did for so many artists and for music, he definitely attracted great musicians to his studios and created beautifully-arranged, -recorded, and -produced albums. Where I have a problem with Bob's legacy is in the influence he had on the homogenous direction that Jazz-Rock Fusion took--that toward the more commercially-successful Smooth Jazz formats. Smooth Jazz was, to my mind and ears, a compromise of the Jazz spirit of exploration and experimentation with technique and compositional forms. The single most alluring and charming aspect of the Jazz-Rock Fusion movement, for me, was the unbound license to try new things--to push boundaries far beyond the known structures and combinations that existed before. Under the Bob James auspices of musical form and sound there would/could never have been the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Brian Auger's Trinity, Hermann Szobel, Tony Williams' Lifetime, Teo Macero's treatments of Miles Davis live music and studio sessions, Herbie Hancock's Mwandishi albums, no Wayne Shorter or even Weather Report albums. (I smile as I muse about the possible studio session interactions between Bob and the likes of a Miles Davis, Sonny Sharrock, Ornette Coleman, Allan Holdsworth, Jeff Berlin, or Bill Bruford!) To my mind, the Bob James Effect is similar to that of the effect that Manfred Eicher's "ECM Rules" (one take, no overdubs) had on music. (I happen to prefer the Eicher Effect for the free, natural, and more-human [i.e. flawed] results that came out of them as opposed to the pristine, easily digestible, melodic, easy listening fare that came out of studio sessions with producer Bob James. Though melodies created out of chromatic scales have been difficult for me to ingest and process, I have, with education and effort, found greater tolerance, comprehension, and, more frequently, enjoyment from them--often because I understand the artists' backgrounds and intentions and because I have grown in my appreciation of the skill and knowledge possessed by the "deviant" artists (who are actually quite the opposite--often highly-intelligent, very hard-working geniuses). In summation, the incredibly talented musicians who contributed to this album I believe were coerced, either insidiously through continuous pressure from external economic forces (the perceived need to earn money) or overtly (from managers, record companies, or producers who were under the pressure from the record labels that they served), into performing within certain boundaries and rules with the aim of the creation a more broadly-accessible and enjoyable (and, therefore, commercially viable) form of watered-down, more homogeneous music.

91.61 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of smooth Jazz-Rock Fusion--an early indicator of the dominant direction that J-R F would be taking over the rest of the decade.

July

THE SOFT MACHINE Bundles (released in March of 1975)

After two years off, Mike Ratledge, the only remaining member of the original Softs, pulls his previous lineup of former-NUCLEUS members together for one more time but this time recruiting one more recent NUCLEUS member into the fold: guitar phenom ALLAN HOLDSWORTH. What an injection of life and power he is! What results is one fine collection of jazz-rock fusion songs--one that is unfortunately often overlooked due to the band's previous history and, to many, disappointing evolution. (I think a lot of people had long given up on buying their new releases--myself included--which is sad as this is an absolutely stellar album.) The album was recorded in July of 1974 at Whitfield Street Studios in London and then released by Harvest Records on March 22, 1975.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Allan Holdsworth / acoustic, electric & 12-string guitars
- Mike Ratledge / Fender Rhodes, Lowrey organ, AKS synthesizer
- Karl Jenkins / oboe, soprano sax, acoustic & electric pianos
- Roy Babbington / bass
- John Marshall / drums, percussion
With:
- Ray Warleigh / alto & bass flutes (12)

GEORGE DUKE Faces in Reflection (1974)

The peak of George Duke's solo Jazz-Rock Fusion work, Faces in Reflection was recorded early in 1974 in Germany, it was then released by the German record label, MPS, in July.

Line-up / Musicians:
- George Duke / keyboards, ARP Odyssey synth vocals (2,9)
With:
- John Heard / double bass
- Leon "Ndugu" Chancler / drums

1. "The Opening" (3:18) rollicking RTF-like racing music.. (8.875/10)

2. "Capricorn" (5:06) bluesy like a slavery field work song. I can feel the deep emotions being released. (8.875/10)

3. "Piano Solo No 1+2" (2:21) not really the piano I was expecting: a strangely electrified piano and … piano? Nice music. Part two is definitely different and yet clearly a continuation of the same sound(s). (4.33333/5)

4. "Psychosomatic Dung" (5:03) funky schlock that will become all the rage within the next three years minus all the dynamics from the rhythm section. Ndugu gets some shine in the fourth minute before George lets loose on the wah-wah clavinet and Fender Rhodes. (8.75/10)

5. "Faces In Reflection No.1" (Instrumental) (3:37) nice foundation with some excellent soloing and sound use but lacking fullness and development. (Perhaps George should've had one more collaborator). Probably one of my top three songs. (8.875/10)

6. "Maria Tres Filhos" (5:09) this one not only sounds like a Chick Corea song, it may be! (It isn't: it's written by the great Brazilian songwriter Milton Nacimento.) Nice percussive work throughout from Ndugu but even more so during his extended solo in the fourth minute. (8.75/10)

7. "North Beach" (6:26) a long keyboard solo that sounds like wah-pedal rhythm guitar play and a bunch of sound effects. It's actually kind of cool. (8.875/10)

8. "Da Somba" (6:18) a song that races along on the power of the collective energy of all three highly-attuned musicians. John Heard's extended bass solo pales when compared to other contemporary bass players like Stanley Clarke, Buster Williams, Ron Carter, or Eddie Gomez. (8.75/10)

9. "Faces In Reflection No.2" (Vocal) (2:19) a final vocal supporting song--the tension here is quite cool--making the listener crave for more. My favorite piece on the album. (5/5)

Total time 39:37

Clearly influenced by Chick Corea's RETURN TO FOREVER releases, there is no arguing with George Duke's talent and skill. The biggest issues I have with the music on this album are in the sound recording and reproduction department as well as in the area of composition. Perhaps George needed an escape from the crazy control that was even the world of Frank Zappa. (George is recorded saying that Faces in Reflection "was the first LP that really said what I wanted to say.") The heavy sound effects used on bassist John Heard's double bass seem to mimic those of RTF bass player STANLEY CLARKE. Leon "Ndugu" Chancler's drum playing is quite good but the sound engineering of his drums (not cymbals) suffers from a murky-muted compressed feel. 

88.85 on the Fishscales = B+/four stars; an excellent addition to any Jazz-Rock Fusion lover's music collection. Definitely an album that gets better with repeated listens.

DAVE LIEBMAN Drum Ode (1974)

Recorded May 1974 at the Record Plant, New York City. Release by ECM Records later in the year--probably in the Summer or early Autumn.

Line-up / Musicians:

- David Liebman / soprano sax, tenor sax, alto flute
- Richard Beirach electric piano
- Gene Perla / bass
- John Abercrombie / guitars
- Jeff Williams / drums
- Bob Moses / drums
- Patato Valdez / congas
- Steven Satten / percussion
- Barry Altschul / percussion
- Badal Roy / tablas (B2)
- Collin Walcott / tablas (B2)
- Ray Armando / bongos
- Eleana Steinberg / vocal

A1. "Goli Dance" (0:28) a purposeful appreciation for the drummers of the world.
A2. "Loft Dance" (9:20) opening with some deep chord Fender Rhodes play followed by very animated Latin rhythm track from the drummers, percussionists, Gene Perla's bass, John Abercrombie's scratchy-fast rhythm guitar, and Richard Beirach's Fender Rhodes. The bandleader takes the first solo and it's one of those rare ones from a tenor sax (thankfully) that I like: there is some fire and reckless brimstone to it that shows how he's feeding off of the percussionists (who, at times, are the only instrumentalists providing support for Dave's solo). Richard's Rhodes is the next soloist, filling the fifth and sixth minutes while Gene and John really spice it up in the near background, and then it is the percussionists left alone. It would be great to see this lineup duel with Santana's more-famous lineup. At the seven-minute mark everybody returns to the groove with David, John, and Richard all three sharing the spotlight, soloing quite animatedly all at the same time! Wow! This is awesome! Though they are credited as participants throughout the album, I hear none of the tablas. (18.875/20)

A3. "Oasis" (5:28) gentle, pensive Fender Rhodes ascending arpeggios are soon joined by simple lounge jazz combo and John Abercrombie's active jazz guitar fingerings. Song lyricist's Eleana Steinberg enters in the second half of the first minute, sounding just like Annette Peacock (whom I love). Such a great, full, smooth-yet-totally jazzy song. I love vocal jazz like this. (9/10)

A4. "The Call" (4:44) two drummers, one in each channel, open this one with 52-seconds of interwoven military drumming. Then Dave jumps in with a heavily-reverbed tenor sax to try to make something of the trio, but it's not really until the 1:52 mark when the drummers transition into a firm rock beat that Dave's sax seems to sync up with his rhythmatists. An interesting and actually pretty cool song! (8.875/10)

B1. "Your Lady" (6:34) hand percussion and hand drums open this cover of a John Coltrane song. (I guess David's album title is a true indicator/promise of this intentions for this album!) Around 0:45 Richard's Fender Rhodes begins to enter some rich, slowly-reverberating chords while Gene Perla's bass adds its own awesomely thick notes and chords as David plays within the spacious weave with his soprano sax: never needing to be showy or domineering, only adding notes and simple runs that seem true to his own inner feelings and respectful appreciation for the musicians around him (sounding very much like Paul Winter and Paul McCandless from the Paul Winter Consort materials). Dave ramps up his inputs a little over the course of the song, injecting a few more longer and quite fluid, almost subtle, runs while Richard, Gene, and the percussionists continue to fill and create space beneath. (No John Abercrombie on this one.) (9/10)

B2. "The Iguana's Ritual" (10:33) some effected Gene Perla bass notes open this one, quickly establishing both the melodic and pacing foundations for the song. They are joined by Collin Walcott and Badal Roy's tablas, Richard Beirach's Fender Rhodes, and the contributions of some of the other percussionists toys as David enters and seems to dirge (though not unhappily) his melody creations for a couple minutes until the four-minute mark when the band suddenly switches directions, taking a side road through funky town with Gene, Richard, the drummers, and John Abercrombie really trying their best to stink things up with their funk. The problem is that these guys don't really hit the marks; their funk is too stiff and "hollow" or sparse--until, that is, the 6:20 mark when all of a sudden everybody's tones become full and broad (which, of course, leads me to understand that the afore-mentioned "stiff" and "hollow" funk was all part of an affect that they were providing at the composer/bandleader's behest). This motif is so heavy, almost dark, and as near to Mahavishnu-like that I've heard in days. It's awesome! What a great, creative song suite! I don't know the first thing about iguana's but, if this is an example of their ritualistic behaviors, I'm a fan! (18.6667/20)

B3. "Satya Dhwani (True Sound)" (6:17) another attempt at an East-Meets-West fusion with John Abercrombie totally in the lead with a Al Kooper type of solo guitar play for the first 1:55. Then the two tabla players get involved (both showing their inferior level of skill due to their lack of Indian personhood and lack of Classical Indian training when compared to tablaists like Zakir Hussain or his father Alla Rakha. It's like listening to the musical version of the "white man's overbite" in dancing or the "white man disease" in basketball). The spirit of Eastern (Indian) and Western (desert Americana) is quite successful, however. (9/10)

Total time: 43:24

91.18 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of highly-creative, highly-celebratory Third Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion. Highly recommended!

August

LONNIE LISTON SMITH & The Cosmic Echoes Cosmic Funk (1974)

Recorded by Bob Thiele for his Flying Dutchman Records and released on August 2, 1974.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Lawrence Killian / Congas, Percussion
- Art Gore / Drums
- Al Anderson / Electric Bass
- Andrew Cyrille / Percussion

- Doug Hammond / Percussion

- Ron Bridgewater / Percussion
- Lonnie Liston Smith / Piano [Acoustic], Electric Piano, Percussion
- George Barron / Soprano Saxophone, Flute, Percussion
- Donald Smith / Vocals, Piano, Flute

A1. "Cosmic Funk" (5:35) combine SLY AND THE FAMILY STONES' "Thank You (Falettinme be Mice Elf)" with RARE EARTH's "I Just Want to Celebrate" and this is what you might get. Cool, funky, and expressive (especially through Donald Smith's impassioned vocals) but a little repetitive and drawn out. (8.75/10)

A2. "Footprints" (6:08) a cover of a Wayne Shorter song, what starts out fairly mellow, turns into something more in tune with the old jazz sounds and stylings from which Lonnie emerged in the 1960s. Not really J-R Fusion or Cosmic Bliss, the song is dominated by George Barron's traditional sounding jazz saxophone expressions as well as Lonnie's piano. (8.5/10)

A3. "Beautiful Woman" (6:57) sounds like a piano version of Marvin Gaye's spiritually-uplifting What's Going On-era music over which Donald Smith gives a very nice, smooth LEON THOMAS-like performance. As usual, we get great percussion and accompaniment from the rhythm section as well as some gentle support from George Barron's winds. (13.75/15) 

B1. "Sais (Egypt)" (8:15) with this song that is credited to percussionist MTUME, now we're moving back toward the hypnotic kosmische musik of Lonnie's niche-defining debut solo album, Astral Traveling. Bassist Al Anderson and the percussion team of Andrew Cyrille, Doug Hammond, Ron Bridgewater, Lawrence Killian, and drummer Art Gore establish a TRAFFIC "Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys"  motif for George Barron to solo over with his reverbed soprano sax while Lonnie employs a heavily-echoed Fender Rhodes while his left-handed piano chords add a steady fullness to the rhythm track. When Lonnie takes the lead somewhere in the fourth minute the percussionists use the spacey foundation to go on a tear of show-off playing, but then George returns in the sixth minute to settle them down a bit. The music thins in the seventh minute leaving Lonnie and Al Anderson's bass more exposed--which they kind of take advantage of (but not really). (13.5/15)

B2. "Peaceful Ones" (5:03) Another beautiful and mesmerizing sonic field (with a repeating killer key change every 30-seconds or so!) supports Donald Smith's beautiful message of hope and love, sung in a gorgeous upper register voice. Metal percussion tinkles away with the congas, drums and others but far more gently than an the previous songs. The melodies, chords, and key changes feel as if they were stolen by Bruce Cockburn for his 1991 hit "The Charity of Night." Cosmically beautiful! (14.75/15)

B3. "Naima" (4:02) a cover of a famous John Coltrane song receives the Goddess worship treatment from vocal/lyricist Donald Smith. A beautiful rendition. (9.25/10)

Total time: 35:00

With this album we can see how Jazz-Rock Fusion's growing infatuation with Funk has taken bliss-master Lonnie Liston Smith and his Cosmic Echoes on a detour. Also, I have the feeling that Lonnie and or/this album in particular was one of the inspirations for Freddie Hubbard and Al Jarreau's collaboration on their 1979 song,"Little Sunflower."

91.333 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of Jazz-Rock Fusion. Highly recommended to all who love to move with a little funk before wallow in the beauty of bliss.

ATMOSPHERES Featuring Clive Stevens Voyage to Uranus (1974)

Clive Stevens and "friends"' second and final album together--both published within the same calendar year. Recorded at The Record Plant in New York, with Jimmy Ienner serving as the producer, it was released by Capitol Records in August of 1974. Multi-instrumentalist Ralph Towner and guitarist John Abercrombie return from two years before while the rest of the rhythm section has been replaced.

Line-up / Musicians:
Clive Stevens / electric tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, alto flute, echoplex, wah wah pedal
Michael Thabo Carvin / drums
David Earl Johnson / congas, timbales, assorted percussion
Stu Woods / electric bass
John Abercrombie / electric guitar, acoustic guitar
Ralph Towner / electric piano, clavinet, 12 string acoustic guitar

1. "Shifting Phases" (6:55) a great galloping horseback riding rhythm track over which John Abercrombie's jazz guitars and Clive Stevens' saxophone swoop and soar; great energy straight off the bat with the bass, drums, and rhythm guitar's funky groove. Great engineering in that every instrument is fully defined--though I don't like the dirty distortion effect used on Ralph Towner's Fender Rhodes electric piano. I like the fact that each of the instrumentalists remains actively engaged and creatively contributing while other band members are having their turns soloing. I'd give this full marks were it a little more memorable in the melody department. (14/15)

2. "Culture Release" (6:50) The song opens up with some impressive whole-group showmanship over the course of 30-seconds of complex chord and melody transitions but then the song settles into a high-speed R&B form within which clavinet, guitar, and soprano sax trade lightning fast bursts of soloing; it's constructed like a geometrical mathematical until the soloists (clavinet, electric guitar, sax, electric bass, and drums) start trading barbs at the end of the first minute, then it sounds like Todd Rundgren's first Utopia album. Drummer Michael Thabo Carvin gets the clear-out effect for an extended isolated solo in the third and fourth minute, and then everybody comes back together just like at the beginning as if they were calmly starting over: no problem! And the jam continues! Great performances--even Michael Thabo Carvin's extended drum solo--considering the lightning speed of the main rhythm track. Never quite heard the clavinet solo like Ralph Towner plays it here. Very impressive--though, again, I wish there were more attention to melody than riffing. (13.5/15)

3. "Inner Spaces and Outer Places" (5:15) slowing it down with some low-end chord play from Stu Woods and Ralph Towner while John Abercrombie's guitars and Clive Stevens' multiple horns loosely provide a lazy, unsynchronized melody over the top. In the second minute the sonic field thins as the low-end chords stop while two guitars solo, at the same time, as if in completely different universes! Saxes and Fender Rhodes give a kind of Steely Dan support while the rhythm section offers a solid foundation beneath. Weird that I find myself listening more to Ralph Towner's chord play, Stu Woods' bass lines, or David Earl Johnson's congas more than the rest; I guess I'm not much of a fan of either of the guitarists' sound choices or their soloing styles. (8.875/10)

4. "Un Jour Dans Le Monde" (4:43) aqueous and dreamy soundscape established by Ralph's Fender and Clive's saxophone. The gentle arpeggiating of the guitar tracks also helps. This is the kind of song that is challenging for percussionists to contribute to without disturbing the mood--bass, too--but Stu, David, and Michael do a fair job. Nice melody established from the beginning and perpetuated nicely by Clive and the John Abercrombie throughout the entire song. Nice song texturally but sometimes a little draggin' (9/10)

5. "Voyage To Uranus" (5:52) opens side two as if a continuation or variation on the previous song with sax leading the melody and guitar, Fender, and percussion helping to fill the field with gentle, dreamy stuff. Once the intro is moved passed, the rhythmatists establish an equally-gentle and -melodic foundation over which Clive solos. There's a little Bob James-like feel to this music despite a slightly-more-active bass and percussionist. Clive's solos are rather engaging, not off-putting as so many sax solos can be (for me), but Ralph's Fender Rhodes work (and John Abercrombie's rhythm guitar work) is a bit too saccharine like so much of Bob James' arrangements. (8.75/10)

6. "Electric Impulse From The Heart" (4:15) opening with a rather mysterious yet-melodic arpeggioed keyboard chord sequence similar to many of JEAN-LUC PONTY's songs over the next ten years but, at the same time having a little RETURN TO FOREVER/MAHAVISHNU edginess to it--all in rather gentle support of Clive's effected saxophone play. The hypnotic song slips by so quickly that I find myself surprised each time when it ends. (8.875/10)

7. "Water Rhythms" (8:44) a one minute long intro that seems to be built around a jazz-rock-infused R&B motif turns into a more forward-moving smooth jazz motif with some heavier drumming, more dynamic soul-R&B rhythm guitar strumming, slightly more brash sax and Fender Rhodes soloing--all of which takes it out of its smooth categorization and places it firmly into the realm of some kind of neighborhood-cruising R&B. In the last two minutes a rising-and-then-falling sequence of full chords of ominosity repeat themselves a few times before the band brings it all to a crashing end. Interesting. Not my favorite but a solid, decent song. (17.75/20)

8. "Return To The Earth" (5:15) Clive on flute is supported by 12-string guitar picking and delicate bass and drum play with rich electric piano arpeggiations and chord sequences. At the end of the third minute John Abercrombie's electric jazz guitar solos as Ralph Towner accompanies on one of the 12-strings. This is more like the kind of stuff I was hoping for! With all of the tracks of guitars plus Fender Rhodes it is obvious that Ralph and John are each using multiple tracks--and these are the tracks that my brain gravitates to. An interesting--and totally unexpected--way to end the album! (8.875/10)

A collection of very impressive performances, to be sure, coming through in interesting, unusual compositions. Though I like the sound engineering better on this album than it's predecessor, I like the dynamic diversity and whole-band entanglement of their debut better; this album feels more like a Clive Stevens album whereas the eponymously-titled debut felt more reliant on collaboration.

89.625 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of melodic jazz rock fusion. While there are some songs not to be missed here, there are several that just miss the mark.

FREDDIE HUBBARD High Energy (1974)

Employing pretty much the same lineup as the previous album, Freddie decided to try his luck with a new record company (Columbia)--even going so far as taking his band to the West Coast to record the next album. The album was released in 1974, most likely in August.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Freddie Hubbard / trumpet, flugelhorn

- Kent Brinkley / bass
- Joe Sample / clavinet, organ

- Dale Oehler / conductor, arranged by

- King Errisson / congas

- Ralph Penland / drums

- George Cables / electric piano
- Junior Cook / flute, tenor saxophone (solo on B3)

- Dean Parks / guitar

- Victor Feldman / percussion

- Ian Underwood / synthesizer [Arp]

- Carmello Garcia / timbales

- Harvey Mason / drums (A2, B1)

- Ernie Watts / flutes (A1, B3), soprano sax (solo on B2)

- Dick Hyde / trombones (solo on B1)

- Pete Christleib / bass clarinet (B2), sax (B3)

- George Bohanon / trombones

A1. "Camel Rise" (6:23) long sustained notes issued from Freddie and his horn section open this before a SANTANA-like wide assortment of collaborators jump into the fray. The expanded lineup and sound palette on this George Cables song sounds great: again, very SANTANA-like--even allowing for some funky wah-wah guitar and keyboard soloing over the percussion-rich rhythm section. Kent Brinkley does a fine job handling the bass duties on his own (on the previous album he was supported/doubled up by veteran Ron Carter--who was expressing more and more his distaste for the electric bass, his preference for the good old stand-up double bass) and the multiple keyboards and multiple horns playing a little more loosely than in standard big band formation. Nice Latin flavors like a Herb Alpert, Eumir Deodato, or Burt Bacharach easy listening tune even though the palette is so busy and full. (9.125/10)

 
A2. "Black Maybe" (4:58) a late night contemplative tune (originally penned by Steve Wonder for his then-wife's 1972 album, Syreeta) that presents minimal support from bass, synth, and percussion and beautiful melodic flugelhorn play from Freddie. One of his most deeply connecting performances. With George Cables' Fender Rhodes play this could very well have been the template Vanegelis was using when creating "Blade Runner Blues" for the Blade Runner original soundtrack--and certainly the palette that Jack Elliott and The "New American Orchestra" (called "The Big 'O'" for its existence as the music producer for The Academy Awards ceremonies for 30 years) used for their Warner Brothers Studios-sanctioned version of the same song that they covered in order to produce the first public release of Blade Runner soundtrack-inspired music, which was published in 1982. (Vangelis did not release his own "official" OST until 1994 and his preferred "Final Cut" version in 2007.) Nice orchestration by David Oehler. (9.33333/10)

A3. "Baraka Sasa" (10:29) an awesome theatric opening on this Freddie Hubbard original leads into a funky DEODATO-like mid-speed motif that fully-displayed the multiple keyboards (clavinet, synths, Fender Rhodes), complex arrangements for the professional horn section, and fully-stocked percussion section. This awesome groove provides the support for some cool experimental trumpet soloing in which Freddie and his engineers play with some long delay, echo, and slow-fade effects--all the while a outer-spacey synth oscillates its tone like someone searching the radio for stations using their old hand dial. Big kudos to bassist Kent Brinkley, conga player King Errisson, Joe Sample's clavinet work, and Ralph Penland's drumming as well as Ian Underwood's spacey ARP play and Freddie's trumpeting. A very tight and well-performed high-quality composition even if the chorus comes up short in terms of hooking the listener. (18.25/20) 

B1. "Crisis" (5:44) this song--which is another Freddie Hubbard original--is funky and sassy with Kent Brinkley's bass, Joe Sample's clavinet, Ralph Penland's drumming, and Dean Parks' amazing rhythm guitar work. Dale Oehler's orchestra contribution is also significant (though I think the song would be better off without the orchestral strings) (the horns are great), and Freddie and Junior Cook take full advantage of the mood and encouragement to produce some great solos. (9/10)

B2. "Ebony Moonbeams" (6:55) the album's second George Cables composition proves to be a sophisticated Latin-jazz tune with several tempo, stylistic, and motif changes throughout its seven minute length. The flow and suite-like feel are interesting and admirable but, like a lot of the George Cables melody making that I've heard, his gift for creating major melodic hooks is in the middling range. It's pleasant enough but it's nothing special enough to write home about.  (13.333/15)

B3. "Too High" (6:37) another cover of a Stevie Wonder song (from Innervisions). It's funky, and jazzy with its horn arrangements, but the bass line, drum, percussion, and horn hits, for me, completely loose the staccato "punch" power that Stevie's original had. I like Freddie's solo work--both the experimental sound effect use and the straightforward play--but the rest is, for me, just missing the mark--and the only other soloists are sax players Junior Cook and Pete Christleib, in the middle. (8.75/10) 

Total time: 41:06

Freddie is definitely on board with a full and serious commitment to sophisticated Jazz-Rock Fusion--and he's definitely got the funk working on all ofthise songs. 

91.56 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of peak era Jazz-Rock Fusion.

CHARLIE MARIANO Cascade (1974)

Part of Chris Hinze's circle of musician friends, a Keytone production is Amercian-born wind player Charlie Mariano's reward. The material for the album was recorded on March 9th and 10th, 1974, at Dureco Studio in Weesp, Holland, and then released by Keytone Records, probably in the Summer.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Charlie Mariano / saxophones [alto, soprano], flutes [wooden Indian flutes], reeds [Nagafvaram]
- Chris Hinze / flute
- Philip Catherine / Spanish guitar, electric guitar
- Michaël Samson / electric guitar
- Jasper Van 't Hof Electric / electric piano [Fender Piano], organ
- Rob Van Den Broeck / piano, Fender Rhodes
- John Lee / bass [acoustic, electric]

- Gerry Brown / drums, percussion

A1. "Suite Of The Festival" (5:01) wonderful solo Spanish guitar play to open this one before alto saxophone joins in. Quite lovely duet. But then around 2:20 the full band jumps into a Caribbean-sounding Latin groove. Charlie has switched to soprano sax and is now dueting with Chris Hinze's flute and Michaël Samson's electric jazz guitar. Nice composition, Chris! (9/10)

A2. "Harriet" (6:28) this John Lee composition opens with a late-night piano, upright bass and brushed drums foundation. Chris Hinze 's flute and a variety of other wind instruments used by Charlie Mariano join in. I hear little or no guitar in this one but I do hear two piano keyboards. Nice gentle tune with delicate emotions expressed from Charlie's variety of instruments. (9/10)

A3. "Quest" (4:08) another John Lee composition (as is typical, quite a mathematical though layered structure) performed by the electric ensemble (including organ and two electric guitars) over which Charlie's alto sax starts us out. Jasper van't Hof and Philip Catherine get the next solos as the playing of the rhythm section of John and Gerry intensifies. Pretty cool. (9/10) 

A4. "Electric Funk Jungle" (5:46) Indian flute, hand percussion, and odd synth-guitar sound (or is it some kind of weird little metallic flute?) playing loosely, freely, as if recreating the randomness of Nature (thus the song title), is soon joined by John Lee's electric bass and then Gerry Brown's drumming. A nasally reed instrument arrives (or is it an alto saxophone?) as the groove beneath smooths out into something quite funky. Very interesting fusion of world music over a jazz-funk rhythm track. Almost like something WAR was doing around the same time (or a bit earlier). I really like the foreign scales done with the odd combination of wind instruments and percussion fun during the second half. At the end, the music simple dies down, one instrument at a time. (9.125/10)

B1. "Cascade" (5:31) a different kind of jungle music, this one bordering on with some really fast two-note, two-chord bass play over quite frenzied drums and wild soprano sax play. The next soloist comes from an electric guitar that is sporting a really odd sound--as if they're MIDIed with a Calypso steel drum and a kazoo, at the same time. Weird but cool--and very solid. (9.125/10)

B2. "Piece For Banjo And Kazoo" (9:00) opens with quite a lovely sound: both from the lead alto sax and the DEODATO-like electric ensemble in support. Once fully established as basically a two-note vamp, the sax leads (is it now a soprano?) while some really cool rhythm guitar plays along in the left channel. The "chorus" sections are more complexly jazzified but then about three minutes in the music shifts into a delicately-played two-guitar arpeggiated eight-chord progression beneath which John and Gerry really ramp things up into Billy Cobham/Bill Bruford territory while electric guitar solos in a jazz fashion (which means it's probably not Philip Catherine--probably the "other guy," Michaël Samson). Fender Rhodes takes the next solo while the rhythm section remains equally interesting in their actively dynamic support/interaction--and the rhythm guitarist continues to entertain and fascinate. Such a solid, peak J-R Fuse song! The only thing this song might benefit more from is slightly better melodies. Once the Rhodes is finished, a soprano sax takes back the lead and carries us to the song's end. Wow! How fun! How invigorating! This is every bit as good as anything Return To Forever ever did before they set the new bar with Romantic Warrior! (19.25/20)

B3. "Locus" (4:22) John Lee's third and final composition for Charlie opens with a typically-mathematical foundation but everybody in the band is playing with reckless abandon around the steady bass line--including Gerry on the drums! I love the LENNY WHITE Venusian Summer-like space synth floating around in the distant background throughout. And I also love Gerry's drumming, the rhythm work of the guitarists and Fender Rhodes player. Wow! (9.125/10)

Total time: 40:16

How does this album get overlooked as one of the best things Jazz-Rock Fusion ever offered?! 

92.03 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a masterpiece of peak era Jazz-Rock Fusion. What an ensemble! What a delightful vision for the jazz fusion of anything!

JASPER VAN'T HOF Eyeball (1974)

Recorded in The Netherlands on March 16 & 17, 1974 (in between the two recording dates of Charlie Mariano's Cascade!!) and then released by Chris Hinze's Keytone Records sometime later--probably in the Summer. Six of the songs here are attributed to band leader van't Hof, three to bassist John Lee.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Jasper Van't Hof / acoustic piano, keyboards
- Zbigniew Seifert / violin
- Wim Overgaauw / electric guitar, banjo
- John Lee / electric bass
- Gerry Brown / drums, percussion

A1. "Bax" (7:50) a truly obnoxious syncopated two-note bass anchoring this otherwise interesting song into hell spoils, for me, the wonderful performances of Gerry Brown (amazing!), Jasper van't Hof, and violinist Zbigniew Seifert. I think Jasper thought he was Herbie Hancock or something. I feel sorry for John Lee (to be held hostage like that). (13.25/15)

A2. "Viber Snake" (5:12) opening with some loose and very sparse piano and bass support to some absolutely wonderful "flamenco jazz" guitar work from Wim Overgaauw. At the very end of the third minute Wim stops and the plaintive notes of Zbigneiw's violin are doubled and backed by Jasper's piano chords and Wim's guitar chords and other frivolous flourishes. Interesting composition. (8.875/10)

 
A3. "Eye-ball 1 (Piano Solo)" (3:37) a jazzified classical piece in the Keith Emerson tradition? Sounds an awful lot like something Keith would do. It sounds a lot like a jazzy rendition of an Aaron Copeland song. (8.75/10)

A4. "Hyrax" (5:55) the first of John Lee's contributions is, unfortunately, another song in which John finds himself trapped into a endless syncopated two-note cycle while everyone around him gets to play, explore, and, hopefully, have fun. There is a bit of a dour, "hard-work" feel to the performances. Some weird, wah-wah-ed synth work from Jasper is the highlight of this otherwise one-dimensional song (at least, one dimensional during the solo-support passages). Luckily, Gerry is allowed enough freedom to display his prodigious talent. Turns out that Zbigniew's violin is also being fed through a distorting wah-effects pedal, as his solo is quite reflective of Jasper's. Wim's syncopated rhythm guitar chord hits provide a distracting accent (almost negatively so), but the main melody is pretty good--and performed in an interesting way. Fade out. (8.875/10)

B1. "Schwester Johanna" (6:15) this fast-paced display of instrumental virtuosity sounds like Jean-Luc Ponty playing with the Pat Metheny Group, but it's not. It's Zbigniew Seifert and Jasper van't Hof. But, man! John Lee, Gerry Brown, and Wim Overgaauw's rhythm guitar are sure smokin' up the joint!  This six-minute sprint would be a test of anyone's stamina and concentration! (9.5/10)

B2. "Laur" (4:17) moody volume-controlled bass chords open this with spacey synth single notes notes and whistles and exotic percussion sounds. Then Zbigniew and Jasper enter with violin and Vangelis-like Fender Rhodes. This beautiful little dreamy jazz tune is a John Lee composition! But it's so very mature, multi-dimensional, and polished! Take me to this person (or place), please! (9/10)

B3. "One Leg Missing" (3:06) opens with what sounds like some East Asian percussion and instruments (banjo, violin, and spaced-out plucked eighth notes on the bass) providing what sounds like the cacophony of a small third world village celebration (for a big meal). Gerry's play soon turns to his drum kit, where he puts on quite a display of drum mastery. (8.875/10)

B4. "Eye-ball 2 (Piano Solo)" (4:57) solo Jasper. It's very smooth and melodic, flowing beautifully on top as the left hand chord hits provide some referent points. Nice work from a confident and thoughtful player. I'm not usually much of a fan of solo piano work, but this is the kind of stuff I can enjoy. (8.875/10)

B5. "The Rev" (4:20) the final John Lee composition is another surprisingly loose and more-than-two-dimensionally-constructed tune. Zbigniew and Jasper (on synth) open things up by introducing the kind of loosey-goosey, happy-go-lucky melody before backing off for Wim to take a turn in the lead with an odd-sounding guitar (like it's an elephant being muted inside a milk bottle) mixed very quietly into the near background. Zbigniew gets the next solo before Jasper's electric piano takes a turn. Then the song is faded out. A solid song that presents nothing really great or innovative. (8.75/10)

Total time: 46:32

Jasper knows his way around a keyboard but is still fairly new to how to use the new technologies and their sounds (especially single note synthesizers) thus there is a lot of experimentation with the manipulation of sound going on here. What one can certainly say with some confidence is that he and his collaborators can play! In fact, this album contains what is, in my opinion, one of the best displays of the talents of Gerry Brown that I've ever heard.

89.21 on the Fishscales = B+/four stars; an excellent display of Second Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion. 

TOOTS THIELEMANS - PHILIP CATHERINE Toots Thielemans & Friends (1974)

Recorded for Keytone Records in Weesp, Netherlands, at Dureco Studios on April 5th & 7th of 1974. Probably released in the Summer.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Toots Thielemans / harmonicas, electric guitar

- Philip Catherine / guitars 

- Chris Hinze / flutes

- John Lee / bass

- Gerry Brown / drums, percussion

- Joachim Kühn / piano, electric piano

A1. "Bé Bé Créole" (4:51) the first half of this sounds, to me, like a lesson in Harmonica 101 as presented on a show like Sesame Street; the second half like the more advanced class one mike take in one's junior or senior year. Thus, this makes, for me, all of the other instruments providing the base music relegated to the realms of cogs of dispensability: their efforts seem wasted. (8.66667/10)

A2. "Monologue" (4:08) a little more interesting from the lead instrument perspective, but sounding, in the end, like Chris Hinze's pre-Combination days of self-aggrandizing easy listening music to show one's skill at adapting other people's melodies, ideas, and styles to make "your own" compositions. (8.75/10)

A3. "T.T." (6:11) now here is a jazz tapestry in which M. Thielemans tries to find his way (instead of leading the others from his own melody-play): and it's one of his own compositions! The skills of pianist Joachim Kühn and drummer Gerry Brown get far more exposure on this and Toots actually backs off to let others have some of the spotlight. (8.875/10)

A4. "Two Generations" (4:11) now we're talkin'! Thanks for stepping in (or up) Chris! Piano and flute start it off before harmonica joins them, but the real boost comes 90 seconds in when Joachim leads the rhythm section into an explosion into a powerful SANTANA-like vamp over which Chris, Toots, and Philip Catherine take turns offering some kick ass solos over some seriously rowdy-rockin' all-out Jazz-Rock Fusion. A GREAT song. Easily my favorite song on the album. Like a Santana jam, I wish it would have gone on forever! (9.75/10)

B1. "Why Did I Choose You" (3:50) a Latin pop song (bossa nova by Michael Leonard) turned Smooth Jazz instrumental. Nice music by tightly-bonded group of very proficient musicians. Nice harmonica performance; very cool guitar support (Toots?) (8.875/10)

B2. "Uncle Charlie" (6:30) opens as a Louisiana swamp blues harmonica song that becomes funked up with the full band in support. Philip's raunchy distorted guitar actually fits fairly well over the steady funk-lite Billy Cobham-style jazz-funk. And it's not all dominated by a saccharine harmonica. Nice song, Toots! (9/10) 

B3. "Friday Night" (3:46) Philip Catherine's lone compositional contribution to Toots' album involves some awesomely beautiful Spanish guitar (where was Philip when John McLaughlin and the guys were imagining some acoustic trio candidates?) While the song never really launches: it stays in the intro-interlude "limbo-land" the whole time, exploring wave after wave of guitar runs with near-"Theme from Midnight Cowboy" melodic hooks the entire time. It is, however, gorgeous. (9/10)

B4. "L'éternel Mari" (5:28) Joachim Kühn has created a great song here--one that stands up perfectly well with any lead instrument (reminding me a lot of something that could've come from either of Herbie Hancock's first two Head Hunters albums)--or none at all. The contributions of the harmonica up front are minimal enough to not take much away from Joachim, Philip, and John's performances: it's fine but man this awesome song could've served some really great artistry--from artists who were really deeply inspired and motivated to exploring the experimental sounds and technologies coming available in the mid-70s. (9/10)

Total time: 38:55

I really respect Toots Thielemans as a master of his instrument, as a fearless, ground-breaking musician, but for heaven's sake: it's a harmonica! I've already expressed my relative disdain for one-dimensional, melody-only musical instruments (the saxophone is my most disliked) and, as creative as one can be on the highly limiting harmonica, it's really about who one surrounds oneself with. Yes, the harmonica can deliver melodies with achingly-beautiful, heart-piercing emotion, but  not every time: there are only so many "Theme[s] from A Midnight Cowboy," "Isn't She Lovely"s, and "Brand New Day"s that come across an artist's studio charts over the course of a lifetime. 

     Also, for getting second-to-the-top billing, Philip Catherine's contributions are certainly lower profile than what one might have expected. It is a bit fun (and insightful) to hear a little unscripted spoken commentary recorded (and published) in between the songs.

89.90 on the Fishscales = B+/ stars; what feels like a waste of time, effort, money, and talent turns out to present enough high-quality music to qualify as an excellent "near-masterpiece" of Jazz-Rock Fusion. The problem is that it astounds me to envision what this album could have been!

September

HERBIE HANCOCK Thrust (1974)

After the final sessions with his Mwandishi collaborators, Herbie was all-in for the Funk and all-in for exploring the latest sounds that technology could provide. Thrust is the result of his deep dive--on of the first jazz artists and jazz albums to take music into the Second, more melodic and pop-oriented, Wave of Jazz-Rock Fusion. Recorded in San Francisco at Wally Heider Studios by David Rubinson and Fred Catero, the album was released by Columbia Records on September 6, 1974. 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Herbie Hancock / ARP Odyssey, 2600, String & Soloist synths, Fender Rhodes, Hohner D6 Clavinet, co-producer
With:
- Bennie Maupin / soprano & tenor saxophones, saxello, bass clarinet, alto flute
- Paul Jackson / electric bass
- Mike Clark / drums
- Bill Summers / percussion

1. "Palm Grease" (10:37) using simpler structures, simpler melodic hooks, simpler more pop-oriented rhythm patterns, Herbie turns his music into a product that is more oriented toward the entertainment of the masses instead of something trying to impress the traditionalists. The musicians he has chosen to surround himself on this one are, of course, incredibly solid but also carry that single-minded vision of serving the masses and thus help in producing eminently listenable, enjoyable, and danceable songs. Great drumming from Mike Clark and great bass play from Paul Jackson while Bennie Maupin and Herbie test all the funk sound boundaries with their futuristic sounds. (17.75/20)

2. "Actual Proof" (9:40) with the smooth synth strings and floating flute, this one crosses both the Stevie Wonder-like funk and Bob James-like Smooth Jazz worlds despite the wonderfully funky bass and clavinet play. From a keyboard-perspective, this song lets me know that Herbie had heard Eumir DEODATO's hit-generating music from Prelude. From a bass and drums perspective I can hear that Paul Jackson and Mike Clark had been hearing the stuff that Buster Williams and Stanley Clarke as well as Billy Cobham and Lenny White were doing since the Bitches Brew sessions; just stupendous play from both of them! One of the coolest funk-laden Smooth Jazz songs you will ever hear! (19.75/20)

3. "Butterfly" (11:17) awesome late night cabana smooth jazz with Bennie Maupin's bass clarinet and saxello carrying a lot of the melody load--but from the back! Herbie sits back with his synth strings supporting the scene for the first two minutes before revealing his clavinet and Fender Rhodes while Bennie solos. The drums, percussion and bass are simple--like a good R&B rhythm section in relax and groove mode throughout Bennie's two-plus minute solo. Herbie takes the next extended solo--for the next five mintues!--on his Fender. Lovely. What a great earworm of a bass riff! At 7:00 Herbie moves to his clavinet for a bit and, with it, the band into a great funkified variation of the main theme before he returns to a more vibrant solo form on his Fender. (19/20)

4. "Spank-A-Lee" (7:12) an exercise in pure funk à la the recent STEVIE WONDER work (think "Boogie on Reggae Woman"). The four rhythmatists are wonderful--and obviously having a great time grooving with one another, but from the one-minute mark on it's really the Bennie Maupin show and I'm not really a sax man. While not as catchy or melodic as the previous songs, it is still demonstrative of some mighty high talent. (13.375/15)

Total Time 38:46

I think that humble, uber-talented bandleader Herbie Hancock here demonstrates that he is finally convinced that his keyboard playing can be front and center--as the main attraction--and that all of the funk tendencies taking over the radio waves and technological advances going on in keyboard instrumentation needed tending to--and advantage taken of. While I loved his 1960s work and his Mwandishi period, I am LOVING this stuff WAY more! 

93.167 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a certifiable masterpiece of Second Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion, my favorite Herbie album of all-time, and one of my favorite albums in the J-R Fuse lexicon. 

Michał URBANIAK Atma (1974)

Michał's first album recorded and released for CBS Records in the USA (Fusion was a re-release of a previously released European-recorded album from 1973). Atma was recorded in June in New York and released in September of 1974. 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Michał Urbaniak / electric violin, vi-tar violin and soprano sax
- Urszula Dudziak / voice, percussion
- Czesław Bartkowski / drums

- Pawel Jarzebski / electric bass
- Wojciech Karolak / keyboards, Fender piano, Moog, Farfisa, Clavinet
- Ray Mantilla / Congas, drums, percussion

1. "Mazurka" (5:08) opens with a little spirit of Stéphane Grappelli in Michał's violin, but then his ground-breaking MIT-designed vi-tar electric violin hybrid takes off in the fashion only heard by the future sound of L. Shankar--all played over a wonderfully-lo-funk rhythm track held tightly together by Wojciech Karolak's awesome keyboard play (mostly clavinet). Awesome futuristic sound. Definitely genre-bending. (9.5/10)

2. "Butterfly" (7:13) more prototypical Smooth Jazz with wordless vocalist Urszula Dudziak's Northettes-like performance in much of the song's lead position over the first three minutes. The Latin-infused smooth funk is like BOB JAMES music only several steps up in terms of both sophistication and production. Michał's loyal band is so locked in, so synchronized and attuned to one another's perfectly blended contributions to the music playing beneath the soloists. (Wojciech is astoundingly good.) And I can't let this go without mentioning the amazing STEELY DAN/DAVE STEWART-like shift in the rhythmic tone of the song around 5:43 that comes from Wojciech--switching in and out of a bassa nova lite. Genius! So beautiufl! Then why do I find myself craving some of that raw "dirty" play from Michal's earlier albums? (14.75/15)

3. "Largo" (4:30) another "Silence"-like (from Inactin) slow violin and other drone-like bowed and synthetic instruments. Ula is in the mix, helping with the presentation of the main melody, but then providing ghost-like GILLI SMYTH-like faeirie-waif vocals between and around the impressive electric violin play of her husband. The drums, bass, percussion, and keys beneath are solid, as always, in their shifting duties of support. (8.75/10)

4. "Ilex" (5:48) a fast-paced, uptempo mostly-race, sometimes cruising song of great complexity suddenly turns quite serious and heavy at 1:15, but then at the very end of the second minute it shifts back into an awesome J-L Ponty-like cruising speed with some interesting Latin-Caribb rhythm play beneath Michał's soaring Ponty-like electric violin play. The bridges between solo passages are lightning fast and complex whole-band affairs in the same way that Mahavishnu Orchestra and Return To Forever use. Urszula gets the next solo but she is rather reserved, holding surprisingly close to the main melodies--which is even more amplified in the next section in which she tandems with her husband's frantic violin lines. It's nothing short of amazing! Easily a top three song for me. (10/10)

5. "New York Batsa" (5:03) more clavinet-heavy highway cruising with Ula in the lead with her husband's vi-tar and some saxophone (?!) very cool composition that takes no little talent and skill to pull off for all the band members--especially the remarkable Urszula Dudziak. After the 2:25 restart, Michał takes a turn soloing all alone on his slow-flanged violin (not the vi-tar--that returns a little later). Columbia must be getting more comfortable (or impressed) with Ula's talents as they're really letting her have free reign as well more front and center positioning in the mixes--it's not all GONG-like faerie work or sexy/soothing Northettes fare. (Thank god! She's just too talented to try to hold back.) (9.5/10)

6. "Kama (part I)" (2:24) or "Kama Ula" on some albums; a solo a cappella performance from Ula that is very, very heavily treated with many effects that I cannot begin to guess at. (Todd Rundgren-like.) (4.375/5)

7. "Kama (part II)" (2:21) the Ula-fest continues but this one is more straigtforward (less prodcessed) and more Flora Purim-like (though she definitely goes far beyond the Santería chanting of Flora as the song goes on) with some great fast-paced, highly percussioned jazz-funk running beneath her. (4.667/5)

8. "Atma : yesterday" (3:17) a surprisingly gentle and spacious slow jazz-funk that provides the spacey foundation for Michał to boldly go on his delay-echo-infinite-sustained violin some amazing melody playing. (Had the band possibly heard KOOL & THE GANG's "Summer Madness" before they created this song?) The man knows how to use his effects! (and inspire Jean-Luc Ponty along the way). Do I hear a little saxophone doubling up the violin at the end? This little tune could very well have served as a back up theme for Alan Almond's Pillow Talk radio show. (9.5/10)

9. "Atma : today" (3:30) uptempo yet not as breakneck as some of the other songs on the album--more Brasilian bassa nova in its base, the bass, drums, congas, rich multiple keys,  and other Brazilian percussion are exquisite in their support of Michał's violin and background saxophone play. The fact that this man, a Pole, could find this kind of affinity for Brazilian bossa nova for his sensuous electric violin to play over but Jean-Luc Ponty never could exposes one of the flaws/biases in M. Ponty's music. (9.3333/10)     

10. "Atma : tomorrow" (3:16) a variation of the first Atma's theme and sound palette, slightly changed, engineered slightly differently. Might Ronnie Laws have heard this before he launched into the recording of his first solo album? Not as rich or powerful as the previous "version" but still quite good. (9/10)

Total time: 42:30

94.08 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a true masterpiece of Jazz-Rock Fusion; one of the best shining examples of peak Third Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion that I've ever heard (and by now I've heard a few!) Absolutely an essential acquisition to any music lover who claims to know or love J-R Fusion.

RETURN TO FOREVER Where Have I Known You Before (1974)

Recorded at the Record Plant in New York City in July and August of 1974, the world's introduction to guitar phenom Al Di Meola was released by Polydor in September.

Replacing fan favorite Bill Connors was no easy feat, but the 22-year old guitarist brought a lot more to the table besides jaw-dropping speed.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Stanley Clarke /Bass, Organ, Percussion [Chimes, Bell Tree]
- Lenny White /Drums, Percussion
- Al Di Meola /Guitar
- Chick Corea /Piano, Clavinet, Organ, Synthesizer, Percussion

A1 "Vulcan Worlds" (7:51) The iconic song from the album with Stanley's slap bass and Tony's Billy Cobham-like drumming has Stanley, Chick, and Al playing with interesting sounds and effects on their lead-blistering instruments. The first real instrumental section starts at 2:10 with a brief Chick MiniMoog solo followed by an equally-brief bass solo before yielding back to Chick for an extended solo. At 3:30 Stanley takes the reins back for a few seconds as if to bridge/hand off to Al for an impressive solo in which he slowly builds up with a distorted sound toward some of his famous machine gun runs. But it is Stanley's solo in the fifth minute that really takes the prize, showing the world who's Number One. Chick and Al get the seventh minute--with Al revealing more of his prodigious talent. Then the band goes into a near-"Midnight Cowboy" melody motif to close out the song in the final minute. (14.5/15)

A2 "Where Have I Loved You Before" (1:01) the first of Chick's piano interludes sounds so Oscar Peterson-like (at least, they do to these untrained ears)! (4.5/5)

A3 "The Shadow Of Lo" (7:34) See: even jazz-rock fusionists can make beautiful laid-back music! The pace does pick up in the third minute but it remains constant in its commitment to melody and smoothness. Al and Chick both get plenty of chances to shine while Lenny and Stanley remain pretty steadfast in their duties as rhythmists. The final couple minutes sees the band picking up a funk theme that sounds like a variation on Rufus' "Tell Me Something Good." (14.25/15)

A4 "Where Have I Danced With You Before" (1:12) acoustic piano solo with a little acoustic guitar support. (4.5/5)

A5 "Beyond The Seventh Galaxy" (3:11) I love the full rock bass on this one as Lenny crashes away and Al and Chick fill the top. The opening themes are presented and carried forward by the trio of Chick, Al, and Stanley! Then Chick gets to fill the next section with multiple keyboards at once. Al gets a left channel solo in the third minute. (I hear a little of "Alice" in some of the melody lines coming out of Chick!) (8.875/10)

B1 "Earth Juice" (3:45) heavy rock-funk line with near-disco drumming and percussion accompaniment along with Chick's Fender Rhodes over which Al gets full leadership (despite Stanley's amazing bass play beneath and Chick's almost constant accents between Al's lines). Nice song though it is not my favorite sound to come from Al's electric guitar. (8.875/10)

B2 "Where Have I Known You Before" (2:09) Bill Evans-like solo piano: quite dramatic and beautifully melodic. The right hand might be a little more aggressive and dynamic than Bill ever gets, but it's still so beautifully melodic! (5/5)

B3 "Song To The Pharoah Kings" (14:21) the song opens with an extended MiniMoog-over-organ solo passage. At 2:10 there's a shift to a different palette of electronic keyboard sounds with the rhythm section of Lenny and Stanley (and Fender Rhodes and clavinet) joining in at the end of the third minute. A little tango-like rhythm pattern is established by Stanley and Chick, with Stanley maintaining the oscillating chord progression, while Chick takes the first solos. Lenny gets to impress in the sixth minute (man! is he awesome!) before Stanley steps to the front at the end of the sixth. Man! is he amazing! (As is Chick's support beneath). Al finally gets to step up after an awesome bridge in the beginning of the eighth minute, but it's a slow, Latin build through Chick's layers of keys that gets him there, finally, in the middle of the ninth minute--duelling with Chick's screaming MiniMoog until 8:50 when he finally gets the stage all to himself. He does not disappoint though some of his playing feels a bit soulless--a feeling that is only augmented by the very connected and dynamic performances of his three band mates beneath and around him. Chick gets rest of the tenth minute as Al moves into some pretty awesome rock rhythm guitar and Stanley and Lenny continue to fly around beneath. Wow! How could anyone possibly compete with this amazing foursome? The song plays out with everybody hitting their chords together while Lenny boisterously accents it all from beneath. The very final 30-seconds is as good as any of the other moments of the song with the incredible dexterity on display. Wow! (28.75/30)

Total Time: 41:24

To my ears and brain, the music on this album is a serious step up from that of the second RTF album. The debut album stands alone as a very nice Chick Corea project, but Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy is to me merely an attempt to emulate and compete with John McLaughlin and his Mahavishnu Orchestra. And who can blame Chick for this? Everybody else was doing it! And the Bill Connors quartet may have been the best at it, but the three Al DiMeola-staffed RTF albums present a sound and engineering step up into the realms of that of progressive rock music: clean, clear capture of dynamic instrumental performances throughout each and every song, start to finish; gone are the thin, watered-down soundscapes of Teo Maceo and David Rubinson; here are the vibrant soundscapes that Bruce Douglas envisioned with his 1969 work with Hendrix and John McLaughlin's Devotion (an album I much prefer to the early Mahavishnu albums). Here is the sound vibrancy and quality of Boston, Aja, and the computer/digital age beyond.
     20-year old Al will get better (as we'll see on No Mystery and Romantic Warrior) but Lenny, Stanley, and Chick are definitely at the top of their game! And the compositions are simply perfect for these instrumentalists! Bravissimo!

93.95 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; an incontrovertible masterpiece of prog-rock-satisfying jazz-rock fusion; one of the shining moments of the apex of the movement.

PERIGEO Genealogia (1974)

The band's third album finds them cruising along with their rockin' form of Jazz-Rock Fusion. Lots of sound experimentation going on as well. The album was released by RCA Italiana in September of 1974.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Bruno Biriaco / drums, percussion
- Franco D'Andrea / acoustic & electric pianos
- Claudio Fasoli / Alto & Soprano saxes, percussion (7)
- Tony Sidney / acoustic & electric guitars, bongos (9)
- Giovanni Tommaso / vocals, bass, double bass, Moog (1-4-8), percussion (2)
+ Mandrake / percussion (2), congas (4)

1. "Genealogia" (8:25) after a two-minute spacey intro of Moog and/or guitar amp feedback with a memorable hook we get into a slow piano chord processional that has a Balkan/Renaissance feel, sound, and structure to it not unlike some of the work Gentle Giant was doing about this time. It's a pretty cool,  engaging weave of piano, wah-wah-ed fuzz guitar, bass, sax, cymbals and bass drum, and acoustic guitars that really does sound like some troubadour music from long ago. At 3:35 the band relaxes and takes jazz liberties with the weaves: still using the same chord progression and main melody line, but taking off in all kinds of jazz directions with each of the individual instruments--especially soprano sax, full drums, and piano. In the sixth minute everybody kind of backs off to allow for the audience to hear a prolonged bowed bass solo from Giovanni Tommaso--which turns into something extrardinary when he flips on the full effects boxes to let us hear the latest effects toys he's being experimenting with. The band returns to the main Renaissance weave for the final 30 seconds while Giovanni keeps the distorted wah-flange effect turned on with his bass. Unfortunately, I feel that the song needed a little more; long jams over repetitive vamps do not always work for me, even when performed by Renaissance musicians. (17.75/20)

2. "Polaris" (5:00) hard-driving drumming that is somehow dragged down by the weave of electric instruments surrounding it (slightly-muted electric bass, wah-wah-ed Fender Rhodes, sax and electric guitar intermittently stating the riff of the main "hook"). Unfortunately, the motif repeats mercilessly over a one-chord vamp. Nice drumming, keyboard soloing, and soprano sax soloing while Tony pretty much treats the whole song as a landscape for his own distortion-wah-wah-reverb solo. (8.875/10)

3. "Torre del lago" (3:06) swirling piano speed-arpeggios and wave-like cymbal play over/within which saxophonist Claudio Fasoli solos like he's Coltrane. (9/10)

 
4. "Via beato angelico" (4:55) opens atmospherically like a purely prog rocker intro for the first 2:45 before the Deodato-like Fender Rhodes takes us into a cool groove over which Tony, Claudio, and Giovanni's Moog help lead us into something quite captivating. (9.75/10)

5. "(In) vino veritas" (6:46) there is amazing soloing going on over the cookin' rhythm play of Bruno Biriaco, Giovanni Tammaso, and Franco D'Andrea: I mean Claudio's saxes (multiple tracks!!), Tony's electric guitar (also playing in multiple tracks), Franco's Rhodes, and Giovanni's synths are really impressive--and take-no-prisoners relentless! I really like this despite its business! The skill levels of these guys has grown tremendously! Plus, there is a little Canterbury jamming going on here. (13.625/15)

6. "Monti pallidi" (3:31) for the first sax-led minute of this one we have music that sounds more like something from Canterbury artists The Soft Machine or Hatfield and The North, but then, in the second minute, Franco takes over with both the lead and rhythm left hand while Giovanni's bass and Bruno's drums seem to support perfectly in the trio format. Could've easily have been Dave Stewart! (9.125/10) 

7. "Grandi spazi" (3:36) a slow, spacey, atmospheric, and methodic Fender Rhodes, bass, cymbals, and saxophone weave that sounds a lot like something from John Coltrane in the mid-1960s. (8.875/10)

8. "Old Vienna" (3:22) again the more avant garde Canterbury jazz music seems to be inspiring the foundational sound palette and styling of this song but then Tony can't help himself: his penchant for guitar pyrotechnics takes over in the third minute, threatening to shred the rest of the band's commitment to their solid Canterbury foundation, but then he reigns it in for the final 30 seconds. The dude has some of that same Mahavishnu Inner Mounting Flame burning inside him like Corrado Rustici. (9.125/10)

9. "Sidney's call" (4:55) the first two minutes of this unusual song are like taking a trip into a dreamy, thoughtful, ambient mood of a quiet mind. I would very much like to occupy this person's mind and inner world. But then, with the advent of the third minute, all peace and calm are dispensed with as drummer Bruno Biriaco jumps in leading the full band into a full Canterbury mathematical motif, even spelling the band every 20 seconds or so with some dynamic drumming bridges (two of them before the third one, starting at 3:16, turns into a full-on 43-second drum solo). Then the music returns to the idyllic landscape that opened the song with the same soprano sax-and-lilting male wordless vocal. Very cool! (9.333/10)  

Total Time: 43:35

I have really enjoyed getting to know the discography of this band: their progression from rock- and blues-based Jazz-Rock enthusiasts to full-fledged Jazz-Rock Fusion veering-toward-the-Canterbury has been really wonderful to experience. Whereas I loved the two previous albums, this one really shows some remarkable maturation in both skill levels and song construction sophistication.  

90.91 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of Canterbury-tinged Jazz-Rock Fusion.

HUBERT LAWS In the Beginning  (1974)

Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder's studios in New Jersey on February 6–8 & 11, 1974, and then released by CTI Records later in the year.

Line-up / Musicians:

– Hubert Laws / flutes, octave divider

- Ron Carter / bass

– Gene Bertoncini / guitars

– Ronnie Laws / tenor saxophone
– Bob James / piano, electric piano
– Dave Friedman / vibraphone, percussion
– Steve Gadd / drums
– Airto Moreira / percussion

With: 

– Richard Tee / organ (B2)
– Clare Fischer / piano, electric piano, arranger

– David Nadien / violin
– Emanuel Vardi / viola
– George Ricci / cello

A1. "In the Beginning" (6:56) a complex, almost orchestra/chamber classical-like Clare Fischer composition that has been rendered into a Jazz-Rock Fusion lineup of instruments and, later, into blues-jazz motif, finishing off with a lighter, more soulful motif. A little too classical-oriented and unsure of itself in terms of sticking to a consistent style. (13.25/15)

A2. "Restoration" (9:02) another song presentation that seems to scream "resistance" to the infusion of Rock 'n' Roll styles and instruments as almost all of the instruments employed are old school Jazz instruments. The result is a solid if fairly stereotypic Jazz tune that seems to harken back to the "cool jazz" of the 1950s as well as the James Bond-like film soundtrack musics of the 1960s, though Hubert's flute sounds as if it's been played through a MIDI-processor--especially as it's played over the swinging "My Favorite Things"-like motif of the song's second half. (17.625/20)

B1. "Gymnopedie #1" (3:58) a cover of the famous classical music piece by Eric Satie, here performed by Hubert with the support of guitarist Gene Bertocini, Ron Carter's bass, and Bob James' piano and small chamber strings arrangement. To my mind this version is a bit too slow. I do, however, like very much the liberties Hubert takes with the main melody in the second half of the song as well as Dave Friedman's contributions on the vibraphone. (9.125/10)

B2. "Come Ye Disconsolate" (5:23) a rendering of a traditional folk song as arranged by Hubert and Bob James presents a strong presence by Richard Tee on church organ. Sounds way too much like a background/processional song to a church service--like a viewing of an open coffin or the contemplative period during the communion part of the service. Also, is this the song that inspired (was borrowed) for the blues song "Georgia"? (8.75/10)

B3. "Airegin" (5:34) this one cannot hide its infusion of Rock 'n' Roll--coming from Steve Gadd's dominant galloping drums. For  it's just Hubert and Steve, no one else, which feels kind of weird, but then it composer Sonny Rollins was kind of weird. (8.667/10)

C1. "Moment's Notice" (6:59) a very spirited cover of a John Coltrane hard bop composition, this certainly brings us back to the styles and sounds of the "old days" of 1950s-1960s jazz. Nice performances by all, including Hubert's brother, Ronnie, Hubert himself, keyboard player Bob James, bassist Ron Carter (of course) and the amazing Steve Gadd. A great, melodic, feel good song played to virtuosic perfection. (9.333/10)

C2. "Reconciliation" (10:10) a cover of a song by American pianist/lyricist Rogers Grant presents another "cool jazz" rendition of a song that probably came from that era. Bob James' work on the Fender Rhodes is smooth and melodic if still conforming to the slightly challenging modal expectations of the song and era. The slow pace is garnished by lots of excellent supplemental accent work from both Steve Gadd and bassist Ron Carter. A top three song for me. With so much majestic play from the players, top to bottom, I find myself feeling quite comfortable within this song. This would have been a great representative for my Favorite Jazz Tunes of the 1960s playlist . . . had this been made in the 1960s. (18.5/20)

D1. "Mean Lene" (15:28) the most Jazz-Rock Fusion sounding tune (and palette) on the album still comes across as a bit of an homage--this time to the influx of danceable music coming from Brasil and other Caribbean musical traditions. Brother Ronnie gets some real time in the spotlight on this one as do the Latin percussionists, bassist Ron Carter, drummer Gadd, and, of course, Hubert (once again using an odd compression and delay/echo effect on the sound of his recorded flute). (Apparently, Hubert enlisted the use on some of the songs on this album of an "octave divider" to expand and deepen the sound of his flute.) Clare Fischer, Bob James, and the composer of the previous song, Rogers Grant, are all listed as keyboard players on this song. Steve has an absolutely stunning drum performance throughout but even moreso during his extended solo during the 11th and 12th minutes. Though I do like Hubert's "octave divider" effect, his straightforward flute sound is equally winning. Delightful song. (28.5/30)

Total Time: 63:33

One can tell from the styles these songs are presented in that Hubert Laws was one of the musicians who came up in the Jazz and Classical idioms who was resistant to the fusion with Rock 'n' Roll. As a matter of fact nearly 90 percent of the material and sound on the album sounds as if a nostalgic homage to the "old days"--which rather spoils its ability to be included in a Jazz-Rock Fusion compendium. However, the presence of the final song, a full-side 15+ minute song, redeems it somewhat. 

     Steve Gadd's drumming throughout this album is absolutely spectacular. Perhaps he, as much or more than Hubert, loved playing in the "old styles" cuz, being a youngun at age 29, really welcomed and relished the opportunity to play these great old styles since he kind of missed them--or, rather, grew up with them but probably never really got the chance to play them in his masterful "glory" years (despite the fact that he was one of those young Tony Williams-like "uberkind" phenoms in the music world during the 1960s). As a matter of fact, this album may overtake Chick Corea's The Mad Hatter as my favorite Steve Gadd drumming album.

  

91.0 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of nostalgic Jazz with several songs that cross over into the realms of Jazz-Rock Fusion.

KOOL AND THE GANG Light of Worlds (1974)

An album of highly-sophisticated, layered, jazzy funk that was recorded At Mediasound ; released by De-Lite Records in September of 1974.

Line-up/Musicians:

- Dennis Thomas / Alto Saxophone, Clavinet, Congas, Percussion, Lead Vocals

- Robert Bell / Bass, Vocals

- George Brown / Drums, Percussion, Vocals, Gong

- Claydes E. X. Smith / Guitar

- Edward Pazant / Oboe, Alto Saxophone

- Rick West / Piano, Lead Vocals, Electric Piano

- Ronald Bell / Tenor Saxophone, Synthesizer [Arp], Clavinet, Percussion, Bass, Piano, Vocals, Synthesizer [Arp 2600], Flute [Alto], Clavinet, Mellotron

Strings – Noel Pointer
- Robert Mickens / Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Vocals

- Alvin Pazant / Trumpet

And:
Additional vocals from Alton Taylor, Herb Lane, and "Champane" Penni Saunders as well as;

Backing Vocals from Herb Lane, Kenny Banks, Richard Shade

A1. "Street Corner Symphony" (4:35) nice multi-layered jazz-funk with excellent musicianship coming from every person involved. (9.125/10)

A2. "Fruitman" (5:22) a kind of shlocky song that seems to indicate that Kool felt an obligation to give back to its community--its families and friends, even--here offering nutritional information/advice for them to --like a public service announcement from an episode of Sesame Street. (8.75/10)

A3. "Rhyme Tyme People" (3:21) this social message sounds like a speech of wisdom from Sly & The Family Stone. Very funky, very much like a halfway point between "Thank You (For Lettin' Me Be Myself)" and "Hollywood Swinging." (9/10)

A4. "Light Of Worlds" (4:23) part Funkadelic, part Gospel funk, part I love the interplay of the bass, clavinet and rhythm guitar. The choral vocals are actually well done and nicely fitting (as opposed to being over the top, as it would have been easy to do). I like the presence of the children (or young girls) as a complement to those of the band's choral chants. (9.25/10)

B1. "Whiting H. & G." (3:20) great music with some awesome synthesizer leading over the groovin' T.S.O.Philadelphia weave of piano, guitar, bass, and percussion. Awesome. Another song I could listen to all day and all night. (9.5/10)

B2. "You Don't Have To Change" (2:40) an awesome synth-rich dream-soul intro sets up a nice little strings-backed soul groove that could've come from bands like The Stylistics, The O'Jays, or even Brian Auger's Oblivion Express. (9.375/10)

B3. "Higher Plane" (4:59) another chance to take a Sly sound and lift it up with the technological advances of five years (clavinet, synths, recording effects, etc.) (9/10)

B4. "Summer Madness" (4:16) one of the greatest mood sucking songs of all-time. (11/10)

B5. "Here After" (2:55) a kind of prophetic inspirational speech clothed in theater-like music. Kind of corny but, given the benefit of the doubt for sincere good intentions I'll mark it up. (8.875/10)

Total Time: 36:05

The overwhelming message I get from the music on this album is that Kool & The Gang want to help out--they want to be a light to the world, to inspire health, positivity, and healthy life choices--especially to their own Black inner city world (Jersey City, the boroughs of New York City) and the worlds of other cities like them.

92.08 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a wonderful if-dated/antiquated and now squirm-inducing mega-dose of Aquarian positivity.  

October

RAMSEY LEWIS Sun Goddess (1974)

Ramsey wasn't dumb: he saw the road to economic success was paved through Jazz-Rock Fusion and Smooth Jazz. So, what better way to achieve success in the radio/pop world than to A) hire a pop band to perform on a couple of your catchiest tunes (Earth, Wind & Fire), and B) cover songs that had already achieved success on the recent/contemporary radio markets ("Living for the City") released by Columbia Records on October 2, 1974.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Ramsey Lewis / piano, Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer, ARP, ARP Ensemble,  
- Cleveland Eaton / bass
- Byron Gregory / guitar

- Charles Stepney / guitar, Fender Rhodes, synthesizer (ARP Ensemble)
- Maurice Jennings / drums, percussion
- Derf Raheem / congas, vocals
With:

- Maurice White (Earth, Wind & Fire) / drums, vocals, percussion (A1, B2) 
- Philip Bailey (EW&F) / conga, vocals (A1, B2) 
- Johnny Graham (EW&F) / guitar (A1, B2)
- Verdine White (EW&F) / bass (A1, B2) 
- Don Meyrick (EW&F)/ tenor sax (A1, B2) 

A1. "Sun Goddess" (8:29) I actually prefer this studio version of this massively popular romantic dance tune than the live version made so popular from the Earth, Wind & Fire chart-topping album, Gratitude. All of the instrumental and vocal performances are so much crisper and cleaner than those of the live version. Such a great song. (19/20)

A2. "Living For The City" (5:20) a little too watered down by the orchestral arrangements (ARP Ensemble). Ramsey's "dirty" Fender Rhodes is cool as is Cleveland Eaton's electric standup bass and it does make one appreciate both the funkiness as well as the smooth melodic foundation of the original. (8.875/10) 

A3. "Love Song" (5:53) a take off/variation on Barry White's Love Unlimited Orchestra's monster hit, "Love's Theme."  It does have a hypnotic groove coming from the bass, drums, and Byron Gregory's "Shaft"-like rhythm guitar play, but it is perhaps a little too close to the song it's copying. (8.875/10)

B1. "Jungle Strut (Obirin Aiye MirelleKoso)" (4:40) a take off on the radio-popular novelty musics recently done by Kool & The Gang ("Jungle Boogie"), Parliament, Mandrill, Billy Preston, Eddie Kendricks, and Hot Butter's "Popcorn." It is entertaining. I wonder if it ever got any attention as a novelty song. (8.875/10) 

B2. "Hot Dawgit" (3:00) the other Earth, Wind & Fire produced, written, and performed tune. It's a little silly in its New Orleans-by-way-of-Chicago Mississippi bayou blues foundations. Nice bass and keyboard interplay. The vocals feel they're trying too hard to be Sly & The Family Stone. (8.75/10)

B3. "Tambura" (2:53) a funk tune that sounds like it's been herded in by Bob James (my how Ramsey and Teo Macero have grown!) Great performances from Ramsey, Cleveland, and Byron but again feels a little more representative of a time, a national mood--as well as imitative of Herbie Hancock's recent and sudden turn to Funk-Jazz. (8.875/10)

B4. "Gemini Rising" (5:50) now this one encroaches into both prog territory and, after 1:45, the domain of a million lounge jazz combos. Creative and weird but skillfully rendered. (8.875/10)

Total Time: 35:25

90.16 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a near-masterpiece of Funk-Jazz Pop music that suffers from the passage of time a bit because it so pandered to the times back then, in 1974.  

THE CRUSADERS Southern Comfort (1974)

A double album that achieved number one status on the Billboard Jazz Music charts (and #3 on the Soul charts) Southern Comfort was recorded at Wally Heider Studios in Los Angeles and released by the ABC subsidiary, Blue Thumb Records, in October. 

Line-up / Musicians:

- Wayne Henderson / trombones, bass
- Wilton Felder / saxophone, bass
- Joe Sample / keyboards
- Nesbert "Stix" Hooper / drums

- Larry Carlton / guitars

A1. "Stomp And Buck Dance" (5:51) great, solid funky Jazz-Rock with several layers of attractive hooks and a rock-drivin' groove that keeps the listener fully-engaged. No wonder this was a moderately successful "hit" single on the charts. (9.125/10)

A2. "Greasy Spoon" (3:14) opening with a Southern blues piano (and bass) motif and voice-tube-enhanced guitar New Orleans-style soloing--like a cross between Joe Walsh and Leon Russell. In the second minute Wilton Felder's television sax gets the next spotlight, then it's back to Larry for his voice-modified guitar to finish--with a bunch of clapping and enthusiastic voice commendations to close it out. (8.75/10)

A3. "Get On The Soul Ship (It's Sailing)" (3:22) another gentle/laid back groove that feels Southern fried which sets up for Wilton's tenor sax to lead the way into the promised land with a song-long solo that makes me feel as if I'm back in the 1970s watching one of the popular "down-home" television sit-coms of the day. This is barely tolerable to me. (8.5/10)

A4. "Super-Stuff" (2:42) a not-so-super song. After a day with Tom Scott and the L.A. Express yesterday I can honestly say that this stuff is so much more sedate and milk-toast simplistic that I'm finding myself rather bored--and the sad thing is I know how talented these guys are (or is it really just Joe and Larry--not Stix, Wilton, or Wayne?) (8.5/10)

B1. "Double Bubble" (2:44) yet another song that feels as if it has created a variation on a borrowed riff or motif from another band or hit and then watered it down for consumption for simple-minded Southern rubes. (I am, of course, playing on a hyper-generalized stereotype.) (8.5/10)

B2. "The Well's Gone Dry" (4:46) another simplistic funk tune that seems aimed to please the masses in the Country-Western USA. The riffing and soloing are, I have to admit, a notch above the other stuff Side A had to offer. It's solid but nothing really new or refreshing. (8.6667/10)

B3. "Southern Comfort" (2:07) soulful blues is what I hear--like the stuff G.E. Smith used to play with/for Hall & Oates as well as at the end of the episodes of Saturday Night Live while he was music director there (1985-1995). (4.25/5)

B4. "Time Bomb" (6:40) now here's a fairly decent step up into the more Billy Preston kind of funk--thanks to Joe's liberal use of the clavinet and some more highly-syncopated intricacies from the rhythm corps. Not great, but far better than the level of sophistication (and energy) of the previous six songs! Another nice feature of this one is that the energy level and instrumental sophistication levels keep gradually rising throughout with the end being the highest of all. (9/10)

C1. "When There's Love Around" (5:28) gentle electric piano and electric guitar are accompanied by bass guitar flourishes and soft cymbal play and rim shots. Horns join in in the second minute as Joe's right hand becomes a little more active, eventually receding for Wilton's sax and Larry's Frippian sustained guitar notes stepping forward to lead the way into a more developed and fulfilling level. I like the subtle sophistication of this one--especially the further it goes on. The talents that are Joe Sample and Larry Carlton are rising to the top. (9/10)

C2. "Lilies Of The Nile" (9:35) This was my favorite song from the album back in the 1970s when I owned it (my first Crusaders album purchase before Street Life came out--borne of an attraction to Larry and Joe's work with other musicians like Steely Dan and Tom Scott). I remember being so infatuated with Wayne's trombone that I went on both a Wilton Felder and trombone hunt for a few months. As a matter of fact, this song stayed on my favorite "Smooth Jazz" mix tapes for the next decade! I also love Joe's "dirty" electric piano play. (18.5/20)

D1. "Whispering Pines" (9:00) another extended excursion which feels like more fully- and intentionally-developed (which is so nice to hear. No wonder I thought that this was just a single disc album when I went to review it: I must've grown so attached to the material on Sides 3 & 4 that I simply forgot about the existence of Sides 1 & 2. Nice to see and hear more nice high-caliber performances from all five of the musicians. (18/20)

D2. "A Ballad For Joe (Louis)" (7:29) a very pleasant and easy listening tune with some great hooks (no pun intended) and even some boxing ring audio footage inserted between sections. I really love the sound applied to Larry's guitar, as well as Joe's rich, long electric piano chords and Wilton and Wayne's mini horn section riffs and accents.  (13.75/15)

Total Time: 64:04

I think the band is showing too much reliance on leaders Wilton Felder and Stix Hooper (and, to a lesser degree, Wayne) for starter ideas and structural guidelines/suggestions: Wilton's bass lines seem to be the initial "hooks" that the rest of the band builds over much like Tom Scott's opening sax earworms served his L.A. Express band to build around--which is fine except for the fact that sometimes the band just doesn't respond as if they're inspired and then the song just limps along like some under-developed template for a pop soul song.

89.64 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece despite a stretch of six songs that almost make it seem as if the guys had lost all inspiration and work ethic. 

GEORGE BENSON Bad Benson (1974)

Recorded by Rudy Van Gelder at his studios in New Jersey in May of 1974 and then released by Creed Taylor's CTI Records on October 13, 1974.

Line-up / Musicians:
- George Benson / guitar
- Steve Gadd / drums
- Ron Carter / bass
- Kenny Barron / keyboards
- Phil Upchurch / guitar, bass, percussion
Orchestral scores arranged and conducted by Don Sebesky

A1. "Take Five" (7:07) a rock-infused Phil Upchurch arrangement of the classic Paul Desmond tune. A little bit simplistic (and boring)--especially for the rhythm section--allows for some nice soloing for George's guitar and Kenny Barron's electric piano as well as some nice, if also simplistic orchestral support. (13.25/15)

   
A2. "Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams" (2:54) a cover of the theme song from the previous year's popular film of the same name that was composed by Johnny Mandel here arranged for sensitive jazz guitar with orchestral support only. Lovely. (8.875/10)

 
A3. "My Latin Brother" (6:55) George's only solo composition on the album has (of course) a Latin flavor but one that sounds and feels as if it comes from musicians who don't have a Latin bone in their body. Phil's "Evil Ways" acoustic guitar and Steve Gadd's drum work are highlights for me--aside from George's fine guitar work--which really gets cooking in the third minute (and seems to go off the rails in the fourth). Ron Carter's bass play feels stiff and more Jamaican than Latin. I like it when the two-chord vamp turns a bit in the fifth minute while George is soloing. Orchestration is minimal but noticed and nice. It is actually a nice song; a nice way to end Side One. (13.5/15)

B1. "No Sooner Said Than Done" (5:50) the first of two consecutive songs composed by bassist/guitarist Phil Upchurch. Phil's compositions (at this stage of his career) have a simplistic feel but are actually nicely sophisticated and quite melodic in the Western pop tradition (which I like--as opposed to chromatic melodies favored by so many jazz musicians of the 1960s). It takes a few gears of subtle steps forward to move into cruising speed but this is part of what makes this song interesting. All the while George is soloing, falling more into the pocket with each measure of his band's progress. If it weren't for the guitar soloing up top I'd be more inclined to call this a Smooth Jazz tune that certainly helps to define the "Yacht Rock" phenomenon that picks up and gains traction in the next three or four years (and peaks with Chris Rea's . Great "smooth and sexy" electric piano solo by Kenny Barron in the fifth minute. (9.5/10)

B2. "F'ull Compass" (5:38) Phil's other song contribution is one that employs a bigger, jazz-rock sound with pounding toms, fast-walking bass and left-hand Rhodes, and periodic blasts from a horn section before it finally settles into a Stevie Wonder-like funk-rock piece that puts on full display George's funky side of the jazz guitar. The flanged electric bass must be Phil and Steve's drums sound a bit muted (or toned down). It's an okay song--better as a medium for displaying George's broad spectrum of stylistic abilities. (Kenny Barron's electric piano solo sounds the least funky of all the instruments: maybe Latin but not funky.) (8.75/10)

B3. "The Changing World" (4:50) a song composed with drummer Art Gore (who is conspicuously absent from the credits from these recording sessions), that employs only Kenny's rich and sensitive Fender Rhodes chords to support George's emotional guitar play for the opening 30-seconds, but then Don Sebesky's orchestra strings joins in and really spreads things out--really enriches the late night bluesy mood. I do like it when George plays for emotion and not so much for speed or to impress. It's just beautiful. (9.125/10)

Total Time: 53:33

89.29 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent display of George Benson's evolution toward more commercially successful music (more melodic and less technical skill oriented). 

JEFF BECK Blow by Blow (released in March of 1975)

An album that I played till I had to replace it due to wear back when it came out, I had been a long-time and avid Jeff Beck fan (as I remain) before this release, I remember being quite surprised at the smooth, polished feel of this album, these songs--especially after more in-your-face rock albums like Truth, Beck-ola, Rough and Ready, Group (which we all called "orange"), and 73's Beck, Bogert and Appice, but then I also knew and loved his gorgeous work with Stevie Wonder on "Talking Book." He was by far and away my favorite guitarist at that time. This album made me appreciate Jeff's talent for control, restraint, and melody even more than his previous work. Plus it was an album that could be played as background music with a girl--which was essential at that point in my life. The song "Cause We've Ended as Lovers" remains one of the pinnacles of rock guitar musicianship--on a par with the legendary Roy Buchanan (a later discovery)--and one of the most beautiful instrumental rock songs ever created. "Freeway Jam" has always been one of my go-to pump you up songs. What a melodic hook and what guitar pyrotechnics! And "Diamond Dust" with its amazing orchestration has the emotional impact that I've rarely felt equalled besides Side One of Eberhard Weber's 1976 release, "The Following Morning." Pure gorgeousness. The contributions of producer George Martin (though many of which were denied due to record label contract disputes) are critical to the success of this album as are the uncredited contributions of funk by Stevie Wonder on clavinet, but it's Max Middleton's keys and the AMAZING drumming of 17-year old Richard Bailey that are the most essential. Blow by Blow was recorded in October of 1974 at George Martin's AIR Studios (Associated Independent Recording) in London, England, and then released on CBS' Epic Records on the 29th of March of 1975.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Jeff Beck / guitars
With:
- Max Middleton / keyboards
- Stevie Wonder / clavinet (7) - uncredited
- Phil Chen / bass
- Richard Bailey / drums, percussion
- George Martin / orchestral arrangements (5, 9), producer

NUCLEUS Under the Sun (1974)

Brian Smith is gone! Carrying over from Ian's Roots release from the previous year are guitarist Jocelyn Pitchen and bassist Roger Sutton, while blues-rock pianist Gordon Beck returns after a one-album hiatus. But Ian's long-time collaborator and partner in crime, Brian Smith, has moved on.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Ian Carr / trumpet, flugelhorn
- Bob Bertles / alto & baritone saxophones, flute, bass clarinet
- Gordon Beck / electric piano, percussion
- Geoff Castle / electric piano, synthesizer
- Jocelyn Pitchen / electric & acoustic guitars
- Ken Shaw / guitar
- Roger Sutton / bass
- Bryan Spring / drums, percussion, timpani
With:
- Keiran White / voice (2)

1. "In Procession" (2:54) opens with a cool groove: a variation of sorts of an early Herbie or Mahavishnu riff (one that will also be borrowed and mutated by Weather Report in the next few years). This one has multiple expressions of the main melody coming from several sources--including two horn players! (9.333/10)

2. "The Addison Trip" (3:58) another cool motif in which the keys and bass are following one melodic theme while the horns and drums and percussion seem to be on a different course--but the two woven together work! But this is short-lived as the song quickly devolves into a bass and drum show (with some support from keyboards and horns. The very sudden ending--as if the tape were just cut at some random point in the players' play--is quite disconcerting. Wish the opening 30-seconds could've continued . . . forever. (9/10)

3. "Pastoral Graffiti" (3:33) a flute-led piece that feels quite . . . pastoral. I love hearing the spinet/harpsichord sound among the support instrument for this rondo weave--and the joinder of Ian's smooth flugelhorn and everybody else's gentle contributions. (9.25/10) 

4. "New Life" (7:07) my favorite song on the album for the sake of its powerful bass-driven motif and great trumpet and sax performances (and arrangements!). Nice drumming, too. I could have done without the major tempo and motif shifts at the halfway point but am happy to have been treated thereafter to some of my favorite Ian Carr trumpet soloing: great melodies, accented by electric piano and wah-wah-ed electric guitar. (If I'm not mistaken, Ian, himself, plays with some wah-wah effects in this historic trumpet solo.) (14.125/15)

5. "A Taste Of Sarsaparilla" (0:44) solo trumpet with chorused electric piano in support. Pretty melody--played with Freddie Hubbard-like sensitivity! (4.5/5)

6. "Theme 1: Sarsaparilla" (6:47) building, of course, on the brief melody introduced in the "A Taste of ..." predecessor but quickly becoming something like a Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass motif that's been elevated to the next highest level (thereby disqualifying it for game show theme song honors but keeping it well within the realms of highest-level Jazz-Rock Fusion). An odd pause in the third minute results in a return to the main theme (with all its power and vigor) while Gordon Beck takes us on a ride with his electric piano. At the end of the fourth minute there is another slow down where the band seems to get lost--discombobulated--while Bob Bertles solos on an alto sax, but then everything turns right again as Roger and Bryan zip back into the fast lane. It's pretty cool when Ian joins Bob in the soloing department to kind of challenge one another but actually do their own thing, and then they come together for a recapitulation of the main theme before extraneously flying into their awesome ending flourishes. Cool! (13.75/15)  

7. "Theme 2: Feast Alfresco" (6:02) slowed down, the band joins Roger and Bryan with a slowed-down "choral" recitation of the Sarsaparilla main theme for a minute or so. Then everybody but guitar, bass, and drums clears out to give Bob Bertles room to lay into his baritone sax, keys and percussion providing some support accents. Then one of the guitarists is given the spotlight while Gordon and Geoff riff and run between he and the rhythm section. Weird to hear no horns for such a long patch of an Ian Carr/Nucleus song, but they reappear as a horn section to remind us of the main themes toward the end of the guitar and Fender Rhodes duel soloing that occurs in the song's final two minutes. (9/10) 

8. "Theme 3: Rites Of Man" (10:00) wandering, meandering electric pianos with distant horn blasts--some echoed, some spewed--are eventually joined by bass, drums and percussion--coercing the keys to step in line. Long notes from the horn section are accented by the two Rhodes and by wah-wah-ed electric guitar riffs and rhythms. Settling into a pensive, repetitive vamp-like mode, over which the trumpet and saxes solo while drummer Bryan Spring and Gordon Beck as percussionist ramp up their inputs. Sounds very Miles Davis-like. Bryan is given some clear solo time in the seventh and eight minutes, the result being more impressive than I expected: he has a bit of the ability to make his solo drumming melodic like Billy Cobham does. Bass and electric piano return toward its end with horn section doing its Miles melody/theme reminders before sax and electric guitar (I believe this one is Jocelyn Pitchen) get some solo time (at the same time--briefly, just before the end). Weird ending as it feels as if the musicians just walk away from the song . . . and studio--and just leave it empty. Weird. What has all this to do with Sarsaparilla? Still, quite a well-formed, well-performed, if weird song. (18/20) 

Total Time: 41:05

I feel as if I connected to Ian & Company's highly-skilled yet intermittently loose renderings of some very mature compositions on a deep yet easy level. For once it feels as if Ian himself was the one musician that reigned supreme even when he wasn't the spotlight performer. (I still wonder why so few musicians stay with Ian for very long.)

91.54 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a most excellent, most mature display of top-quality rendering of top-quality compositions. 

GEORGE DUKE Feel (1974)

George's second solo studio album release of 1974 (on October 28), this one containing a few guests who were not present on Faces in Reflection. It was recorded by Baldhard Falk in Hollywood, California, for MPS (Musik Produktion Schwarzwald) Records earlier in 1974. 

Line-up / Musicians:

- George Duke / keyboards, synth bass (1, 5, 9), vocals (2, 4, 10)

With:

- Flora Purim / vocals (8)

- Frank Zappa / guitar (2, 6)

- John Heard / bass, double bass

- Leon "Ndugu" Chancler / drums & percussion (3)

- Airto Moreira / percussion

1. "Funny Funk" (5:18) George experimenting with more new sounds. (8.75/10)

2. "Love" (6:06) a partly vocal song featuring Frank Zappa using Ernie Isley's guitar tone. (8.75/10)

3. "The Once Over" (4:39) a spacey, moody HERBIE HANCOCK-like start before a mood change occurs in the second minute prompting a reset into rhythm-oriented foundation. The return to reverberating Fender Rhodes chords at 2:20 is interesting, but it remains a percussionist's song until its RTF-like final second flourish. (8.875/10)

4. "Feel" (5:40) more vocals--this time with electric piano and synths backing them. At the end of the first minute the rhythm section joins in as George flies through a short but effective synth solo. Then we settle into a gentle, syrupy pop song that predicts the smooth R&B jazz pop music of GEORGE BENSON, NARADA MICHAEL WALDEN, and MICHAEL FRANKS. More extraordinary synth soloing over the Fender Rhodes-led rhythm track. Definitely a top three song despite its lack of jazz orientation. (9/10)

5. "Cora Joberge" (3:50) dynamic electric piano with delay effect eventually gets support from flourishes from synth and drums before funkified bass and steady cymbal play join in. Poor recording of "dirty" effected electric piano. There are parts of this that remind me of Terry Riley or somebody else in the pioneering phase of electronic keyboards. (8.75/10)

6. "Old Slipper" (5:41) funky jam with multiple keys filling the sonic field as well as serving as lead instruments. The multiple personalities of George Duke! Perfect syncopated support from Ndugu and John. Interesting but not very noteworthy. An unstable" synth note introduced around the three-minute mark signals the upcoming transition into a proggy and then Parliamentarian passage--the latter of which find Frank Zappa's very-distorted guitar jumping in and shredding away. (8.75/10)

7. "Tzina "(2:01) dreamy/spacey keyboard play from multiple keyboard instruments/tracks (including some strings emulator) results in a kind of cinematic interlude. (4.375/5)

8. "Yana Aminah" (4:33) Airto's wife, Flora Purim, graces this Latin song with her vocal tracks, singing in English. Too bad the lyrics weren't more poetic nor the layered vocal tracks more polished and better synchronized. Overall this sounds very much like a song Stevie Wonder would have written for his wife, Syreeta Wright. Still, it's a pretty decent song; George could very easily have had a career in writing/producing pop songs. (8.75/10)

9. "Rashid" (3:36) starts out as a KOOL & THE GANG or CAMEO kind of funk song, then turns a sharp left at 1:49 onto a speedway for a hyperspeed synth solo that plays out for the rest of the song. (8.66667/10)

10. "Statement" (1:15) another pretty little cinematic interlude sounding like something from Patrick Moraz's solo album, I. (4.5/5)

Total time 42:39

More of the same sound issues I had with Goerge's previous album (from the same year). I have to say that there has been a slight improvement in performance contribution from both Ndugu and John Heard. 

87.96 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; another excellent album to add to any Jazz-Rock Fusion lover's music collection. Not quite as good as his other 1974 release, Face in Reflection, but still worthy of listening to (and enjoying).  

JACK DeJOHNETTE Sorcery (1974)

Recorded in two distinct sessions at two completely different recording studios: in March at Willow, NY, and in May at Bearsville Studios in Bearsville, NY--the former with the expanded lineup, the latter with only Dave Holland and Michael Fellerman on "The Reverend King Suite" only. It was released by Prestige Records in October.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Jack DeJohnette / drums, keyboards (organ, electric piano, harpsichord, synthesizer, effects)

- David Holland / bass 
- Bennie Maupin / bass clarinet (A1 to 3)
- John Abercrombie / guitar (A1 to 3)
- Mick Goodrick / guitar (A1 to 3)
- Michael Fellerman / trombone (A1 to 3, B1)

A1. "Sorcery # 1" (13:50) something that reminds me quite a bit of the material that came from the Bitches Brew and Mahavishnu albums. While Gary Burton pupil Mick Goodrick, John Abercrombie, and Bennie Maupin performances are good, this is some of the poorest playing (and sound recording) I've ever heard from both Jack and Dave Holland--you could almost say this is the worst song performance I've ever heard from either: they're just off! As if some drug has warped their hand-eye coordination. Overall the song is just too free, loose, and Bitches Brew like for me to enjoy. (25.5/30) 

A2. "The Right Time" (2:21) more reaction to the post-Martin Luther King, Jr. assassination anger. (4.125/5)

A3. "The Rock Thing" (4:14) a song that certainly does sound like some standard three-chord rocker--and becomes even more Zappa-like with the joinder of the two guitarists. Again if find myself befuddled at the lackadaisical lack of enthusiasm in any of the players--and the total lack of form, structure, and design. Is this intended as a sardonic slap in the face of Rock 'n' Roll? (8.667/10)

B1. "The Reverend King Suite" (14:19) Jack and Dave support Jack's own organ noodling before Michael Fellerman and some uncredited sax player (possibly Bennie Maupin) do their own noodling around (on multiple tracks each).  (26/30)
B1a. "Reverend King"
B1b. "Obstructions"
B1c. "The Fatal Shot"
B1d. "Mourning"
B1e. "Unrest"
B1f. "New Spirits On The Horizon"

B2. "Four Levels Of Joy" (3:09) Jack playing congas, piano, harpsichord, synthesizer, wah-wah-ed electric piano, and other percussion instruments while Dave (or maybe he himself) provides a very simple bass track. Actually a very pleasant, upbeat, and melodically-engaging little tune even if it is a little two-chord étude-like vamp. (9/10)

B3. "Epilog" (3:11) drums, funk drums, of a very high skill level that is eventually joined by Dave Holland's bass and Jack's own wah-wah-pedaled electric piano and wah-wah-ed organ. Hypnotic, engaging, and memorable. (9.25/10)

Total Time: 41:15

Jack offers the world an album of introspective, sometimes avant garde, jazz music that seems to carry/preserve the spirit and sound of those 1969 sessions in the studio with Miles Davis on which he participated. I consider this one of those albums on which the artist was trying to push his own interpretation of what Jazz-Rock Fusion could or should be into a direction of his own envisioning. Like so much of Jack's contributions to the 1970s and Jazz-Rock Fusion, this is not a direction that ever really hit the marks for me--more aligned with Jazz's avant garde or free-jazz movements. Perhaps these were the result of some amazing drug tripping!

86.89 on the Fishscales = C/three stars; there may be more underlying intention and, therefore, meaning and significance to these songs but to my ears they are far from the celebratory spirit of Jazz-Rock Fusion and far adrift from the Jazz mainstream.

JOE FARRELL Upon This Rock (1974)

Recorded March, 1974 except Track A2 on October, 1973, for Creed Taylor's CTI Records. Released in September or October. Songs A1 and B1 are bandleader Farrell's composition while guitarist Joe Beck is attributed the other two. 

Line-up / Musicians:

- Joe Farrell / saxophones [tenor, soprano], flute

- Herb Bushler / bass

- Jim Madison / drums (A1, B1, B2)

- Joe Beck / guitars

With:

- Herbie Hancock / piano (A2)

- Steve Gadd / drums (A2)

- Don Alias / congas (A2)

A1. "Weathervane" (8:00) a J-R Fusion song that definitely comes from a rock 'n' roll direction despite some jazz-nuanced play from everybody on board it just feels like a straightforward off-script, get-your-willies-out, jam from a contemporary rock band like Spirit or the Atlanta Rhythm Section. At the 5:00 mark the musicians take a little detour down a fast hill into the Texan desert which guitarist Joe Beck does well to fill. Speed and legato seem to be the order of the day. (13/15)

A2. "I Won't Be Back" (10:05) the album's first Joe Beck's composition is graced by guest appearances from Herbie Hancock, Don Alias, and Steve Gadd (instead of Jim Madison). The song is built around two different tempos: one that is kind of Latin active and the other, the "chorus," which is "run, it's raining, run." Joe's flute play is lively and upbeat, Herbie's piano even more so--especially in the "chorus" parts--but then sublime in his own solo in the sixth and seventh minute, while Joe's guitar perfectly placed within the rhythm section until his fiery solo in the fourth minute. Meanwhile, bassist Herb Bushler does a rather remarkable job of handling the grounding/driving duties above Steve's persuasive drums. Quite a lively song--especially with those two sides of the face playing off each other every 30-seconds or so. I have to give this one pretty high marks--and not just for its imaginative form and flow but for the very high quality of everyone's performance and the solid gelling that they do to come together as a cohesive band from start to finish. (18.25/20) 

B1. "Upon This Rock" (11:54) nice funky loud rhythm guitar play from Joe Beck with lots of accents from a "horn section" played over a syncopated drum pattern (one that most likely would be computer-generated in this modern age). The cymbal crashes are luscious as the band funks and syncs with Joe Beck's wah-wah and sustained electric guitar and Joe F's sax riffs, fills, accents, and solos but the real star of this one is definitely the guitarist. Unfortunately, the sax work is quite reminiscent of the David Sanborn school of sax-banking that inundated the radio waves of Jazz and Adult Contemporary radio stations in the late 1970s and 1980s. What we're listening to here--especially in the woodwind department--sounds an awful lot like Qunicy Jones' song "Streetbeater" that was used as the theme song to the hit 1970s sitcom, Sanford and Son. This one is a very solid, entertaining tune--even over its 12-minute length--but, once again, I'm not as much a fan of this kind of music (though take out the sax parts and you'd have a great song for Parliament or The Ohio Players!). Still, I feel compelled to give high marks to this for its high quality of serious musicianship. (22.5/25)

B2. "Seven Seas" (6:50) Joe's other contribution to the album is a purely-blues-rock composition--one that feels as if it could have come off of any blues or blues-rock 'n' roll album from the period (I don't know why but Alvin Lee comes to mind). The solos are traded around with James Brown-like riffs, flourishes, and gimmicks scattered here and there throughout the song as bridges. It's solid and lively but blues and blues-rock are definitely not my preferred musical listening styles. (13.5/15) 

Total Time: 36:49

Definitely a lively, rock-infused perspective of Jazz-Rock Fusion. Many critics and reviewers have noted the unusually high degree of rock --even going so far as to compare it to a Mahavishnu-like album. The ever active flute and saxophonist seemed to always be on the move, always growing and trying new styles and perspectives.

89.667 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece and excellent display of high-quality Third Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion. 

JANNE SCHAFFER Andra LP (1974)

Before his career with ABBA, Janne Schaffer's innately fertile musical imagination had him seeing and hearing sound and style choices--sometimes in unheard-of combinations and permutations! The only comparable musicians I can think of would be the likes of Joe Zawinul, Jeff Beck, Holger Czukay, Adrian Belew, David Sylvian, and Stefano Musso--but Janne accomplished his magic show in such a brief strip of time--sometimes in the space of seconds within a single song! 

Line-up / Musicians:

- Janne Schaffer / electric guitar, acoustic guitar, guitar, bass, producer, composer
- Björn J:son Lindh / flute, alto recorder, electric piano, clavinet, composer
- Stefan Brolund / bass, contrabass, writer
- Lucas Lindholm / bass
- Mads Vinding / bass
- Per Sahlberg / electric guitar, bass, writer
- Ola Brunkert / drums
- Pétur Östlund / drums
- Malando Gassama / congas, drums, percussion, writer
- Pete Robinson (yes: the Pete Robinson--of Brand X renown) / clavinet, Moog
- John Gustafson / bass
- Jan Bandel / xylophone
- Björn Linder / slide guitar

1. "Dr. Abraham" (5:05) a funky white boy rock-generated Jazz-Rock Fusion song with a complex weave of some multitude of musicians behind Janne (and Per?). A surprisingly-sophisticated song that may be my least favorite on the album despite its display of creative acumen. (8.875/10)

2. "Ugglor I Mossen" (2:40) a folk tune with flute and alto recorder playing prominent roles in carrying the folk melody and folk feel. Janne plays acoustic guitar within the ensemble of other anachronistic instruments. (8.875/10)

3. "Scales" (5:00) the dude is actually using a practice song to fill space on a commercial album?! He's got guts. Luckily there is a pretty awesome funk collaborative going on around him, moving between two or three different funk motifs with ease and regularity. Yes, there certainly are a lot of scales being practiced here but there's also some pretty impressive and fitting power soloing going on. (9.125/10)

4. "Kulan Växer" (4:12) a Motown soul song! With bluesy Motown lead guitar to boot! Janne can definitely sing the Motown blues with that that guitar! What a talented guitar player! (9.125/10)

5. "Luftlandsättning Avd. 60" (1:10) odd muted guitar shredding within/over a catchy funk bass 'n' drum motif. (4.375/5)  

6. "Underhuggaren" (5:40) here clavinets and basses and xylophone are quite prominent behind Janne (and Per Sahlberg)'s guitars but then Pete Robinson's Moog leaps to the fore. There is quite a little similarity to Edgar Winter's "Frankenstein" as well as some of Frank Zappa's crazy weaves and runs of the contemporary times. Great tune! (9.3333/10)

7. "Den Gatfulla Jungfrun" (4:10) kind of a psychedelic bluesy pop melody made into a three-part Eagles/Joe Walsh-type of song. Some very creative and inventive guitar ideas implemented here--including doubling, harmonizing, twang-picking, as well switching between the use of multiple effects throughout the course of the song. It's almost like seven or eight different guitarists all taking turns to plug into the main monitor/amp every 20-seconds or so. (9.333/10)

8. "Ryska Posten" (5:25) more chameleonic guitar inventiveness. This guy might have more tricks and sounds than Roy Buchanan or Jeff Beck! Astonishing! And what a great band he had surrounding him. (9.25/10)

9. "Vilda Drömmar" (2:35) faded into an already-in-progress jam session: great rock motif being created by a big lineup of musicians over which Janne is shredding, but then it turns into a weird a cappella space-guitar echo chamber for the middle 45-seconds before the rest of the band is faded back in and Janne's rock shredding continues. By 2:30 the big band stuff is faded out again and we're left with the lone guitar echo-strumming and maxing out his volume nob. Weird but, again, so creative--so inventive. It's so rare to encounter a mind like this--one that thinks so far outside the box! Mega kudos, Janne! (4.5/5) 

Total Time 35:57

This album puts on display some of the most creative, versatile, and flexible guitar playing I've ever heard. While I do not know how to differentiate between the sounds and stylings of Janne's partner and cohort, Per Sahlberg, I do know that there is an extraordinary number of different "hats" or personalities or sounds and styles on display on this album--sometimes a dozen or more within the course of a single song! Astonishing! 

90.99 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; one of the most astonishing albums I've heard in my four year deep dive into the world of "classic" Jazz-Rock Fusion for not only the INCREDIBLE imagination and ingenuity of its band leader (as both guitarist and songcrafter) but for the wide-spectrum of sound and style varieties he achieves--often within the course of a single song!!

SANTANA Borboletta (1974)

Recorded at the Columbia Records Processing Plant (now a Costco) in Santa Maria, California, in the first half of 1974, it was then released in either October or November of the same year.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Carlos Santana / guitars, vocals (11), percussion (2, 7, 8, 9)
- Michael Shrieve / drums
- Leon Patillo / vocals, acoustic (8) & electric (3, 5) pianos, organ (4)
- Tom Coster / acoustic (4, 9) & electric (2, 9, 10, 11) pianos, organ (3, 5, 8), Moog (4, 8), Hammond (7, 10, 11)
- Jules Broussard / tenor (4) & soprano (6, 9, 11) saxes
- David Brown / bass (7, 8)
- Leon "Ndugu" Chancler / drums (6, 9)
- Armando Peraza / congas, bongos, soprano sax (10)
- Jose 'Chepito' Areas / congas, timbales (4)
With:
- Stanley Clark / bass (6, 9, 10, 11)
- Flora Purim / percussion, sound effects (1), vocals (11)
- Airto Moreira / percussion (1, 11, 12), sound effects (1), drums (10, 11), vocals (11, 12)
- Michael Carpenter / Echoplex (2)

1. "Spring Manifestations (1:05) jungle noises and other effects from husband-wife team guests, Airto Moreira and Flora Purim. Exciting, enticing start to any album. (4.5/5)

2. "Canto De Los Flores" (3:39) gorgeous coming out of the jungle of "Spring Manifestation" into congas, timpani, bird-like flutes, pensive bass line, and dirty Fender Rhodes with the latter taking the lead in the second minute with some lovely slow ivory tinkling. The flutes join in as accent-makers in the third minute as the mesmerizing groove continues to bathe one in its magic. (9.333/10)

3. "Life is Anew" (4:22) percussive metallic shimmers open with Leon Patillo's voice quickly joining in as the (new) lead singer. He sounds like Chaka Khan! What a beautiful voice! The rest of the band jumps in with a pop-soul-R&B-lite support motif while Leon moves into a very earworm catchy melody to deliver his ultra-positive lyric. In the middle of the third minute Leon breaks from singing and the band kicks into a little more animated support--using the same motif--to support first a Tom Coster organ solo and then a spirited Carlos Santana guitar solo (which gets really dirty and Todd-Rundgren raunchy at the tale end of the song). A beautiful song! (9.25/10)

4. "Give and Take" (5:44) a more-rockin' approach to J-R Fusion turns more Soul as the vocalist(s? If this is also Leon Patillo then I really have to shout out some extra praise to him for his extraordinary chameleonic talent and flexibility) join--like an imitation of the current style being used by Black bands like The Temptations or War. Great, powerful funk-R&B with amazing sound production that could've been a chart on the Soul/R&B charts. (9.333/10)

5. "One With the Sun" (4:22) here lead vocalist Leon Patillo sounds like Al Jarreau! This man has incredible talent! The organ-and-guitar-based rock-funk tune is highlighted by some pretty great organ and electric guitar solos over the top of some really tightly-woven funk-rock. (9.333/10)

 
6. "Aspirations" (5:10) opening with an awesome Stanley Clarke bass and full Latin percussion rhythm track, racing slowly, as one organism, through several organ-led chords of roads while Jules Brussard wends some gorgeous prolonged soprano sax notes into the instrumental mix, eventually increasing both his note frequency and spirit to match the party-like frenzy of the percussionists. Great jam song! (9.25/10)  

7. "Practice What You Preach" (4:31) a set up for some Carlos soloing turns into a kind of milk-toast vocal song. (The first song that Leon's voice doesn't shock and awe.) The positive, upbeat lyrics are nice but I wish they could have been delivered with more emotion and interesting melodic effects. (8.75/10 

8. "Mirage" (4:43) A nice pop-funk-lite two-chord vamp groove (not unlike that of the pop hit, " ") that serves as a vehicle for another bland New Age lyric that Leon does his best to spice up but ends up being a kind of innocuously monotonous monotune. Not even Carlos' guitar soloing or Leon's vocal scatting can elevate it more than it is. (8.75/10)  

9. "Here and Now" (3:01) a vamp of two chords, transitioning back and forth rather slowly, over which everybody just jams in two-minute extended intro, finally spills out into a slow, plodding blues affair.  Luckily, these professionals have the resourcefulness necessary to figure out how to put some spice and oomph into it with : Jules Brussard's soprano sax dominates the lead for the first two minutes but then Carlos joins in before it transitions into some dramatic Motown-like hits and spaces before it transitions into the next great song … (9.125/10)

10. "Flor De Canela" (2:09) … which is an awesome classic Santana Latin percussion jam that sounds like it could very well have come from the floor scraps from the Caravanserai sessions. It helps, no doubt, to have Stanley Clarke and Airto Moreira on board, of course. (5/5)

11. "Promise of a Fisherman" (8:18) bleeding over directly from "Flor de Canela" is a song that represents the last remnants of bassist extraordinaire Doug Rauch's tragic association with the band (he is co-composer of the song) the keys and guitars shift into a completely different melody structure while the rhythmatists continue just as before--pumping out a furiously-paced baseline that yields plenty of space and opportunity for the melodists to take their time to explore and flourish and accent the treble side. The first real solo comes from Tom Coster's Hammond organ in the third and fourth minutes (sounding very Brian Auger-ish) while also accompanying himself with his lefthand on a Fender Rhodes. And--special bonus!--Carlos manages to "sneak" in some of his best Mahavishnu-like guitar soloing in the final three minutes. (17.75/20)

12. "Borboletta" (2:47) a closing revisitation to the "jungle" of the album's opening song. Kind of magical. But, then, I love all African traditional "tribal" or small village folk musical traditions therefrom. (5/5)

Total time 49:51

My one advantage over most other prog lovers with regards to the music of Santana in general and this album in particular is that I LOVE Soul, R&B, and Funk musics, thus I can not only tolerate but appreciate and LOVE the vocals and melodic sensibilities explored in several of these songs that others might not (like Life Is Anew," "One with the Sun," and "Practice What You Preach,") plus I LOVE upbeat, joyful, and heartwarming lyrics and music.

    As for Barboletta, for me, the first half of this album rivals even that of Caravanserai. I love its continuous flow even though there are some rather significant shifts in style from song to song--and the quality of the compositions, sound recording results, and performances as well as that intangible "yes" factor which determines whether it clicks with one's personal preferences, they're all there, working their magic as they did on Caravanserai. 

91.63 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; another minor masterpiece for Carlos and the gang. This makes a string of six in a row (seven with if you want to kick in their 1975 triple live album Lotus) which puts them into contention with Gentle Giant as the most consistently producer of high-quality progressive rock in history.

GENE HARRIS Astral Signal (1974)

Recorded on August 13, 1974 at The Village Recorder and then released by Blue Note either on October 26 or November 21. The album is made up of six originals (mostly by Jerry Peters) and six covers.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Gene Harris / keyboards, lead vocals
- Jerry Peters / piano, backing vocals, composer (A3, A4, A6, 
- David T. Walker / guitar
- Chuck Rainey / bass

- Harvey Mason / drums, composer (B4)

- Sidney Muldrow / flugelhorn
- Ernie Watts / reeds
- John Rowin / guitar
- Oscar Brashear / trumpet
- George Bohanon / trombone, backing vocals
- Keg Johnson / trombone, backing vocals

With:
- Trisha Chamberlain / backing vocals
- Ann Esther Davis / backing vocals
- Lynn Mack / backing vocals
- Julia Tillman Waters / backing vocals
- Luther Waters / backing vocals
- Maxine Willard Waters / backing vocals

- Oren Waters / backing vocals

A1. "Prelude" (1:40) spacey and dramatic. Great opener to evoke expectations of mystery and modernity. (4.375/5)

A2. "Summer (The First Time)" (3:20) a cover of the Bobby Goldsboro hit [which was also composed by Bobby] Well done despite the pretty song's tendency to plod along. I wish Gene and the band had chosen to pick it up and play with it a little earlier instead of in the final 20 seconds. (8.75/10)

A3. "Rubato Summer" (0:34) Jerry Peters' intro for his next composition. Pretty cool! (4.625/5)

A4. "I Remember Summer" (2:03) a cool bass-dominated funk-vamp for piano and b vox choral to jam and chant over, respectively. Awesome! Not quite Kool & The Gang's Summer Madness" but pretty cool. (4.75/5)

 
A5. "Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey" (3:43) a very funky cover of a Sly Stone song. Great Parliament-like wah-wah "underwater" funk bass, alien synth lines, and group chant vocals. They actually sing the title lyric! As far as funk songs go, they don't get any Blacker than this one! (9/10)

A6. "Losalamitoslatinfunklovesong" (3:10) another super cool, super funky motif that uses all the latest funky synth sounds layered with great bass 'n' drums and group vocal singing in the near background.  Great hooks! Composer Jerry Peters knows what he's doing! A top three song, for sure. (9.5/10)

A7. "My Roots" (4:19) a piano cover of a great Southern "Georgia on My Mind"-like blues classic. I hear ya', Gene! I know where your roots came from! (8.875/10)

B1. "Green River" (3:04) a cover of a John Fogerty/Creedence Clearwater Revival song. With its piano base and more Gospel sound palette (including a choir singing the song's lyrics in a definite Gospel style with untreated "open church" like sound) this one plays out rather straightforward. (8.75/10)

B2. "Beginnings" (5:53) ambitious! A cover of one of Jazz-Rock's greatest songs of all-time: Chicago's "Beginnings" from their 1969 debut album. Starting out with acoustic guitars, a piano lounge style with Gene covering the lead vocals with a similar style to lead singer and composter Robert Lamm's original performance. Weird to have no horns! I like and appreciate the liberties Gene has taken with this arrangement of one of my all-time favorite songs; I wish I liked the recording engineers' choices better. (9/10) 

B3. "Feeling You, Feeling Me Too!" (1:58) another open-room upright piano-dominated song, here a cover of an Alex Brown and Monk Higgins composition. It's got some nice J-R Fusion sound in the rhythm department but, curiously, not with the piano. (4.25/5)

B4. "Higga-Boom" (6:00) a Harvey Mason arrangement of one of his own compositions, it's funky and opens with some active and prominent shell shaking, which is very representative of some of the African infusions making their way into Black American music at this time. The rest of the song is set up in a typical ABABCAB pop music structure while the guitars, bass, drums, and percussionists jam away in Funky Town, but Gene's untreated acoustic piano again sounds like he's jammin' by himself, for his own pleasure, in an empty room in the local saloon during the middle of the day while the rest of the band is in a completely different room having their own party. (8.75/10)  

B5. "Love Talkin'" (4:49) the album's final song is another Jerry Peters composition. It's got great bones--a very rich sound profile--and some really moving, smooth group vocal performances--but once again Gene's choice to jam on his saloon piano as if he can't be deigned low enough to participate with/among his band mates. (Perhaps they recorded all of the music for the band totally separate from Gene's piano performances. I can see him just showing up long after the rest of the band has retired for the night to play his parts all on his own.) (8.875/10)

Total time: 40:53

It's a shame Gene couldn't get behind treatments of his piano so that he could sound as if he's one of the band that he (or his producer/record label) hired to accompany him. The Jerry Peters songs are by far the best on the album though even they are marred somewhat by the separated sound and feeling generated by Gene's 1940s sounding piano. 

89.5 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a diverse album that is great when it's modern and funky but no where near the standard I'm looking for when looking for the kind of music I like or looking for top notch Jazz or Jazz-Rock Fusion.

November

BENNIE MAUPIN The Jewel in The Lotus (1974)

Recorded after the formal breakup of Herbie's Mwandishi septet, The Jewel in The Lotus harnesses the talents of over half of that septet in Bennie, Herbie, Buster Williams, and Billy Hart but expresses a musical direction quite different than any of the Mwandishi albums (three under Herbie Hancock's name, two under that of trumpeter Eddie Henderson). First of all, the album was produced and released by Manfred Eicher's ECM label (which leads to expectations of impeccable sound quality) on November 1, 1974, though it was recorded in March in New York City at The Record Plant.

Line-up / Musicians:
Bennie Maupin / Reeds, Voice, Glockenspiel
Buster Williams / Bass
Billy Hart / Drums
Frederick Waits / Drums, Marimba
Bill Summers / Percussion
Herbie Hancock / Piano, Electric Piano
Charles Sullivan / Trumpet (tracks: 2, 3)

1. "Ensenada" (8:05) fast-paced static two-note bass line and wind chime-like percussion instruments open this song until the reset pause at the 95-second mark signals the arrival of flutes and piano. A song that reminds me of some of Mahavishnu John McLaughlin's more sedate spiritual-oriented songs as well as some of Chick Corea and Gary Burton's duets. At 4:35 there is another reset pause which is then followed by a key change when the instrumentalists resume their wind-chime nature imitation. I really love this song! (14.5/15)

2. "Mappo" (8:25) Bennie's flute leads this one as trumpet, bowed double bass, delicate drum play (from both drummers) and additional percussion inputs support. In the third minute the band starts to establish a kind of tense, dour, even cinematically-frightening motif but then backs off. This is so much like the future music of avant gard pioneers UNIVERS ZERO and PRESENT! But then Latin hand drums enter totally wiping away the cinematic tension, redirecting the tension into some free-jazz kind of play. Even Herbie's discordant piano play in the fifth and sixth minutes (or Buster Williams and Bill Summers' wild play) seem only to add to the tense 20th Century classical music feeling of this. This feels like a very wise and mature composition! Wow! (19/20)

3. "Excursion" (4:47) starts out sounding as if we're in some high mountain Tibetan monastery with the horns, reverberating gongs, glockenspiel, tuned percussion, prayer-like vocalisations, piccolo, bassoon, and, later, discordant and free-for-all double bass riffs, piano hits, and snare and drum fills. The cacophonous sound just builds and thickens the further the song runs until the end when recorder and single-voice vocal chant are left to end the song. Wow! What a journey this man is taking us on! (9/10)

4. "Past + Present = Future" (1:45) piano, distant snare and shaken percussives, long, bowed double bass notes, and multiple flute and reed instruments present this lovely little interlude. (4.75/5)

5. "The Jewel In The Lotus" (9:57) spacey electric piano (with fast-panning reverb) with shaker percussives open this while reed instruments, double bass sprays, delicate cymbal play, and marimba gradually set the stage for Bennie's soprano sax and other reed instruments to slowly, subtly set a melody. I am so impressed with the design of this music! And the discipline it takes to perform it. (And I know from second-hand sources that Bennie is a very exacting, very demanding band leader.) Once Bennie is in front, the music pretty well established and solidified, it kind of loses its appeal to me as it becomes less about mystery and melody and more about continuing the floatability. The individual instrumental choices and contributions are interesting yet they're often so soft and subtle that they do more to deflect my attention off into some tangential place of dreamy sensuality. I hate to detract from the ability to perform such a wonderful (and wondrous) feat, but I kind of want to stay engaged with the song. (17.66667/20)

6. "Winds Of Change" (1:25) multiple reed instruments performing together, in attempted unison. (4.5/5)

7. "Song For Tracie Dixon Summers" (5:14) a lot of space--some times quite empty--around which Bennie and company add small whorls and twists of movement--until the third minute when Bennie's soprano sax leads Herbie, Buster, Billy, and the percussionists into something slightly more definitive and organized. There's just so much space! I usually love spacious music like this but this one is almost too reliant on the long decays of instrumental sound as to not represent music but rather act as a reminder of what the world would be like without music. Interesting! (8.75/10)

8. "Past Is Past" (3:52) Bennie's plaintive, languid soprano sax in duet with Herbie's full piano prowess--at least for the first 90-seconds, then triangle, shaker, timpani, and other hand percussion instruments (and background harmonizing flutes) join the flow (which is pretty much a drawn out three-chord flow). The drummers get to join in--as only accenting percussionists--in the final minute. (8.875/10)

Total time: 43:37

A surprisingly transportive, spiritual experience comes out of listening to this album each time I do so. This is, in my opinion, no small feat. In fact, I would argue that it might take some artists a lifetime to achieve such an effect through their art.

91.62 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of quite remarkably-mature song compositions performed by a gathering of remnants of the Mwandishi lineup--in New York!--months after the last Mwandishi session had wrapped up.

CARLOS GARNETT Journey to Enlightenment (1974)

Recorded at Minot Sound Studios, August 20, 1974, released by Muse Records in the Autumn--this was Carlos' second album released in 1974! Five compositions from the band leader and one from his lady singer.

Line-up/Musicians:

- Carlos Garnett / reeds, ukulele, vocals (A1, B2, B3)

- Anthony Jackson / bass
- Charles Pulliam / congas
- Howard King / drums
- Reggie Lucas / guitars
- Hubert Eaves / keyboards
- Neil Clarke / percussion
- Ayodele Jenkins / vocals (A1, A2, B3)

A1. "Journey To Enlightenment" (10:55) despite some impressive vocal arrangements, I don't hear Ayodele and Carlos' being skilled/talented enough to pull them off. The two-chord musical vamp supporting the whole thing, despite a key change about half way in, is just not interesting enough to keep the listener engaged. Carlos is a talented sax player and his musicians top notch, it's just not interesting enough to keep my attention. Hubert Eaves' piano work in the ninth minute is the best part of the song for me. (17.375/20)

A2. "Love Flower" (7:22) slightly funked up, slightly Latinized jazz vamp over which the song's composer, Ayodele Jenkins, sings in her powerful though pitchy voice. I think everybody thinks she's better than she is. Nice Santana-like guitar solo in the fifth minute followed by the best section of the song before Ayodele rejoins. (13/15) 

B1. "Chana" (6:17) another attempt at Latin jazz leaves me wondering what's missing. I think the musicians Carlos has selected to collaborate with him on these don't bring enough experience and/or creativity as some of those veterans he had helping him out with Black Love. (8.875/10)

B2. "Caribbean Sun" (6:18) another attempt at a Latinized song is here diminished by the use/presence of a banjo-sounding ukulele and/or acoustic guitar. Carlos' sax is fine, the rhythm section adequate despite another boring four-chord motif repeating ad nauseam, but his voice is almost annoying despite his admirable courage and confidence. (8.75/10)  

B3. "Let Us Go (To Higher Heights)" (6:15) this one tries to blend a little Jamaican flair into the weak funk (weak despite the use of reggae bass, Caribbean percussion, clavinet, and proper rhythm guitar). It just never rises to anything that is impressive, engaging, or memorable. (8.667/10) 

Total time: 37:11

After loving Carlos' previous album so much I find myself quite shocked at how subpar this one is. Besides being disappointed, I'm sad. So much talent here.

87.18 on the Fishscales = C/three stars; a disappointing outing for Carlos and his home-boys. 

MISSUS BEASTLY Missus Beastly (1974)

A München-based band whose lineup and sound changed and morphed with each release, this being their second despite previous incarnations with other band names. The album was recorded and produced sometime in 1974 for Nova Records by Dieter Dierks at his own studios in Stommeln-Pulheim near Köln. It was released in November. 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Norbert Dömling / bass, guitar
- Friedeman Josch / flute, saxophone
- Jürgen Benz / saxophone, flute
- Lutz Oldemeier / drums
- Dieter Miekautsch / keyboards

1. "Julia" (3:54) despite a rather chaotic opening, this song moves into a motif in the second half of the first minute in which great piano and flute play is mixed in with all the others as the band rollicks through some psychedelic funkiness. (8.875/10)

2. "20th Century Break" (5:02) great spirit and melodies built on a fun, funky (and familiar) sound and rhythmic pattern. Again, I love the way the piano drives this one but also how the horns assist the whole way along. The fourth minute features a refreshingly-unusual clavinet solo, but then we're back to the clever and melodically-mutually-supportive AREA-like multiple thematic expositions for the close.  (9.33333/10)

3. "Geisha" (5:23) very solid rhythm base of piano, drums, and clavinet with electric bass seeming to go off on its own melodic journey while two flutes smooth it all out. Very Chick Corea-like though even stronger in places (that bass!) I love the fact that the pianos (2?) and clavinet are playing off one another throughout the entire song. And the groove is so infectious. Definitely a favorite of mine--a top three song, to be sure. Norbert Dömling is one interesting cat! (9.5/10)

4. "Vacuum Cleaners Dance" (5:17) another chaotic/psychedelic start that eventual irons out into another hard-driving heavy jazz-rock flute-led composition. The lead flute player performs like Thijs van Lier or Ian Anderson when they're at their craziest but, overall, I feel that this is a Mwandishi-era Herbie Hancock song played by Milanese band AREA (with Freideman Josch's flute supplanting Demetrio Stratos' vocal acrobatics). Solid and definitely entertaining. (9.125/10)

5. "Paranoidl" (4:20) a straightforward start, solid rhythm section with wild Hammond organ play throughout the somewhat-slower first half. Then the band switches into high gear with some crazy bass playing, Fender Rhodes, wah-wah rhythm guitar, and frenetic sax soloing. The song feels like something like Canterbury-infused NATIONAL HEALTH and Jazz-Rock-oriented AREA co-mingling on stage, taking turns imposing their leadership in the different motifs. The musicians are all so dialed into this one! (9.25/10)

6. "Fly Away" (7:46) after a long drawn out two-minute intro, this song congeals into, at first, a great horn-accented big-band jazz-rock but then turns to a more melodic "pop" jazz feeling sound for a few bars, but then it kind of returns/reverts to the slowly in-fading intro motif as if to restart or rebuild toward that whole-band, big-band motif. It's not until the five minute mark that any true solo gets underway--tenor saxophone--as a synth slowly fades in to counterpoint from just beneath before being faded out for Fender Rhodes and electric piano. An unusual (and pretty innovative) circle of constantly-rotating soloists ensues before they all mysteriously synch up together in the final 30 seconds! How cool! (13.75/15)

7. "Talle" (5:40) less jazzy, more proggy folk-rock, even with a saxophone occupying the lead position. The drumming in the first 90 seconds is the one thing keeping this from falling into pop-folk. Kind of a stylistic mix of something between Al Di Meola and Bob James. Also, a lot less adventurous compositionally though some of the individual performances are note-worthy: particularly the bass and multiple acoustic guitar tracks--the latter which turns electric rhythm in the slightly funkier TRAFFIC-like second half--and the flute in the third minute. (8.875/10)

Total Time: 33:22 

On this album they display extraordinary, top-tier Jazz-Fusion skills over the course of some truly memorable song compositions. This band is so tight! The precision synchronization of their play is quite remarkable.  

91.61 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of refined and sophisticated Jazz-Rock Fusion. A must-hear for you J-RF fans.

ISOTOPE Illusion (1974)

Highly-acclaimed jazz-rock fusion from a British quartet of seasoned musicians--including Hugh Hopper and Gary Boyle. Produced by Poli Palmer, Illusion was recorded in August of 1974 at Rockfield Studios in Monmouth, Wales, and then released by Gull Records in November.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Gary Boyle / guitars
- Nigel Morris / drums
- Laurence Scott / keyboards
- Hugh Hopper / bass

1. "Illusion" (3:54) nicely-partitioned jazz-oriented rock music, drummer Nigel Morris and mutli-keyboard-playing Laurence Scott seem more deeply connected in keeping the rhythm track on a tightly-formed course while the disturbingly-distorted bass of Hugh Hopper and wah-wah-ed rhythmic guitar play of Gary Boyle seem to be the more adventurous and experimental explorers on top. I think I'm most impressed with Mr. Scott on this one. (8.875/10)

2. "Rangoon Creeper" (6:01) weird boring funk. Laurence Scott again gets the chance to show off his tow-handed skills. (8.5/10)

3. "Spanish Sun" (7:50) great display of Gary Boyle's technical skill on the John McLaughlin-like guitars (especially the electric). I like the minimal support from the other band members; the song could probably even exist without them but they add something (besides their solos). (13.5/15)

 
4. "Edorian" (2:01) seems like a reprise of the two opening songs--especially in the sound palette choices. I like the doubling up of the keys and guitars while Hugh Hopper just wanders off on his own--apparently as tripping and his fuzz-tone bass. (4.3333/5)

5. "Frog" (2:31) a MAHAVISHNU'/"Vashkar"-like song with more drugged-out bass but nice lead guitar over the tight rhythm section of Nigel and Laurence. (I guess I'd better get used to the fact that Hugh Hopper will never contribute to the rhythmic structure and linear pacing of any of these songs, that it is, in fact, keyboard player Laurence Scott that will be playing the role usually expected/relegated to the bass player in tandem/association with the drummer.) (8.75/10)

6. "Sliding Dogs / Lion Sandwich" (5:58) I can see the draw to this one: for the fine execution of its mathematical structure--especially as it gets complicated with multiple tracks moving in off-set rondo--but it's not my favorite style of jazz-rock fusion. (Plus, Hugh Hopper's bass sound is already driving me to distraction and dislike.) (9/10)

7. "Golden Section" (5:15) at least on this song Hugh Hopper is able to show off some skills despite his fuzz-tone bass as he mirrors Gary's melody lines over the opening 1:20. After that, there's really nothing very special here: just over extended Fender Rhodes play with some sometimes-interesting bass exploration beneath. Even the song's main theme is nothing to write home about. (8.75/10)

8. "Marin Country Girl "(2:10) delicate interplay between piano and guitar with minimal support from bass and drums. The bass play may even be a second guitar, not Hugh Hopper's bass (which is highly likely due to the fact that it is not electric). Very nice. (4.5/5)

9. "Lily Kong" (2:32) what starts out rather simply, as a fairly straightforward weave, turns more complex until it is rudely faded away from our listening capabilities. Foul! (4.5/5)

10. "Temper Tantrum" (3:46) two tracks dedicated to electric guitar, bass and drums mixed kind of to the rear, with panning/reverberating keys floating in the in-between, Gary establishes quite an awesome little duel/battle with himself--between the two guitars (one that reminds me quite a bit of the amazing future duel between Al Di Meola and Larry Coryell on Lenny White's "Prince of the Sea"). Now this is Jazz-Rock Fusion! Best song on the album! (9.5/10)

Total Time: 51:58

The music here is definitely not connecting with me the way it has for many other music lovers. I am impressed with the sound and with the guitar playing of band leader Gary Boyle, but I do not find the compositions as substantive or dynamic as I like. And I absolutely do not understand the affinity to or allegiance to Hugh Hopper--whose obsession with the abhorrent sound created by the singular bass effect he seems so stubbornly attached to over the album's first seven songs is almost enough to drive me away; a keyboard could (and should) do the work that he is so praised for! Kudos to Laurence Scott for coming in from relative obscurity and holding his own next to these other giants.

89.12 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent if totally confusing and sometimes off-putting example of experimentation within the fairly-new Jazz-Rock Fusion genre of music.

MOOSE LOOSE Elgen Er Løsen (1974)

Brilliant and experimental/boundary pushing proggy Jazz-Rock Fusion from Sweden. They sound a bit like a Chick Corea-led FOCUS only better. Recorded during 1974 at Scanax Studio and Arne Bendiksen Studio, both in Oslo, Norway, the album was produced by the band themselves and then released by Plateselskapet Mai in November. 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Jon Arild Eberson / guitar
- Brynjulf Blix / keyboards
- Sveinung Hovensjø / bass
- Pål Thowsen / drums

1. "Eber's Funk" (7:45) opens aggressively like something from the early J-R Fuse masterpieces from Tony Williams and John McLaughlin then gets really funky with Brynjulf Blix's masterful clavinet play. (One cannot help but wonder how long he'd been playing this rather new instrument and its funk applications.) Drummer Pål Thowsen is amazing! Then guitarist Jon Arild Eberson launches into a wonderfully fiery solo himself, showing no shame or fear of being compared to the J-R F greats like McLaughlin, Coryell, Akkerman, and Connors. (14/15)

2. "B.M." (11:45) I love the experimentation here with all of the early Mahavishnu Orchestra instrument sounds--and the way they take some of the music and style of Dutch progsters FOCUS and move it even further into the realm of jazz or jazz-rock fusion. The main electric piano four-chord motif gently propelling the song along does get rather old as the soloists go on (and on), but the work of drummer Pål Thowsen beneath is quite a nice diversion to pay attention to. (22.5/25)

3. "Flytende Øye" (6:39) again, the proggy side of Jazz-Rock Fusion--here exploring the Bitches Brew/Herbie Hancock approach to electrifying jazz. These musicians are so talented! (9.25/10)

4. "Skakke Jens" (5:32) with some scathing electric guitar in the spotlight and only bass and drums beneath this one feels more like a progression of power trio rock as Jimi Hendrix might have taken it had he lived longer. Not as jazzy as the previous songs, still very interesting. R-L reverberating-panning Fender Rhodes enters at 2:50 with great effect (essentially shutting down Jon Arild Eberson's guitar) taking over the lead for the remainder of the song. (8.875/10)

5. "O Kjød" (6:42) what sounds like electric piano (though it could be oddly processed acoustic piano) and gently-picked electrified acoustic guitar open as kind of a duet, though the guitar exists more in a support capacity for the first minutes. Very Mahavishnu John McLaughlin and Chick Corea like. Jon gets a turn in the lead halfway through while Brynjulf settles back into an even-more-Chick Corea-like support roll. Wish it were better recorded. (9/10)

Total Time: 38:23

I often find it hard to understand how caucasian people can be so funky--as if African traditions have some kind of exclusive on the sound and form--but this band definitely has some serious funk running through their veins. Awesome stuff! 

90.89 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of Jazz-Rock Fusion in its very quintessential form(s). An album every self-proclaimed prog lover should hear at least once over their lifetime. Highly recommended.

MICHAL URBANIAK Fusion III (released in February of 1975)

A name whose presence in the musicians' credits of so many pop and jazz albums of the 1970s seems rather ubiquitous yet he also remains quite mysterious for the fact that one never hears his name mentioned along side the other violin virtuosi of the era (e.g. Jean-Luc Ponty, Jerry Goodman, Darryl Way, PFM's Maruo Pagani, Arti e Mestieri's Giovanni Vigliar, David Cross, Ray Shulman, Dave Swarbrick, Robbie Steinhardt, and, of course, Eddie Jobson). Also, one must remember he is also a Montreux Jazz Festival award-winning saxophone player! Listening to this I cannot help but wonder why. This is Michal's first album made without his core of native Polish musicians, incorporating a full complement of American jazz-rock musicians--a veritable Who's Who of the Jazz-Rock Fusion movement. It was recorded at Electric Lady studios in New York City for CBS late in 1974 and then released to the public on Columbia Records on February 1, 1975.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Michal Urbaniak / Electric violin, violin synthesizer
- Urszula Dudziak / Voice, percussion, electronic percussion
- Wlodek Gulgowski (Pop Workshop) / Electric piano, Moog, and electric organ
- Anthony Jackson / Bass guitar
- Steve Gadd / Drums
- John Abercrombie / Guitars

With:

- Joe Caro / Guitar (A3)

- Gerald Brown / Drums (A3, B1)
- Larry Coryell / Guitar (B1)

- Bernard Kafka / Voice (B3)

LONNIE LISTON SMITH & The Cosmic Echoes Expansions (released early in 1975)

Recorded on November 25 & 26 of 1974 by Bob Thiele for Flying Dutchman Records, Lonnie & The Echoes' third album together, Expansions, was released early in 1975. 

Line-up / Musicians:

- Lonnie Liston Smith / Piano, Electric Piano, Keyboards [Electronic Keyboard Textures] 

- Cecil McBee / Bass
- Leopoldo / Bongos, Percussion
- Michael Carvin / Clavinet
- Lawrence Killian / Congas, Percussion
- Art Gore / Drums
- Michael Carvin / Percussion

- Donald Smith / Flute, Vocals, Vocal Textures 

- Dave Hubbard / Saxophones [Tenor, Soprano], Flute [Alto]

ELECTROMAGNETS Electromagnets (released in November or December)

(Dixie) Dregs, Weather Report, and Nova-like jazz-rock from Austin, TX that was the launching vehicle for international guitar hero Eric Johnson. The album was recorded by Park Street in 1974 at Odyssey Sound studios in Austin during sessions in July and September and the released and distributed by the band themselves (as EGM Records) in the Fall or Winter (with no mastering!). The Rhino re-mastering and production for the CD release from 1998 did an amazing job at cleaning up and bringing to life the music on the old analog tapes.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Steve Barber / keyboards
- Bill Maddox / drums
- Eric Johnson / guitar
- Kyle Brock / bass

With:

- Tomás Ramirez / saxophone (6)

- John Treanor / percussion (6)

1. "Hawaiian Punch" (6:00) the Bill Connors/Al Di Meola-like lead guitarist (Eric Johnson) is the lead instrument pretty much throughout this song despite its tight and very expressive and competent musicianship from all four of the band members. The heavily-syncopated final 90 seconds is quite revealing and supportive of this claim. (8.875/10)

2. "Motion" (4:45) a much more smooth palette and more contemplative ECM/Narada Walden-like song construct with lots of lovely space and no hurry to finish or move anywhere quickly--and yet this is by no means a slow sleeper: there are dynamic flourishes and sudden and surprising contributions flitting in and out of the ethereal weave throughout the nearly five minutes of this--and axe-master Eric Johnson is nowhere near the dominatrix that he was in that opening song; no, this is a song of shared feeling and inspired spontaneity--and very interesting! (9/10)

3. "Dry Ice" (5:05) this one has a heavier, much more JEFF BECK-like palette and feel with drummer Bill Maddox being given full exposure for the first two minutes before Steve Barber's clavinet, Kyle Brock's bass, and Eric's guitar become more domineering. Great jazz fusion of the highest caliber--in line with Todd Rundgren's Utopia, Return To Forever, Jan Hammer, and even Frank Zappa (and preceding Jeff Beck's landmark Blow by Blow album by a few months). (9.5/10)

4. Blackhole" (6:51) a very powerful and emotional song of the Mahavishnu style with very noteworthy-yet-cohesive performances from each of the individual musicians. RTF were rarely this united and interconnected (and Mahavishnu Orchestra never)! Again, the sound engineering is absolutely stunning as every instrument, every sound nuance is so crystal clear! I don't see how J-R Fusion ever got any better than this song! And why isn't Eric Johnson mentioned in every sentence with Al Di Meola, Bill Connors, and John McLaughlin?!!! (15/15)

5. "Salem" (4:30) slowing it down a bit and even taking on a little mediæval/folkish palette despite Eric Johnson's continued bold electric lead guitar, the band takes an unexpected twist with the central presence of vocal (whose John Wetton similarities give the music a more KING CRIMSON sound and feel). The drumming is so tight and precise! And Eric's solos are every bit as sharp and concise as Al Di's or Jan Akkerman's. There is also what sounds like a bowed instrument in this song--perhaps an electric violin--but it is not among the song credits which makes me think it could be either Eric Johnson's guitar or Kyle Brock's bass. (8.875/10)

6. "Minus Mufflers" (7:36) a more syncopated song structure gives this quite the Herbie Hancock/Miles Davis feel. Plus there is the presence of Tomás Ramirez' saxophone from the start. Quite the funky keyboard and bass work though Eric's lead guitar is still very fast and furious--reminding me quite a bit of Corrado Restuci's work on the NOVA albums as well as some Larry Coryell. Interesting! (13.5/15)

7. "Novia Scotia" (3:38) an evenly-paced, smooth-flowing construct that reminds me of several non-American bands of the era, like Focus and Allan Holdsworth. The staggered play of the four instrumentalists in the third minute is quite extraordinary and noteworthy--and then the band goes soft and smooth again. That back-and-forth shift of dynamics is quite reminiscent of Al Di Meola's future work as a solo artist. Seriously good! (9/10)

8. "Crusades" (8:01) Another song whose unusual form and structure lead me to compare it to Al Di Meola, Return To Forever, and Focus. Very cerebral and concentrated into the loosely-connected individual performances--much like NOVA and WEATHER REPORT were fond of doing. By the congealment of the middle of the song everybody is aligned in order to support the pyrotechnical exploits of guitarist Eric Johnson on his multiple tracks of axe play. Then, with about three minutes to go, the music shifts rather radically toward a cruising groove in order to support a frenetic solo by keyboard wiz Steve Barber. Despite Steve's wonderful display of skill and creativity, one cannot help but be distracted by the rhythm and lead flourishes of Eric's flashy guitar: he just has that Johnny Mac/Al Di "it factor." Weird mishmash of a song that is essential for its soloists and suite-like organization of multiple musical styles. (13.333/15)

Total Time: 46:26

Very nice, crystalline sound engineering. There is such a "later" (i.e. late 1970s early 1980s) quality to both the sound production and scope-creep of smooth jazz palettes in this music--sounds that really didn't exist back in 1973-4 even in the ECM or early Weather Report days. Were they really this much of 

91.667 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of highly-developed and creatively-constructed jazz-rock fusion from four top caliber musicians.

JOACHIM KÜHN Cinemascope (1974)

East German-born classically-trained pianist Joachim Kühn recorded Cinemascope in May of 1974 at Conny Plank's studio in Köln, Germany. This was quite an unusual event since Konrad was rarely interested in the jazz or even jazz-rock "Fusion" trends in music; he was much more interested in supporting/promoting the boundary-pushing, experimental scenes of music that have become known as "Krautrock." Be as it may, Cinemascope was engineered by Conny and produced by Joachim's ever-present brother, Rolf, and then released by MPS Records (Villingen) late in 1974.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Joachim Kühn / piano, electric piano, alto sax

- Toto Blanke / guitar

- John Lee / bass

- Gerry Brown / drums, percussion

With:

- Zbigniew Seifert / violin (3)

- Rolf Kühn / arranger, producer, co-composer (B1 & 2)

A1. "Zoom (Part 1)" (5:26) (8.75/10)
A2. "Zoom (Part 2)" (3:44) (8.75/10)
A3. "One String More" (8:18) (17.625/20)
A4. "Vibrator" (2:16) synth play (4.25/5)

B1. "Travelling (Part 1)" (5:10) cool synth and piano exploration--like the spacey intro to Lenny White's "Venusian Summer Suite" (9.125/10)
B2. "Travelling (Part 2)" (6:27) RTF racing: Gerry Brown is channelling Lenny, John Lee Stanley, Joachim Chick, and Toto Al Di. And there's orchestration--real strings orchestra (courtesy of brother Rolf.. (10/10) 

B3. "Success" (5:06) alto sax over frenzied free for all. the strings-effected second half with Toto's guitar work is the best part. (I'd love to throw away the first two minutes.) (8.875/10)

B4. "Black Tears" (5:16) opens with beautiful orchestra strings arrangement setting up a tense but mysterious, expectant, exciting mood for the next part. At 0:42 Joachim's pensive piano takes over but then he soon begins to tinker around rather melody-lessly, but then, as if he heard me thinking, he brings us back to romantic dreamland at 1:41--with the accompaniment of strings, double bass, and brushed drums. Gorgeous in a Jimmy Webb kind of way. The man is obviously a genius: to be able to switch mindsets with such ease and facility. I'm blown away. (10/10)  

Total time: 41:43

I LOVE Side Two, could do without Side One.

91.03 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of Second Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion.

CHRIS HINZE COMBINATION "Sister Slick" (1974)

Recorded on a 16-track recorder in Weesp, Holland, on May 25th, 26th, 29th, 30th 1974 with Emile elsen engineering for producer, arranger, and principal composer Chris Hinze.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Chris Hinze / producer, writing, arrangements, flute, alto flute
- Rob Van Den Broeck / piano, grand piano, electric piano, soloist
- Jasper Van 't Hof / piano, electric piano, soloist, organ
- Henny Vonk / vocals
- Jan Huydts / piano, grand piano, synthesizer, soloist
- Philip Catherine / acoustic guitar, electric guitar
- Gerry Brown / percussion, drums
- John Lee / bass, writing
- Robert Jan Stips (Supersister, Golden Earring) / organ

1. "Skyrider" (8:28) a song that opens with Jan Huydts' piano playing (with synthesizer strings supporting) a variation of the second movement (Adagio sostenuto) of Sergei Rachmaninoff's 1900–1901 Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Opus 18, a song that classically the trained composer (and son of a world class orchestra conductor) would have been intimately familiar with. (The Raspberries' Eric Carmen's would make an international hit song, called "All By Myself," based upon the same theme. Perhaps Eric heard Chris's version, though it is far more likely that he picked it up from his music studies with his Aunt Muriel who was a concert violinist with the Cleveland Orchestra when it was under the direction of George Szell--who had built "the world's greatest symphonic instrument" ªº.) Anyway, at the end of the first minute, the song jumps into a long (90 seconds) proggy segue into an "electric" orchestra symphonic bridge (which sounds tremendously like something fellow Dutch band FOCUS had done or would do), which ultimately empties out onto an RETURN TO FOREVER-like funk-jazz showpiece for instrumental virtuosity. Philip Catherine gets one of the first solos while John Lee and Gerry Brown provide a very Stanley Clarke-Lenny White-like foundation speeding along beneath. All the while, composer Chris Hinze's flute is buried a little into the mix, giving it the feeling/effect of being a supportive thread in the large tapestry being created. In the sixth minute Chris's flute is moved to the front while Philip's stll-raging electric guitar soloing is moved back into the far background (but you can still hear him!) A Chick-Corea-like electric piano is right there on the right side, supporting, embellishing, and encouraging the others. Man! That segue in the eighth minute is intense--and so well played!

     From the start to finish of this song I began to wonder if this is an example of Chris trying to emulate the Deodato move that the Brazilian bandleader made in co-opting a piece of classical music on his recent world-wide hit album, Prelude. (Eumir had made a jazzed-rock fusioned version of Richard Strauss' "Also sprach Zarathustra"--which had been re-made famous and popular by its use in the fairly recent sci-fi film, 2001: A Space Odyssey. The song had achieved massive success around the world in 1973.) Was Chris hoping to achieve similar commercial success with his own jazz interpretation of a particularly accessible classical music theme?

     Whatever his motivations or influences, I think Chris has achieved something quite extraordinary here. The sound engineering/mix could be a little better, but I think he has found the perfect ensemble of musicians necessary to do this great song justice. (19/20)

2. "Easy Answering" (8:41) flute-led smooth jazz with a definite foot in the realms of funk-jazz (due to the processing and forward mix of John Lee's distorted funky bass). Philip Catherine's lead guitar work in the first half of this one is much more in line with the electric jazz guitar players of the late 1960s than the modern styles (and sounds) promoted by the likes of Mahavishnu John McLaughlin, Bill Connors, and the latest phenom, Al Di Meola. Henny Vonk's wonderful "smooth-scat" vocalese is used prominently throughout the song's second half. She sounds strikingly similar to Flora Purim (as opposed to Urszula Dudziak or Annie Haslam--the three most well-known female vocalists attempting this style of wordless scat-singing at the time). A very solid song with lots of entertainment value; well worth repeated listens in order to try to pick up all of the wonderful contributions of the ensemble's individuals. (18.5/20)

3. "I Like To Feed A Smile On Your Face" (5:21) more of John Lee's stanky funk bass, fast and forward, drives this song as well if not more than the song's melodies and excellent drumming. I wish the sound recording/engineering choices had been a little better: the mix is a bit unbalanced and there is a scratchiness and disappointing distortion throughout. I love Philip Catherine's "tarnished and degraded" electric guitar sound. I like the spread on this one: John Lee's bass low and center; Philip Catherine's stinky rhythm guitar in the right channel, the dirty Fender Rhodes in the left channel, the drummer covering the entire field from down below, and Chris's flute in the very middle (but not mixed forward at all). Everybody is made equal in importance in this kind of mix. Cool! At the same time, one can definitely get a sense for the limitations a 16-track recorder places on the engineer and producer: there is only so much sound one can jam into each and every song. Hence, the single track, start-to-finish allocations of the individual musicians' performances (with volume and panning dials the main method of singling out the soloists.) (9/10)

4. "Unity" (9:44) a delicate, richly-melodic electric piano motif (that Steely Dan would base their iconic 1976 song, "Aja" on) opens this one. At the end of the first minute the piano backs down and Chris's low, breathy flute takes the lead, soon supported/dueted with Henny Vonk's Burt Bacharach-like vocalese. The song takes an unexpected and almost-awkward shift--twice!--in the second minute (at 1:15 and again, more permanently, at 2:05). Then we're off to the races as John and Gerry power an awesome cruise over which the Fender Rhodes takes the lead for a bit before a brief bridge early in the fourth minute leads to a complete stop. The music is again picked up, at first by solo flute, and then by the full band, shifting into a Latin-based section that actually uses two different motifs (with three different bass patterns!) over which Chris and Philip provide the lead entertainment. I love Philip's reactive rhythm guitar play here! But I really love the brave stylistic switches throughout  this awesome song. The Latin'Caribbean motifs in particular give it so much life! Again, I can't help but wonder if Donald Fagen and Walter Becker had any exposure to this song or album before setting into the creation of their Aja album. A real gem of a song, this is! (19/20)

5. "The Second Coming" (6:28) John Lee's single contribution to the album's compositions, it opens with a brief introductory period before shifting into third gear with a more-loose- and broad-spectrum-than-usual jazz-rock fusion motif over which flute, wordless voice, and  electric guitar share the initial exposition of the main melody. Then everybody settles back to support Chris's flute with John doing that chunky free-floating "dirty" bass thing he's been doing pretty much the entire album. Electric piano and far off Arp Synth strings provide an awesome floating feeling (quite similar to the way Lenny White incorporates this effect on his Venusian Summer album) as Philip Catherine takes the lead (twice! in two different channels!) The fullness and smooth groovity of the entire song is so enticing, so lilting, so enjoyable that I feel that I could float along this river/stream forever! Definitely one of the best John Lee compositions (and renderings) I've yet heard. Awesome! A perfect song!(?) (10/10)

6. "Sister Slick" (5:03) floating Arp Odyssee synth--sounding like something from a GONG album!--over which syncopated rhythm track is laid down. It's complex and herky-jerky but not enough to totally alienate the listener; one can still pick up and appreciate the fine performances of the musicians despite the rather loose and "undefined" roles everyone has been assigned. (Which, in this respect, gives the song a kind of bluesy "practice workout" feel: i.e. feeling as if the composition was not properly finished; they'd captured a rather one-dimensional jam on tape and decided to keep it and stick it on the end of the album. The slow fade out at the end also adds weight to this theory: strongly suggesting that this jam went on for some time after the cut was made.) (8.875/10)

Total Time 43:45

The flow and style of this entire album has, to my ears and mind, the feel of that of DEODATO's masterful 1973 album release, Prelude--which was released in January of 1973 and rose to international fame and acclaim on the backs of both the amazing hit song "Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001)." Like Prelude, Deodato had employed a pre-eminently perfect matched flutist for his album in the personage of Hubert Laws--a long-established jazz artist that Chris admired greatly. We also know from Chris's heritage, musical training, and ever-evolving, ever-eclectic musical tastes that he was very prone to like a new style or trend, learn and master it, and then use his new information and skill to create new music and, being a producer and independently wealthy music studio owner, produce an album using the finest musicians within his reach (which could be achieved easily if money was never a restriction).  

93.75 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a full-blown, indisputable masterpiece of peak era Jazz-Rock Fusion. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! The whole world should know this album!  

ªº from music critic Donal Henahan's New York Times obituary article on the passing of George Szell (31 July 1970). "George Szell, Conductor, Is Dead". The New York Times. p. 1. ISBN 9780405111532. 

OREGON Winter Light (1974)

The fourth album recorded by supergroup, Oregon. Though by no means a representative of mainstream Jazz-Rock Fusion, the band has certainly been exploring an avenue of fusion that is sparsely populated and definitely comes out of the traditions of classically-trained jazz musicians. Winter Light was recorded in Beverly Hills at Vanguard Studios on July 18-21, and August 6 & 7 of 1974 and then released around November 29, 1974.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Ralph Towner / Classical & 12-string guitars, piano, French horn, clay drums
- Paul McCandless / oboe, English horn, bass clarinet
- Glen Moore / double bass, bass, violin, flute, piano (4)
- Collin Walcott / tabla, sitar, pakhawaj, percussion, congas, dulcimer, clarinet

1. "Tide Pool" (8:34) guitar strums with oboe and scratchy percussion noises occurring in the surrounding space before Collin Walcott's tabla and Ralph Towner's 12-string guitar plays among Glen Moore's double bass on this lovely Ralph Towner weave. (17.875/20)

2. "Witchi-Tai-To" (3:26) piano solo from Ralph Towner for this cover of a song written by Native American saxophonist Jim Pepper while being accompanied by Collin's aggressively-strummed dulcimer (sounding like an unplugged electric guitar). (8.75/10)

3. "Ghost Beads" (6:38) another composition from Ralph Towner starts out quite jazzy, quite pensive, with Ralph's solo guitar play, but then Collin and Glen join with tabla and double bass just before Paul takes the lead with his cor anglais (which doesn't. quite fit, in my opinion). Ralph's virtuosic guitar solo is next while Glen does a great job of playing off of Ralph. There is a little Spanish and French Impressionist feel to Ralph's inspiration. Glen gets a solo next while Ralph accompanies with John McLaughlin-like flurries and flourishes and Collin continues his personalized tabla support. This is sounding like Shakti! The virtuosity--especially from Ralph--is off the charts! (9.125/10)

4. "Deer Path" (2:47) a Glen Moore composition that hovers in the space between avant garde and impressionistic free jazz. At times I find myself wondering if the dudes were even in the same time zones much less the same room with one another. A complete song that makes one wonder if they ever really got started. (8.5/10)

5. "Fond Libré" (5:04) This Paul McCandless song starts out as a duet between Ralph Towner's weirdly-tuned guitar, pick-and-strumming really odd chords, and Paul's cor anglais. At the two-minute mark a pause occurs after which Ralph and Glen's double bass (later bowed) settle into a fairly gentle if minor-key dominant cushion-like bed for Paul to continue his odd, foreign melody play. Eventually, Glen teams up with Collin's sitar (and clarinet) to present a counter melody on the lower end. Really cool tapestry never ever hitting a familiar Western melody or chord. Fascinating! (9.125/10)

6. "Street Dance" (2:08) Collin sets up a rhythm track with an Indian pakhawaj while the others join in with a very odd, almost ascerbic mix of instruments--including bowed bass and violin, bass clarinet, clay drums, and French horn. Okay. I guess it was a jam to see if it was possible to combine those odd instrumental pairings. Kind of like a Yo-Yo Ma Silk Road song. Now we've done that. (4.333/5)

7. "Rainmaker" (4:27) Another Ralph Towner song on which the composer settles into a jazz piano piece while Paul, Glen, and Collin work around him with some nice double bass, oboe, Western tabla and congas. Nice song, Ralph. Pretty in a jazz-sophisticated way. (8.875/10) 

8. "Poesía" (5:25) odd guitar (dobro?) is picked as if hesitantly, experimentally, while cor anglais runs, odd bass notes, and tabla flit in and out of the mix as nervously/hesitantly and/or experimentally as the guitar. In the third minute it feels as if the quartet might gel, but they kind of remain each in their own universes. Collin sits out fourth minute before returning with a scratch surface in the fifth while Glen, Ralph and Paul continue their morning wakeup routines. I guess I'm too uneducated to get it. (Personally, I cannot imagine how the quartet would/could ever replicate this in a live performance--granted, being in the Jazz idiom, they would never have to due to the license that improvisation gives them and they could still call whatever came out of them the same title.) (8.6667/10)

9. "Margueritte" (4:05) Collin's lone compositional contribution to the album definitely has a solid foundation in his fast-paced percussion track. Ralph's 12-string, Glen's electric bass, and Paul's cor anglais all join in for long spurts of cohesive music. (Thank you, Ralph and Glen for forming a continuous, flowing motif--and Paul for using the occasional Western-familiar notes and melody lines.) This is definitely the song that makes me feel the most comfortable--the most "included"-- on the album. Thank you! (8.875/10)

Total time 42:31

By no means a common avenue for Jazz, Classical, and Folk artists to take in their exploration and interpretation of Jazz-Rock Fusion, it is difficult to ignore or discount the efforts of this band of virtuosi since the musicianship is so good. It's just that the melodic sensibilities herein, like mainstream Jazz,  often lay outside the comfort zone of the rock and pop audiences that radio stations favored. 

     My rating here is not at all reflective of the quality of the compositions or virtuosity of he musicians or the indication of serious dedication to expanding horizons that these musicians are shining the light for: it's about how much this or they are contributing to the idiomatic direction that Jazz-Rock Fusion is travelling: are they effecting any change? Other than the upcoming birth of both Shakti and CoDoNa, no! There are really no other jazz musicians that are exploring an East-Meets-West meeting ground of musical traditions with any sweeping enthusiasm (outside of perhaps Germany where the infatuation is being expressed through their Kosmische Musik scene). Therefore, I find it difficult to include this uber-talented and highly-creative band in the Jazz-Rock Fusion mainstream when they really aren't a part of the J-R F mainstream. It's not that I don't like this music--I do! I'm just trying to really compile a compendium of true contributors to the legacy that is still called "Jazz-Rock Fusion."

89.61 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of cerebral Western Modern Classical chromatic music being attempted on folk, Classical, jazz, and Indian instruments--all at the same time. Though this music may be head-and-shoulders above most un-classically-trained Westerners, the bravery and virtuosity on display in it are undeniable. 

TEO MACERO Presents: MILES DAVIS Get Up With It (1974)

Released by Columbia Records on November 22, 1974, the material that Teo Macero shaped for this album release came from recordings that occurred between 1970 and 1974, using both live and studio material. 

Line-up / Musicians:

- Miles Davis / trumpet, electric piano, organ

- Michael Henderson / electric bass

- Dominique Gaumont / guitar (A, B1)

- Pete Cosey / guitar (A, B1, C, D2)

- Reggie Lucas / guitar (A, B1, B3, C, D2, D3)

- Al Foster / drums (A, B1, B3 to D3)

- James Mtume / percussion (A, B1, B3 to D3)

- David Liebman / flute [alto] (A, C)

- Herbie Hancock / clavinet (B2)

- Billy Cobham / drums (B2)

- Keith Jarrett / electric piano [Fender Rhodes] (B2)

- Cedric Lawson / electric piano [Fender Rhodes] (B3, D3)

- Sonny Fortune / flute (B1, D2)

- Airto Moreira / percussion (B2)

- Steve Grossman / soprano saxophone (B2)

- John Stubblefield / soprano saxophone (C)

- Carlos Garnett / soprano saxophone (D3)

- Bernard Purdie / drums (D1)

- Cornell Dupree / guitar (D1)

- Wally Chambers / harmonica (D1)

- Badal Roy / tabla (B3, D3)

- Khalil Balakrishna / sitar [electric] (B3, D3)

A. "He Loved Him Madly" (30:29)
B1. "Maiysha" (14:52)
B2. "'Honky Tonk" (5:54)
B3. "Rated X" (6:50)
C. "Calypso Frelimo" (32:07)
D1. "Red China Blues" (4:10)
D2. "Mtume" (15:08)
D3. "Billy Preston" (12:35)

Total time: 130:15

When it came out it was yet another Miles Davis album that the musicians who participated in proclaimed that they didn't remember the sessions--at least not the way Teo presented them to the world. This is another reason that causes me to sharply discount and discredit Miles Davis with ownership of the "genius" musics that come from the albums released under his name. How much involvement did he have in the production and mixing sessions? Did he even get to hear the final mixes before Teo and Columbia released them to the public--and did he even care? Maybe he just said, "You go ahead, Teo--you make us some money, that's what you're good at," since he much preferred playing than editing--the "one and done" type of attitude--"Let's do it, it's done, move on, what's next." I happen to not like much of any Miles Davis "studio" album but I bet his concerts were amazing! 

December

PEKKA POHJOLA Harakka Bialoipokku ("The Magpie") (1974)

Finnish composer and bassist extraordinaire's second coming out party--only this one is much more serious (more like a work party) as the young maestro works out some equations roaming around inside his head. Recorded in Sweden by Måns Groundstroem at Marcus Music studio in Solna, Harakka Bialoipokku was released in December by Finnish label Love Records. 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Pekka Pohjola / piano, bass, electric piano (6)
With:
- Coste Apetrea / guitar (6)
- Pekka Pöyry / alto & soprano saxes
- Eero Koivistoinen / tenor, soprano & sopranino saxes
- Paroni Paakkunainen / alto & baritone saxes, piccolo flute
- Bertil Löfgren / trumpet (2,5)
- Tomi Parkkonen / drums & percussion (1-4)

1. "Alku ~ The beginning" (2:10) solo piano using modal chord progression like a John Coltrane or Magma song. (4.375/5)

2. "Ensimmäinen aamu ~ The first morning" (5:35) bright, cheerful j-r fusion of a proggy inclination--quite a little of a Weather Report feel. Where does Pekka find these great drummers? (I like that he gives them great sound.) The motif established in the second minute has a processional feeling to it--like a jazzed-up classical piece. The next run through the full motif everybody goes more jazz, blurring the "lines" of the original motif quite a bit, but then they all come back together for a tight recapitulation of the original processional. The fourth time through it's the horns (and Pekka's hi-rpm bass) who elevate the song into Zappa Land. So precise and tight! The last time through the band is more relaxed, the notes a little more subdued, yet it sounds so Zappa-like! Excellent composition! (9/10)

3. "Huono sää / Se tanssii... ~ Bad weather / Bialoipokku dances" (6:55) reflective piano-based song--in fact, an étude. The exploration of low end possibilities is the total focus throughout the first two minutes with the horns doing as much work as the piano and bass. It's not until the 2:20s that the melody finally reaches mid- and upper ranges. Another song that could almost be classified under the Zeuhl sub. Even when the music bursts into happy-county fair mode at 4:45 could it still be befitting a Magma or Present song--especially when it soon shifts again into a faster gear. (13.25/15)

4. "...ja näkee unta ~ Bialoipokku's war dream" (4:35) poppy Arthur-like Burt Bacharach music. Very bouncy with a very syncopated bass-and-piano led melody line over very steady rhythm section. Horns jump on board the melody providing volume and accents to the bass-and-piano lines while the drumming moves in and out of military snare work. Interesting and very mathematic. J.S. Bach would love this one, I'm sure. (8.875/10)

5. "Hereilläkin uni jatkuu ~ Bialoipokku's war" (4:42) piano turns CHCAGO! More mathematical jazz-rock of particular interest to those who love complex whole-group arrangements of music that is primarily intent on exploring odd time signatures. A big switch around 3:25 leads into a different-sounding yet-still-CHICAGO-like passage with bass and soprano sax performing the most attention-grabbing duties. Impressive if not as enjoyable or memorable as one would like. (8.875/10)

6. "Sekoilu seestyy ~ The madness subsides" (4:18) rich Fender Rhodes sounding as if it came out of a Smooth pseudo-Jazz pop album like Art Garfunkle or Stephen Bishop. Rich rolling electric piano play matched by melodic bass play beneath supports Coste Apetrea's fine Jan Akkerman-like electric guitar play over the top. Again there is more of an étude feeling to this one--even after 2:55 when it becomes a lone electric bass solo there seems to be some kind of mathematical problem being worked out in Pekka's mind. (8.875/10)

7. "Elämä jatkuu ~ Life goes on" (6:42) a kind of laid-back swing--like the theme for the end of a long day--where Pekka is still working his heart out while the tenor and alto saxes are the only ones that are allowed to loosen up a bit. (8.875/10)

Total Time: 34:57

Compositionally this album is amazing: Pekka is really stretching his wings. Performatively-speaking it's top notch all around--from everyone though the standards are never so high as those Pekka places on himself. But there is less room for playful improvisation within these very tightly written and disciplined songs. Even the melodic--and especially the harmonic--sensibilities are impressive and often quite catchy and enjoyable--it's just that the album has much more of a cerebral feel to it. Hopefully Pekka will have a patch in the future where everybody can just have fun. 

88.39 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent album of artistic "problem solving" of the Jazz-Rock Fusion kind, one that is only lacking a bit in the fun and memorable melody departments. 

THE GARY BURTON QUINTET WITH EBERHARD WEBER Ring (1974)

Recorded by Manfred Eicher for ECM Records on July 23-24 1974 at Studio Bauer, Ludwigsburg. I'm excited to hear what two bass players and two guitarists will bring to Gary's sonosphere. Probably released sometime in the Fall (Manfred was known for quick turn arounds from recording to publication time).

Line-up / Musicians:

- Gary Burton / vibraphone

- Steve Swallow / bass

- Pat Metheny / guitar

- Bob Moses / percussion (drums)

With: 

- Eberhard Weber / bass (tracks: A1 to A3, B1, B2)

- Mick Goodrick / guitar (tracks: A1 to A3, B1, B2)

A1. "Mevlevia" (6:01) this one starts with a weave of gently-played instrumentalists sounding as if they're presenting some background music for one of Mr. Roger's skits with King Friday. At 0:50 it evolves into something a bit more sophisticated with some great interplay between Eberhard and Steve, between Gary and the two guitarists. Song composer Mick Goodrick's solo in the fourth minute is nice. (8.7510)

A2. "Unfinished Sympathy" (3:03) a rather monotonous weave that starts out with some energy and fire as if promising a Mahvishnu-like "Meeting of Spirits" event. It's just not the right instrumental palette despite Gary, Mick, and Bob's best attempts: they're just not loud and/or fiery enough! (8.875/10)

A3. "Tunnel Of Love" (5:30) after a long introductory period of slightly discordant arpeggio playing from everybody individually, it comes as a bit of a shock to see/hear that Eberhard is given the second solo: for the final two minutes! The first one is all Gary but his solo fits in so well with the weave of the other  musicians that you barely discern or differentiate. I really appreciate and like the extra accent work effort put in by Bob: the only support instrument that feels alive. (8.75/10)

A4. "Intrude" (4:47) the only song without Eberhard and Mick; hearing that it's a nearly-five-minute drum solo makes this make sense. It is, interestingly, a very "elegant" drum solo: never trying to impress with power, speed, or super-syncopation. It's just smooth and . . . elegant! (9.125/10)

B1. "Silent Spring" (10:37) a rather droning, plodding foundation is given to Eberhard to solo over the minimalist support on this Carla Bley composition. His now-trademark "underwater bass" is on full display while Gary, Steve, Pat, and Mick robot-walk through the one-chord support accompaniment for seven minutes until the crew stops to watch the UFO in the distance hover and fade away for a minute. Then the two guitarists re-enter for a bit before backing out to allow Eberhard pure solo time. He is a fine bassist, even managing to find interesting melodies and interesting uses of his echoey space, but really the song is nothing to write home about. Gary and the crew return in a minimal capacity at 9:30 to take us home using Eberhard's melody and minimalist chord structure. (The best part of the song.) (17.375/20)

B2. "The Colours Of Chloë" (7:12) Eberhard's lone contribution to the album may, in fact, be its crowning achievement. (Gary must have thought as much as the composer himself had built an entire solo album around it in recording sessions that occurred in the same studio at the end of the previous year!) As reviewed for the The Colours of Chloë album (above), the song starts out like something from a Brian Eno Ambient Music album--until, that is, 1:15 when the rest of the band jumps in with the immediate establishment of a very nicely-woven sprint out of the tunnel-gate. Great two-chord structure propelled by some great melodies and driving drum play. But it only lasts for 30-seconds before ceasing its sprint, resting with Gary and the guitars arpeggiating gently before the two basses jump in with their dual-combined presentation of the bass melody. In the fourth minute everybody settles back into a very pleasant, vibrant and melodic whole-band weave over which Gary solos. His solo is so perfect! So masterful and never ostentatious or flamboyant. At 4:30 the basses reiterate their main melody before allowing guitarist to launch into a solo. Excellent! Another dual bass bridge at 6:15 to segue into a gentle, dreamy motif of disintegration to finish it off. Excellent rendition of an already great song! The main difference between this one and Eberhard's original is the role given to the guitarists to replace the keyboards and Eberhard's bass being doubled up and not being bowed in the first section. Also, I like Bob Moses' drumming much better than that of Ralf Hübner and the rich vibrato filler that Gary's vibraphone renders in place of Rainer Brüninghaus' piano. (14.5/15)

Total time: 37:10

I will commend band leader Burton for his composure and command: he leads with confidence and simplicity, needing no flare or panache to make his statements; he's just there, ubiquitous and detached to the competitive urges of his youthful collaborators. A great master and mentor. The fact of the compositional credits for three of the songs going to Gary's great friend and collaborator, conductor/composer Michael Gibbs helps explain the full-spectrum orchestra-like soundscapes achieved by the Quintet + one. (With six musicians contributing to every song but Bob Moses' solo drum tune, "Intrude," I'm not quite sure who exactly is in the "quintet.") 

89. 8333 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of exploratory Jazz-Rock Fusion that could've been better with a little more dynamic variety and enthusiasm on the front end. The cover of Eberhard's own composition, "The Colours of Spring," is, however, be worth the time and listen. 

STANLEY CLARKE Stanley Clarke (1974)

Bass guitar legend Stanley Clarke's debut foray as a band leader. The Ken Scott-produced and engineered album was recorded in 1974 at New York's Electric Lady Studios and released in December by Nemperor Records.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Stanley Clarke / acoustic & electric basses, piano (2), vocals, brass orchestration (1), Fx, arranger & producer
With:
- Bill Connors / acoustic & electric guitars
- Jan Hammer / acoustic & electric pianos, organ, Moog synthesizer
- Anthony ("Tony") Williams / drums
With:
- String Section of: Beverly Lauridsen, Carol Buck, Charles P. McCracken, David Nadien, Emanuel Green, Harold Kohon, Harry Cykman, Harry Lookofsky, Jesse Levy and Paul Gershman
- Peter Gordon, Daid Taylor, Jon Faddis, James Buffington, Lew Soloff and Garnett Brown / brass section
- Michael Gibbs / string & brass orchestration (5,6)
- Airto Moreira / percussion (6)

1. "Vulcan Princess" (4:00) great whole-band jazz-rock with horn section and a bit of the RTF feel in the rhythm section. How to find fault with this? Maybe it lacks a little in the melody side. And drummer "Anthony" (Tony) Williams doesn't get much chance to shine. (9.25/10)

2. "Yesterday Princess" (1:41) slowed down for Stanley's vocals. (4.75/5)

3. "Lopsy Lu" (7:03) another song which amply displays Stanley, Bill Connors, and Jan Hammer's skills but seems to severely restrain those of Tony Williams. The musicians all feel at such ease that at times it feels as if they're kind of just dialing in their performances--especially Jan By the time we get to the fifth minute it's feeling like a drawn out version of JEFF BECK's "Freeway Jam" (which, I know, came out later). Tony finally gets to show off a bit in the sixth minute but even there it feels dialed in. (13/15)

4. "Power" (7:20) okay, finally Tony Williams gets to show his stuff! A full minute of just him, tout seul! When the rest of the band joins in they settle into a fairly (and surprisingly) steady funk pattern of surprising simplicity. Its spaciousness allows plenty of room for Bill's rhythm guitar and Jan's soloing to be heard even if Stanley's four chord bass line is getting really old. Luckily, he begins to change things up--add riffs and plucks--while the electric guitar and Moog take turns playing around up front. Tony is steady but even he gets lots of room to embellish and fill while Stanley seems to hold down the fort--until the sixth minute, that is, when he starts to get antsy. Then there is a shift in motif at 5:30, this one shifting Stanley's gear up a notch or two as Bill and Jan (now on electric piano) trade solos. This section sounds much more like that which is to come in the next RTF albums. (13.25/15)

5. "Spanish Phases for Strings & Bass" (6:26) opening with two minutes of impressive acoustic bass play, Stanley stops and then Michael Gibbs' string section joins in for a bit to support Stanley, but then disappearing while Stanley goes back to exploratory improvisation on his now-electric bass. Another bridge at 4:15 of strings before Stanley unleashes a fury of chord strumming. I can see how this song might be very exciting and inspiring for other bass players--aspiring and otherwise. I only wish there had been more time committed to interplay/layering of the bass with/within the strings. (13.375/10)

6. "Life Suite" :
- "Part I" (1:51) time-keeping piano left hand with bowed double bass and full orchestra. (4.75/5)
- "Part II" (4:12) and now we're off to the races. Awesome orchestral support. And bass play. Becomes very Chick Corea-sounding as it goes on. About halfway through there is a switch in motifs as a gentle Latin foundation settles in with very engaging bass and rhythm guitar play over which Jan Hammer performs a very Chick-Corea-like Moog solo. Love the horn accents. (9.125/10)
- "Part III "(1:03) a return to swirling piano play with strings and bowed double bass carrying the main melody. (4.75/5)
- "Part IV" (6:41) gently repetitive rhythm track once again allows for space for other instruments to solo and for accents and flourishes for those instruments waiting in the wings (for their turns). Bill Connor's first solo builds and builds into what sounds so much like the solos that Al Di Meola will become so celebrated for--and he gets over three minutes to perform! At first warming into his space and spotlight, his solo becomes something for the ages. Now I think I finally understand why this guy is so revered! Even Tony Williams' drumming seems almost lame in support and comparison! Jan Hammer gets the final minute to solo but this has really been a Bill Connors display--and a very giving and selfless act of band leader Stanley Clarke to offer up. (9.75/10)

Total Time 40:31

This is Stanley's album but don't miss Bill Connors' work in the final movement of the "Life Suite."

90.59 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of Jazz-Rock Fusion.

BILLY COBHAM Total Eclipse (1974)

Recorded in New York City in the Summer of 1974 at Atlantic and Electric Lady studios, Total Eclipse was released by Atlantic Records in December of 1974. It was drummer extraordinaire's third solo album since leaving the Mahavishnu scene. Is this one even better than Spectrum or Crosswinds?

Line-up / Musicians:
- Billy Cobham / drums, percussion, timpani, piano (6,8), arranger & co-producer
With:
- John Abercrombie / guitars
- Cornell Dupree / guitar solo (5)
- Milcho Leviev / keyboards
- Michael Brecker / flute, soprano & tenor saxophones
- Randy Brecker / trumpet, flugelhorn
- Glen Ferris / tenor & bass trombones
- Alex Blake / electric bass
- David Earle Johnson / congas (1,5)
- Sue Evans / marimba (1)

1. "Solarization: Solarization/Second Phase/Crescent Sun/Voyage/Solarization-Recapitulation" (11:10) Wow! Billy's drumming! John Abercrobie's guitar solo (in "Solarization")! Milcho Leviev's piano playing (in "Second Phase")! The smooth pool-side jazz of "Crescent Sun"! The band's unity at the breakneck speeds of "Voyage" (as well as Randy Brecker's trumpet play). A great J-R Fuse epic. (19/20)

2. "Lunarputians" (2:33) great little funk ditty with Alex Blake's bass and the clavinet leading the way with the horns, guitar, and keys following in suit. Sounds Herbie/Billy Cosby-ish. (9.333/10)

3. "Total Eclipse" (5:59) building like a great soundtrack tune for a 1970s Black Exploitation film. The deep piano chord play with opposing flutes and rhythm guitar accent strums is awesome--as are the horn accents and soli--both banked and individual--especially Michael Brecker's brief soprano sax solo in the third minute. John Abercrombie's incendiary guitar solo near the end is on a par with anything Johnny Mac, Al Di, Bill Connors, or Larry Coryell were doing at this time. This is a film that I'd want to see if only for the way the soundtrack would get my blood pumping and my hips rockin'! (9.333/10)

4. "Bandits" (2:30)  a weird little cruisin' jam with flashy solos from Alex Blake and John Abercrombie. (4.375/5)

5. "Moon Germs" (4:54) great arrangement of tightly-orchestrated instruments over which Billy's drumming seems to not fit very well! Weird! The rest of the band feels so synched up, but Billy's sound and style is just not clicking with the rest. Cornell Dupree's rock-wah-wah-ed guitar solo is weird, but the horns are so tight, so awesome. (8.875/10)

6. "The Moon Ain't Made Of Green Cheese" (0:58) Billy on piano with Randy Brecker on flugelhorn. Nothing so very special--unless you've never heard Miles Davis or Louis Armstrong. (4.25/5)

7. "Sea Of Tranquility" (10:44) gentle piano arpeggi of odd chords are soon joined by timpani and gongs before drums and bass are slowly faded in at the end of the first minute. Piano continues as the first lead instrument with some synth to offset it. Horns and electric guitar jump in to also add accents and opposition while the bass and drums just cruise along. In the fourth minute Michael Brecker is given ample room to shine on his tenor sax while Milcho Leviev adds Fender Rhodes to his assortment of accompaniments. Billy's drumming accents pick up as we move along into the fifth minute. Then Milcho's wah-wah-ed Fender takes a turn in the lead while John Abercrombie's rhythm guitar starts to sound as if it is itching more and more for some lead time. Nice percussion work whoever is doing it! Billy's drumming here sounds more like that which Lenny White will become known for over the next couple of years. John's guitar finally gets his turn in the spotlight but only as an adversary to Milcho's Fender. Eventually, Milcho backs off and John soars in a Coryell way. Meanwhile that rhythm section remains so constant and fine tuned! I don't get the fadeout at 8:30, leaving a void that is filled by echoed Fender Rhodes flourishes and large gong/cymbal and timpani play--plus Alex Blake's bowed bass. Thenat 10:20 the band kicks back in with a recharged mission to finish the song with the full crew. I must say: that was an odd ending to an otherwise-amazing song. (18.5/20)

8. "Last Frontier" (5:22) Billy on a solo drum and percussion mission. Impressive? Yes. Necessary? Not really. (We all know how good you are, Billy.) "Gratuitous" one other appropriately labeled this piece. I know it's a drummer's album but I do kind of hate to see the star of the show tooting his own horn at the very end to the exclusion of all of his other collaborators. Kind of a slap in the face to the others, don't you think? But, it's his album, his prerogative. The quiet--wait for it! Wait for it--piano solo at the very end helps salvage a little face. (8.75/10)

Total Time: 44:10

This album feels much more accessible to me that Billy's more-acclaimed Spectrum. 

92.31 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a masterpiece of peak era Jazz-Rock Fusion. Essential to any prog lover's music collection.

CHET BAKER She Was Too Good to Me (1974)

Recorded July, October, November 1974 and released by CTI Records on December 16, 1974. An album of seven covers of "classic" songs does not bode well for its jazz creativity, more for its scale with the Smooth Jazz world.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Chet Baker / trumpet, vocals

- Ron Carter / bass
- Steve Gadd / drums (A1, A2, A3, A4, B1)

- Jack DeJohnette / drums (B2, B3, B4), 

- Bob James / electric piano
- Romeo Penque / clarinet

- George Marge / alto flute, oboe d'amare 

- Hubert Laws / flutes

- Paul Desmond / saxophone [alto]

- Dave Friedman / vibraphone

- Don Sebesky / strings arranger, conductor

A1. "Autumn Leaves" (7:05) a nice cover of this all-time classic/standard but there's something wrong with the muffled sound of Steve Gadd's toms and bass drum that are quite distracting. Nice work from the horn players and Bob James on the electric piano. (13.125/15)

A2. "She Was Too Good To Me" (4:39) Wow! I was not expecting Chet to have this good of a singing voice! Extraordinary! The music is a perfect accompaniment for this fine lounge/stage vocal performance of the Rogers & Hart classic. Chet's voice reminds me of Michael Bublé. And then we get his smooth trumpet to tuck us into bed. Night, night! (9.125/10)

A3. "Funk In Deep Freeze" (6:06) this cover of a Hank Mobley song is so nice, so smooth, but really so much more closely aligned to cool jazz. Still having that sound issue with Steve Gadd's skins. (8.75/10)

B1. "Tangerine" (5:29) a cover of a Johnny Mercer/Victor Schertzinger tune is a little more animated and spirited, but, alas! it's still more akin to another cool jazz cover than anything any Jazz-Rock Fusionist would take and make their own. (8.75/10)

B2. "With A Song In My Heart" (4:03) another cover of a Rogers & Hart tune over which Chet sings--this time sounding a bit more like Antonio Carlos Jobim because of his use of his upper registers of his voice. It swings but, again, there is little other than the use of some electrified instruments to move this anywhere near the Jazz-Rock Fusion movement. (8.75/10)

B3. "What'll I Do" (4:00) a cover of an Irving Berlin classic. This is beautiful! And, thanks to Bob James' rich Fender Rhodes performance and Don Sebesky's great strings arrangement, it does sound a little more like some of the more contemplative late night Jazz-Rock Fusion stuff that Freddie Hubbard and Eumir Deodato are doing. Chet's voice steps in quite unexpectedly around the mid-point of the song. He definitely has it--the "it" factor when it comes to that voice. My favorite song on the album. (9.25/10)

B4. "It's You Or No One" (4:28) Chet's plaintive "old soul" jazz voice with Bob James' rich Fender Rhodes as the only accompaniment for the first verse, then bass and gentle drums join in to complete a trio format behind the singer. A beautiful Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn tune that I feel hard pressed to imagine a better version. Chet's trumpet soloing in the second half is almost as refined, probably smoother, than his amazing voice. (9.5/10)

Total Time:

Don Sebeskey's strings arrangements are wonderful--right up there with anything by George Martin, Michael Gibbs, or Claus Ogerman.

89.6667 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; an interesting album for its incredible heights (the songs on which Chet sings) mixed with the fairly standard blend of Cool Jazz-moving-toward-Smooth Jazz. 

MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA Visions of the Emerald Beyond (released in February of 1975)

An album in which all of John McLaughlin's recent influences can be felt: Jimi Hendrix, Carlos Santana, Shakti/Indian music, the Classical Impressionists, even the raw Larry Coryell sound. Released by Columbia Records in February of 1975, it was recorded in December of 1974 at Electric Lady Studios under the guidance of co-production team of engineer Ken Scott and band leader John McLaughlin.

Line-up / Musicians:
- John McLaughlin / 6- & 12-string guitars, vocals
- Gayle Moran / keyboards, vocals
- Jean-Luc Ponty / violins (electric & baritone electric) (10 solo)
- Ralphe Armstrong / bass, double bass, vocals
- Michael Walden / drums, percussion, clavinet, vocals
With:
- Bob Knapp / flute, trumpet, flugelhorn, vocals
- Russell Tubbs / alto & soprano saxes
- Steven Kindler / 1st violin (5 solo)
- Carol Shive / 2nd violin, vocals
- Phillip Hirschi / cello

Other 1974 Releases

TIHOMIR POP ASANOVIC Majko Zemljo

Yugosloavian keyboardist formerly of the band, TIME, recorded this, Yugoslavia's first rock keyboard album, in 1974 in Zagreb for Jugoton Records. The album title means "Mother Earth."

Line-up / Musicians:
- Tihomir Pop Asanović ‎/ Hammond, Fender Rhodes & Hohner e-pianos, Moog, arrangements, conducting
With:
- Mario Mavrin / bass

- Dusan Veble / tenor saxophone
- Ozren Depolo / saxophones, alto & soprano (5) 

- Petar "Pero" Ugrin / trumpet (1-5)

- Stanko Arnold / trumpet (1,3-5)

- Boris Sinigoj / trombone (1,3-5)

- Dado Topić / vocals (1,2,5,7), bass (2,8)
- Janez Bončina / vocals (1,5), guitar (7)
- Ladislav Fidry / trumpet (2,4), flugelhorn (4)

- Dragi Jelić / guitar solo (2)

- Nada Zgur / vocals (4,7)
- Bozidar Lotrić / trombone (4)
- Marjan Stropnik / bass trombone (4)
- Joze Balazić / trumpet (4)
- Ratko Divjak / drums, percussion (4,5,7)
- Braco Doblekar / congas, percussion (4,5,7)

- Josipa Lisac / vocals (6)
- Doca Marolt / vocals (7)
- Peco Petej / drums (8)

1. "Majko Zemljo" (3:32) opening with some spacey synth noises, this one quickly falls into a brass rock sound similar to bands like Blood Sweat & Tears. I like the contrasting use of two alternating male vocalists. (8.875/10)

2. "Balada o liscu" (6:06) slow pop-jazz ballad with percussion and hi-pitched droning saw synth pervading the first three minutes beneath the vocalist. Then the horns enter and the tempo picks up, creating a more dynamic base, but then it all falls back into the slow pop motif for the fifth minute. Interesting and not bad--the singer is good (the sound engineering not as much). (8.875/10)

3. "Berlin I" (5:30) opens with some funky organ notes joined immediately by some smooth funk rhythm play from bass, drums, and percussion before being taken up a notch by banks of horn section accents and melody lines. The real player here, however, is Tihomir with his Brian Auger/Eumir Deodato-like funky organ play constantly exploring beneath the horns and horn soloists. This is such a great groove though laid-back in an "2001/Also Sprach Zarathustra" kind of way--at least until 3:40 when a very bluesy bridge signals Tihomir "Pop"'s turn for a solo. Very bluesy. Great two-handed work! Great cohesion from the rhythm section. (And no guitar!!) (9.25/10)

4. "Tema za pop LP" (3:39) Hohner clavinet with the rhythm section establish a very 70s funky base over which horns and female vocalists establish some hip-1960s surf- and bassa-nova-infused sounds and melodies. More great organ work beneath the horns which continues to remind me of the greats of the late 1960s like Auger, Rod Argent, Steve Winwood, and Jerry Corbetta (SUGARLOAF). Hip and cool but very dated. (9/10)

5. "Rokenrol dizajner" (2:56) more "early" R&B-modelled BS&T- and Chicago-inspired jazz-rock. Vocals enter in the second minute sounding not unlike Bill Withers. Some excellent bongo and trumpet play in the third minute before Pop plays his organ off of his clavinet in a very cool way. Banked horns and drums loosen up a little in that final 30 seconds and then poof! It's over! (9/10)

6. "Ostavi trag" (4:55) bass, sustained organ chords, and hand percussion support female vocalist Josipa Lisac's very passionate Lulu/Yvonne Ellemann-like vocal (presumably in Croatian). Electric piano and percussionists play off of each other in the instrumental passage occupying the third minute. Nice, smooth/chill soprano sax solo in the final minute. (8.875/10)

7. "Telepatija" (2:56) the choral vocal dominated attempt to recreate the Latin/Caribbean sounds of Sergio Mendes' Brazil '66 and Santana. Nicely coopted and performed--especially in the alternating group conversations between the women and men. (8.875/10)

8. "Berlin II" (4:41) Another song that feels a little mired in the surf- and burgeoning hippie culture of the mid- to late-1960s--yet, again, I can only compliment Pop for his excellent integration and acculturation of said sounds and styles: heard on an American radio station I have no doubt that nearly all listeners would be tricked into thinking/believing that this music had to be coming from an American or perhaps even English band. (8.75/10)

Total Time: 34:15

The musicianship, compositional quality, and vocal performances are all deserving of superlatives--even in spite of the fact that Pop Asanovic is trying so hard (and accomplishing so well) the emulation of so many jazz-rock and jazz-pop musical styles that became popular in America during the 1960s. 

89.375 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of very solid and enjoyable jazz-rock and Latin-rock infused music. Definitely recommended to all my fellow jazz-rock/fusion lovers.

DEODATO Whirlwinds (1974)

Recorded at the Power Plant in New York City and released by MCA records.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Eumir Deodato / keyboards, percussion
- Billy Cobham / drums
- John Tropea / guitar
- Rubens Bassini / percussion, congas, bongos
- John Eckert / trumpet
- Marvin Stamm / trumpet
- John Giulino / bass
- Jon Faddis / trumpet
- Urbie Green / trombone
- Tony Levin / bass
- Larry Spencer / trumpet
- Nick Remo / drums
- Gilmore Digap / percussion
- Marv Stamm / trumpet
- Alan Rubin - trumpet
- Tony Price - tuba

- Romeo Penque - sax, flute

A1. "Moonlight Serenade" (8:27) a funked up cover of the great Glenn Miller classic is highlighted by great strings and rhythm section but suffers from "2001: Also Sounds Like Sprach Zarathustra-itis" in the rhythm guitar and lead guitar departments as well as big time in Eumir's own Fender Rhodes play--the solo even sounding almost note-for-note like the one in his previous year's massive international hit. Billy Cobham and the two bassists (John Giulino and Tony Levin) are marvellous--and John Tropea's guitar solo even better (more polished) than the one on "2001"--and the orchestral inputs are Johnny Carson-like, but my overall impression is that the world would have been better without this version. (17.5/20)

A2. "Ave Maria" (5:18) a very slow and syrupy "elevator music" rendition of Franz Schubert's classic song that is, unfortunately, yet another rendition that I think the world would have been much better without. I find absolutely nothing redeeming about this version save for its contribution to the fillers necessary to give elevators and dentist offices their calming ambiance. (8.5/10)

A3. "Do It Again" (4:09) a great choice for a funk-jazz cover but Eumir makes the disappointing choice of arranging such poor horn bank and rhythm guitar parts. The drumming, bass, flutes, and clavinet parts are awesome, but those horns and rhythm guitar sounds are awful. John Tropea gets the first shot at a solo and, thankfully, he follows Denny Dias's masterful electric sitar solo fairly-closely with his muted jazz guitar. Maybe the song just needs a vocalist. (8.875/10)

B1. "West 42nd Street" (5:50) with Side Two we get into the original compositions (my favorite parts of the album), and it starts out with this excellent Marvin Gaye What's Going On-inspired funk tune--a tune that could hypnotize an Asian into thinking s/he is Black with its infectious groove. Great contributions by bass, congas and percussionist, horns and orchestra, Fender Rhodes, and, especially, John Tropea's distorted guitar. I get chills and tears every time I hear this! (10/10)

B2. "Havana Strut" (4:41) a variation on a style that Eumir had perfected with his monster hit, "Super Strut" from 1972's Deodato 2, here it is blended into a with some great performances from the bass player, Eumir's Fender Rhodes, Rubens Bassini's percussion, and Sam Burtis' awesome trombone. A song that starts out somewhat-suspiciously turns into a totally winning groove. (9.5/10) 

B3. "Whirlwinds" (8:09) a solid slightly-Latinized Motown funk motif that features some fun Billy-Preston-like weird synth sounds in the lead as well as some solid fuzz-guitar soloing from John Tropea in the second half, but somehow fails to create any kind of melody for the listener to connect with. In the end it just sounds like a well-played alternate take to the jammin' mid-section of "Also Sprach Zarathustra." Been there! Done that! Too bad: such an incredible band! (13.25/15)

Total time: 36:34

90.1667 on the Fishscales = A-/4.5 stars; an album of supremely talented, well-groomed musicians performing some great funk arrangements of songs whose director/bandleader has created using a formula for success that is now starting to over-stay its welcome. That two masterful songs can elevate an album of inconsistent mostly-milk toast to near masterpiece status is just wrong but, those two songs are rather great! 

POP WORKSHOP Song of the Pterydactyl (1974)

This international conglomerate of global expats are back to record their second and final album--recorded and prodoced in Sweden at the Europa Film Studio--covering producer Wlodek Gulgowski and saxophonist Zbigniew Namyslowksi compositions (four each) only, this time, instead of imitating Tony Williams, they got Tony Williams--the real Tony Williams--to play on their album! 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Zbigniew Namyslowski / alto saxophone [electrified], flute, cello
- Mads Vinding (Burnin' Red Ivanhoe, Secret Oyster) / electric bass [Fender]
- Tony Williams (Anthony Williams) / drums
- Wlodek Gulgowski / electric piano [Fender Rhodes], synth [Synthi], other keyboards
- Janne Schaffer / electric guitar

1. "Prehistoric Bird" (5:20) a Wlodek Gulgowski composition (which was also used on the next project Wlodek participated in, MICHAL URBANIAK's Fusion III). It's a great composition rendered here pretty well but the version on Michal's album is better (thanks in no small way to the vocal inputs of the one and only Urszula Dudziak). (9/10)

 
2. "Song of the Pterodactyl" (6:52) a Zbigniew Namyslowksi composition that has some nice/interesting chord and melodic progressions within/over which some odd synth, strings (guitar and electrified cello?), and get to insert their personal interpretations befitting the song's title (and theme). I very much like Tony's driving play in the third minute but then he feels as if he goes off topic--loses his interest or concentration--in the fourth and has trouble staying engaged thereafter (lending credibility to my theory that his drum parts were added later--played and recorded as he reacted in real time to the music on all of the other pre-recorded tracks). That's definitely an electrified cello (sounding like a Chinese erhu or the Japanese shamishen) in the seventh and eighth minutes. A weird song in which new, funk- and synth-developed sounds are attempted to be channeled as animal sounds. (13.125/15)

3. "High Priest" (5:39) a Wlodek Gulgowski composition that is very dynamic, very demanding, very impressive, and exceedingly-well performed. (9.3333/10)

4. "Dillema" (6:59) a Zbigniew Namyslowksi composition that contains a great bass performance from Mads Winding to go along with some amazing support from Wlodek's Fender Rhodes electric piano beneath . There's a smoothness to this one that predicts the Smooth Jazz and Yacht Rock stuff about to start coming out in the second half of the 70s. But, here it works fine. A few interesting (odd) sound engineering choices within the song (which, for me, indicate a rushed production process) but otherwise it's a pretty good song. (13.25/15) 

5. "Watussi Dance" (4:46) a Wlodek Gulgowski composition opens with some unusually-effected clavinet and wah-wah rhythm guitar before funky bass and drums punctuates the rhtyhms from below. Zbigniew's heavily-effected sax takes the initial lead, giving the groove a little HEADHUNTERS/RUFUS/BILL COSBY sound and feel. A very pleasant and, yes, danceable modern funk tune. (9.125/10)

 
6. "Mammoth" (5:31) a Wlodek Gulgowski composition with a dreamy, gentle feel for the flute lead that sounds like it's derived or inspired by classical pieces. The soaring, flitting background flute "birds" are a neat effect, but then a shuffle at the end of the second minute ushers in a plodding low-end melodic theme that is obviously supposed to represent some behemothic creature (the mammoth). Janne Schaffer uses the entrance and demonic presence of this theme to start shredding on his guitar sounding as if a hunter/predator bird was trying to terrorize the lumbering quadruped. (This kind of reminds me of what Blue Öyster Cult was trying to do with "Godzilla" and Bondage Fruit with "T-Rex.") Janne is sure having fun tearing up the atmosphere around the poor pachyderm. (I just wish I liked his shredding style. It's kind of like Larry Coryell in that some of his sound and style choices for his guitar soloing are just too abrasive for me.) (8.875/10) 

7. "Ozzy Bear" (5:49) a Zbigniew Namyslowksi composition that is rare for the lack of Zbigniew's sax (which shows absolutely no sign until 1:50). I guess it's his flute that presents the first melodies in tandem with Janne's guitar. Great engineering mix of the bass, Fender Rhodes and drum lines. (Here, for the first time, Tony's drums feels like he's actually with the band, not just punched in later.) Nice Fender Rhodes solo follows Zbigniew's solo then we return to the flute-and-guitar led motif that opened the song for the final minute. (8.875/10) 

8. "Kuyaviak Goes Funky" (7:15) a Zbigniew Namyslowksi composition that was also covered for Wlodek Gulgowksi's next project, MICHAL URBANIAK's Fusion III. Heavily-muted and -effected sax and guitar precede some spacious keyboard and synth solo efforts. The sound palette throughout this song is just weird: everybody's instrument is being run through some kind of weird funk-(farm animal)-oriented/imitative series of effects and treatments and the song's (minimal and loose) repetitive and rather tedious foundation just serves to support the solos of the odd animals over the top. No thanks, not for me! (13/15)

Total Time: 49:11

Thank goodness for the fact of Janne Schaffer outgrowing his obsession with that awful heavy-distortion sound he used on the band's previous album. I do, however, fell as if the engineering and production are not quite as "spherically" perfect as it was on the previous year's release, Vol 1. For the most part Tony's drums feel distant, separate, as if he was recorded while playing along with the rest of the band's previously-recorded tracks (perhaps he was, in fact, recruited to replace a predecessor whose previously-recorded performance[s] was deemed less-than-satisfactory). At the same time, his extraordinary talents seem rather wasted (underutilized) on this album. Still, this is peak era Jazz-Rock Fusion of a very high quality, if a little more rag-tagged, rushed, or unpolished feeling.

89.04 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent if quirky collection of songs that attempt to use onomatopoeic sounds to create anthropomorphic sounds as if they're representing the animal world. 

PUPPENHAUS Jazz Macht Spazz 

Recorded in 1973 at SWF Studio in Baden-Baden, Germany, the material was not released as an album until 2009 (with 25 minutes of live material from 1974 tacked on).

Line-up / Musicians:
- Frank Fischer / bass
- Bea Maier / drums
- Büdi Siebert / flute, saxophone
- Herbert Binder / guitar
- Thomas Rabenschlag / keyboards

1. "Anfang" (10:41) whoever thought this aggressive FOCUS-like music was Jazz-Rock Fusion? I guess the people who listen past the introduction! But those alternating motifs are definitely far more rock/prog rock than J-R F. Then the third motif, in the third minute, feels way more rooted in 1960s blues rock despite its jazzy sax and flute contributions and Frank Fischer's impressively fluid bass play. The new alternating aggressive motif seems to come straight out of KING CRIMSON's playbook. Then there is an impressive drum display with only Frank's three note machine gun bass play to support Bea Maier's nuanced drum play before guitarist Herbert Binder joins in with some long-held notes screaming and bending their way into the front line. Interesting how close Herb's guitar sound imitates a Canterbury organ. In the ninth minute there is a return to the FOCUS-like aggression before a sudden electric piano chord arpeggiates us into a dreamy passage over which Büdi Siebert lulls us into his spell with his beautiful flute play. The final 35 seconds sees a return to the aggressive rock chord play of the opening. Pretty great song! (17.875/20)

2. "Jazz Macht Spazz" (7:54) a nice mid-tempo song that cruises along while Büdi cajoles us with his soprano saxophone. Around the three minute mark the band switches into closed top, windows up mode while negotiating a slightly rougher part of town through Thomas Rabenschlag's electric piano. Then the rhythm section drops out for the sixth minute as Büdi picks up his ethereal flute with Thomas' vibrating electric piano chords supporting beneath. The band returns to a slightly-slowed down variation of the opening motif for the final two minutes--which enables both Bea Maier and Büdi to ejaculate their solo flourishes between and over e. piano and rock guitar power chords. (13.25/15)

3. "Swingende Elefantenkompanie" (10:47) starting out slowly--like an orchestra tuning--but then the rhythm section comes bursting forth with a blistering pace over which Herbert rock guitar shreds followed by Büdi's tenor sax. Yes, there are jazz elements to this music, but so much more belong to the domains of either rock or prog rock. The performances are impressive, yes, but nothing here really grabs me enough to want me to come back--this despite the music's similarities to that of Canadian band LIGHTHOUSE. Then, almost exactly at the four-minute mark, quite suddenly and unexpectedly (as if the start of an entirely new and different song), the music stops with the band immediately returning with a very smooth WILL BOULWARE-like "Feel Like Makin' Love"-like song, sound, and style: dominated by Thomas Rabenshlag's gentle electric piano play and Büdi Siebert's winsome flute. Then, around the seven-minute mark the rhythm section takes a few measures to ramp back up into a kind of frenzied-Disco hysteria which crash-ends after about a minute, leaving a New Orleans-style military marching motif in its wake. this motif slowly begins to unravel, soon becoming full-on chaos, before then shifting into a high speed though delicate motif in which horns and guitar play accents on Thomas' dirty electric piano frenzy, off and on, over and over, during the course of the next minute with drummer Bea Maier pounding away with great vim and fervor underneath until the sudden end. Whew! What a weird ride that was! I'm not sure how to rate it though I have to give them credit for being unique in their vision of that which can constitute a jazz-and-rock fusion. (17.5/20)

4. "Let The Pig Out" (5:58) opening with 90 seconds of breathy, voicy flute play which culminates in some of Büdi's human-made pig noises supplanting his flute. Then the band kicks in with a five chord KING CRIMSON progression that turns frenetic in an almost avant-garde, but more comic way. This is a motif that displays some very skilled and disciplined team work as well as creative adaptation of the heavier KCrimsonian sound (reminding me of the humorous aspect of 21st Century's SEVEN IMPALE). I'm rating this up for its skill level and humor, not for its effectiveness at making me want more. (9/10)

5. "Improvisationen" (17:04) Though the music here is rather straightforward cruisin' speed jazz-rock fusion--with extended solo time for Büdi Siebert's tenor sax and, later, Thomas' Herbie Hancock-like treated electric piano--there is some rather extraordinary bass guitar playing here from Frank Fischer (the part I enjoy the most). Büdi picks up his flute for an extended solo in the mid-section--expanding upon the woodwind's sound with his own voice (though never as amazingly as Thijs van Leer). Frank gets a turn to display his bass creativity in the beginning of the song's final third, then Herbert Binder finally gets some front time (though rather hidden and often muted) before Thomas and Bea move the song more into the comedic/novelty range with some Disney/Mother Goose- and nationalistic/military-like themes flourished for their audience (and, I suppose, for themselves). (31/35)

Total Time 42:24

88.625 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a fun and skilled expression of jazz-rock fusion creative interpretation. Recommended for the experience of seeing once more one of the many ways the new idiom can be envisioned. 

EGBERTO GISMONTI Academia de Danças (1974)

This is a grandiose production that I've found mentioned several times on reviewers' lists of their favorite Jazz-Rock Fusion albums. It was recorded in 1974 at EMI-Odeon Studio, Rio de Janeiro.

Line-up/Musicians:

- Egberto Gismonti / piano, piano eléctrico, sintetizador, órgano, guitarra acústica, flauta, voces

- Danilo Caymmi / hijo de Dorival Caymmi: flauta bajo (bass flute)
- Paulo Guimarães / flauta (flute)
- Tenorio Junior / piano eléctrico, órgano (electric piano, organ)
- Luiz Alves / bajo (bass)
- Roberto Silva / batería (drums)
- Dulce Bressane / voces (vocals)

- Orquesta de cuerdas dirigida por Mario Tavares

Sice One: "Corações Futuristas" - one continuous symphonic piece. A totally unexpected journey of power and virtuosity. (42.5/45)
A1. "Palácio De Pinturas" (4:37) grandiose and bombastic, this is every bit as proggy as it is fusioni. Mario Tavares' orchestral arrangements are a huge part of the finished music while the keyboards, guitars, bass, and drums often feel engulfed and insignificant by comparison to them. (9.5/10)

A2. "Jardim De Prazeres" (4:53) The musicianship and compositionship are top, top notch while the psychedelic vocals remind me a lot of something The Doors, The Who, The Eloy, Popol Vuh, or Hawkwind might have done. The bass thrums are so deep and volcanic! (10/10)
A3. "Celebração De Núpcias" (4:22) moving out of the deep crust of the planet, the strings component of the orchestra and guitars take us into some serene Eden-like place--thanks also to the dulcet vocalese of Dulce Bressane. Again, the compositional genius and musicianship are really shocking--really difficult for me to get my head around. In the third minute the music "toughens up" a bit, allowing for a greater display of guitar playing virtuosity. (9.5/10)
A4. "A Porta Encantada" (2:24) Egberto and his guitar lead the band into a dangerous forest of orchestral trees and jungle. The jazzier (though still classical) side of this composition. (9/10)
A5. "Scheherazade" (2:01) moving now into more of a Rock/Jazz-Rock realm for a theatric bullfight-type of scenario. Not the finish to this extraordinary suite that I was expecting. (4.5/5)

Side Two: "Academia De Danças"
B1. "Bodas De Prata" (4:50) wonderful treated "underwater" solo piano play introduces and supports a vocal performance that is powerful and beautiful but not nearly so as the piano play. Organ and bass make minimal contributions but it's really just reverberated voice and piano. (9.333/10)
B2. "Quatro Cantos" (4:31) part two of the two-part suite. The piano levels out in the lower regions of the keyboard, smoothing out, while the vocal turns more intimate, more personal--it becomes the central/most impressive part of the song. Flutes, organ, and other incidental percussives and synthesizer noises make occasional contributions--as if incidental noises coming from a jungle outside the recording studio. (9.375/10)

B3. "Vila Rica 1720" (1:59) orchestra and electric instruments combined forcefully, magically, powerfully. (4.75/5)
B4. "Continuidade Dos Parques" (2:59) moving into something gentler and more vocal-supportive than the first part. Egberto here sings with his gentle voice without using any words; in fact, it feels as if the instruments are doing more of the talking than his voice. Again, this could be Jazz (as Jan Akkerman and John McLaughlin are, we know, capable of beautiful jazz) but it could also be progressive rock or just great Brasilian Prog Folk music. (9.333/10)

B5. "Conforme A Altura Do Sol" (2:50) a dynamic piece that sounds as if it could come from Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Area, Camel, or any number of classical and jazz-oriented prog bands from the 20th Century (or beyond). (9.125/10)
B6. "Conforme A Altura Da Lua" (1:50) part two sees the final notes of the previous part crumble into something more cinematic with bass flute, big VANGELIS-like synthesizer groans, electric piano flailings and a bunch of "controlled cacophony" thrown at us from a full orchestra. Now that's an ending! (4.75/5)

Total Time: 37:40

I don't know if I'd consider this Jazz-Rock Fusion so much as an incredible contribution to progressive rock music--the symphonic and crossover sides. Whatever its category, this is without a doubt a masterpiece of music--both from a compositional perspective as well as from a performative aspect. Music does not get much better than this! Ever! 

93.86 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; an utterly remarkable masterpiece of progressive rock music--Brasilian symphonic prog with large doses of Jazz and Classical music thrown into the mix. Incredible music that simply must be heard!