Approaching the end of the decade means we are approaching the end of the "Classic Era" of Jazz-Rock Fusion. From here out the musics coming out of the more adventurous Jazz-trained musicians will be sublimated into one of three emerging, more-commercially-viable trends in music: Jazz-Funk, Smooth Jazz, or World Music--or a combination of the three. Electronic technologies have changed music forever. Even the musicians choosing to go back to their roots--back to "acoustic" jazz and its more traditional structures--will not be able to eschew or avoid the sound benefits that modern engineering technologies have brought to both the recording studios as well as the live concert scene.
January
MIROSLAV VITOUS Guardian Angels
A collaboration of all-stars Miroslav Vitous, Kenny Kirkland, and John Scofiled, the material for the album was recorded and mixed in Tokyo during November of 1978, this album could have been an attempt at the formation of a band with no particular leader (as the album cover's title only could be construed as indicating) or it could, as pretty much everyone in the world of discographic data collection has assumed, be considered a Miroslav Vitous album and project. My powers of deduction lead me to fall into this latter category--especially as the song that the album is titled after seems to be a one-man multi-track creation. Guardian Angels was released by Japan's Trio Records in the beginning of 1979.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Miroslav Vitous / bass, electric bass, Mini-Moog, Solina string-ensemble
- Kenny Kirkland / piano, Fender Rhodes, Yamaha CP-70 (electric grand), Yamaha CS-50 (polyphonic synthesizer), Mini-Moog
- John Scofield / guitar
- George Ohtsuka / drums (Yamaha)
With:
- Mabumi Yamaguchi / soprano saxophone (1, 2)
1. "His Meaning / Rising / Resoulution" (8:30) the album's opening song is credited to Miroslav Vitous. It has the sound palette typical of a majority of the bands from Jazz-Rock Fusion's Third and Fourth Waves--with, surprise, a lot of Weather Report influence--but it never veers into the realm of Smooth Jazz, remains jazzy and experimental from the opening minute's chord progressions through Miroslav's extended bass solo which dominates the third, fourth, and fifth minutes. Then there is a slow down in which saxophonist Mabumi Yamaguchi and guitarist John Scofield recapitulate the song's prevailing melody lines over Kenny Kirkland's lovely keyboard chord play. Mabumi and Kenny both solo during this pretty, extended WEA|THER REPORT-like section before coming back together for the finish. Nice song. (18.125/20)
2. "Inner Peace" (6:01) a pensive, slowed down affair attributed to Kenny Kirkland--whose meandering piano play fills the bottom while Mabumi and, later, Miroslav fill in the beautiful melody lines over the top. At the end of the third minute the bass becomes the accompanist while Kenny's piano is moved to the front. At the end of the fourth minute Mabumi returns to the front, Kenny to the middle ground, with Miroslav's double bass and bowed electric bass moving forward (though this latter, I suppose, could be the sound of experimental guitarist John Scofield's guitar). Nice trio work. (8.875/10)
3. "Guardian Angels" (5:45) Miroslav Vitous' only other accredited composition reveals bowed double bass with Mini-Moog accompaniment and, later, accents only. Strings chords also appear from time to time. Seeing that these three instruments are all among those attributed to Miroslav, this song could very well be the single creation of one person--which would then lend credence to the likelihood that this is a Miroslav Vitous project and album, not the product of a new supergroup. Unfortunately, the possibility that this is might be a one-man creation overrides any memory of its melodies or forms. (8.875/10)
4. "Off To Buffalo" (5:07) a John Scofield composition, this guitar-centric song is almost purely a somewhat-jazzy blues-rock vamp set up for guitar and Kenny Kirkland (or Miroslav's?)'s Mini-Moog play. This vampy blues-rock is just not the kind of music I like: it always feels like a cop out from having to compose anything serious or sophisticated--like the artist, composer, or band is just hoping to create enough solo magic to fill space. (8.75/10)
5. "Eating It Raw" (7:51) John Scofield's second composition feels a bit more thoughtful--presenting a kind of intelligent syncopation that is similar to that used by STEELY DAN during the 1970s. Though it plays out as another vehicle to show off John's guitar skill and ideas, it has quite a nice mix of interesting performances from all of the other band members playing beneath John. Also, the song has several interesting turns à la the Dan's international hit from the year before, "Peg." Sad that there is no saxophone on this one! (13.75/15)
6. "Shinkansen" (6:09) the second composition attributed to Kenny Kirkland turns out to be something that Pat Metheny must have found highly inspirational as it sounds like so much of his energetic Latinized songs of the next ten years. A solo percussion start gives little away as to the breakneck pace and intricate jazz weave to come over the five minutes that come after. Great solos from John's Metheny-esque guitar, Kenny's electric piano and Mini-Moog as well as Miroslav's dynamic machine gun-electric bass play. Again, where is the saxophone? Definitely my favorite song on the album. (9.333/10)
- Mabumi Yamaguchi / soprano saxophone (1, 2)
1. "His Meaning / Rising / Resoulution" (8:30) the album's opening song is credited to Miroslav Vitous. It has the sound palette typical of a majority of the bands from Jazz-Rock Fusion's Third and Fourth Waves--with, surprise, a lot of Weather Report influence--but it never veers into the realm of Smooth Jazz, remains jazzy and experimental from the opening minute's chord progressions through Miroslav's extended bass solo which dominates the third, fourth, and fifth minutes. Then there is a slow down in which saxophonist Mabumi Yamaguchi and guitarist John Scofield recapitulate the song's prevailing melody lines over Kenny Kirkland's lovely keyboard chord play. Mabumi and Kenny both solo during this pretty, extended WEA|THER REPORT-like section before coming back together for the finish. Nice song. (18.125/20)
2. "Inner Peace" (6:01) a pensive, slowed down affair attributed to Kenny Kirkland--whose meandering piano play fills the bottom while Mabumi and, later, Miroslav fill in the beautiful melody lines over the top. At the end of the third minute the bass becomes the accompanist while Kenny's piano is moved to the front. At the end of the fourth minute Mabumi returns to the front, Kenny to the middle ground, with Miroslav's double bass and bowed electric bass moving forward (though this latter, I suppose, could be the sound of experimental guitarist John Scofield's guitar). Nice trio work. (8.875/10)
3. "Guardian Angels" (5:45) Miroslav Vitous' only other accredited composition reveals bowed double bass with Mini-Moog accompaniment and, later, accents only. Strings chords also appear from time to time. Seeing that these three instruments are all among those attributed to Miroslav, this song could very well be the single creation of one person--which would then lend credence to the likelihood that this is a Miroslav Vitous project and album, not the product of a new supergroup. Unfortunately, the possibility that this is might be a one-man creation overrides any memory of its melodies or forms. (8.875/10)
4. "Off To Buffalo" (5:07) a John Scofield composition, this guitar-centric song is almost purely a somewhat-jazzy blues-rock vamp set up for guitar and Kenny Kirkland (or Miroslav's?)'s Mini-Moog play. This vampy blues-rock is just not the kind of music I like: it always feels like a cop out from having to compose anything serious or sophisticated--like the artist, composer, or band is just hoping to create enough solo magic to fill space. (8.75/10)
5. "Eating It Raw" (7:51) John Scofield's second composition feels a bit more thoughtful--presenting a kind of intelligent syncopation that is similar to that used by STEELY DAN during the 1970s. Though it plays out as another vehicle to show off John's guitar skill and ideas, it has quite a nice mix of interesting performances from all of the other band members playing beneath John. Also, the song has several interesting turns à la the Dan's international hit from the year before, "Peg." Sad that there is no saxophone on this one! (13.75/15)
6. "Shinkansen" (6:09) the second composition attributed to Kenny Kirkland turns out to be something that Pat Metheny must have found highly inspirational as it sounds like so much of his energetic Latinized songs of the next ten years. A solo percussion start gives little away as to the breakneck pace and intricate jazz weave to come over the five minutes that come after. Great solos from John's Metheny-esque guitar, Kenny's electric piano and Mini-Moog as well as Miroslav's dynamic machine gun-electric bass play. Again, where is the saxophone? Definitely my favorite song on the album. (9.333/10)
Total time: 39:23
The performances of all musicians involved in this project are quite impressive and the songs quite above average though I would single out special acclamations to Miroslav and surprise drummer George Ohtsuka with guitarist John Scofield and keyboardist Kenny Kirkland and saxophonist Mabumi Yamaguchi, when present, also performing at very high levels.
90.278 on the Fishscales = A-/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of impressive Third Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion from some great Jazz-Rock Fusion artists.
FRANK ZAPPA Sleep Dirt
Line-up / Musicians:
- Frank Zappa / electric & acoustic (6) guitars, keyboards (1), synth (7), percussion (4)
Vinyl & 2012 Universal CD editions
- George Duke / keyboards (2-5)
- Bruce Fowler / brass (4)
- Dave Parlato / bass (1)
- James "Bird Legs" Youman / bass (4), acoustic guitar (6)
- Patrick O'Hearn / bass (7), double bass (2, 3)
- Terry Bozzio / drums (1, 7)
- Chester Thompson / drums (2-5)
- Ruth Underwood / percussion (2-5)
1. "Filthy Habits" (7:33) opening with a very interesting sound palette: one instrument that sounds like a Middle Eastern nose flute (probably one of Frank's new effects finds for his guitar), it retains the slight Arabian flavor even when the palette congeals behind Frank's lead guitar with bass, Terry Bozzio's drums and some unmistakeable keyboard sounds that are mysteriously uncredited. A very cool, almost Crimsonian, though it reminds me more of the Chicago-based Zeuhl band GA'AN with the addition of an adventurous guitarist playing over the top. I have to admit: not being much of a fan of Frank Zappa music I was not expecting such a cool song! Maybe what the others have been saying: that he got better more serious, more focused on his guitar playing, as his career progressed, is true! (14.25/15)
2. "Flambay" (4:54) George Duke's barrel hall-styled piano opens this one before Patrick O'Hearn's double bass, Ruth Underwood's Gallic xylophone, and Chester Thompson's lounge-style Jazz drumming fill the sonosphere with a bombastic music that feels as if it would/could have accompanied the public screening of a German silent movie back in the 1920s. It seems so serious that it must be meant to be taken as over-the-top tongue-in-cheek fun. (9.125/10)
3. "Spider of Destiny" (2:33) using the same line-up and instruments as the previous song, this is another theme, style, and palette from an era gone by: this one kind of in the vein of a soundtrack piece for a Sergio Leone film. It starts out quite formal and processional with lots of stops and gos before Frank's fuzz guitar takes over the leadership role. But, in the end, it's just an étude, filler for contractual obligations. (4.5/5)
4. "Regyptian Strut" (4:13) more excessive bombast that was probably inspired by an iconic older film like The Ten Commandments where Yule Brynner plays the Egyptian Pharoah. It's good but, again, feels so over-the-top "formal" that it must be meant as a tongue-in-cheek slap back to Warner Bros. (8.875/10)
5. "Time Is Money" (2:48) lesson learned. A song that sounds very German, very authoritarian--and very concise. (Another étude.) (4.5/5)
6. "Sleep Dirt" (3:21) a bluesy acoustic guitar duet between Frank and James "Bird Legs" Youman. De rigueur for the times (but totally unncecessary). (8.75/10)
7. "The Ocean Is the Ultimate Solution" (13:18) a Jazz-Rock jam between Frank's guitars (effected acoustic for the first half and electric), Terry Bozzio's drums, and Patrick O'Hearn's electric bass. It's a little scattered, often feeling directionless (or, in actual fact, pointless). The highway-speed section launching at 5:20 has obviously been edited in as we suddenly find Patrick playing a double bass with quite a little aggression as Terry tries to keep up and Frank fades into support and background with his acoustic guitar. In the eighth minute Frank pops up with an electric guitar whose tone sounds quite a bit like Robert Fripp's at this time. Terry's drums are little flat and rudimentary for the seventh and eighth minutes but come to life a bit after that as Frank and Patrick continue to fly around the necks of their respective axes. It's by no means my favorite Frank Zappa song but it is interesting to hear Frank give himself to such a free-form improvisation-laden jam. If you had to twist my arm for an opinion, I'd say that Patrick O'Hearn's performance here (on both acoustic and electric basses) is the most impressive of the three as neither Frank or Terry feel particularly inspired or connected: more rote and mechanical. (26.5/30)
Total Time: 38:39
90.0 on the Fishscales = A-/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of contract-completing musical farce and free-form jamming; it was probably performed, recorded, mastered, and mixed all in one day.
February
MICHAEL FRANKS Tiger in the Rain
Recorded and mixed at A&R Studios, New York City and then released by Warner Bros. Records on February 9, 1979.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Michael Franks / vocals, guitar, banjo, mandolin
- David Sanborn / alto, horns
- Joe Caro / acoustic guitar, electric guitar
- Bucky Pizzarelli / acoustic guitar, electric guitar
- Charles Libove / violin, strings
- Harry Lookofsky / violin);
- Harold Coletta (viola, strings
- Abdul Wadud / cello
Lewis Eley, Anthony Posk, Harry Urbont, Guy Lumia, Joseph Malin, Jesse Levy, Richard Maximoff, Charles McCracken , Alan Shulman, Richard Sortomme, Emanuel Vardi — strings
- George Young / flute, tenor saxophone, horns
- David Liebman / flute
- Howard Leshaw / flute
- Dominic Cortese / concertina, percussion
- Seldon Powell / soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone
- Lew Soloff / piccolo trumpet
Claudio Roditi, Lew Del Gatto, Lou Marini, Randy Brecker, Tom "Bones" Malone, John Clark — horns
- Kenny Barron / piano
- Bob Leinbach / organ
- Paul Griffin / organ
- Mike Mainieri / vibraphone, background vocals
- Ron Carter / acoustic bass
- Rick Marotta / drums
- Ben Riley / drums
- Buddy Williams / drums
- Crusher Bennett / congas
- Rubens Bassini / percussion
- John Simon — percussion
- Flora Purim, Maretha Stewart, Hilda Harris — background vocals
A1. "Sanpaku" (4:10) almost catchy save for the annoying repetition of the imaginary place. (8.75/10)
A2. "When It's Over" (3:03) (8.75/10)
A3. "Living On The Inside" (5:36) (8.667/10)
A4. "Hideaway" (4:09) (8.667/10)
A5. "Jardin Botanico" (3:32) the best song on the album due to its light, upbeat, devil-may-care bossa nova feel. (9.333/10)
B1. "Underneath The Apple Tree" (5:52) some clever lyrical word-play makes this one at least interesting and entertaining (in a Cole Porter or Ira Gershwin kind of way). I like the easy-going interplay between Kenny Barron's piano and the horn section. (8.875/10)
B2. "Tiger In The Rain" (4:17) another cleverly-worded construct rendered as total ear candy; a song for romance and seduction. The strings arrangements are especially magical. (9.5/10)
B3. "Satisfaction Guaranteed" (3:39) horns and organ are fine but then there's David Sanborn in the lead sax. The song is just not as alluring (or nostalgic) as the other good ones. (8.875/10)
B4. "Lifeline" (6:10) bluesy piano opening sounds just like BILLY JOEL. Or Kenny Loggins. Michael's voice is much softer--even gets kind of lost until he ramps it up a bit. More like Stephen Bishop. (8.667/10)
Total Time: 40:53
I guess what is most impressive about the album's music is the fact that Michael is the sole composer of all of it. There are many nice contributions from the star-studded cast of collaborators; especially effective are Kenny Barron and the horn and strings arrangements.
88.98 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; two great songs does not quite elevate the whole into excellence but I'll give Michael his due: he is talented--and a clever poet.
IAN CARR'S NUCLEUS Out of the Long Dark
The studio album return of Ian's long-time collaborator, saxophonist Brian Smith. Also, gone from the fold is wonderful bass player Roger Sutton, but watch out: here comes the funky fretless play of New Zealander Billy Kristian. The album was released by Capital Records on February 12, 1979.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Ian Carr / trumpet, amplified trumpet, flugelhorn, RMI electric piano, co-producer
- Brian Smith / tenor & soprano saxes, flute, alto flute, percussion
- Geoff Castle / Fender Rhodes & Yamaha electric pianos, synthesizers
- Billy Kristian / bass guitar
- Roger Sellers / drums, percussion
With:
- Neil Ardley / ARP & Odyssey synthesizers
- Richard Burgess / percussion
- Chris Fletcher / percussion (3)
1. "Gone With the Weed" (3:25) great "smooth" Third Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion of the Herbie/Donald Byrd kind with some cool electric piano stuff underneath and some great trumpet play and trumpet and sax interplay up top. Billy Kristian's adept bass play is obviously being doubled up by guitar and keys while an uncredited rhythm guitar (could this possibly be a wah-wah-ed keyboard?) fills the spaces during the rhythm section's frequent stops and restarts, moving toward an unexpected Disco finish. Excellent energy: so vivacious and fun. (9.333/10)
2. "Lady Bountiful" (9:17) smooth, rolling bass and keyboard foundation provides the safety net for Brian and Ian to take turns up front--Brian using his soprano sax in a very satisfying (not annoying) way with those rich keyboard chords buoying him from beneath. You know I'm not a sax fan but this is quite nice. Piano is next, creating a pond of lullness while everyone steps back to watch for a few seconds. The band returns to support more of Brian and Ian's tandem interplay for a while before another break gives Billy Kristian the spotlight for a bit. Piano and trumpet join in while Billy continues holding down the groove (with embellishments), now playing off of one another, taking the song like this (sans drums) to the end. I like and appreciate this but it's not a very memorable song. (17.5/20)
3. "Solar Wind" (7:33) I love the long, drawn out development of notes, chords, themes, and motifs on this song. There are even some smoothed-over sounds and themes that feel as if they'd come from a Return to Forever album or Jan Hammer's concurrent output. Though everyone performing on this one hits all the stellar highs, I want to give a special shout out to the very satisfying contributions of the percussionists. I love how the rhythmatists of the final run present a motif that sounds like Talking Heads' "The Great Curve" while Brian and Ian play their smooth melodies. (14/15)
4. "Selina" (4:06) the main theme presents a lot like Miles Davis' classic tune from 1959's Kind of Blue, "All Blues," the big difference is a kind of Steely Dan feel and attitude from the keys and sax. The horn section definitely fit right in with the horn melodies of Cannoball Adderley, 'Trane, and Miles on "All Blues." Even Ian's solo with his muted trumpet in the third minute totally conjures up Miles' play on the song in question. The biggest difference here is Billy Kristian's explosive bass lines: they're very different from those of Paul Chambers. Plus the Latin percussion from Richard Burgess. Still, this is a very fun, highly-nostalgic and winning emulation of a great old tune by some great, very capable next-gen players. And great sound engineering! (9.25/10)
5. "Out of the Long Dark (Conception)" (7:29) another long, slow moving mood piece that sees Ian using a mute over his trumpet--and he's occupying the spotlight for the vast majority of this one. Brian is playing a mellifluous flute over the tropical night mood music of the rest of the island cabana band: he's part of the mood but also making his ethereal commentaries/mimicry of Ian's cool muted horn (which reminds me of a lot of Mark Isham's work in the 1980s). Nice melody making, nice trumpet playing with very solid support from the late night cast--especially Neil Ardley's subtle Lyle Mays-like underscoring of Brian's flute and Ian's trumpet. Quite lovely--and perfectly arranged and recorded. Noteworthy. (14.125/15)
6. "Sassy (American Girl)" (5:13) coming across like a Steely Dan number--like a cross between "Peg," "Josie," and "I Got the News"--there are a lot of quirky, happy elements congealing into one funky tune. The Tony Banks Duke electric piano is especially prominent. (9.25/10)
7. "Simply This (The Human Condition)" (4:28) Billy Kristian is locked into a funky groove with Roger Sellers right there with him as Neil Ardley's synthesizer riffs, Geoff Castle's Fender Rhodes, and the horns fill in some of the spaces over the top. Again, I feel the need to bring light to the amazing sound engineering: the imaging makes one feel as if one is sitting on stage with the band playing around you, for you. (9.25/10)
8. "Black Ballad (Ecce Domino)" (6:56) wandering and meandering, stopping and stutter-starting, this jazz song still has more of a Bob James/Freddie Hubbard/Steely Dan Smooth Jazz feel to it than any of the other songs on the album. The riffs that make up the main motif are rather pop-oriented (Steely Dan), the solos pretty and melodic with very little dynamic surprises, and the drumming fairly Steve Gadd-like. It's nice--it's pretty--it's just not as jazzy as I like from my J-R Fusion artists. (13.25/15)
9. "For Liam" (0:58) solo flugelhorn from Ian that sounds like a day- or life-closing homage--a gentle, peaceful bugle call like "Taps."
Total Time: 49:25
A lot more tendresse and emotion-provocative melodie than I'm used to hearing from Ian & Co. but not enough to make it sound syrupy or maudlin--this is not Ian's concession to the trend to create money-making Smooth Jazz or Yacht Rock: the arrangements are still quite sophisticated and jazzy, fully-challenging his wonderful cast of virtuoso contributors
91.389 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of sophisticated pre-Smooth Jazz Jazz-Rock Fusion. It happens to be one of the greatest albums from the very end of the 1970s that I've heard . . . ever!
RICKIE LEE JONES Rickie Lee Jones
Another, I'm sure, surprise to all of my readers; from the very start I have considered Rickie Lee Jones as a jazz artist with her sophomore album, 1981's Pirates one of my Top 20 Favorite Albums of all-time and one of the 1980s great Jazz-Rock Fusion albums. The album saw its Warner Brothers release on February 28, 1979.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Rickie Lee Jones / vocals, guitar, piano, percussion, background vocals, composer
with:
Guitars: Buzzy Feiten, Fred Tackett
Bass: Red Callender, Willie Weeks
Drums: Andy Newmark, Jeff Porcaro, Mark Stevens, Steve Gadd, Victor Feldman
Keyboards: Mac Rebennack, Neil Larsen, Ralph Grierson, Randy Kerber, Victor Feldman
Synthesizer: Michael "Bobby" Boddicker, Randy Newman
Horns: Chuck Findley, Ernie Watts, Tom Scott
Percussion: Mark Stevens, Victor Feldman
Mandolin: Fred Tackett
Accordion: Nick DeCaro
Background Vocals: Arno Lucas, Joe Turano, Leslie Smith, Matthew Wiener, Michael McDonald
Co-composer for "Weasel and the White Boy's Cool" and "Company": Alfred Johnson
Orchestra Arrangements on "Coolsville" and "Company": Johnny Mandel
Side One:
1. "Chuck E.'s in Love" (3:29) a quite-unique song that never really drew me in while it was pummeling we radio listeners but impresses with those unique, nuanced vocal abilities and confidently original songwriting and delivery style. (8.875/10)
2. "On Saturday Afternoons in 1963" (2:32) an intimate, emotional performance by Rickie with only simple piano and Nick DeCaro's beautiful orchestral support. Rickie sounds so young and vulnerable. An amazing performance (amazing that it was captured on tape). (11/10)
3. "Night Train" (3:15) opens like a Willie Nelson song before Rickie's incredibly soulful voice scats around while using slurred/barely enunciated words. Like so many folk-, country-, acoustic-, and gentle "Yacht rock" songs of that era (Stephen Bishop, The Eagles, Bonnie Raitt, and Jackson Brown are the first examples that come to mind.) (8.75/10)
4. "Young Blood" (4:04) STEELY DAN-like music highlighted a great multi-voice (Michael McDonald-dominated) chorus. (8.75/10)
5. "Easy Money" (3:24) blues jazz seemingly from a long lost era of Billie Holiday types. (8.75/10)
6. "The Last Chance Texaco" (4:08) one of my all-time favorite songs from the 1970s--incredible poetic metaphoric lyrics delivered with amazingly-sincere-sounding emotion. (10/10)
Side Two:
7. "Danny's All Star Joint" (4:00) funky Americana jazz with some incredible singing of hilarious lyrics. (8.75/10)
8. "Coolsville" (3:49) another emotionally-rendered and delivered song on a par with "Last Chance Texaco." How in the world can this young lady (25-years old) sing with this kind of genuine-sounding torch singing? (9/10)
9. "Weasel and the White Boy's Cool" (6:03) more jazzed-up Americana (Steely Dan style). Another wonderfully unique vocal delivery by one of the master's of distinctive vocal singing. (9/10)
10. "Company" (4:49) another song from the album that is pillared by a twin--this time in the form of "On Saturday Afternoons in 1963"--such a vulnerable, nuanced, ingenue-like performance. How is this possible from a 25-year old? Can she already have experienced the degree of pain and heartbreak that one would need to draw from in order to perform these songs with such persuasive honesty? (9.75/10)
11. "After Hours (Twelve Bars Past Goodnight)" (2:38) piano and a very-tired-sounding little girl saying good night. It almost sounds as if she's saying goodbye to life--like a suicide note. (9.5/10)
91.93 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of pop/Americana-infused blues-jazz-rock. What a debut! But listeners couldn't possibly be prepared for the stunning masterpiece that was next: 1981's Pirates.
March
PEKKA POHJOLA Visitation
The Finnish bass virtuoso's fourth solo album and second since officially leaving his former band, Wigwam. The album was released by the Dig It label sometime in the first quarter of 1979.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Pekka Pohjola / grand piano, bass, arranger & co-producer
With:
- Seppo Tyni / guitar (2-6)
- Olli Ahvenlahti / electric piano & bass (2), grand piano (6)
- Pekka Poyry / saxophone (1-3,5), soprano saxophone solo (1,4)
- Juhani Aaltonen / saxophone (1,3,5)
- Eero Koivistoinen / saxophone (1,3,5)
- Teemu Salminen / saxophone (1,3,5)
- Tom Bildo / tuba (3), trombone (6)
- Markku Johansson / trumpets (4,6)
- Aale Lindgren / oboe (5)
- Vesa Aaltonen / drums, percussion (2-4)
- Esko Rosnell / percussion (2-4)
- Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra / woodwinds & strings (3,6)
- Esko Linnavalli / conductor (3,6)
- Jorma Ylönen / concertmaster (3,6)
1. "Strange Awakening" (5:11) sax, bass, and piano dominate this song--a song that feels as if it's based on a folk melody or tune. Pekka's bass playing in the fifth minute is extraordinary (though not quite as free and innovative as Jaco Pastorius--more like a rock version of Eberhard Weber). (8.875/10)
2. "Vapour Trails" (4:44) more in the rock world than jazz or prog, though qualifying for those too, this one has the electric guitar leading the way and contains a guest bass player (!) in Olli Ahvenlahti. Guitarist Seppo Tyni is quite good with great technical skill and a clear, clean sound. The brief spell in the third minute when the music moves smoothly straightforward instead of syncopated staccato is my favorite--feeling very Joe and Gino Vannelli-like. (It's repeated a couple of times.) (9/10)
3. "Image of a Passing Smile" (5:38) the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra's winds and strings accompanying the piano and rock combo are quite lovely--leading the way for a big chunk of the first two minutes before the electric guitar, bass, and piano rise to dominate. A melodic bass passage in the middle of the third minute bridges into the faster paced rock-jazz motif that ensues, guitar and piano chords rising and falling, over and over for about a minute. Then at the end of the fourth minute the music switches directions again going for an almost-cabaret/vaudeville sound. It's actually quite complex and interesting though definitely making me feel as if I'm either in a circus tent or a parade processional. (9/10)
4. "Dancing in the Dark" (5:39) setting up with a RUFUS "Tell Me Something Good"-like foundation, the horn section provides the melody and accents for the first minute while the bass, percussion, and drums roll the music down the road. Guitar and piano become breakout instruments in the second minute before everybody falls back into the Rufus motif for a pretty decent trumpet solo. The rhythm section is very tight, but the solos feel a little too proscribed and constricted. (Was Pekka tough to work with?) An okay song that I'm marking up for such pristinely performed and captured music. (8.875/10)
5. "The Sighting" (3:32) another complex circus-sounding song. (8.75/10)
6. "Try to Remember" (7:10) solo bass playing a heart-wrenching "Come o Come Emmanuel" like melody is joined by the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra's bassoons for the second verse and then the full wind section for the third, strings for the fourth and fifth. The orchestral interlude in the third minute sounds so much like something by Ralph Vaughan Williams. At the very end of the third minute the last notes of the orchestra strings fade and a the "Emmanuel" melody is taken up by bass, piano, guitar, and horns in a marching motif. Quite an accomplishment of fusion--just not the jazz-rock combo we're usually expecting. Very cool, dynamic bass playing in the final 70 seconds. (14.5/15)
Total Time 31:54
One can tell how much Western jazz, rock, and jazz-rock fusion Pekka has been hearing from the sound and stylings of this album--his band members as well as everybody seems to be on the same page performing Pekka's compositions.
90.77 on the Fishscales = A-/4.5 stars (rated down for the album's brevity); a near-masterpiece of jazz-tinged progressive rock music. Too bad it wasn't longer and had so much "circus" sound to it.
FRANK ZAPPA Sheik Yerbouti
Line-up / Musicians:
- Frank Zappa / lead guitar, lead vocals (1-3, 9, 12, 15-18), arranger & producer
With:
- Adrian Belew / rhythm guitar, lead vocals (2, 5, 14)
- Tommy Mars / keyboards, backing vocals (17)
- Peter Wolf / keyboards
- Patrick O'Hearn / bass, lead (3, 10) & backing (6, 8) vocals
- Terry Bozzio / drums, lead (3, 4, 10, 13) & backing (6, 8, 17) vocals
- Ed Mann / percussion, backing vocals
- David Ocker / clarinet (17)
- Napoleon Murphy Brock / backing vocals (17)
- Randy Thornton / backing vocals (17)
- Davey Moire / backing vocals (6, 8), engineer
- Andre Lewis / backing vocals
1. "I Have Been in You" [Live *] (3:33) styled after 1950s-1960s pop music. (8.75/10)
2. "Flakes" [Live *] (6:41) styled after an older (late 60s) kind of music. I enjoyed the Bob Dylan imitation vocal performance as well as the "I am a moron ... " passage and the Todd Rundgren-like instrumental finish. (8.75/10)
3. "Broken Hearts Are for Assholes" [Live *] (3:42) sounds so much like Todd Rundgren at his most rowdy-mischevious. The music concrète element (thanks to Terry Bozzio) are . . . entertaining. (8.75/10)
4. "I'm So Cute [Live - soundcheck *] (3:09) another parody (Why didn't they get Frank to write for Saturday Night Live?!) drawing from acts like Little Richard and Meat Loaf. (8.667/10)
5. "Jones Crusher" [Live $] (2:49) a blues rocker that feels to me like anything and everything done by Alvin Lee, The Tubes, Jimmy Vaughan, Rory Gallagher, or even the Rolling Stones. (8.75/10)
6. "What Ever Happened to All the Fun in the World" (0:33) musique concrète à la Loony Toons cartoons-gone-wild.
7. "Rat Tomago" [Live %] (5:15) guitar soloing over organ, bass and drums. Sounds like Frank working out something on his guitar that he'll use for future polished songs. It's just an excerpt from a much longer jam. He's a fine guitarist but not every solo by even the greatest guitarists are perfect or hair-tingling. (8.75/10)
8. "Wait a Minute" (0:33) Terry and Patrick caught in conversation over music playing in the background.
9. "Bobby Brown Goes Down" [Live *] (2:49) great misogynistic fodder for pimply teenage boys of the privileged classes. (8.667/10)
10. "Rubber Shirt" (2:45) excerpts of some (probably accidental) Weather Report imitation jam between Patrick and Terry that clicked for a bit. (4.5/5)
11. "The Sheik Yerbouti Tango" [Live %] (3:56) organ and drums with Frank doing some more explorative soloing over the top. He's getting ready for the "Shut Up and Play Your Guitar" era of his career--taking advantage of the rising notoriety and acclaim for his guitar playing skills. (8.667/10)
12. "Baby Snakes" [Live *] (1:50) more weird entertainment for teenage boys. (4.25/5)
13. "Tryin' to Grow a Chin" [Live *] (3:31) a song that sounds like an Alice Bowie (Cheech and Chong) parody of Meat Loaf's Bat Out of Hell rock opera. (8.6667/10)
14. "City of Tiny Lites" [Live *] (5:32) on this one vocalist Adrian Belew sounds like an over-the-top cross between Todd Rundgren and Grand Funk's Don Brewer. Then Frank takes over with a solo using a new and awesomely-effected guitar tone. The background layers of guitars could be him or Adrian or both. A lyric that is lost on me while the music is among the most interesting (and most developed) on the album. (8.875/10)
15. "Dancin' Fool" [Live *] (3:43) a popular song of Frank's for its satirical light cast upon the Disco social-cultural phenomenon. Musically, I find this a rather poor song--until the finish. (8.667/10)
16. "Jewish Princess" [Live $] (3:16) another snide social commentary built over some anachronistic music from the 1950s-60s. The xylophone and kazoo are the best parts. (8.667/10)
17. "Wild Love" [Live *] (4:09) a lyrics-based parody of the Hollywood world of Elvis et al. built over some cinematic film music that is highlighted by Ed Mann's xylophone work and the Latin motifs used during the instrumental sections--and then it just ends! Weird. (8.75/10)
18. "Yo' Mama" [Live *] (12:36) great opening palette and mood set that is spoiled when Frank and his musique concrète crew of voice theater performers enters and then a two-chord synth & organ motif takes over to allow for some aggressive and fairly-typical Zappa guitar soloing to play for nearly eight minutes before returning to the opening motif for more of Frank's social commentary and "life lessons." The full band doing what it did. If this was an example of the 1978 Frank Zappa concert experience (juiced up by studio manipulation) then I don't think I missed very much. (22.25/25)
* Recorded at the Odeon Hammersmith, London , January 1978
$ Recorded at the Palladium, NYC , October 1977
% Recorded Live at the Deutschland Halle, Berlin , February 1978
Total Time 70:22
Apparently this album was mostly created from songs that were recorded in live stage concert performances (one reviewer goes so far as to title his review as "The complete Zappa studio concert experience!"). It is quite tongue-in-cheek humorous with many send-ups of older styles and artists. What would this album be without Terry Bozzio and Patrick O'Hearn? (After the way Frank cut everybody in this band's line-up at the end of their European tour--leaving several band members stranded on The Continent--perhaps this was meant as a backhanded tribute to the core members--perhaps it was meant as mean-spirited slap in the face by their former boss.)
A 3.5 to four star musical listening experience that makes me feel that familiar "should have been there" feeling due to the low impact of the album due to its non-visual, group-energy lack. If you want satirical entertainment or solid samples of Zappa guitar playing (in the Shut Up and Play Your Guitar vein) this might be your jam. If you seek polish and earnest decorum you should probably keep looking elsewhere.
SPYRO GYRA Morning Dance
Recorded at: Secret Sound Studio, New York, N.Y. and then released by Infinity Records on March 9, 1979.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Jay Beckenstein / saxophones [alto, soprano, tenor], Boobams, percussion
- Jeremy Wall / Piano, Fender Rhodes, Mini Moog, Arp Odyssey, Arp String Ensemble, Hammond Organ, Percussion
- Jim Kurzdorfer / bass
- Tom Walsh / drums, percussion
- Umbopha Emile Latimer / congas, percussion
Horn Section:
Jay Beckenstein / alto sax
Michael Brecker / tenor sax
Randy Brecker / trumpet
Tom Malone / trombone
Lewis Del Gatto / flutes
With:
- Suzanne Ciani / synthesizers
- Tom Schuman / Fender Rhodes solo, synthesizer solos
- John Tropea / guitars [electric & acoustic]
- Jim Kurzdorfer / bass
- Will Lee / bass
- Ted Reinhardt / drums
- Steve Jordan / drums
- Eli Konikoff / drums
- Rubens Bassini / congas, timbales & percussion
- Gerardo Velez / congas, bongos, & percussion
- David Samuels / Vibraphone, marimba, steel drums
- John Clark / French Horn
- Chet Catallo / guitar
- Rick Strauss / guitar
Lani Groves, Diva Gray, Gordon Grody / vocalists
Strings:
Harry Lookofsky - Violin (Concertmaster)
Matthew Raimondi - Violin
Harry Cykman - Violin
Charles LiBove - Violin
Alfred Brown - Viola
Charles McCracken - Cello
A1. "Morning Dance" (3:58) the world-wide monster hit and still-often-used upbeat "island" song (courtesy of the vibes and steel drums). Pleasant enough if totally schlocky. (8.875/10)
A2. "Jubilee" (4:31) AWB-like funk. (8.75/10)
A3. "Rasul" (3:56) the Spanish flavor isn't strong enough to raise this one out of the dentist's elevator. (8.667/10)
A4. "Song For Lorraine" (3:59) this song feels so familiar (as if part of it is borrowed from some Bob James song, another part from Gino Vannelli), but it's melodic, percussive, and peppy in a delightful, even Yacht Rock danceable way. (9.25/10)
A5. "Starburst" (4:48) nice energetic start that is diminished by the near-"Morning Dance" melody line presented by Jay's sax. The rest of the palette and weave is quite winning, though. There's a little George Benson feel to this as well--especially when guitarist John Tropea is soloing. (9/10)
B1. "Heliopolis" (5:34) a bit of a stronger rock-rooted song with horn section work but overly simple and too much like much of the rest of the lead melodies. (8.75/10)
B2. "It Doesn't Matter" (4:27) full-blown Smooth Jazz of the sort that is destined to dentists offices, elevators, and even The Weather Channel. (8.75/10)
B3. "Little Linda" (4:21) interesting blend of Cubano-Latin percussion and 60s jazz guitar over which Jay leads a parade of exclusive positivity. Not for me, thank you very much. (8.667/10)
B4. "End Of Romanticism" (5:18) a big, almost theatric curtain opening reveals something high-speed and built around full-band weaving and interplay but never reaches (or sustains) the RTF-like power and energy that it seems to aspire to. (8.875/10)
Total Time: 41:34
The new wave of "jazz" artists seem to have skipped the rigorous training and other trials and tribulations put in by the children of the 50s and 60s, thus Smooth Jazz is all they can ever hope to attain (despite hiring hot shot studio jocks to support their compositions).
88.43 on the Fishscales = B-/3.5 stars; a very good example of the Smooth Jazz direction that new artists are picking up while never really attaining the skill levels (both technically and compositionally) that the Power Fusionists had reached.
OREGON Moon and Mind
- Ralph Towner / Classical (5, 8) & 12-string (1) guitars, piano (6, 9), Hammond (8), percussion (8)
- Paul McCandless / oboe (2, 6), bass clarinet (2, 4), flute (7)
- Glen Moore / double bass (3-5, 9), piano (2)
- Collin Walcott / tabla (1, 7), dulcimer (1), sitar (3), piano (8), congas (8), percussion (8)
1. "Person-To-Person" (3:11) opens like a Flamenco styled piece one might hear from Paco De Lucia, but then the tabla, dulcimer, 12-string guitar, (and double bass?) join in to bring us more into a musical (and imaginary) realm of World Fusion. The dulcimer-12-string guitar pairing is alone worthy of one's attention and praise. Not sure if Glen or Paul participated at all! (9/10)
2. "I Remember Me" (4:00) contemplative piano arpeggiations form the aqueous surface over which Paul McCandless' oboe flies on this surprising reinterpretation of a Jan Hammer composition. Paul soars and glides, occasionally swooping before winging his way back toward the sky while Glen continues providing his safety net and/or ground surface. Beautiful. In the final 30 seconds a bass clarinet joins in before the song fades away. (9/10)
3. "Rejoicing" (4:17) muted double bass notes and percussive hits team up with simple sitar note play and, eventually, hand claps, guitar notes and body hits. Around the halfway point Collin's sitar starts to ramp up, which is pretty cool. In my opinion the song could have used some more development and/or lateral enrichment. (8.75/10)
4. "The Elk" (6:02) bowed double bass and bass clarinet team up to recite the main melody one time through before diverging into harmonic support of one another. At the one minute mark the two separate into individuated jazzy clarinet (think George Gershwin) and jazz bass. The resulting song feels as much cinematic or impressionistic Classical music (of the Ravel or Debussy kind) as Jazz. (8.875/10)
5. "Gloria's Step" (3:16) the band's cover of a Scot LaFaro composition that was made famous while he was with Bill Evans first trio. Glen and Ralph take their turns with this one--again in duet form. (9/10)
6. "Moon And Mind" (8:20) Paul and Ralph work together with oboe and piano, respectively, to render this Paul McCandless composition unto tape (and vinyl). Ralph's piano playing style most definitely came from the same school that produced both Keith Jarrett and Lyle Mays and Paul's use of the oboe is definitely dear to my heart. The overall effect/impression left on me from this song is one of awe--for the interactive dialogue that these two musicians were able to accomplish using the voices of such disparate instruments. Extraordinary. (18.125/20)
7. "Dust Devil" (3:03) Collin and Paul playing something that feels more Irish than Indian despite Collin's use of tabla. I think it's the style with which Paul attacks the music with his (Native American) flute (ceramic?). Collin's play is nice but I've been so spoiled by a life of Zakir Hussein. Paul's flute is nice, too, but when you've heard Irish penny whistlers and N. Carlos Nakai, what's the point? (8.75/10)
8. "Elevator" (3:53) I really like the peppy feel of this Ralph and Collin duet: great minimalist piano-congas unity with organ and percussion and, later, classical guitar overplay. My cup of tea! Really cool! (9.333/10)
9. "Dunvegan" (4:23) Glen and Ralph working together to render this modal jazz Ralph Towner composition into Pat Metheny Group territory. I believe Glen has tracks of bowed bass as well as plucked note play while Ralph sticks with a piano. Another song that feels more cinematic and/or Classical than jazz, folk, or fusion. Whatever it is, it's beautiful. (9/10)
Total time 40:25
Total time 40:25
I would call this less Jazz-Rock Fusion as World Fusion or Folk Jazz.
89.8333 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a minor masterpiece of World Fusion.
EBERHARD WEBER Fluid Rustle
An album of all Eberhard Weber compositions that was recorded in January of 1979 at Manfred Eicher's favored Tonstudio Bauer in Ludwigsburg and then released a couple of months later.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Eberhard Weber / bass, percussion [Tarahg], composer
- Bill Frisell / guitars, balalaika
- Gary Burton / vibraphone [vibraharp], marimba
With:
- Bonnie Herman and Norma Winstone / vocals
A. "Quiet Departures" (17:24) beautiful orchestra-like texturized music using vibraphone, electric guitar, and the harmonized vocalese of Bonnie Herman and Norma Winstone to continue the format of symphonic minimalism that Eberhard began to explore with The Following Morning. When Gary's vibraphone leaps out of the beautiful ambient tapestry around 4:00 it is almost a shock because it sticks out so thoroughly. The return of the voices helps resecure it into the overall mix but the vocals don't always stay. There is something in this song that reminds me of the music POPOL VUH was doing a few years before (and could very well still be doing in 1979). Around the seven-minute mark the music switches into something more akin to Harold Budd's Pavilion of Dreams only exploring more dramatic minor chords than soul-soothing major seventh chords. This motif persists for three minutes before fading into a hole that Bill Frisell soon leaps out of while strumming his balalaika. Bonnie and Norma return in a light carefree, almost waif-like melody as bass and vibe chords help fill the sonosphere. At 12:40 the whole palette shifts again: now into marimba, fretless bass, Frisellian pitchless guitar notes, and no voices. At 14:20 there is another shift into a two-chord vamp from Gary's vibes while Eberhard soars and flies around his fingerboard and Bill flits and swoops in with pitch-bending notes here and there. The girls return at the end of the 16th minute singing a completely different melody line and then Bill rejoins with his balalaika for the final stanza, Eberhard soloing contentedly, girls singing lovely, and Gary supporting beautifully from beneath. I really like this one. It has a Pat Metheny-Lyle Mays "As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls" like feel to it--both sonically and structurally. (33/35)
B1. "Fluid Rustle" (7:25) now here's one of Harold Budd's two-chord major-to-minor seventh chord motifs coming from a melded blend of Gary's vibraphone, Eberhard's bowed bass, and Bill's gentle guitar. At 2:20 the female vocalists burst onto the scene with some "wake up! sunshine!" vocalese before Gary and Bill (and, later, Eberhard) step forward to give more prominent voicings to their instruments. Bill, Eberhard, and Gary each take a little solo time in the fifth and sixth minutes. I find it interesting how much both Gary and Bill sound like Pat Metheny. The vocalese, however, definitely takes this more into the range of HATFIELD AND THE NORTH and/or NATIONAL HEALTH. (13.75/15)
B2. "A Pale Smile" (9:06) massive vibrato is applied to the opening sounds coming from Eberhard's bowed bass, Gary's vibraphone notes as well as Bill's guitar pickings. At 1:45 Bonnie and Norma's angelic "ah"s enter in chorded bursts that sound like the product of the future sampling of a Fairlight CMI. Then things empty out so that there is only Gary's vibraphone and Eberhard's bass. Aqueous bass and discordant vibraphone notes and chords are met by occasional notes from Bill but then everybody vacates to watch and listen to the maestro, Gary Burton, play tout seul on his plaintive vibes. At 6:12 Eberhard and Bill rejoin, Bill playing volume-controlled chords while Eberhard seems to wander to the harmonic edges of Gary's uinverse. The girls return with their pulsating vocal "ah"s tamped down a bit, eventually coaxing Gary and Bill back into the universe of that motif proffered in the second minute. The final 30 seconds sees a lovely little Celtic triangle of a melodic weave from bass and two voices. That was so cool! (18.25/20)
B3. "Visible Thoughts" (5:00) on this song the trio of outside-the-box thinkers just flit and float about as if they're each on their own private acid trip (though something in my gut leads me to suspect that none of the three were ever prone to drug or other mind-altering substance use or experimentation). At 2:45 the ladies return, singing cohesively in a way that mirrors some of the note and melody play of Gary's vibes but using the ethereal "ah" singing I usually associate with likes of Richard Wileman's KARDA ESTRA (Ileesha Bailey's Gothic-ghostly voicings). The trio then gather up in a really bizarre, almost nightmarish pattern for the final 75 seconds. Interesting! The weirdest and, perhaps, least accessible song on the album it is still quite fascinating. (8.875/10)
Total Time: 39:10
I'm really sad that for so many years I resisted listening to this album because I was really afraid that it couldn't possibly stand up to the amazing Side One of The Following Morning. How sad that we get stuck in our little comfort zones--held there by our fears of trying new things! Time to grow up!
94.85 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a masterpiece of boundary-pushing experimental jazz that confirms the fact that these three master musicians have all left the Jazz-Rock Fusion movement behind and have joined a Kosmisches kind of path among the avant-gardists.
94.85 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a masterpiece of boundary-pushing experimental jazz that confirms the fact that these three master musicians have all left the Jazz-Rock Fusion movement behind and have joined a Kosmisches kind of path among the avant-gardists.
JOHN McLAUGHLIN with THE ONE TRUTH BAND Electric Dreams
Line-up / Musicians:
- John McLaughlin / electric guitar, 6- & 12- & 13-string acoustic guitars, banjo
- L. Shankar / acoustic & electric violins
- Stu Goldberg / electric piano, Moog synthesizer with Steiner-Parker modifications, Prophet synthesizer, Hammond organ
- Fernando Sanders / Fender bass, acoustic bass, vocals (5)
- Tony Smith / drums, vocals
- Alyrio Lima / percussion, amplified Chinese cymbals
- David Sanborn / alto saxophone (8)
1. "Guardian Angels" (0:52) John with multiple tracks of acoustic guitar: some in rhythm support roll, some in that of lead soloist. (4.25/5)
- John McLaughlin / electric guitar, 6- & 12- & 13-string acoustic guitars, banjo
- L. Shankar / acoustic & electric violins
- Stu Goldberg / electric piano, Moog synthesizer with Steiner-Parker modifications, Prophet synthesizer, Hammond organ
- Fernando Sanders / Fender bass, acoustic bass, vocals (5)
- Tony Smith / drums, vocals
- Alyrio Lima / percussion, amplified Chinese cymbals
- David Sanborn / alto saxophone (8)
2. "Miles Davis" (4:54) (8.75/10)
3. "Electric Dreams, Electric Sighs" (6:27) the Mahavishnu plays banjo?!!! John's attempt to forge/force the East into Western music? Shankar is as amazing as ever but doesn't really fit as well as (8.75/10)
4. "Desire and the Comforter" (7:35) excellent once John's jazz guitar is soloing. (13.5/15)
5. "Love and Understanding" (6:39) I know it had been frustratingly difficult for John to get back together with his original SHAKTI collaborator Shankar since the 1977 recording sessions of Natural Elements, so I'm sure this Shakti-sounding opening with Shankar is a bit of a concessionary homage to that fact, but then the song tries to go SANTANA Love Devotion Surrender with some mellow group vocals. (At least these vocals sound better arranged and rehearsed--more professional.) But the odd Smooth Jazz rhythm track of very simple drums, bass, and bouncing electric piano are so much more Narada Michael Walden-like than Mahavishnu. Aside from the Shakti opening, this is just a sadly disappointing song. (8.75/10)
6. "Singing Earth" (0:38) electro-synth play. (4.25/5)
7. "The Dark Prince" (5:17) retrieving old memories of Emergecy! and Bitches Brew, we have a jaunt into the past with this much more dynamic expression of old jazz updated with 10-year newer instrumental sound. The construct and foundational melodies sound so very much from the two afore-mentioned albums! Nice performances all around. Just wish it were a "newer" composition. (8.875/10)
8. "The Unknown Dissident" (6:18) tender-point ROY BUCHANAN-like blues guitar soloing over modern palette blues with fretless bass from Fernando Sanders and the distinctive sonorous sax of David Sanborn. Over the course of its six minutes it settles into the listener's bones like this year's wine. (8.875/10)
Total Time 38:40
Aside from that of the Mahavishnu, the work of Stu Goldberg and Fernando Sanders are very much noted and appreciated.
88.0 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a solid J-R fusion LP representative of its time as well as of JMac's history and diversity, as well as of his willingness to grow and experiment.
April
Recorded in August 1978 in Oslo, Norway and then released by ECM Records in April of 1979.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Pat Metheny / 6- & 12- string electric guitars, acoustic guitar, 15-string harp guitar, bass
Line-up / Musicians:
- Pat Metheny / 6- & 12- string electric guitars, acoustic guitar, 15-string harp guitar, bass
1. "New Chautauqua" (5:20) fast-strumming on his 12-string acoustic guitar accompanied by bass and electric six-string using one of the tones that has long become a standard go-to sound for Pat, here setting himself up for a bit of a country-flavor-tinged tune, especially in the chorus melodies. Never one of my favorite Pat songs, it is, however, quite characteristic of his iconic sounds. (8.875/10)
2. "Country Poem" (2:34) delicate and melodic, sounding very, very much like a JONI MITCHELL song--even the melodies sound like ones that Joni would use for her vocals. (4.375/5)
3. "Long Ago Child/Fallen Star" (10:19) moody and atmospheric with the effects used on his electric 12-string guitar and the tremendous amount of space afforded the listener in this music box, we are here introduced to a side of Pat that has not become as famous or iconic as his polyrhythmic and fiery solo work. The first half, "Long Ago Child," is quite evocative of dark, uncertain times, while the second half (the final 3 1/2 minutes) of delicate arpeggiated chords and classical guitar lead melody making seems to be issuing forth some more comforting and hopeful strains of beauty. I love the second half so much but am not too much of a fan of the first, so it's a hard one to rate. (18.125/20)
4. "Hermitage" (5:39) soft, almost lazy music played in a minor key kind of makes one feel as if this is just background music for the big event up front: like we're at the corral on a horse or cattle ranch watching the daily groomings and exercising of the animals. It's actually rather ingenious: sneaking an innocuous yet ultimately beautiful song like this into the record. (8.875/10)
5. "Sueño Con México" (5:59) what is definitely my favorite song on the album hits home from the very opening for its ANTHONY PHILLIPS-like arpeggiation of two chords on a 12-string acoustic guitar for fully 50-seconds before another instrument joins in--which happens to be (delightfully) another acoustic guitar. Great melodies and harmonies and chord sequences and fretless bass play as well as wonderful soloing from the lead six-string acoustic. This could very well be a MICHAEL HEDGES or, almost, a William Ackerman/Windham Hill Records tune. Beautiful in a way that makes me want to loop it for a whole day--to bathe me in constant waves of comfort and ease. (9.375/10)
6. "Daybreak" (8:38) another spacious opening with one electric guitar playing a slightly-syncopated arpeggiated chord over and over while a second guitar adds some harmonics and long-decaying notes. Nice. The chord change and ensuing motif change in the middle of the second minute is a bit unsettling, but Pat does occasionally return to the opening motif as if for grounding, for footing, but then he wanders off again in a child-like (or butterfly's) pattern of following impulsively where one's innate curiosities lead. The shift in the fifth minute is completely different--sounding as if the child (or butterfly) has joined a more heavily-populated garden of interesting diversions. (17.75/20)
Total Time 38:29
My first Pat Metheny acquisition, I was a bit thrown by the strange sound palette of Pat's solo work--sometimes layers of treated guitars, acoustic and, I thought, electric. There were also melodies and structures that were strange to me, his tone so delicate and, I think I felt, folk-country-western, even, sometimes, quite angular and unmelodic. It took a long time for me to become familiar with this music--to eventually "like" it, much less understand it. Now I listen to it 40 years on and I don't have any issues, I like it all. It's all, of course, very familiar to me now.
Total Time 38:29
My first Pat Metheny acquisition, I was a bit thrown by the strange sound palette of Pat's solo work--sometimes layers of treated guitars, acoustic and, I thought, electric. There were also melodies and structures that were strange to me, his tone so delicate and, I think I felt, folk-country-western, even, sometimes, quite angular and unmelodic. It took a long time for me to become familiar with this music--to eventually "like" it, much less understand it. Now I listen to it 40 years on and I don't have any issues, I like it all. It's all, of course, very familiar to me now.
89.833 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; an impressive near-masterpiece of autonomous, multi-tracking music making. Perhaps not quite the stellar example of Jazz-Rock Fusion that I'm looking forward to but a fine collection of guitar-based music that is fully representative of the sound technologies burgeoning at the time (as well as the ECM sound).
ICEBERG Arc-en-ciel
Same lineup, last album from these awesome J-R Fusionists from Barcelona. The band here sliding a little more into the Latin-biased sounds and styles that Chick Corea was gravitating to in his solo work of the same period. The album was recorded October 2-7, 1978, and then released by Bocaccio Records in April 1979.
- Joaquín "Max" Sunyer / electric & acoustic guitars
- José "Kitflus" Mas / piano, electric piano, synthesizer
- Primitivo Sancho / bass
- Jordi Colomer / drums
1. "El caminant nocturn" (8:21) Fender Rhodes chord play is soon joined by bubble-effected bass and militaristic jazz drumming before synthesizer and electric guitar step in to take the lead. Lots of stops and goes, lots of rock and prog-sounding riffs and passages give this an almost NOVA-like feel, though something about it also reminds me of The MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA's last album, Inner Worlds. We've definitely entered the gratuitous world of commercial J-R Fuse that Herbie Hancock's Thrust and Return to Forever's Romantic Warrior opened up to the world. (17.5/20)
2. "Càntics de la carn" (11:18) so like the music that Chick Corea was doing with Leprechaun, My Spanish Heart, and The Mad Hatter that I had to keep checking as I was listening to this to make sure it wasn't something from him, Al Di, or a hidden RTF album that I'd missed! Excellent performances top to bottom (despite Kitflus' rather schlocky and now-dated array of keyboard sounds). (18/20)
3. "Riu d'agost" (7:41) piano and acoustic guitar opening that sounds suspiciously like something from Al Di Meola and Chick Corea. Even the sound engineering seems perfectly imitative of some of those earlier RTF albums (not Romantic Warrior). At 1:45 the full band breaks the spell of the acoustic duo and launches into a long bridge before settling into another Latin-rhythmed dance tune. The lead instrumentalists retain their acoustic orientations while bouncing back and forth between 10-to-20 second bursts as soloists often bridged by patches in which they play together. Quite a nice, light and jolly, and impressive song of instrumental prowess--and such tight, whole-band feel coming from the quartet. (13.5/15)
4. "Embrujo" (6:14) yet another song in which the band lets their ethnic roots come shining through--though once again expressed with incredible virtuosity and intuitive interplay. These guys are really gelling! And Max has never been more effusive! (9.25/10)
5. "Crisàlide" (6:30) piano and acoustic guitar open this one until 1:20 when searing Al Di MEOLA-like electric guitar ushers in the rest of the band. This complex, never straightforward song offers some great bass playing as well as tight disco-ish drumming with Kitflus' DEODATO-like bouncy Fender Rhodes play when Max is shredding up front. (9.25/10)
Total Time: 40:04
90.0 on the Fishscales = A-/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of Third Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion approaching the Smooth Jazz era.
BRUFORD One of a Kind
Bill Bruford's continued excursion into the burgeoning and exciting world of electrified percussion using a jazzier prog medium--and a band of incredibly technically accomplished musicians. You would be hard-pressed to put together a band of more proficient instrumentalists than bassist Jeff BERLIN, keyboard wizard Dave STEWART, guitar genius Allan HOLDSWORTH and, of course, drummer unparalleled, Bill Bruford. Gone is mysterious chanteuse Annette PEACOCK (whose talents I actually love) and gone, too, are any attempts at songs with vocals. This is an experimental jazz fusion album, no longer representative of the Canterbury style of musical exploration. Accordingly, it takes the listener some time to become familiar and friendly to the sometimes obtuse or oblique sounds and styles of the music and musicians. But, if you put in the effort, I think that you will find this album well worth it. "The Sahara of Snow, Parts 1 & 2" Is probably one of my ten favorite prog songs of all-time--and definitely the best Allan Holdworth soloing ever. One of a Kind was recorded in London at Trident Studios in January and February of 1979 and then released by Polydor Records in the UK in April, the rest of the world in June.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Bill Bruford / acoustic & electronic drums, percussion, voice of "The Mock Turtle" (5)
- Allan Holdsworth / guitar; writing credit on "The Abingdon Chasp"
- Dave Stewart / keyboards and synths
- Jeff Berlin / bass
With:
- Sam Alder / voice of "Narrator" (5)
- Anthea Norman-Taylor / voice of "Alice" (5)
- Eddie Jobson / violin (8) - originally uncredited
1. "Hell's Bells" (3:33) another iconic song many people associate with the unique sound that came from the three Bruford albums. Dave Stewart's main melodies definitely conjure up reminders of the Hatfield and National Health albums, but Allan Holdsworth's unique and alien/unEarthly guitar phrasings definitely lift it out of the ordinary and mundane! (8.75/10)
2. "One of a Kind, Pt. 1" (2:20) the song that gives me the first feeling that the Bruford sound is formed and, perhaps, never going to change--that the band could conceivably coast on this formula and sound palette . . . (4.25/5)
3. "One of a Kind, Pt. 2" (4:04) . . . but then the action in Part 2 reveals some jazzy (and even some DIXIE DREGS-like Bluegrass) tendencies that make me think that, yes, there is still life in this quartet. (8.75/10)
4. "Travels With Myself - And Someone Else" (6:13) gentle, even ruminative explorations of a panorama of melodies, pacings, and mixes. I am not a fan of the sound Allan chooses to feed his guitar through. Even back in the day it just felt too artificial, too processed: like Velveeta or Marmite--failing to elevate a rather dull and mundane song to anything more. (8.6667/10)
5. "Fainting in Coils" (6:33) I know that this is one of Bill's favorites from this album but for me it's too WEATHER REPORT-like with Jeff's Jaco Pastorius bass sounds and phrasings and Dave's Zawinul-like chord and sound changing. Were it not for the absolutely unique sounds and styles of Mssrs. Bruford and Holdsworth, this song would be lost in the mire that, for me, is Weather Report sound-alikes (even despite the Alice in Wonderland references). My favorite part of the song is actually Dave's piano solo in the final quarter. (8.75/10)
6. "Five G" (4:46) Jeff Berlin getting the rest of the gang charged up. These performances are among the liveliest and most spirited on the album. (8.75/10)
7. "The Abingdon Chasp" (4:54) nice song from the gang with cool motif changes and lots of interesting solos. (8.75/10)
8. "Forever Until Sunday" (5:51) Throw away the slow Jobson/Bob James-like first half and you have a GREAT song--something in the vein of a UK or even an and-then-there-were-three GENESIS tune. (8.875/10)
9. "The Sahara of Snow, Pt. 1" (5:18) the best song the Bruford lineup ever created opens with lots of eerie-spacey synth and synthetic sounds swirling round like an opening to one of LENNY WHITE's overture openings from his Venusian Summer album. Dave, Jeff, and Bill's weave rises from out of the primordial soup to drive us forward in a very insistent fashion with some elements of the polyphony traveling along at different clips and on different melody lines--including a marimba--as Allan joins in a subtly propels the song with his not-so-subtle now-iconic electric guitar sound. Very cool break of reverse decay at the end of the fourth minute leads to a restart with some wonderful weaving of Jeff's hunting dog bass, layers of Dave's synths with piano, Bill's drums and marimba with Allan's melody line again directing the launch into the skies. Absolutely brilliant proggy Jazz-Rock Fusion! (10/10)
10. "The Sahara of Snow, Pt. 2" (3:24) one of the great motifs of all-time with one of the greatest guitar solos of all-time. (10/10)
Total Time: 46:28
Lots of noodling with too little structure to hold one's attention and make the songs memorable. The new synth-orientation is also less attractive and comprehensible than the sound palette of the band's previous album. However, as much as the first half of the album bores, the second half cooks.
90.04 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of jazz-aspiring progressive rock music.
After years of resisting the Jazz-Rock Fusion bug--remaining steadfastly loyal to the Post Bop world--Art teams up with an all-star group of J-R Fuse veterans to produce a wonderful contribution to JRF's Fourth Wave. The CTI produced album saw its intitial release in Japan only in April of 1979 and the, finally, its US and world-wide release in 1982.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Art Farmer / flugelhorn
- Joe Henderson / tenor saxophone
- Eddie Gomez / bass
- Steve Gadd / drums
- Will Lee / electric bass
- Will Lee / electric bass
- David Spinozza / guitars
- John Tropea / guitars
- Don Grolnick / keyboards
- Fred Hersch / keyboards
- Warren Bernhardt / keyboards
- Sammy Figueroa / percussion
- Suzanne Ciani / synthesizer, programming
- Mike Mainieri / synthesizer, vibraphone
A1. "Dulzura" (8:21) Nice melodies and keyboard and drum support of a Smooth Jazz tune that was originally composed by Clare Fischer. In my opinion, bassist Will Lee tries a bit to hard to emulate (or "be") JACO PASTORIUS. (17.75/20)- Sammy Figueroa / percussion
- Suzanne Ciani / synthesizer, programming
- Mike Mainieri / synthesizer, vibraphone
A2. "Stop (Think Again)" (6:48) awesome Latin Jazz-Rock Fusion: lively and spiced with great performances from top to bottom. And, believe it or not, this is cover of a BEE GEES composition! (14/15)
B1. "Young And Fine" (6:43) a bluesy, wee-hours-of-the-early-morn cover of a Joe Zawinul song. Art's muted flugelhorn and Mike Mainieri's vibraphone fit really nicely into the tender fabric created by the rest of the band. (9.3333/10)
B2. "Lotus Blossom" (8:23) this one is composed by the band's own Don Grolnick. It unfolds and flows rather quickly, sounding a lot like something transitional between sophisticated (big band) jazz and the future wave of Smooth Jazz. I like the key role that Mike Mainieri's vibraphone chords play beneath Art and Joe's solos. Will Lee's rolling jazz bass still sounds a little like "baby Jaco" but it's mixed low enough in the mix to not distract--until, that is, the fifth minute when for whatever reason someone in the production booth decided that the volume on his bass track should suddenly be turned way up! (17.75/20)
B3. "Blue Montreux" (6:58) a snappy, easy to engage with Yacht Rock tune--credited to Mike Mainieri. Probably my favorite song on the album: It's just too hard to get out of your brain once you've heard it--and that's even before you've been exposed to the "borrowed" melodic hooks from recent pop songs (like EARTH, WIND & FIRE's "Can't Hide Love"). (14/15)
Total time: 33:01
Nice melodic Fourth Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion with the most notable elements being Will Lee's attempt to sound like JACO PASTORIUS. Too much.
91.42 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of high-quality Fourth Wave (pre-Smooth Jazz) Jazz-Rock Fusion.
91.42 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of high-quality Fourth Wave (pre-Smooth Jazz) Jazz-Rock Fusion.
PASSPORT Garden of Eden
For Garden of Eden Klaus Doldinger has managed to retain the participation of the new core of collaborators that he had on the previous year's Ataraxia (Sky Blue); the only loss (and it is significant) is of the Louis brothers, Elmer and Roy (percussion and guitar, respectively). The album was released by Atlantic Records in the US and Canada on April 18, 1979.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Klaus Doldinger / saxophones, keyboards, clarinet
- Willy Ketzer / drums, percussion
- Kevin Mulligan / guitar, vocals
- Dieter Petereit / bass
- Hendrik Schaper / keyboards
Guest musicians:
- Kathy Bartney / vocals (4-6)
- Horst Ramthor / harp (2a)
1. "Big bang" (3:53) a long spacey/atmospheric synth intro is joined by Disco drums, percussion, and the rest of the band while Klaus steps in with a soprano sax to lead the way. There is a little bit of the ELOY sound emanating from this as well as, in the later portions, some JACO PASTORIUS-imitative bass play. (8.6667/10)
2. "Garden of Eden": (8:51) (18.875/20)
a) "Dawn" (1:54) the beautiful and soothing pastoral Nature intro that I've always loved. Yes, Mike Oldfield, and may have been source inspirations for this. (5/5)
b) "Light I" (1:53) enter Kevin Mulligan's English vocals, presented in a kind of YES/Jon Anderson mode. Then drums and electric guitar begin to introduce themselves before a second verse. Sax, Moog, and electric guitar add their ten cents worth along the way. (4.375/5)
c) "Light II" (5:04) now launching into a fun, forward-moving passage that reminds one of the music of NARADA MICHAEL WALDEN and THE ELOY as well as future Trevor Horn projects like The Buggles and Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Nice vocal melodies from Kevin and Kathy Barney. Excellent jazzy New Age prog. (9.5/10)
3. "Snake" (4:49) gorgeous journey down a lazy river. Great slow, drawn out melodies. (9.5/10)
4. "Gates of paradise" (3:47) more Hiram Bullock/Narada Michael Walden-like music, here bringing out the funk with some new slap bass and deep thrum chords. Vocals are okay, though the melodies are great, it's just that the multi-track (chorused?) effect on a lead vocalist that was popular at the time (as with Narada Michael Walden's treatment of his own voice as well as some of Al Jarreau's): a little schlocky. There's also a little more of the NOVA sound here. (8.875/10)
5. "Dreamware" (5:00) Disco with all of the concurrent tricks: slap-and pluck bass, Ernie Isley guitar sound in the rhythm (styled like George Johnson), Evelyn Champagne King hand claps, electric piano chords, and synth sound used for the solo over the top. Great quality upbeat and uptempo disco dance music. (9.125/10)
6. "Good Earth smile" (5:04) another pop/radio-oriented tune that has one foot in the world of American Gospel-oriented Southern Rock and one in the Weather Report school of Adult Contemporary jazz. (8.6667/10)
7. "Children's dance" (3:39) another song that seems to come straight out of the WEATHER REPORT repertoire of happy-go-lucky pop tunes. (8.75/10)
Total Time: 35:03
Total Time: 35:03
By far the proggiest of Klaus' albums. When they're proggy, the songs are really great. When he tries to turn back toward the latest trends in Jazz-Rock Fusion and Weather Report/Crusaders pop jazz it falls into the category of average (for that time very good).
90.57 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; an album blessed with great prog but then also cursed with schlocky, now-dated pop. Fortunately for we prog lovers, the progginess and high quality of the other explorations wins out.
90.57 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; an album blessed with great prog but then also cursed with schlocky, now-dated pop. Fortunately for we prog lovers, the progginess and high quality of the other explorations wins out.
May
THE CRUSADERS Street Life
Recorded at Hollywood Sound Recorders, Inc., Hollywood, CA and then released by MCA Records in May of 1979.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Joe Sample / producer, arranger, keyboards
- Wilton Felder /producer, arranger, saxophone
- Stix Hooper / producer, arranger, drums
- Wilton Felder /producer, arranger, saxophone
- Stix Hooper / producer, arranger, drums
With:
- Arthur Adams / guitar (A1, B2)
- Roland Bautista / guitar (A1, B2)
- Billy Rogers / guitar (A1)
- Robert O’Bryan / tenor saxophone (A1)
- Jerome Richardson / alto saxophone (A1)
- William Green / baritone saxophone (A1)
- Oscar Brashear / trumpet (A1, B1)
- Arthur Adams / guitar (A1, B2)
- Roland Bautista / guitar (A1, B2)
- Billy Rogers / guitar (A1)
- Robert O’Bryan / tenor saxophone (A1)
- Jerome Richardson / alto saxophone (A1)
- William Green / baritone saxophone (A1)
- Oscar Brashear / trumpet (A1, B1)
- Bobby Bryant / trumpet (A1)
- Garnett Brown / tenor trombone (A1, B1)
- Garnett Brown / tenor trombone (A1, B1)
- Maurice Spears / bass trombone (A1, B1)
- Randy Crawford / vocals (A1)
- Paulinho Da Costa / percussion (A1, A2, B1, B2, B3)
- Barry Finnerty / guitar (A2)
- Paul Jackson, Jr. / guitar (A2, B3)
- Randy Crawford / vocals (A1)
- Paulinho Da Costa / percussion (A1, A2, B1, B2, B3)
- Barry Finnerty / guitar (A2)
- Paul Jackson, Jr. / guitar (A2, B3)
- Alphonso Johnson / bass (B1, B4)
- James Jamerson / bass (B2)A1. "Street Life" (11:18) a Joe Sample-Will Jennings composition that features the astonishing voice of Randy Crawford and was used liberally throughout the great Burt Reynolds film Sharkey's Machine in 1981. It's really not that great of a song were it not for the playful exaggerations afforded the musicians by the extended version. (17.785/20)
A2. "My Lady" (6:43) a Wilton Felder composition that has a great bass drum/percussion groove over which guitars, horns, and electric piano shine. James Jamerson amazes. Just a completely satisfying song start to finish, one that the listener enjoys throughout. (9.125/10)
B1. "Rodeo Drive (High Steppin')" (4:28) a Joe Sample composition that is so smooth yet remains sophisticated enough to please the jazz lovers. Leaves the listener up and happy. (9/10)
B2. "Carnival Of The Night" (6:24) another Wilton Felder song that jumps out of the gate like a SPYRO GYRA hit song: great construction; great sound palette, mix, and definition of great individual performances. I've never truly ever considered The Crusaders to be on the level of musicianship and sophistication as Power Fusion's A-listers (Mahavishnu, RTF, Eleventh House, Brand X, etc.) but this one definitely earns them more of my respect. (9.125/10)
B3. "The Hustler" (5:18) Stix Hooper's lone contribution to the album is solid and definitely percussion-happy but ultimately it settles into a place within the slightly-jazzier side of the Smooth Jazz trend that is taking over (has taken over?) the Fusion scene. (8.875/10)
B4. "Night Faces" (5:10) Joe Samples' third contribution to the album again seems to see the band filling the temporal space anomaly that bands like SPYRO GYRA bands are falling into. The main melodies are totally reworkings and variations of those from "Street Life" (a pattern that I'd only noticed in Freddie Hubbard before). Pretty. Satisfying. Inoffensive. Just not saying much new; only adding to the abyss that is swallowing up everyone else. (8.75/10)
Total Time: 39:06
Total Time: 39:06
89.64 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of Smooth Jazz served up on the Jazzier side.
CASIOPEA Casiopea
The debut album from this excellent Third Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion band from Japan. The album was released by the Japanese Alfa label on May 25, 1979.
- Issei Noro / Yamaha SG2000 electric guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals (7)
- Minoru Mukaiya / Fender Rhodes piano, acoustic piano, synthesizers, Yamaha Electone electronic organ, vibraphone
- Tetsuo Sakurai / Fender Jazz Bass bass guitar
- Takashi Sasaki / drums
With:
- Randy Brecker / trumpet (1, 8)
- Michael Brecker / tenor saxophone (1-2, 8)
- David Sanborn / alto saxophone (1, 8)
- Masatoshi Maeda / strings
1. "Time Limit" (3:07) man! what a bass player! Tetsuo Sakurai can play! Not a big fan of the David Sanborn horn section though. Still, it's good enough to earn its place as one of my top three favorites on the album. (9/10)
2. "Tears of the Star" (4:32) sexy, sultry Smooth Jazz. On this song it's the acoustic guitarist, Issei Noro, that gets to shine (though Tetsuo also gets to wow us some more). The synth chord sound and progressions in the second half are so saccharine, leading into a whole melodramatic passage for the finish. Would have been great on General Hospital to go along with the Luke and Laura melodrama going on at the time. (8.875/10)
3. "Space Road" (5:14) opens as an exercise in a certain chord progression by the bass and electric piano before the drummer (Takashi Saski) takes off in another direction at a whole different speed--leading the electric guitarist with him before convincing the bassist to follow as well. Very interesting! Ends up feeling and sounding more like something from Jean-Luc Ponty's dynamic lineup of the same time period. Excellent stuff! Defintely my favorite song on the album. (9.5/10)
4. "Midnight Rendezvous" (5:20) expressing the usual high standard of musicianship, it's just that the music doesn't really excite or bring me in. (8.75/10)
5. "Far Away" (3:55) more akin to something by The Crusaders, Bob JAMES, or even Barry White's LOVE UNLIMITED ORCHESTRA. It's very pretty but approaching golf theme or even elevator music. I do love the Joe SAMPLE-like piano work. (8.6666667/10)
6. "Swallow" (4:24) another song that sounds like one of the USA's West Coast jazz collaborations--like Tom Scott, Lee Ritenour, Dave Gruisin, or the like. Nice synth solo in the second minute, electric guitar in the third, and, of course, excellent (even astonishing) bass play. Got to give this one high marks despite its shlocky main melody and overall sound palette. A top three song. (9/10)
7. "Dream Hill" (5:39) EARTH WIND AND FIRE pop funk?! With even background vocals. Not what I was ever expecting! Guitar leads the melody parade before vocal choir joins in. (8.5/10)
8. "Black Joke" (4:17) jazz-funk that feels and sounds like 1980 with THE CRUSADERS, LARRY CARLTON/LEE RITENOUR, GEORGE BENSON, or DAVID SANBORN (which is more than a coincidence since David performs on this song). Beautiful and impressive but so dated. (8.75/10)
Total Time 36:28
This music is so pretty, so upbeat and happy, and so refined and virtuosic that it can only be Third Wave j-r fusion.
88.80 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent album of melodic and funky Third Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion from Japan. Highly recommended for any prog rock lover in order to experience the work of these skillful (and soulful) musicians!
June
More of Toto Blanke's experimentation outside of his gigs with Pierre Courbois and Jasper Van't Hof and Joachim Kühn. The influence of John McLaughlin's MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA and SHAKTI project is quite obvious here as is the more recent sounds and songs of WEATHER REPORT (on bassist Norbert Dömling). The album was released by Bacilus Records in June of 1979.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Toto Blanke / electric & acoustic guitars, Roland synth guitar, guitarina, PPG synth/sequencer, tambura, composer & co-producer
- Stu Goldberg / Fender Rhodes, MiniMoog
- Mat Nadolny / tenor & soprano saxophones
- Norbert Dömling / bass, co-producer
- Trilok Gurtu / tablas, percussion, hand drum
- Heinrich Hock / drums
1. "Birds Of A Feather" (9:41) opening with some of the sequencing he was experimenting with on his two previous albums, the song moves into WEATHER REPORT territory. A little too uniform in sticking with one single motif throughout the song--which makes it hard to stay engaged over ten minutes, but very high quality musicianship throughout. (17.75/20)
2. "Asiento" (3:51) Trilock Gurtu's opening percussion barrage lets us know that we're in for a SHAKTI-like fusion of Eastern and Western traditions. Norbert Dömling's fretless bass is straight out of the JACO PASTORIUS school of bass. Very nice imitation with nocitceably loose and free feeling from all musicians. (9/10)
3. "Hallo J." (2:00) Toto's beautiful play on his steel-stringed acoustic guitar paired up with Norbert Dömling's wonderful Jaco Pastorius-like fretless bass Wonderful! Could've gone longer (for my tastes). (5/5)
4. "Billi" (6:06) a Latin vehicle for some wild tenor sax play from Mat Nodolny. Stu Goldberg's mostly-two-chord support is a bit too forward and, therefore, obnoxious. In the fourth minute, Toto's electric (Roland?) jazz guitar gets the second solo. Lot's of unusual hand percussives and weird synth noises being thrown into the background (Trilock's contributions a little too far forward). (8.875/10)
5. "Floating" (5:39) a high-speed cruise that has a lot of angular melody lines in its "Vashkar"/Mahavishnu-like sound palette. Exceptional musicianship on display, top to bottom. (9.3333/10)
6. "Winterlied" (3:42) a duet between Stu Goldberg's MiniMoog and Toto's steel-stringed acoustic guitar. It opens as slow and ruminative duet of MiniMoog and gentle acoustic guitar chord picking before breaking down with some more flashy contributions from the acoustic guitar while the MiniMoog continues its melody-searching unphased. Reminds me of both SHAKTI and PAT METHENY. (9.25/10)
7. "I'm A Stranger Here Myself" (8:00) very much like something from AREA's Crac!: "Nervi Scoperti" Excellent musicianship (as it would have to be to earn that comparison)! (13.75/15)
8. "Friends (Dedicated To T. Blanke)" (4:27) interesting Weather Report-like weirdness. Smooth and melodic, though. (8.875/10)
Total Time 43:26
I'm not sure why Stu Goldberg gets second billing unless he was integrally-involved in the composition department as his keyboard play serves more in a support role (except for "Winterlied").
90.93 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of a broad spectrum of wonderfully-performed Jazz-Rock Fusion--one that could hold a candle to anything happening at the highest levels of fame, virtuosity, and sales marketing in the rest of the world.
JONI MITCHELL Mingus
A continuation of Joni's jazz era and collaboration with the rhythm section of Weather Report (and, especially, the tonal genius of Jaco Pastorius). In my opinion, Joni Mitchell paired with Jaco Pastorius make one of the most creative magical timeless duos of all-time. The album was released by Asylum Records on June 13, 1979.
Line-up/Musicians:
Joni Mitchell / guitar, vocals
With:
- Wayne Shorter / soprano saxophone
- Herbie Hancock / electric piano
- Jaco Pastorius / bass, horn arrangement
- Peter Erskine / drums
- Don Alias / congas
- Emil Richards / percussion
A1 "Happy Birthday 1975" (Rap) 0:57
A2 "God Must Be A Boogie Man" (4:33) Great interplay between Joni (vocals and her inimitable guitar chord play) and Jaco Pastorius' amazingly lyrical bass. The weird chorus could've been eschewed. (9/10)
A3 "Funeral" (Rap) 1:07
A4 "A Chair In The Sky" (6:40) a very interesting "meeting of minds" with Herbie Hancock and Jaco Pastorius! With Joni jazz singing over the top. A little Peter Erskine and Wayne Shorter are thrown in there for texture but totally unnecessarily. Not as friendly to the ear as I'd like despite some truly magical moments: that 's just the problem with this album: you're listening waiting for those incandescently bright moments while being tolerant of a lot of inhospitable or obtuse passages between. Again: I can truly appreciate the genius but cannot find enough pleasure in the means to the realization of that genius in moments of amazing transcendence. (8.875/10)
A5 "The Wolf That Lives In Lindsey"( 6:33) guitar striking that brings back the opening song of Don Juan's Reckless Daughter ("Overture/Cotton Avenue"). Still, anything close to anything from Don Juan is going to strike a chord of joy and love in me since that album is one of my Top 10 Favorite Albums of All-Time. Percussionists Don Alias, Emil Richards and what sounds like an acoustic bass add their two cents as well as plenty of "wolf" horn sounds in them thar background hills. (9/10)
B1 "I's A Muggin"' (Rap) 0:07
B2 "Sweet Sucker Dance" (8:06) Herbie's Fender Rhodes and Joni start off alone together before Jaco joins in. Really nice trio. Drum snare hit turns into a complete torch song support system. Sometimes one wishes that Joni would stop singing and let the musicians intermingle on their own. At times there are almost melodic hooks that connect with my little melody-starved brain. (17.375/20)
B3 "Coin In The Pocket" (Rap) 0:11
B4 "The Dry Cleaner From Des Moines" (3:22) Jaco let loose! Drums, hand percussives, horn banks, and the occasional injection of Wayne Shorter's gentle soprano sax notes. This song seems to owe a lot to songs like Don Raye and Hughie Prince's "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy from Company 'C'" (8.875/10)
B5 "Lucky" (Rap) 0:03
B6 "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" (5:41) Joni's history-lesson tribute to the namesake of this album. Peter Erskine's brushes, Herbie's Fender Rhodes, Jaco's intuitive bass, Wayne's gently-supportive sax riffs, and Joni's crystalline voice. (9/10)
Total Time: 37:24
86.875 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; such a well-intended tribute album stretches the imagination of the average Joe just beyond its limits of assimilation and accommodation.
EARL KLUGH Heart String
An album that I always pair with George Benson's Breezin' for their roles in sucking me into the Smooth Jazz fold. With musicians Ralph MacDonald, Phil Upchurch and a very familiar orchestrated sound from Dave Matthews as well as a rhythm section that seems interchangeable with that of George's masterpiece, it is no wonder. Heart String was recorded in New York City at Electric Lady Studios in October and November of 1978 and then published on June 15, 1979 by United Artists Records.
Lineup / Musicians:
- Earl Klugh / nylon string acoustic guitar
With:
- Greg Phillanganes / keyboards (A1, A2, B1, B4)
- Phil Upchurch / rhythm electric guitar (A1, A2, A3)
- Ralph MacDonald / percussion (A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, B4)
- Hubie Crawford / bass (A3, B2)
- Charles Meeks / bass (A1, A2, B1, B4)
- Victor Lewis / drums (A1, A2, B1, B4)
- Gene Dunlap / drums (A3, B2)
- Mickey Roquemore / piano, clavinet, and arranger on (A3)
- Darryl Dybka / electric piano (A3, B2)
- Roland Wilson / bass (B2)
A1 "Heart String" (6:19) an earworm of a song with great support from Greg Phillanganes' electric piano. (9.25/10)
A2 "I'll See You Again" (5:48) the disco honorarium breaks down into two parts. Heavy use of the clavinet and many "classic" jazz/R&B/funk rhythm guitar inputs. (9.5/10)
A3 "Acoustic Lady Part I & II" (7:40) my absolute favorite song on the album and one of my favorite Smooth Jazz masterpieces of all-time. (14.75/15)
B1 "Spanish Night" (3:15) (3:15) cogitating piano dominates this one's opening before Earl and the rest take over with an obviously Spanish theme. Almost an étude or interlude. Love the tremolo strums of the steel string guitar in the final minute. (8.875/10)
B2 "Pretty World" (4:51) nice melody as if from a vocal with nice full band and orchestral support. (8.875/10)
B3 "Waiting for Cathy" (2:47) solo acoustic guitar, mutliple guitars on multiple tracks, together sounding like a Paul Simon song. Very nice and rich. (8.875/10)
B4 "Rayna" (5:11) another absolutely gorgeous melody and overall guitar play surrounded by lush support from Dave Matthews orchestra and the electric piano, clavinet, percussion, bass and drums. In the fourth minute it tries to go into a more upbeat, dynamic "Acoustic Lady" direction but ultimately stops shortt. (9/10)
B5 "Heart String (reprise)" (4:01) cinematic strings open this like a late night Frank Sinatra/Nelson Riddle love song before Earl joins in to rehash his opening song's main melody in a much more slowed down, heavy manner. The flamenco-like flourishes after 2:15 (and again at 2:57) are so heart-wrenching! But, then, so is the orchestration. (9.5/10)
92.50 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a minor masterpiece of early Smooth Jazz.
July
FREDDIE HUBBARD The Love Connection
At the time I was so into Chick Corea and had become a very recent fan of Al Jarreau. Plus, beautiful album cover. After buying the record it a was the amazing orchestration of Claus Ogerman that kept drawing me back in--the same man and lush sound that supported Diana Krall's work in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Even though this album is mostly a collection of re-worked and expanded versions of some of Freddie's earlier works, every version of an older song is ten times better than the previous version. Material for the album was gathered from recording sessions in February and March of 1979 and then released by Columbia Records on July 28, 1979.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Freddie Hubbard / trumpet, flugelhorn
- Chick Corea / keyboards
- Chuck Damonico / bass
- Stanley Clarke / bass (A1)
- Chester Thompson / drums
- Al Jarreau / vocals (B1)
- Jumma Santos / percussion
- Rubens Bassini / percussion
- Claus Ogerman / orchestra conductor, arranger
- Guy Lumia / concertmaster
- Buddy Collette / tenor saxophone, flute
- Ernie Watts / tenor saxophone, flute
- Joe Farrell / tenor saxophone, flute
- Tom Scott / tenor saxophone, flute
- Chuck Findley / trumpet
- Snooky Young / trumpet
- Oscar Brashear / trumpet
- Steven Madaio / trumpet
- Dick Hyde / trombone
- Phil Ranelin / trombone
- Phil Teele / trombone
1. The Love Connection" (8:17) Freddie Hubbard's trumpet has never ever sounded so good as this song. The amazingly air-tight groove from drummer Chester Thompson and electric bassist Stanley Clarke is amazing but then add Claus Ogerman's production values and the arrangement and recording of those amazing horns and you have a song foundation in which there's no way any performer could not be inspired to play their best! One of my absolute favorite upbeat jazz-rock fusion songs of all-time. (19.5/20)
2. "Brigitte" (6:57) beautiful strings orchestra arrangement to open this reworked version of the 1973 classic (from Keep Your Soul Together), one with double bass, piano, and sensitive jazz drums setting up Freddie for one amazingly beautifully tender performance: great melodies through the first two minutes before the tempo and dynamics jump a couple notches with walking bass line and accented drum and conga play. Nice to hear Chick's Vince Guraldi-like sound and solo in the fifth minute--and the way the horns take it back from him at the end of the sixth minute for a wonderful strings-supported recapitulation of the opening melodies to the end. (13.25/15)
3. "This Dream" (9:00) a new Claus Ogerman composition offered up just for this album, it opens with the orchestra's low end (horns) revealing the main melody followed by its repetition from the upper end (strings) and then Freddie joins in to give his phrasings. Very interesting interplay on this tense, almost-Wizard of Oz-feeling piece of ambiguity. I'm not sure if Claus and Freddie were able to resolve the tension before the jazz combo join in, but it was interesting to hear them try. Chick on piano, Chuck Damonico on double bass, and Chester Thompson on bare-bones brushed drum kit. Chick plays a nice sensitive solo in the seventh minute over the two rhythm instruments, then the orchestra swells and Chick goes Alice Coltrane glissando mode in order to clear the palette for Freddie and Claus to finish it off the way it started. A pleasant and engaging listen--very cinematic--reminding me of some old movie like Billy Wilder's The Apartment. (18/20)
4. "Little Sunflower" (9:20) a Freddie original that first appeared on his 1967 studio release, Backlash. The original version was great but here we have Claus' strings, Chick's keys, and Al Jarreau all at their absolute peak. This is one of my favorite jazz vocal songs of all-time and one of the greatest Jazz-Rock Fusion songs ever. My favorite Freddie and Chick and Chester Thompson performances of all-time! (20/20)
5. "Lazy Afternoon" (10:02) the title says it all: and that's just the way I felt as this album side would run its course: all hyped up and blissed out by Al Jarreau, Chick and Freddy's "Sunflower," I would just lay back into the lazy-haze of the adrenal fall and fall asleep to the dulcet breathy tones of Freddie's trumpet and Claus's cinematic orchestrations over the song's first four minutes. But then Chick and the jazz-rock combo join in--with Chuck's surprising funk bass and the saxophone's playing off of Freddie's trumpet spits, but, alas! It's short-lived as the music moves back to soft jazz in the eighth minute for an extended close with just Freddy and Claus' orchestra. But, how appropriate. Those final notes alone make it all so worthwhile! BTW: This is a reworking of an old Jerome Moross and John Latouche song that first appeared on a Rod McKuen album back in 1956 (and then June Christy's Gone for the Afternoon in 1957). Nice version. (17.75/20)
Total Time: 43:36
94.21 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a masterpiece of funked up, mellowed down late 1970s pre-Smooth Jazz jazz-rock fusion. The rawness of the jazz-rock fusion that Tony Lifetime and Miles and Johnny Mac and Herbie the Headhunter and Carlos the Santana started has now been refined into what will soon become and be called "Smooth Jazz."
August
MATRIX Tale of the Whale
Definitely Jazz-Rock Fusion of the Third or early "Smooth Jazz" Wave from this band from Appleton, Wisconsin's Lawrence University. The album was recorded in April of 1979 and then released by Ratmix Music on August 3, 1979.
Line-up / Musicians:
- John Harmon / piano, composition, soloist
- Peter "Herb" Butler / engineer, co-producer
- John Kirchberger / tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, soloist, alto flute
- Randy Tico / bass, soloist, electric bass
- Mike Hale / composition, soloist, trumpet, percussion
- Greg Zajack / photography
- Brad McDougall / bass trombone, percussion, soloist
- Larry Darling / soloist, trumpet, percussion
- Patrick Soo Hoo/Designers / design
- Andy Waterman / engineer
- John Simon / producer
- Jeff Pietrangelo / soloist, trumpet
- Michael Murphy / drums
2. "Tale Of The Whale" (10:35) sounds like someone crossed an exaggerated Eberhard Weber bass with some VANGELIS music in an effort to try to replicate whale music in the ocean. Not quite Paul Winter Consort, but close. Around the fourth minute the band tries to go full PAUL WINTER Consort with a WEATHER REPORT rhythm section. Very catchy and engaging. The bass player, Randy Tico, is very good: very melodic. Too bad the opening four minutes wasn't so corny. (17.75/20)
3. "Homage" (3:38) (bass) trombone soloing over piano, fretless bass, and drummer's mostly-cymbal play. A bit of an early Pat Metheny vibe to this. Horn section takes over in the third minute for a crescendo before settling in for a gentle let down to finish. (8.75/10)
4. "Galadriel" (7:04) cinematic VANGELIS-like soundtrack music over which Randy Tico solos on his fretless bass. Horn section and drums kick in around the one-minute mark giving it a Broadway musical sound and feel. Piano solo that follows is very easy listening lounge music. It's a nice song--but definitely more elevator/Adult Contemporary music than hard-drivin' or funk J-R F. (13.125/15)
1. "The Fly" (4:04) pseudo-funk that sounds like it came from a high school "big" band/orchestra--recorded in their own gymnasium. (8.75/10)
2. "Tale Of The Whale" (10:35) sounds like someone crossed an exaggerated Eberhard Weber bass with some VANGELIS music in an effort to try to replicate whale music in the ocean. Not quite Paul Winter Consort, but close. Around the fourth minute the band tries to go full PAUL WINTER Consort with a WEATHER REPORT rhythm section. Very catchy and engaging. The bass player, Randy Tico, is very good: very melodic. Too bad the opening four minutes wasn't so corny. (17.75/20)
3. "Homage" (3:38) (bass) trombone soloing over piano, fretless bass, and drummer's mostly-cymbal play. A bit of an early Pat Metheny vibe to this. Horn section takes over in the third minute for a crescendo before settling in for a gentle let down to finish. (8.75/10)
4. "Galadriel" (7:04) cinematic VANGELIS-like soundtrack music over which Randy Tico solos on his fretless bass. Horn section and drums kick in around the one-minute mark giving it a Broadway musical sound and feel. Piano solo that follows is very easy listening lounge music. It's a nice song--but definitely more elevator/Adult Contemporary music than hard-drivin' or funk J-R F. (13.125/15)
5. "Nessim" (4:57) definitely some late night street creepin' cinematic stuff. Randy Tico's fretless bass is once again in the driver's seat though the chatter of the horns in the back seat and toms of the road noise certainly play a role. Then we get the input of the choral male vocalists singing wordless "Aaah"s. Dreamy and somnambulistic--and perhaps a little too repetitive and, therefore, monotonous. (8.66667/10)
6. "Narouz" (7:40) opens with the enticing promise of SHAKTI's "Mind Ecology" before muted trumpet and chorale vocalese takes on a. When the band settles into its full form, it is over a near-Latin rhythm track of a single speedy fretless bass riff, fast drum pace, and Herbie Hancock-like Fender Rhodes support. Bridge into refresh over which Larry Darling's trumpet lashes out with the Fender Rhodes just beneath. At 2:45 there is a slow down for a solo from John Harmon on his electric piano. The band gradually--almost imperceptibly--rejoins and pushes John farther. Michael Murphy's drums are quite impressive. This is definitely the most vibrant, dynamic, and true example of Jazz-Rock Fusion on the album--maybe the only exemplary example. (13.75/15)
Total Time 37:58
Total Time 37:58
A mixed bag of wide-spectrum samples of Jazz-Rock Fusion styles--from Latin, funk, cinematic, New Age, Smooth, and "big band," there's a lot of J-R Fuse's history represented here.
88.49 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent eclectic sampler of many styles of Jazz-Rock Fusion with some very clean sound and very tight performances. Recommended!
OREGON Roots in the Sky
Line-up / Musicians:
- Ralph Towner / Classical & 12-string guitars, piano, flugelhorn, percussion
- Paul McCandless / oboe, bass clarinet, English horn
- Glen Moore / double bass
- Collin Walcott / tabla, sitar, guitar, percussion
1. "June Bug" (3:38) great World-Americana blend over which Paul McCandless solos with his cor anglais like a swallow zipping in and out of impossible dives and twists and turns. Really beautiful! (9.375/10)
2. "Vessel" (7:46) piano, acoustic guitar, bass clarinet, and tabla used in a piano-led weave that feels like the movement of a wide river, swollen by some earlier summer rains: moving deceptively slow despite possessing tremendous power. Though Ralph Towner's jazzy piano occupies the lead for much of the song, the clarinet, percussion, and bowed and plucked string instruments offer a lot of accents and side attractions. This is a song that feels far more Western (ECM European) than Eastern. (13.25/15)
3. "Sierra Leone" (4:03) a percussion-dominated weave that sounds very much like a West African polyrhythmic pattern. [I know many Western artists spent a great deal of time and effort transcribing African tribal musics into recorded written forms. Were these artists of this ilk? Or just students of the already transcribed music--or really good at picking up (or creating) polyrhythms from merely hearing them?] The song is attributed to Collin Walcott. I happen to LOVE listening to African percussive weaves like this. (9/10)
4. "Ogden Road" (6:30) piano, congas, double bass chords, and 12-string picking magic all added to by horns and other layers of strings and percussion. The second and third parts (horn blasts and dynamic Pat & Lyle-like section) are awesome! It slows down again for the final minute even though the weaves and intricacies show restraint in denying themselves a whole new recapitulation of the spirited Metheny-like section. (9.625/10)
5. "House Of Wax" (4:33) jazz piano bass with sitar soloing above and bass clarinet and oddly-bowed double bass beneath. With the piano's repetition of only one riff, over and over, it feels a little too vampish--this despite the other instruments all adding their little subtleties (which are interesting but not mind-blowing). (8.75/10)
6. "Hungry Heart" (5:31) Paul McCandless' lone compositional contribution to the album starts out sounding a lot like the famous Icarus theme that these musicians all helped contribute to while working with Paul Winter's Consort. It's very pretty and very gentle, spreading out the exposure of all four of the musicians pretty equally. Once Ralph starts soloing on his 12-string guitar there is a very John McLaughlin-like feel, but the weave of all four musicians, each exploring the "acceptable" parameters of their contributions to the weave is so excellent that it all overrides any over-familiarity and/or Smoothness to the music. (9.25/10)
7. "Orrington's Escape" (0:50) like a little exercise into the Avant Garde world of UNIVERS ZERO or PRÉSENT. (4.5/5)
8. "Roots In The Sky" (4:22) sitar, double bass, hand percussives, and flugelhorn make for an interesting sound palette as the band sounds as if they're playing an old 1960s Miles Davis Hard Bop song on "alternative" instruments (non-traditional to the Jazz mainstream). Steel string acoustic guitar and bass clarinet also become part of this odd-yet-sophisticated song--one that sounds more and more like an appendage or alternate to the previous song's excursion into UZED and/or Présent territory. Glen Moore's lone compositional contribution to the album proves to be quite interesting. (9/10)
9. "Longing, So Long" (6:53) there is a little feeling on this Collin Walcott song of the band returning the "roots" that were expressed by the album's opening song as well as Paul McCandless' "Paul Winter Consort" homage of song six: "Hungry Heart." The presence and effect of Hammered dulcimer in the final third has a warm, welcoming feeling. (13.25/15)
Total time 44:06
Total time 44:06
90.53 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of East-West Jazz Fusion despite a little feeling of complacency and resting on past laurels.
September
DIDIER LOCKWOOD New World
French violinist records an album for MPS in the Netherlands with an international all-star cast. Here we find Didier deciding to reach backward toward a more classic acoustic-oriented jazz, sounding very much like the music Stéphane Grappelli and the great European jazz violinists of the 1950s and 60s. Didier even goes so far as to cover several jazz "classics"--as if he feels he has to prove himself to the Jazz community. New World was released in September of 1979.
- Didier Lockwood / violin, bass-violin
With:
- John Etheridge / guitar (5, 8, 9)
- Jean-Michel Kajdan / guitar (5)
- Gordon Beck (Nucleus, Allan Holdsworth) / piano
- Francis Lockwood / piano (6)
- Niels-Henning Orsted-Pedersen / bass
- Anthony "Tony" Williams / drums
1. "Vieux Pape" (5:19) opening with a sound palette and style that sounds completely acoustic Sixties, this Didier composition is highly melodic and richly-full with the busy, virtuosic jazz musicianship of pianist Gordon Beck, bassist Niels-Henning Orsted-Pedersen, and drummer extraordinaire, Tony Williams while Didier puts in a performance that would make him worthy for competition with the great Jean-Luc Ponty. Beck's wonderful piano play is capped by a solo that finds me thinking of the late, great Chick Corea. Lovely! Then Niels-Henning Orsted-Pedersen takes a turn in the spotlight and he's also quite wonderful--projecting lovely melody despite moving along the fretboard of his stand-up double bass at breakneck speeds. (9.25/10)
2. "Autumn Leaves" (5:24) a fully-jazz expression of the jazz classic (which was originally composed by Frenchmen Joseph Kosma and lyricist Jacques Prévoert when titled "Les feiulles mortes"--meaning "dead leaves"). Great performances--especially if you like high quality jazz musicianship. Also, I never really realized how wonderfully this song's main melody lends itself to expression on the acoustic violin. A kind of revelation! Gordon Beck's pristine solo in the second minute is so clean, crisp and yet beautiful. And Niels-Henning Orsted-Pedersen's walking bass line so perfect for holding it all together. (9.3333/10)
3. "La Manufacture De Sucre Engloutie" (3:50) gorgeous piano chord play opens this song--a composition credited to both Gordon Beck and Didier. Listening to this song truly is like being in the presence of humans possessed with a direct line to otherworldly beauty. I can definitely see how anomolous music mathematician Allan Holdsworth forged such a deep and lasting bond with Mr. Beck. (9.75/10)
4. "New World" (5:04) composed by Didier's brother, Francis, the ensemble really has fun with this one--especially, methinks, Didier and Tony. A great listen of impressive musicianship. (9.25/10)
5. "The Last Blade Of Grass" (4:26) the first song to sound a little like J-R Fusion with electrified violin, electric guitars, this song is attributed to guest fusion guitarist Jean-Michel Kajdan. Jean-Michel's performance is particularly impressive for its fiery dexterity as well as emotional expressiveness. Matter of fact, the rest of the band seem rather sleepy when set beside J-M's play: as if they're all stunned, standing in jaw-on-the-floor shock, as they go through their motions perfunctorily while Jean-Michel plays. In fact, it takes a full 20-to-30 seconds after Jean-Michel pauses for the others to re-focus and put some passion back into their own play--including the next soloist himself (Didier)! In the end, everybody gets up to speed and the song finishes well, but those first two minutes were extraordinary! (9.3333/10)
6. "My Memories Of You" (5:40) interesting that this Francis Lockwood-penned song title and sound, chord progressions all sound like a song of a similar name that would find its way onto Vangelis Pappathanassiou's soundtrack for the 1982 sci-fi film Blade Runner. This duet between the Lockwood brothers finds the one using electrified violin, the other using a standard grand piano. (8.875/10)
7. "Giant Steps" (2:10) an interesting sprint through one of the giants of jazz history. (4.5/5)
8. "Pent-up House" (2:31) a Sonny Rollins song that Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli made their own on which guitarist John Etheridge quite capably takes the role of Django, while Didier, of course, takes that of Stéphane. Quite a respectful and faithful rendering. (9.125/10)
9. "Zbiggy" (6:55) a tribute to the recently-deceased Polish-born jazz violinist Zbigniew Seifert. Perishing of cancer at the age of 32, "Zbiggy" had been an early pioneer of electrified violin sounds and an active member of the "free jazz" movement though he contributed significantly to the J-R Fusion albums of Volker Kriegel, Jan "Ptaszyn" Wróbleweski, Jasper van 't Hof, Joachim Kühn, Hans Koller, Charlie Mariano, and Glenn Moore's Oregon. Didier's song here allows his collaborators (Tony Williams, John Etheridge, Gordon Beck, and Niels-Henning Orsted-Pedersen) to also pay tribute to their lost compatriot. Kind of a two-chord high-speed, dynamic vamp that allows for lots of soloing. (13.375/15)
Total Time: 41:19
It's all great acoustic jazz--maybe "rock" can be tagged onto the descriptive referents, but it's really just jazz. To me, this album is more of a retrospective tribute to Jazz history than a step forward in the evolution of Jazz-Rock Fusion. At the same time, after repeated listens I've come to appreciate the absolute genius of the performances of these jazz stalwarts. Beautiful!
91.99 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; while not what I would consider an expression or full-fledged Jazz-Rock Fusion, this is without a doubt a wonderful expression of music, musicianship, and jazz of the absolute highest quality and must, therefore, be extolled as a masterpiece of music--general Götterdämmerung-ed music--no matter what genre or category you choose to assign it to.
BRAND X Product
I'm pretty sure this was my first Brand X acquisition and, therefore, one of my lasting favorites. The album was released on September 14, 1979 by Charisma Records in the UK and Passport Records in the the USA.
Line-up / Musicians:
- John Goodsall / guitar, vocals (2, 4)
- Robin Lumley / keyboards & sounds (1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9)
- Peter Robinson / keyboards, sounds & vocals (2, 4)
- John Giblin / bass (1, 3, 5-9)
- Percy Jones / bass (2, 4, 7)
- Phil Collins / drums, percussion, vocals (1, 3), Roland drum machine (7)
- Michael Clark / drums (2, 4)
- Morris Pert / percussion (2, 4)
1. "Don't Make Waves" (5:08) More RUSH-like than RTF. (8.75/10)
2. "Dance of the Illegal Aliens" (6:52) (13.25/15)
3. "Soho" (3:47) not j-r f at all. Like RTF for pop radio. (8.66667/10)
4. "Not Good Enough- See Me!" (7:27) PJ is amazing! Very Weather Report like with total thematic changes three times! (13.5/15)
5. "Algon (where an ordinary cup of drinking chocolate costs .£8.000.000.000)" (6:07) Stanley/RTF-like. Seriously! Great percussion work. (9/10)
6. "Rhesus Perplexus" (4:06) a little more based in traditional Latin jazz works though very much more electrified--like some of the "World Music" acts about to emerge in the 1980s. (8.875/10)
7. "Wal to Wal" (3:09) more Percy magic. Unfortunately, the entire song exists simply to showcase said skills. (8.66667/10)
8. "...And So to F..." (6:34) one of my favorite BX songs of all-time. I love Goodsall's Santana/Holdsworth-like sound and feel. (9.75/10)
9. "April" (2:40) more pensive WReport-like fare. (4.375/5)
Total Time: 48:50
2. "Dance of the Illegal Aliens" (6:52) (13.25/15)
3. "Soho" (3:47) not j-r f at all. Like RTF for pop radio. (8.66667/10)
4. "Not Good Enough- See Me!" (7:27) PJ is amazing! Very Weather Report like with total thematic changes three times! (13.5/15)
5. "Algon (where an ordinary cup of drinking chocolate costs .£8.000.000.000)" (6:07) Stanley/RTF-like. Seriously! Great percussion work. (9/10)
6. "Rhesus Perplexus" (4:06) a little more based in traditional Latin jazz works though very much more electrified--like some of the "World Music" acts about to emerge in the 1980s. (8.875/10)
7. "Wal to Wal" (3:09) more Percy magic. Unfortunately, the entire song exists simply to showcase said skills. (8.66667/10)
8. "...And So to F..." (6:34) one of my favorite BX songs of all-time. I love Goodsall's Santana/Holdsworth-like sound and feel. (9.75/10)
9. "April" (2:40) more pensive WReport-like fare. (4.375/5)
Total Time: 48:50
Like all of the Brand X albums, there are a couple great songs ("…and So to F…") surrounded by many fair to mediocre songs.
89.35 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of Third Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion.
FRANK ZAPPA Joe's Garage, Act I
Released by Zappa Records on September 17, 1979. Apparently this is yet another collection of Frank Zappa's social commentary on the constantly decaying elements of a crazed, diseased, and dying society.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Frank Zappa / lead guitar, vocals, arranger, conductor & producer
With:
- Ike Willis / lead vocals
- Al Malkin / vocals & chorus vocals
- Dale Bozzio / vocals & chorus vocals
- Geordie Hormel / chorus vocals
- Barbara Issak / chorus vocals
- Terry Bozzio / vocals
- Warren Cuccurullo / rhythm guitar, vocals & chorus vocals
- Denny Walley / slide guitar, vocals
- Tommy Mars / keyboards
- Peter Wolf / keyboards
- Craig Steward / harmonica
- Earl Dumler ("Marginal Chagrin") / baritone sax
- Jeff Hollie / tenor sax
- Bill "Stumuk" Nugent / bass sax
- Arthur Barrow / bass, guitar (2), vocals
- Vinnie Colaiuta / drums
- Ed Mann / percussion, vocals
1. "Central Scrutinizer" (3:27) the whispered voice of the "Central Scrutinizer"--the album's narrator--is brought to us by the band leader's megaphone-effected voice acting.
2. "Joe's Garage" (6:10) great for teenage guitar-playing sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll wannabees.
3. "Catholic Girls" (4:26) insenstive ribald entertainment.
4. "Crew Slut" (5:51) suggestive ribald entertainment.
5. "Wet T-Shirt Night" (5:26) pure ribald entertainment. Is this a musical album or a comedy album?
6. "Toad O Line" (4:18) nice guitar work. (8.875/10)
7. "Why Does It Hurt When I Pee?" (2:35) more Alice Bowie fare. Nice topic. (8.875/10)
8. "Lucille Has Messed My Mind Up" (5:17) Jazz-Reggae! With Ike Willis singing. Without listening to the words this is an okay if repetitive and drawn out song with fairly impressive, well-engineered sound. With lyrics taken into consideration I'd say this song sucks. (8.75/10)
- Frank Zappa / lead guitar, vocals, arranger, conductor & producer
With:
- Ike Willis / lead vocals
- Al Malkin / vocals & chorus vocals
- Dale Bozzio / vocals & chorus vocals
- Geordie Hormel / chorus vocals
- Barbara Issak / chorus vocals
- Terry Bozzio / vocals
- Warren Cuccurullo / rhythm guitar, vocals & chorus vocals
- Denny Walley / slide guitar, vocals
- Tommy Mars / keyboards
- Peter Wolf / keyboards
- Craig Steward / harmonica
- Earl Dumler ("Marginal Chagrin") / baritone sax
- Jeff Hollie / tenor sax
- Bill "Stumuk" Nugent / bass sax
- Arthur Barrow / bass, guitar (2), vocals
- Vinnie Colaiuta / drums
- Ed Mann / percussion, vocals
2. "Joe's Garage" (6:10) great for teenage guitar-playing sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll wannabees.
3. "Catholic Girls" (4:26) insenstive ribald entertainment.
4. "Crew Slut" (5:51) suggestive ribald entertainment.
5. "Wet T-Shirt Night" (5:26) pure ribald entertainment. Is this a musical album or a comedy album?
6. "Toad O Line" (4:18) nice guitar work. (8.875/10)
7. "Why Does It Hurt When I Pee?" (2:35) more Alice Bowie fare. Nice topic. (8.875/10)
8. "Lucille Has Messed My Mind Up" (5:17) Jazz-Reggae! With Ike Willis singing. Without listening to the words this is an okay if repetitive and drawn out song with fairly impressive, well-engineered sound. With lyrics taken into consideration I'd say this song sucks. (8.75/10)
9. "Scrutinizer Postlude" (1:30)
Total time: 39:00
Total time: 39:00
Though the lyrics and voice acting are all very entertaining, even interesting, I find absolutely nothing redeeming or enjoyable about this music despite its occasional injections and infusions of sophisticated jazz--which is sad considering the stellar line-up. It is an unfair distribution of vinyl space much less a sad usurpation of 39 minutes of any human being's time.
C+/3.5 stars; an album of sophisticated, subtly complex, and occasionally impressive music that I find hard to find redemption for due to the sophomoric pandering of its lyrical subject matter. This is definitely one of my least favorite and least impressive Frank Zappa albums that I've heard.
C+/3.5 stars; an album of sophisticated, subtly complex, and occasionally impressive music that I find hard to find redemption for due to the sophomoric pandering of its lyrical subject matter. This is definitely one of my least favorite and least impressive Frank Zappa albums that I've heard.
JEAN-LUC PONTY A Taste for Passion
I remember really enjoying this album for driving and summer outdoor background music when it came out. This is Jean-Luc in his extraordinary peak run of great albums. I also had the privilege of seeing him in concert with this album tour. A Taste for Passion was released by Atlantic Records on September 19, 1979.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Jean-Luc Ponty / violin, organ, acoustic & electric pianos, orchestration, producer
With:
- Joaquin Lievano / acoustic & electric guitars, guitar synth
- Jamie Glaser / guitar
- Allan Zavod / keyboards, synth & programming
- Ralphe Armstrong / fretless bass
- Casey Scheuerell/ drums, percussion
- Allan Gelbard / synth programming
1. "Stay With Me" (5:35) a long drum-and-bass-less opening presents Jean-Luc's space-violin at its spaciest. The drum and bass inputs are minimal while the guitar and keyboards are nebulous, literally, as one cannot distinguish between the synthesized violin-generated sounds and effected keys and gtrs. (9.3333/10)
2. "Sunset Drive" (5:45) though the four chord vamp (with very cheesy early techno-pop [think "Tainted Love"] drum machine!) is a bit cheesy, Ralphe Armstrong's opening fretless bass solo is quite impressive. Jamie Glaser then takes over the lead with a rather odd guitar sound: sounding like a rhythm guitarist trying to play a solo in a kind of 1960s jazz style with this whole weird modern sound filtering his guitar play. Starting at 2:34 the best section of the song starts as the rhythm section seems to be trying to drown out Jamie, but this just spurs the guitarist on to better heights. Then it's Jean-Luc's turn (this had become his new habit in his mature and secure years: allowing his collaborators to have the first solos--despite the fact that his establishment of the main melodies was always the best.) Innocuous and memorable mostly for that drum machine! (8.75/10)
3. "Dreamy Eyes" (4:18) a replication and variation on the successful "I Only Feel Good with You" sound palette and motif from the end of his prior album, Cosmic Messenger. But, heck! If it's a formula that works, why not?! Joaquin Leivano's choice for guitar tone is much preferred here--it allows his smooth runs to sound much more connected and flowing. (8.875/10)
4. "Beach Girl" (4:56) a lively, fun, almost Country-Disco composition in which the acoustic instruments are quite a nice change (violin, acoustic guitar, piano). I'm not sure if it's Jamie Glaser or Joaquin Lievano that has the smooth EARL KLUGH/AL DI MEOLA-like touch and facility on the steel string acoustic guitar, but it's nice--a little reminiscent of Daryl Stuermer's play on the similar "New Country" from Jean-Luc's 1976 classic, Imaginary Voyage (right down to the foot-stompin' beat). An awesome violin solo in the fourth minute only seals this as a J-L P classic. (9/10)
5. "Taste For Passion" (5:22) great solo piano motif (played by Jean-Luc, not Allan Zavod) opens this one before the power switch for the whole band is turned on at 0:37, bringing in a cool, rather deceptively slow-paced motif into play over which Joaquin Leviano's electric guitar is given the first crack at impressing (and impressive it is!) The structure and sound palette of the "meat" of this one is once again reminiscent of one of the songs off of Jean-Luc's previous album, Cosmic Messenger. (9/10)
6. "Life Cycles" (5:45) Jamie Glaser is given the lead guitar position once again over a very pop-oriented groove--one that could very easily have come from a Soul/R&B hit from the same era by the likes of Bobby Caldwell, Earth, Wind & Fire, or Narada Michael Walden. Nice tune. Cool engineering of Casey Schueurell's awesome Phil Collins-like drum play. Allan Zavod finally gets some "me time" with a cool synth sound in the second minute. Everybody seems in sync--as if they're all really enjoying this one--even Jean-Luc's solos project a kind of joi de vivre. (9/10)
7. "Reminiscence" (1:26) one of Jean-Luc's little sound experimentations--this one with a couple of bombastic rock 'n' roll power chords in the middle to punctuate its cinematic value. (4.375/5)
8. "Give Us A Chance" (3:02) another song that seems to pull some inspiration from the music that was making itself known on the pop charts at the time--which means the structure and play is fairly simple and straightfoward--but this allows for these uber-talented musicians to carve their own idiosyncratic initials into it--which is especially nice from Ralphe and Casey. A very likable song. (What's not to like?) (8.875/10)
9. "Obsession" (0:40) I'd say so! Really: what's the point? (4.25/5)
10. "Farewell" (3:06) smooth and emotional construct for piano, bass, and lead violin turns to the piano (Jean-Luc playing, no doubt) for a pretty solo riff as a bridge to a funky motif with Jean-Luc in the lead while Ralphe and Jamie provide the funk behind. The song really only amounts to another filler--not much longer than one of those interlude thingies (songs #7 & 9). (8.875/10)
Total Time 39:55
While there is some very good meat on this album, a lot of it feels like "unfinished" filler or easy repetitions of previously explored palettes and motifs. Was J-L in a hurry to get this one out? Had he been touring too much and had little time for composition? Or was Atlantic Records just putting pressure on him to get something out soon after his hot-selling Cosmic Messenger (which spent 28 weeks on the Billboard album charts, peaking at #38--his third charting LP in a row)?
89.26 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of borderline Third Wave and Smooth Jazz that was very popular in its time (and still stands up well today). If it weren't so scattered and feeling unfinished, this probably could have been another masterpiece.
LABORATORIUM Quasimodo
Polish Jazz band Laboratorium are back with their second foray into the world of Jazz-Rock Fusion, here succumbing to the pressures to produce listener-friendly Smooth Jazz a little earlier than they might have wanted. The album was released by the Polskie Nagrania Muza label on September 28, 1979.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Janusz Grzywacz / piano, Fender Rhodes, Arp Odyssey synthesiser
- Marek Stryszowski / vocal, alto sax, soprano sax
- Paweł Ścierański / guitar
- Krzysztof Ścierański / bass guitar
- Mieczysław Górka / drums
1. "Przejazd" (1:35) like a Berlin School Electronic space intro. Synth, synth electronic percussion sounds, synth beat, sliding fretless bass notes. Quite awesome! (4.625/5)
2. "I'm sorry, I'm not driver" (7:07) treated jazz bass intro from Krzysztof Ścierański introduces an awesome motif with dreamy keyboards and equally-dreamy vocalese singing wordlessly over the top. The bass, however, is definitely the star of this one despite the interesting almost-tribal/village vocals and great keyboard work. Coupled with that unusual title, this makes for a very interesting, unusual, and, ultimately, quite entertaining (and even engaging) song. Great acoustic guitar soloing from Paweł Ścierański at the end of the third minute which is challenged by Paweł's own electric guitar in the right channel soon after and continuously trading solo barbs with one another over the next minute before being supplanted by a pretty impressive bass guitar solo in the fifth minute. Overall, this song really made an impression--and managed to stay with me long after I left the source. (14/15)
3. "Etiudka" (1:26) cool piano play that serves as a beautiful and original little interlude between the big songs. It gets a little bluesy in the middle (darn!) and then finishes rather meekly. (4.375/5)
4. "Śniegowa panienka" (8:16) feels like the musical score behind a 1980s television news show, the melody theme borrows a bit from WEATHER REPORT and other Eastern European bands of the 1970s. The piano, drum, and fretless bass sounds are so clear and up front that it leaves me wondering why the choice to image the saxophone so far in the back (and give it that odd effect). I hear no guitar. The bass guitar is so far forward it might be too far. The piano playing is excellent though leaning a bit toward smooth lounge jazz. (17.75/20)
5. "Lady Rolland" (1:44) a weird weave of odd synth sounds and unusual effects deployed over instruments like voices and sax (sounding like the effects Jon Hassell runs his trumpet through) with percussive wordless vocal notes and beats. I'm guessing that this is Marek Stryszowski's contributions to the Yes Fragile-like "solo" interludes. Definitely not your every day interlude! (4.375/5)
6. "Quasimodo" (10:51) almost laid back BOB JAMES-like smooth jazz that manages to stay out of those ruts--but just barely. Luckily, there are few stop and turns that allow the song to serve up some nice solos from Marek Stryszowski's sax, Paweł Ścierański's electric guitar(s), and brother Krzysztof Ścierański's fretless electric bass. (17.75/20)
7. "Kyokushinkai" (2:54) I think I've figured out that these interludes are kind of the band's attempt to offer solo "workshop" compositions from the individual band members: this one from guitarist Paweł Ścierański and drummer Mieczysław Górka. A nice little duet. (4.5/10)
8. "Ikona (In Memory of Zbigniew Zeifert)" (6:15) another tribute to much beloved (and influential) countrymate and noted jazz violinist Zbigniew Zeifert who died of cancer early in the year of this production. There is definitely a feeling of respectful homage to this song: including keyboardist Janusz Grzywacz' creative use of a synthesizer to emulate Zbigniew's instrument of expression. It does drag on a bit, however. (8.875/10)
Total time: 40:08
While the musicianship is still achingly present, the music has, unfortunately, moved into the fringes, if not the main streets, of Smooth Jazz. I like the fact that the band is offering completely accessible while still maintaining an element of exploratory experimentalism--and while somehow still finding ways to play using their high skill levels. All is not lost!
90.28 on the Fishscales = A-/4.5 stars; a minor masterpiece of transitional Smooth Jazz produced by some fine musicians who are reluctant to let go of the exciting dynamics and musicianship required of Third Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion.
HERB ALPERT Rise
The king of 1960s party pop emerges from years of reclusion to show he's still got it!
Rise was released by A&M Records in September of 1979.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Herb Alpert / trumpet, flugelhorn, vocals, orchestrations (1, 8)- Joe Sample / acoustic piano
- Tim May / guitars
- Chris Pinnick / guitars
- James Jamerson, Jr. / bass
- Randy "Badazz" Alpert / drums, Moog drums, percussion, tavia, insanities
- Harvey Mason / drums
- Manolo Badrena / percussion
- Julius Wechter / marimba (2)
- Michel Colombier / acoustic piano (1, 8), synth bass (1), orchestrations (1)
- Bob Magnusson / acoustic bass (1)
- Carlos Rios / guitars (1, 3–8)- Michael Boddicker / synthesizer programming (1)
- Bill Reichenbach, Jr. / alto trombone (1)
- Bob Findley / trumpet (1)- Andy Armer / electric piano (Fender Rhodes) (2), acoustic piano, clavinet, synthesizers
- Mike Lang / acoustic piano (2)
- Steve Schaeffer / drums (2), percussion
- Abraham Laboriel / bass (2), acoustic guitar (8)
- Tom Tom 84 / string orchestrations (3, 5)
- Benjamin Barrett / string contractor (3, 5)
- Paul Shure / concertmaster (3, 5)
- Paul Shure / concertmaster (3, 5)
- Louis Johnson / bass (6)
- Jay Dee Maness / slide guitar (7)- Jerry Knight / bass (8)
- Tom Scott / Lyricon (8)
- Tommy Tedesco / lute (8), balalaika (8)
- Pete Jolly / accordion (8)
A2. "Rise" (7:37) written in house by Andy Armer and Randy "Badazz" Alpert (Herb's nephew). I've always loved this tune though I understand that it's not really a great jazz or fusion tune, just a nice, melodic, somewhat danceable song. (13.375/15)
A2. "Dana" (4:30) a gorgeous little Smooth Jazz tune with some great melody hooks à la BOB JAMES. A solid, very professionally rendered song despite its "lightness." (8.875/10)
A3. "What Is Your Fantasy" (3:32) a full-on funk-R&B tune in the vein of early KOOL & THE GANG, OHIO PLAYERS, EARTH WIND & FIRE, RUFUS, and BETTY DAVIS as well as contemporaries like PARLIAMENT, The ISLEY BROTHERS, and The BROTHERS JOHNSON, with Miki Howard on the lead vocal, a sassy chorus of male background vocalists, and plenty of funk coming from Ed Reddick's bass, Bobby Lyle's clavinet and synthesizer percussion, as well as Michael McGloiry's rhythm guitar, they have all the makings of a very popular, very entertaining song for the BET and other Black entertainment media. (8.875/10)
- Pete Jolly / accordion (8)
- Emil Richards / percussion (8)
- John Bergamo / percussion (8)
- Gene Page / orchestrations (8)
- Harry Blueston / concertmaster (8)
A1. "1980" (2:25) a Herb Alpert original written for the CBS television coverage of the 1980 Olympics, it feels as if it has borrowed extensively from the cinematic music that Ennio Morricone created for Sergio Leone's Spaghetti Westerns as well as previewing Vangelis' soundtrack for the Chariots of Fire film. (8.875/10)
A2. "Rise" (7:37) written in house by Andy Armer and Randy "Badazz" Alpert (Herb's nephew). I've always loved this tune though I understand that it's not really a great jazz or fusion tune, just a nice, melodic, somewhat danceable song. (13.375/15)
A3. "Behind The Rain" (5:34) a Herb Alpert original, it's quite introspective (which was the impression most of this music gave me back when it came out--kind of like Bill Conti's Rocky OST). The shift into cinematic disco is interesting but, somehow, it really works! I even love Herb's wordless vocalese along-side his trumpet--he's got a little pre-Pedro Aznar feel to him! What a great if unexceptional groove! (9.25/10)
A4. "Rotation" (5:12) another Andy Armer-Randy "Baddazz" Alpert composition, this time using some of the latest computer/electronic programming sounds and sequencing (rhythm tracks, drum programs) to provide the music beneath Herb's cosmic reverb flugelhorn. Here come The Police! Very creative! Mega kudos Andy and Randy! (9.125/10)
B1. "Street Life" (5:01) a cover of the Joe Sample-Will Jennings hit song has a much more laid-back, almost Philly summer street party feel and sound to it. Interesting that co-composer Joe Sample is playing the piano here. Cool that the Sharky's Machine theme song had so many iterations before finding its way to Randy Crawford and the movie screen. Even here there is no denying the song's charm and candy. My one question is: Was James Jamerson playing the bass here? (8.875/10)
B2. "Love Is" (4:28) a cover of a Bill Withers-Paul Smith composition feels as if it's just being used as filler--or is being kept for its Louis Johnson performance. (8.75/10)
B3. "Angelina" (4:13) a cover of a Gary Brooker-Pete Sinfield composition is here rendered into an almost Caribbean form and palette--sounding like an instrumentalized version of a Calypso or Jimmy Buffet song. (8.7/10)
B4. "Aranjuez (Mon Amour) (A-Ron-Ways)" (6:42) Herb's Disco version of Rodrigo's famous themes from his Concierto de Aranjuez. The acoustic guitar, electric bass, clavinet, and mallet percussion performances are quite impressive but the Disco drumming and strings kind of sour it. (8.875/10)
Total Time: 41:22
Total Time: 41:22
89.21 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent expression of music that shows the transitional potential of the musical crossroads of the end of the 1970s: Disco meets computer age; funk meets string orchestra; cinematic soundtracks music becomes Smooth Jazz.
October
BILLY COBHAM B.C.
Another eclectic collection of musics that were popular with the contemporary Jazz, Jazz-Rock Fusion, Disco, Pop-R&B and Black exploitation Funk-R&B artists with Billy still demanding total commitment and excellence from his collaborators. (They must have loved him. I want to assume that he paid them well.) B.C. was released by Columbia Records in October of 1979.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Billy Cobham / drums, percussion,
- Nathaniel Phillips / bass- Bobby Lyle / electric piano, synthesizer [Arp Quadra] (A2, A3, B2)
- Michael McGloiry / guitar (A3, B1 to B3)
- Michael McGloiry / guitar (A3, B1 to B3)
- Vance "Mad Dog" Tenort / Congas (A1, A4, B1)
On Songs A1, A2, A4, B2:
- Jim Gilstrap / vocals [lead A1]
- Wayne Henderson / trombone solo [A1]
Woodwinds: Ernie Watts [flute solo on A1], Peter Cristleib, Bill Green
Brass: Oscar Brashear [trumpet], Steve Madaio [trumpet, flugelhorn], Garnett Brown [tenor trombone], David Duke [French horn], Ernie Tack [tuba, bass trombone]
Violins: Bonnie Douglas, Carroll Stephens, Clayton Haslop, Glenn Dicterow, Gordon Marron, Ilkka Talvi, Israel Baker, Jack Pepper, James Getzoff, Janet Lakatos, Nathan Ross, Stephen Bryant
Cellos: Douglas David, Paula Hochhalter, Robert Adcock, Selene Hurford
Harps: Catherine Gotthoffer, Dorothy Remsen
With:
- David Yost / synthesizer (B4)
- Ed Reddick / bass (A3)
And:
Backing Vocals:
Jim Gilstrap, Miki Howard, Alexandra Brown, August Johnson, Louis Patton, Donna Fein, Joe Croyle, Jon Joyce, Merry Greene, Michael Wright, and Muffy Hendrix.
A1. "Oh Mendocino" (6:39) with lead vocalist Jim Gilstrap being backed by vocal choir and a full orchestra we get a lively Latin-flavored song that sounds like something from either a Broadway musical or an animated Disney film. (8.875/10)
A2. "Dana" (4:30) a gorgeous little Smooth Jazz tune with some great melody hooks à la BOB JAMES. A solid, very professionally rendered song despite its "lightness." (8.875/10)
A3. "What Is Your Fantasy" (3:32) a full-on funk-R&B tune in the vein of early KOOL & THE GANG, OHIO PLAYERS, EARTH WIND & FIRE, RUFUS, and BETTY DAVIS as well as contemporaries like PARLIAMENT, The ISLEY BROTHERS, and The BROTHERS JOHNSON, with Miki Howard on the lead vocal, a sassy chorus of male background vocalists, and plenty of funk coming from Ed Reddick's bass, Bobby Lyle's clavinet and synthesizer percussion, as well as Michael McGloiry's rhythm guitar, they have all the makings of a very popular, very entertaining song for the BET and other Black entertainment media. (8.875/10)
A4. "A Little Travelin' Music" (4:11) sounding like an excursion through/around the Caribbean. Pianist Bobby Lyle's dynamic play reminds me quite often of the play of more animated Chick Corea. Very dynamic and tight. No doubt Billy had loads of fun on the timbales track. (9.125/10)
B1. "The Lonely Bull (El Solo Toro)" (6:22) with the male and female grunts and groans mixed over the percussive display over the first minute of this song one would never guess that this was going to turn into a very funky, high speed Disco run through Herb Albert's signature song (from his 1962 debut). And I thought the previous song was all fun and games, this one is like that but on steroids and meth-amphetamines! "A Little Travelin' Muisc" was only Billy's warmup on the timbales! The theatric vocal performances are a little hokey/over-the-top, but it is definitely an impressive display of percussion and horn play. (8.875/10)
B2. "I Don't Want To Be Without You" (4:08) another Latin-infused tune with ultra-funk bass in the form of Nathaniel Phillips slap bass. The horns and orchestration are still cool but the choir of background vocalists is getting a little old. Nice electric piano work from Bobby Lyle. (8.875/10)
B3. "Bring Up The House Lights" (4:26) are we having fun now? The relaxed Black street talk between Billy and George Duke is quite entertaining (they definitely captured one great conversation!), while the funky-smooth sax-led music beneath them. Funny that George is contributing absolutely nothing instrumentally to the song, but the conversation is definitely worth listening to--over and over. As a novelty song I have to admit that this is pretty special. (9/10)
B4. "Vlastar - An Encounter" (7:23) Billy's customary drum solo (there seems to be one on every album). I guess it does provide a kind of historical record of the ideas and techniques Billy encounters and toys around with from year to year. As far as comparing this one to others, I must say that this one is easy to engage with and yet still presents some very impressive and entertaining play. David Yost joins Billy on a synthesizer for the sixth minute and beyond, giving the song a spacey finish like something from a TV or film soundtrack. (14.25/15)
Total Time: 41:11
Total Time: 41:11
I truly appreciate and enjoy Billy's trajectory of continuous evolution with its fearless experimentation and amazing ability to masterfully incorporate anything and everything into the aegis of his overwhelmingly high standards of quality. Along with Chick Corea he has become my most respected Fusion artist of all-time. While I might not find myself recommending the songs on this album as easily of quickly as others from other albums (except for "Bring Up the House Lights" and "Vlashtar - An Encounter": people need to hear those two), I will not shirk, myself, from returning to this album for future listens.
89.71 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of high-quality, very entertaining music that still manages to fall completely under the Jazz-Rock Fusion umbrella.
89.71 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of high-quality, very entertaining music that still manages to fall completely under the Jazz-Rock Fusion umbrella.
LEB I SOL Rucni Rad
The Macedonian band's third album released in the space of 18 months shows even more growth. The album was released on the PGP RTB label on October 26, 1979.
- Vlatko Stefanovski / electric & acoustic guitars, vocals
- Nikola Dimusevski / piano, Fender Rhodes, Mellotron, Polymoog, Minimoog
- Bodan Arsovski / bass, double bass
- Garabet Tavitijan / drums
With:
- Milivoje Marković / tenor & alto saxes
1. "Lenja pesma" (4:32) more sophisticated than their previous efforts (especially from bass player, Bodan Arsovski, drummer Garabet Tavitijan, and in the composition department). There's so much more to this song construct than anything on the band's previous albums--even the sound quality (which is more like JEAN-LUC PONTY or UK despite the CAMEL/John Wetton-esque vocals). (9.125/10)
2. "Rebus" (5:12) the staccato instrument sounds weaving together on this one are very much like something coming from the contemporary (late) Canterbury scene and bands like BRUFORD and UK. The second piano-dominated motif is full jazz (though perhaps a bit of a parody of such--in a BUGGLES kind of way) but Nikola Dimusevski sure gets to shine (as do Bodan and Garabet). The key changes and motif switches are awesome! Now this is true Jazz-Rock Fusion! (9.3333/10)
3. "Hogar" (4:21) a nice little pre-song space intro gives this a little UTOPIA/MISTER MISTER "Kyrie Eleison"/JEAN-LUC PONTY "Don't Let the World Pass You by" feel. The band continues the "Don't Let the World Pass You by" emulation when it ramps up the whole band into a fast-paced two-step cruising speed over which Vlatcko and Nikola (and maybe Milivoje) add their brief solos. A return to the intro motif at the halfway mark allows for a reset and then everybody's back to the races again. I love how fat the band has come: it's no longer music set up to display individual skills (especially Vlatko's); now it's fully-formed, sophisticated Jazz-Rock Fusion within which the individual musicians can make their mark. (9.5/10)
4. "Rucni rad" (5:07) the slow, melodic start had me a bit worried, but this song's development follows very well that of any mature, high-level Third or Fourth Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion song (though two of the motifs used definitely step into the realm of "Yacht Rock"/Smooth Jazz--if only exploratory "dipping their toes"). It's really remarkable how far Bodan and Nikola have come! (8.875/10)
5. "Kumova slama" (5:20) A semi-Disco tune--with Bodan setting the main melody with his fretless bass?!! And then Vlatko coming in with his Smooth Jazz CHRIS REA/LEE RITENOUR-like lead guitar melody-making! Unfortunately, it makes the song sound like a Easy Listening cover of an EAGLES song. Well performed (and, I guess, conceived--I've got to give kudos where they are deserved) but I have to admit to feeling a little disappointed and let down--especially after the rousing full-on Jazz-Rock Fusion start! (8.875/10)
6. "Put u vedro" (5:20) another softer and smoother musical construct that mellows one out as if you're sitting in the sun on your yacht or Florida club's poolside--even sporting a seductive, sex-suggestive saxophone as its one and only lead instrument. At the end of the fourth minute, however, things get a little crazy as the musicians go into a bit of a frenzy of chaotic noise-making, but they all come back to the soporific theme that started it all for the final 20 seconds (and fadeout). Nice but not enough to salvage it from the miasma of the kind of music that makes one have to drink. (8.75/10)
7. "Verni pas" (6:09) sounds exactly like something from Burt Bacharach's soundtrack to the film, Arthur. It's pretty, atmospheric, and mood-affecting, just not the Jazz-Rock Fusion I was hoping for (that the album's first three songs teased me with). (8.75/10)
Total Time: 36:01
Total Time: 36:01
An album whose first three songs signaled the start of a high-quality Jazz-Rock Fusion masterpiece took a sudden (and sadly unexpected) turn into the Easy Listening/Adult Contemporary Fourth Wave avenue of what I call Smooth Jazz. It's mature, high-quality sound and song construction throughout--even the traitorous smooth stuff
90.30 on the Fishscales = A-/4.5 stars; an album that would definitely qualify for full masterpiece status were we only judging the first three songs. As it plays out, as an album, this is high-quality music (and sound); it's just not the high-quality peak-era Jazz-Rock Fusion music that they seemed to be promising at the beginning. As it is, in its aggregate sum form, I can only refer to this as an inconsistent near-miss "near-masterpiece."
November
PAT METHENY GROUP American Garage
Line-up / Musicians:
- Pat Metheny / 6- & 12 string guitars, producer
- Lyle Mays / organ, piano, autoharp, Oberheim synth
- Mark Egan / fretless bass
- Dan Gottlieb / drums
- Pat Metheny / 6- & 12 string guitars, producer
- Lyle Mays / organ, piano, autoharp, Oberheim synth
- Mark Egan / fretless bass
- Dan Gottlieb / drums
1. "(Cross the) Heartland" (4:54) one of those delicate, multi-part Group collaborations that explore the possibilities offered by both acoustic and electronic instruments. There is a lot of poppy shlock in the up-tempo whole-band parts while much more tension and nuance in the softer acoustic-guitar woven parts. There is also an unmistakable recent-Weather Report influence to the commerciality of this song. (8.875/10)
2. "Airstream" (6:55) Lyle's piano work in the opening minute of this feels so Midwest Americana--like something that belongs to a soundtrack of a Ken Burns production. But then when the whole band becomes involved it sounds like something from Burt Bacharach's soundtrack to the film Arthur (which won't come out for another two years). You get my point: this is very friendly, very accessible, very familiar and highly-melodic music--qualifying for admission to the Bob James School of Smooth Jazz. (I wonder if Burt, Carole, and Christopher Cross heard this album before/as they were composing the music to their award-winning Arthur soundtrack.) (13.375/15)
3. "The Search" (6:20) a Smooth Jazz palette for Lyle to show off (one of) his signature synthesizer leads: the amorphous "ghost cor anglais." (8.75/10)
4. "American Garage" (4:13) Bruce Springsteen! The rock and Americana foundations of this song are so blatant and pop-oriented as to make me feel a tremendous amount of gratitude that Pat did not continue on this path of shlock production. Again the effect of the Popular Weather Report influence is strongly present here. (8.667/10)
5. "The Epic" (12:59) another hugely Popular Weather Report Era influenced song: both the rhythmic and melodic patterns as well as the sound palette. After about three minutes, it does, however, morph into something more akin to classic Pat Metheny Group sound and then wind and wend its way through several other motifs making it definitely qualify as a suite-like "epic." The soft and gentle motif in the 10th and 11th minutes is probably my favorite--especially as it leads to a cool buildup and crescendo-lite in the 12th--before it returns to a recapitulation of the themes of a couple of the opening movements. (22.125/25)
Total Time 35:21
Total Time 35:21
I'd never thought of Pat Metheny as a contributor to the Smooth Jazz movement until hearing this album. Yes, they definitely were!
88.27 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent, if temporary, foray into Weather Report-like radio-friendly Smooth Jazz.
FRANK ZAPPA Joe's Garage, Acts II & III
The continuation of the "story" begun with the September 17 release of "Act I." Released by Zappa Records on November 19, 1979. I'm going to be more thorough and attentive with this review than I was for "Act I" due to the higher quality of production value present here: the energy put into the composition and musicianship exhibited on this album are far more deserving of a serious review.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Frank Zappa / lead guitar, vocals, arranger, conductor & producer
With:
- Ike Willis / lead vocals
- Al Malkin / vocals & chorus vocals
- Dale Bozzio / vocals & chorus vocals
- Geordie Hormel / chorus vocals
- Barbara Issak / chorus vocals
- Terry Bozzio / vocals
- Warren Cuccurullo / rhythm guitar, vocals & chorus vocals
- Denny Walley / slide guitar, vocals
- Tommy Mars / keyboards
- Peter Wolf / keyboards
- Craig Steward / harmonica
- Earl Dumler ("Marginal Chagrin") / baritone sax
- Jeff Hollie / tenor sax
- Bill "Stumuk" Nugent / bass sax
- Arthur Barrow / bass, vocals
- Patrick O'Hearn / bass (6, 7)
- Vinnie Colaiuta / drums
- Ed Mann / percussion, vocals
1. "A Token of My Extreme" (5:30) a song whose music, sound, performances, and enjoyability are all superior to anything/everything that was present on its "Act I" predecessor. I'm getting tired of the "Central Scrutinizer." (8.875/10)
2. "Stick It Out" (4:34) using German and poor Weird Al Yankovic near-polka music to make fun of the bane of all teenage boys: the irrepressible and spontaneous penile erection. Shouldn't we be above this? (8.5/10)
3. "Sy Borg" (8:54) another usurpation of the emergingly-popular Reggae medium for the expression of a satire of another emerging element of the commercial entertainment industry (for men): the sex toy. Rather tight musically, this sounds like a rebellion to the sexual revolution that Prince and so many African-American artists were igniting. The synth/electric guitar and electric piano work in the instrumental section are sublime. (17.5/20)
4. "Dong Work for Yuda" (5:03) opening with the Central Scrutinizer's narration displaying Frank's near-uncontrollable the story of John's "sausage that will break heart" is sadly just another potty humor penis song. Nice "Eyes Wide Shut" dinner theater and musique concrète but nothing warranting human regard or reverence. I'd go the other extreme to say that this reprehensible fare makes me embarrassed and ashamed to be of the same species, race, and version of humankind as its creators. (8.667/10)
5. "Keep It Greasey" (8:21) though made of impressive musicianship, the story, subject matter, and implied racial slurs therein are to me just more embarrassing representation of the lows that our species is capable of. I'm especially sad for Ike Willis' obvious parody/imitation of Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone--and this with some of Frank's finest guitar shredding ever! (17.75/20)
6. "Outside Now" (5:49) continuing from "Keep It Greasey" with an introspective/reflective lyric and performance from Ike Willis (as the increasingly despondent guitarist-wannabe Joe and his decent into the confusion and of the Church of Appliantology) we get some of the album's most convincing and emotional music and performances as well as great sound. The feelings conveyed by the music and sound engineering definitely match the feeling of sadness and confusion being conveyed by Joe's lyrics (and Ike's performance). (9.25/10)
7. "He Used to Cut the Grass" (8:35) Joe tries to make meaning of a world in which "music has been made illegal." The "Black Napkins"-like musicscape is fitting of Ike's predicament as is the eccentric guitar solo from Frank in the front half of the song. Vinnie Colaiuta's drums, Patrick O'Hearn's fretless bass, and the dreamy Fender Rhodes chords all contribute to an "underwater" feeling that Frank's work as both guitarist and "Central Scrutinizer" do well to enhance. I feel as if I'm entering Los Angeles in Blade Runner's version of 2019! Wonderful! What an excellent job of transporting the listener to a complete imaginary realm. (18.667/20)
8. "Packard Goose" (11:31) funk bass and xylophone open this with a light up-tempo motif that becomes usurped by layers of rock guitar power chords as Joe and others sing about (lament) the degradation of music being caused by Rock 'n' Roll. The irony of the re-appearance of the bus girl from Act I to share with us the "truth" of the meaning of life is not lost on me--is obviously Frank's ultimate condemnation of all that 20th Century American pop culture is "doing" for the world--for the human race. There ensues thereafter a syncopated motif that Frank goes back to using his heavily-effected electric guitar to express his feelings without the use of words. Nice drumming in this section from Vinnie. The music here is not quite as befitting of the emotional message Frank is purportedly trying to convey. In the ninth minute Joe and the band return with some mixed-messaged music delivered from the "cosmic utensil" (toilet). Too bad. Perhaps this is the ultimately-perfect vehicle for the Doo-Wop music of the 1950s. (17.5/20)
9. "Watermelon in Easter Hay" (9:05) Frank as the Scrutinizer can barely keep his act together as he keeps cracking himself up as he tries to set up the delivery of Joe's "final guitar solo." The music is okay--plods along a little too spaciously, a little too slowly; the guitar solo a little too twangy and reverberated. Things improve at 3:57 when Frank switches to a completely different guitar tone--one that is to become quite iconic in the 1980s as many Metal artists adopt it for their own shredding (think Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, Whitesnake, and others). But then at the six-minute mark he chooses to return to the twangy tone of the first solo. Dommage. The underlying musical carpet is quite appropriate as a New Orleans-style funeral processional. (17.75/20)
10. "A Little Green Rosetta" (8:16) the final message from the Central Scrutinizer is as confusing as any of the previous ones though it does convey the idea that he's going to relinquish his narrator duties in lieu of "his normal voice" as he feels he has proved his point that music only causes trouble. Thereafter Frank and a choir of vocalists and partiers sing a little ditty of insanity over a semi-Caribbean-infused motif before Frank takes time out to try to correct the fact that the intention of his story might have left the many cultures in the Third World before turning to humorously single out and (kind of) thank his "good" musicians (Warren, Vinne, Steve, Ed). It's enjoyable--and certainly serves (unwittingly) as ear candy fun with which to end the expedition--but it's not very innovative or complex rock, prog, or jazz-fusion. It's glib and it's entertaining. (17.333/20)
Total Time: 75:36
Total Time: 75:36
88.62 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an oddly wide-spectrummed collection of songs, music, and performances all offered as one of Frank's mirrors to the crazy inconsistencies and hypocrisies of our world.
CASIOPEA Super Flight
The Japanese band's sophomore album--released in the same year as their debut but feeling quite different. The album was released in Japan by Alfa Records on November 25, 1979.
- Issei Noro / electric guitar, fretless guitar, arrangements
- Minoru Mukaiya / keyboard, organ, pedal bass, synthesizers, vocoder (2, 5, 8), string arrangement (1)
- Tetsuo Sakurai / bass guitar, fretless bass
- Takashi Sasaki / drums
With:
- Kanya Kazama / backup drums
- Penny Itoh / percussion
- Debrah Correll / vocals (7)
- Jun Fukamachi / conducting, horn arrangement (9)
- Koji Hatori / trumpet (9)
- Toshio Araki / trumpet (9)
- Eiji Arai / trombone (9)
- Jake H. Concepcion / alto saxophone (9)
- Takeru Maruaoka / tenor saxophone (9)
- Shunzo Sunahara / baritone saxophone (9)
- Masatoshi Maeda / strings
1. "Take Me" (4:19) sounds like a song by JOE SAMPLE or TOTO's "Georgy Porgy." (8.75/10)
2. "Flying" (4:51) incredible bass play beneath syrupy Yacht Rock/Smooth Jazz. I'm not liking the new tone that the electric guitarist is using. (8.75/10)
3. "Dune" (4:51) a slowed down variation on/version of JOE SAMPLE's "Midnight and Mist" from his 1979 album, Carmel. (8.75/10)
4. "Asayake" (5:05) competent but does little to engage me. (8.75/10)
5. "I Love New York" (4:08) anthemic song with vocoder lyrics. Could've been a R&B radio hit. (8.875/10)
6. "Sailing Alone" (4:41) another melodic BOB JAMES-like Smooth Jazzer that feels a bit too familiar. (8.75/10)
7. "Olion" (3:20) now here we have some high-powered Jazz-Rock Fusion in the RTF J-LP tradition! Great song with some astounding individual performances. (9.25/10)
8. "Magic Ray" (4:42) like a late 1970s cover of some syrupy/romantic radio hit. (8.5/10)
9. "Mighty Mouse" (3:09) disco funk jazz with some excellent structure, synchronization, and horn support but it's still sounding more and more like Florida lounge jazz. (8.75/10)
Total Time 39:06
The band's slide further into the realm of Smooth Jazz renders this album far inferior to their debut--this despite continued great compositional skill and virtuosic musicianship.
87.92 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a very nice exhibition of instrumental mastery given away to Smooth Jazz.
December
Other 1979 Releases
LARRY CORYELL Return
Recorded on June 4-6, 1979, it was then released by Vanguard Records later in the year.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Larry Coryell / guitar
With:
- Darius Brubeck / piano
- Chris Brubeck / bass
- Dan Brubeck / drums
- Ray Mantilla / percussion
1. "Cisco at the Disco" (5:46)
2. "Rue Gregoire Du Tour" (4:36)
3. "Five Mile Island" (5:49)
4. "Return" (5:34)
5. "Sweet Shuffle" (6:20)
6. "Mediterranean Sundance / Entre Dos Aguas" (5:48) Larry's cover of Al Di Meola's famous song is obviously a carry-over from the work he did with John McLaughlin and Paco De Lucia in the first line-up of the famous Guitar Trio. Larry does a fine job with his band, despite his choice to give it his jazz-guitar sound instead of an acoustic or fiery loud Rock distortion sound. (9/10)
Total Time 33:53
- Larry Coryell / guitar
With:
- Darius Brubeck / piano
- Chris Brubeck / bass
- Dan Brubeck / drums
- Ray Mantilla / percussion
1. "Cisco at the Disco" (5:46)
2. "Rue Gregoire Du Tour" (4:36)
3. "Five Mile Island" (5:49)
4. "Return" (5:34)
5. "Sweet Shuffle" (6:20)
6. "Mediterranean Sundance / Entre Dos Aguas" (5:48) Larry's cover of Al Di Meola's famous song is obviously a carry-over from the work he did with John McLaughlin and Paco De Lucia in the first line-up of the famous Guitar Trio. Larry does a fine job with his band, despite his choice to give it his jazz-guitar sound instead of an acoustic or fiery loud Rock distortion sound. (9/10)
Total Time 33:53
on the Fishscales = / stars;
BEDJABETCH Subrepticement
A French band that would soon become a popular Disco band. The album was recorded during various dates between July 26 and September 12 of 1979 and then released by A.W.A. Records late in the year.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Branko Miljevic / bass
- Gilles Petri / drums
- Michel Olivieri / glute, saxophone
- Marcel Merino / guitar
- Patricia Hue / keyboards
1. "Pieds D'Anchois" (3:42) amazing clarity and definition to all instruments in this tight Headhunters-like song. Rich keyboard play, simple funk, and solid solos from Michel Olivieri's sax and Marcel Merino's piercing electric guitar help elevate this somewhat simple yet-tightly executed construct to nice heights. The instrumental sound palette is so close to that of contemporary rock music of the time. (9/10)
2. "Dinosaures" (5:37) another rather simplistic jazzy rock song that could very well have come from a jam by one of STEELY DAN's practice lineups (that is, containing nowhere the polish and glitz of one of The Dan's final renderings). Nice melodies. I like the way the bass is rendered up close. I also like the enthusiastic vamp at the end. (8.875/10)
3. "Le chateau de l'elephant" (4:22) opens with some rock electric guitar arpeggio that gradually speeds up as other instruments join in with their own four-chord sequence woven in with the guitar. Then, in the second minute the whole band switches gear and produces a Jay Beckenstein/Spiro Gyra-like weave with soprano sax, Fender Rhodes, and rhythm guitar mixed way up front each contributing to the harmonically-sophisticated weave in support of the sax's lead. Light and pretty but overall there's just something missing. (8.75/10)
4. "Drame sous les palmiers" (6:55) guitar, bass, keys, and drums slowly congeal to put together a smooth jazz kind of weave with quirky sounds being produced by the sax, electric guitar and electric piano. The rhythm section is almost disco (while the rest of the band support a kind of rendition of the melody of the Sister Sledge song, "He's the Greatest Dancer"--a Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers [CJHIC] composition that wouldn't come out for another three years). (13.125/15)
5. "Subrepticement" (3:48) more melodic music woven together with mathematically-woven instrumental support. Nothing new or special here; more like a practice jam or an étude meant to pull the band together into a serious focus. (8.6667/10)
6. "Boucle d'or" (15:50) not your average epic or mesmeric since it straddles the rock, jazz, R&B, and disco lines--all at the same time! It feels as if a bunch of uncredited guests are present help expand the horn section but it could be multiple tracks dedicated to Michel's saxes doubled up with some of Marcel's guitar and Patricia Hue's keyboard sounds. (In this latter case it would be a rather ingenious coup to pull off). For the first half of the song there are two main motifs seem to alternate throughout but then there is an extended pond of stagnation in which the instruments continue playing sporadic outputs while they all struggle to find a new direction. Eventually the drum and bass player seem to figure "a way out" and the rest of the instruments follow, creating a spacious funk groove that could be emulating something from one of the Mwandishi albums--even, more specifically, the Bennie Maupin or Julien Priester solo albums from that era. Nice rolling bass, tension-building Bill Bruford-like drumming, dancing Fender Rhodes and searing guitar soloing fifteenth and sixteenth minutes before things thin out for an interesting sax-and-rhythm guitar chord conversation to take us out. The second half of this song definitely present the best and most interesting music of the album. (27.5/30)
Total Time 40:17
That last 15-minute epic left a very good impression on me, which skews my otherwise-tepid rating and impression and rating of this album as a whole. The compositions are definitely creatively complex and interesting; it's the fullness of each song that feels somewhat lacking to me.
89.31 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; an excellent collection of Jazz-Rock Fusion songs with the album as a whole tending toward Smooth Jazz. Recommended. At least for the experience.
WAYNE SHORTER The Soothsayer
Line-up / Musicians:
- Wayne Shorter / tenor saxophone, composer (excl. track 6)
With:
- Freddie Hubbard / trumpet
- James Spaulding / alto saxophone
- McCoy Tyner / piano
- Ron Carter / double bass
- Anthony Williams / drums
1. "Lost" (7:14) though a Blue Note album in 1965 was supposed to open with a song that the listening audience could easily and immediately hook their teeth into, this great song with its odd rhythmic pattern was probably not as smooth as management would have liked: demerit number one that might have contributed to its 14 year delay in finding public release. Otherwise, the waltz-like rhythm pattern the song is founded upon, to my ears, is wonderful--very engaging (making me, of course, want to waltz) and the solos are all very smooth and accessible (with minimal oblique avant-garde melodic phrasings) and excellent coherence between the band members. Perhaps it came across as a bit too laid back? I really like it! (14.125/15)
2. "Angola" (4:48) rushing out into the field as a routine hard bop tune, again eschewing any avant or free jazz experimentations, the song cruises along as Anthony and McCoy drive this train while bassist Ron Carter actually acts like the paranoid-hypervigilant conductor on the train, scurrying around willy-nilly as if constantly being distracted and torn as to which way to divide his attentions and actions. Meanwhile, Freddie Hubbard and James Spaulding make their contributions rather straightforwardly--until the band relinquishes to make space for an impressive if brief drum solo at the end of the fourth minute. Nice, solid hard bop though nothing revolutionary. (9/10)
3. "The Big Push" (8:19) opening with a "big band" approach to the horn section's blasted three-part exposition of the main theme, the horns finish and leave the rhythm section to establish a cool weave of walking bass, swinging drums, and unique piano chord play (fast, slow, syncopated, quick change and long sustained chords) over which James, Freddie, and Wayne trade 30-second solo spots. I have to say that the melodies being emitted from all three horn players are quite engaging, quite enticing, earning my attention as horn solos rarely do--and Anthony's work beneath is quite animated and creative though remaining rather "quiet" and hella nuanced. McCoy gets a solo in the seventh minute--the space around him which allows the great work of Ron and Anthony to really be stick out. The horns rejoin at 7:00 in the "big band" fashion with which they opened the song--sounding so strong and great--with great harmonic rapport. I really love this song! Jazz does not get much better than this. (19.5/20)
4. "The Soothsayer" (9:36) high tempo Jazz with all of the moving parts running along as if in long-distance mode. While Ron's bass walking is impeccably timed, Anthony's drumming subtleties are so impressive and creative. McCoy is moving those chords, top and bottom, very quickly, hardly holding any one for effect as the horn players take their minute-long windows with a little more speed and aggression than any of the previous songs--yet they somehow continue to remain fairly fluid and melodic. Once again the cohesion of the whole of the six musicians' work is remarkable: they feel so synched in. How these high-speed travelers can stay in sync while still reacting to and feeding off of one another is remarkable! (I guess that's what makes for master Jazz musicians--as all of these players are.) While not quite as engaging or delectable as the previous songs, this one continues to wow me as much any of the others. (17.875/20)
5. "Lady Day" (5:31) the album's ballad, we get that slowed down, wind-down late-night feeling from Anthony's brushed drum skins, Ron's well-spaced, long-held bass notes as well as the horn players' long notes. McCoy, however, is expressing with that melodic fervor that lounge pianists are often wont to do, his phrasings dancing effortlessly, masterfully, between trills, chords, runs, and tinkles. The pianist's genius being expressed on high. When the horns play in synchrony there is a wonderful harmonic arrangement in both pitch and volume. Cool! (9.125/10)
6. "Valse Triste" (7:35) the only song on the album that is not a Wayne Shorter composition, it is a cover of a Jean Sibelius song that's been arranged/adapted by Wayne for his sextet (something I would have never guessed as I do not know much of Sibelius' work and do not even feel much of a classical presence in the chords or melodies). Anthony's drumming feels a bit out of synch with his band mates but that may, in fact, be the effect that Wayne was aiming for. The solos and piano play are all very much in the pocket for American Jazz with Freddie's resonating with me particularly strongly. I find the tempo changes within the waltz quite intriguing but the musicians seem quite unfazed by them, which is cool. Even Ron gets some time in the spotlight for parts of the sixth and seventh minutes, but it is Wayne and Freddie's work that I find the most satsifying. (13.75/15)
Total time 43:03
Total time 43:03
Switching out Speak No Evil's Herbie Hancock for McCoy Tyner and drummer Elvin Jones for young phenom Tony Williams as well as Sun Ra graduate-turned-Blue-Note-studio-musician James Spaulding was most definitely going to have the effect of ramping up both the pace and dynamic range of the music of this session. What I didn't see coming was the incredible feeling of rapport that this sextet would emanate--they just sound so smooth and relaxed despite playing Wayne's complex compositions. It makes me wonder if Miles Davis or anybody else in the Jazz or Blue Note world got wind of this album's music and repressed its release due to jealousy! I mean: Miles would've loved to have been gifted some (or all) of these songs for his Quintet albums.
92.64 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; another wonderfully-solid and accessible album of 1960s Jazz from a particularly productive compositional period of Wayne Shorter's still young life. (He was only 31 years old.) Why this album had to wait 14 years to reach the public ear is one of the travesties of Blue Note and Jazz history but here it is. Let's consider it all for the best (despite the fact that its Disco Era 1979 release as an "undiscovered masterpiece" still managed to stay pretty much under the radar--thanks to poor record label marketing and packaging).
FIRYUZA Firyuza (Фирюза / Фирюза)
Line-up / Musicians:
- Dmitry Sablin / keyboards. band leader
- Evgeny Nochevniy / guitar
- Michail Mamedov / guitar
- Sabir Ryazaev / sax, flute
- Alik Nifchenko / bass
- Igor Gordeev / drums
With:
- Gasan Mamedov / violin (not credited on the cover)
1. "Ашхабад / Ashgabat" (7:43) piano and electric instruments enter separately and eventually congeal in the second minute into a very familiar European-style folk jazz motif--but only for a half a minute, then things slow down and spread out so the electrified instruments can each display the subtleties of rich sounds they can create. At the end of the fourth minute, however, everyone steps back into the fast lane to cruise down the city street with another very-European sounding melody--but, again, only for a brief duration of time: at the end of the fifth minute the band shifts again, this time into a series of more jazz-rock motifs that carry Eastern European melody lines. The music is so clever, so intricate and well-timed (and conceived) that I feel as if I'm listening to a soundtrack intended to accompany a silent film from the 1920s. (13.75/15)
2. "Край Родной / Native Land" (9:46) everybody knows how much I love music that is inspired by the band members' own ethnic cultural traditions and this song jumps straight out of the blocks in this fashion. In fact, it's not until the third minute that I detect much influence of Western style as only the electric guitar seems to "feel" out of place. Saxophone, drum kit, electric bass, and electric piano join with the sax flute, traditional percussion instruments and colloquial melodies and eventually establish quite a lovely melody-centered piece in the fifth minute. The four-octave bass lines alone are just killing me, but all of the emotion being put into each instrumentalist's contribution to the weave and overall melody is just heart-wrenching. It's like a classic of Motown Soul! At 7:18, however, the band shifts gear, racing down the mountain side with some very impressive subtleties presenting in several of the instrumental performances (especially electric guitar and drums). But then in the middle of the ninth minute the band reverts back to the heart-wrenching Soul melodies for a beautifully conveyed finale. Wow! I was not expecting this--this beauty! This emotion! This skill! Superlatives abound! I would not change anything about this song: it is absolute perfection! (20/20)
3. "Чапыксуар / Chapyksuar" (8:33) opening with a collection of hand percussion instruments woven together with clapping until violin joins in at the end of the first minute expressing a Fiddler on the Roof-like melody. The joinder of the electric guitars in the third minute cause the band to change directions, shifting slowly to more funk and R&B sound palette--and they do it well--especially the guitars and bass but also the sax. At 3:40 there is another shift into a bit of a Caribbean/Latin with, oddly enough, organ leading the way. A minute later we are again changing direction with some "Shaft"-like cymbal play marking the shift into some different folk-R&B stuff. Then at the six-minute mark the fast-playing note play of an electric guitar, accented by a mirroring Igor Gordeev on drums, takes us into some more jazz-rock styles with piano, sax, and muted rhythm guitar strumming to follow, sounding very much as if we'd entered a Wild West salooon with a piano bar. My least favorite song on the album but still overwhelmingly impressive! (17.5/20)
4. "Диалог В Ауле / Dialogue in the Aul" (7:44) opens with solo electric guitar chord play that sounds so much like some of JIMI HENDRIX's playing around (without all of the volume and distortion, with wah and flange used instead). Drums, bass, and violin join in to create a slow, plaintive jam, with saxophone soon joining in to play off the heart-melting melodies being made by the violin. What a duel of gorgeous melodies! How can this kind of beauty even be possible! Then at 2:50 the band pauses to let a bagpipe-like instrument lead them into a new, more up-tempo motif, one that actually shifts a couple of times through several different styles including more jazzy, more serious rock-oriented, and more (I'm assuming) locally-folk-oriented styles before settling into a great folk jazz motif that sounds a bit like early JEAN-LUC PONTY stuff. While I absolutely adore the opening three minutes of drop-dead gorgeousness, I am blown away by the dextrous and seemingly-facile shifts through a series of very different motifs in that second half--and by the fact that each individual motif was so perfectly and richly conveyed: as if they could each one have been developed separately into their own individual song. Amazing! (14.5/15)
Total Time 33:46
While the band's choice to "show off" with its rapid shifting from style to style within the confines of eight and nine minute songs, the flow can get a bit taxing on the diminutive brain of the average 21st Century Homo sapiens sapiens. At the same time, the band's skill level and dexterity in stylistic adaptation is nothing short of breathtaking.
JOE SAMPLE Carmel
The (Jazz) Crusaders founding member tries his hand(s) at a solo album--his second attempt. The album was released by MCA Records sometime in 1979.
Lineup / Musicians:
Joe Sample / piano
With:
- Dean Parks / guitar
- Paulhino Costa / percussion
- Hubert Laws / flute
A1 "Carmel" (5:36) piano (8.75/10)
A2 "Paintings" (5:24) piano (8.75/10)
A3 "Cannery Row" (4:02) piano (8.75/10)
A4 "A Rainy Day in Monterey" (5:45) Fender Rhodes (8.875/10)
B1 "Sunrise" (5:23) nice and rollicking with hard piano chords and great bass and rhythm guitar in support. (8.875/10)
B2 "Midnight and Mist" (6:50) solo piano for the first 87 seconds, then awesome bass and percussion and rhythm guitar for three minutes with some of my favorite Joe Sample play of all-time, but the highlight for me is when Hubert Laws enters with his amazing flute play. Alas! It's only for the final 90 seconds of the song! (14.5/15)
B3 "More Beautiful Each Day" (6:28) piano with soft swing support. (8.75/10)
The major problem with the songs on this album is the fact that nearly every single song is repeating, over and over, the same patterns of melody, chord progression, and rhythm: Joe was very determined to explore something very specific that was obviously haunting him. I can't remember if from listening to his next album if I was ever able to determine whether or not he finally got it out of his system. I hope so!
89.66667 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of Smooth Jazz. Amazing how one GREAT. song can affect the rating of the rest of a fairly mediocre album.
RAHMANN Rahmann
An album laid back Jazz-Rock Fusion with Mahvishnu-like guitar and some world (Arabic) music flair and French/Zeuhl-like angular melody lines laid back smoothness from France. There is some dispute about the album's official release date with some sources claiming a late 1979 release and others attributing it to 1980.
- Mahamad Hadi / electric, fretless, synth & quarter-tone guitars, oud, bouzouki, snitra, composer & producer
- Michel Rutigliano / acoustic & electric pianos, ARP Odyssey
- Gérard Prevost / acoustic & fretless basses
- Amar Mecharaf / drums, percussion
- Louis César Ewandé / percussion (1-6)
With:
- Lisa Bois / vocals (1)
- Nadia Yamina Hadi / vocals (2)
- Didier Lockwood / electric violin (4)
- Joël Loviconi / electric piano (4)
- Sylvin Marc / fretless bass (2)
- Richard / ney (1)
- Gérard Kurdjian / tablas (1)
- Abdelmadjid Guemguem / darbuka (1)
1. "Atlanta" (5:26) the opener is a piece with an expanded lineup including ney, tablas, darbuka, and extra female vocals mirroring the synth's lead melody line. One can feel the presence of jazz (piano), funk (drum kit and bass), and Arabic traditions (melody lines, complementary ethnic instruments) while the main rhythm track and its melody (bass and guitar) feel quite stagnant--as if they're ready to go but the starting gun never goes off. (8.75/10)
2. "Nadiamina" (6:23) traditional North African hand drum and other percussives open this with some vocal lines delivered in an Arabic dialect before the electric instruments arrive with their Western Jazz (piano and drum kit) and Power Jazz sounds (electric guitar and bass). Once again the motif feels caught in limbo: as if a group of runners all waiting for the signal to go from the starting gun. The sound is great, the mix fine, but nobody is really willing to click into forward motion, everybody willing to to stretch and flail in their own idiosyncratic warm up routines while they wait. You can tell that everybody is a professional, everybody is skilled and highly trained, but nobody's gelling into a cohesive flow. Weird. (8.875/10)
3. "Ab" (8:00) okay, maybe the runners are on their way, but the flow is so routine as to be boring and hypnotic--until the fourth minute when there is finally a shift: some action, jostling and manipulation for positioning within the group. The synth-sounding guitar player and drummer seem to be taking the initiative, both vying for the lead, both expressing their different styles as the keyboard and bass player run in their shadows. In the seventh minute things shift again: as if a slow motion review is analyzing the race. This is where we see the smooth artistry of each of the individual racers--expressed best through the electric piano and one of Mahamad Hadi's stringed Arabic instruments. (13.5/15)
4. "Danse Sacrée" (6:35) repetitive piano and bass lines give this one a stagnant "we're ready" Zeuhl quality--for two minutes!--before the band is finally unleashed and everyone rushes forward with a wild, reckless abandon. It feels as if the gladiators have been released into the stadium floor, each running pell-mell in preparation for its adversary, looking around the enclosed grounds but finding nothing (yet) to fight, so running cautiously around the infield, hyped in an ever-ready state of adrenaline rush. Sounds like modern French power jazz to me. Nice drumming, bass play, keys and electric guitar work as well as guest Didier Lockwood's violin contributions. (8.875/10)
5. "Leila" (9:38) bombastic noise making from everyone all at once opens this before electric guitar ostinato and big piano and bass chords emerge as if to try to break the hold/spell that drummer Amar Mecharaf is holding us in with his constant cymbal play. In the second half of the third minute, Amar final relents, rushing to join/lead the band with his two-step pattern that powers the ensuing Arabian melody power jazz. In the second half of the fifth minute the drums and bass switch to more familiar high-speed Mahavishnu/Fermáta-like power jazz while Michel Rutigliano's crazed piano and Mahamad Hadi's electric synth guitar vie for attention as each solos opposite (and oblivious of) one another. Enter synth in the left ear like an annoying but unavoidable single mosquito flying in the night, and you have the makings of an interesting Mahavishnu Orchestra-like weave. Easily the most developed and "complete"-sounding song on the album if a little too similar to the Mahavishnu Orchestra and Mahavishnu imitators of the time. (17.875/20)
6. "Marche Funèbre" (5:00) fretless bass lines with Arabic instruments and piano that give a feel of something Eberhard Weber and Rainer Brüninghaus would/could have done if collaborating with a master of ethnic instruments from the Arabian cultures. There is also one instrument that sounds like a Japanese shamisen or even, perhaps, koto. The main melody that is established in the second minute and carried forward to its end sounds very much more Japanese than Arabic! I like this song very much. (9.125/10)
Total time 41:02
Total time 41:02
A very well-recorded but not-as-well-mixed album of Arabian-infused power jazz that has a very definite French flavor to it: the shadow presence of both Zeuhl and avant garde stylings paired with the stylings and sound influences of the Mahavishnu Orchestra give this a very modern, 21st Century sound--like something from the Maurin brothers (Syrinx, Nil) or One Shot--or a combination of the two. The musicianship is amazing--everybody feels so competent and creative at what they do--but the compositions feel unfinished, underdeveloped, as if the band is waiting for a leader--for someone to step up and take them into a direction--any direction--other than the limbo in which they find themselves mired.
89.33 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent example of modern French angular and xenolithic Jazz-Rock Fusion.
LARRY CORYELL with John Scofield and Joe Beck Tributaries
Though "The Guitar Trio" was made famous with the lineup that included Al Di Meola, Paco De Lucia and John McLaughlin, Larry was actually in the Trio's original touring lineup. Obviously, Larry was really into the trio format. Though Larry had been doing guitar duet performances, songs, and albums for years (with the likes of John McLaughlin, René Thomas, Steve Khan, Ralph Towner, Al Di Meola, and Philip Catherine), the idea of the "Guitar Trio" has been attributed to British promoter Barry Marshall. It began in 1979 with Larry serving among the Trio's first membership (as evidenced by his appearance in the YouTube video footage from 1979 of Larry performing on stage with John and Paco in their rendition of The Mahavishnu Orchestra's "Meeting of Spirits") but he was soon asked to leave (and famously replaced by Di Meola) due to issues with his (at the time) severe drug addiction getting in the way with both his night-to-night skill level during performances as well as his reliability to the tour's schedule.Line-up / Musicians:
- Larry Coryell / acoustic guitar
- John Scofield / acoustic guitar
- Joe Beck / acoustic & 12-string guitars
With Tributaries we get a look at Larry's more personal, more Americana expression of the Trio format with friends John Scofield and Joe Beck. The music here is actually quite sublime--especially for those of us who like a little less fire and a little more beauty and emotion in their guitar music--like fans of artists like AMERICA, ANTHONY PHILLIPS, JOHN PRINE, LEO KOTTKE, BERT JANSCH and JOHN RENBOURNE, PHILL KEAGGY, JOHN FAHEY, and, of course, DJANGO REINHARDT.
Recommended--especially for guitar lovers.
