The second section of my on-going list of reviews of the studio album releases from the 1960s and 1970s, here including only those albums that contributed to the first two waves of the Jazz-Rock Fusion bandwagon: the often-awkward experimentations and initial efforts to blend jazz with the new technologies and sounds coming available to musicians through the advances of electronics, expansion of technologies and equipment in the recording studios, and eventual introduction of music into the computer world. This page presents the albums that I've had the time to get to know and review whose achievements, in my personal appraisal, fell short of qualifying them for immortalization with an assignation of "masterpiece" status.
Near-Masterpieces
(89.0 to 90.0)
David and his orchestra of top-tier Los Angeles studio musicians come together again for the follow up album to his ground-breaking, Earth-shattering debut from the year before, Song of Innocence.
1. "The Poison Tree" (3:10) a gorgeous funk tune that sounds like it could come out of a jam from the tiny little shack that was the Motown Records recording studio or from Barry White's Love Unlimited Orchestra. (10/10)
2. "A Little Girl Lost" (3:29) this harpsichord-centered song of delicate note play is more akin to the soundtrack work of Burt Bacharach. It's nice, pretty, but hardly toe-tapping or attention-grabbing. (8.75/10)
3. "London" (2:49) another piece that conjures up soundtrack music references--this one could've come from a mildly tension-filled travel montage of some British personal development film like Alfie or The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. (8.75/10)
4. "The Sick Rose" (4:49) soft and spacious, this slow-developing tune is pensive and tension-filled enough to represent the whimsical-yet-delicate--and insecure--nature of adolescence. I like this one immensely. It reminds me of so much of Paul Weller's Style Council music. (9.333/10)
5. "The School Boy" (2:31) slowly-picked 12-string guitar is eventually joined by piano, bass, drums, and percussion before finally blowing up bigger in the second half of the second minute with horns and strings. But it quickly reverses into solo single-string 12-string note play as at the beginning. (8.75/10)
6. "The Human Abstract" (5:33) solo piano noteplay with plenty of spaces between little melody riffs, then a few chords, then back to spacious note play. Then bass and gentle drums join Don at the one-minute mark to reinforce his melody line with some harmonic and rhythmic support. Carol Kaye is extraordinary. Don's chord play takes over at the end of the second minute before Earl Palmer expands his drumming to the full kit and Don returns to his melody while accompanying himself with left hand chords. Enter soloing dirty electric guitar as strings pick up Don's simple little melody. Despite the perfection of this little melody, I wonder if it really needed five minutes of repetition. Very French! (8.875/10)
7. "The Fly" (4:52) harpsichord single and chorded noteplay opens this one before a pause signals the full band and orchestra's entry point. The melody and rhythm track sounds very much like several of the great songs from Song of Innocence but the melody and band cohesion lack a bit of the magic of the music of that previous album. The harpsichord play is fun. (8.875/10)
8. "A Divine Image" (4:36) opening with some Psycho-like strings notes, sustained from beneath for tension, joined by surprise strings notes here and there, and then vibraphone enters and becomes the central, albeit quiet instrument while the strings continue their tormenting eeriness below and disconcerting interjections above. Carol and Earl enter at the end of the third minute, laying down an interesting rhythm track with guitarist Howard Roberts' electric guitar strums. In the middle of the fourth minute everybody leaves for a bit while Earl fills the space with some playful funk. Then everybody rejoins for a couple blasts before disappearing to leave only the droning strings to hold that fear and dread. Not what you'd expect from divinity! More like the representing the scariness of the Divine. Interesting, to say the least! (8.875/10)
Total time 31:49
David's second album is much more expressive of a fuller spectrum of the human condition with far more emotions put on display than on his previous masterpiece. Still, it is such a surprising pleasure to experience this music--this type of music.
90.26 on the Fishscales = A-/4.5 stars; another wonderful expression of instrumental orchestra and rock music that I feel I must rate down for its brevity.
1. "The Poison Tree" (3:10) a gorgeous funk tune that sounds like it could come out of a jam from the tiny little shack that was the Motown Records recording studio or from Barry White's Love Unlimited Orchestra. (10/10)
2. "A Little Girl Lost" (3:29) this harpsichord-centered song of delicate note play is more akin to the soundtrack work of Burt Bacharach. It's nice, pretty, but hardly toe-tapping or attention-grabbing. (8.75/10)
3. "London" (2:49) another piece that conjures up soundtrack music references--this one could've come from a mildly tension-filled travel montage of some British personal development film like Alfie or The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. (8.75/10)
4. "The Sick Rose" (4:49) soft and spacious, this slow-developing tune is pensive and tension-filled enough to represent the whimsical-yet-delicate--and insecure--nature of adolescence. I like this one immensely. It reminds me of so much of Paul Weller's Style Council music. (9.333/10)
5. "The School Boy" (2:31) slowly-picked 12-string guitar is eventually joined by piano, bass, drums, and percussion before finally blowing up bigger in the second half of the second minute with horns and strings. But it quickly reverses into solo single-string 12-string note play as at the beginning. (8.75/10)
6. "The Human Abstract" (5:33) solo piano noteplay with plenty of spaces between little melody riffs, then a few chords, then back to spacious note play. Then bass and gentle drums join Don at the one-minute mark to reinforce his melody line with some harmonic and rhythmic support. Carol Kaye is extraordinary. Don's chord play takes over at the end of the second minute before Earl Palmer expands his drumming to the full kit and Don returns to his melody while accompanying himself with left hand chords. Enter soloing dirty electric guitar as strings pick up Don's simple little melody. Despite the perfection of this little melody, I wonder if it really needed five minutes of repetition. Very French! (8.875/10)
7. "The Fly" (4:52) harpsichord single and chorded noteplay opens this one before a pause signals the full band and orchestra's entry point. The melody and rhythm track sounds very much like several of the great songs from Song of Innocence but the melody and band cohesion lack a bit of the magic of the music of that previous album. The harpsichord play is fun. (8.875/10)
8. "A Divine Image" (4:36) opening with some Psycho-like strings notes, sustained from beneath for tension, joined by surprise strings notes here and there, and then vibraphone enters and becomes the central, albeit quiet instrument while the strings continue their tormenting eeriness below and disconcerting interjections above. Carol and Earl enter at the end of the third minute, laying down an interesting rhythm track with guitarist Howard Roberts' electric guitar strums. In the middle of the fourth minute everybody leaves for a bit while Earl fills the space with some playful funk. Then everybody rejoins for a couple blasts before disappearing to leave only the droning strings to hold that fear and dread. Not what you'd expect from divinity! More like the representing the scariness of the Divine. Interesting, to say the least! (8.875/10)
Total time 31:49
David's second album is much more expressive of a fuller spectrum of the human condition with far more emotions put on display than on his previous masterpiece. Still, it is such a surprising pleasure to experience this music--this type of music.
90.26 on the Fishscales = A-/4.5 stars; another wonderful expression of instrumental orchestra and rock music that I feel I must rate down for its brevity.
FREDDY HUBBARD Polar AC (1975)
The veteran trumpeter was getting on board the jazz-rock fusion train, here using a virtual who's who of proven J-R Fuse musicians in his recording sessions: Ron Carter, Bob James, Hubert Laws, George Benson, Airto, though it was mostly the "Quiet Storm"-genre of radio shows that was playing "Jazz Lite" music like this. Released by CTI Records on April 18, 1975, despite the fact that Freddie had left Creed Taylor and CTI Records some time before, the label decided to take advantage to the growing amount of radio play "Jazz Lite" music like this was garnering. The material released here comes from previously-unreleased recording sessions with Creed and Rudy Van Gelder back as far as 1972 and 1973.
I originally purchased this album because of the lineup of collaborating artists (I was hugely into Bob James, the Laws brothers, and Ron Carter during this period) but also cuz Freddy was covering two of my all-time favorite soul/R&B songs--both made famous by The Stylistics: "People Make the World Go Round" and "Bethca By Golly, Wow." The former of which Freddie made the best version of the song I've ever heard: here, on Polar AC.
Freddy had been notably trying some of the new rock-infusions on his previous albums from the early 1970s, but had been using his own or the studio's musicians to do so, and they just were't getting it. So, for Polar AC he called in some of the heavy hitters--musicians who had served time on the front lines: with Miles and Tony--including the three drummers here, Jack DeJohnette, Lenny White, and Billy Cobham and percussionist/drummer Airto Moreira.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Freddie Hubbard / trumpets- Ron Carter / bass
- Hubert Laws / flutes
- George Benson / guitars (A1 to B1)
With:
- Jack DeJohnette / drums (A1)
- George Cables / piano (A2, B2)
- Lenny White / drums (A2, B2)
- Airto / percussion (A2, A3)
- Airto / percussion (A2, A3)
- Billy Cobham / drums (B1)
- Junior Cook / tenor saxophone (B2)
- Strings: Al Brown (A1), Charles McCracken (A1), Harold Kohon (A1), Irving Spice (A1), Matthew Raimondi (A1), Tosha Samaroff (tracks: A1); Emanuel Green (A1 to A3), Manny Vardi* (A1 to A3), David Nadien (A1 to A3), George Ricci (A1 to A3), Paul Gershman (A1 to A3), Joe Malin (A1 to A3), Tony Sophos (A2, A3), Charles Libove (A2, A3), Gene Orloff (A2, A3), Harry Lookofsky (A2, A3), Max Ellen (A2, A3), Theodore Israel (A2, A3)
- Brass on "Naturally": Alan Rubin, Garnett Brown, Marvin Stamm, Paul Faulise, Tony Price, Wayne Andre
- Woodwinds on "Naturally": George Marge, Phil Bodner, Romeo Penque, Wally Kane
1. "Polar AC" (6:57) a Cedar Walton tune covered with the help of Jack DeJohnette on drums. (13.125/15)
2. "People Make the World Go Round" (5:50) Lenny White is the drummer on this one. A personal favorite. (10/10)
3. "Betcha By Golly, Wow" (8:09) a good song that actually gets better when Freddie starts to take liberties with the melody lines. (13.5/15)
4. "Naturally" (5:52) a Cannonball Adderly song helped out by Billy Cobham. The song even sounds like a nostalgic look back into the post-My Favorite Things 1960s. Even Hubert Laws' flute feels so Sixties. Pleasant and melodic with very solid traditional jazz play (and sounds) from Freddie's supporting musicians. (8.875/10)
5. "Son of Sky Dive" (13:20) a reconditioning of the title song from one of Freddie's first attempts to foray into the Jazz-Rock Fusion idiom--a more latin rhythm form released in 1972 on which he used a lineup that included Billy Cobham, Airto Moreira, Ray Barretto, Ron Carter, Keith Jarrett, Hubert Laws, and George Benson. This one's better. Lenny White was pretty good, too. Sounds and plays out like "Love Connection Version 1." I absolutely LOVE Lenny White's drum play as well as Ron Carter's bass and keyboard support from George Gables. This is great modern-day jazz without collapsing into the quagmire of an abyss of "Smooth Jazz." (27.5/30)
90.0 on the Fishscales = A-/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of jazz-rock fusion.
ABRAXIS Abraxis (1976)
From Belgium, this album finds COS's Charles Loos and Jean-Paul Musette moonlighting from their Canterbury band to explore some more the more serious jazz-side of Jazz-Rock Fusion.
- Jean-Paul Musette / bass
- Jack Mauer / drums
- Tony Malisan / drums
- Dirk Bogaert / flute, vocals
- Paul Elias / guitar
- Charles Loos / keyboards
1. "Clear Hours" (2:32) great upbeat jazz rock fusion with a light funk to it (not unlike some of COS' music from this time--the Viva Boma era). The use of bright, cheerful flute in the mix is delightful--as is the wonderful (9/10)
2. "Valse De La Mort" (16:14) opening with a very serious, slow-paced almost classical pastiche with flutist Dirk Bogaert leading the way over piano, classically-played acoustic guitar, and bass--no drums. In the fourth minute the music even moves more into the domain of classical sounding music as Bogaert and pianist Charles Loos duet--eventually becoming a more sonata form for Loos' dynamic solo piano until 5:22 when Charles hands it over to Dirk: solo flute time. Hi-hat, and metronomic bass drum and rim shots enter near the end of the seventh minute supporting Dirk while he finishes his solo. At 7:49 deep thrum of electric bass and electronic keyboard enter, setting up a kind of dreamy yet-suggestive carpet for guitarist Paul Elias to start up some electric guitar soloing. In the tenth minute the band really explodes beneath Paul's fiery guitar playing as the drummer bursts into full kit exposition. A return to soft carpet mode for a bit while electric piano solos, exploding again for Charles to switch to a Moog-like synth for some soloing, but then everybody re-gels into a softer, gentler motif as they return to acoustic instruments (except for Jean-Paul's electric bass). Flute and piano dance around one another for several minutes while the guitar and toms sit out (thought nuanced cymbal play remains in full participation). Charles takes over again for a piano solo in the 14th and 15th minutes while flute-like organ chords support from beneath. A whole band acoustic bridge at 14:45 moves into a brief transitional series of chaotic jazz chords before the band comes out the other side with a nice little two-chord HATFIELD AND THE NORTH funky motif and palette--which they then use to take the song to its end. I'm not sure how the composer came up with the progression of all of these very different (and seemingly unrelated) motifs for the movements of this suite but it all seems to work--and they're all rather expertly, even adroitly, convincingly, transitioned from one to the next. The composition and performances are all top notch. The song, however, does not contain enough catchy melodies or hypnotic grooves to earn my top marks. (27/30)
3. "Sweetank" (4:26) using a rather unusual combination of upper and lower register electric funky bass, wah-wahed distorted electric piano to fill the middle ground of the rhythm track, and funk drumming with electric guitar, flute, and some electric piano and Moog synthesizer sounds to fill the lead positions, this is a catchy tune with a great chord progression to push and pull all of the odd sounds together. Nice blues-jazz guitar work from Paul Elias. There's even time for a solo from virtuoso bassist Jean-Paul Musette--here paired up perfectly with an astute drummer (which one?). The final minute of flying Jazz-Rock is sublime for its seamless flow of three different motifs. (9.3333/10)
4. "Billy The Keith" (3:54) either the flute is being fed through a sound effect processor or Charles Loos' keyboard combination is replicating a wobbly flute sound (probably the former as Charles other sounds seem to occupy a lot of hands--or tracks). The song is a bit too subdued for my tastes though I comprehend the difficulty it is to play all of the tracks of this subtly-nuanced weave while maintaining some semblance of cohesion. (8.75/10)
5. "Jeronimo" (1:58) a quick exploration of a particular set of melody ideas that seems to inspire the whole band into solidarity and high-discipline. (4.5/5)
6. "Bolle Winkel" (6:46) a more theatric composition that reminds me of some of the great music from A Chorus Line though the drumming sounds very Billy Cobham-like. The second minute sees the band take a left turn down a high speed lane in which many of the band members can be seen to be hanging out their privvy clothes on the laundry lines above. An odd, almost crazy cacophonous choice of instrumental sounds and ejaculations ensues until Jean-Paul's breathy flute screams its way to the front in the fourth minute, inciting a riotous response from the bass, wah-wah-ed guitar, and electric keys. At 4:45 everybody but the drums and bass cut out for a rather dynamic (and great!) bluesy pseudo-classical Bob James-like piano solo--which almost takes us to the end. This is a song that kept getting better and better the further it went along. (13.5/15)
7. "Arhumba" (1:42) moving back into the near-classical realm of jazz music, this piece sounds like something transposed from a Django-Grappelli duet. (4.375/5)
Total time: 37:34
89.95 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of Jazz-Rock Fusion exhibiting some very highly-skilled musicianship and composition. Were this album longer--to have included but one more full-length composition--it may have earned masterpiece status.
Total time: 37:34
89.95 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of Jazz-Rock Fusion exhibiting some very highly-skilled musicianship and composition. Were this album longer--to have included but one more full-length composition--it may have earned masterpiece status.
ALPHONSE MOUZON The Essence of Mystery (1973)
The musician now known as the drummer for Wayne Shorter/Weather Report and Roy Ayers and McCoy Tyner has an abundance of energy and creative ideas needing expression. This is the first of many albums Al would produce as a composer and bandleader.
- Alphonse Mouzon / drums, timpani, tabla, percussion, electric piano, clavinet, Mellotron, vocals, composer & arrangements
With:
- Buddy Terry / soprano saxophone
- Sonny Fortune / alto saxophone
- Larry Willis / piano, electric piano
- Buster Williams / bass
- Wilbur Bascomb Jr. / bass
1. "The Essence Of Mystery" (4:55) a most excellent demonstration of Third Wave, "peak era" Jazz-Rock Fusion with understated yet-highly proficient and sophisticated performances from everybody involved; nobody tries to outshine or outdo the others, everybody seems in complete synchrony--which I love. A top three song. (9.5/10)
2. "Funky Finger" (3:40) straying into the territory of vocal funk à la Earth Wind & Fire, Al feels the need to do his Vernon White-Philip Bailey funk vocals over some great funk music. I can't remember Buster Williams' bass being made to sound this funky before (Buster like to remain loyal to his upright double bass) so it must be Wilbur Bascomb, Jr. (8.875/10)
3. "Crying Angels" (5:23) now straying fully into the swampy forest of Herbie Hancock's Mwandishi
territory, Fender Rhodes and heavily-reverbed soprano sax notes float above the grounding hits of timpani and bass for the first 80 seconds of this. Then the band shifts into a wonderfully seductive funk track over which Buddy Terry's sax continues to explore Wayne Shorter territory as Larry Willis' rich electric piano and Al's drums do their best job of channeling the funk of Billy C. I love Al's tabla and percussion work in the side tracks: as simple as they are, they add a lot to the rhythm track and hypnotic mood set by the song. (9/10)
4. "Why Can't We Make It" (3:27) here Al is trying to channel some of his 1960s pop influences, most notably, Sly And The Family Stone, as well as (formerly "Little") Stevie Wonder--coming across as quite similar to a sound that Narada Michael Walden would pick up and follow for the second half of the 1970s. (8.75/10)
5. "Macrobian" (5:14) on this song it feels as if Al is funneling in his influences and memories from recent work with pianist McCoy Tyner as well as some of the synthesizer and mood explorations of Alice Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, and Lonnie Liston Smith. Nice tune. (8.875/10)
6. "Spring Water" (6:27) taking the express avenue toward Smooth Jazz, here Al lets Larry and Buddy steer the music into what sounds more like the music of Jay Beckenstein's Spyro Gyra. Al's drum and percussion play is rather rudimentary and straightforward. The most enjoyable instruments for me are Larry Fender Rhodes and Wilbur's bass. (8.667/10)
7. "Sunflower" (4:27) steering the ship into a more Latin territory never seems to go wrong for any aspiring crossover or fusion artist, and it works here for Al and crew. Though Al's play on the percussion tracks is, once again, rather rudimentary, it works exceedingly well within the weave of the rhythm tracks. Wilbur's electric bass and Larry's "dirty" electric piano are both at their peak both expressively and for elevating the whole group sound. As a matter of fact, this might be the peak song on the album. Definitely a top three song for me. (9.5/10)
8. "Thank You Lord" (4:02) a fairly mellow, almost Smooth Jazz piece with simple vocal-like lead melody coming from Buddy's soprano sax over laid back and mellow funk-lite rhythm track. Not boring but nothing really new or special here, just conmemorative. (8.75/10)
9. "Antonia" (4:40) a high speed vamp over and within which Al and his compatriots take turns powering along some interesting lines at impressive speeds--especially Al--on multiple instruments. (9/10)
Total Time 42:15
Total Time 42:15
Never one very impressed with Alphonse Mouzon's skill or compositional prowess, I do, in fact, like the overall feel of this album. The flamboyance is not all in his fashion/clothing sense.
89.91 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of eclectic "Second Wave" Jazz-Rock Fusion.
89.91 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of eclectic "Second Wave" Jazz-Rock Fusion.
NOVA Blink! (1975)
Napolitano bands Osanna and Cervello unite (reuniting brothers Danilo and Corrado Rustici) for some groovin' jazz-rock fusion. Released by Arista Records in 1975 after being produced by Rupert Hine at Eel Pie Studios in London, England during August and September, Blink! probably reached the public in October or November.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Corrado Rustici / lead vocals, acoustic (2) & electric guitars
- Danilo Rustici / electric guitar
- Elio D'Anna / alto (2,3,6), soprano (1, 3, 5) & tenor (4,6) saxophones, flute (2)
- Luciano Milanese / bass
- Franco Lo Previte / drums
With:
- Morris Pert / percussion
1. "Tailor Made - Part 1 & Part 2 (5:09) what starts out sounding rather funky turns into driving blues-rock when the singing starts, but in the instrumental intervals between vocal passages it's highly-charged Jazz-Rock Fusion! Saxophonist Elio D'Anna is on fire but so is that rhythm section! What a temperamental song from these headstrong lads! (9.25/10)
2. "Something Inside Keeps You Down - Part 1 & Part 2 (6:11) opens as a kind of meandering, wandering "warm-up" or "practice" session turns into something quite else when Corrado Rustici enters singing in a high almost-falsetto voice. After two minutes, the singing shuts down and the band folds into a heavy rock motif that is anchored by some awesome deep bass playing and amazing drumming from Franco Lo Previte. Heavy and brooding but not bombastic or pedantic, this is very solid instrumental (9.25/10)
3. "Nova - Part 1 & Part 2 (7:10) opening with some funky rhythm guitar, Franco enters with some stunning drum work while everybody else settles into the rock 'n' roll groove. Elio takes the lead with some awesome sax screaming--on multiple instruments--while the guitars work out from beneath who's the lead and who's the rhythm. The brothers duke it out with Danilo shrieking out his more blues-anchored style before giving it up to Luciano Milanese's bass by way of short bursts from Elio and little brother Corrado with his fire-breathing machine gun. Elio gets another solo sixth minute which allows us to focus more on the different playing styles of the Rustici brothers: Danilo being all blues-orented while Corrado is so much more Mahavishnu--which is especially demonstrated when he finally lets loose in the final 30 seconds with some of his fire and brimstone. (13.5/15)
4. "Used to Be Easy - Part 1 & Part 2 (5:12) picked and strummed electricguitar chords over which Corrado starts singing in his higher-pitched vibrato voice that I'm so familiar with from my love of the band's Vimana album. The music beneath is sounds quite firmly founded in blues-rock, though you can tell from both his vocal and guitar that Corrado is very much interested in going a different direction (Elio, too); as a matter of fact, the rhythm section of Franco, Luciano, and Danilo all feel so firmly rooted in the blues-rock forms that this is the first time I'm conscious of the rift that must have led to their departure from the band. (8.66667/10)
5. "Toy - Part 1 & Part 2 (4:21) nice semi-funky rock with some jazzy elements coming from the rhythm guitar, lead sax, and drums (a bit)--the rest is more instrumental jam-band rock. By the time they get to the third and fourth minute the infectious groove has gotten so inside your being that the solos become quite enjoyable. I can't believe how 180 my view of this song became over the course of its four minutes! (9/10)
6. "Stroll On - Part 1 & Part 2 (10:33) hard-drivin', blistering-paced, near-metal blues rock with rather coarse and aggressive vocals from Corrado while the band races forward for the first six-and-a-half minutes, Luciano Milanese sounds very much like he's trying to match the speed and style of Percy Jones. Then they slow down a bit, allowing for a bit of space within which the various instrumentalists are able to clearly, patiently inject their solo--though the highlight of the entire song is Elio and Corrado's paired melody lines during the song's final two minutes; the two are in sync! (17.75/20)
Total Time 38:36
Interesting to contrast the two guitar styles of brothers Danilo and Corrado: the former is far more blues-rock oriented with lots of note bending and favoring a much more "dirty" sound while the latter is clearly a student/emulator of the technical wizardry of Mahavishnu John McLaughlin. At times Corrado's vocals sound so much like David Bowie! As accomplished as the musicians are, the sound engineering mix is not very enjoyable: the bass and drums are mixed farther forward than any of the other tracks! And Luciano Milanese is no Percy Jones (future member/contributor to the band) but he and drummer Franco Lo Previte are quite a force as a rhythm team. Though the music is often far too close to standard blues rock in both sound palette and style, I have come away very impressed with the power and presence of this album. I think the power of the music even helped me to cast aside my initial myopic orientation to only being open to Jazz-Rock Fusion. This is not Jazz-Rock Fusion. Still, it is my opinion, that the band's core trio's next move--to move to London, England, where they will use studio musicians in supporting rolls to record their next albums--is the best move they could have made.
89.89 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of hard-driving technically-awesome jazz-infused bluesy rock 'n' roll music.
TOOTS THIELEMANS - PHILIP CATHERINE Toots Thielemans & Friends (1974)
Recorded for Keytone Records in Amsterdam in May of 1974.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Toots Thielemans / harmonicas, electric guitar
- Philip Catherine / guitars
- Chris Hinze / flutes- John Lee / bass
- Gerry Brown / drums, percussion
- Joachim Kühn / piano, electric pianoA1. "Bé Bé Créole" (4:51) the first half of this sounds, to me, like a lesson in Harmonica 101 as presented on a show like Sesame Street; the second half like the more advanced class one mike take in one's junior or senior year. Thus, this makes, for me, all of the other instruments providing the base music relegated to the realms of cogs of dispensability: their efforts seem wasted. (8.66667/10)
A2. "Monologue" (4:08) a little more interesting from the lead instrument perspective, but sounding, in the end, like Chris Hinze's pre-Combination days of self-aggrandizing easy listening music to show one's skill at adapting other people's melodies, ideas, and styles to make "your own" compositions. (8.75/10)
A3. "T.T." (6:11) now here is a jazz tapestry in which M. Thielemans tries to find his way (instead of leading the others from his own melody-play): and it's one of his own compositions! The skills of pianist Joachim Kühn and drummer Gerry Brown get far more exposure on this and Toots actually backs off to let others have some of the spotlight. (8.875/10)
A4. "Two Generations" (4:11) now we're talkin'! Thanks for stepping in (or up) Chris! Piano and flute start it off before harmonica joins them, but the real boost comes 90 seconds in when Joachim leads the rhythm section into an explosion into a powerful SANTANA-like vamp over which Chris, Toots, and Philip Catherine take turns offering some kick ass solos over some seriously rowdy-rockin' all-out Jazz-Rock Fusion. A GREAT song. Easily my favorite song on the album. Like a Santana jam, I wish it would have gone on forever! (9.75/10)
B1. "Why Did I Choose You" (3:50) a Latin pop song (bossa nova by Michael Leonard) turned Smooth Jazz instrumental. Nice music by tightly-bonded group of very proficient musicians. Nice harmonica performance; very cool guitar support (Toots?) (8.875/10)
B2. "Uncle Charlie" (6:30) opens as a Louisiana swamp blues harmonica song that becomes funked up with the full band in support. Philip's raunchy distorted guitar actually fits fairly well over the steady funk-lite Billy Cobham-style jazz-funk. And it's not all dominated by a saccharine harmonica. Nice song, Toots! (9/10)
B3. "Friday Night" (3:46) Philip Catherine's lone compositional contribution to Toots' album involves some awesomely beautiful Spanish guitar (where was Philip when John McLaughlin and the guys were imagining some acoustic trio candidates?) While the song never really launches: it stays in the intro-interlude "limbo-land" the whole time, exploring wave after wave of guitar runs with near-"Theme from Midnight Cowboy" melodic hooks the entire time. It is, however, gorgeous. (9/10)
B4. "L'éternel Mari" (5:28) Joachim Kühn has created a great song here--one that stands up perfectly well with any lead instrument (reminding me a lot of something that could've come from either of Herbie Hancock's first two Head Hunters albums)--or none at all. The contributions of the harmonica up front are minimal enough to not take much away from Joachim, Philip, and John's performances: it's fine but man this awesome song could've served some really great artistry--from artists who were really deeply inspired and motivated to exploring the experimental sounds and technologies coming available in the mid-70s. (9/10)
Total time: 38:55
I really respect Toots Thielemans as a master of his instrument, as a fearless, ground-breaking musician, but for heaven's sake: it's a harmonica! I've already expressed my relative disdain for one-dimensional, melody-only musical instruments (the saxophone is my most disliked) and, as creative as one can be on the highly limiting harmonica, it's really about who one surrounds oneself with. Yes, the harmonica can deliver melodies with achingly-beautiful, heart-piercing emotion, but not every time: there are only so many "Theme[s] from A Midnight Cowboy," "Isn't She Lovely"s, and "Brand New Day"s that come across an artist's studio charts over the course of a lifetime.
Also, for getting second-to-the-top billing, Philip Catherine's contributions are certainly lower profile than what one might have expected. It is a bit fun (and insightful) to hear a little unscripted spoken commentary recorded (and published) in between the songs.
89.90 on the Fishscales = B+/ stars; what feels like a waste of time, effort, money, and talent turns out to present enough high-quality music to qualify as an excellent "near-masterpiece" of Jazz-Rock Fusion. The problem is that it astounds me to envision what this album could have been!
FROM Power On! (1972)
With this sophomore release from 1972, this German band showing tremendous growth, moving the band's music fully into the realm of Jazz-Rock Fusion. Power On! was recorded in Germany for CBS at Tonstudio Walldorf, though I am not sure which one though probably the one in Frankfurt am Main because of Rainer Maria Ehrhardt's involvement in its production.
- Gustl Mayr / tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, bells, co-composer (1)
- Viktor F. Belgrove / congas, vocals, percussion, steel drums
- Kurt Bong / drums, gong, timpani, percussion
- Klaus Gobel / piano, composer (2) electric piano, organ
- Dieter Von Goetze / electric bass, composer (1, 3)
With:
- Dieter Von Goetze / electric bass, composer (1, 3)
With:
- Horst Lubitz / arrangements, conductor
- Roland Schneider / arrangements, conductor
1. "Festival Rock / Use the Bridge" (17:30) right from the beginning of this piece one can sense the DRAMATIC change in musical approach the band has grown into: using an approach that is much more in tune with the fusion trends going on at the time in contemporary Jazz-Rock Fusion. The sound engineering is still strikingly pristine, almost ECM/ahead of its time, while the constructs are much more similar to those of Herbie Hancock's Mwandishi-era albums or even Miles Davis: more spacious, more drawn out, not so hurried to get the music into a compact form and package. The addition of electric piano to Klaus Gobel's keyboard repertoire is especially telling, considering that he was very much organ-centric on their previous album, 0611 Cat Quarter (released in the previous year). What a difference a year can make! Though the core quartet has remained the same, there are new collaborators on this album than on Cat Quarter in the form of busy percussionist Viktor F. Belgrove and two conductor/arrangers. I love the mix of the instruments so much as everybody seems up front and close--as if the listener is sitting in the middle of a circle of the players. Would that all albums could feel this intimate!
1. "Festival Rock / Use the Bridge" (17:30) right from the beginning of this piece one can sense the DRAMATIC change in musical approach the band has grown into: using an approach that is much more in tune with the fusion trends going on at the time in contemporary Jazz-Rock Fusion. The sound engineering is still strikingly pristine, almost ECM/ahead of its time, while the constructs are much more similar to those of Herbie Hancock's Mwandishi-era albums or even Miles Davis: more spacious, more drawn out, not so hurried to get the music into a compact form and package. The addition of electric piano to Klaus Gobel's keyboard repertoire is especially telling, considering that he was very much organ-centric on their previous album, 0611 Cat Quarter (released in the previous year). What a difference a year can make! Though the core quartet has remained the same, there are new collaborators on this album than on Cat Quarter in the form of busy percussionist Viktor F. Belgrove and two conductor/arrangers. I love the mix of the instruments so much as everybody seems up front and close--as if the listener is sitting in the middle of a circle of the players. Would that all albums could feel this intimate!
At the beginning of the second minute the band falls into an awesome funky groove that drives somewhere in the third or fourth gear so tthat the individual soloing can begin. Fender Rhodes is first before a quiet slowdown bridge returns the band to the opening motif before they turn down a completely different alley for some Santana-like latin funk over which Gustl Mayr solos enthusiastically with his tenor sax. Speaking of enthusiasm, it definitely shows in every single musician's performances: these guys are fully, 100% engaged. In the second half of the ninth minute the melodists back off so that Viktor Belgrove and Kurt Bong can have some solo time. Then, at the end of the tenth minute, the band comes back with Klaus Gobel back to his organ while the rest of the band puts together a kind of another new motif--this one swinging a little more and which sees Klaus' organ playing a big role despite nice contributions from everyone else. In Gustl Mayr's solo in this portion of the suite we hear him going off with more fire and brimstone than we're used to hearing from him. (He's usually quite melodic and restrained.) Once again Gustl's organ playing style during his turn in the spotlight reminds me more of that of Rod Argent than anyone else--though he is quite fond of "returning to order" with the long sustained chords familiar to everybody from Steve Winwood's play on "I'm a Man." Nice suite. I really would have loved to hear more of that second, more-funky motif. (32/35)
2. "Catalyst" (9:18) opens with a more familiar 1960s organ-based jazz-rock approach that might have come from Stevie Winwood's SPENCER DAVIS GROUP or one of BRIAN AUGER's projects. Drummer Kurt Bong gets quite a little solo time in the second minute before the rest of the band is allowed to rejoin, this time with Gustl soloing on his tenor in a more 1950s bop style of jazz. In th e fifth minute everybody cuts out for about a minute of odd but interesting African tribal chant and drum music, but then, just as suddenly, everybody returns to full-band jazz, picking up the bop motif as if nothing had interrupted them, only this time the create a new pattern by slowing way down every 20 or 30 seconds for brief bluesy organ passages, repeating this pattern over and over four or five times until the song's end. An okay song. (17.5/20)
3. "Fog in Rossert" (7:11) built over a pretty cool bass line, this one starts out kind of funky before slowing down at the end of the first minute for Gustl to play a pretty melody that must have been lifted by David Shire for his song "With You I'm Born Again" which became a massive hit worldwide when it was performed by Billy Preston and Syreeta (Wright) for the 1980 film soundtrack Fast Break. Fortunately, the song moves back and forth between this motif and the funky opener with another interesting percussion interlude in the sixth minute before everybody comes back together for the low-key finish. (13.375/15)
Total Time 33:59
As alluded to in my review of FROM's only other album, I really respect and like the talents, commitment, and engineering of From's music. I only wish the band had been able to pull off another song or two to solidify the fact of their commitment to the new jazz/Jazz-Rock Fusion that they seem to be matriculating toward--or that they had stayed together for at least one more album cuz they had so much potential. After this album release all three of the founding quartet broke off into separate projects--some as band leaders, a few in other jazz combos.
89.82 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of early "mainstream" "First Wave" Jazz-Rock Fusion--an album that I highly recommend to all prog rock lovers--and especially jazz and J-RF lovers--if only for the experience of hearing such an incredibly tightly-performed band rendered with such phenomenal sound engineered.
THE ELEVENTH HOUSE Introducing The Eleventh House with Larry Coryell (1974)
With 1969's Spaces (released, mysteriously, some 19 months after it was recorded), it felt as if guitarist Larry Coryell might have been a little reluctant to jump fully on board the Power Rock infusion of the Jazz-Rock Fusion movement, but then I'm sure he could see the commercial, critical, and financial success his band mates from that album were having: John McLaughlin and Billy Cobham with the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Miroslav Vitous with Weather Report, and Chick Corea with his Return To Forever project.
Tapping into some of his more adventurous New York City-based friends, this was what he came up with. Though recorded in 1973 at Vanguard's 23rd Street Studio in New York City, Larry's loyal label did not release Introducing The Eleventh House with Larry Coryell until February of 1974.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Larry Coryell / guitar
- Randy Brecker / trumpet
- Mike Mandel / piano, ARP synth
- Danny Trifan / bass
- Alphonse Mouzon / percussion
1. "Birdfingers" (3:07) Alphonse Mouzon gets us started, showing off a little of his skills before the song's swirling melody lines are launched by Larry Coryell and Randy Brecker and, later, Mike Mandel. Man! These guys are all moving!--especially the afore-mentioned trio. Great opener putting it all out there! (9.75/10)- Larry Coryell / guitar
- Randy Brecker / trumpet
- Mike Mandel / piano, ARP synth
- Danny Trifan / bass
- Alphonse Mouzon / percussion
2. "The Funky Waltz" (5:10) using a "Papa Was a Rolling Stone"-like bass and cymbal foundation the synth, trumpet and electric guitar lines established over the top are nice though the weird "fireworks"-like synth flares are pretty annoying. Larry's mute/wah-affected solos in the second and third minutes have the sound that is similar to that of the pedal steel that I hear from Steely Dan guitarist Jeff "Skunk" Baxter on Can't Buy a Thrill or the horns from the Pretzel Logic album. (8.66667/10)
3. "Low-Lee-Tah" (4:17) opening with a reverbed guitar arpeggio display similar to something we all heard on the Mahavishnu albums. The rest of the band slowly joins in, not yet shifting the tempo into anything above first gear but maintaining a great atmosphere of potential energy. Randy Brecker takes the first solo. I wish they had mixed him better: more a part of the song instead of feeling outside of the others. Larry takes the next solo using lots of bending of notes on the fretboards like John McLaughlin does with his special scooped frets for his Indian music. Pretty cool but not perfect. (9/10)
4. "Adam Smasher" (4:30) A bit of a Steely Dan sound to this one with the funk bass and drums and clavinet. Mike Mandel's Fender Rhodes takes the first solo sounding like the next Bob James generation of the Herbie/Chick sound. Randy's solo is interesting for his virtuosic use of the muting device. Larry's solo is next: he's using a wah-pedal/device that gives another shape and sound to his dextrous guitar play. (It almost sounds like the talkbox tube made famous by Peter Frampton.) (8.875/10)
5. "Joy Ride" (6:08) more laid back music that allows more space for the musicians to be heard and appreciated. During the first two minutes as the band establishes the foundations and framework of the song, Larry's guitar playing sounds almost like he's playing an acoustic: so smooth and fluid. Later he gets more aggressive and fiery in his particular way. The keys are particularly noticeable throughout, feeling something between Herbie Hancock and Bob James. I like the picking up of the pace in the fifth minute for the duelling between Larry and the wah-effected ARP and trumpet. Overall, another song that is perhaps a little too simple in its basic construct: like having white bread when you want wheat or rye. (8.75/10)
6. "Yin" (6:03) more power jazz-rock fusion that seems to be trying to sound like Billy-Cobham led Mahavishnu music. I like Larry's abrasive rhythm guitar while supporting Randy Brecker's great first solo. His solo in the third minute over the high-speed rhythm track below is awesome--as is the hard-driving work of bassist Danny Trifan and drummer Mouzon. Perhaps the best song on the album. Randy, Alphonse, and Danny are extraordinary. (9.75/10)
7. "Theme for a Dream" (3:26) slow and dreamy with a bit of a feel of an interlude song from a Broadway musical. The kind of musical landscape that spawned the Easy Listening and Smooth Jazz genres of music. Larry's muted and effected guitar sounds a lot like the virtuosic background guitar play of Steely Dan's great guitarists like Larry Carlton, Jay Graydon, Dean Parks, Hugh McCracken, and Lee Ritenour. It's pretty! (8.875/10)
8. "Gratitude 'A So Low'" (3:21) a solo electric guitar song from Larry. Not very melodic nor even super impressive! (8.666667/10)
9. "Ism - Ejercicio" (3:59) trying to be heavy and ominous, it's just not working: neither the chord progression, low end, or pacing. The bass-and-drum race of the second minute is an odd and not altogether engaging motif, nor is the next heavy, plodding Mahavishnu-like blues-rock motif over which Randy's muting play solo ensues. Then there is the YES-like motif in the final minute in which Alphonse's drumming sounds out of sync with the others. (8.6666667/10)
10. "Right On Y'All" (4:21) a fairly together fast-driving song with more sounds and stylings that remind me of Steely Dan as well as some annoying cowbell, guitar play, and synth noises. (8.75/10)
Total Time 44:22
All of Larry's bandmates are quite competent with drummer Alphonse Mouzon receiving a lot of attention for his dynamic work, but, for me, it is trumpeter Randy Brecker who keeps stealing my attention away from the others--even from Larry himself. I agree with other reviewers that the songwriting on this album seemed to take a back seat to A) fitting into the genre and B) showing off the skills of the individual musicians.
For as talented and skilled as Larry Coryell was, he must have had a stubborn streak running deep inside cuz the dude never quite fit in--never became as famous, always stuck to a very eccentric agenda and style of music--even his guitar sound remained "stuck" inside some kind of dirty, raunchy, macho that sounded as if he had to make more noise than everyone else. Maybe he had some kind of inferiority complex that he was compensating for. Maybe it's because he had to wear glasses. Or because he was from Seattle. But he had cool hair! My point is: the dude never really moved to the front of the class and I think this had a lot to do with his stubbornly eccentric choices: he wanted to be different and he was; it was just not the kind of 'different' that propels one to the top of the charts or in front of sold-out arena-size audiences.
89.75 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; there are some great, top tier J-R Fuse tunes and performances here--some real highs--but there are also a few duds, making this album as a whole the kind of middle of the road.
An all-star band of veritable who's who in the early Latin/jazz-ified R&B/funk scene that was, apparently, the brain child of Santana percussionist Mike Carabello and Sly & The Family Stone founder and drummer Greg Errico; the "band" was originally called "Attitude." The material for the album that would become Giants was recorded for Mike Carabello's Far Out Productions over the course of several years, starting in 1971, using studios in San Francisco (Columbia Studios and Wally Heider Studio) and Los Angelis (Mike's Far Our Studio) but never released until 1977/78 (not 1979).
Lineup / Musicians:
- Greg Errico (Sly & The Family Stone) / drums, synthesizer, producer
- Mike Carabello (Santana) / organ (B2), congas
- Doug Rauch (The Voices of East Harlem, The Loading Zone, Gábor Szabó, Santana, Lenny White) / bass
- Doug Rodrigues (The Voices of East Harlem, Santana, Betty Davis, Mandrill, Lenny White / guitar
- Wendy Haas (Santana, Azteca) / piano, vocals (B3)
With:
- Carlos Santana (Santana) / guitar (B2, B3)
- Neal Schon (Santana, Journey) / guitar
- Lee Oskar (War) / harmonica (A3, A4)
- Greg Rollie (Santana) / organ
- Robert "Bobby" Vega (Lee Oskar) / bass [fuzz] (A3, A4)
- Chepito Areas (Santana) / percussion (A3, A4, B1)
- Rico Reyes (Santana, Azteca) / percussion (A3, A4, B1)
- Herbie Hancock (Miles Davis, solo) / piano (B1)
- Mike Garcia / vibraphone (B2)
- Victor Pantoia (Chico Hamilton, Willie Bobo, Gábor Szabó, HERBIE MANN, Herbie Hancock, Azteca, Betty Davis) / congas
- Bianca Thornton-Oden (Lee Oskar, Van Morrison) / vocals
- Coke Escovedo (Azteca) / vocals
- Gene Washington / vocals
- Jody Moreing (Sincerely, San Jose) / vocals
- Linda Tillery (The Cultural Heritage Choir, The Loading Zone, solo) / vocals
A1. "Attitude" (3:25) pure R&B funk from the very first note, the song uses a female-dominated choir to present the "attitude" chorus between which various voices (male and female) take turns belting out their lyric. Great vocal arrangement as well as improvisations. This is not quite Disco, more like EW&F/UNDISPUTED TRUTH proto-Disco. (9/10)
A2. "They Change It" (3:29) opens with an excellent funk groove not unlike some of SLY & THE FAMILY STONE's earlier songs. It's no surprise, then, that a full choir joins in to "recite" or chant the lyrics in a "Thank You For Lettin' Me Be Myself" fashion. The bass is so funky! And the drumming, percussion, and support guitars are right on board! An amazing funk song that is diminished a bit by its kind-of-corny lyrics and vocal arrangement. (9.25/10)
Kilimanjaro suite :
A3. "The Village" (4:30) a WAR-like palette that is dominated by the free-wheelin' percussion play beneath treated harmonica/whistling and organ. Very cool! Would be so fun to see performed live. There are, however, a few glitch-like issues with timing/synchrony. (8.875/10)
A4. "The Summit" (4:38) the percussionists lay back from soloing and settle into a nice groove that allows Lee Oskar to take the lead on his saxophone-sounding harmonica. I love this kind of African drum-centric music. (9/10)
B1. "Pancho Villa" (5:11) organ and timbales open this one before congas and other percussionists, bass. electric piano, and trumpet join in. It is my understanding that it's pretty much the SANTANA lineup performing percussives and organ (Greg Rollie) I'm going to assume that it's Herbie Hancock on the keys (though it doesn't sound like his style of play so it could be Wendy Haas), but I'm wondering who the (uncredited) trumpet player is (Eddie Henderson?) as well as the violinist. My understanding is that this might be conga player Mike Carabello's composition. Too much simplicity as if a bare bones track established expressly to support soloists. Problem is, it's not recorded very well from the soloists' point of view and the solos aren't that noteworthy. (8.5/10)
B2. "Fried Neckbones and Home Fries" (6:32) a cover of a song written and performed by percussionist Victor Pantoja's long-time collaborator and friend, Willie Bobo, here rendered as an instrumental. It has a completely SANTANA-esque Latin/Caribbean sound and feel--especially with Carlos, the man himself's guitar solo (later taken over by Neal Schon) as well as some rather wild organ soloing from conga player Mike Carabello in the opening minute. Mike Garcia's vibraphone solo in the fourth minute is a bit simple yet harmonically interesting. Apparently this song was recorded in 1971 for Mike Carabello's solo project called "Attitude" but never found its release until Greg Errico could put things together for a full album six years later. Rated up for its excellent sound and solos; down for its simplistic, repetitive four-chord foundation. (8.875/10)
B3. "In Your Heart" (5:40) opening with a "Long Train Runnin'" sound and feel the driving, funky groove is soon joined by a choir of female-dominated voices singing in some quite lovely melodies and vocal arrangements. I can so easily get lost in wonderful weaves of rhythm instruments and percussion work like this. Apparently, a Doug Rauch and Wendy Haas jam that features Neal Schon on a spectacular display of lead guitar and, of course, Greg Errico on drums and Mike Carabello on congas. Very cool, kind of cinematic song! (9.3333/10)
Total time: 33:25
According to interviews with Errico and Carabello, the album took so long to find a label willing to release the material (most of which had been recorded in 1971) due to the predominant "party first, business later" attitude of the musicians at the time of the recording sessions. This would also explain the jam-like foundational structure of many of the songs as well as the "early" Santana sound prevalent throughout the album. All I know is that I'll take any chance I can get to hear anything the Santana crew were doing up to and during the Caravanserai era. I also love the song creators' unique visions for use of choir vocals throughout the album. Very cool!
89.73 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars rated down for brevity; an awesome display of Caravanserai-like jazz-funk jamming from a veritable Latin funk-rock all-star band. Highly recommended!
ATMOSPHERES Featuring Clive Stevens Voyage to Uranus (1974)
Clive Stevens and "friends"' second and final album together--both published within the same calendar year. Recorded at The Record Plant in New York, with Jimmy Ienner serving as the producer, it was released by Capitol Records in August of 1974. Multi-instrumentalist Ralph Towner and guitarist John Abercrombie return from two years before while the rest of the rhythm section has been replaced.
- Clive Stevens / electric tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, alto flute, Echoplex, wah wah pedal
- Michael Thabo Carvin / drums
- David Earl Johnson / congas, timbales, assorted percussion
- Stu Woods / electric bass
- John Abercrombie / electric guitar, acoustic guitar
- Ralph Towner / electric piano, clavinet, 12 string acoustic guitar
1. "Shifting Phases" (6:55) a great galloping horseback riding rhythm track over which John Abercrombie's jazz guitars and Clive Stevens' saxophone swoop and soar; great energy straight off the bat with the bass, drums, and rhythm guitar's funky groove. Great engineering in that every instrument is fully defined--though I don't like the dirty distortion effect used on Ralph Towner's Fender Rhodes electric piano. I like the fact that each of the instrumentalists remains actively engaged and creatively contributing while other band members are having their turns soloing. I'd give this full marks were it a little more memorable in the melody department. (14/15)
2. "Culture Release" (6:50) The song opens up with some impressive whole-group showmanship over the course of 30-seconds of complex chord and melody transitions but then the song settles into a high-speed R&B form within which clavinet, guitar, and soprano sax trade lightning fast bursts of soloing; it's constructed like a geometrical mathematical until the soloists (clavinet, electric guitar, sax, electric bass, and drums) start trading barbs at the end of the first minute, then it sounds like Todd Rundgren's first Utopia album. Drummer Michael Thabo Carvin gets the clear-out effect for an extended isolated solo in the third and fourth minute, and then everybody comes back together just like at the beginning as if they were calmly starting over: no problem! And the jam continues! Great performances--even Michael Thabo Carvin's extended drum solo--considering the lightning speed of the main rhythm track. Never quite heard the clavinet solo like Ralph Towner plays it here. Very impressive--though, again, I wish there were more attention to melody than riffing. (13.5/15)
3. "Inner Spaces and Outer Places" (5:15) slowing it down with some low-end chord play from Stu Woods and Ralph Towner while John Abercrombie's guitars and Clive Stevens' multiple horns loosely provide a lazy, unsynchronized melody over the top. In the second minute the sonic field thins as the low-end chords stop while two guitars solo, at the same time, as if in completely different universes! Saxes and Fender Rhodes give a kind of Steely Dan support while the rhythm section offers a solid foundation beneath. Weird that I find myself listening more to Ralph Towner's chord play, Stu Woods' bass lines, or David Earl Johnson's congas more than the rest; I guess I'm not much of a fan of either of the guitarists' sound choices or their soloing styles. (8.875/10)
4. "Un Jour Dans Le Monde" (4:43) aqueous and dreamy soundscape established by Ralph's Fender and Clive's saxophone. The gentle arpeggiating of the guitar tracks also helps. This is the kind of song that is challenging for percussionists to contribute to without disturbing the mood--bass, too--but Stu, David, and Michael do a fair job. Nice melody established from the beginning and perpetuated nicely by Clive and the John Abercrombie throughout the entire song. Nice song texturally but sometimes a little draggin' (9/10)
5. "Voyage To Uranus" (5:52) opens side two as if a continuation or variation on the previous song with sax leading the melody and guitar, Fender, and percussion helping to fill the field with gentle, dreamy stuff. Once the intro is moved passed, the rhythmatists establish an equally-gentle and -melodic foundation over which Clive solos. There's a little Bob James-like feel to this music despite a slightly-more-active bass and percussionist. Clive's solos are rather engaging, not off-putting as so many sax solos can be (for me), but Ralph's Fender Rhodes work (and John Abercrombie's rhythm guitar work) is a bit too saccharine like so much of Bob James' arrangements. (8.75/10)
6. "Electric Impulse From The Heart" (4:15) opening with a rather mysterious yet-melodic arpeggioed keyboard chord sequence similar to many of JEAN-LUC PONTY's songs over the next ten years but, at the same time having a little RETURN TO FOREVER/MAHAVISHNU edginess to it--all in rather gentle support of Clive's effected saxophone play. The hypnotic song slips by so quickly that I find myself surprised each time when it ends. (8.875/10)
7. "Water Rhythms" (8:44) a one minute long intro that seems to be built around a jazz-rock-infused R&B motif turns into a more forward-moving smooth jazz motif with some heavier drumming, more dynamic soul-R&B rhythm guitar strumming, slightly more brash sax and Fender Rhodes soloing--all of which takes it out of its smooth categorization and places it firmly into the realm of some kind of neighborhood-cruising R&B. In the last two minutes a rising-and-then-falling sequence of full chords of ominosity repeat themselves a few times before the band brings it all to a crashing end. Interesting. Not my favorite but a solid, decent song. (17.75/20)
8. "Return To The Earth" (5:15) Clive on flute is supported by 12-string guitar picking and delicate bass and drum play with rich electric piano arpeggiations and chord sequences. At the end of the third minute John Abercrombie's electric jazz guitar solos as Ralph Towner accompanies on one of the 12-strings. This is more like the kind of stuff I was hoping for! With all of the tracks of guitars plus Fender Rhodes it is obvious that Ralph and John are each using multiple tracks--and these are the tracks that my brain gravitates to. An interesting--and totally unexpected--way to end the album! (8.875/10)
A collection of very impressive performances, to be sure, coming through in interesting, unusual compositions. Though I like the sound engineering better on this album than it's predecessor, I like the dynamic diversity and whole-band entanglement of their debut better; this album feels more like a Clive Stevens album whereas the eponymously-titled debut felt more reliant on collaboration.
89.625 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of melodic jazz rock fusion. While there are some songs not to be missed here, there are several that just miss the mark.
BRIAN AUGER'S OBLIVION EXPRESS Closer to It! (1973)
Gone is singer Alex Ligertwoood and here are the Latin percussives of Lennox Laington. (Praise be to the SANTANA-infused era of Jazz-Rock Fusion.)
- Brian Auger/ organ, piano, electric piano, Moog, Mellotron, vocals
- Jack Mills /guitar
- Barry Dean / bass
- Godfrey MacLean/ drums, cowbell
- Lennox Laington / congas
1. "Whenever You're Ready" (6:20) Lennos Laington's conga play leads the way to open this song (and album) while drummer Godfrey MacLean and bassist Barry Dean slowly join in before Brian's Hammond leaps into the spotlight. At the end of the second minute Brian jumps into the fray with his voice--which is mixed oddly into the background--behind all of the other instruments! As always, Brian has a very nice voice, but it's his dynamic organ play that raises smiles and eyebrows. The rest of the band is so nicely tight! Experimental echoed-keyboard "hits" occupy the sixth minute and lead the band to its fadeout conclusion. (9/10)
2. "Happiness Is Just Around The Bend" (6:31) Fender Rhodes and Moog weirdities front this laid back Latinized groove song while Brian continues singing from the next room over. (8.875/10)
3. "Light On The Path" (4:56) starts out sounding as if I were actually listening to Santana's Caravanserai, but then Brian's Hammond defines it and then I'm relegated to thinking it's music from the cutting room floor of Caravanserai : almost deserving of having been included in that amazing album. The lead guitar work of Jack Mills is awesome: very much in the Carlos, Neal Schon, Doug Rodriguez style and sound. I really like this song despite the fact that it's just a vamp set up for instrumental solos. Nice original composition by the collective. (9/10)
4. "Compared To What" (7:53) opening with a cool, relaxed groove from guitar, bass, drums, and congas that is enhanced by Brian's bluesy Hammond, this 1935 penned Eugene McDaniels classic receives a nice blues-rock update. Brian doesn't start adding vocals (sounding like Grand Funk Railroad's Don Brewer) until the 3:00 mark, noodling and jiving along on his organ in the meantime. Godfrey MacLean, Barry Dean, and Lennox Laington do a most excellent job holding down the rhythm section while Jack Mills' guitar is a bit lame as a soloist. And a real ending (no fadeout)! (13.375/15)
5. "Inner City Blues" (4:31) from the very start this sounds like it's going to be a tightly similar rendition of the Marvin Gaye song, but then Brian's doubled-up vocal "Da-das" and organ enter to give it a very different angle. Brian's performances are very good--as are those of the entire rhythm section (especially Jack Mills' interesting rhythm guitar play)--but it's so hard to stand up to a song that is already a classic, "perfect." (8.875/10)
6. "Voices Of Other Times" (5:56) an Auger-Dean composition that works really well as a follow-up to the Marvin Gaye song: flows straight from "Inner City Blues" the way that Marvin's (and Carlos') songs all flow so seamlessly throughout the two classic LPs that Brian is drawing so much inspiration from. I actually like this song quite a bit: It's melodic, it grooves, it's funky, the instrumental performances are flawless, the lyrics are engaging, even Jack Mills' Carlos Santana-imitative guitar solo works. (9.125/10)
Total Time: 36:15
As my esteemed prog reviewer emeritus Rollie Anderson (Chicapah) writes, Mr. Auger was obviously very inspired by hearing Santana's ground-breaking Caravanserai release near the end of the previous year. His new band hires and results from their March 1973 recording sessions confirm this emphatically!
Though I can't help but agree with Brian's vocals often standing out as the "weak link" it's not because he has a bad voice or sings out of tune, it's mostly cuz he's taken on singing on covers of classic tunes that often have a very distinctive, iconic vocal. What really means is that Brian has some rather big cajones! And he never butchers a song, just makes it his own (when perhaps it never really needed that).
89.62 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of Caravanserai- and What's Going On-like Jazz-Rock Fusion. An eminently enjoyable listen!
89.62 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of Caravanserai- and What's Going On-like Jazz-Rock Fusion. An eminently enjoyable listen!
THE DON ELLIS ORCHESTRA Live in 3 2/3 / 4 Time (1967)
Due to the popular response of Don's performance at the Monterey Jazz Festival in September of 1966, a record album was quickly prepared for release: 'Live' At Monterey ! This album contained three recordings from September 18th's historic performance with one track ("Concerto for Trumpet" [11:50]) from a live performance that occurred a month later at the Pacific Jazz Festival (10/8/66). The Don Ellis phenomenon was so rabid (with sightings of "Where Is Don Ellis?" bumper stickers rising across the country), and the sales of the first album so encouraging, that Liberty Records was quick to try to assemble a second live recording in order to try to take advantage of the wave of Monterey/Don Ellis buzz.
This album, Live in 3 2/3 / 4 Time, was prepared from more recordings from the live performance at Pacific Jazz Festival as well as three songs from a March 27 of the following year. (The list of songs extracted from this performance at Shelly's Manne-Hole in Los Angeles would grow to number eight with the release of an expanded CD version in 2000.) As usual, the highly-charged, amazingly-synchronized and -harmonized arrangements (only two of which are original Don Ellis compositions--though one song, "Thetis," comes from Don's long-time collaborator and friend, Hank Levy) are a marvel to listen to and, I think you'll find, quite often stir one's core enough to force you to get out of your seat and dance!
Line-up / Musicians:Don Ellis / trumpet, quarter-tone trumpet
- Saxes & Woodwinds:
Ruben Leon - alto sax, soprano sax, flute
Joe Roccisano - alto sax, soprano sax, flute, clarinet
Tom Scott - alto sax, saxello, flute, clarinet
Ira Schulman - tenor sax, flute, clarinet
Ron Starr - tenor sax, flute, clarinet
John Magruder - baritone sax, flute, clarinet, bass clarinet
- Trumpets:
Glenn Stuart
Alan Weight
Ed Warren
Bob Harmon
- Trombones:
Ron Myers
Dave Wells
Dave Sanchez
Terry Woodson - bass trombone
- Rhythm Section:
Dave Mackay - piano
Ray Neapolitan - bass
Frank De La Rosa - bass
Dave Parlato - bass
Chuck Domanico - bass
Steve Bohannon - drums
Alan Estes - drums, timbales
Chino Valdes - congas, bongos
Mark Stevens - percussion
Original Liberty/Pacific Records vinyl release in 1967:
A1. "Orientation" (11:20) more fun in 7/8 + 9/8 starting out, of course, with the rhythmatists: congas and percussion, bass, drums, and piano. When the horns start joining in it is with what seems to be an unusually reckless/wild abandon, but they all come together at about 1:45 for an Ira Schulman sax solo with accents coming from multiple banks of horns, high and low. Awesome! And SO danceable! A little lull at 3:50 as the sax finishes up before solo time is given to conga player Chino Valdes for about a minute. Horn swell leads into a cool polymetric multi-sax solo section before another horn swell at 6:05 opens the door for the band leader to take his solo. Oddly enough Don's trumpet may be the worst recorded instrument in the orchestra. Despite this fact, his solo keeps climbing the mountain, being assisted by some seriously swelling horns and rhythm section play (which is greeted with some appropriately appreciative audience response at 8:15). The next big swell occurs in the middle of the tenth minute and it is drum-led, which is pretty cool. The big finish features multiple banks of horns going their own way, though not quite as or independently as that wild opening. Awesome! (19/20)
A2. "Angel Eyes" (5:41) a slow, pensive, and plodding "Porgy and Bess"-like old-style R&B crooner with Don's piano- and horn-supported trumpet carrying the melody in place of the human voice as it would have been sung in 1946 when Earl Brent and Matt Dennis first penned it. Nice melodies. (8.875/10)
A3. "Freedom Jazz Dance" (5:54) Eddie Harris' song performed in "seven," featuring pianist Dave Mackay and saxello player Tom Scott. Pretty cool--especially when Mackay goes low onto his keyboard. The "saxello" is a weird sounding sax that sounds like it comes straight from the streets of New Orleans (I think it's a flange-wah effect applied to the channel mic-ing Tom's tenor sax). The percussion and rhythm section are, of course, amazing, adding layer upon layer and volume and power the further the song progresses. Awesome! (9/10)
B1. "Barnum's Revenge" (4:36) one of Don's sax players, Ruben Leon, arranged this 3 2 2 time song from "Won't You Come Home, Bill Bailey?" Very interesting but it does play out more like a whole-band teaching exercise than an audience-targeted crowd pleaser--at least until Don and the drummers and trombonists get their chances to embellish. (8.75/10)
B2. "Upstart" (9:02) this is the song from the album: the one in 3 2/3 / 4 time--the second original composition on the album. The moderately paced foundation has a kind of near-Latin (say, Southern California) feel to it over which Don takes the first solo followed by a bridge of stellar, purposely-staggered horn banking before a clarinet solo by Ira Schulman takes the next spotlight. Following the percussionists and rhythm section members is easy to do and quite fun for the challenge of trying to parse out the odd time signature. Bird-like discordant clarinets pepper the upper end during the next extended bridge while the band and horn banks plod beneath--even getting the end. (17.5/20)
B3. "Thetis" (8:27) composed and arranged by Don's long-time friend and associate, Hank Levy, this one starts out like a slow-moving train before finally taking off and featuring rondo-like layers of multi-instrumental sections circling over and around one another. In the third minute everybody congeals into a single direction of very spicy Caribbean-rhythmed music over which Ruben Leon's soprano sax solos. The next is Don's trumpet and then Dave Mackay's piano. The solos are great--these are very professional performers, but it's as if one cannot help but be drawn to the rhythmatists--which, accordingly, get their own solo time in the seventh minute. (17.5/20)
Total time: 44:00
Track listing for the 2000 CD release:
1. Orientation
2. Angel Eyes (Denni s, Brent / arr. Don Ellis)
3. Freedom Jazz Dance (Eddie Harris / arr. Don Ellis)
4. Barnum's Revenge (Ruben Leon / arr. Ruben Leon)
5. Upstart
6. Thetis (Hank Levy / arr. Hank Levy)
7. Bossa Nueva Nova (Hank Levy / arr. Hank Levy)
8. Opus Five (Howlett Smith / arr. Howlett Smith)
9. Seven Up (Howlett Smith / arr. Joe Roccisano)
10. Johnny One-Note (Jaki Byard / arr. Jaki Byard)
11. Freedom Jazz Dance (alternate) (Eddie Harris / arr. Don Ellis)
2. Angel Eyes (Denni s, Brent / arr. Don Ellis)
3. Freedom Jazz Dance (Eddie Harris / arr. Don Ellis)
4. Barnum's Revenge (Ruben Leon / arr. Ruben Leon)
5. Upstart
6. Thetis (Hank Levy / arr. Hank Levy)
7. Bossa Nueva Nova (Hank Levy / arr. Hank Levy)
8. Opus Five (Howlett Smith / arr. Howlett Smith)
9. Seven Up (Howlett Smith / arr. Joe Roccisano)
10. Johnny One-Note (Jaki Byard / arr. Jaki Byard)
11. Freedom Jazz Dance (alternate) (Eddie Harris / arr. Don Ellis)
I am usually loathe to listen to much less review live album recordings but Don Ellis has become quite another matter: his song introductions, quick quirky sense of humor, and educational approach are so darn charming and disarming!
89.58 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; If you are at all interested in sharing in the experience of those first waves of the truly-groundbreaking Don Ellis Orchestra experience, then I highly recommend finding this album to listen to! Plus, these songs are not available on other albums and are here for your entertainment and amazement.
P.S. If you get the chance to listen to the CD release of this album, do so: the additional five songs from the March 27, 1967 performance at Shelly's Manne-Hole in L.A. are every bit as worthy of hearing as the original six songs on the 1967 vinyl release.
STANLEY CLARKE Children of Forever (1973)
Generally regarded as another Return To Forever album, the main difference being the substitution of vocalist Andy Bey ant Dee Dee Bridgewater for Airto Moreira and Flora Purim.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Stanley Clarke / bass fiddle, electric bass, arrangements (1)
With:
- Dee Dee Bridgewater / vocals
- Andy Bey / vocals
- Pat Martino / electric & 12-string guitars
- Chick Corea / electric & acoustic pianos, clavinet, arrangements (2-5), producer
- Arthur Webb / flute
- Lenny White / drums, tambourine
- Stanley Clarke / bass fiddle, electric bass, arrangements (1)
With:
- Dee Dee Bridgewater / vocals
- Andy Bey / vocals
- Pat Martino / electric & 12-string guitars
- Chick Corea / electric & acoustic pianos, clavinet, arrangements (2-5), producer
- Arthur Webb / flute
- Lenny White / drums, tambourine
1. "Children Of Forever" (10:42) an odd song that sounds part Broadway musical part gospel song. Despite some odd quirks and descrepencies in the sound quality and mix levels, many of the idiosyncratic trademark riffs and tricks of both Chick and Stanley are on full display in this song--trademarks that will become much more refined and as the varieties in sound-treatments and instrumental choices increase over the next few years. The real weakness of this odd, odd song is in the weird vocals (and lyrics): they sound as if they are coming straight off of a stage of a production like Pippin, Hair, or Godspell.only a much lower grade/quality play. (17.375/20)
2. "Unexpected Days" (5:53) despite the same quality of sound engineering for the vocalists and instrumentalists, the switch to lone vocal leadership of Dee Dee Bridgewater is more palatable (I guess I'm finding Andy Bey's stiff and formal vocals to be too contrasting to those of the gorgeous and souluful Ms. Bridgewater. The music and instrumental passages on this one are much better--far more engaging and more-fully sculpted--on this song than on its predecessor--the contributions of Arthur Webb's flute and the electric piano, in particular, adding a lot of serene accessibility. (8.875/10)
3. "Bass Folk Song" (Clarke) (7:59) feeding an acoustic double bass through a wah-wah pedal is an interesting experiment. This song is credited to Stanley but it sure exudes all of the Latin qualities of a Chick Corea song. The pairing up of the flute with Chick's electric piano to present the dominant melodies is nice, but the motif used beneath the frenzied instrumental noodling of the song's middle and final sections becomes a little tedious to the point of creating anxiety. Too many notes! (13.125/15)
4. "Butterfly Dreams" (6:52) a very nice traditional jazz tune with vocals. Here, on his own, with this kind of jazz music behind him, Andy Bey sounds awesome: kind of like the great Joe Williams or even. Nice jazz guitar solo in the first instrumental passage between vocals. The integrating comaraderie between Chick's piano, Stanley's double bass, and Lenny's jazz drumming is quite noticeable, quite comforting, and definitely magical. This is definitely my favorite song on the album (despite it being the least fusionistic of them all). (14.25/15)
5. "Sea Journey" (16:26) gentle BOB JAMES-like music to support the GAYLE MORAN-like vocal performance of Dee Dee Bridgewater, the opening motif definitely previews many of Chick's Jazz-Rock Fusion albums like The Mad Hatter, Musicmagic, and even a little of Romantic Warrior. especially when he and Lenny take off in the fourth minute with the galloping motif that supports Chick's Fender Rhodes solo play. Finally, Lenny gets a little of the spotlight! (I've got to keep reminding myself that this is officially a Stanley Clarke album, not a Chick Corea or RTF album.) At 6:07 we return to the previous smooth motif where Andy Bey gets to take his turn in the lead. He does his androgynous best to sound like Dee Dee (though a bit more like Nina Simone, Chaka Khan or Gayle Moran). At the eight-minute mark Stanley steps in front of the still-wailing Andy with his bowed wah-wah-effected bass fiddle. The ensuing solo is so RTF: so vintage Chick and Stanley! At the ten-minute mark Stanley steps back into his background bass role as guitarist Pat Martino steps up with his jazz guitar to solo while Chick and Lenny offer their off-setting accents and flourishes. At the end of the twelfth minute Arthur Webb and Chick's right handed Fender Rhodes re-introduce the opening melody, allowing Pat to finish while re-establishing the more cushiony fabric for Dee Dee to return to the front--this time singing with more of her own soulful jazz style than that of the future Mrs. Corea (i.e., Gayle Moran). Andy and Stanley really take off beneath Dee Dee's scatting vocalese in the fifteenth and sixteenth minutes as Chick's electric piano continues to express side notes, riffs, and alternate chords right up to the song's end. I love this one! Definitely another favorite. (27/30)
Total time 47:52
Total time 47:52
This album definitely proposes three observations regarding the progression of Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, and Lenny White's induction into the fairly new, experimental world of Jazz-Rock Fusion: 1) they are not yet fully committed (they remain somewhat-stubbornly loyal to many of jazz's "sacred" tenets), 2) they are not yet certain or clear on exactly what defines Jazz-Rock Fusion, and 3) they have been slow to jump on the bandwagon of the latest and greatest advances in technology available to both musicians of their specific specialties but also to the members of the sound engineering room.
89.58 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; an inconsistent though future-illuminating exploration into First Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion that earns near-masterpiece status. Chick is definitely flying at Jonathan Livingston Seagull speeds while his young protégés are learning, working hard to try to catch up.
DON ELLIS ORCHESTRA Shock Treatment (1968)
Recorded on February 18 & 19 of 1968, this is the album that caused such a stir in the public eye because of the record company (Columbia)'s massive mess up with its initial mastering and publication. Here' the story in Don's own words extracted from a letter he sent to the "Chords and Discords" forum of DownBeat magazine immediately following the magazine's review of (the first version) of the album:
“Regarding the review of my record Shock Treatment by Harvey Pekar (DB, Sept. 19), I would like to set the record straight on some little known facts in connection with this album. The copy that was reviewed was one about which I am embarrassed and not proud. The story behind this is as follows:
Upon completion of the album, I did the mixing and editing here in California and then sent the finished product to New York. It wasn’t until the album was already released that I heard a pressing. Much to my horror, I found that without consulting me the whole album had been changed around—rejected masters and unapproved takes were used (not the ones which I had selected and edited), the wrong tunes were on the album, unauthorized splices were made which disturbed the musical flow of some of the compositions (beats were even missing from bars), whole sections were cut out, some of these being the high points of the album. Therefore the liner notes, which were done to the original album, do not agree with what is actually on the album, calling attention to solos and high spots which are not there. I’m surprised that this wasn’t mentioned in the review! Also, the wrong personnel is listed on the jacket. When I discovered what had happened I was, naturally, disturbed and asked Columbia to redo the album. They graciously consented and I was able to change the album back to its original form except that I left Mercy Maybe Mercy, which my producer particularly liked, in place of Zim, which I hope will appear in a future album. Unfortunately, they were not able to call back all the thousands of albums which had already been released. However, they did send a note to the reviewers telling them that the copy which they had received was defective, and to please not review it until they received the corrected copy. It looks as if Down Beat didn’t get that letter. In conclusion, let me state that I have no quarrel with Harvey’s review, but I do wish that he or someone else would review the correct album.”
Great story: One that illustrates, once again, how obtuse record companies can be to the desires, preferences, and wishes of their artists as well as to how little say/control an artist has over the finished product of their work. What they think will sell is not always in line with the artist's creative vision for their finished product--in this case, not nearly in line.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Don Ellis / quarter-tone trumpet
Rhythm Section:
- Mike Lang / piano, clavinet, Fender piano
- Ray Neapolitan / bass, sitar
- Frank De La Rosa / bass
- Dave Parlato or Jim Faunt / bass
- Steve Bohannon / drums
- Chino Valdes / congas, bongos
- Mark Stevens or Ralph Humphrey / timbales, vibes, miscellaneous percussion
- Alan Estes or Joe Pocaro / miscellaneous percussion
- Don Ellis / quarter-tone trumpet
Rhythm Section:
- Mike Lang / piano, clavinet, Fender piano
- Ray Neapolitan / bass, sitar
- Frank De La Rosa / bass
- Dave Parlato or Jim Faunt / bass
- Steve Bohannon / drums
- Chino Valdes / congas, bongos
- Mark Stevens or Ralph Humphrey / timbales, vibes, miscellaneous percussion
- Alan Estes or Joe Pocaro / miscellaneous percussion
Saxes & Woodwinds:
- Ruben Leon / alto & soprano saxophones, flute
- Joe Roccisano or Joe Lopez / alto & soprano saxophones, flute
- Ira Shulman / tenor saxophone, piccolo, flute, clarinet
- Ron Starr / tenor saxophone, flute, clarinet
- John Magruder / baritone saxophone, flute, clarinet, bass clarinet
Trumpets:
- Glenn Stuart, Alan Weight, Ed Warren, Bob Harmon,
- Ruben Leon / alto & soprano saxophones, flute
- Joe Roccisano or Joe Lopez / alto & soprano saxophones, flute
- Ira Shulman / tenor saxophone, piccolo, flute, clarinet
- Ron Starr / tenor saxophone, flute, clarinet
- John Magruder / baritone saxophone, flute, clarinet, bass clarinet
Trumpets:
- Glenn Stuart, Alan Weight, Ed Warren, Bob Harmon,
Trombones:
- Ron Myers or Vince Diaz, Dave Sanchez
- Terry Woodson / bass trombone
- Terry Woodson / bass trombone
INITIAL 1968 unsanctioned Columbia Record company vinyl RELEASE:
A1. "A New Kind of Country" (Hank Levy) (4:10) (/10)
A2. "Mercy Maybe Mercy" (Hank Levy) (3:22) (/10)
A3. "Opus 5" (Howlett Smith) (8:05) (/15)
A4. "Beat Me, Daddy, Seven to the Bar" (edit) (3:03) (/10)
A5. "The Tihai" (7:16) (/15)
B1. "Milo's Theme" (4:26) (/10)
B2. "Star Children" (3:22) (/10)
B3. "Homecoming" (3:03) (/10)
B4. "Seven Up" (Howlett Smith / arr. Joe Roccisano) (3:58) (/10)
B5. "Zim" (John Magruder) (3:58) (/10)
Total Time 44:43
SECOND June 26, 1968 "Santa Maria" VINYL PRESSING:
A1. "A New Kind of Country" (Hank Levy) (4:10) (/10)
A2. "Night City" (Ellis, MacFadden / arr. Don Ellis) (2:58) (/10)
A3. "Homecoming" (3:00) (/10)
A4. "Mercy Maybe Mercy" (Hank Levy) (3:22) (/10)
A5. "Opus 5" (Howlett Smith) (9:22) (/20)
B1. "Star Children" (3:18) (/10)
B2. "Beat Me, Daddy, Seven to the Bar" (6:15) (/10)
B3. "Milo's Theme" (4:24) (/10)
B4. "The Tihai" (8:40) (/20)
Total Time 45:29
THIRD 2005 Columbia (Terra Haute) VINYL PRESSING
(Same as the second but with slightly different liner notes):
2003 Koch Jazz (Sony Music)) CD release:
1. "A New Kind of Country" (Hank Levy) (4:10) sounds like a modernized big band standard (with some electrified instruments and recording techniques) waiting for a young crooner to sing over the top--like Don is here definitely taking advantage of all of the Latin-infused musics infiltrating the American music scene in the 1960s--especially and probably Stan Getz (and, to a lesser degree) Paul Desmond more than any others. Could have been a theme song to one of the game shows of the day--like The Dating Game or The Newlywed Game. (8.875/10)
2. "Night City" (Ellis, McFadden / arr. Don Ellis) (2:56) the co-composers must have been trying to reach the wider record-buying audiences of the day (1967) with this very LAWRENCE WELK-like song. Elaborately arranged MITCH MILLER-like choral vocals (male and female) are accompanied by a Latin rhythm to create this rather heavy-hearted song. I like it though it is not very progressive or particularly fusionary. Also could be a tribute to the great music being written for Broadway musicals by new artists like Burt Bacharach and Stephen Schwartz. (8.875/10)
3. "Homecoming" (3:02) sounds so familiar--like the more emotional old-time music that was so popular with moms and pops on the old porch settings. (Could've fit in Gershwin's Porgy and Bess.) (8.75/10)
4. "Mercy Maybe Mercy" (Hank Levy) (3:20) sounds like a watered-down version of Billy Page's "The 'In' Crowd" (8.75/10)
5. "Zim" (John Magruder) (3:59) a fan favorite from the first release that Don grew to like specifically because of the enthusiastic feedback he received. Composer and, here, bandmate John Magruder came up with several memorable songs for Don and the Orchestra over the years. (9.25/10)
6. "Opus 5" (Howlett Smith) (9:19) nice polyrhythmic foundation over which muted horns play makes for a cool start. In the second minute a bridge serves as a kind of rewind so that everything starts over, only this time the full horn section--in two different lines--can recapitulate the superceding melody--and then piano and very odd upper-end bass make themselves known to be the soloists for the second half of the third and first half of the fourth minutes. Lead trumpet takes over at 3:30. Rest of horns slowly creep back in in the middle of the fifth minute before backing off to a softer bank, but, man! I keep getting lost in the rhythm lines! Congas and drums actually get some spotlight before horn banks bridge into more "team-sharing" section of rather complex multiple team-interplay. By the time we get to the eighth minute there are so many layers working together at the same time (like 9 or 10!) that it shocks me that they all can stay on their own path--and it all works incredibly well blended together! Amazing! What a design (composed by pianist/composer Howlett Smith)! (19.25/20)
7. "Star Children" (3:21) weird song with weird combination of sedate jazz with choral vocals. (8.666667/10)
8. "Beat Me, Daddy, Seven to the Bar" (6:12) this spirited blues-rock vamp makes me feel as if I'm at a party in a Peter Sellers movie from the day--maybe even a pool party--which gets kind of "serious" when the percussionist (conga player) is given sole occupancy of the recording tape. Supremely tight performances of yet-dated music. (8.75/10)
9. "Milo's Theme" (4:23) experimentation with echo effects on Don's trumpet and then all the instruments to follow. Weird but pretty cool! (And using very pretty and melodic cinematic music to do it). I love hearing artists take chances like this. The ensuing horn and then full band harmonized buildups are wonderful (if "Big Band Era" dated), but then we return to the modulation effects experimentation for the finish. Cool! (9/10)
10. "Seven Up" (Howlett Smith / arr. Joe Roccisano) (3:59) like a blast from the past with this one sounding like the soundtrack music for either "I Dream of Jeannie" or "Bewitched" (maybe that's why I love it: I grew up on those shows). Awesome jazz bass walking beneath Don's trumpet and his complex, multi-horn accompaniment. Again, to think that we're at an episode of some dance routine on the Lawrence Welk Show is not a far-off stretch of the imagination, but those big explosions of horns and alternating cutesie flute and muted-horn passages are so fun! (8.875/10)
11. "The Tihai" (8:44) Don's preferred edit and mix of this one sounds. There are moments where the melodic rhythm track feels and sounds like something from The Flinstones cartoon soundtracks of the day and others that feel like soundtrack music to an Elvis Presley (or Our Man Flint or Pink Panther) beach movie scene. And then, surprise of all surprises, there is the Konnakol Carnatic Indian percussive vocal exchange taken from the South Indian traditions at the six-minute mark. Odd use of minor keys at times where popular tradition would have made different choices. (18/20)
12. "Zim" (alternate take) (John Magruder) (4:00) a much more smooth-flowing "Take Five"-like version of the tune; this was not Don's preferred version of the song but he was serving popular demand from the response of listeners from those who had purchased or heard the original unapproved version on Columbia's initial release of the material. I can't say that I dislike it. The mix ius a bit muddier than the other one, but that almost gives it an era-appropriate psychedlic acid-trip feel! (9/10)
13. "I Remember Clifford" (Benny Golson / arr. Terry Woodson) (5:25) a more traditional lounge jazz tune like something you might have heard at Rick's Café in Casablanca. (8.875/10)
14. "Rasty" (2:52) another song that sounds like a Big Band remnant brought into the late 1960s for renovations. (8.666667/10)
Total Time 65:42
Total Time 65:42
While most of music on this album does sound (almost laughably) out-dated and anachronistic one cannot the technical and compositional skills required put together and then pull with such tight (and professional) performances--captured in just two days in the recording studio!
I've decided to post my rating and ranking according to the version of music published in CD from in 2003 because this release offers the listener a fine cross-section of the two original releases.
89.58 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of large-spectrum jazz and jazz-rock performances of cutting-edge compositions.
P.S. That girl photographed for the album cover has some long-ass toes!
MIROSLAV VITOUS Infinite Search (1970)
This childhood friend of Jan Hammer had made the move to the United States after winning a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music in 1966. After a stint with flugelhorn pioneer Clark Terry in Chicago, he matriculated to New York at the invitation of Miles Davis in 1967 where he met Herbie Mann with whom he recorded two albums--one that was to come after this.
Infinite Search was recorded on October 8, 1969, with Herbie Mann producing. This January publication was one of the first releases of Herbie Mann's new label, Embryo Records. The album is also remarkable for bringing on board four of jazz-rock fusion's hottest fairly-young phenoms in John McLaughlin, Jack DeJohnette, Herbie Hancock, and Joe Henderson.
Lineup / Musicians:
- Miroslav Vitous / double bass
- Jack DeJohnette / drums (A1 thru B2)
- Joe Chambers / drums (B3)
- Herbie Hancock / electric piano
- John McLaughlin / guitar
- Joe Henderson / saxophone
A1 "Freedom Jazz Dance" (10:54) a basic show of fiery bass and drum skills with a notable display of unhinged guitar pyrotechnics in the sixth and seventh minutes. Despite the electrified contributions of Herbie Hancock and John McLaughlin, this music is still well inside the realms of what I'd call jazz. (17.5/20)
A2 "Mountain in the Clouds" (1:51) more display of Miroslav's youthful exuberance (he was only 22 when this album was recorded) with matching support from Jack DeJohnette. (4.375/5)
A3 "When Face Gets Pale" (7:38) a much more melodic and soothing dynamic from more processed (electric) sound palette, both Herbie and John softly and beautifully dance around on the wings while Miroslav sprints his seven and a half minute marathon. The drums remains more in the background while Joe Henderson doesn't even make an appearance. A much more pleasant listen than the previous two songs but I am still pretty surprised at the speed with which Miroslav thinks he needs to move in order to express himself. A top three song for me. (13.5/15)
B1 "Infinite Search" (6:49) slowing things down even further--even Miroslav himself!--Jack even relegating himself to brushes--it is Herbie's excellent, dreamy chord play that I most love about this song--though I do enjoy Miroslav's bass play when it's at this tempo: he's quite melodic in his play. Fascinating how John McLaughlin--the John McLaughlin--can discipline himself to sit in the background playing two notes over and over! But, I guess that's what the song calls for. Once again there is a notable absence of any saxophone. A top three song, for sure. (13.75/15)
B2 "I Will Tell Him on You" (11:00) sax and bass present the main melody near the start while everyone else tries to support, but then Miroslav takes off: racing toward some finish line that nobody else can see. Jack DeJohnette does the best at feeding off of the bassist's unbound energy but Herbie is also well-matched in his support. Joe Henderson and John McLaughlin don't get to spend enough time on the front lines, but are also up to the task when asked to join in--in that frenetic fifth minute, for example (Go! Jack!) And then, for John, the sixth and seventh (in which Miroslav is amazingly restrained despite still speeding along on autodrive). Herbie's solo in the eighth minute sounds so much like mice scurrying over the floor on their nighttime escapades, then being interrupted by the pouncing cat. Even Jack gets some spotlight in the ninth and tenth minutes. This song must have been the reward everyone received for showing up for these recording sessions. When everyone comes back together at the end of the tenth minute it is to recapitulate the melody themes of the opening minute. Good though still quite "traditional jazz" in both form and style. (17.5/20)
B3 "Epilogue" (6:57) a gentle, atmospheric closer. With jazz and jazz-rock fusion I am not always such a sucker for the slow and spacious songs or passages, but there is something quite arresting to Miroslav's melodies and the band harmonic constructs that I can really pick up on during these slower passages--something that penetrates deeper when there is space and time with which to process and let them reverberate and resonate. My other top three song. (14/15)
Total Time:
89.58 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of pre-adolescent Jazz-Rock Fusion.
DONALD BYRD Black Byrd (1973)
Donald's first album giving the reigns of both production and composition to NASA aerospace engineer Larry Mizell. (Larry has writing credit on all seven of the album's songs. Donald has none.) Larry and his 11-month-younger brother, Fonce, were both D.C. born graduates of Howard University: Larry in engineering, Fonce in music. The brothers had only moved out to California early in 1972, with the aim of starting their own record production company (Sky High Productions). Black Byrd was recorded on April 3rd and 4th at The Sound Factory in Hollywood, California though one other date was required (Nov. 24) before the album could be mastered (perhaps for the re-recording or overdubs to he album's title song: to give it that "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" sound and feel). It was released by the Blue Note label in February of 1973.
Line-up/Musicians:- Donald Byrd / trumpet, flugelhorn, electric trumpet, vocals
- Allen Curtis Barnes / flute, oboe, saxophone
- Roger Glenn / saxophone, flute
- Fonce Mizell / trumpet, vocals
- Larry Mizell / vocals, composer, producer
- Dean Parks / guitar (A1, B1)
- Wilton Felder / bass (A1, B1)
- Bobbye Hall Porter / percussion (A1, B1)
- David T. Walker / guitar (A2, A3, B2, B3, B4)
- Chuck Rainey / bass (A2, A3, B2, B3, B4)
- Stephanie Spruill / percussion (A2, A3, B2, B3, B4)- Kevin Toney / piano
- Freddie Perren / piano, synthesizer, vocals
A2. "Black Byrd" (8:00) ominous funk from bass and synth with percussion and Fender Rhodes accents open this one before flutes and wah-wah-ed "Shaft"-like rhythm guitar joins in. Small male choir joins in near the beginning of the second minute talking about "walking along playing our song" while a muted horn and horn-like rhythm guitar squawk and converse between and behind the vocal passages. Truly revolutionary (as far as my experience goes--though there are reminisces here of the instrumental music rendered by The Temptations for their version of "Papa Was a Rolling Stone"--which was released in September! (13.75/15)
A3. "Love's So Far Away" (6:00) high quality, smooth-yet-rollicking and grooving funk-jazz with an awesome bass line (and style) that will be emulated by Les Nemes on one of my all-time favorite albums, HAIRCUT 100's Pelican West. (9.125/10)
B1. "Mr. Thomas" (5:15) nice full, complex, but not-too-busy, example of melodic jazz-funk. (8.875/10)
B2. "Sky High" (5:59) a song titled after Larry & Fonce's new music production company! Smooth melody lines over straightforward jazz-pop with some pretty adventurous bass walking from Chuck Rainey. This is definitely upbeat and happy music--and everybody contributing seems on board with this. Male choir enters in the second half with its background delivery of the usual hokey lyrics. Besides Chuck's awesome bass play, there are great performances here from all of the trumpeters and flutists as well as the rhythm guitarist, drummer, and keyboard players. (8.875/10)
B3. "Slop Jar Blues" (6:00) a nice, easy-going, Cosby Kids-like groove over which the winds and lead trumpeter and flutist have a great dialogue. I wonder if the solo voce "Slop Jar" lead vocalist is Donald, Fonce, or Freddie Perren. Another great engineered and mixed weave of instruments with Chuck Rainey's bass, the lead flute and trumpet, and the percussionists getting especially prominent treatment. (8.75/10)
B4. "Where Are We Going?" (4:40) the two-chord piano opening that proves to be the foundation for the rest of the song inspires (and supports) another great bass performance from Chuck Rainey while flutes, trumpets, and pianos play around within the mix. At 1:37 another singular male vocal performance starts that makes me wonder who it is. Motown-style b vox soon follow. Curiously, that's when Donald's trumpet really starts to fly around: in and between the vocals and recitations of the main melody from the flutes. There is a Classics IV/Atlanta Rhythm Section "Stormy" feel to the chords and melodies of the foundational progression. All in all it's a nice smooth jazzed-up Soul/R&B song, despite its obvious references to other Motown classics (including Marvin Gaye's What's Going On?) (9.125/10)
Total Time: 43:17
89.56 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of wonderfully-rendered blend of Smooth Jazz and Funk-Jazz.
- Freddie Perren / piano, synthesizer, vocals
- Joe Sample / piano, electric piano
- Harvey Mason / drums
- Keith Killgo / drums
- Perk Jacobs / percussion
- Barney Perry / guitar
A1. "Flight Time" (8:30) a remnant from the previous album's recording sessions?--or perhaps something generated by the momentum established by those sessions. The music is more sedate, engineered more for the exposition of singular musicians, one at a time, at the front, with the rest of the band serving more in support roles, not garnering much attention. Even the solos from the lead instruments (trumpet and flute) are more linear and focused, less conversant, than the music on the rest of the album (and on successive albums)--until, that is, the fifth minute when everybody seems to have been given the green light to go, explore, show off (at least for a minute). It's nice but it also helps me to be appreciative of the busy and nuanced weaves of the band's future songs. The busy free for all has some of the same joi de vivre of Hugh Masakela's "Grazin' in the Grass." (17.5/20)
A2. "Black Byrd" (8:00) ominous funk from bass and synth with percussion and Fender Rhodes accents open this one before flutes and wah-wah-ed "Shaft"-like rhythm guitar joins in. Small male choir joins in near the beginning of the second minute talking about "walking along playing our song" while a muted horn and horn-like rhythm guitar squawk and converse between and behind the vocal passages. Truly revolutionary (as far as my experience goes--though there are reminisces here of the instrumental music rendered by The Temptations for their version of "Papa Was a Rolling Stone"--which was released in September! (13.75/15)
A3. "Love's So Far Away" (6:00) high quality, smooth-yet-rollicking and grooving funk-jazz with an awesome bass line (and style) that will be emulated by Les Nemes on one of my all-time favorite albums, HAIRCUT 100's Pelican West. (9.125/10)
B1. "Mr. Thomas" (5:15) nice full, complex, but not-too-busy, example of melodic jazz-funk. (8.875/10)
B2. "Sky High" (5:59) a song titled after Larry & Fonce's new music production company! Smooth melody lines over straightforward jazz-pop with some pretty adventurous bass walking from Chuck Rainey. This is definitely upbeat and happy music--and everybody contributing seems on board with this. Male choir enters in the second half with its background delivery of the usual hokey lyrics. Besides Chuck's awesome bass play, there are great performances here from all of the trumpeters and flutists as well as the rhythm guitarist, drummer, and keyboard players. (8.875/10)
B3. "Slop Jar Blues" (6:00) a nice, easy-going, Cosby Kids-like groove over which the winds and lead trumpeter and flutist have a great dialogue. I wonder if the solo voce "Slop Jar" lead vocalist is Donald, Fonce, or Freddie Perren. Another great engineered and mixed weave of instruments with Chuck Rainey's bass, the lead flute and trumpet, and the percussionists getting especially prominent treatment. (8.75/10)
B4. "Where Are We Going?" (4:40) the two-chord piano opening that proves to be the foundation for the rest of the song inspires (and supports) another great bass performance from Chuck Rainey while flutes, trumpets, and pianos play around within the mix. At 1:37 another singular male vocal performance starts that makes me wonder who it is. Motown-style b vox soon follow. Curiously, that's when Donald's trumpet really starts to fly around: in and between the vocals and recitations of the main melody from the flutes. There is a Classics IV/Atlanta Rhythm Section "Stormy" feel to the chords and melodies of the foundational progression. All in all it's a nice smooth jazzed-up Soul/R&B song, despite its obvious references to other Motown classics (including Marvin Gaye's What's Going On?) (9.125/10)
Total Time: 43:17
By far the most melodic and pop-oriented music and album that Donald Byrd had released up to this time, I find it odd that an album so overwhelmingly dominated by one man and his production company's hired guns gets credited to the non-composing band leader instead of the principal generator of the finished product but such was the way of the music industry back in 1972/3. The shifts in both style and sound quality from Donald's previous release are so pronounced that one almost wants to ask if this is perhaps a different artist altogether--especially with respect to the list of musicians contributing to this album as compared to those on Ethiopian Knights: Wilton Felder, Joe Sample, and David T. Walker are present on Black Byrd, but, to what capacity as there are a whole host of other musicians present here filling in the same roles that the Jazz Crusaders were filling?
89.56 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of wonderfully-rendered blend of Smooth Jazz and Funk-Jazz.
ASSOCIATION P.C. Rock Around the Clock (1973)
Line-up / Musicians:
- Toto Blanke / guitars, Ring-modulator, Nogoya-harp
- Joachim Kühn / E-piano (5-7)
- Siggi Busch / bass, kontrabass
- Pierre Courbois / drums, percussion
- Karl-Heinz Wiberny / sax, basset-horn, flute, Chinese schalmei (tracks 1-4)
1. "Phenis" (5:03) Oriental-sounding guitar chords with Oriental-sounding cymbal play wrapping around Toto's guitar (the Nogoya-harp?). There is an element of Popol Vuh and other Eastern-influenced Kosmische Musik bands here. In the third minute Toto picks up his pace with lots of fast-picking and tremolo-strumming as drummer Pierre and bass player Siggi join in--Pierre taking over fully for about a minute to the song's end. There is supposedly some reed instrument present being played by Karl-Heinz Wiberny but I do not hear it. (My guess is that it would be the credited "Chinese schalmei" due to the overwhelming Chinese flavor of this song.) I actuall ylike this song--it does a pretty decent job of conveying, consistently, the Asian/Chinese feel and flavor from start to finish. (8.875/10)
2. "Polar Anna" (6:40) kind of an exhibition of hyper-fast rhythm section supporting some high-flying almost-free jazz from the soloists above--first sax player Karl-Heinz Wiberny (for the first four minutes) and then fast-picker Toto Blanke for the final three minutes. Not a very melodic song--very jazzy--but very impressive instrumental skills on display (especially from the bass and drums). (8.875/10)
3. "Mirrored Dimensions" (2:40) a spacey start turns industrial (long before there was such a thing as "industrial" music) but I guess it still retains its Kosmische links. I actually like this rather unique sound exploration: cymbals, deep warbly sax notes, bowed contrabass, and wildly bent electric guitar notes. Brilliant! (5/5)
4. "Shirocco" (3:38) Siggi on double bass to open this one for about a minute of very cool sound exploration (untreated!) In the second minute he eschews exploration for more straightforward bass play, though still soloing, before Karl-Heinz Wiberny joins in with a very odd Oriental (Middle Eastern?) brass reed instrument. (Though it could be the Chinese schalmei, as credited in the album's liner notes, it sounds to me more like a bagpipe-like instrument.) The two play out as a loosely-structured duet in this loose, Middle Eastern sound palette. (8.75/10)
5. "Rock Around The Cock" (6:43) with a funky opening like this (sounds like Herbie's Head Hunters at their most funky with a super-funky bass player like Stanley Clarke) you'd never expect Bill Haley's song to be the template. As a matter of fact, we're over two minutes in and I'm still hearing nothing that remotely resembles the 1955 hit classic; I feel more as if I'm immersed in a super funky Mwandishi walkabout. Joachim Kühn's Eumir Deodato-like electric piano, Siggi Busch's funky bass, Pierre Courbois' Amazing Billy Cobham-like drumming, and Toto Blanke's raunchy Eric Gale/Larry Coryell-like electric guitar take this to a level that not many funk bands have ascended to! Despite my expectations being blown out of the water, I loved this song! (9.33333/10)
6. "Autumn In March" (7:45) scaled down slow and delicate instrument play opens this before the foursome are conjoined for the expression of a loosely-synchronized and rhythmically-linked jazz motif. Despite the fully electrified instrumental palette, these accomplished jazz artists are still very much playing jazz first and foremost, making this a clear representative of Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams, and Miles Davis-like First Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion. Both Toto and Joachim's solos are very flashy, dissonant and discordant, as all adventurous, boundary-pushing jazz musicians were doing in the 1960s, yet highly skilled. Again: a very impressive display of musicianship that fails to strike much of my "enjoyment" chords. (8.75/10)
7. "Cap Carneval" (9:07) the album's final song (and the final song of the three that include keyboard genius Joachim Kühn) starts off with a kind of one-chord free-for-all: for two minutes drummer Pierre Courbois is going crazy wild below Joachim's "stuck" one-chord electric piano pounding while Toto and Siggi noodle around with equal abandon somewhere in-between. Then, in the third minute, it's Joachim's turn to noodle around with crazy reckless abandon while Pierre, Siggi, and Toto manage to "hold it together" with some frenetic though structured noodling beneath. I don't like the volume given Joachim's electric piano as he's able to so easily dominate the others. Still, Pierre and Siggi cannot avoid being noticed as their frenzied play is mind-bogglingly rapido. At 6:40 Joachim, Siggi, and Toto take a beer break while Pierre solos for a minute, but then they all come busting back in, racing to the end. (Which makes me wonder: who won? I'd guess Joachim.) Impressive but only enjoyable for the skills on display: there is little or no melody--even in chord progression. (What chord progressions?) (17.5/20)
Total time: 41:36
Total time: 41:36
Though by no means a bad album, the music here is expressing a kind of fusion that is more akin to that of free jazz infused with World musical ideas and sounds (much as many German contemporaries were experimenting with at the same time.) Pierre Courbois' version of this East-West fusion, however, comes across as much more rooted in classic jazz or the more recent free forms of "free jazz" which, unfortunately, renders it practically dissonant, atonal, chaotic, and, for me, not very enjoyable. (I appear to need melody and structure.) I will never, however, argue that these musicians are not virtuosi of their respective instruments--which is what makes rating these songs and album so incongruous: I know they are geniuses, I just don't like all of their music on this album!
89.444 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of First Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion.
89.444 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of First Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion.
BRIAN AUGER'S OBLIVION EXPRESS (1970)
An album that puts on display how seriously the mercurial keyboard wiz had been affected by the music coming from Jimi Hendrix, Tony Williams, John McLaughlin, and even Jeff Beck; gone are Julie Driscoll and Brian's Doors-style keyboard melody making; abandoned are The Trinity and the "Wassenaur Arrangement" Dutch musical commune experiment; here are the heavy bass and drums, searing sound effects on guitars and keys.
- Brian Auger / keyboards, vocals
- Jim Mullen / guitar
- Barry Dean / bass
- Robbie McIntosh / drums
1. "Dragon Song" (4:30) power Jazz-Rock with every bit as much heaviness as anything John McLaughlin or Tony Williams were doing at the same time. The bass, drums, organ, and searing electric guitar work scream "Hendrix Lifetime Devotion"! An incredible song! (9.75/10)
2. "Total Eclipse" (11:38) more heavy instrumental jazz-rock, though at least a little slower and steadier than the album's opener. Great guitar and experimental (for Brian) keyboard play. Engaging as Brian seemed to have a gift for making. (18/20)
3. "The Light" (4:24) the first song with any vocals here shows Brian trying to engage the hippy-trippin' culture but with a high-speed ride rather than some dreamy peacenik stuff. Despite great performances from Brian and bassist Barry Dean, the melodies and hooks just miss the mark. (8.75/10)
4. "On the Road" (5:28) a song whose music is stylistically more oriented toward American blues-rock or even Southern rock of the Band/Allman type. Multiple voices are used to choral sing the lyrics. Nice instrumental performances but just not my kind of music. (8.6667/10)
5. "The Sword" (6:36) more rock that has that Americana or American Rock base and feel--sounding a lot like early Grand Funk Railroad at its base though with much more impressive instrumental performances. (8.6667/10)
6. "Oblivion Express" (7:45) sounding more like Don Brewer-led GRAND FUNK Railroad and the heavier rock 'n' roll from EMERSON LAKE & PALMER. (13.25/15)
Total Time 40:21
Total Time 40:21
A lot of male energy was expended in the creation of these songs! Those were the times!
89.43 on the Fishscales = B+/four stars; an excellent foray into the heavier rock-oriented side of Jazz-Rock Fusion that was being pioneered at the time by Cream, Jimi Hendrix, Tony Williams, and John McLaughlin.
THE NEW TONY WILLIAMS LIFETIME Believe It (1975)
An album that is as notable for luring guitar phenom Allan Holdsworth away from a pretty good gig with The Soft Machine as it is for being one of the legendary drummer's finest. The album was recorded in New York City early in 1975 for Columbia Records and released in October. The two years spent with Tony (actually living with him in his NYC apartment!) have often been cited by Mr. Holdsworth as the most transformative experience of his life.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Tony Williams/ drums, vocals, arrangements
With:
- Allan Holdsworth / guitar
- Alan Pasqua / piano, clavinet
- Tony Newton / bass
1. "Snake Oil" (6:30) opening with a truly funked up bass, the surprisingly-raunchy guitar from Allan Holdsworth enters with Tony's surprisingly straightforward drumming to establish a foundational framework within which the band members work in their little nuances of extras until 1:40 when Allan begins a guitar solo of subtly varied guitar chords based on the foundational flow. The band is very tight but, again, surprisingly stiff and unadventurous--until Alan Pasqua starts a clavinet solo around the three-minute mark. Thereafter one can hear Tony start to loosen up and fly around his drum kit beneath the rigid form of his bandmates. In the sixth minute, Allan launches on a surprisingly controlled and "slow" solo for about a minute, and then the song just slow fades! Wow! Kind of weird--and definitely unexpected! (8.75/10)
2. "Fred" (6:48) one of Allan's compositions, it is surprisingly melodic and smooth--especially Allan Pasqua's keyboard parts (which Allan matches with his soft guitar chords for the first two minutes. Tony's play is nice. Electric piano gets the first solo--a surprisingly extended two minute jaunt during which Tony's drum play just gets more and more dynamic. Allan finally enters as the soloist at 3:45--but it's Tony again who garners all my attention--even after 4:25 when Allan finally starts to cook, it's Tony that I am enjoying the most. How can a drummer be this "melodic"? Nice guitar solo finally ends about 5:37 whereupon we reenter the lush keyboard-and-guitar chord sequence of the opening. Nice tune. Great drum display! My favorite. (13.75/15)
3. "Proto-Cosmos" (4:02) a nice driving jazz-rock tune on which Tony once again shines despite more-than-adequate performances from his band mates--just nothing as extraordinary or dynamic as Tony's play. (8.875/10)
4. "Red Alert" (4:39) opening with a rock sound that sounds like the sound palette of Edgar Winter's "Frankenstein." At the end of the first minute bass player Tony Newton is the only one left carrying the song forward as everybody else clears out for a stupendous Allan Holdsworth solo. This is the first time on the album that Allan has displayed any of the fireworks that we heard on his last album prior to this one, The Soft Machine's Bundles. Alan Pasqua gets the next solo on his electric piano in the second half of the third minute. I love how both Holdsworth and Newton (as well as Williams) embellish their own "support" play beneath Pasqua--this is the first time the three have done this to this degree. (8.875/10)
5. "Wildlife" (5:22) a slow, melodic arrangement with upper register electric piano and electric guitar presenting and carrying the BOB JAMES-like melody forward from the start. Holdsworth takes his time taking the first solo slot--and never hits third gear, just maintains and supports the basic melody, pretty much. Pasqua's clavinet is a nice second keyboard and Newton's bass play is the most loose and satisfying that we've heard beneath Pasqua's cool electric piano solo in the fourth minute. I LOVE how the bass and drum play--both fairly straightforaward and sedate--give the feeling of pushing: giving more power and even trying to push the pace up a notch. Really cool feeling! Otherwise, just a nice song. My second favorite song. (9/10)
6. "Mr. Spock" (6:15) another song that seems to have more of a rock and pop orientation--at least until the speed is finally established at the one-minute mark. In the second minute, Alan Pasqua takes the first solo with silence from Mr. Holdsworth beneath--which makes Tony's play even more noticeable. Nice bass play from Mr. Newton. Even Tony's straightforward play is filled with such nuance and subtlety! Holdsworth puts in a decent solo in the fourth minute with Pasqua now completely dropping out. Cool idea! Tony's solo play in the second half of the fifth minute (beneath Holdsworth somewhat annoying distorted three-chord guitar play) feels a little bit "amateurish" for its showy-ness. (8.87510)
Total time 33:36
Overall this is a nice album of almost proto-Smooth Jazz on which Tony Williams shows us some of the amazing power he controls in his most basic drum play. The rest of the quartet are adequate in their play but rarely jaw-dropping. The songs are a little too formulaic with the way in which they are set up to harbor a succession of individual solos (except for "Fred").
89.42 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of jazz-rock fusion. The album recording experience that Allan Holdsworth credits for being the most significant learning experience of his musical career.
TIHOMIR POP ASANOVIC Majko Zemljo (1974)
Yugosloavian keyboardist formerly of the band, TIME, recorded this, Yugoslavia's first rock keyboard album, in 1974 in Zagreb for Jugoton Records. The album title means "Mother Earth."
Line-up / Musicians:
- Tihomir Pop Asanović / Hammond, Fender Rhodes & Hohner e-pianos, Moog, arrangements, conducting
With:
- Mario Mavrin / bass
- Dusan Veble / tenor saxophone
- Ozren Depolo / saxophones, alto & soprano (5)
- Petar "Pero" Ugrin / trumpet (1-5)- Ozren Depolo / saxophones, alto & soprano (5)
- Stanko Arnold / trumpet (1, 3-5)
- Boris Sinigoj / trombone (1, 3-5)
- Dado Topić / vocals (1, 2, 5, 7), bass (2, 8)
- Janez Bončina / vocals (1, 5), guitar (7)
- Ladislav Fidry / trumpet (2, 4), flugelhorn (4)
- Janez Bončina / vocals (1, 5), guitar (7)
- Ladislav Fidry / trumpet (2, 4), flugelhorn (4)
- Dragi Jelić / guitar solo (2)
- Nada Zgur / vocals (4, 7)
- Bozidar Lotrić / trombone (4)
- Marjan Stropnik / bass trombone (4)
- Joze Balazić / trumpet (4)
- Ratko Divjak / drums, percussion (4, 5, 7)
- Braco Doblekar / congas, percussion (4, 5, 7)
- Bozidar Lotrić / trombone (4)
- Marjan Stropnik / bass trombone (4)
- Joze Balazić / trumpet (4)
- Ratko Divjak / drums, percussion (4, 5, 7)
- Braco Doblekar / congas, percussion (4, 5, 7)
- Josipa Lisac / vocals (6)
- Doca Marolt / vocals (7)
- Peco Petej / drums (8)
1. "Majko Zemljo" (3:32) opening with some spacey synth noises, this one quickly falls into a brass rock sound similar to bands like Blood Sweat & Tears. I like the contrasting use of two alternating male vocalists. (8.875/10)
2. "Balada o liscu" (6:06) slow pop-jazz ballad with percussion and hi-pitched droning saw synth pervading the first three minutes beneath the vocalist. Then the horns enter and the tempo picks up, creating a more dynamic base, but then it all falls back into the slow pop motif for the fifth minute. Interesting and not bad--the singer is good (the sound engineering not as much). (8.875/10)
- Doca Marolt / vocals (7)
- Peco Petej / drums (8)
1. "Majko Zemljo" (3:32) opening with some spacey synth noises, this one quickly falls into a brass rock sound similar to bands like Blood Sweat & Tears. I like the contrasting use of two alternating male vocalists. (8.875/10)
2. "Balada o liscu" (6:06) slow pop-jazz ballad with percussion and hi-pitched droning saw synth pervading the first three minutes beneath the vocalist. Then the horns enter and the tempo picks up, creating a more dynamic base, but then it all falls back into the slow pop motif for the fifth minute. Interesting and not bad--the singer is good (the sound engineering not as much). (8.875/10)
3. "Berlin I" (5:30) opens with some funky organ notes joined immediately by some smooth funk rhythm play from bass, drums, and percussion before being taken up a notch by banks of horn section accents and melody lines. The real player here, however, is Tihomir with his Brian Auger/Eumir Deodato-like funky organ play constantly exploring beneath the horns and horn soloists. This is such a great groove though laid-back in an "2001/Also Sprach Zarathustra" kind of way--at least until 3:40 when a very bluesy bridge signals Tihomir "Pop"'s turn for a solo. Very bluesy. Great two-handed work! Great cohesion from the rhythm section. (And no guitar!!) (9.25/10)
4. "Tema za pop LP" (3:39) Hohner clavinet with the rhythm section establish a very 70s funky base over which horns and female vocalists establish some hip-1960s surf- and bassa-nova-infused sounds and melodies. More great organ work beneath the horns which continues to remind me of the greats of the late 1960s like Auger, Rod Argent, Steve Winwood, and Jerry Corbetta (SUGARLOAF). Hip and cool but very dated. (9/10)
5. "Rokenrol dizajner" (2:56) more "early" R&B-modelled BS&T- and Chicago-inspired jazz-rock. Vocals enter in the second minute sounding not unlike Bill Withers. Some excellent bongo and trumpet play in the third minute before Pop plays his organ off of his clavinet in a very cool way. Banked horns and drums loosen up a little in that final 30 seconds and then poof! It's over! (9/10)
6. "Ostavi trag" (4:55) bass, sustained organ chords, and hand percussion support female vocalist Josipa Lisac's very passionate Lulu/Yvonne Ellemann-like vocal (presumably in Croatian). Electric piano and percussionists play off of each other in the instrumental passage occupying the third minute. Nice, smooth/chill soprano sax solo in the final minute. (8.875/10)
7. "Telepatija" (2:56) the choral vocal dominated attempt to recreate the Latin/Caribbean sounds of Sergio Mendes' Brazil '66 and Santana. Nicely coopted and performed--especially in the alternating group conversations between the women and men. (8.875/10)
8. "Berlin II" (4:41) Another song that feels a little mired in the surf- and burgeoning hippie culture of the mid- to late-1960s--yet, again, I can only compliment Pop for his excellent integration and acculturation of said sounds and styles: heard on an American radio station I have no doubt that nearly all listeners would be tricked into thinking/believing that this music had to be coming from an American or perhaps even English band. (8.75/10)
Total Time: 34:15
Total Time: 34:15
The musicianship, compositional quality, and vocal performances are all deserving of superlatives--even in spite of the fact that Pop Asanovic is trying so hard (and accomplishing so well) the emulation of so many jazz-rock and jazz-pop musical styles that became popular in America during the 1960s.
89.375 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of very solid and enjoyable jazz-rock and Latin-rock infused music. Definitely recommended to all my fellow jazz-rock/fusion lovers.
BILLY COBHAM Spectrum (1973)
The Panama-born drumming phenom's first foray as a solo artist/bandleader. Impressive albeit dense jazz fusion by an extremely gifted, energetic drummer and his studio hires, I never heard this album in its heyday but had to wait till seeing all of the acclaim here on ProgArchives to discover it. Again, the performances are impressive--and polished--much moreso than the Mahavishnu stuff that came before it--BUT there is not a lot of engaging meat or melody here--not a lot of "fat" to this meaty collection of songs. The few songs I return to are more as a reminder of how much growth Billy Cobham did from his 1970 stint with his original band, New York, to here. The dude must have worked his fat off! The subtleties and nuances expressed herein by Mr. Cobham's virtuosic playing are truly astonishing, I just like a little more melody to keep me engaged. Plus, I'm not really much of a fan of Mr. Hammer's style or sound palette. (Also, I think I was always a bit turned off by his one-handed approach--something he may have perfected in order to promote his mobile keyboard play; left hand/bass clef play is often what really draws me into a keyboard player's style.) nor of Mr. Bolin or Mr. Tropea's guitar tone selections and styles. With horn, keys, and some guitar soli trying to attract and keep the listeners attention, it seems that I always fall into listening to the mesmerizing playing of Mr. C. Plus, his drums are recorded so well: every sound and nuance captured so clearly and balanced. Recorded in New York City at Electric Lady Studios on May 14-16 of 1973, the album was produced by Billy, himself, and then released by Atlantic Records on October 1.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Billy Cobham / percussion, Moog synth drum (4, 6b), producer
With
- Tommy Bolin / guitar
- John Tropea / guitar (5b)
- Jan Hammer / electric & acoustic piano, Moog synthesizer
- Joe Farrell / flute (2b), soprano (2b) & alto (5b) saxophones
- Jimmy Owens / flugelhorn (2b, 5b), trumpet (5b)
- Lee Sklar / Fender bass
- Ron Carter / acoustic bass (2b, 5b)
- Billy Cobham / percussion, Moog synth drum (4, 6b), producer
With
- Tommy Bolin / guitar
- John Tropea / guitar (5b)
- Jan Hammer / electric & acoustic piano, Moog synthesizer
- Joe Farrell / flute (2b), soprano (2b) & alto (5b) saxophones
- Jimmy Owens / flugelhorn (2b, 5b), trumpet (5b)
- Lee Sklar / Fender bass
- Ron Carter / acoustic bass (2b, 5b)
- Ray Barretto / congas (2b, 5b)
1. "Quadrant 4" (4:20) this must be a song that Jan Hammer and Billy Cobham had left over from their last Mahavishnu Orchestra sessions--the ones that left them frustrated for the lack of input allowed/honored/valued from bandleader John McLaughlin. Jan and guitarist Tommy Bolin get most of the spotlight as Lee Sklar and Tony run a pretty tight ship beneath--neither too flashy but so competent in their tight hold of the speedy rhythm track. Impressive performances but not my favorite kind of music. (8.75/10)
2. "Searching For The Right Door / Spectrum" (6:33) Bandleader Billy Cobham starts this one off as a drum solo right from the get go: just him playing as if a one man band with his expanded drum kit. The "Spectrum" second half is a horn-supported funk jazz-rock piece with one awesome Ron Carter double bass performance (and ear worm riff). Horns and keys get the first mini solos before Joe Farrell is pushed out front with his soprano sax. Billy and Ron are just chewing up that underside! Jimmy Owens gets the next solo on his flugelhorn. Jan Hammer's support on Fender Rhodes is exquisite. The horns team up for the bridge into Jan's solo as Joe Farrell switches to flute for support. Good solid jazz-rock. (8.875/10)
- a. Searching For The Right Door (1:24)
- b. Spectrum (5:09)
- b. Spectrum (5:09)
3. "Anxiety / Taurian Matador" (4:44) more Cobham showmanship to open this one before the rest of the band are allowed to join in. When they do it's once more at break-neck speed--as if everybody's swarming down a country road on motorcycles, weaving rather recklessly among one another, with Jan and Tommy Bolin exchanging friendly and unfriendly shouts at one another as they go while Lee Sklar and Billy hold down the sane, steady pace. Impressive; I'm just not a fan of this type of speed jazz. (8.75/10)
- a. Anxiety (1:41)
- b. Taurian Matador (3:03)
4. "Stratus" (9:50) is like hearing music from the future as Billy Cobham's partner in the opening 3-minute duet is a computer-sounding keyboard. But then everything bursts out of the cosmic soup into a celestial form that is quite similar in form and sound to something from the Mahavishnu project. The rolling bass line is undoubtedly that which prog lovers are drawn to (as well as the masterful drumming display) while the Fender Rhodes holds the song to a key and the fiery guitar of Tommy Bolin burns through the space-time continuum. Jan Hammer is the next artist to get a solo and it's a great one--despite my brain's insistence and listening to the rhythm guitar work of Mr. Bolin. All the while Billy Cobham moves around his kit as if he only has to think it in order for it to happen--it is at times unbelievable how little space is allowed to exist between his stick hits. Though not a great tune, it is catchy (especially that iconic bass line) and very impressive in the instrumental departments. (18.25/20)
5. "To The Women In My Life / Le Lis" (4:11) now for a little of the future music that we'll soon be calling "Smooth Jazz." The stellar solos are still there (Jan Hammer's Moog) and the contributions of the clavinet and horns definitely add a dimension, but the smooth Latin melody and Latin bass and drum & percussion lines are quite simple and melodic in a way that previous jazz-fusion artists were often loathe to supply. (9/10)
- a. To The Women In My Life (0:51)
- b. Le Lis (3:20)
- a. To The Women In My Life (0:51)
- b. Le Lis (3:20)
6. "Snoopy's Search / Red Baron" (7:39) a simplified funk piece of funk that harkens back to music like Herbie Hancock's for Bill Cosby Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids show as well as to other Southern Rock-funk R&B blues fusions. A solid song but nothing with plenty of nuanced performances that is nothing that I really feel compelled to sing, hum, or dance to. (13.375/15)
- a. Snoopy's Search (1:02)
- b. Red Baron (6:37)
Total Time: 37:17
- a. Snoopy's Search (1:02)
- b. Red Baron (6:37)
Total Time: 37:17
A prog lover is want to compare this classic album to the one from the other great jazz-rock fusion drummer of the period, Tony Williams' New Lifetime's Believe It!, but they're really two very different beasts. Believe It! (which I just happened to review immediately before Spectrum) is the very clear and concise work of a jazz quartet whereas Spectrum shows a drummer with a more broad and very subtle-swift brushing of many more sounds with the sweeping motions of his sticks; Tony's mastery is shown through a tremendous variety of dynamics employed to his hits within very precise rhythms coming from a much smaller, more traditional jazz kit while Billy's drum kit seems to be a much more expanded Carl Palmer-like kit within which he tries to hit as many items with as fluid and fast a display as if to sound like a wind storm sweeping through a variety of landscapes, both natural and man-modified.
89.33333 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a collection of solid songs from virtuoso musicians whose overall impression is one of a "near-masterpiece" instead of a true masterpiece. There is a difference between "masterful performances resulting in songs that are very interesting to listen to" and "great songs that I'm drawn back to for repeated listens over and over because I love the music so much." For an album that is a masterpiece because it has eminently enjoyable music on it, go to Billy's three Drum 'n' Voice albums issued between 2000 and 2011.
ENERGIT Energit (1975)
Legit Jazz-Rock Fusion from Czechoslovakia that is quite mature and dextrous if somewhat derivative/imitative of the power fusion bands that formed in the USA and England a few years earlier. The band's only album was recorded by for Supraphon Records at Studio Dejvice and Mozarteum in Prague-Dejvice.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Jan Vytrhlík / electric bass
- Emil Viklický / electric piano, Moog synthesizer
- Lubos Andrst / guitar, composer
- Rudolf Ticháček / Saxophone [soprano and tenor]
- Jiří Tomek / congas (A, B2 to B4)
With:
- Anatoli Kohout / drums (B2)
- Josef Vejvoda / drums (A, B4)
- Karel Jenčík / drums (B1, B3)
A. "Ráno (Morning Part I)" (17:25) opens with a brooding Latin-based RETURN TO FOREVER-like MAHAVISHNU motif over which guitarist Lubos Andrst plays an impressive Jan Hammer-like solo for the third and fourth minutes. Bridge at 3:30 leads into a motif shift: this one being more syncopated and funky--especially from Jan Vytrhlík's bass and Emil Viklický 's electric piano. Also the conga play of Jirí Tomek stands out more in this passage as sax and electric piano try leading in the melody-making department while everybody else seems to be having a fantastic SANTANA-like jam beneath them. Rudolf Tichácek's soprano sax playing is okay: always coming in bursts, never smoothing out or choosing melody over dynamics. The next solo is from Emil's electric piano: his being a little smoother than Rudolf's but still conforming to the more-percussive staccato approach for its delivery. But, once he gets going he'll occasionally get into some runs or some cool chord progressions. At 10:20 there is a slowdown and break for transition into a slightly different motif for Lubos to take another try at the lead. His playing approach definitely treads more into the territory of John McLauglin and Larry Coryell, though my brain keeps hearing Jan Hammer more than any guitarist. I like the way Emil Viklický keeps prodding the soloists (not just Lubos) with his keyboard interjections--pushing them to go further than they might without him. In the fifteenth minute there is a complete deconstruction of the rhythm track while Lubos and Emil continue to play around a bit, then in the first half of the 16th minute the band returns to the opening RTF-like motif as Rudolf takes us out with his soprano sax. (31.25/35)
B1. "Paprsek Ranního Slunce (The Early Sunray)" (4:40) countrified jazz rock that sounds like Jay Beckenstien's SPYRO GYRA merged with the OZARK MOUNTAIN DAREDEVILS and DIXIE DREGS. Impressive guitar play begins around the two-minute mark and then seamlessly leads the band into a cool Mahavishnu-like motif switch. Now, this is great J-R Fusion! At least until it shifts back to BOB JAMES "Angela" territory at the four minute mark. Luckily it ends with some more of those impressive keyboard-and-electric guitar machine gun runs. (8.875/10)
B2. "Noční Motýl (Night-Butterfly)" (7:50) electric guitar harmonics open this, reinforced with electric piano play--which soon occupies two tracks, the two electric pianos using completely different settings. The more piano-sounding ep begins taking the lead from the guitar with some classical-like runs, but then, in the fourth minute a deep, pulsing, muddy foundation is committed to by the full rhythm section, which sets Emil Viklický off on a Fender Rhodes tirade before heavily-effected (Moog-sounding) electric guitar joins in and pushes his way to the front. A Moog synthesizer enters and begins competing with Lubos for the lead, dueling and playing off one another with a ferocity comparable to (yet never quite achieving the heights of) that of John McLaughlin and Jan Hammer. This doesn't last very long before the band devolves into a rich, Fender-dominated sound field for a lovely finish. Definitely a top three song for me. (13.75/15)
B3. "Apoteóza (Apotheosis)" (2:55) more Mahavishnu Orchestra-inspired Jazz-Rock Fusion that includes another presence of the Moog synthesizer. (8.875/10)
B4. "Ráno (Morning Part II)" (4:05) what starts out as a kind of a loose, unstructured unwinding for all of the instrumentalists turns into a simple conga solo for the fadeout finish. (8.66667/10)
Total Time: 36:55
89.27 on the Fishscales = B+/four stars; an excellent addition to any prog lover's music collection--especially if you like the dynamic Jazz-Rock Fusion of early versions/experimentations of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Larry Coryell, and Return To Forever.
MIKE MAINIERI Journey Thru an Electric Tube (1968)
Youthful and intrepid vibraphonist Mike Mainieri breaks loose from his years of playing for other band leaders to present the world with eight original compostions (six of which are all his; the other two composed in part or whole by his vocalist muse, Sally Waring).
Line-up / Musicians:
- Mike Mainieri / vibraphone
- Hal Gaylor / double bass
- Chuck Rainey / electric bass
- Donald MacDonald / drums
- Jeremy Steig / flutes
- Warren Bernhardt / piano, organ
- Joe Beck / electric guitar
- Sam Brown / guitars [electric & classical]
- Sally Waring / vocals
A2. "The Wind" (5:15) jazz vocalist Sally Waring torches the audience with an in-your-face performance--one that is supported by a skillful group of professionals who offer Sally plenty of space while making the background quite interesting with their many injections of personal riffs, nuances, and accents. Mike is awesome, of course, as are the guitarists, piano, and flute. All of the electrified accoutrements do certainly add a different dimension to what would otherwise have been a classic blues-jazz tune. (8.875/10)
A3. "Connecticut Air" (2:47) a song that is credited solely to Sally Waring, it presents itself as an almost orchestra-supported (coming from a surprisingly-uncredited violin or chamber strings team) stage/theater-like piece. Quite lovely (though nothing resembling any of the burgeoning-in-1968 forms of Jazz-Rock Fusion). (9/10)
A4. "We'll Speak Above The Roar" (6:16) opens up straight off the bat as a kind of hippie West Coast rock (or Off-Broadway stage rock musical) tune turns into a Beat-generation-like tune in the second motif 's(which rotates with the hippie-rock opening one) walking bass, rhythm guitar work, and "in-crowd" vibraphone play. All of it are quite stereotypic of the late 1960s-early-1970s "party crowd" music--like something that would be befitting to the soundtrack of the hit television shows Laugh In or a "hip" Peter Sellers movie. The third motif is blues-rock--which turns into more of the Godspell-Hair-like stage musical music for the final minute before a quick fade out ends it all. Interesting and entertaining if rather dated. (8.875/10)
B1. "The Bush" (2:54) a weave of guitars, bass, vibes, flute, piano, and drums is very cohesively rendered here--presenting several melodies and motifs that border folk and country-western or blues-rock sound palettes. Funky white man's music that, again, might have been a successful soundtrack for a television commercial or montage. (8.75/10)
B2. "I'll Sing You Softly Of My Life" (4:45) here we find the band dancing around some bossa nova like sounds, rhythms, and structures. Then, in the middle of the second minute, there is a very sudden and even odd turn toward a more classical music sound before the band rejoins and slowly and steadily slides (seamlessly) back into the bossa nova sounds and forms. I actually think this a rather brilliant composition: so effortlessly and convincingly melding and "fusing" multiples of these Latin American sounds and stylings into one fully-American-sounding song. Fascinating! And a tough song to perform, I imagine. (10/10)
B3. "Yes I'm The One" (0:47) sounds and feels as if I just happened to stroll behind the stage of a musical show going on and then chose not to stop but continue on my merry way, exiting out the other end of the building! (The other Sally Waring composition, btw.)
B4. "Allow Your Mind To Wander" (13:53) opens as a free jazz tune that is not as crazy and chaotic as many free jazz tunes can be; in fact, it sounds rather like a pit orchestra priming, prepping, and tuning for the opening of their big stage musical. Interesting and quite possible fun for the musicians (though it is, I'm sure, unreproducible), the overall effect is more like background music for an opening night exhibition in a New York City art gallery (as well as a waste of my not-very-valuable time). (25.5/30)
Total time: 41:37
I don't mind any of these tunes despite their datedness. In fact, I find Mike's compositional imagination quite admirable--even remarkable ("I'll Sing You Softly of My Life" and "It's All Becoming Clear to Me Now," in particular). Obviously, there was some great stuff in the waters of Connecticut in 1968!
I love this April 6, 2020 review on rateyourmusic.com by a reviewer who calls himself "Famepollution":
This might be the most interesting boring album ever. On one hand this album screams local lounge act goes into the studio to make a hip contemptorary record featuring the latest styles in cool music. The whole album screams free with a purchase of membership in the colombia records club. It smacks of martini swilling middle aged hugh hefner types trying to understand the new hippie thing.
Overall it comes off both pleasant, and mundane. There are a few numbers here that are decent, but not essential.
it's just there is 14 minute free freak out thing here. It's not a great take on the genre... it's just, this album sounds commerical and some how, the '60s were so weird that this commercial sounding record has a 14 minute jazzrock interstellar overdrive. Again, not a great version of it, but just the idea that these second rate lounge jazz artists felt the need to put one on here blows my mind.
89.26 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a very entertaining and interesting little time capsule flashback into the hipster/wannabe world of white East Coast 1968. It's fun, it's sad, it's rather clever musical compositions, and, essentially, it's a little microcosm of all that was in the spirit and intentions of early Jazz-Rock Fusion experimentalists.
JASPER VAN'T HOF Eyeball (1974)
Line-up / Musicians:
- Jasper Van't Hof / acoustic piano, keyboards
- Zbigniew Seifert / violin
- Wim Overgaauw / electric guitar, banjo
- John Lee / electric bass
- Gerry Brown / drums, percussion
- Zbigniew Seifert / violin
- Wim Overgaauw / electric guitar, banjo
- John Lee / electric bass
- Gerry Brown / drums, percussion
A2. "Viber Snake" (5:12) opening with some loose and very sparse piano and bass support to some absolutely wonderful "flamenco jazz" guitar work from Wim Overgaauw. At the very end of the third minute Wim stops and the plaintive notes of Zbigneiw's violin are doubled and backed by Jasper's piano chords and Wim's guitar chords and other frivolous flourishes. Interesting composition. (8.875/10)
A3. "Eye-ball 1 (Piano Solo)" (3:37) a jazzified classical piece in the Keith Emerson tradition? Sounds an awful lot like something Keith would do. It sounds a lot like a jazzy rendition of an Aaron Copeland song. (8.75/10)
A4. "Hyrax" (5:55) the first of John Lee's contributions is, unfortunately, another song in which John finds himself trapped into a endless syncopated two-note cycle while everyone around him gets to play, explore, and, hopefully, have fun. There is a bit of a dour, "hard-work" feel to the performances. Some weird, wah-wah-ed synth work from Jasper is the highlight of this otherwise one-dimensional song (at least, one dimensional during the solo-support passages). Luckily, Gerry is allowed enough freedom to display his prodigious talent. Turns out that Zbigniew's violin is also being fed through a distorting wah-effects pedal, as his solo is quite reflective of Jasper's. Wim's syncopated rhythm guitar chord hits provide a distracting accent (almost negatively so), but the main melody is pretty good--and performed in an interesting way. Fade out. (8.875/10)
B1. "Schwester Johanna" (6:15) this fast-paced display of instrumental virtuosity sounds like Jean-Luc Ponty playing with the Pat Metheny Group, but it's not. It's Zbigniew Seifert and Jasper van't Hof. But, man! John Lee, Gerry Brown, and Wim Overgaauw's rhythm guitar are sure smokin' up the joint! This six-minute sprint would be a test of anyone's stamina and concentration! (9.5/10)
B2. "Laur" (4:17) moody volume-controlled bass chords open this with spacey synth single notes notes and whistles and exotic percussion sounds. Then Zbigniew and Jasper enter with violin and Vangelis-like Fender Rhodes. This beautiful little dreamy jazz tune is a John Lee composition! But it's so very mature, multi-dimensional, and polished! Take me to this person (or place), please! (9/10)
B3. "One Leg Missing" (3:06) opens with what sounds like some East Asian percussion and instruments (banjo, violin, and spaced-out plucked eighth notes on the bass) providing what sounds like the cacophony of a small third world village celebration (for a big meal). Gerry's play soon turns to his drum kit, where he puts on quite a display of drum mastery. (8.875/10)
B4. "Eye-ball 2 (Piano Solo)" (4:57) solo Jasper. It's very smooth and melodic, flowing beautifully on top as the left hand chord hits provide some referent points. Nice work from a confident and thoughtful player. I'm not usually much of a fan of solo piano work, but this is the kind of stuff I can enjoy. (8.875/10)
B5. "The Rev" (4:20) the final John Lee composition is another surprisingly loose and more-than-two-dimensionally-constructed tune. Zbigniew and Jasper (on synth) open things up by introducing the kind of loosey-goosey, happy-go-lucky melody before backing off for Wim to take a turn in the lead with an odd-sounding guitar (like it's an elephant being muted inside a milk bottle) mixed very quietly into the near background. Zbigniew gets the next solo before Jasper's electric piano takes a turn. Then the song is faded out. A solid song that presents nothing really great or innovative. (8.75/10)
Total time: 46:32
Total time: 46:32
Jasper knows his way around a keyboard but is still fairly new to how to use the new technologies and their sounds (especially single note synthesizers) thus there is a lot of experimentation with the manipulation of sound going on here. What one can certainly say with some confidence is that he and his collaborators can play! In fact, this album contains what is, in my opinion, one of the best displays of the talents of Gerry Brown that I've ever heard.
89.21 on the Fishscales = B+/four stars; an excellent display of Second Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion.
Late in 1967, Columbia Records releases their first collaboration with The DON ELLIS ORCHESTRA in the form of a studio album entitled, Electric Bath. Fresh out of the euphoric haze of two very successful live albums and a year of almost continuous touring to festival and rock 'n' roll audiences, Don welcomed the new partnership with Columbia producer John Hammond and with it the chance to work out some of his ideas in a studio setting. Over the course of two days in September (the 16th & 17th) the band put down on tape several songs, five of which would end up on the Grammy Award nominated and Down Beat magazine "1968 Album of the Year."
1. "Indian Lady" (8:07) When I first heard the opening bars to this piece, I was immediately drawn to a comparison to the music of ROBERT WYATT's "Little Red Riding Hood Hit the Road" from his 1974 comeback album, Rock Bottom. The song, played in 5/4 time throughout (and released as a single in a shortened three-minute version), is actually rather famous for its almost-comical multiple "attempts" to end throughout the song. Despite the large ensemble of musicians, the music somehow comes across smoothly, far more easy for the brain to accommodate than one might expect. Heck! There are even some melodic HERB ALPERT-like riffs and motifs. (13.5/15)
2. "Alone" (5:32) soothing and filled with gorgeous melodies, this one reminds me of some of the mellower pieces on my beloved 1970s albums by Eumir Deodato and Bob James as well as many of the jazzy television music providing background and mood for popular television shows that I would watch as a small child in the late 1966s--like I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched, and The Newlywed Show. Lots of big banks of horns. (9.5/10)
3. "Turkish Bath" (10:29) dynamic music with an Indian base coming from the sitar, tabla and other Indian percussion, as well as flutes and slurring horns. Once set in motion the Latin rhythms and melody structure give it a feel quite similar to Billy Page's song "The 'In' Crowd" as made popular by Dobie Gray and Ramsey Lewis. Who knew that Indian instruments, big band horns, and electric clavinet could be melded together so easily into a bassa nova song?!! (18/20)
4. "Open Beauty" (8:27) beautiful and yet haunting in a psychedelic way thanks to the electric effects applied to the keyboard and vibraphone. Unusual for the minimal presence of drums or other percussives. The extended quarter-tone trumpet solo with echo effect from 5:30 to 8:05 is also remarkable for its particular singularity. (17.5/20)
5. "New Horizons" (12:21) this is a song that sounds to my untrained ear like a pretty standard big band jazz piece. If there are extraordinary things happening I'm not able to pick them up; it's just another long piece with minimal melodic hooks played within a base of a Latin-rock rhythms. (21.75/25)
Total Time 44:56
The musicianship is incredible all-around; how 20 musicians can play such complex music so seamlessly and cohesively is nothing short of amazing. Don's mission to open the West up to the odd meter times "naturally" used in the rest of the world's folk traditions had begun in earnest and would not quit through the rest of the Sixties, only take a slight Bulgarian left turn in the Seventies thanks to his meeting and pairing up with Bulgarian jazz and piano sensation Milcho Leviev.
89.1666667 on the Fishscaels = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of boundary-pushing jazz-rock fusion.
JOHNNY HAMMOND (SMITH) Gears (1975)
The same studio machine that delivered so many of Blue Note's Donald Byrd/Blackbyrd albums (as well as some by Bobbi Humphrey, Roger Glenn, as well as songs and records by The Jackson Five, L.T.D., Rance Allen, Gary Bartz, and Taste of Honey): the Mizell brothers and their company, Sky High Productions.
Line-up/Musicians:- Johnny "Hammond" (Smith) / electric piano, organ, synthesizer
- Harvey Mason / drums
- Chuck Rainey / electric bass
- Jerry Peters / piano, electric piano
- Roger Glenn / flute, vibraphone
- Larry Mizell / keyboards [Solina], arranger [vocals], producer
- Fonce Mizell / clavinet, backing vocals
- Craig McMullen / guitar
- John Rowin / guitar
- Hadley Caliman / tenor saxophone
- Julian Priester / trombone
- Michael White / violin
- Kenneth Nash / cymbal, gong, percussion
- William Jordan / vocals [recitation] (A2)
A1. "Tell Me What To Do" (5:16) (8.75/10)
A2. "Los Conquistadores Chocolatés" (5:56) (8.75/10)
A3. "Lost On 23rd Street" (6:36) (8.75/10)
B1. "Fantasy" (6:06) (9.25/10)
B2. "Shifting Gears" (5:19) (8.75/10)
B3. "Can't We Smile" (4:35) smooth groove with vocal choir and incredible bass playing beneath violin, electric piano, and odd synth sounds. (9.25/10)
89.1667 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of Jazz-Funk.
BLUE EFFECT (MODRY EFEKT) Benefit of Radim Hladík (1974)
M. Efekt was now under the leadership of guitarist Radim Hladík but their earlier collaborations with Jazz Q led to their imploy of Jazz Q's founding members Martin Kratochvil and Jiří Stivín for supplemental keyboard (Fender Rhodes) and flute and alto sax, respectively.
- Radim Hladík / acoustic, electric & Hawaiian (steel) guitars, ring modulator, arrangements
- Lesek Semelka / piano, organ, vocals
- Josef Kůstka / bass, violin, vocals
- Vlado Čech / drums
With:
- Martin Kratochvíl / Fender electric piano
- Jiří Stivín / flute, alto saxophone
1. "Shoes (Boty)" (9:57) borrowing a profusion of themes from bands like Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Thin Lizzy, Derek And The Dominoes, George Harrison, Tangerine Dream, Can, and Nektar, M. Efekt's obvious effort to please their crowd of listeners with such a series of appropriated mock-ups reminds me of the scene in Philip Kaufman's 1989 film adaptation of Milan Kundera's international best-seller, The Unbearable Lightness of Being in which Tomaz and Tereza are in a bar with their friends while a local rock band plays "edgy" rock music and especially their risky in-the-face-of-authority Czech rendering of The Beatles "Let It Be"--only these guys are more talented, versatile, and infinitely more creative than that band. The alternate version of David Gilmour's "Great Gig in the Sky"--with Jiří Stivín's wonderful flute play--is my favorite motif explored in the suite. (17.75/20)
2. "Tea-Room (Čajovna)" (4:01) nice, fully expanded power blues-rock trio music in which Radim Hladík occupies not one, not two, not three, but four tracks for his various electric guitar riffs, sounds, and fills. Interesting and entertaining even if it feels more like a vehicle created explicitly for Radim's study of a particular form and melody. (8.875/10)
3. "Jigsaw Puzzle (Skládanka)" (5:49) Jazz Q flutist Jiří Stivín is quite prominent on this composition: using a near Thijs van Leer style. As a matter of fact, the whole song bears a remarkable similarity to both FOCUS and YES songs and stylings--as if the two have been merged together. Add the crazed wordless "speaking in tongues" vocals in third minute followed by some rapid-speed electric guitar soloing (though by no means in the same league as Jan Akkerman or Steve Howe) and you've completed the checklist for Focus Clone. I might give this higher marks were the rhythm track not so chaffingly irritating. (8.875/10)
4. "Lost-And-Found (Ztráty a nálezy)" (5:12) delicately picked acoustic guitars, swelling percussion, flute, and organ start this one off until the band falls into the groove of a blues-rock song in order to offer up a spacious, womb-like place of supportive bluesy-rock drum, bass, and acoustic rhythm guitars for Radim to take an extended solo, expressing himself as if he were channeling or Eric Clapton, while Josef Kůstka dances with him on his electric violin. At 1:45 the band falls into a nice PROCOL HARUM "Whiter Shade of Pale" groove that supports an emotion-laden echo-and-reverbed electric guitar solo from Radim (the Clapton style still dominating his expression). This continues to the song's final minute when the band is (rough) cut back to the acoustic guitar strumming with squealing guitar and violin motif of the opening minute. (8.875/10)
5. "Hypertension (Hypertenze)" (12:30) Jimmy Page. Jimi Hendrix. Jan Akkerman. Eric Clapton. These are some of the guitarists and guitar styles I hear when listening to the fiery noodling of Radim during the opening two minutes of this. Martin Kratochvíl gets the next spotlight before Radim and Jiří Stivín on alto sax begin a section in which they trade off ten-second outbursts in a three-way duel, each shifting from a variety of sound effects for their respective instruments with each and every turn while the bass, drums, and rhythm guitars pulse and sway with a wildly-pulsating rhythm track that reminds me of that which will be TALKING HEADS' foundation for their classic African-based songs from Side One--especially "Crosseyed and Painless" and "The Great Curve." The crazy, cat-yawling solo opposite Radim's excellent rhythm guitar work could be either a synthesizer, a heavily-treated violin (or electric guitar), or even, perhaps, a crazily-treated saxophone, I don't know which, but it's effective as hell! The music slows down in the first half of the sixth minute as Radim takes up several tracks as he solos variations on a single riffs back and forth between his own guitars with Martin, Josef, and Vldo holding space for him from beneath. In the eighth minute Radim's volume pedaled guitar notes slowly back off as bassist Josef Kůstka is given solo support from Martin and Vlado, then, at the very end of the tenth minute, we come out of that section with some heavy riffing and "distant" space-synth portamento in the background. Radim shreds and rages until a choir of wordless vocalese steps in to establish a melody line that will take us out. Though Radim is there, it is Jiří's alto sax that is given the main spotlight here and he simply tears it up--even emerging on a second (and/or third?) track toward the very end--as the vocalese-supported main theme plays on till the very end. The very cool elements of this song far outweigh its defects. (23/25)
Total Time 37:29
While I appreciate the talent and creative appropriation and synthesis involved in the making of this album, I do not particularly like my J-R Fusion or Prog Rock to be founded in blues structures nor blues-rock sound. Also, for as talented as Radim is as a guitarist, he seems to be "stuck" within a set number of sounds and styles--most of which are not among those I favor or particularly enjoy.
89.167 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an ingeniously-crafted collection of songs representing several blues-rock styles found in the music of the early progressive rock artists and musicians.
2. "Sand-Glass" (15:40) with a tuned percussion melody that sounds Gamelan (and, thus, marimba), Jon, Eberhard, and Rainer create a peaceful if-oddly-melodized foundation within which bass, Fender Rhodes, soprano sax, and even Jon's cymbal work have plenty of room to add infinitely creative and never-overdone flourishes, flashes, nuances, undertones and overtones. At the end of the fifth minute Charlie switches to the nasally sound of the shehnai for his soloing for about two and a half minutes. Then it's back to his soprano sax--here doubled up--before giving way to Rainer's Fender Rhodes. The creative, fluid play of Eberhard on his underwater bass is so unusual--and yet prepares one for the sounds and stylings he dominates with on his next album, The Following Morning (my favorite of his). Jon Christensen really shines in this section of the song: truly playing off of his band mates and their own expressions of fervor and subtlety. The style subtly shifts over the course of the 12th minute as Eberhard and Jon change their approach to more of a straightforward rock-like bass-and-drum team approach while Rainer continues his almost-too-subtle/gentle Fender Rhodes play. (He really could have stepped up more--or the engineers could have mixed him in front of the cymbals, Gamelan marimba, and bass instead of burying him in the back. A pretty decent composition that shows some of the exploration Eberhard was into at the time--and which he will improve upon/perfect on future albums. (26.5/30)
89.167 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an ingeniously-crafted collection of songs representing several blues-rock styles found in the music of the early progressive rock artists and musicians.
EBERHARD WEBER Yellow Fields (1976)
With the creation of 1976's Yellow Fields (which was recorded in September of 1975) we find Eberhard returning to a jazz combo/quartet format for the exposition of the exploration of his rather unique musical ideas. It helps that he has chosen three of my very, very favorite European jazz and Jazz-Rock Fusion musicians as his collaborators.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Eberhard Weber / double bass
With:
- Charlie Mariano / soprano saxophone, shehnai, nadaswaram
- Rainer Brüninghaus / piano, synth
- Jon Christensen / drums
Line-up / Musicians:
- Eberhard Weber / double bass
With:
- Charlie Mariano / soprano saxophone, shehnai, nadaswaram
- Rainer Brüninghaus / piano, synth
- Jon Christensen / drums
1. "Touch" (4:58) I am not usually much of a fan of the saxophone but Charlie Mariano has a rare gift for playing with sound and style that rarely irks my sensitive nervous system. Eberhard's underwater bass is the second most attention-grabbing performer here while Rainer and Jon do excellent work holding down the rhythmic foundation of an eminently-enjoyable song. (9.3333/10)
2. "Sand-Glass" (15:40) with a tuned percussion melody that sounds Gamelan (and, thus, marimba), Jon, Eberhard, and Rainer create a peaceful if-oddly-melodized foundation within which bass, Fender Rhodes, soprano sax, and even Jon's cymbal work have plenty of room to add infinitely creative and never-overdone flourishes, flashes, nuances, undertones and overtones. At the end of the fifth minute Charlie switches to the nasally sound of the shehnai for his soloing for about two and a half minutes. Then it's back to his soprano sax--here doubled up--before giving way to Rainer's Fender Rhodes. The creative, fluid play of Eberhard on his underwater bass is so unusual--and yet prepares one for the sounds and stylings he dominates with on his next album, The Following Morning (my favorite of his). Jon Christensen really shines in this section of the song: truly playing off of his band mates and their own expressions of fervor and subtlety. The style subtly shifts over the course of the 12th minute as Eberhard and Jon change their approach to more of a straightforward rock-like bass-and-drum team approach while Rainer continues his almost-too-subtle/gentle Fender Rhodes play. (He really could have stepped up more--or the engineers could have mixed him in front of the cymbals, Gamelan marimba, and bass instead of burying him in the back. A pretty decent composition that shows some of the exploration Eberhard was into at the time--and which he will improve upon/perfect on future albums. (26.5/30)
3. "Yellow Fields" (10:05) I hear a LOT of CHICK COREA and RETURN TO FOREVER in the structure and performances of this song--especially from Rainer and Jon; Eberhard and Charlie sound more like they're from WEATHER REPORT. Therefore, I call this a clever merger of the two, something that could only be managed by four absolute virtuosos of their instruments--which we have here. The only thing really missing from this tune are hooks that anchor themselves in the listener's memory. (17.75/20)
4. "Left Lane" (13:35) with extended sections with only Rainer and Eberhard playing with and off of each other, this one really preps the listener for the duo's next album, The Following Morning on which there will be no drumming, loads of lush orchestration, as well as plenty of areas, like this, where the two are left alone in a large, starkly-empty space. Eberhard convinces Rainer to back down from an extended solo with the establishment of a structured bass line that ushers Jon and Charlie back into the jazz mix, with Charlie taking the lead with his rapid-fire spewing of notes on his soprano sax. At the ten-minute mark Charlie relinquishes the lead for Rainer's Fender Rhodes. It's a nice solo, egged on by Jon and Eberhard's flawless though relentless encouragement. Nice. Charlie returns to a subdued lead for the final ninety seconds, being joined in the last minute by tracks of his nadaswaram and shehnai until the song's slow final fadeout. (26.66667/30)
Total time 44:18
Total time 44:18
89.1667 on the Fishscales = B+/four stars; an excellent addition to any Jazz or Jazz-Rock Fusion lover's music collections. Recommended if mostly for the magnificent displays of virtuosity from all four of the contributors.
ISOTOPE Illusion (1974)
Highly-acclaimed jazz-rock fusion from a British quartet of seasoned musicians--including Hugh Hopper and Gary Boyle. Produced by Poli Palmer, Illusion was recorded in August of 1974 at Rockfield Studios in Monmouth, Wales, and then released by Gull Records in November.
- Gary Boyle / guitars
- Nigel Morris / drums
- Laurence Scott / keyboards
- Hugh Hopper / bass
1. "Illusion" (3:54) nicely-partitioned jazz-oriented rock music, drummer Nigel Morris and mutli-keyboard-playing Laurence Scott seem more deeply connected in keeping the rhythm track on a tightly-formed course while the disturbingly-distorted bass of Hugh Hopper and wah-wah-ed rhythmic guitar play of Gary Boyle seem to be the more adventurous and experimental explorers on top. I think I'm most impressed with Mr. Scott on this one. (8.875/10)
2. "Rangoon Creeper" (6:01) weird boring funk. Laurence Scott again gets the chance to show off his tow-handed skills. (8.5/10)
3. "Spanish Sun" (7:50) great display of Gary Boyle's technical skill on the John McLaughlin-like guitars (especially the electric). I like the minimal support from the other band members; the song could probably even exist without them but they add something (besides their solos). (13.5/15)
4. "Edorian" (2:01) seems like a reprise of the two opening songs--especially in the sound palette choices. I like the doubling up of the keys and guitars while Hugh Hopper just wanders off on his own--apparently as tripping and his fuzz-tone bass. (4.3333/5)
5. "Frog" (2:31) a MAHAVISHNU'/"Vashkar"-like song with more drugged-out bass but nice lead guitar over the tight rhythm section of Nigel and Laurence. (I guess I'd better get used to the fact that Hugh Hopper will never contribute to the rhythmic structure and linear pacing of any of these songs, that it is, in fact, keyboard player Laurence Scott that will be playing the role usually expected/relegated to the bass player in tandem/association with the drummer.) (8.75/10)
6. "Sliding Dogs / Lion Sandwich" (5:58) I can see the draw to this one: for the fine execution of its mathematical structure--especially as it gets complicated with multiple tracks moving in off-set rondo--but it's not my favorite style of jazz-rock fusion. (Plus, Hugh Hopper's bass sound is already driving me to distraction and dislike.) (9/10)
7. "Golden Section" (5:15) at least on this song Hugh Hopper is able to show off some skills despite his fuzz-tone bass as he mirrors Gary's melody lines over the opening 1:20. After that, there's really nothing very special here: just over extended Fender Rhodes play with some sometimes-interesting bass exploration beneath. Even the song's main theme is nothing to write home about. (8.75/10)
8. "Marin Country Girl "(2:10) delicate interplay between piano and guitar with minimal support from bass and drums. The bass play may even be a second guitar, not Hugh Hopper's bass (which is highly likely due to the fact that it is not electric). Very nice. (4.5/5)
9. "Lily Kong" (2:32) what starts out rather simply, as a fairly straightforward weave, turns more complex until it is rudely faded away from our listening capabilities. Foul! (4.5/5)
10. "Temper Tantrum" (3:46) two tracks dedicated to electric guitar, bass and drums mixed kind of to the rear, with panning/reverberating keys floating in the in-between, Gary establishes quite an awesome little duel/battle with himself--between the two guitars (one that reminds me quite a bit of the amazing future duel between Al Di Meola and Larry Coryell on Lenny White's "Prince of the Sea"). Now this is Jazz-Rock Fusion! Best song on the album! (9.5/10)
Total Time: 51:58
Total Time: 51:58
The music here is definitely not connecting with me the way it has for many other music lovers. I am impressed with the sound and with the guitar playing of band leader Gary Boyle, but I do not find the compositions as substantive or dynamic as I like. And I absolutely do not understand the affinity to or allegiance to Hugh Hopper--whose obsession with the abhorrent sound created by the singular bass effect he seems so stubbornly attached to over the album's first seven songs is almost enough to drive me away; a keyboard could (and should) do the work that he is so praised for! Kudos to Laurence Scott for coming in from relative obscurity and holding his own next to these other giants.
89.12 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent if totally confusing and sometimes off-putting example of experimentation within the fairly-new Jazz-Rock Fusion genre of music.
THE SOFT MACHINE Seventh (1973)
The Softs are now down to one original member and three former Nucleus members! Luckily, the four very talented musicians all have a common desire to make Jazz-Rock Fusion.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Mike Ratledge / electric piano, organ, synthesizer
- Karl Jenkins / oboe, baritone & soprano saxes, recorder, electric piano
- Roy Babbington / acoustic & electric basses
- John Marshall / drums, percussion
Side One:
1. "Nettle Bed" (4:47) a solid and suitably-nuanced, complex, oddly-timed composition which features Mike Ratledge's synthesizer as the main soloist. The main motif cycles around and around just a few too many times before it begins to annoy (despite John Marshall's attempts to liven things up). (8.75/10)
2. "Carol Ann" (3:48) a song that reveals that the band still possesses some of that "old" capacity for creating soul-melting earworm melodies. Mike and Karl on synthesizer and electric piano, respectively, while Roy adds some great melodic bass lines and John . . . sits out. Gorgeous; ascendant into the absolute highest realms that the Canterburians ever achieved. A perfect song to illustrate how unnecessary it is (or ever was) to have to noodle and layer impressively in order to make memorable, likable, and/or beautiful music. (9.3333/10)
3. "Day's Eye" (5:05) a more jazzy song that seems to be founded on a variation of the chord and melody structure of the previous song. Here we have bass, saxes, Canterbury "buzz-saw" organ, electric piano support, drums, and, early and later, excellent baritone sax. Like many reviewers, I much prefer the more jazz-aligned bass playing style of Roy Babbington over the nebulous one of Hugh Hopper. (9.125/10)
4. "Bone Fire" (0:32) seems to be a continuation from the previous (two) song(s), differentiated only by a barely-detectable key shift. (4.625/5)
5. "Tarabos" (4:32) another song in the obvious straight-line recording tape from "Carol Ann" on, this one features some processed oboe or soprano sax over a typical revolving cycle of a Mike Ratledge Canterbury theme. I still can't tell if it's a sax or oboe as we enter the final minute of my third headphones listen to this song--which is pretty extraordinary. My biggest complaint is the same one from the album's opener is the tedium created by the endless repetition of that main cycle--which is why I love the extended "end coda" feel of the final minute. (8.875/10)
6. "D.I.S." (3:02) a percussionist's solo which sounds like a Westerner playing around with the Japanese and or Chinese (or Gamelan) instruments available to him in a Zen Buddhist garden. Interesting but something that perhaps should have been left to John's own private library. (8.6667/10)
Side Two:
The Penny Hitch Suite:
7. "Snodland" (1:50) dreamy Harold Budd-like floating electric piano arpeggi paired with wind chime play turns into . . . (4.5/5)
8. "Penny Hitch" (6:40) a minimalist arpeggio of an organ chord that is slowly woven together with TRAFFIC-like bass line, ballad rock drum support, and long-sustained processed (and muted) saxophone notes. Hypnotic but stumbles for its limitation to but two chords that only alternate every minute or so. (8.875/10)
9. "Block" (4:17) in this section of the unbroken flow of the suite Mike's synthesizer tries to match and emulate Karl's saxophone (and Roy's bass) lines! Then he takes over the lead as the band matches his new found fire and intensity. (8.75/10)
10. "Down The Road" (5:48) yet another attempt to stretch a simple yet-catchy drum and bass loop out to make an entire song--a trick that the great bassist John Lee and Donald Byrd's mid-1970s songwriters, Larry and Fonce Mizell, were prone to fall prey to. Not a bad song, just dull and doing little to climb out of its mediocrity. (8.75/10)
11. "The German Lesson" (1:53)
12. "The French Lesson" (1:01) the two songs that rather seamlessly flow one into the other remind me very much of some of the old silly stuff from the band's first two albums only this time filtered through the Terry Riley-imitative synthesizer delays and looping found in Third's "Out-Bloody-Rageous"--sounds and stylings that would become the realm of German artists like Rodelius, Cluster, and Dueter. (4.375/5)Total Time: 43:15
89.08 on the Fishscales = B+/four stars; an excellent display of the evolution of a Canterbury band who thought it was playing jazz (albeit, a very British form of jazz) turning into more evolved jazz-rock Fusion musicians.
POP WORKSHOP Song of the Pterydactyl (1974)
This international conglomerate of global expats are back to record their second and final album--recorded and prodoced in Sweden at the Europa Film Studio--covering producer Wlodek Gulgowski and saxophonist Zbigniew Namyslowksi compositions (four each) only, this time, instead of imitating Tony Williams, they got Tony Williams--the real Tony Williams--to play on their album!
- Zbigniew Namyslowski / alto saxophone [electrified], flute, cello
- Mads Vinding (Burnin' Red Ivanhoe, Secret Oyster) / electric bass [Fender]
- Tony Williams (Anthony Williams) / drums
- Wlodek Gulgowski / electric piano [Fender Rhodes], synth [Synthi], other keyboards
- Janne Schaffer / electric guitar
1. "Prehistoric Bird" (5:20) a Wlodek Gulgowski composition (which was also used on the next project Wlodek participated in, MICHAL URBANIAK's Fusion III). It's a great composition rendered here pretty well but the version on Michal's album is better (thanks in no small way to the vocal inputs of the one and only Urszula Dudziak). (9/10)
2. "Song of the Pterodactyl" (6:52) a Zbigniew Namyslowksi composition that has some nice/interesting chord and melodic progressions within/over which some odd synth, strings (guitar and electrified cello?), and get to insert their personal interpretations befitting the song's title (and theme). I very much like Tony's driving play in the third minute but then he feels as if he goes off topic--loses his interest or concentration--in the fourth and has trouble staying engaged thereafter (lending credibility to my theory that his drum parts were added later--played and recorded as he reacted in real time to the music on all of the other pre-recorded tracks). That's definitely an electrified cello (sounding like a Chinese erhu or the Japanese shamishen) in the seventh and eighth minutes. A weird song in which new, funk- and synth-developed sounds are attempted to be channeled as animal sounds. (13.125/15)
3. "High Priest" (5:39) a Wlodek Gulgowski composition that is very dynamic, very demanding, very impressive, and exceedingly-well performed. (9.3333/10)
4. "Dillema" (6:59) a Zbigniew Namyslowksi composition that contains a great bass performance from Mads Winding to go along with some amazing support from Wlodek's Fender Rhodes electric piano beneath . There's a smoothness to this one that predicts the Smooth Jazz and Yacht Rock stuff about to start coming out in the second half of the 70s. But, here it works fine. A few interesting (odd) sound engineering choices within the song (which, for me, indicate a rushed production process) but otherwise it's a pretty good song. (13.25/15)
5. "Watussi Dance" (4:46) a Wlodek Gulgowski composition opens with some unusually-effected clavinet and wah-wah rhythm guitar before funky bass and drums punctuates the rhtyhms from below. Zbigniew's heavily-effected sax takes the initial lead, giving the groove a little HEADHUNTERS/RUFUS/BILL COSBY sound and feel. A very pleasant and, yes, danceable modern funk tune. (9.125/10)
6. "Mammoth" (5:31) a Wlodek Gulgowski composition with a dreamy, gentle feel for the flute lead that sounds like it's derived or inspired by classical pieces. The soaring, flitting background flute "birds" are a neat effect, but then a shuffle at the end of the second minute ushers in a plodding low-end melodic theme that is obviously supposed to represent some behemothic creature (the mammoth). Janne Schaffer uses the entrance and demonic presence of this theme to start shredding on his guitar sounding as if a hunter/predator bird was trying to terrorize the lumbering quadruped. (This kind of reminds me of what Blue Öyster Cult was trying to do with "Godzilla" and Bondage Fruit with "T-Rex.") Janne is sure having fun tearing up the atmosphere around the poor pachyderm. (I just wish I liked his shredding style. It's kind of like Larry Coryell in that some of his sound and style choices for his guitar soloing are just too abrasive for me.) (8.875/10)
7. "Ozzy Bear" (5:49) a Zbigniew Namyslowksi composition that is rare for the lack of Zbigniew's sax (which shows absolutely no sign until 1:50). I guess it's his flute that presents the first melodies in tandem with Janne's guitar. Great engineering mix of the bass, Fender Rhodes and drum lines. (Here, for the first time, Tony's drums feels like he's actually with the band, not just punched in later.) Nice Fender Rhodes solo follows Zbigniew's solo then we return to the flute-and-guitar led motif that opened the song for the final minute. (8.875/10)
8. "Kuyaviak Goes Funky" (7:15) a Zbigniew Namyslowksi composition that was also covered for Wlodek Gulgowksi's next project, MICHAL URBANIAK's Fusion III. Heavily-muted and -effected sax and guitar precede some spacious keyboard and synth solo efforts. The sound palette throughout this song is just weird: everybody's instrument is being run through some kind of weird funk-(farm animal)-oriented/imitative series of effects and treatments and the song's (minimal and loose) repetitive and rather tedious foundation just serves to support the solos of the odd animals over the top. No thanks, not for me! (13/15)
Total Time: 49:11
Total Time: 49:11
Thank goodness for the fact of Janne Schaffer outgrowing his obsession with that awful heavy-distortion sound he used on the band's previous album. I do, however, fell as if the engineering and production are not quite as "spherically" perfect as it was on the previous year's release, Vol 1. For the most part Tony's drums feel distant, separate, as if he was recorded while playing along with the rest of the band's previously-recorded tracks (perhaps he was, in fact, recruited to replace a predecessor whose previously-recorded performance[s] was deemed less-than-satisfactory). At the same time, his extraordinary talents seem rather wasted (underutilized) on this album. Still, this is peak era Jazz-Rock Fusion of a very high quality, if a little more rag-tagged, rushed, or unpolished feeling.
89.04 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent if quirky collection of songs that attempt to use onomatopoeic sounds to create anthropomorphic sounds as if they're representing the animal world.
89.04 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent if quirky collection of songs that attempt to use onomatopoeic sounds to create anthropomorphic sounds as if they're representing the animal world.
BRIAN AUGER's OBLIVION EXPRESS A Better Land (1971)
Brian's second venture into serious Jazz-Rock Fusion with his Oblivion Express lineup and it represents quite a new era in his artistry in that every single song here is the product of one or more members of the Oblivion Express!
- Brian Auger/ keyboards
- Jim Mullen / guitar
- Barry Dean / bass
- Robbie McIntosh / drums
1. "Dawn of Another Day" (4:18) opens exactly like José Féliciano's version of The Doors' "Light My Fire" but then piano, electric bass and vocals enter to give it its own identity. It still feels very founded in and reflective of the idealistic hippie 1960s--with lyrics sounding all flowers and rainbows. A very likable, enjoyable song. I especially like the spaciousness of the song as well as the inventive vamp for the finish. (9/10)
2. "Marai's Wedding" (4:22) two acoustic guitars, one soloing dynamically, the other providing some colorful rhythm guitar support. Piano, bass, and drums joins in after about 30 seconds, establishing a very folk-flavored rock song in the vein of The Band (the music) or perhaps Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (the harmonized choral vocals). This traditional Scottish folk song (originally titled "Mairi's Wedding" not "Marai's") is here re-arranged by Jim Mullen. (8.785/10)
3. "Trouble" (3:12) again I am only hearing The Band when I listen to this song: blues rock foundation with lots of acoustic and twangy Southern fried electric instrumentation. A solid song with more whole-group choral singing, but, despite meaningful words, not my cup of tea. (8.75/10)
4. "Women of the Seasons" (5:00) this one has the sound palette of one of the OZARK MOUNTAIN DAREDEVILS' prettier songs--like the ones composed by Larry Lee. (8.875/10)
5. "Fill Your Head with Laughter" (3:49) this one sounds like something by RARE EARTH, THREE DOG NIGHT or Don Brewer-singing GRAND FUNK RAILROAD or one of the late 60s' love and positivity Broadway musicals. A nice pop-radio-friendly rock song. (8.875/10)
6. "On Thinking It Over" (5:23) yet another group harmony vocal presented pop song that really is crying out for the same crowds as The Association, Godspell, The Cowsills, Hair, and The Rascals. Nice melodies sending out those positive vibes. (Remember when the USA was a place of hope and optimism for the rest of the world?) (8.75/10)
7. "Tomorrow City" (3:30) the group choral vocal approach is really settling in: they're actually quite good. The melodies and stylings here (including the use of congas) for the first time bear some resemblance to the music presented on their 1974 masterpiece, Straight Ahead, just grounded a lot more in the music and zeitgeist of the 1960s: this is a great song though it is still not jazz much less jazz-rock fusion. (9/10)
8. "All the Time There Is" (3:29) back to the Doors chords and sound palette, the group vocal presentation this time is less harmonized, more multiple voices/tracks presenting the same melody notes. This is a very likable tune with several earworm-like riffs, hooks, and moments--and a Brian Auger electric piano solo (though the e.piano is treated with a kind of odd effect--making it sound more like that of Ray Manzarek's "Riders on the Storm" sound). (9/10)
9. "A Better Land" (5:30) at least they're trying to get back to some jazzier and/or bluesier sounds and stylings here: Brian's first and only time perched behind his organ renders it automatically more likable and interesting. Nice bass play from Barry Dean. (8.875/10)
Total Time 38:33
There is very little on this album to indicate Brian Auger's skill and former-propensity for keyboard-dominated music. As a matter of fact, the appearances of Brian's legendary Hammond organ or smooth electric piano play is something you have to actually look for--actively search!--on this album. I guess the Oblivion Express is truly a collaborative unit with a democratic approach to song-making and this is their final push for the positive/optimistic output of politically-motivated artists like Marvin Gaye and The Band.
89.028 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a collection of very enjoyable, pop-and-radio-oriented songs that begins to show signs of future Oblivion Express with the material on Side Two. Though this is not the music we generally associate with either Brian Auger or The Oblivion Express, it is still finely-crafted music.
89.028 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a collection of very enjoyable, pop-and-radio-oriented songs that begins to show signs of future Oblivion Express with the material on Side Two. Though this is not the music we generally associate with either Brian Auger or The Oblivion Express, it is still finely-crafted music.
I am now learning that I am a being in which Heart and emotion are more valued and valuable than Mind and intellect.
Melody crosses straight into the Heart conveying warmth or pain.Technical skills and complexities like Mathematics (form and structure) provide information that the Mind/intellect can appreciate and enjoy.Language is the tool of deceit and persuasion by which we either give our power away or try to take it from another (or our Selves).Therefore, let the information I receive be that which feeds my Heart (which is, in many cultures, a more direct line to the Soul & Spirit).Drew Fisher
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