Part 4: Smooth Jazz: The Fourth Wave in the Evolution of Jazz-Rock Fusion

 The fourth installment of my on-going compilation of personal reviews of Jazz-Rock Fusion's most notable studio albums is presented as a list of the albums from the 1970s that contributed to the movement toward the more radio- (and sales-) friendly sounds of Jazz-Rock Fusion and its related off-shoots. These groupings have, over time, become known as "Adult Contemporary" Jazz, "Smooth Jazz," "World Music," "Yacht Rock," and even "Elevator Music," "Ambient Music," and "New Age," among other, sometimes less flattering monikers. The albums on this list are segmented into two lists: one labeled "Masterpieces," the other "Other Great Smooth Jazz Albums."  

 The Masterpieces:

1. STEELY DAN Aja (1977)

Though popular and received a ton of pop radio play, this album was, to me, a masterpiece of "almost" jazz fusion. I mean, look at the musicians involved with the project it reads like a Who's Who of the Jazz fusion scene in LA in the mid-70s: Joe Sample and Larry Carlton of the Jazz Crusaders, Wayne Shorter, Steve Gadd, Victor Feldman, Tom Scott, Jim Horn, Chuck Findley, Denny Dias, Jay Graydon, Steve Khan, Dean Parks, Lee Ritenour, Pete Christlieb, Don Grolnick, Michael Omartian, Richard "Slyde" Hyde, Plas Johnson, Jackie Kelso, Lou McCreary, Bill Perkins, Bernard Purdie, Chuck Rainey, Ed Greene, and Jim Keltner and Rick Marotta!!! FAgan and Becker orchestrating a fusin big band! Tight, one of the best recorded and engineered albums I had heard up to that point (so far superior to their previous albums in terms of sound engineering). The album sounds, to this day, like a sonic wet dream.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Donald Fagen / lead & backing vocals, synthesizer, whistle (2)
- Walter Becker / bass (3), guitar (2,5-7)
With:
- Larry Carlton / guitar (1-3,5-7)
- Denny Dias / guitar (2)
- Lee Ritenour / guitar (3)
- Jay Graydon / guitar solo (4)
- Steve Khan / guitar (4)
- Dean Parks / guitar (6,7)
- Victor Feldman / electric piano (1,3,7), piano (5,6), vibraphone (5,6), percussion (2,4,6)
- Joe Sample / clavinet (1), electric piano (2)
- Michael Omartian / piano (2)
- Paul Griffin / electric piano & backing vocals (4)
- Don Grolnick / clavinet (4)
- Tom Scott / tenor saxophone (1), lyricon (4), horns arrangements & conducting
- Wayne Shorter / tenor saxophone (2)
- Pete Christlieb / tenor saxophone (3)
- Jim Horn / saxophone
- Plas Johnson / saxophone
- Jackie Kelso / flute & saxophone?
- Bill Perkins / flute & saxophone?
- Chuck Findley / brass
- Lou McCreary / brass
- Richard "Slyde" Hyde / brass
- Chuck Rainey / bass
- Paul Humphrey / drums (1)
- Steve Gadd / drums (2)
- Bernard Purdie / drums (3,5)
- Rick Marotta / drums (4)
- Ed Greene / drums (6)
- Gary Coleman / percussion (4)
- Jim Keltner / percussion & drums (7)
- Venetta Fields / backing vocals (1,3,6)
- Clydie King / backing vocals (1,3,6)
- Sherlie Matthews / backing vocals (1,3,6)
- Rebecca Louis / backing vocals (1,6)
- Timothy B. Schmit / backing vocals (2,5,7)
- Michael McDonald / backing vocals (4,6)

Side One:

1. "Black Cow" (5:10) starts the album off with very cool groove. Once you've played this song you can't stop: you just have to play the whole album. Amazing background vocals and horns. Lyrically astounding. I love intellect in the lyrics. (9.25/10)

2. "Aja" (8:00) is without a doubt the coolest jazz song to get pop air play! The instrumental jam is mesmerizing! I love the electric piano, "Oriental-infused" instrumental section that starts early in the third minute that culminates, of course, with STEVE GADD's amazing drum play beneath Wayne Shorter's sax solo. (14.5/15)

3. "Deacon Blues" (7:37) like "Black Cow" this song just sucks you into the coolness of the groove. Sit back and enjoy the story, enjoy the incredible background vocals and tight jazz performances. Yacht rock at its finest. (14.5/15)

Side Two:

4. "Peg" (3:57)) the "big" hit from the album is, IMO, the weakest song on the album. Tight performances can't overcome a bit too much repetition. Amazing bass line from Chuck Rainey. I love Don Grolnick's clavinet. sweet guitar solo from Jay Graydon. Nice lyricon sax from Tom Scott. I never grew accustomed to (or liked) Michael MacDonald's voice. (8.75/10)

5. "Home at Last" (5:34) a "pop" song about Ulysses! I was and still am blown away by this song (it's my favorite on the album). The extended instrumental parts are sheer magic and bliss. I want to be tied to the mast!! (10/10)

6. "I Got the News" (5:06) sounds like a funked up "Kid Charlemagne"--very cool jazz piano work, nice bass and drum work--and very tight, precise performances across the board--it's just not melodic or engaging enough for my tastes--though I do like the second motif that starts at the two-minute mark. (8.75/10)

7. "Josie" (4:33) has one of the most infectious rhythm guitar riffs ever put to vinyl. Add to that another amazing bass track from Hall-of-Famer Chuck Rainey and super tight performances from the rest of the legions and POW! a great song that hooks you in and never lets go. I always hated that this song had to end! (10/10)

Total Time 39:54

To be sure, one of the iconic albums of the 70s--with every song evoking memories of sunshine and ease (my college days). A masterpiece that stands up over time better than 95% of the stuff that came before or since.

94.69 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; an amazing, sure-fire, timeless masterpiece of pop jazz-rock fusion. It's also one of the best sound productions ever pressed to vinyl. Another on of my Top 10 Jazz-Rock Fusion Albums of the "Fourth Wave" of prog's "Classic Era."

2. JONI MITCHELL Don Juan's Reckless Daughter  (1977)

After two previous straight jazz-rock fusion album releases (The Hissing of Summer Lawns and Hejira) and a very hectic touring cycle (most recently with Pat Metheny, Lyle Mays, Don Alias, Michael Brecker, and Jaco Pastorius--a lineup that would be captured on tape on the 1979 Mingus tour as the Shadows and Light 1980 album release), Joni's dissatisfaction with the rock-oriented studio musicians she'd been associating with left her seeking to strip things down into much more bare-bones jazz--a jazz form much less dependent on American studio musicians.   

Lineup / Musicians:

- Joni Mitchell / vocals, guitar, piano (4)

With:

- John Guerin / drums (1, 3, 4, 9)

- Wayne Shorter / saxophone (3, 4)

- Michael Gibbs / conductor (4, 9)

- Larry Carlton / electric guitar (5)

- Michael Colombier / piano (5)

- Jaco Pastorius / bass (1-4, 8, 9), bongos (6), cowbell (7)

- Don Alias / congas, clave (6), vocals (6), snare drum (7), sandpaper blocks (7), shaker (8)

- Alejandro Acuña / congas, cowbell (6), vocals (6), shakers (7), ankle bells (8)

- Manolo Badreno / congas (6), vocals (lead) (6)

- Airto Moreira / surdo (6), vocals (6)

- Chaka Khan / vocals (6, 7)

- El Bwyd / split tongued spirit (8)

- Glen Frey / background vocals (9)

- J.D. Souther / background vocals (9)

Disc One, Side One:

1. "Overture - Cotton Avenue" (6:35) multiple tracks with Joni's treated vocalise accompanied by an empty-concert-hall sound for her idiosyncratic acoustic guitar play opens this one before Jaco Pastorius' unique fretless joins in during the third minute. At 2:45 John Guerin's drums join in as Joni and Jaco settle into a structured song--"Cotton Avenue." Pop music taken to its jazziest extreme containing, of course, her inimitable delivery of her poetic lyrics. (10/10)

2. "Talk to Me" (3:40) a hard-drivin' acoustic guitar song supported by Jaco's distinctive fretless (on two channels). Incredible lyrics sung like a stream-of-consciousness harpy. (10/10)

3. "Jericho" (3:25) Joni, Jaco, and John are here joined by Weather Report saxophonist Wayne Report. He manages to squeeze a few notes and riffs behind Joni's non-stop singing, but, again, it's Joni's unusual melody-selection and the matching wildness of Jaco's bass note choices that rule the day. This was a song that was recorded earlier, live at Los Angeles' Universal Amphitheater in August of 1974. This version is so much better. Complete command, complete mastery, complete domination of the audience of one (me). (10/10)

Side Two:

4. "Paprika Plains" (16:19) a very long and protracted piano-and-voice piece that for some reason never bored or annoyed me, always sucked me in as I'd play the album through, over and over, back in 1977 and

1978. Michael Gibbs' orchestral contributions were equally mesmerizing, equally revered and enjoyed. The change in motif at 5:15 to what feels more like a piano sonata was always a bit disconcerting as, suddenly the feeling coming from the music was now more classical than jazz (though in reality, what is the difference), like something Debussy or Ravel--or even Fauré or Vaughn Williams--might have composed. (Perhaps this piece was the piece that got me started in my first exploration of Classical Music.) Joni and her piano bring us back to the opening motif around the 12-minute mark--and this time Jaco, John and Wayne join in--with a full-explosion of their vast sound beginning at 13:49. This is so good! Another song in which The Master of Words and Vocal Delivery mesmerizes and hypnotizes. She was so meant for jazz! Is there any lyricist better than her? (29/30)

Disc Two, Side One:

5. "Otis and Marlena" (4:05) what sounds more like a solo performance by Joni and her guitar, the sparse contributions of Larry Carlton, Michael Colombier, and John Guerin's snare are almost incidental. A lyrics-driven song that I've never really connected with. As such, it is my least favorite on the album. (8.66667/10)

6. "The Tenth World" (6:45) a percussion jam with five members of Weather Report, past and present. I have always loved this infectious jam of joyfulness. (14/15)

7. "Dreamland" (4:37) an extension or variation of the previous song with Joni in the lead vocalist and composer's driver seat despite the employ of the same cast as "Tenth World." Brilliant lyrics though the melody and hooks never quite did it for me. (8.875/10)

Side Two:

8. "Don Juan's Reckless Daughter" (6:40) a song that has become legendary for the bloody hand Jaco Pastorius incurred from his insistence at performing his neck-length whole-hand bass guitar slides live, without a break, over the course of the entire six minutes of the song. (They could have looped it.) Even without Jaco's performance, this is another favorite of mine: electrified guitar with drums, percussion, and occasion, background vocals. (9.25/10)

9. "Off Night Backstreet" (3:22) back to the "big empty hall" sound for Joni's guitar (two channels?) but with John and Paco (in two channels), Michael Gibbs orchestra, and occasional background vocals. Some real high points in this (guitar and fretless bass), yet also some irksome moments (b vox). (9/10)

10. "The Silky Veils of Ardor" (4:02) solo Joni with a fast-pick and gentle strum approach to her guitar playing that harkens back to her more country-folk styles of years before. Nice song but kind of out-of-place on this amazing album--a downer of an ending for this otherwise superlative jazz record. (8.66667/10)

93.97 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; an absolute masterpiece of bare bones vocal jazz and my #6 Favorite Album of All-Time.

3. FREDDIE HUBBARD The Love Connection (1979)

At the time I was so into Chick Corea and had become a very recent fan of Al Jarreau. Plus, beautiful album cover. After buying the record it a was the amazing orchestration of Claus Ogerman that kept drawing me back in--the same man and lush sound that supported Diana Krall's work in the late 1990s and early 2000s. 

1. The Love Connection" (8:17) Freddie Hubbard's trumpet has never ever sounded so good as this song. The amazingly air-tight groove from drummer Chester Thompson and electric bassist Stanley Clarke is amazing but then add Claus Ogerman's production values and the arrangement and recording of those amazing horns and you have a song foundation in which there's no way any performer could not be inspired to play their best! (19.5/20)

2. "Brigitte" (6:57) beautiful strings orchestra arrangement to open this one with double bass, piano, and sensitive jazz drums setting up Freddie for one amazingly beautifully tender performance: great melodies through the first two minutes before the tempo and dynamics jump a couple notches with walking bass line and accented drum and conga play. Nice to hear Chick's Vince Guraldi-like sound and solo in the fifth minute--and the way the horns take it back from him at the end of the sixth minute for a wonderful strings-supported recapitulation of the opening melodies to the end. (13.25/15)

3. "This Dream" (9:00) a Claus Ogerman composition, it opens with the orchestra's low end (horns) revealing the main melody followed by its repetition from the upper end (strings)and then Freddie joins in to give his phrasings. Very interesting interplay on this tense, almost-Wizard of Oz-feeling piece of ambiguity. I'm not sure if Claus and Freddie were able to resolve the tension before the jazz combo join in, but it was interesting to hear them try. Chick on piano, Chuck Damonico on double bass, and Chester Thompson on bare-bones brushed drum kit. Chick plays a nice sensitive solo in the seventh minute over the two rhythm instruments, then the orchestra swells and Chick goes Alice Coltrane glissando mode in order to clear the palette for Freddie and Claus to finish it off the way it started. A pleasant and engaging listen--very cinematic--reminding me of some old movie like Billy Wilder's The Apartment. (18/20)

4. "Little Sunflower" (9:20) strings, Chick, and Al Jareau, all at their absolute peak, One of my favorite jazz vocal songs of all-time. (20/20) 

5. "Lazy Afternoon" (10:02) the title says it all: and that's just the way I felt as this album side would run its course: all hyped up and blissed out by Al Jarreau, Chick and Freddy's "Sunflower," I would just lay back into the lazy-haze of the adrenal fall and fall asleep to the dulcet breathy tones of Freddie's trumpet and Claus's cinematic orchestrations over the song's first four minutes. But then Chick and the jazz-rock combo join in--with Chuck's surprising funk bass and the saxophone's playing off of Freddie's trumpet spits, but, alas! It's short-lived as the music moves back to soft jazz in the eighth minute for an extended close with just Freddy and Claus' orchestra. But, how appropriate. Those final notes alone make it all so worthwhile! (17.75/20)

94.21 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a masterpiece of funked up, mellowed down late 1970s pre-Smooth Jazz jazz-rock fusion. The rawness of the jazz-rock fusion that Tony Lifetime and Miles and Johnny Mac and Herbie the Headhunter and Carlos the Santana started has now been refined into what will soon become and be called "Smooth Jazz."

4. JEAN-LUC PONTY Cosmic Messenger (1979) 

I am fortunate to have seen J-LP a few times in concert in my lifetime--and this tour was the first of them. The concert's opening is forever etched in my mind as one of the most amazing concert memories of my life. Opening with the album's title song, Jean-Luc proceeds to strike such unearthly sounds--more like screams--from his electric violin that people on the floor were literally covering their ears, turning this way and that with panicked expressions on their faces, trying to figure out where this never-before-experienced sound was coming from. It was incredible.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Jean-Luc Ponty / acoustic & electric violins (4- & 5-string), organ, synthesizer, Orchestron, producer
With:
- Joaquin Lievano / electric & acoustic guitars
- Peter Maunu / electric & acoustic guitars, guitar synthesizer
- Allan Zavod / acoustic & electric pianos, organ, synthesizers
- Ralphe Armstrong / fretted & fretless basses

- Casey Scheuerell / drums, percussion

1. "Cosmic Messenger" (4:38) will always be my favorite Jean-Luc song because of the-above-noted amazing concert reproduction. The rhythm section is so tight here--too bad most Americans have never heard of these individual musicians cuz they're great. (10/10)

2. "Art of Happiness" (4:33) great bass and guitar play on this pretty-one dimensional song. (8.75/10)

3. "Don't Let the World Pass You By" (6:23) great synth start with guitars fading into the weave. Drums and bass elbow their way in before lead electric guitar and bass double up to bring in the melody line over a 90-second arc. The band then shifts gears and direction into a very tight hard-drivin' groove within which Alllan Zavod gets the first solo--about a minute's worth of synth magic before he (or Jean-Luc) switches to another synth for yet another minute of great stuff. Then, at 4:10, Jean-Luc is allowed to finally step in with his electric violin. He is so good: taking Zavod's stuff and putting it to shame! An Allan Holdsworth-sounding electric guitar gets a chance at 5:20 with Zavod competing with him just beneath. Great song. Everybody chugging along on full cylinders. (9.5/10)

4. "I Only Feel Good With You" (3:05) a stunningly beautiful song (as Jean-Luc was able to do more than any other J-R Fuse artist), synths and keys over gently-supporting rhythm play from Armstrong and Scheuerell and the rhythm guitarists. (9.75/10)

5. "Puppets' Dance" (3:40) never a favorite as Jean-Luc allows his band to take the Funk Road. Ralphe is good here, but the cowbell is too much. Guitars and violin weave together at first but then back off for Ralphe to show off a bit before returning for a recapitulation of their weave before backing down for Jean-Luc to soar away on his e-violin. (8.66667/10)

6. "Fake Paradise" (5:41) the opening 20-second weave sets up a great foundation for the guitarists and violin to have their time in the sun. Ralphe Armstrong is great. At 1:10 everybody remains steadfast over a suddenly shifting rhythm track. Interesting! Then the band returns to the first weave for a synthesizer  to take the first solo. Same rhythmic shift at 2:37 (must be intended as the "chorus") but this is when one of the electric guitarists is given the nod. At 3:55 everybody goes back to motif #1 for Jean-Luc's turn. (8.875/10)

7. "Ethereal Mood" (4:03) another one of Jean-Luc's hauntingly majestic beauties. Keys, guitar, bass, congas, second acoustic guitar, strumming, and then soaring electric violin à la the title song. At 1:34 Jean-Luc recommences his melodic solo but then, at 1:55, there is a wonderful short-shift of guitar strumming before everybody returns to the normal for some loose atmospheric violin play. The dramatic "short-shift" occurs two more times, at 2:49 to 2:57 and 3:08 to 3:18, to great effect as Jean-Luc continues to let us think he's fading off into the cosmos. Great song. (9.75/10)

8."Egocentric Molecules" (5:44) a high-speed classic--Casey Scheuerell's best--with one of the electric guitarists stepping up to take the first solo. After a reset bridge at the end of the second minute Ralphe Armstrong ably steps up to the fore giving us an electric bass solo for the ages. Wow! 3:10 reset. Now it's Jean-Luc's turn. Can/Will he be able to top Ralphe's amazing solo? I don't think so but he comes close, he just doesn't match Ralphe's two-note-at-a-time play. At the end of the fifth minute Ralphe's given room to go again, but he holds back due to the horn-like synth at play in the lower end. Incredible tune! Makes one realize how we've been holding our breathes for the past six minutes! (9.75/10)

Total Time 37:47

P.S. Has anyone ever considered all of the guys Jean-Luc has stood toe-to-toe with? Stephane Grappelli, Frank Zappa, George Duke, John McLaughlin, Narada Michael Walden, Jan Hammer, Alan Holdsworth, Daryl Stuermer, Peter Maunu, Joaquin Lievano, Al DiMeola, Stanley Clarke, Ralphe Armstrong, Randy Jackson, Rayford Griffin, Monty Alexander, Patrice Rushen and many more. He must be quite respected on his instrument in order to attract this kind of company.

93.18 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a masterpiece of fully-electrified, amazingly engaging, Jazz-Rock Fusion--definitely a Top 5 Album from the "Third Wave" of prog's "Classic Era."

5. GEORGE BENSON Breezin' (1976)

Grammy Award winner and, at that time, the biggest selling Jazz album of all-time, in retrospect the album is definitely representative of a crossing-over from jazz or even any jazz-fusion into pure Smooth Jazz. Young drummer Harvey Mason would become a staple rock as a studio musician for many, many Smooth Jazz albums (as well as disco and pop) as are guitarist Phil Upchurch and keyboard genius Ronnie Foster. For me it is the work of Claus Ogerman that raises eyebrows. This is an album that is often cited and praised by audiophiles for its pristine sound clarity and definition. Breezin' was recorded under Tommy LiPuma's supervision at Capitol Studios in Hollywood, California, on January 5-7 in 1976 and then released on March 19 by Warner Brothers.

Lineup / Musicians:

- George Benson / lead guitar, vocals

- Stanley Banks / bass

- Harvey Mason / drums

- Ralph MacDonals / percussion

- Ronnie Foster / electric piano, Minimoog

- Jorge Dalto / clavinet, piano

- Phil Upchurch / rhythm guitar

- Claus Ogerman / conductor

A1 "Breezin'" (5:40) a. Bobby Womack song, the listener is immediately greeted by the lush and uplifting Nature sounds of Claus Ogerman's orchestra, then Phil Upchurch's bass, Harvey Mason's solid rhythm forging drums, Ralph McDonald's tasteful percussion, and  Geoerge uses only his guitar to speak for him on this one but the whole band (and orchestra) are so tight! (9.5/10)

A2 "This Masquerade" (8:03) the Grammy Award winning cover of a Leon Russell song. Jorge Dalto's piano always surprises me, but then George's vocal mirroring of his guitar note-play did/does as well. Genius and virtuosic but never my favorite song even though I love Stanley Banks' bass play, Jorge's piano, and Claus Ogerman's orchestral contributions. (14/15)

A3 "Six to Four" (5:06) composed by rhythm guitarist Phil Upchurch, this is a song that  I remember as much for being played (and danceable) in the discos and parties at the time as anything else. I always found Ronnie Foster's MiniMoog solo in the second minute rather annoying--but I loved the clavinet! Also, the introduction and use of the orchestra in the second half only is/was pure genius! (9/10) 

B1 "Affirmation" (7:01) a cover of a José Feliciano song, this is my favorite song on the album and one of the reasons Side Two became the only side I would play after a while of owning the record. I guess I was a budding Yacht Rocker as this song has such a Steely Dan Aja feel to it. (14.75/15)

B2 "So This Is Love?" (7:03) a George Benson composition that has a very contemporaneous ISLEY BROTHERS yet also STEVIE WONDER feel to it. Brilliant orchestration and lovely disco dance potential. (14.25/15)

B3 "Lady" (5:49) a Ronnie Foster song that opens with some great orchestral work before nary a rock or jazz instrument even shows up. A top rating for the orchestration and bass-and-keyboard play would seem in order but there are some things in the melody that just don't work for me. It sounds very close to another great early-Smooth Jazz album that I loved from the same time: Earl Klugh's Heartstring. (8.875/10) 

93.166667 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a masterpiece of Jazz-Rock Fusion from the beginning of the Smooth Jazz phenomenon.

6. JEFF BECK Blow by Blow (1975) 

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

Line-up / Musicians:

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

Five star songs: 8. "Freeway Jam" (4:58) (10/10); 6. "Cause We've Ended as Lovers" (5:42) (10/10); 9. "Diamond Dust" (8:26) (20/20); 3. "Constipated Duck" (2:48) (9/10); 4. "Air Blower" (5:18) (9/10), and; 5. "Scatterbrain" (5:40) (9/10).

Four star songs: the James Brown like 1. "You Know What I Mean?" (4:05) (8.75/10); the melodic funked up 2. "She's a Woman" (4:31)with its use of the Heil talk box that Peter Frampton would soon make mega-famous with his extensive use of it in his Frampton Comes Alive! January 1976 release (8.66667/10), and; 7. "Thelonius" (3:16) on which Steve Wonder's clavinet and Jeff's low-end "horn" guitar and Heil talk box take us on a ride that feels like a cross between Edgar Winter's "Frankenstein" and Jimmy Castor Bunch's "Troglodyte" songs. (8.875/10)

Total Time: 44:44

While I have never considered this album a masterpiece (there are too many songs that I routinely skip--as I did even back then), it is a shining testament to an amazing artist--a guitarist with unsurpassed innovative creativity as well as a fearless ability to experiment, try new things, and grow. As I listen to the album in its entirety today--for the first time since the 1970s--I am shocked at how very like the work of the MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA and Eumir DEODATO this sounds. In 1974 this was, I realize, representative of its time, but it also feels quite ahead of its time in terms of the way if successfully fuses so many of the styles and sounds that were popular at the time. I'm also quite astonished at how little credit I've (or anyone has) given to bassist Phil Chen. He's amazing! Especially on Side One (which is the side I usually skipped). 

93.04 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; without question this is a landmark album if only for the fact that it made guitar hero Jeff Beck into a household name. A timeless masterpiece of jazz fusion putting on display many of the styles popular at that time from one of, if not THE, best, most talented and gifted guitarists of all-time. Unfortunately, it is my personal opinion that, though this is technically a "Third Wave" Jazz-Rock Fusion album, that it is also one of the seminal albums for the upcoming "Smooth Jazz" phenomenon in which "jazz" or jazzified pop music became more accessible as a music for a wider audience of perhaps "low brain" public--a public who would not, under normal circumstances, give jazz music of any kind the chance to become part of their world much less the fabric of their beings.

7. JAN AKKERMAN Jan Akkerman (1977)  

Recorded in The Netherlands at Soundpush Studios in Blaricum as well as Morgan Studios in London, England, Jan Akkerman was released by Atlantic Records in October of 1977.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Jan Akkerman / guitar, composer & arranger
With:
- Joachim Kühn / keyboards
- Cees van der Laarse / bass
- Bruno Castellucci / drums
- Pierre van der Linden / drums (6)
- Nippy Noya / percussion
- Michael Gibbs / string & flutes arrangements

- Roger Webb / strings conductor

Let's start with Side 2:
"Streetwalker" (6:59) has got to be one the ten greatest electric guitar songs ever recorded. Subtle accompaniment (though listen to those drums!) allow Jan to display his rhythm virtuosity before, between and while (!) diving into several extraordinarily diverse lead techniques in his solos. The timing and emotion are extraordinary--even/especially that of the orchestra! What a composition! [16/15] 

The rhythm/strumming work in "Skydancer" (5:14) is mesmerizing, though the song lacks a hook to really bring the listener into the song: it really sounds more like a track over which Jan gets to play around, over and over, trying to embellish the infinite variations of the chords and chord progressions he's experimenting with. At least, that's the first two minutes. Then it switches into a funk-fest of rhythm guitar freakishness before settling back into a more-jazzier style. [8.75/10]

"Floatin'" (5:13) notes a reunion with Pierre van der Linden, friend and drummer extraordinaire from Brainbox and Focus days. (Jazz-Fusion drummer Bruno Castelucci performs batterie on all other songs.) The song only makes one one realize A) how much beyond the Focus era Jan already has traveled, B) just how good Bruno Castelucci is, C) just how Rock and Roll-oriented Pierre is, and D) just how much a better fit Bruno Castelucci is for this period of Jan's career. The opening melody lines are interesting for their StanleyClarke/"piccolo bass" sounds. Nice keyboard work from Joachim Kühn. Drums and keys get to shine the most on this one. [8.75/10] 

The album's last song, "Gate to Europe" (3:03) is a minor-keyed work on the acoustic guitar with orchestral accompaniment somewhat prescient of the Claus Ogerman sessions (which are beautiful in their own right, though they display Jan on his electric guitar). The guitar work in the piece has more of a Baroque classical feel to it than jazz or rock (almost Christmas carol-like). [8.75/10]

Now to Side 1:
1. "Crackers" (4:19) is a very catchy disco-sounding song with more subtle, almost background lead guitar work. Good keyboard passages and one feckin' amazing albeit oh-so brief lead guitar solo in the third minute. (A tease of things to come.) [8.875/10]

2. "Angel Watch" (9:51) is a lushly orchestrated ten minute song in which the drums compete with, yet embellish and accent Jan's extraordinary work in first section (about three minutes). (Great bass play from Cees van der Laarse as well.) The second disco-fied section allows the bass some ascendancy while Jan's treated guitar spits and stutters just before a section of muffled Wes-Montgomery-like chord playing. The disco heats up as Joachim Kühn sounds Don Pullen-like on an acoustic-yes, acoustic-piano solo-which only gets Jan riled up as he takes over: flaming the other jazz artists to cinders with a flashy (though strangely soul-less) foray into speed for speed's sake. The final two minutes allows slap-bass and gnetle strings to take the song out with a long fadeout. Wow. What a strange yet extraordinary ensemble piece--one that would fall flat on its face were it not for Michael Gibbs' orchestral bridging. [18.5/20]

Side 1 ends with the gorgeous, etheric (not unlike some of Jean-Luc Ponty's pre-"Smooth Jazz" work around this same time): 
3. "Pavane" (5:32) The swirling keys accompanying Jan's chorus statement are too cool! The treated guitar effects that Jan uses here are not unfamiliar to the later Focus days, strumming not unlike the amazing Eli work, Jan is all over the fretboard and time-space continuum with this one. The drumming, bass, and strings are simply too perfect in support. The song's dénouement is rather protracted--it's only weakness in my opinion. [9.5/10] 

Total time: 40:13

I have recently been getting back into Prog, and this week, relistening to my considerable Jan Akkerman collection. This eponymous LP is simply blowing me away. I remember when I received it as a radio promo copy in 1977 how much I loved it, especially Side 1 with Crackers, Angel Watch, and Pavane. But now, Side 2-the whole thing is just boggling my mind. The musicianship is extraordinary, even the Michael Gibbs orchestrations add such a lush, collegial atmosphere to Jan's unparalleled virtuosity. Since listening to all of my Focus discs, Eli, Tabernakel, and now this, I am prepared to dethrone John McLaughlin and proclaim Jan Akkerman as my favorite/the best guitarist ever! Akkerman can play! He can do it all: acoustic, lute, sitar, rhythm, jazz, New Age, blues, and, of course, Rock and Roll! And this album is so well recorded! Kudos to Richard DeBois and Jan Schuurman. Were it not for the dated disco-ish rhythms and now-outdated keyboards, this would be a classic for the ages! Still, I can think of no other set of recordings that better displays Akkerman's virtuosity as a guitar player. Great emotion, amazing versatility in his stylistic approaches, literally unbelievable ease and fluidity of fingering and timing (stops, pauses and transitions). The variety of ways he can express himself within the framework of one song is astounding, mind boggling. 

93.01 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; hearing this album may be essential for any prog fan due to the guitar skills on display. Also, Jan Akkerman is a testament to the fact that both lush orchestral strings and disco can not only coexist but work well with jazz-rock. It's fusion, after all! My #7 Favorite Album of All-Time.

8. LONNIE LISTON SMITH & The Cosmic Echoes Visions of a New World (1975)

Recorded with Bob Thiele in New York City at Electric Lady Studios, July 18-20, 1975, Visions was then published by Flying Dutchman Records in September.

Line-up / Musicians:

– Lonnie Liston Smith / Keyboards

- Greg Maker / Bass (A1, A2, A4, B1, B3, B4)

- Angel Allende / Bongos, Percussion (A1, A2, A3, A4, B1, B3, B4)

- Lawrence Killian / Congas, Percussion (A1, A2, A3, A4, B1, B3, B4)

- Art Gore / Drums (A1, A2, A4, B1, B3, B4)

- Wilby Fletcher / Drums (A1, A2, A4, B1, B3, B4)

- Reggie Lucas / Guitar (A1, B3)

- Dave Hubbard / Horns (A1, A2, B1, B3, B4), Soprano Sax (A4)

- Michael Carvin / Percussion (A1, A2, A4, B1, B3, B4)

- Ray Armando / Percussion (A1, A2, A4, B1, B3, B4)

- Clifford Adams / Trombone (A1, A3)

- Cecil Bridgewater / Trumpet (A1, B3)-

- Donald Smith / Vocals (A1, A3, B2), Flute (A2, B1, B4)

A1. "A Chance For Peace" (5:18) opens like a heavier, funkier version of Herbie Hancock's "Hidden Shadows" before Donald Smith's Vernon White-like vocal and horn accents join in to present a WAR-like tune. Great groove! It also sounds like it could come from something composed by Barry White for his Love Unlimited Orchestra or War's "Slippin' into Darkness." I love the wah-wah-ed rhythm guitar, the Arp strings, the usual multiple percussionists hard at work, and, of course, Lonnie's pedaled and oscillating Fender Rhodes. Donald's vocal performance is so unusual for him--that natural smooth beauty is ameliorated by trying the direct, hard-punching approach more common to Vernon White and War's Howard Brown. Great song! (9.333/10)

A2. "Love Beams" (4:07) beautiful lazy-day-I'm-in-Heaven float music over which Donald return his beautiful flute playing. A song that could be repeated ad infinitum for the creation of a state permanent bliss. (10/10)

A3. "Colors Of The Rainbow" (5:53) Donald and Lonnie lining up again to worship the Earth Goddess. Beautiful music that succeeds in chasing out any and all demons of stress and anxiety. (9/10)

A4. "Devika (Goddess)" (5:14) beautiful love funk as "told" through Dave Hubbard's sweet saxophone. Greg Maker's laid-back bass play is so uber-cool! (9.25/10)

B1. "Sunset" (4:10) gentle late-night love-lounging music, perfect for sitting with one's cocktail on the tropical vacation home's veranda watching the sunset. Evokes one's natural stress reduction. Could use a little more dynamics, variation, or development. (8.875/10)

B2. "Visions Of A New World (Phase I)" (2:08) roiling ocean piano bottom turns into a rainbow of flitting, flying notes, prompting Donald to join in singing in his usual celestial voice, soaring high above the piano as he goes beyond words. (4.625/5) 

B3. "Visions Of A New World (Phase II)" (3:40) a percussion-fronted weave of gentle funk that suggests dancing--both slow dancing (with a partner) and fast dancing independently. The groove is definitely infectious, ending far sooner than the feet and core want it to. Could be another love theme to a scene in a Black sexploitation film. On a level near to that of Kool & The Gang's "Summer Madness." (9.125/10) 

B4. "Summer Nights" (5:05) Man! can these guys match their music with their titles! Another great late night groove that seems to continue the mood set up by Side Two's opening song "Sunset." My guess is that the two were intended to kind of bookend the side as they do. Great work from Lonnie on both his Fender and his Arp strings play in support. I love the effects he's using on the Fender Rhodes on both his richly-textured left hand as well as the Vangelis Blade Runner-like lead up top. The use of Donald's very understated voice as a support instrument for the main melody as well as his almost-whispered slow repetition of the song title is so perfect! (9.25/10)

Total Time 34:55

Some of the greatest smooth mood music you'll ever hear. There is not a lot of dynamic jazz here but there are very few albums or artists that you will ever hear who so master the gentle moods as Lonnie and the Echoes do here. There is such little need for flash here: as a matter of fact it would be a detriment to the perfection of this music if anyone involved was seeking ego stroking. There really are no egos here! Just a collective trying to administer peace and bliss to the world.  

92.61 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a perfect album of Smooth Jazz: so smooth and yet somehow still maintaining the integrity of jazz through a gentle kind of funk. As a contingent of Jazz-Rock Fusion artists moves closer to the Smooth, Easy Listening, Adult Contemporary Jazz we find a few leaders in the group. Lonnie and his loyal band of Cosmic Echoes are in that leadership role and this album is one of the earliest and finest masterpieces of the movement.  

9. EARL KLUGH Heartstring (1979)

An album that I always pair with George Benson's Breezin' for their roles in sucking me into the Smooth Jazz fold. With musicians Ralph MacDonald, Phil Upchurch and a very familiar orchestrated sound from Dave Matthews as well as a rhythm section that seems interchangeable with that of George's masterpiece, it is no wonder. Heart String was recorded in New York City at Electric Lady Studios in October and November of 1978 and then published in 1979 by United Artists Records.

Lineup / Musicians:

- Earl Klugh / nylon string acoustic guitar

With:

- Greg Phillanganes / keyboards (A1, A2, B1, B4)

- Phil Upchurch / rhythm electric guitar (A1, A2, A3)

- Ralph MacDonald / percussion (A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, B4)

- Hubie Crawford / bass (A3, B2)

- Charles Meeks / bass (A1, A2, B1, B4)

- Victor Lewis / drums (A1, A2, B1, B4)

- Gene Dunlap / drums (A3, B2)

- Mickey Roquemore / piano, clavinet, and arranger on (A3)

- Darryl Dybka / electric piano (A3, B2)

- Roland Wilson / bass (B2)

A1 "Heart String" (6:19) an earworm of a song with great support from Greg Phillanganes' electric piano. (9.25/10)

A2 "I'll See You Again" (5:48) the disco honorarium breaks down into two parts. Heavy use of the clavinet and many "classic" jazz/R&B/funk rhythm guitar inputs. (9.5/10)

A3 "Acoustic Lady Part I & II" (7:40) my absolute favorite song on the album and one of my favorite Smooth Jazz masterpieces of all-time. (14.75/15)

B1 "Spanish Night" (3:15) (3:15) cogitating piano dominates this one's opening before Earl and the rest take over with an obviously Spanish theme. Almost an étude or interlude. Love the tremolo strums of the steel string guitar in the final minute. (8.875/10)

B2 "Pretty World" (4:51) nice melody as if from a vocal with nice full band and orchestral support. (8.875/10)

B3 "Waiting for Cathy" (2:47) solo acoustic guitar, mutliple guitars on multiple tracks, together sounding like a Paul Simon song. Very nice and rich. (8.875/10)  

B4 "Rayna" (5:11) another absolutely gorgeous melody and overall guitar play surrounded by lush support from Dave Matthews orchestra and the electric piano, clavinet, percussion, bass and drums. In the fourth minute it tries to go into a more upbeat, dynamic "Acoustic Lady" direction but ultimately stops shortt. (9/10)

B5 "Heart String (reprise)" (4:01) cinematic strings open this like a late night Frank Sinatra/Nelson Riddle love song before Earl joins in to rehash his opening song's main melody in a much more slowed down, heavy manner. The flamenco-like flourishes after 2:15 (and again at 2:57) are so heart-wrenching! But, then, so is the orchestration. (9.5/10)

92.50 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a minor masterpiece of early Smooth Jazz.

10. NOVA Vimana (1976)

Gone is the domineering blues-rock effect of Corrado Rustici's older brother, guitarist Daniele Rustici (Osanna), Corrado, Renato, and Elio are now partnering with seasoned British prog-rockers Phil Collins, Percy Jones, and the spiritually-illuminated Mahavshnu Orchestra alum, Narada Michael Walden (the album's producer) and the band is able to soar into unprecedented territory! Recorded in July and August of 1976 at Trident Studios, London, Arista Records released Vimana on September 7, 1976.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Corrado Rustici / lead vocals, lead guitar, 6- & 12-string acoustic guitars, marimba
- Renato Rosset / Fender Rhodes, piano, Minimoog, String Ensemble, clavinet
- Elio D'Anna / soprano & tenor saxophones, flute, synthesized flute (6)
With:
- Percy Jones / bass
- Narada Michael Walden / drums, Fender Rhodes (6)
- Phil Collins / percussion
- Zakir Hussain / congas (6)

1. "Vimana" (7:18) the great 12-string guitar opening of this song and album I remember so well from 1977 for the way in which it fed my soul. Then add the soaring flute, Phil Collins-like drums, RTF second motif and out-of-this world bubbling Percy Jones bass lines and I was in heaven. Renato Rosset's keyboard work is so crucial to the whole sound that it sometimes gets overlooked but don't It's amazing! And Phil's percussion work is also not to be ignored. But the real star, for me, was the incendiary guitar play and runs of guitar phenom Corrado Rustici (who was now a whole 20-years old!) The song as a complete "finished" composition doesn't always flow or make sense but the instrumental prowess and sound palette on display are superlative. (14/15)

2. "Night Games" (9:37) acoustic guitar opening that sounds like it could come from Al DiMeola or John McLaughlin, floating Fender Rhodes chords and arpeggi and more bubbling bass popping in and out of the void fill the first 90-seconds of this as subtle cymbal and percussion play also sneak in here and there, but then Elio D'Anna's insistent soprano sax enters and announces its leadership in establishing a melody--one that is matched note for note by Corrado's dextrous electric guitar. The music stays surprisingly spacious even up to the point at the end of the fourth minute when Corrado's treated-voice breaks through in song. Renato's four/five chord keyboard progression paces the song slowly forward until something seems to break loose at 5:18. Thereafter we return to a spacious void in which Narada Michael Walden's intermittent staccato drum flourishes and Renato's clavinet chord play provide the only solid steady backdrop over which Elio, Percy, and Phil add their occasional inputs. Corrado returns to front and center around the seven-minute mark with another foray into singing just before unleashing an ungodly barrage of machine gun guitar runs--some of my favorite obtuse lines ever. It's over before the start of the ninth minute, the band returning to the spacious main theme for more lyrics and more sax, drum, and bass displays before Corrado and Percy take us out with their rapid fire artifice. Very interesting song--again expressing a very unusual compositional style. (18/20)

3. "Poesia (To a Brother Gone)" (5:11) all acoustic fare like the opening of RETURN TO FOREVER's "Romantic Warrior." Steel-string acoustic guitar, flute, and piano--the band's core--all displaying their lightning speed skills. Impressive (especially Renato Rosset!) but, once again, failing to feel like something concrete and "finished" has been displayed. (8.875/10)

4. "Thru the Silence" (5:43) the drummer gets to open this one. Funky bass, clavinet, and fast-picked guitar chords with Narada Michael Walden's driving drumming provide the base for Corrado's singing. At 1:45 the band switches into. a more Latinized motif with all kinds of percussion work, wild screaming saxophone and bouncing clavinet Probably my least favorite song on the album, there's nothing really wrong with it--and it's one of the few songs that actually feels "finished"--but it lacks the melodic or astonishing hooks. Plus Narada's able drum play is close to being on the disco spectrum. The instrumental fifth minute (to close) is the best part with Percy's bass play, Narada's drum play feeling more Lenny White-straight ahead, Renato's clavinet and Minimoog and Corrado and Elio spitting out the same machine gun lines. (8.75/10)

5. "Driftwood" (10:03) my favorite song on the album--one that haunts me in the best way--opens with some very atmospheric slow-played, volume-pedaled, "distant" guitar play while cymbals, synths, and tenor sax flit in and out of the spacious mix for the first two minutes. In the third minute, things setttle into another spacious, atmospheric pattern over/within which Corrado's odd voice gives his best, most impassioned performance backed by some extraordinary flanged strummed acoustic guitar. As he concludes that "I must destroy you" his love all hell breaks loose at 5:40 with sax and guitar absolutely shredding the skies with the army of band mates following the charge. But then calm is restored around the seven-minute mark despite the fact that Corrado's surprisingly Zen Buddhist lyrics assurance that the destruction is inevitable. A small squall of whole-band cacophonoy precedes a rather beautiful and wholly-ambiguous exit. Such a fsacinating song! The detachment toward such underlying existential violence and is extraordinary!  (19.25/20)

6. "Princess and the Frog" (7:44) a rather simply-structured ABACAB song with straight time and straightfoarward piano chord construction turns out to be a convenient vehicle for some more fiery displays of guitar and drums as well as some silly Minimoog play rather disappointingly dull percussion play (from Phil and Zakir Hussen, no less!) The two-part song is halved at the five-minute mark by a bleed over into riverside birdsong and gentle Fender Rhodes arpeggi over which some guitar, synth strings, and light-hearted male laughing occur. The motif feels lifted from Minnie Ripperton's "Lovin' You" and seems to be just waiting for her bird-like vocals to step in. I also think that Andreas Wollenweider must have heard this song (and album) before he set forth the composing and recording of his 1981 classic, Behind the Gardens - Behind the Wall - Under the Tree . . . . (14/15)

Total Time 45:36

I have to admit that Vimana is one of my secret favorites from back in the day. There was a time when I was trying to collect anything and everything that fretless bass virtuoso Percy Jones touched. Thus, I stumbled upon this one. Boy! was I sucked in by the entirety of this excellent album. Corrado Rustici's guitar work astounds me to this day (and to think that he would go on to production Hall of Fame with his work with Whitney Houston and others!) Narada Michael Walden is awesome and I, for one, love the "cheesy" Sri Chimnoy-inspired music, titles, and lyrics of he, (Devadip) Carlos Santana, and (Mahavishnu) John McLaughlin. Each song presents atmospheric sections of heavily treated guitars and keyboards which then invariably build into fiery soli from either sax man Elio d'Anna or axe man Rustici. The only straightforward song is the finale, "Princess and the Frog," which is quite catchy. "Driftwood" and "Vimana" are among my all-time favorite songs from the 70s. Not a masterpiece but definitely one that I'd recommend to any prog lover!

92.08 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a minor masterpiece of proggy jazz-rock fusion. One of my 20 Favorite Jazz-Rock Fusion albums from the "Third Wave" of prog's "Classic Era."

11. RICKIE LEE JONES Rickie Lee Jones (1979)

Another, I'm sure, surprise to all of my readers; from the very start I have considered Rickie Lee Jones as  a jazz artist with her sophomore album, 1981's Pirates one of my Top 20 Favorite Albums of all-time and one of the 1980s great Jazz-Rock Fusion albums.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Rickie Lee Jones / vocals, guitar, piano, percussion, background vocals, composer
with:
Guitars: Buzzy Feiten, Fred Tackett
Bass: Red Callender, Willie Weeks
Drums: Andy Newmark, Jeff Porcaro, Mark Stevens, Steve Gadd, Victor Feldman
Keyboards: Mac Rebennack, Neil Larsen, Ralph Grierson, Randy Kerber, Victor Feldman
Synthesizer: Michael "Bobby" Boddicker, Randy Newman
Horns: Chuck Findley, Ernie Watts, Tom Scott
Percussion: Mark Stevens, Victor Feldman
Mandolin: Fred Tackett
Accordion: Nick DeCaro
Background Vocals: Arno Lucas, Joe Turano, Leslie Smith, Matthew Wiener, Michael McDonald

Co-composer for "Weasel and the White Boy's Cool" and "Company": Alfred Johnson

Orchestra Arrangements on "Coolsville" and "Company": Johnny Mandel

 

Side One: 

1. "Chuck E.'s in Love" (3:29) a quite-unique song that never really drew me in while it was pummeling we radio listeners but impresses with those unique, nuanced vocal abilities and confidently original songwriting and delivery style. (8.875/10)

2. "On Saturday Afternoons in 1963" (2:32) an intimate, emotional performance by Rickie with only simple piano and Nick DeCaro's beautiful orchestral support. Rickie sounds so young and vulnerable. An amazing performance (amazing that it was captured on tape). (11/10)

3. "Night Train" (3:15) opens like a Willie Nelson song before Rickie's incredibly soulful voice scats around while using slurred/barely enunciated words. Like so many folk-, country-, acoustic-, and gentle "Yacht rock" songs of that era (Stephen Bishop, The Eagles, Bonnie Raitt, and Jackson Brown are the first examples that come to mind.) (8.75/10)

4. "Young Blood" (4:04) STEELY DAN-like music highlighted a great multi-voice (Michael McDonald-dominated) chorus. (8.75/10)

5. "Easy Money" (3:24) blues jazz seemingly from a long lost era of Billie Holiday types. (8.75/10)

6. "The Last Chance Texaco" (4:08) one of my all-time favorite songs from the 1970s--incredible poetic metaphoric lyrics delivered with amazingly-sincere-sounding emotion. (10/10)

Side Two:

7. "Danny's All Star Joint" (4:00) funky Americana jazz with some incredible singing of hilarious lyrics. (8.75/10)

8. "Coolsville" (3:49) another emotionally-rendered and delivered song on a par with "Last Chance Texaco." How in the world can this young lady (25-years old) sing with this kind of genuine-sounding torch singing? (9/10)

9. "Weasel and the White Boy's Cool" (6:03) more jazzed-up Americana (Steely Dan style). Another wonderfully unique vocal delivery by one of the master's of distinctive vocal singing. (9/10)

10. "Company" (4:49) another song from the album that is pillared by a twin--this time in the form of "On Saturday Afternoons in 1963"--such a vulnerable, nuanced, ingenue-like performance. How is this possible from a 25-year old? Can she already have experienced the degree of pain and heartbreak that one would need to draw from in order to perform these songs with such persuasive honesty? (9.75/10)

11. "After Hours (Twelve Bars Past Goodnight)" (2:38) piano and a very-tired-sounding little girl saying good night. It almost sounds as if she's saying goodbye to life--like a suicide note. (9.5/10)

91.93 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of pop/Americana-infused blues-jazz-rock. What a debut! But listeners couldn't possibly be prepared for the stunning masterpiece that was next: 1981's Pirates. 

12. DAVID AXELROD Strange Ladies (1977)

This is an album that shows David's growth and maturation as a songwriter and band leader: the music here is much more full and sophisticated than the work he did in the 1960s that led to his fame. He has figured out how to blend his orchestral with the laid back, jazz-rock funk that he burst onto the scene with on his famous tribute to works of William Blake in Song of Innocence. The bass, guitar, keys, and horns are definitely offered much more freedom to be creative, to be flashy, and to show off their own skills and ideas here than they were the albums from a decade before. While I miss Carol Kaye (who wouldn't?), the bass playing by JIm Hughart is quite exceptional. As with Song of Innocence, David's genius for spreading the melodies of his music across the entire band is displayed here--maybe at times even more successfully (like on the amazing "Terri's Tune"). At times the orchestrated approach makes one feel as if you're listening to a film or television soundtrack, but that doesn't matter because it's just great, eminently enjoyable music! Period! Definitely my second favorite of David's discography (which includes the two Electric Prunes liturgical renderings in 67 & 68).

Line-up / Musicians:
Bass - Jim Hughart
Cello - Anne Goodman, Nat Gershman
Concertmaster - Bobby Bruce
Conductor - Earl Palmer (tracks: A1, A2, B3)
Conductor, Written-By - David Axelrod (tracks: A3 to B2)
Drums - Earl Palmer
Guitar - Billy Fender, Jay Gradon
Horns [Reeds], Woodwind - Buddy Collette, Ernie Watts, Jackie Kelso (tracks: B1, B3), William Green
Keyboards - Don Randi
Percussion - Mayuto Correa
Trombone - Benny Powell , Jimmy Cleveland
Trumpet - All Aarons , Bobby Bryant
Vibraphone - Gene Estes
Viola - Alex Nieman , Gary Nuttycomb , Rollice Dale
Violin - Arthur Brown, Bobby Bruce, George Poole, Janice Gower, John Santulis, Marilyn Baker

A1. "Aunt Charlotte" (4:46) a long strings intro is slowly joined by bass, funky clavinet, and trumpet with horn section support and a near-disco Rocky-like palette (and feel). It's peppy with that clavinet and Rocky-like trumpet, but perhaps a little too cheesy. (8.875/10)

A2. "Mujer Extrana (Strange Lady)" (9:18) a gentle, slow and steady melodic build (coming from the militaristic drum-paced rock combo) that feels a lot like a kind of bluesy R&B "Thrill Is Gone" like song. It then shifts at the 90-second mark with the addition of some new, discordant/counterpoint chords from the orchestra that bring in a little tension build up. The bluesy-rock Latin funk music continues with Don Randi's keys providing the most dominant forward momentum despite feeling a part of a whole-band weave throughout. A bass solo ensues for about 45 seconds before guitar, Rhodes seem to vie for the next solo but are then overthrown by loud orchestra swells and a rather insistent flute. At 7:20 a little reset lull allows everyone to kind of congeal into a whole-band march toward the finish line where it seems that only the snare and bass are strong enough to cross the finish line. Cool song! (18/20)

A3. "Tony Poem" (4:50) Jim Hughart's funky Anthony Jackson-like bass along with Earl Palmer's expert drums and Don Randi's clavinet and electric piano along to reinforce it make for quite an introduction to this wonderful album's great sound and comforting groove-cruisin'. In the end, though, it just might be a little too cheesy in the way it pulls at the listener's "white man's overbite" dance strings. (8.875/10)

B1. "Mrs. O.J.A." (5:38) more of the gentle funk from the studio band is led this time around by the chord play of Don Randi on the Fender Rhodes, then a great little bass solo from Jim Hughart before the horn accents enter in the second minute. This is great use of the horns to amplify and contrast with the song's awesome funk chord progression, followed up by a great Jay Graydon's guitar solo as the spacious play of Don Randi's Fender Rhodes continues to steer the song down the river. The trumpet solo in the fourth and fifth minutes is a little over the top, but the entry and weightiness of the string and horn sections' chords help to offset it. (9.125/10)

B2. "Terri's Tune" (6:44) an absolutely perfect piece of music: I am amazed how smoothly David spreads his melody-carrying work among the entire ensemble. Then in the middle of the fourth minute there is a curious pause--which lasts a little longer than is normally comfortable--but then sees the best of the song rising out of its reset--with some great clarinet soloing from Jackie Kelso in the sixth minute. The final two minutes of the song offer what feels like the album's very best music and motif. Heart-wrenchingly beautiful. (10/10)

B3. "Sandy" (5:44) long solo bass intro is eventually joined by finger piano-like acoustic guitar, doubling up the bass's near-classical melody line. Second time through the guitar breaks off to make its own harmonizing melody line before the orchestra's flutes and winds take over to claim their own melody. Strings-backed rock combo then pick up a a gentle, slow and steady melodic build that feels a lot like a kind of Jimmy Webb song. Beautiful! Acoustic guitars remain the lead instruments--working in tandem--until the four-minute mark when Don Randi's Fender Rhodes takes a turn. Here the rhythm section does an excellent job of support as the guitars turn into the accent-providers while the soothing strings float around in the heavens above. Nice! (9.125/10)

Total time: 37:00

91.43 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of masterful blending of jazz-pop combo and full orchestra. Awesome and highly recommended.

13. BARCELONA TRACTION Barcelona Traction (1975)

Smooth Catalan J-R Fusion of high calibur compositionally and seeming great ease from the musicianship. Recorded in Barcelona at EMI-ODEON studios during May 1975 for EDIGSA subsidiary Òliba Records, the album found public light later in the year. Apparently, the name of the band (and, therefore, album) is a political statement in and of itself as it references a famous landmark Spanish court decision from 1970 that ruled against a multi-national electricity company that was acting in Barcelona, and yet, unlike so many Catalan bands that popped up after the death of dictator Francisco Franco, this band was acting out before the Spanish ruler's December death. 

  Line-up / Musicians:
- Lucky Guri / piano, electric piano, synthezisers
- Jordi Clua / bass
- Francis Rabassa / drums
with:
- Pedrito Diaz / percussions
- Manel Joseph / percussions

1. "Has Vist Passar Els Ocells" (5:00) very solid and enjoyable melodic and smooth j-r Fusion. Great bass and percussion work beneath the melody-generating Fender Rhodes. (9/10)

2. "Modulacions" (6:03) 90 seconds of okay blues-jazz piano before anyone else joins in. okay. (8.5/10)

3. Estudi En Afro (7:15) Lucky Guri solos on his piano for the opening minute in a very Vince Guaraldi-like style. Then he takes a break while Jordi Clua establishes a bass line that Francis Rabassa plays off of until Lucky's synthesizer, organ, and electric piano can join in. Jordi's wah-wah-pedaled bass is very interesting (and slightly distracting). Two different yet smoothly-connected motifs alternate over the course of the next minutes with Lucky's soloing moving from instrument to instrument above the solid, creative, and interesting work of the rhythm section--until 4:25, that is, when everybody takes a sudden right turn down a steep hill so that Lucky can Bob James solo on his Fender Rhodes. I must say, I am increasingly happy with the way the band/producer/engineer have mixed the instrumental palette with the percussion, bass, and drums as distinctively clear and forward as the lead instruments. More synth and Fender Rhodes soloing before a dynamic piano finish. Nice! (13.5/15)

4. Sudamerica (7:25) Another pristine and (to my ears) perfect mix of the full band over a definite Latin (even, perhaps, South American) sound during which Lucky Guri gets the first extended lead and solo with his Fender Rhodes. This is followed by a couple brief stints given to Jordi Clua to shine on both his electric bass as well as his stand-up double bass. Francis Rabassa's drums and Padrito Diaz and Manel Joseph's percussion play, as usual, add so much to this--almost, at times, to the distraction of the "lead" keyboard instruments. The second, quick-paced motif that the band alternates between is so awesome--like the frenzied outro of some Latin jam--with Lucky hammering his piano with full chords in an awesome! (It reminds me of one of my favorite Jane Siberry songs, "Are We Dancing Now? (Map III)" from her 1989 album release, Bound by the Beauty.) This is definitely my favorite song on the album. (14.5/15)

5. "Foc I Pluja" (8:50) wind chimes and other percussion sounds with Fender Rhodes open this one. Drummer Francis Rabassa only enters with some delicate cymbal play in the second minute. At 1:38 Lucky Guri begins establishing a lullaby-like melody on his electric piano before he and the percussionist swell to serve notice to bassist Jordi Clua to enter. Drums follow and a nice Latin groove is established while Lucky moves into a chord play reproduction of some familiar pop melody. In the second half of the fourth minute the band subtly moves into a smoother, more sophisticated and jazz-like motif. Very cool how smoothly they made that transition! Now Lucky and Francis are both playing full-on jazz but then at 5:15 they kind of come back to a Bob James-like smooth jazz bridge before returning to the sophisticated motif for some wah-wah-effected bass soloing from Jordi. It's okay: melodic and quirky, but fails as a funk solo. Percussion and Fender take the next brief solos before Lucky returns to that familiar pop melody line while the rhythm section remains in fourth gear. But then at 7:40 a cymbal crash signifies the end of all instrumentalist's contributions save for Lucky's pensive chord play on the Fender Rhodes. Odd song! But interesting! Nice drum and percussion work, boys! (17.75/20)     

Total Time 34:33

It is rare that one encounters an album in which the drums, bass, and percussion are mixed so evenly forward with the other instruments in the sound palette. This really gives the percussionists a chance to not only be noticed but to shine! The steady, defined tracks with the smooth keyboard sounds and play of band leader Lucky Guri definitely render this album into the fray of the new "Smooth Jazz" domain--one of my new favorites from that category. And did I mention the great drumming of Francis Rabassa? 

90.36 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of very well composed, admirably performed, and excellently engineered Smooth Jazz that I think all prog lovers should give a listen to.

14. PAT METHENY Bright Size Life (1976)

22-year old Pat Metheny's first album as a band leader. Recorded in December of 1975, Pat had been working for a couple years with Jaco Pastorius (most recently/concurrently with Joni Mitchell) whom he had met while in college in Miami. At 28, drummer Bob Moses was the "elder" in the crew, having spent many years on the front lines of the birth and toddling of Jazz-Rock Fusion (including having been the drummer in New York's Free Spirits--the band that is often considered the first to fuse dynamic, loud rock-heavy music into jazz forms as they did it in 1966).

Line-up / Musicians:
- Pat Metheny / 6- & 12-string electric guitars
With:
- Jaco Pastorius / fretless bass
- Bob Moses (The Free Spirits, Gary Burton, Carla Bley) / drums

1. "Bright Size Life" (4:45) melodic and incredibly-nuanced virtuosic performances from all three musicians treated with the pristine production of Manfred Eicher's ECM crew. One of my top three songs for the album: It's just so pretty! (9.125/10)

2. "Sirabhorn" (5:29) this one feels like a Pat Metheny song, completely, despite warm support from both Jaco and Bob; for the first three minutes it's all Pat. Then Jaco is given the green light to step into the spotlight--which turns out to be something quite tame and melodic while Bob continues to support with his quiet brushwork underneath. The tandem chord work in the sixth minute is my personal favorite part. (8.875/10)

 
3. "Unity Village" (3:40) two solo electric guitars: gentle picking chords from the left channel and gentle lead guitar from the right. Previews Pat's 1979 solo masterpiece, New Chautauqua (though not nearly as dynamic and layered). (8.75/10)

4. "Missouri Uncompromised" (4:21) effected jazz guitar with more traditional jazz drumming and jazz bass supporting. Bob's cymbal play becomes more animated in the second minute, reminding me a little of both Tony Williams and Keith Moon while staying as controlled as Jack DeJohnette. Pat's style and melody choices are built over a several riffs that could very well have been extracted from folk music of his native Missouri. (8.875/10)

5. "Midwestern Nights Dream" (6:00) one of Pat's special spacious solo pieces, here using some strong effects on his guitar(s) to amplify the echoing effect of his gentle notes and chords. Jaco and Bob's cymbals join in at the one-minute mark as Pat switches to playing sequences of pure chords. Jaco's counterpoint is spot on center for the first couple minutes but then he starts exploring the off-center harmonic possibilities as he so beautifully can. Bob's heartbeat-like muted bass drum is an interesting choice. In the fifth minute Jaco steps to the front while his electric fretless bass is fed through some kind of multi-tracking chorus-delay effect making it sound as if he's playing either chords or two notes at a time. (Perhaps he is!) These sound choices feel totally fresh and innovative--at least I can say that I have not encountered them in any pre-1976 music that I've heard. Probably my favorite song on the album.(9.3333/10) 

6. "Unquity Road" (3:35) a cool jazz tune based on complex and unexpected chord progressions that often sound like a teaching étude. But the sound palette and melodic expressions in between the on-going chord play is as if a bird has flown higher than the flock. And I can never quite tell whether Bob is playing off of the chord progressions or Pat's melodic lead guitar work up top. Truly unusual and unique in its disparate parts but it works. Another top three song. (9.25/10)

7. "Omaha Celebration" (4:18) more interesting fast and continuous chord shifting with the melody now worked into the progressions and Jaco set free fairly early to explore his own counterpoint melodies and while Bob keeps the music anchored in a steady rhythm from beneath and above (the cymbal play). A little more bluesy than anything else on the album (so far) while also feeling the closest to anything being produced in the world of pop music at the time. (8.75/10)

8. "Round Trip/Broadway Blues" (4:58) the "blues" in the Ornette Coleman's title must refer to the old-feeling structure and chords used in this wild West Montgomery-like jazz rompus. Standard space given to each of the musicians for solo shine. I'm sure the guys had fun creating this one--though it probably took some practice to get it so loose and joyfully inspirited. (9.125/10)

Total Time 37:06

This is one of those albums that was key not only to the survival of the Jazz-Rock Fusion movement but also to defining new directions and new possibilities within that movement. 

90.10 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; considering the point in the two strings players' careers this album represents, one cannot help but be awed and appreciative of this high-quality, pristinely rendered collection of virtuosic and innovative songs. Even from a prog or Jazz-Rock Fusion perspective one cannot discount the freshness of some of the structures and sound choices here: the envelope of all those combinations and permutations the world of Boss effects pedals is really being pushed here!  

15. DONALD BYRD Places and Spaces (1975)

Recorded at The Sound Factory in August and September of 1975 and then released by Blue Note in November.

Line-up/Musicians:

- Donald Byrd / Flugelhorn, Trumpet, Vocals
- Ray Brown / Trumpet
- George Bohannon / Trombone
- Tyree Glenn / Saxophone
- Chuck Rainey / Bass
- John Rowin / Guitar
- Harvey Mason / Drums
- Craig McMullen / Guitar
- King Errisson / Conga
- James Carter / Whistle
- Kay Haith / Vocals
- Mayuto Correa - Conga, Percussion
- Skip Scarborough / Electric Piano
- Larry Mizell ' Piano, Vocals

- Fonce Mizell / Clavichord, Clavinet, Trumpet, Vocals

- Wade Marcus / Strings arranger, conductor

A1. "Change (Makes You Want To Hustle)" (5:07) a not-unusual for the times party opener turns BOB JAMES-like driving pre-disco funk-lite. Think "Fly Robin Fly" or Burt Bacharach's funky music from the film soundtrack for Arthur. (8.875/10)

A2. "Wind Parade" (4:32) earworm music with a pretty lame lyric. But damn! It just won't leave the brain! I hate that this is the most memorable and my favorite song from this album! (9.25/10)

A3. "Dominoes" (4:32) bass chords and more J-R Fusion than smooth jazz or funk. Interesting! A top three song for me. (9/10)

B1. "Places And Spaces" (6:16) a little too repetitive but some awesome creative nuance-creation from several of the instrumentalists (percussion, Chuck Rainey's bass, Donald's flugelhorn, Skip Scarborough's electric piano) (9/10)

B2. "You And Music" (5:18) Smooth Jazz melody making, groovin' bass 'n' drum, over-the-top strings (that are actually pretty cool) thanks to arranger/conductor Wade Marcus, and a nice secondary motif of male-female joint and back-and-forth vocals. (9/10)

B3. "Night Whistler" (3:40) slay me with that rhythm guitar work! Some of those whistles sound like a distant woman screaming in distress! Otherwise, a pretty cool, chill song, with lots of layers of active musicians despite such a chill base. Hard to believe that all those "whistle" sounds are coming from one person (James Carter). (8.875/10)

B4. "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)" (4:36) a cover of the famous Temptations song of a decade earlier using choir vocals, the same weird whistles, piano, and Donald's flugelhorn over the classic Motown rhythm section. Even a little Disco drumming and "Shaft"/"Love Theme" rhythm guitar injected into the third minute. Nicely done! Interesting enough to qualify as one of my top three. (9/10)

Total Time: 35:51

90.0 on the Fishscales = B+/A-/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of Jazz-Rock Fusion that should probably be counted as a minor masterpiece of the burgeoning Smooth Jazz domain.  

  

Other Great Smooth Jazz Albums:

LEB I SOL Rucni Rad  (1979)

The Serbian band's third album released in the space of 18 months shows even more growth.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Vlatko Stefanovski / electric & acoustic guitars, vocals
- Nikola Dimusevski / piano, Fender Rhodes, Mellotron, Polymoog, Minimoog
- Bodan Arsovski / bass, double bass
- Garabet Tavitijan / drums
With:
- Milivoje Marković / tenor & alto saxes

1. "Lenja pesma" (4:32) more sophisticated than their previous efforts (especially from bass player, Bodan Arsovski, drummer Garabet Tavitijan, and in the composition department). There's so much more to this song construct than anything on the band's previous albums--even the sound quality (which is more like JEAN-LUC PONTY or UK despite the CAMEL/John Wetton-esque vocals). (9.125/10)

2. "Rebus" (5:12) the staccato instrument sounds weaving together on this one are very much like something coming from the contemporary (late) Canterbury scene and bands like BRUFORD and UK. The second piano-dominated motif is full jazz (though perhaps a bit of a parody of such--in a BUGGLES kind of way) but Nikola Dimusevski sure gets to shine (as do Bodan and Garabet). The key changes and motif switches are awesome! Now this is true Jazz-Rock Fusion! (9.3333/10)  

3. "Hogar" (4:21) a nice little pre-song space intro gives this a little UTOPIA/MISTER MISTER "Kyrie Eleison"/JEAN-LUC PONTY "Don't Let the World Pass You by" feel. The band continues the "Don't Let the World Pass You by" emulation when it ramps up the whole band into a fast-paced two-step cruising speed over which Vlatcko and Nikola (and maybe Milivoje) add their brief solos. A return to the intro motif at the halfway mark allows for a reset and then everybody's back to the races again. I love how fat the band has come: it's no longer music set up to display individual skills (especially Vlatko's); now it's fully-formed, sophisticated Jazz-Rock Fusion within which the individual musicians can make their mark. (9.5/10)

4. "Rucni rad" (5:07) the slow, melodic start had me a bit worried, but this song's development follows very well that of any mature, high-level Third or Fourth Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion song (though two of the motifs used definitely step into the realm of "Yacht Rock"/Smooth Jazz--if only exploratory "dipping their toes"). It's really remarkable how far Bodan and Nikola have come! (8.875/10)

5. "Kumova slama" (5:20) A semi-Disco tune--with Bodan setting the main melody with his fretless bass?!! And then Vlatko coming in with his Smooth Jazz CHRIS REA/LEE RITENOUR-like lead guitar melody-making! Unfortunately, it makes the song sound like a Easy Listening cover of an EAGLES song. Well performed (and, I guess, conceived--I've got to give kudos where they are deserved) but I have to admit to feeling a little disappointed and let down--especially after the rousing full-on Jazz-Rock Fusion start! (8.875/10)

6. "Put u vedro" (5:20) another softer and smoother musical construct that mellows one out as if you're sitting in the sun on your yacht or Florida club's poolside--even sporting a seductive, sex-suggestive saxophone as its one and only lead instrument. At the end of the fourth minute, however, things get a little crazy as the musicians go into a bit of a frenzy of chaotic noise-making, but they all come back to the soporific theme that started it all for the final 20 seconds (and fadeout). Nice but not enough to salvage it from the miasma of the kind of music that makes one have to drink. (8.75/10)

7. "Verni pas" (6:09) sounds exactly like something from Burt Bacharach's soundtrack to the film, Arthur. It's pretty, atmospheric, and mood-affecting, just not the Jazz-Rock Fusion I was hoping for (that the album's first three songs teased me with). (8.75/10)

Total Time: 36:01

An album whose first three songs signaled the start of a high-quality Jazz-Rock Fusion masterpiece took a sudden (and sadly unexpected) turn into the Easy Listening/Adult Contemporary Fourth Wave avenue of what I call Smooth Jazz. It's mature, high-quality sound and song construction throughout--even the traitorous smooth stuff

90.30  on the Fishscales = A-/4.5 stars; an album that would definitely qualify for full masterpiece status were we only judging the first three songs. As it plays out, as an album, this is high-quality music (and sound); it's just not the high-quality peak-era Jazz-Rock Fusion music that they seemed to be promising at the beginning. As it is, in its aggregate sum form, I can only refer to this as an inconsistent near-miss "near-masterpiece." 

JOE SAMPLE Carmel (1979)

The (Jazz) Crusaders founding member tries his hand(s) at a solo album--his second attempt.

Lineup / Musicians:

Joe Sample / Piano

With: 

- Dean Parks / Guitar 

- Paulhino Costa / Percussion

- Hubert Laws / Flute

A1 "Carmel" (5:36) piano (8.75/10)

A2 "PAintings" (5:24) piano (8.75/10)

A3 "Cannery Row" (4:02) piano (8.75/10)

A4 "A Rainy Day in Monterey" (5:45) Fender Rhodes (8.875/10)

B1 "Sunrise" (5:23) nice and rollicking with hard piano chords and great bass and rhythm guitar in support. (8.875/10)

B2 "Midnight and Mist" (6:50) solo piano for the first 87 seconds, then awesome bass and percussion and rhythm guitar for three minutes with some of my favorite Joe Sample play of all-time, but the highlight for me is when Hubert Laws enters with his amazing flute play. Alas! It's only for the final 90 seconds of the song! (14.5/15)

B3 "More Beautiful Each Day" (6:28) piano with soft swing support. (8.75/10) 

The major problem with the songs on this album is the fact that nearly every single song is repeating, over and over, the same patterns of melody, chord progression, and rhythm: Joe was very determined to explore something very specific that was obviously haunting him. I can't remember if from listening to his next album if I was ever able to determine whether or not he finally got it out of his system. I hope so!

89.66667 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of Smooth Jazz. Amazing how one GREAT. song can affect the rating of the rest of a fairly mediocre album.

MICHAL URBANIAK Body English (1976)

Undaunted at being dropped by Columbia Records, Michał moved across the street to Arista (who were into a big support mode for the new and popular Jazz-Rock Fusion/Jazz-Funk style of music--having concurrently made quite an investment in Austrian Hermann Szobel). Body English was the result of their first recording sessions (at Dick Charles Recording studio by Gene Paul and Les Paul, Jr.), being released on May 19, 1976. 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Michał Urbaniak / Violin, violin synthetizers, lyricon, farfisa organ, polymoog
- Urszula Dudziak / Vocal, percussion, synthesizer
- Harold Ivory Williams (MFSB, Miles Davis) / Keyboards
- Basil Farrington / Bass
- Joe Caro / Guitar
- Steve Jordan / Drums
- Bernard Kafka / Voice
- Earl Crusher Bennet / Congas

1. "New York Polka" (5:52) sounding less like a polka than a country-bluegrass jamboree or, with it's brief intro, something out of England's mediæval prog scene, this funk band lineup is solid, tight, as is the composition, with perhaps a little less effects used on Michał's violin. New drummer Steve Jordan holds his own and Harold Ivory Williams shines quite brightly--is highly creative--on his keys. Joe Caro impresses as well, crossing that bridge between jazz-rock and blues-rock with apparent ease. I guess it's really the "Robin Hood"-feeling reset bridge that's doing the most to keep steering me toward this country-bluegrass label; the rest is just pretty standard funk. (8.875/10)

 
2. "Afterglow" (1:38) a pretty interlude that somehow manages to sound very much like a full orchestra without the addition of a single extra to the basic lineup. Impressive! I guess with three band members playing the keys anything is possible! (4.5/5)

3. "Zad" (6:50) cool clavinet, bass, and other synthesized deep bass play gives this stop-and-go song a cool early-Disco feel and sound. Clearly Michał is hearing all the funky R&B that's reaching the radio stations and dance floors. Lyricon and Ula's smooth voice are quite often delivering the lead melodies on this one--except in the chorus and bridges. Though he is no Anthony Jackson, the solo by Basil Farrington in the fourth minute is pretty decent. (He's enjoying experimenting with Larry Graham's thumb hits and finger pluck-snaps). Ula's presence is felt more in the instrumental department as her vocalizations seem to be limited to solo-like appearances (5:00) or the afore-mentioned main melody deliveries. Steve Jordan really hits a Steve Gadd stride in that section beneath Ula's scat solo. Harold Williams' keys are so lush and filling that you practically don't notice they are there (but would sorely missed if they weren't--quite similar to Greg Phillanganes' work on Earl Klugh's Heartstring album from the same year.) An excellent song to keep you warm in the winter. (13.75/15)

4. "Sevenish" (6:43) a solid Jean-Luc Ponty-like slightly-medieval or bluegrass-infused opening turns into something more attuned with Joe Zawinul's WEATHER. REPORT--despite the military drumming and frequent reminders in the sound palette of Jean-Luc Ponty (coming not just from Michał's synthesized violin). Composed, performed, recorded and mixed really well. This one begs the question: Which came first: Jean-Luc Ponty's slide over into the lush side of synthizer-heavy jazz-funk or Michał Urbaniak's? Using this song as a determiner the chronology looks pretty similar. (9/10)

5. "Body English" (6:03) "Turn Me Loose" synth note and funky wah-effected bass play open this one before drums, congas, percussion, guitar, and other keyboards join in. The initial solo melody-carriers are, in fact, one-note percussive synthesizers. With its jazzified Disco foundations we have something on the novelty range like a combination of the instrumental radio hit, "Popcorn" with an Average White Band song and some Herbie Hancock pleasure candy, and yet it still has that solid core of perfectly-aligned funk masters in the rhythm section. I happen to like it quite a bit! It's very cute, melodic (borrrowing a bit from Diana Ross' version of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"), and memorable. (8.875/10) 

6. "Quintone" (2:33) synthesized violin, chorused bass chords, flange-wah-wahed rhythm guitar, and multiple keys present a very pensive melody and chord progression before settling into something soft and gentle in the second minute--with a heart-wrenching pop ballad melody. Simple but oh-so pretty! (9/10) 

7. "Lyricon" (6:58) another richly-textured BOB JAMES-like melodic Smooth Jazz adventure on which Michał displays some of his saxophone skill (doubled up with his violins) with his Lyricon (an electrified saxophone-like wind instrument that had been pioneered by L.A. session god and solo artists Tom Scott back in 1974). In Michał's hands, here, the Lyricon sounds like a synthesized flute. Nice Moog ("polymoog"?) solo in the fourth minute (Michał's?) I also hear a little Smooth-era Weather Report in the palette of this song. (8.875/10)

8. "Satin Lady" (5:49) It has become obvious by this point in the album that Arista had exerted quite some control on Michał's musical direction; Smooth Jazz and Steely Dan-like "Yacht Rock" were becoming all the rage and I'm sure the big record company wanted to see sales from their investments. At the same time this is a fine song, with some great violin playing, nice lead and support contributions from Ula (and male vocalist Bernard Kafka) over a very engaging easy listening BOB JAMES-like groove played to perfection by the band. It's just that Ula's presence leaves me longing for more as I know how talented she is and how integral she had been to all of Michałs previous albums. Plus, she'd just put out her second solo album (also on Arista)--and it is great! (I wonder if they were signed as a team or if Ula was given her own album as a promise to Michał--or even as a bargaining point--or as a test drive for this new band.) (9/10) 

9. "Zomar Land" (1:11) an excellent little bass and Ula show that packs so much into its brief time; it's like a mix of funk and the Carnatic Indian tradition of konnakol vocal percussion syllable singing. Cool! (4.75/5)

Total time: 43:37

I find little or no depreciation in the quality or skills on display in these compositions. Michał had worked with most of these musicians before and seems to really click with all of them. They aren't the "name" players that he had on the last two Columbia releases (including Steve Gadd, Anthony Jackson, John Abercrombie, and Larry Coryell) but these guys are all very, very good. Well-respected music reviewer Adam Baruch (blogpage "The Soundtrack of My Life" and "Jazzis" on rateyourmuisc.com) carries the opinion that Michal's best output ended with the end of his association with Columbia Records. This album is allowing me to realize that this is simply not true: this is a very good album! The weakness for me is in the bass: it's still amazing and perfectly funky and well-deserved in its leadership role within each song on the album, but after Michał's last album on which Anthony Jackson gives one of the most astonishingly innovative displays of future bass potentialities, poor Basil Farrington just can't compare. (No one could.)

89.56 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; another very high quality and amazingly-consistent collection of jazz-funk songs here displaying Michał's willingness to experiment with the new Disco and Easy Listening sides to Jazz-Funk and Jazz-Rock Fusion. A near-masterpiece of music however you spell it out. Highly recommended. 

ENERGIT Piknik (1978)

Very nicely composed, performed, and rendered Fourth Wave "Smooth" Jazz-Funk Fusion that definitely checks all the "Easy Listening" criteria. Three years after their exciting debut album, these Czech musicians hailing from the former Czechoslovakia release their second and final studio album.

Line-up / Musicians:
Bass - Jan Vytrhlík
Congas - Jiří Tomek
Drums, Percussion - Jaromír Helesic
Guitar, Written-By - Lubos Andrst
Piano, Electric Piano, Synthesizer [Arp], Marimba - Milan Svoboda
Saxophone [Soprano] - Rudolf Ticháček
Trombone - Bohuslav Volf
Trumpet - Michal Gera , Zdeněk Zahálka

1. "Drift (6:29) funky wah-wah rhythm guitar, funky bass, near-Disco (and near-Steve Gadd) drumming time machine, funky slurpy keyboard synths, and three-man horn section come together, one at a time, to provide a melodic base for eventual soloing from Lubos Andrst's electric guitar and, much later, Rudolf Ticháček's soprano saxophone and Milan Svoboda's Arp synthesizer. There is definitely a smoothness--and spacious, mathematical form--to this walking-man's funk which brings to mind artists like BOB JAMES and THE CRUSADERS. It's great, easy to listen to, but not (8.875/10)

2. "Stratus" (4:20) pretty piano-based syncopated music elevating both guitarist Lubos Andrst melody-making skill as well as drummer Jaromír Helesic's Harvey Mason-like talent. (8.875/10)

3. "Jarní rovnodennost" (3:45) acoustic guitar and piano dance delicately, almost nervously, around each other until Lubos launches into a two-track exposé of Spanish strumming with John McLaughlin-like lead over the top--all on steel-string acoustic guitars. This second motif lasts about 90 seconds before Lubos and Milan fall back into their awkward dance (like two love-at-first sight-ers first encountering each other on the dance floor of a 19th Century ball). Lovely. (9.25/10)   

4. "Mobilis in mobili" (3:53) trying for the "heavier" side of Smooth Jazz-Rock Fusion with some TOM SCHOLZ (BOSTON)-like electric guitar channeled in over some more BOB JAMES-like music: Fender Rhodes, horn section, funk-syncopated rhythm section. Rudolf Ticháček adds some nice accents and flourishes with his soprano sax as does Milan Svoboda on the Fender. Nice music; weird combination of the Boston guitar and Bob James music. (8.875/10)

5. "Zapomenutý ostrov" (7:58) African folk instruments like berimbau open this with Fender Rhodes, bass, and congas, yielding an almost In a Silent Way sound and feel. In the second minute the band steps up, into a quick tempo, with congas and bass leading the way while sax, Fender Rhodes, and electric guitar take turns soloing. Now they're sounding more like a Third Wave J-R Fusion band practicing the forms and rules of bands like Mahavishnu Orchestra and Weather Report. In the fifth minute, then, things calm down so that muted horns and flourishes from Milan's Fender and Lubos' guitar can try to fill the near-empty space. It's pretty if rather formless and without flow--kind of like everybody is standing in the middle of a tar pit, playing their instruments from one place cuz they're stuck up to their knees in the mire.
Then they extract themselves from the muck and move forward in a lovely whole-group melody to the song's finish. Interesting and definitely creative! (13.5/15)

 

6. "Rícní písek" (4:25) more sophisticated yet gentle-on-the-ears jazz-rock with great syncopation and special play from bass player Jan Vytrhlík and the percussionists over which sax and electric guitar solo from time to time. Overall, it's just a great groove for the listener to get lost in! (9/10)

7. "Piknik" (6:42) more funked up jazz-rock of the Jazz Crusaders type. This one lets the brass/horns have more air time (no pun intended, I think). Despite the Bob JAMES-like friendliness and accessibility, the  musicians once again put on a show of most excellent skill, cohesiveness, and professionalism. Interesting to hear Milan's bird-like synthesizer chirps offsetting Jaromír Helesic's drum solo in the fifth minute. The band then reconvenes for one more drive to the album's end while Lubos' liquid lightning guitar runs and the horns take us out. Not the album's best song but still a display of excellent musicianship. (8.75/10)

Total time 37:31

Though often producing very easy-to-listen to "Smooth Jazz," these are top notch musicians pulling together to create wonderfully-skilled and nuanced jazz-rock fusion. Is there anything wrong with catchy melodies and memorable hooks in jazz music? I hope not. These guys are really good at it!

89.50 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of excellent Fourth Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion aka "Smooth Jazz." These are some great compositions performed with highly nuanced, highly skilled musicians collaborating in a near-perfect ensemble. Highly recommended! 

GÁBOR SZABÓ Macho (1975)

The Hungarian-born guitar virtuoso tries his hand at Bob James' style of smooth jazz-rock fusion. (While Gábor had played with Bob before, this was his first album using Bob as his producer.) Recorded in California at Kendun Recorders in Burbank and Westlake Audio in L.A. during April of 1975, Macho was released by Salvation Records in September. It is considered perhaps Gábor's most successful attempt at joining the Fusion bandwagon.

Line-up / Musicians:

Bass – Louis Johnson
Drums – Harvey Mason
Guitar – Eric Gale, Gabor Szabo
Keyboards – Bob James
Lyricon, Saxophone [Tenor] – Tom Scott
Percussion – Idris Muhammad, Ralph MacDonald
Trombone – George Bohanon

Trumpet – John Faddis

A1. "Hungarian Rhapsody #2" (6:52) music that is very much pre-Disco. The sound engineering is surprisingly weak--almost thin, with everything mixed so quietly, the background instruments (horns, drums, percussion) sounding as if they are way far in the distant background. These sound discrepancies are distracting enough (as is Louis Johnson's up-front bass play) as to leave me working very hard just  give minimal attention to Gabor's guitar play--which is also detracted by coming from a plug-in acoustic guitar (the early models of which I found quite irritating for their artificial sound). (13.125/15)

A2. "Time" (5:38) dreamy Disney electric piano arpeggi open this before gorgeous blues-jazzy guitar enters bringing with it Fender Rhodes piano and bare-bones bass and drum accompaniment. At 1:20 there is a slight shift in key and motif, leading to a brief, slightly more dynamic "chorus." Gabor's melody in the verses is quite beautiful, even seductive. Bob James gets some solo time in the third minute on his electric piano while Harvey Mason and Louis Johnson support with some nice little touches and nuances. The closing vamp is the best part because it unleashes all of the musicians to add a little bit more to their performances--including Gabor. (9/10)

A3. "Transylvania Boogie" (5:31) clavinet, bass, drums, and percussion establish a funky-smooth motif over which Eric Gale adds his own unique guitar sound and style. Gabor inserts his sparsely-populated melody with his lead guitar sounding like a cross between George Benson and Earl Klugh. Not quite spooky enough to qualify as vampire music (though it does have its sexy/seductive elements), I must remember that Gabor is a native of the country that houses Transylvania. Tom Scott's solo on his electronic saxophone (the Lyricon) is nice--and then bookended by some horn section accents from he and John Faddis and George Bohanon. The song fades out before anything truly interesting can mount, but, c'est la vie! (8.875/10)

B1. "Ziggidy Zag" (5:58) strummed electric jazz guitar chord sequence is soon joined by mid-funky bass and drum lines and then blasts from the band's thin horn section. The motif that takes over in the second minute is very Bob James-like, as is Gabor's Earl Klugh-sounding solo style--at least for the first  30-seconds of his performance: after that his sound and style begin to take some distinctive characteristics. Bob James gets the second solo on his Fender Rhodes. I really like Louis Johnson's bass performance as well as the conga play of Idris Muhammad and Harvey Mason's drumming (though this latter is recorded rather poorly). "Distant" clavinet, Eric Gale guitar, and occasional "distant" horn blasts continute to pepper and fill the background through to the end. Nice tune. (8.875/10)

B2. "Macho" (9:13) after a protracted piano and percussion intro, the band establishes an okay attempt at a Latin pseudo-Chick Corea songscape--one that eventually succeeds in delivering on the promise of the tension residing in its impassioned "White Rabbit"/"Bolero"-like chord progression. Great performances all around--especially from Harvey Mason, Louis Johnson, and Bob "Chick" James as well as Ralph MacDonald and Idris . One of my favorite songs on the album--one of the true J-R Fusion tunes here. (18/20)

B3. "Poetry Man" (4:28) a highly-charged, almost-erotic rendition of Phoebe Snow's iconic radio hit. Great arrangement and recording--my favorite song on the album with its best performances though not quite what I'd call true Jazz-Rock Fusion. (9.25/10)

Total time: 37:40

I will also discount my rating of this album for its lack of original compositions (two covers, one Bob James song, one Harvey Mason song, and only two songs by the title artist--which happen to be the two best Jazz-Rock Fusion songs on the album); it is my opinion that the pressure to perform listener-friendly/recognizable covers of pop hits is one of the things that took the wind out of the sails of the Jazz-Rock Fusion movement--directed it onto the detour paths of Adult Contemporary, Smooth Jazz, and Yacht Rock.

89.50 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of Fourth Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion.  

LEB I SOL Leb I Sol 2 (1978)

A band of super-talented musicians pull together a bunch of simply constructed songs over which they perform creatively and with great technical skill. This is the band's second release of 1978!

Line-up / Musicians:
- Vlatko Stefanovski / guitar, vocals
- Nikola Dimusevski / keyboards
- Bodan Arsovski / bass
- Garabet Tavitijan / drums, vibes

1. "Akupunktura" (4:08) Now here's a song. Keyboard work and bass play are a bit lite but the drumming is pretty good (so much better than the work on the band's debut album--and better recorded). Vlatko is carrying the song--especially when he (finally) hits full-speed at the end of the third minute. The cheesy rock ending again makes me think that this song is just a simple warmup construct: something that lets the band get synchronized and stretched out. (8.75/10)

2. "Kako ti drago" (3:58) a song that comes with a little ethnic folk spice--either Slavic or Caribbean. This is a true fusion of jazz and rock music: it might even qualify more as something proggy (like a Camel song). (9.125/10)

3. "Aber dojde donke" (4:49) Vlatko Stefanovski is extraordinary! And drummer Garabet Tavitijan has improved! Yay! At the same time, this is just a weird "song" (more like an étude or warm-up session that happened to get recorded.) Impressive guitar play over drum warmups doesn't earn top marks as an album representative. (8.5/10)

4. "Talasna duzina" (4:09) synth strings and electric piano support a bluesy lead guitar opening before a drum-and-cymbal crash signals the fulfillment of the mood-manipulating Soul motif over which Vlatko sings in a quite pleasant voice (in his native language). A very nice, solidly composed and rendered love song. I hope the "wave length" Vlatko is trying to reach with this one worked for his relationship. (8.875/10)

5. "Dikijeva igra" (4:09) a real rocker, spiced up with some jazzy nuances from the rhythm section and by the fact that it's an instrumental, but, really, it feels like a instrumental jam from some late 1960s pioneer of hard rock (or a Thin Lizzy instrumental.) I do like hearing the organ and vibes (as well as more testament to Garabet's improved drumming skills [and confidence]). (8.875/10) 

6. "Uzvodno od tuge" (4:10) another gentle, pretty (soothing) ballad-like song construct, this time using slightly more nuanced musicianship than the previous "Talazna duzina," electric piano supporting pitch-bending synth solo and then, toward the end of the third minute, acoustic guitar solo. Too bad that it's only an instrumental as I found myself waiting for, expecting, vocals--otherwise, this is not really much of a Jazz-Rock Fusion song--not even a Smooth Jazz one! (8.875/10)

7. "Marija" (6:30) starts rather slowly, atmospherically, like a mature CAMEL song before jumping into the full band, full cruising speed CAMEL-like motif. This is a very solid full-band construct, with very solid united performances from the two rhythmatists, some nice keyboard support, and some excellently-constructed slow-building electric guitar play in the lead position. Nice piano solo from Nikola in the sixth minute. (9.75/10)

8. "Bonus" (1:34) acoustic guitar and singing. A bit like a Jimmy Page/Led Zepp song. (4.25/5)

Total Time: 34:02

A much better album in terms of equal quality of musicianship and recording sound quality than their debut. 

89.333 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent display of skillful musicianship expressed through rather simplistic song constructs. Definitely an improvement over the band's debut. 

BEDJABETCH Subrepticement (1979)

A French band that would soon become a popular Disco band.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Branko Miljevic / bass
- Gilles Petri / drums
- Michel Olivieri / glute, saxophone
- Marcel Merino / guitar
- Patricia Hue / keyboards

1. "Pieds D'Anchois" (3:42) amazing clarity and definition to all instruments in this tight Headhunters-like song. Rich keyboard play, simple funk, and solid solos from Michel Olivieri's sax and Marcel Merino's piercing electric guitar help elevate this somewhat simple yet-tightly executed construct to nice heights. The instrumental sound palette is so close to that of contemporary rock music of the time. (9/10)

2. "Dinosaures" (5:37) another rather simplistic jazzy rock song that could very well have come from a jam by one of STEELY DAN's practice lineups (that is, containing nowhere the polish and glitz of one of The Dan's final renderings). Nice melodies. I like the way the bass is rendered up close. I also like the enthusiastic vamp at the end. (8.875/10)

3. "Le chateau de l'elephant" (4:22) opens with some rock electric guitar arpeggio that gradually speeds up as other instruments join in with their own four-chord sequence woven in with the guitar. Then, in the second minute the whole band switches gear and produces a Jay Beckenstein/Spiro Gyra-like weave with soprano sax, Fender Rhodes, and rhythm guitar mixed way up front each contributing to the harmonically-sophisticated weave in support of the sax's lead. Light and pretty but overall there's just something missing. (8.75/10)

4. "Drame sous les palmiers" (6:55) guitar, bass, keys, and drums slowly congeal to put together a smooth jazz kind of weave with quirky sounds being produced by the sax, electric guitar and electric piano. The rhythm section is almost disco (while the rest of the band support a kind of rendition of the melody of the Sister Sledge song, "He's the Greatest Dancer"--a Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers [CJHIC] composition that wouldn't come out for another three years). (13.125/15)

5. "Subrepticement" (3:48) more melodic music woven together with mathematically-woven instrumental support. Nothing new or special here; more like a practice jam or an étude meant to pull the band together into a serious focus. (8.6667/10)

6. "Boucle d'or" (15:50) not your average epic or mesmeric since it straddles the rock, jazz, R&B, and disco lines--all at the same time! It feels as if a bunch of uncredited guests are present help expand the horn section but it could be multiple tracks dedicated to Michel's saxes doubled up with some of Marcel's guitar and Patricia Hue's keyboard sounds. (In this latter case it would be a rather ingenious coup to pull off). For the first half of the song there are two main motifs seem to alternate throughout but then there is an extended pond of stagnation in which the instruments continue playing sporadic outputs while they all struggle to find a new direction. Eventually the drum and bass player seem to figure "a way out" and the rest of the instruments follow, creating a spacious funk groove that could be emulating something from one of the Mwandishi albums--even, more specifically, the Bennie Maupin or Julien Priester solo albums from that era. Nice rolling bass, tension-building Bill Bruford-like drumming, dancing Fender Rhodes and searing guitar soloing fifteenth and sixteenth minutes before things thin out for an interesting sax-and-rhythm guitar chord conversation to take us out. The second half of this song definitely present the best and most interesting music of the album. (27.5/30)

Total Time 40:17

That last 15-minute epic left a very good impression on me, which skews my otherwise-tepid rating and impression and rating of this album as a whole. The compositions are definitely creatively complex and interesting; it's the fullness of each song that feels somewhat lacking to me.

89.31 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; an excellent collection of Jazz-Rock Fusion songs with the album as a whole tending toward Smooth Jazz. Recommended. At least for the experience.

JEAN-LUC PONTY A Taste for Passion (1979)

I remember really enjoying this album for driving and summer outdoor background music when it came out. This is Jean-Luc in his extraordinary peak run of great albums. I also had the privilege of seeing him in concert with this album tour. 

Line-up / Musicians:

- Jean-Luc Ponty / violin, organ, acoustic & electric pianos, orchestration, producer

With:

- Joaquin Lievano / acoustic & electric guitars, guitar synth

- Jamie Glaser / guitar

- Allan Zavod / keyboards, synth & programming

- Ralphe Armstrong / fretless bass

- Casey Scheuerell/ drums, percussion

- Allan Gelbard / synth programming

1. "Stay With Me" (5:35) a long drum-and-bass-less opening presents Jean-Luc's space-violin at its spaciest. The drum and bass inputs are minimal while the guitar and keyboards are nebulous, literally, as one cannot distinguish between the synthesized violin-generated sounds and effected keys and gtrs. (9.3333/10)

2. "Sunset Drive" (5:45) though the four chord vamp (with very cheesy early techno-pop [think "Tainted Love"] drum machine!) is a bit cheesy, Ralphe Armstrong's opening fretless bass solo is quite impressive. Jamie Glaser then takes over the lead with a rather odd guitar sound: sounding like a rhythm guitarist trying to play a solo in a kind of 1960s jazz style with this whole weird modern sound filtering his guitar play. Starting at 2:34 the best section of the song starts as the rhythm section seems to be trying to drown out Jamie, but this just spurs the guitarist on to better heights. Then it's Jean-Luc's turn (this had become his new habit in his mature and secure years: allowing his collaborators to have the first solos--despite the fact that his establishment of the main melodies was always the best.) Innocuous and memorable mostly for that drum machine! (8.75/10)

3. "Dreamy Eyes" (4:18) a replication and variation on the successful "I Only Feel Good with You" sound palette and motif from the end of his prior album, Cosmic Messenger. But, heck! If it's a formula that works, why not?! Joaquin Leivano's choice for guitar tone is much preferred here--it allows his smooth runs to sound much more connected and flowing. (8.875/10)

4. "Beach Girl" (4:56) a lively, fun, almost Country-Disco composition in which the acoustic instruments are quite a nice change (violin, acoustic guitar, piano). I'm not sure if it's Jamie Glaser or Joaquin Lievano that has the smooth EARL KLUGH/AL DI MEOLA-like touch and facility on the steel string acoustic guitar, but it's nice--a little reminiscent of Daryl Stuermer's play on the similar "New Country" from Jean-Luc's 1976 classic, Imaginary Voyage (right down to the foot-stompin' beat). An awesome violin solo in the fourth minute only seals this as a J-L P classic. (9/10)

5. "Taste For Passion" (5:22) great solo piano motif (played by Jean-Luc, not Allan Zavod) opens this one before the power switch for the whole band is turned on at 0:37, bringing in a cool, rather deceptively slow-paced motif into play over which Joaquin Leviano's electric guitar is given the first crack at impressing (and impressive it is!) The structure and sound palette of the "meat" of this one is once again reminiscent of one of the songs off of Jean-Luc's previous album, Cosmic Messenger. (9/10)

6. "Life Cycles" (5:45) Jamie Glaser is given the lead guitar position once again over a very pop-oriented groove--one that could very easily have come from a Soul/R&B hit from the same era by the likes of Bobby Caldwell, Earth, Wind & Fire, or Narada Michael Walden. Nice tune. Cool engineering of Casey Schueurell's awesome Phil Collins-like drum play. Allan Zavod finally gets some "me time" with a cool synth sound in the second minute. Everybody seems in sync--as if they're all really enjoying this one--even Jean-Luc's solos project a kind of joi de vivre. (9/10)

7. "Reminiscence" (1:26) one of Jean-Luc's little sound experimentations--this one with a couple of bombastic rock 'n' roll power chords in the middle to punctuate its cinematic value. (4.375/5)

8. "Give Us A Chance" (3:02) another song that seems to pull some inspiration from the music that was making itself known on the pop charts at the time--which means the structure and play is fairly simple and straightfoward--but this allows for these uber-talented musicians to carve their own idiosyncratic initials into it--which is especially nice from Ralphe and Casey. A very likable song. (What's not to like?) (8.875/10)

9. "Obsession" (0:40) I'd say so! Really: what's the point? (4.25/5)

10. "Farewell" (3:06) smooth and emotional construct for piano, bass, and lead violin turns to the piano (Jean-Luc playing, no doubt) for a pretty solo riff as a bridge to a funky motif with Jean-Luc in the lead while Ralphe and Jamie provide the funk behind. The song really only amounts to another filler--not much longer than one of those interlude thingies (songs #7 & 9). (8.875/10)

Total Time 39:55

While there is some very good meat on this album, a lot of it feels like "unfinished" filler or easy repetitions of previously explored palettes and motifs. Was J-L in a hurry to get this one out? Had he been touring too much and had little time for composition? Or was Atlantic Records just putting pressure on him to get something out soon after his hot-selling Cosmic Messenger (which spent 28 weeks on the Billboard album charts, peaking at #38--his third charting LP in a row)? 

89.26 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of borderline Third Wave and Smooth Jazz that was very popular in its time (and still stands up well today). If it weren't so scattered and feeling unfinished, this probably could have been another masterpiece.

BENNIE MAUPIN Slow Traffic to the Right (1977)

Bennie just kept plugging along--as did many of his well-seasoned J-R Fuse collaborators: evolving with the infusing tides of funk, dynamics, smoothness, and commercial-consciousness (and pressure).

Line-up / Musicians:
- Bennie Maupin / bass clarinet, soprano & tenor saxophones, saxello, flute, alto & piccolo flutes, Oberheim polyphonic synthesizer, backing vocals
- Onaje Allen Gumbs / conductor, arrangements, piano (5)
- Patrice Rushen / clavinet, Rhodes electric piano, piano
- Nathan Rubin / Concertmaster, Strings
- James Levi / drums
- Eddie Henderson / flugelhorn, trumpet
- Blackbird McKnight / electric guitar
- Pat Gleeson / synthesizers (Oberheim Polyphonic, E-mu Polyphonic)
- Craig Kilby / trombone
- Paul Jackson / bass (1,2)
- Ralph Armstrong / (3-6)

1. "It Remains to Be Seen" (8:01) opens sounding like soundtrack music to a sci-fi film, when the full band finally joins in during the second half of the first minute it's with a melodic funk.Throughout the rest of the song the music is surprisingly uniform and simple though melodic: until the fifth minute when the piano arrives it feels very much like a BOB JAMES song. Luckily, Patrice Rushen's piano solo with its backing electric piano gets the blood boiling a bit--especially when the horn sections accents come in. Then the song mellows for a bit with some smooth choral vocals before going out with some engaging whole group participation rhythmic clapping to the funk. (13.25/15)

  
2. "Eternal Flame" (4:34) opens with the dreamy sonic landscape of a mellow Ronnie Laws or Tom Scott song. Bennie takes the lead from the start, soloing on the lower registers of his soprano sax while the lush keyboard-rich music beneath seems to carry us gently downstream. Nice key/chord changes here and there giving the song a kind of cinematic feel. (8.875/10)

3. "Water Torture" (4:52) another gently funky BOB JAMES-like songcraft that provides the vehicle for several lead instruments to contribute their smooth, melodic solos over the top: Bennie's tenor sax, Patrice Rushen on Fender Rhodes, all with gorgeous horn (and "strings") accents and banks on the sides, in the pockets between the solos. Beautifully composed and "orchestrated" though this is a far cry from either the rough, raw space music of the Mwandishi sessions (Jewel in the Lotus) or the power funk of Thrust or Spaceball. (9/10) 

4. "You Know the Deal" (7:03) this one starts out a little more funky and a little more smoothly orchestrated--like something inspired by Eumir Deodato's work in 1973--but things go robotic BOB JAMES-like with a very blandly repeated rhythm track beneath Bennie's sax soloing. Also, the overall mix of this instrumental palette is rather foggy: nothing is as clear and defined as one might like; everything feels kind of washed into the same spacestream. At the same time, there is something really cool about the way everything is blended: as if the individuals have sacrificed their identity for the sake of oneness/coalescence. (13.25/15) 

5. "Lament" (1:52) acoustic piano opens this before being joined by Bennie's bass clarinet for this tender, introspective piece. (4.5/5) 

6. "Quasar" (5:53) another fairly long (45-seconds) cinematic intro eventually reveals a pleasant bass-launched and rich and smooth synth-dominated sonic field over which trumpeter Eddie Henderson is given first shot at leading. His play is quite dynamic: with lots of short and staccato notes and bursts; I'd almost call it "old school" but I have to admit that it's very welcome after an album in which everything seems so washed and homogenized. Luckily, the basic rhythmic and melodic foundation of this one is fairly hypnotic. (9/10)

Total Time 32:15

Though I certainly appreciate the skills it took to realize such tightly-perfected soundscapes and compositions, I'm saddened for the restraint and restrictions imposed upon this cast of incredibly talented musicians (many of whom had been collaborating with Bennie since Bitches Brew and/or Mwandishi): I loved so much the era in which multiple musicians were given the green light to move freely--even experimentally--and at all times!--behind and within the sonic landscapes as opposed to this new style where the composer, band leader, and/or producer is seemingly on a quest for perfect chart rendering.

 89.04 on the Fishscales = B+/four stars; an excellent addition of the new smoother Jazz-Rock Fusion for the J-R Fuse enthusiast to enjoy as pleasant background music.

NOVA Wings of Love (1977)

It is to me very weird to see the Nova albums from the mid-1970s listed as "Italian prog" when all four of them were recorded and produced in London with British producers and engineers with half of the musicians being Englishmen.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Corrado Rustici / lead vocals, lead guitar, 6- & 12-string acoustic guitars, glockenspiel, triangle, gong, co-producer
- Renato Rosset / Fender Rhodes, piano, Minimoog, Polymoog, Hammond, clavinet
- Elio D'Anna / alto, baritone, soprano & tenor saxophones, flute
- Barry Johnson / bass, wind chimes, lead vocals (1, 7)
- Ric Parnell / drums & percussion
With:
- Nectar Smile Choir / backing vocals (4)

1. "You Are Light" (6:19) opens like something from the band's previous effort, Vimana, before getting a little disco- and jazz-imbued. The hooks in the second minute are reminiscent of both DAVE SANBORN and Narada Michael Walden's solo albums. Still, tit is a very engaging, enjoyable, and well-produced song. (8.875/10)

2. "Marshall Dillon" (3:53) a funked up jam in the vein of contemporary artists like Earth Wind & Fire, the Isley Brothers, Kool & the Gang, Ohio Players, Gap Band, Average White Band, and The Brother s Johnson over which Corrado's incendiary guitar is unleashed (but, unfortunately, much more processed).  Very nice foundation from bass player Barry Johnson, Renata Rosset, and drummer Ric Parnell. Polished and well-engineered, just not "great." (8.875/10)

3. "Blue Lake" (6:50) rain, river, boat sounds over which Corrado and choir sing angelically. Elio's heavily-treated sax playing over the atmospheric music is nice--could have served more in the lead than the vocals. There are nice performances top to bottom though the mix is often surprising (bass so far forward and vocals and sax mixed into the rest of the soundscape). Renato's blend of keyboards is the song's perfect glue. The most surprising element is the complete restraint (or "absence") of Corrado's blistering guitar (until the very end). Almost a great song. (13.375/15)

4. "Beauty Dream - Beauty Flame" (6:22) a very beautiful pastoral song with subtle but beautiful chords and melodies and exquisite performances from the all-acoustic piano, acoustic guitar, flute, and "Nectar Smile Choir." Very much like Chick Corea's Return to Forever pieces like "The Romantic Warrior." (9.125/10)

5. "Golden Sky Boat" (6:09) starts out as a decent jazzy-rock song before Corrado's vocals and the funky Return To Forever driving chorus enter and dominate. The musicians are really all working out at top speed with bassist Barry Johnson and Renato Rosset's clavinet, Minimoog, and Fender Rhodes doing a masterful job in the low end. Corrado's guitar power chords are a sad joke, taking away from his true skills, talents, and tendencies. (8.666667/10)

6. "Loveliness About You" (5:53) the band here ventures into the sexy-lullabuy world of the future: the pop-pandering sounds (and lyrics) of that which will soon become known as "Smooth Jazz." It's pretty, it's romantic, it's very smooth, but it's moving far away from the complex hard bop and modal jazz forms and styles that launched the J-R Fusion movement. Almost like a watery AMERICA song. (8.875/10)

7. "Inner Star" (6:31) space cowboys! I mean: the sounds of American Country-Western music coming through rock 'n' roll instruments--à la American bands like the ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION and LITTLE FEET. This is actually a fairly well-balanced song with interesting hooks and performance surprises and a very solid rhythmic base. Though I hate Corrado's guitar playing seemingly bending (down) to the will of the demands of the rock 'n' roll gods, it does help make for a more cohesive and effective song. (9/10)

8. "Last Silence" (5:11) pretty, dreamy music with Barry Johnson's fluid EBERHARD WEBER-like fretless bass and Renato's floating Fender Rhodes keyboard play providing all the cushion one might need to float off to sleep (or opium-induced Nirvana). With this song one can see how Corrado Rustici ended up moving into roles as studio musician (Narada Michael Walden, Angela Bofill, Phillis Hyman, Stacey Lattislaw, Teena Marie, Patti Austin, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, George Benson, Sheena Easton, Kenny G, Calrence Clemons, Zuccharo, Ligabue) and record producer (Zuccharo Sugar Fornaciari, Loredana Berte', Paul Young, Randy Crawford, Elisa, Claudio Baglioni, Ligabue). (8.875/10)

Total Time 47:08

Co-Producer Narada Michael Walden's presence is still very strongly felt in everything about this album--even the spiritually-oriented lyrics. The songs are, however, more standard in format and polish but the sound is, unfortunately, heading toward that "Smooth Jazz" realm that usurped all Anglo-American jazz-rock fusion artists (more like "labels) in the late 1970s and early 1980s. For my tastes this album is too polished and squeaky clean--ready for radio play--even R&B and Contemporary Jazz and Adult Rock Radio formatted stations.  

89.02 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of proggy jazz-rock fusion--though the album as a whole represents quite a varied sample of prog and Jazz-Rock Fusion as it stood in 1977. 

LENNY WHITE Big City (1977)

The former-Return To Forever drummer's second solo album since leaving Chick's band, the follow-up to 1976's Venusian Summer, one of my all-time favorite Jazz-Rock Fusion albums.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Lenny White / Synthesizer, Bass, Piano, Arranger, Conga, Drums, Keyboards, Timbales, Moog Synthesizer, Producer, Oberheim, Horn Arrangements, Roto Toms, Announcer, Mini Moog, Arp Strings, Moog Drum

With:

- Brian Auger / Organ, Piano, Electric Piano (A1, B3)

- Clive Chaman / Bass (A1)

- Alex Ligertwood / Guitar (A1)

- Jack Mills / Guitar (A1 [Soloist])

- Lennox Laington / Congas (A1)

TOWER OF POWER horns (A1);

- Lenny Pickett / Tenor Sax, Lyricon (A1 [Soloist])

- Emilio Castillo / Tenor Sax (A1)

- Greg Adams / Trumpet (A1)

- Mic Gillette / Trombone, Trumpet (A1)

- Stephen "Doc" Kupka / Baritone Sax (A1)

- Linda Tillery / Vocals (A2)

- Paul Jackson, Jr. / Bass (A2)

- Patrick Gleeson (HERBIE HANCOCK)/ Synthesizer (Eu on A2, B2), Arp Strings (A2, A4), Brass (arranged and programmed on B2.c), Producer

- Ray Gomez / Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (A2), Arranger & Composer (A4), Guitar (Electric), Performer, Soloist (B1 [second solo], B3 [right channel])

- Marcus Miller / Bass [weird] (A3.a)

- Verdine White (EARTH WIND & FIRE) / Bass [very funky] (A4)

- Herbie Hancock / Keyboards, Electric Piano (A2, A4)

- Onaje Allan Gumbs / Piano (B1)

- Neal Schon / Guitar, Guitar (Electric), Soloist (B1 [first solo], B3 [left channel])

- Jerry Goodman / Violin (B2.a, B2.b)

- Jan Hammer / Piano (B2.a), MiniMoog (B2.b), Piano, Electric Piano, and Mini Moog (B2.c

- Miroslav Vitous / Acoustic Bass (B2.b)

- Gary King / Bass (B2.c)

- David Earle Johnson / Congas (B2.c)

- Alex Blake / Bass (B3)

- Bennie Maupin / Saxophone (Soprano) (B3)

- Mike Gibbs / Piano, Orchestration (A3.b., B2)

- Michael Gibbs' Orchestra:

Violins: Michael Comins, Harry Cykman, Barry Finclair, Paul Gershman, Harold Kohon, David Nadien, 

John Pintavalle, Max Pollikoff, Marvin Morgenstern, 

- Lamar Alsop / Violin, Viola

- Al Brown / Viola

Cellos: Jesse Levy, Charles McCracken, Alan Shulman
- Homer Mensch / Double Bass

- Lois Colin / Harp (B2.b)

Flutes: Raymond Beckenstein, Harvey Estrin, Walter Levinsky

A1. "Big City" (5:22) a case in example that an impressive line up of musicians doesn't necessarily guarantee a great tune. Trying too hard and not really capturing the funk they're going for. (8.75/10)

A2. "Sweet Dreamer" (4:42) a sweet tune (the best thing on the album) with Bay Area legend Linda Tillery singing from her heart. Great bass play from Paul Jackson with awesome solos from Ray Gomez and Herbie Hancock. (9.25/10)

A3. "Interludes" - both are nice:

     a. "Egypt" (1:00) a funky interlude?! Pretty good! (4.5/5)
     b. "Nocturne" (1:24) swelling orchestral strings and harp. Nice. (I hear "Happy Birthday" melody in there--as well as a theme from Midnight Cowboy.) (4.375/5)

A4. "Rapid Transit" (3:59) the closest thing on the album to exhibiting Lenny's potential as both composer, band leader, and drummer but still lacking anything as extraordinary as the music and textures of Venusian Summer. (8.87510)

A5. "Ritmo Loco" (1:08) electronic computer and acoustic percussion. The acoustic play is outstanding. (4.5/5)

B1. "Dreams Come And Go Away" (3:34) a smooth rock-jazz tune that sounds like something Eric Clapton was doing around the same time. Maybe this one shouldn't have been an instrumental. Too much of a jam. (8.75/10)

B2. "Enchanted Pool Suite":
     a. "Prelude" (1:31) beautiful near-classical (I hear Ralph Vaughn Williams) duet between Jerry Goodman and Jan Hammer (4.5/5)
     b. "Part I" (2:18) add Miroslav Vitous and harpist Lois Colin to the mix and then, later, Michael Gibbs' orchestra and Patrick Gleeson's synth. (4.375/5)
     c. "Part II" (5:39) a Herbie Hancock-infused smooth jazz piece à la Earl Klugh. It works. Due to Michael Gibbs' orchestration, Gary King's bass with Lenny's drumming, and Jan and Jerry's continued contributions. (9/10)

B3. "And We Meet Again" (live) (6:41) a blues vamp captured live (cuz that's all these guys can come up with once they're all surreptitiously thrown together on stage without practice or forethought). (8.75/10)

Total time: 38:28

88.97  on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of diverse and loosely tied together Jazz-Rock Fusion that qualifies for the Fourth Wave or "Smooth Jazz" phase of the movement. A little too inconsistent, scattered, and perplexingly diversified to be highly recommended. Exactly who is this Lenny White and what kind of music does he really want to make?

BOBBI HUMPHREY Blacks and Blues (1974)

Recorded at the Sound Factory in Los Angeles on June 7 & 8 of 1973 and then released by Blue Note in January of 1974, flutist Bobbi Humphrey comes with the support of the Donald Byrd Blackbird school of music and publishing--specifically the Mizell brothers.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Bobbi Humphrey / flutes, vocals

- Chuck Rainey / bass

- Ron Brown / bass

- Harvey Mason / drums

- Fonce Mizell / clavinet, trumpet

- Jerry Peters / electric piano

- David T. Walker / guitar

- John Rowin / guitar

- Stephanie Spruill / percussion

- King Errison / congas

- Fred Perren / synthesizer

A1. "Chicago, Damn" (6:44) excellent funk from heavily-treated bass, electric piano (and synthesizer?), Latin percussion, wah-wah-ed rhythm guitar, and flawless drumming. Fred Perren comes in with a trumpet-like synthesizer sound between verses. (9.25/10)

A2. "Harlem River Drive" (7:24) great j-r f song with a Donald-Byrd-typical male choral singing of the song's title. Great work from the rhythm section but especially the rhythm guitar and piano, but Bobbi's piercing flute melody making is the star of this show. (13.5/15)

A3. "Just A Love Child" (8:21) nice funky music with Bobbi singing in a Minnie Ripperton-little girl-like voice. (17.5/20)

B1. "Blacks And Blues" (4:30) another (familiar) funky R&B groove that supports flutey synth and Bobbi's flute while Chuck or Ron move freely, effortlessly around the fretboard. Group vocals join Bobbi's melody in the second verse (or chorus) while Jerry Peters pounds his way all over that piano. (9.125/10)

B2. "Jasper Country Man" (5:16) really more of a conversation among the rhythm section: Harvey, Chuck, and Jerry. (8.75/10)

B3. "Baby's Gone" (8:47) slow and moody with Bobbi setting a melody up that sounds like the opening notes to Deneice Williams' opening lines from "Free," but then it thickens and grow sophisticated while Bobbi's flute and voice work their way into the lead of the song. (17.5/20)

Total Time: 40:01

Excellent arrangements of very melodic smooth funk-jazz music; eminently listenable.

88.97 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent addition to any Jazz-Rock Fusion lover's album collection--especially if you like the funkier side of things but delivered in a late-Seventies melodic way.

RONNIE LAWS Flame (1978)

Despite the co-production credit going to The Crusaders' Wilton Felder, this album has so much in common with the sound of Narada Michael Walden albums at this time. The rich keyboard and synthesizer work of Larry Dunn are, I believe, what really won me over with this album--that and the vocal participation of Ronnie's sisters, Debra and Eloise. Long-time Ronnie cast member, Roland Bautista continues to grow his supportive jazz guitar skills.

Lineup / Musicians:
- Ronnie Laws / saxophones, flute, vocals, piano (A3, B4)
- Larry Dunn / ARP, clavinet, Fender Rhodes, Moog

- Bobby Vega / bass (A2, B1-B3)

- Pat Kelly / guitar (A2, A3, A4, B2. B4)

- Melvin Robinson / guitar (A1, B1, B3)

- Raymond Pounds / drums (A1, A2, B1-B3)
- Roland Bautista / guitar (A1, A2, B1, B3)
- Andrew Acosta / percussion (A1-A3, B1, B3)

With:

- Art Rodriguez / drums (A3, B4)

- Barnaby Finch / piano (B2, A3)

- Onija (Woody Murray) / vibraphone (B3)

- Louis Satterfield / bass (A4)

- Nate Morgan / piano (B4)

- Philip Bailey / vocals (A4)
- Eloise Laws / vocals (A1)
- Debra Laws / vocals (A1)
- Diane Reeves / vocals (A4)

- Debra Thomas / b vox (B1) 

- Sylvia St. James / b vox (B1)

A1 "All for You" (3:04) (8.6667/10)

A2 "These Days" (4:35) funk with all the electro bells and whistles (literally!) and some treated soprano sax from the band leader. (8.75/10)

A3 "Flame" (7:06) one of my all-time favorite Ronnie Laws songs, I love the spaciousness and long, unhurried atmosphere. The electronic keys are wonderful but Pat Kelly's guitar work is wonderful. It does get a little overdrawn at times--and Ronnie's sax work never really does anything very dynamic; it's more about the structure and atmosphere. (13.75/15)  

A4 "Living Love" (4:12) a nice Narada-sounding pop/R&B-oriented song featuring the vocals of Diane Reeves and Phillip Bailey (what a treat!) and some great melodic hooks by Ronnie's sax and flutes. (8.875/10)

B1 "Love Is Here" (4:53) here Ronnie shows the influence that The Isley Brothers' 1970s transition to heavy funk has had on him. A great tune that could have benefitted from one more motif instead of the long instrumental solo finish. (8.875/10)

B2 "Grace" (6:02) classic late-night groove over which Ronnie's flute reigns supreme! Great Bob James feel to this one. All of the musicians are completely attuned to the vibe Ronnie's trying to create. I love it!(9/10)

B3 "Joy" (5:34) has a bit of a Stevie Wonder feel to it (yet another of Ronnie's models/mentors). I'm very happy to hear Woody Murray's vibes as well as Ronnie's funked up flute-and-vocalese play. (8.875/10) 

B4 "Live Your Life Away" (3:40) definitely has the design of a radio-friendly pop song--and no winds! Ronnie sings, plays electric piano and the synth bass. Another song that is oh-so close to the music that Narada Michael Walden was doing at the same time--especially the vocal (which I like). (8.75/10)

While Side One contains three songs that Ronnie co-wrote with his keyboardist Larry Dunn (and one cover), all of Side Two's songs are compositions of the band leader exclusively.  

88.87 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of genre-defining Smooth Jazz.

DONALD BYRD Stepping into Tomorrow (1975)

Recorded, once again, at Hollywood's Sound Factory under the production team of Larry and Fonce Mizell (Sky High) in November and December of 1974. Stepping into Tomorrow was released to the public in March of 1975.

Line-up/Musicians:
- Donald Byrd / Trumpet [Solo], Flugelhorn, Vocals [Solo]
- Gary Bartz / alto saxophone, clarinet
Backing Vocals – Fonce Mizell, Fred Perrin , Kay Haith (tracks: A3, A4), Larry Mizell, Lorraine Kenner (tracks: A1, A2, B1), Margie Evans (tracks: B3), Stephanie Spruill (tracks: A1, B1)
- Chuck Rainey / bass [Fender]
- Fonce Mizell / Clavinet, Trumpet
- Mayuto Correa / Congas
- Harvey Mason / Drums, Bata [Batah Drum], Jew's Harp [Mouth Harp] (B1),
- David T. Walker / Guitar 

- John Rowin / Guitar 

- Rhonghea Southern  / Guitar (A4)

- Stuff 'N Ramjet / Percussion
- Jerry Peters / Piano [Acoustic Piano], Organ
- Larry Mizell / Synthesizer [Arp Synthesizers], Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes], conductor, arranger
- James Carter / Whistle [Whistler]

A1. "Stepping Into Tomorrow" (5:11) such simplicity! Please, say it ain't so! Luckily, it's a great, very catchy groove, otherwise there's more similarity to the music of later HERB ALPERT (1981's Rise) and the Blackbyrds (due to the choral vocals)--which is fine if you're heading toward radio-friendly pop-oriented "Smooth Jazz." I like the keyboard experimentations being done by Larry Mizell and Jerry Peters--and the vocals are actually quite a bit better (recorded/engineered) than those on the Blackbyrds' albums. Whoever is doing those ultra-soprano vocalese above the rest has got some pipes! (Lorraine Kenner? Stephanie Spruill?) (8.875/10)

A2. "We're Together" (4:19) opening with an excellent and enticing "conversation" between Donald and Gary with piano, background female vocals, and background horns offering nice accents. I also like the scraping noise of the pick hitting the strings on the rhythm guitar. Unfortunately, the choir vocals end up occupying too much space: taking away from the instrumentalists. (8.875/10)

B1. "Think Twice" (6:10) more vocal smoothation, this time with Team Male alternating with Team Female over some very simple jazz-funk (though with another great bass line and some nice vocal melodies). Jerry Peter's bouncy piano and Gary Bartz's smooth sax are nice complements to both the vocals and Donald's trumpet. (8.75/10)

B2. "Rock And Roll Again" (6:09) smooth, smooth instrumental Soul music. Harkens back to the early 1960s in its simplicity. And there's that whistler dude James Carter who'll be so dominant on Side Two of the next album (Places and Spaces). Otherwise, this is really just a classic soul/DooWap tune on which the alto sax takes the place of the human voice. Donald must be feeling really nostalgic. (8.66667/10)

C2. "I Love The Girl" (3:53) piano and gentle percussion instruments open this before the band engages in some cinematic Burt Bacharach-like music behind James Carter's whistling. When Donald kicks in with his flugelhorn in the second minute it is over some loose funk in which laid back yet playful bass and steady drums amuse beneath Jerry's wildly-adventurous piano play. It's kind of shame that his piano is mixed so far back into the mix cuz it's really entertaining and interesting. (8.75/10)

C3. "You Are The World" (4:29) bongos, timbales, and two fast-strummed rhythm guitar chords repeated over and over precede the "you are the world" male choir pronouncements. Then the music travels into a funkier BARRY WHITE world with piano and wildly flailing wah-wah chord fast-strumming rhythm guitar. This is definitely early Disco. I don't dislike it; it feels so ready for radio! (Especially in Detroit town!) (9/10)

D2. "Design A Nation" (4:21) very pleasant Smooth Jazz with very relaxing vocal choir work, whispered female voice, smooth sax from Gary Bartz, and a great bass-led groove at its foundation. (9/10)

D3. "Makin' It" (3:49) a song with a little more zip and jazz in it despite the funk/R&B presentation. Jew's harp, piano, clavinet, and percussion are key components beneath Donald and Gary's horns. I like the lively spirit of those contribution to the foundation. (9/10)

The master of borrowing riffs and sounds from past masters has been caught: it's no longer working its magic as it once had. Is just my ears or has Chuck Rainey's bass playing (and volume) been curbed or downscaled from the levels and freedoms expressed on the previous album? I think this an unfortunate mistake on the part of both the composer, bandleader, and producers.

Total time: 39:21

88.65 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent album of simplified Jazz-Rock Fusion that finds portents of Disco, Jazz-Funk, and Smooth Jazz in its weaves. 

LONNIE LISTON SMITH & The Cosmic Echoes Renaissance (1976)

The Echoes are crumbling: falling into the allure and trappings of the more commercially-successful but soulless musics of Earth, Wind & Fire, Bob James, and Freddie Hubbard. The recording and release of the music that reached Renaissance was supervised by Bob Thiele on behalf of RCA Records all within the calendar year 1976.

Line-up/Musicians:

- Gene Bertoncini / Acoustic Guitar
- Al Anderson / Bass
- Leon Pendarvis / Clavinet
- Lawrence Killian / Congas
- Wilby Fletcher / Drums
- David Hubbard / Flute, Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone
- Donald Smith / Flute, Vocals
- Guilherme Franco / Percussion
- Lonnie Liston Smith / Piano [Acoustic], Electronics [Electronic Colorations]

 - Ken Bichel / Synthesizer [Moog]

A1. "Space Lady" (6:40) great heavily-processed electric bass coupled with the clavinet and keyboard-generated electronic bass. Lonnie has definitely mastered the strings (must be a new keyboard he's using to generate them). Flute, saxophone and Fender Rhodes are exemplary at adding the smooth textures while the song remains totally grounded in Jazz-Funk. Brilliant! (9.25/10)

A2. "Mardi Gras (Carnival)" (6:02) raucous celebratory music so fittingly titled. Here Lonnie moves back to his acoustic piano while the percussion team and rhythm section hold fast to a Latin motif start to finish. Great energy and, of course, get-up-and-dance motivation. Nice contributions from the flutes, too. (8.875/10)

A3. "Starlight And You" (5:21) rich, chorused Fender Rhodes with airy flute and percussives open this before the bass, drums, and synth strings set up a gentle NORMAN CONNORS-like motif for Donald Smith to sing over. The problem comes in that Donald is singing a sexy love song--something that feels icky/uncomfortable for we the listener after all of his hymns to the Sun, the Moon, the Earth, and the Cosmos. Plus, the song has less jazz pinions and more pop-Soul/R&B foundations than anything I've heard before from Lonnie and the Echoes. (8.66667/10)

B1. "Mongotee" (5:44) back to some jazz-funk with percussion, bass and sax-and-flute providing the grist to the motif. Lonnie's synth strings take over the lead in the third minute, showing his skill at arranging and conducting for an orchestra. (8.75/10)  

B2. "A Song Of Love" (4:05) the band tries returning to their more universal themes of praise and gratitude within a song that feels like the band has finally gone fully over to the making of Easy Listening Elevator music. It's good--for that genre--but it just feels so strongly as if it is loosing its jazz-soul to something more commercially-oriented--as if the band is more invested in getting something out for the sales and radio play than the expression of their inner longings and spiritually-elevating mission. (8.75/10)

B3. "Between Here And There" (2:36) Lonnie soloing on his heavily-treated Fender Rhodes. Loveley. (4.5/5)

B4. "Renaissance" (4:53) A high-quality soul/R&B song more akin to the pop-successful music of Earth, Wind & Fire, Rick James, or Steely Dan--complete with female background vocalists. The band has lost their center: allowed it to drop from the heart and third eye to the pelvis. And Donald! I commend your past commitment to the attainment of higher planes while worrying about the giving in to the temptations of the carnal world. (8.75/10)

Total Time: 35:34

Too much of this album is dedicated to showing off Lonnie's new found string synthesizer--and the skill he has at working orchestral strings arrangements into his music. 

88.53 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a collection of very nice, smooth easy listening songs bordering on pop directed. Maybe Lonnie was converted by the success Earth Wind & Fire had with their cover of his own song, "Reasons."  

THE BRECKER BROTHER The Brecker Brothers (1975)

Though they'd been trumpeting around NYC since the late 60s, this was the brass brothers' first attempt at leading their own band. The result is one of the early examples of what I call the Second Wave of the Jazz-Rock Fusion movement. The material for the brothers' debut band as bandleaders was recorded in New York City in January of 1975 at Todd Rundgren and Moogy Klingman's Secret Sound Studio and then released in April by Arista. 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Randy Brecker / trumpet, electric trumpet, flugelhorn, vocals (8), composer, arranger & producer
- Michael Brecker / tenor sax
With:
- Bob Mann / guitar
- Don Grolnick / keyboards
- David Sanborn / alto sax
- Will Lee / bass, vocals (5)
- Harvey Mason / drums
- Christopher Parker /drums (5)
- Ralph MacDonald / percussion

1. "Some Skunk Funk" (5:50) with its horn section opening and funk play from the rhythm section this song sounds a lot like something from a Steve Wonder album of the same period (next year's Songs in the Key of Life, in particular). The horn arrangements are rather impressive, perhaps even unusual, while the play of the rhythm section is top notch funk and brothers Michael and Randy spew forth some pretty awesome, R&B-funky solos on their respective horns (as does 30-year old David Sanborn--who is here still fairly early in his long and esteemed career). While high on the funk and jazz scales, this one lacks the melodic hooks necessary to make it more memorable. (9/10)

2. "Sponge" (4:05) organ chords, cymbal taps and snare snaps with heavily wah-wah-ed electric bass open this one before the tightly synchronized horn section and keys join in. Funk is oozing from this song as Randy's trumpet amicably duels with Don Grolnick's Odyssey Strings synth. The tight horn bank motif continues to pop up between the soloist's "verses"--one of which is given to Will Lee's very funky bass. (8.875/10)

3. "A Creature Of Many Faces" (7:41) opening with some "older"-sounding horn charts, the song then surprises with a turn down Smooth Jazz Lane. Wah-wah-ed bass and rhythm guitar accompany the horn and keyboard synth on a rather insipid and very vanilla-melodied pop construct. The solos (alto and tenor saxes, trumpet, electric guitar) are also rather tame in a Herb Alpert kind of way: I mean, you can tell the players are skilled, but they've chosen to go for easy-listening melodies and hooks rather than test the proletariat brain of the masses with more complex lines. I get a frequent flood of acrid taste whenever the band congeals for its Burt Bacharach-like bridges between the solos--which is weird cuz I used to adore the horn arrangements on Burt Bacharach and Fifth Dimension songs as well as all those schlocky television show theme songs of the late Sixties and early Seventies. (13.125/15)

4. "Twilight" (5:44) cinematic horn section melody opens this one before Will and Ralph MacDonald's Latin percussion take us down a speeding highway, but then the whole band slips into what feels like a Matrix-like state slow motion. These two seemingly incompatible motifs continue to alternate over the course of the entire song, the faster one (with some very impressive bass, drum, and percussion play) allowing space for soloists like Dave Sanborn and Bob Mann to try to shine. In the end, the two very different motifs sour me. (8.75/10)

5. "Sneakin' Up Behind You" (4:54) just hearing those electronic percussion sounds of the Disco era activates my PTSD. And then, put on top of it, the AVERAGE WHITE BAND/RUFUS/TAVARES-like group vocals and you really get me wandering into a wormhole. This would've been a very popular song in the Disco's at the time (even later as this was 1975: quite early from full-fledged Disco music.) It jsut doesn't stand up as well 50 years later. (8.875/10)

6. "Rocks" (4:38) the funk here feels rather diminished by the constant injection of bursts from the CHICAGO-like big band jazz horn arrangements. When the soloists (Dave Sanborn and Michael Brecker, dueling) play, the horn section goes quiet, and these are the best parts of the song. The arrangements and performances are super-impressive but they don't always register very high on the enjoyment scale. (8.75/10)

7. "Levitate" (4:32) gentle, plaintive reverbed-trumpet opens this with minimal support coming from Don Grolnick's Fender Rhodes and Ralph MacDonald's electronic percussion "water drips." In the second minute spacious bass and drum play and horn section support join in, but the song proceeds as a very gentle, doleful and introspective late-night performance. Randy is so gifted. The song is amazing if not quite as engaging as one might expect (or hope for). (8.875/10)

8. "Oh My Stars" (3:14) a smooth Yacht Rock type of jazz-rock pop song with Randy singing the lead vocals in a kind of MICHAEL FRANKS-like voice. Nice Yacht Rock accompaniment and solos from all. Had Randy's voice been a little better--more experienced--this might have been an Adult Contemporary radio hit. (8.875/10)

9. "D.B.B." (4:46) some smooth jazz with very lightning fast and complex horn section accents and a pre-Disco beat. Saxophone takes the first solo. (I believe it is Dave Sanborn on his Alto.) Nice performances from one of jazz-rock fusion's stellar rhythm duos in drummer Harvey Mason and bassist Will Lee. Randy takes the next solo with an electronically-treated trumpet (called his "electric trumpet")--backed nicely by Bob Mann's active rhythm guitar. (8.875/10)

Total Time 43:24

1975. This just feels so early for both Disco and Smooth Jazz, but I cannot deny it: They're both here on this album! Luckily, so are the incredible skills and prime funk. 

88.42 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent example of some of the earliest Adult Contemporary Smooth Jazz despite its complex horn section performances. Recommended for any of you fans of the more commercial, radio-friendly side of late 70s Jazz-Rock Fusion. 

MICHAL URBANIAK Urbaniak (1977)

Recorded at Powerplay Studios, Zurich, Switzerland, and Secret Sound Studios, New York City in August 1977, this is the second of the two albums Michal and Urzula would make for Joachim Berendt, the famous advocate of Polish jazz music.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Michal Urbaniak / Violin, Lyricon

- Urszula Dudziak / Vocals, percussion, synthesizer

- R. Anthony Bunn / Bass

- Kenny Kirkland / Piano, Synthesizers

- Lurenda Featherstone / Drums

- Zbigniew Namysłowski / Saxophone

A1. "Tie Breaker" (7:03) it might be Smooth Jazz but it's definitely back to Michal's sophisticated, well-composed, multi-layered tapestry-making. (Thank god!) (13.375/15)

A2. "Strife" (6:13) a little more smooth, simple, and straightforward than I'd like to hear (sounding more like something from Joe Sample or his [Jazz] Crusaders or some of Jean-Luc Ponty's simple stuff from 1979-82) at least the sound isn't overly compressed and the musicians can be clearly, cleanly distinguished. Weird to hear Urszula singing out of time with the other melody makers (especially Zbigniew Namysłowski's saxophone). That's a first! Nice drumming and keyboard play. (8.875/10)

A3. "Mountaineers" (4:00) another unusually less-sophisticated, more-spacious weave from Michal that hits all of the radio-friendly buttons but falls short of anything propelling Jazz-Rock Fusion into anything that a future conveyance of background/elevator music. A lot of similarities to the music coming from STEELY DAN at around the same time (Aja and even previewing 1980's Gaucho). (8.75/10)

A4. "Weird Creatures" (7:03) another very simple funk-lite weave that seems like such a watered down version of Michal's former compositional skill and genius. Nice performance from drummer Lurenda Featherstone. Interesting to hear Michal's Lyricon mixed between a real live sax, a sax-like synth, and Ula's treated vocalese. (13.25/15)

B1. "Jasmine Lady" (8:22) Ula's gentle vocalizations here predate some of Bobby McFerrin's stylings  from the 1980s--here presented within a gentle Caribbean-lite JAY BECKENSTEIN/ SPYRO GYRA-like smooth jazz weave--even moving toward choral presentation of the song title using words! How Bob James-like! Zbigniew Namysłowski's smooth DAVE SANBORN-like sax seems to get most of the spotlight on this one--which is okay cuz he's rather good. Michal's murky electric violin gets its first really distinctive solo spot in the fifth and sixth minutes as the rhythm section soothes and lulls us with its JEAN-LUC PONTY "I Only Feel Good With You"-like motif from below. As corny as parts of this are (which was all the rage at the time and for some time thereafter) this is the best, most complete and satisfying song on the album. I just noticed the attempt to incorporate something into the main melody that might sound Asian/Oriental: cringe-worthy--big fail! (18/20)

B2. "Always Ready" (7:08) Michal's soaring electric violin over richly-chorused Fender Rhodes electric piano opens this one for the first 1:40 before poorly plucked electric bass tries to initiate and introduce the main motif for the rest of the song. I don't really like the cheesy electric percussion sounds Ula is playing but am glad to hear her African-style scatting take the lead in the fourth minute. Michal is next up for the spotlight, playing his electric violin with the note-bending melodic sensibilities of both Jean-Luc Ponty and Hugh Marsh. The best lines in the song seem to be coming from Kenny Kirkland's Fender Rhodes. (13/15)

B3. "Stray Sheep" (5:08) an odd four-part suite that opens with another simplified smooth jazz piece that actually sounds more like something created for a television theme song or as an advertising jingle. After a minute of this motif, the band switches gear and puts their head down to try to create a solid cruising groove over which Zbigniew Namysłowski's sax gets some significant time to solo. The problem is that this rhythm track is quite lame--thin and almost aggravating. At 3:20 we switch again, this time quite radically, into a nice little syncopated jazz swing, over which Michal solos on his violin with beautiful charm and smoothosity. The song then ends with some kind of weird attempt at the employment/usurpation of some kind of Scottish drinking melody and sound palette. Weird. Some parts are embarrassing, some actually kind of nice. (8.666667/10)

Total time: 45:10

88.33 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a step up from their other 1977 release, Smiles Ahead, but still a step down from the masterful music and compositions Michal was creating in the first six years of the decade. Recommended but more for fans of Jazz-Rock Fusion who can tolerate the movement's degraded descent into Easy Listening/Smooth Jazz.  

IL BARICENTRO Sconcerto (1976)

Il Baricentro was an Italian band from Bari whose previous incarnation was FESTA MOBILE. Their album Sconcerto was recorded in Roma in December or 1975 and January of 1976 at Chantalain Studio and then released later in 1976 by EMI Records.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Francesco Boccuzzi / keyboards, guitars, percussion
- Vanni Boccuzzi / keyboards, percussion
- Tonio Napolitano / bass, percussion
- Piero Mangini / drums, percussion

1. "Sconcerto" (4:58) using a sound and instrumental palette that definitely comes from the more electronically-enhanced Third Wave of Jazz-Rock Fusion, the band jumps right into a smoother RETURN TO FOREVER-like groove grounded in some nice funky bass and clavinet with solid near-Disco fusion drumming. The Fender Rhodes solo in the third is quite good, reminding me a bit of the work of both DONALD FAGEN and JOE SAMPLE. I love the use of harpsichord in the latter half but the highlight for me is definitely the bass. (9/10)

 
2. "Lido Bianco" (10:04) the longest song on the album, it starts out with some pastoral/faerie synth sounds and wind chime like percussion before synth and harpsichord-like synth bring in chords and melody. Piano and a whole host of other keyboard sounds take over in the third minute. At the three-minute mark the drums and bass slowly, almost trepidatiously enter, slowly establishing a somewhat Billy Preston-like synthetic funk over which a Casiotone-sounding synth solos. This goes on for a couple minutes before the band eschews this motif for a more pregnant military one over which fluid piano and more deliberate synth solo in different channels at the same time (the piano more in the background). At the very end of the sixth minute the rhythm section and guitarist show signs of wanting to break into something more power-oriented. A minute later, they kind of convince the rest to do so but then it is sidetracked by an insistence to chaos and cacophony--which sets the band up for a reset. The new motif is more pensive and deliberate with cinematic melody and undertones. Overall, the song is nothing to really write home about--and made less so by the almost-cheesy synth and keyboard sounds employed (not to mention the poor sound rendering of such). (17.25/20)

3. "Meridioni E Paralleli" (6:15) pregnant jazzy-prog with some CAMEL-, SPYRO GYRA-, and PASSPORT-like instrument sounds and melody-making. It's nice but it's definitely more Smooth Jazz than Jazz Fusion. (8.875/10)

4. "Afka" (6:11) funky clavinet opens this with drummer and percussionist trying to make something of the odd syncopation being elicited from the keyboard lead. Eventually it all begins to make sense, everybody gets in line, to provide a rather fascinating and fun percussive event. Fender Rhodes adds its chords and flourishes to the fore and we have a nicely-filled song over which solos can occur. The first one is a lyricon (Tom Scott)-sounding synth. The song really grows on you despite the fact that it feels like it should be the theme song to some 1970s television show. Plus, the sound engineering on this is wonderfully done. (9/10)

5. "Pietre Di Luna" (4:29) rich and warm keyboard play from both Boccuzzi brothers at the some time. (It sounds MIDI-ed but I don't think MIDI was a thing back then). The song forms and twists and turns--especially dynamically--giving it a kind of BOB JAMES feel: at times melodic and pretty, at others jazz-like. I like the way this band uses (and is fond of) syncopation. (8.75/10)

6. "Della Venis" (4:16) another gentle, melodic, and smooth electric piano intro (recorded in a very dated sounding mute effect) is soon joined by second keyboard playing a smooth-horn-like synth, interweaving with the increasingly active Stevie Wonder/Joe Vannelli-like keyboard play of the other brother. Some cymbal play from drummer Piero Mangini is the only other contribution to this rather pretty, almost gut-wrenching song. The future of some New Age music makers? (8.875/10)

7. "Comunque... (Todo Modo)" (5:27) bass and clavinet team up with Fender Rhodes and drums to debut a more rockin' funk piece--one that goes the way of quirk and pop-sentiments the further the song travels.  More impressive and whimsical keyboard play from the piano player while the other brother sticks to his Smooth Jazz Fender Rhodes. Bassist Tonio Napolitano gets some well-deserved time in the spotlight in the fourth and fifth minutes before settling into a heavy funk-disco pattern for the final motif. Interesting but a little too loose and uncentered to be believed. (8.75/10)

Total Time: 41:40

One of the Boccuzzi brothers (Francesco) is listed as the guitar player, but this album is really dominated by the two acting as keyboard players--something they do very well, very beautifully.

88.125 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a very nice addition of Fourth Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion to the prog lover's music collection. If you're not a fan of Smooth Jazz, you may not be inclined to like this one more than as elevator music. 

CASIOPEA Super Flight (1979)

The Japanese band's sophomore album--released in the same year as their debut but feeling quite different.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Issei Noro / electric guitar, fretless guitar, arrangements
- Minoru Mukaiya / keyboard, organ, pedal bass, synthesizers, vocoder (2, 5, 8), string arrangement (1)
- Tetsuo Sakurai / bass guitar, fretless bass
- Takashi Sasaki / drums
With:
- Kanya Kazama / backup drums
- Penny Itoh / percussion
- Debrah Correll / vocals (7)
- Jun Fukamachi / conducting, horn arrangement (9)
- Koji Hatori / trumpet (9)
- Toshio Araki / trumpet (9)
- Eiji Arai / trombone (9)
- Jake H. Concepcion / alto saxophone (9)
- Takeru Maruaoka / tenor saxophone (9)
- Shunzo Sunahara / baritone saxophone (9)
- Masatoshi Maeda / strings

1. "Take Me" (4:19) sounds like a song by JOE SAMPLE or TOTO's "Georgy Porgy." (8.75/10)

2. "Flying" (4:51) incredible bass play beneath syrupy Yacht Rock/Smooth Jazz. I'm not liking the new tone that the electric guitarist is using. (8.75/10)

3. "Dune" (4:51) a slowed down variation on/version of JOE SAMPLE's "Midnight and Mist" from his 1979 album, Carmel. (8.75/10)

4. "Asayake" (5:05) competent but does little to engage me. (8.75/10)

5. "I Love New York" (4:08) anthemic song with vocoder lyrics. Could've been a R&B radio hit. (8.875/10)

6. "Sailing Alone" (4:41) another melodic BOB JAMES-like Smooth Jazzer that feels a bit too familiar. (8.75/10) 

7. "Olion" (3:20) now here we have some high-powered Jazz-Rock Fusion in the RTF J-LP tradition! Great song with some astounding individual performances. (9.25/10)

8. "Magic Ray" (4:42) like a late 1970s cover of some syrupy/romantic radio hit. (8.5/10)

9. "Mighty Mouse" (3:09) disco funk jazz with some excellent structure, synchronization, and horn support but it's still sounding more and more like Florida lounge jazz. (8.75/10)

Total Time 39:06

The band's slide further into the realm of Smooth Jazz renders this album far inferior to their debut--this despite continued great compositional skill and virtuosic musicianship.

87.92 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a very nice exhibition of instrumental mastery given away to Smooth Jazz.

LEB I SOL Leb I Sol (1978)

I've been waiting a long time to write reviews of this Macedonian band's albums even though I felt an immediate attraction to and affinity for their music when I first discovered them sox months ago.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Vlatko Stefanovski / guitar, vocals
- Nikola Dimusevski / keyboards
- Bodan Arsovski / bass
- Garabet Tavitijan / drums

1. "Devetka" (4:30) opening with guitarist Vlatko Stefanovski introducing the song's main melody a couple of times with minimal support from the rest of the band before he pauses a little to allow the rhythmatists to establish the main weave. When Vlatko starts back up he has the support of a funky weave from bassist Bodan Arsovski, drummer Garabet Tavitijan, and keyboardist Nikola Dimusevski who is multi-tasking with both clavinet and Fender Rhodes. Sadly, the song is faded out after only four minutes: it feels as if they're just getting started! Also, too bad the drums are mixed into the background. (9/10)

2. "Pod vodom" (4:58) a fast-movin' romp with some high speed Mahavishnu Orchestra/RTF-like soloing being traded between Vlatko and Nikola's MiniMoog. The funky bass is steady and in tandem with Nikola's supportive Fender Rhodes chords while the drums seem buried in the mix--given no electric boost. Still, very impressive musicianship. (9.25/10)

3. "Utrinska tema" (3:20) a gentler song that is set up to fully support Vlatko's plaintive Stevie Wonder-like vocal. At 2:15 a Carole King piano riff establishes the base for some fiery electric guitar soloing, which, again, sadly, is faded out rather than let play. (8.75/10)

4. "Kokoska" (5:00) opening with a show of drumming skill, Garabet gets much more notice when the other instruments are not present to drown him back into the background, but he's no Billy Cobham or Tony Williams. The rest of the band begins to make themselves known after about 90 seconds, establishing a poppy, almost-Disco jam before actually going Disco from the 2:30 mark on. The back-and-forth bounce between Garabet's two-step drum pattern and Nikola's clavinet support the fiery display of Vlatko's electric guitar, which leads the band through several sytlistic shifts before coming to a clean ending. Impressive play though not my favorite kind of song. (8.75/10)

5. "Nisam tvoj" (3:20) another watered down piece for the support of a pretty vocal performance (with some very nice harmony work from the background vocalists), there is a little keyboard soloing in the spaces between Vlatko's verses but otherwise this is not really a song meant to impress the jazz, rock, or jazz-rock fusion communities. (8.5/10)

6. "U senci" (3:44) an instrumental that plays out more like a hard-charging rock song despite its occasional Weather Report-like jazz sound palette. The drum and bass play here is two rudimentary though Garrabet's fills are impressive. (8.66667/10)

7. "Cudo za tri dana" (2:50) another simple song construct set up to support a vocal. I must admit that Vlatko's voice is very pleasant. He also has a gift for choosing melodies that are "Western" enough to easily pass through my nervous system, that is, to not sing in musical scales and melodies more typical to his native people's musical traditions. (8.75/10)

8. "Pesma o sonji H..." (5:09) a gentle Smooth Jazz instrumental that feels like something out of the Weather Report wheelhouse. Uncredited pan flute (or perhaps its just a keyboard), acoustic piano, and gentle jazz electric guitar lead the way in establishing the gentle melodies over the simple and spacious rhythm track. Nice but nothing to write home about. (8.666667/10)

9. "Damar" (3:28) Upbeat Smooth Jazz that sounds like The Allman Brothers joining forces with The Crusaders. Once again I hear impressive performances from the guitar and keyboards built over fairly rudimentary rhythm lines. (8.75/10)

Total Time: 36:16

After listening to this album a couple of times I remain unconvinced that Leb I Sol's drummer and bass player are in the same league as Nikola Dimusevski and Vlatko Stefanovski. What these two might be capable of with a rhythm section of true virtuosi.  

 87.87 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent display of Jazz-Rock Fusion's transition from its Third to Fourth Waves: the move from skillful fire and funky brimstone into the radio-friendly pop melody making of Smooth Jazz.

MARTIN KRATOCHVÍL AND JAZZ Q Zvesti (1978)

Martin Kratochvíl and company are experimenting with new sounds and simpler, more melody-oriented styles.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Martin Kratochvíl / piano, Rhodes, Minimoog D, ARP Omni, ARP 2 600
- Lubos Andrst / acoustic & electric guitars
- Premysl Faukner / bass
- Jirí Helesic / drums
- Jan Martinec / soprano saxophone (1,8)

1. "Klekánice" (6:20) some interesting multi-scenic cinematic music opens this with guitarist Lubos Andrst getting some extended solo time in the second and third minutes on his acoustic guitar. At 2:40, then, the band suddenly bursts forward into fourth gear, racing smoothly down a country highway, occasionally slowing down with an oft-repeated bridge in order to negotiate turns on the road. Then, at 4:20, the band stops with a really weird change in motif which turns out only to be a different bridge (maybe a covered bridge), but then it launches right back into the fourth gear motif for some proficient electric guitar work. An okay and interesting start to the album. At least this one's true Jazz-Rock Fusion.(8.875/10)

2. "Vzkřísení" (5:15) opens with a little BOB JAMES-like feel and sound before Lubos' bluesy electric guitar steers us into an unexpected direction. But it's Martin Kratochvíl's synth (MiniMoog D) that takes the real first lead: eschewing melody for the selected sound's ghostly effect while the rest of the band maintains the rock-solid three-chord foundation. At 3:38 Lubos bursts in again, trying to re-assert the fact that this is really supposed to be a blues-rock song. But then Martin takes the next solo on his Fender Rhodes. Some very interesting elements to this song but, in the end, it's just not anything very memorable. (8.75/10)

3. "Slépěj" (5:30) guitar leading straightaway over Fender Rhodes and the rest of the band, here they are obviously trying to deliver a "pop" like melody--one with memorable hooks in it--and they are pretty successful. I love Premysl Faukner's free and undisciplined bass play throughout. And Martin gois into some of the most jazzy keyboard play he uses on the whole album. Lubos' electric guitar play is wonderfully nuanced: He even goes through some fiery John McLaughlin and melodic Santana imitations before he stops. Definitely a top three song for me. (9.125/10)

4. "Jinotaj" (4:30) Martin's piano (electric but on its most "acoustic" setting) is joined by his MiniMoog, setting forth a slow-paced motif with long, sustained note play from the synth lead. Synth strings join in the second minute as the MiniMoog continues its explorations. Jazzy chord progression from the piano in the third minute leads to a temporary key change, and then back down to something lower for the fourth minute. Interesting. Almost a lullaby. Almost a nocturne or ballad. (8.75/10)

5. "Třísť" (4:30) two melody lines coming from guitar and Fender Rhodes create a dreamy weave that is then joined by the rest of the band with Martin adding the MiniMoog to the slow-and-steady rock and roll palette. Lubos takes the first extended solo. (8.75/10)

6. "Korouhvička" (4:30) high registers of two synthesizers playing fast arpeggios give the opening the sound of a flock of birds chirpping around. Guitar, bass, cymbals begin to add their slow melodic notes to the mix, then one of Martin's keyboards peels off to try to lead, but the big reveal of structured music comes at 2:27 with a surprising blues-based motif--which lasts less than a minute before the musicians back off, returning to the roosting birds motif of the first two minutes. Weird. (8.666667/10)

7. "Krůpěj" (4:50) more shlock and surprisingly simplistic music and syrupy melodies. I do like the weird effect given the bass. (8.75/10)

8. "Větroplach" (7:25) bass and MiniMoog open this one, as in "Tríst", making a two-melody weave. ARP strings join in support of Premusl and then chorused Fender Rhodes before the drums and full keyboard complement join in during the second minute. Again Martin and the leads are trying to create melodies that are pretty and memorable, but they err a bit too much on the side of pretty, sounding often like Spyro Gyra smooth jazz. A Steely Dan-like tangent is taken in the third minute as Jan Martinec's soprano sax returns for the second appearance on the album. Still, the chord progressions and support melodies are just too melodic: they've sacrificed rhythmic creativity (even Jirí Helsic's nuanced drum play) for "prettiness." (13/15)

Total Time 42:50

The sound choices and musical style choices made by the band do not work for me: the former is too experimental and rushed into, the latter too simplistic and easy--and the melodies are just too simple. Plus, there's just something weird about the overall sound engineering. The band's exploration of the possibilities of Jazz-Rock Fusion has only resulted in some middle-of-the road Smooth Jazz. 

87.84 on the Fishscales = B-/3.5 stars; while exploring a lot of interesting ideas with a lot of interesting sounds, the songs on this album are very inconsistent in style, complexity, and sound quality. Not the best Jazz Q album to start with.