In this post I've tried to collect a few of the significant events that happened in the year 1969 in the progression toward making the experimental trend of trying to fuse Jazz and Rock 'n' Roll into its own genre of music. The jazz musicians wanted to try all the latest technologies--especially the advances in electrification and sound treatments of keyboards, guitars, and basses--while the rock and blues-rock bands were keen to incorporate horns and complex rhythms and high-skilled instrumental play into their music. 1969 was a pivotal year in that some of jazz's old guard and plenty of blues and rock's more adventurous spirits were ready to fully embrace this new marriage, to try to fuse the two modalities into one distinguishable form and sound.
Often cited as the greatest debut rock 'n' roll album ever produced, I am not going to be one who disagrees; I am simply one who is not interested enough in the discussion to want to participate. It was recorded at London's Olympic Studios in September and October of 1968 and then released by Atlantic Records on January 13, 1969.
1. "Good Times, Bad Times" (2:46) great opening, guitar and drums, and verses; poor chorus. (9.25/10)
2. "Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You" (6:41) excellent bluesy singing from frontman Robert Plant over Jimmy Page's acoustic guitar work that builds to the explosive instrumental rock motif that bursts into the history books with the chorus. And then it turns into that five chord downward progression jam! Who could ask for more!? Without doubt or hesitation, this is one of the all-time great rock songs. (9.75/10)
3. "You Shook Me" (6:28) where Jimmy Page tries to out-Jeff Beck Jeff Beck. (It takes him multiple tracks). Robert's efforts to mimic and even go beyond Page's masterful guitar play is stunning. And then Jimmy takes a turn trying to mimic/top Plant! So cool! Even John Paul Jones' Hammond solo and Robert's harmonica solo are noteworthy, but it's Jimmy's solos that steal the show. (9.6667/10)
4. "Dazed And Confused" (6:26) more descending chord blues-rock that has never been my favorite but definitely is full of classic hooks and riffs and many subtleties that surprise and astonish with each and every listen. (9/10)
5. "Your Time Is Gonna Come" (4:34) an awesomely unexpected organ opening minute that sounds almost church processional turns ALLMAN BROTHERS-like folk-rock in the second minute despite Robert Plant's bluesy vocal. Very cool song that I do not remember from my hundreds of listens as a youth (which illustrates the fact that I either skipped this song or rarely played Side Two). (8.875/10)
6. "Black Mountain Side" (2:05) an two-channel acoustic guitar piece that finds accompaniment from Viram Jasani's tabla. (8.75/5)
7. "Communication Breakdown" (2:27) sounds more like a predecessor of all the curt metal and punk songs from the middle and late 70s (including Thin Lizzy and AC-DC). (8.66667/10)
8. "I Can't Quit You Baby" (4:42) one of the theme songs from the coming of age film, Brokeback Mountain (j/k) Actually based on a music model that was created by Carol Kaye and The Wrecking Crew when working on Sonny & Cher's hit "The Beat Goes On": a walking bass line that is syncopated and thrown out of its standardly linear form, the band go on to embellish and aggrandize the sound with lots of power sounds. Robert's vocal is fine but it's really the extended instrumental section that is the song's highlight. (9/10)
9. "How Many More Times" (8:28) a long, drawn out song that, for me, shows flaws in John Bonham's drumming skillset and diversity while allowing Jimmy Page ample room for exploration and experimentation. Unfortunately, however, at this point in the Led Zeppelin listening journey I am simple tired and worn out from the blues music and shrill Robert Plant vocals. (17.5/20)
Total Time 44:37
Though every video I've ever seen capturing Jimmy Page's live performances has left me totally convinced that the "guitar god" is horribly over-rated, the performances on this album definitely impress me. This may be a perfect album but, unfortunately, this (and the blues in general) is not (nor has it ever been) my favorite kind of music.
B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of blues-rock music that certainly sets the bar high for future hard rockin' bands.
CHICAGO Chicago Transit Authority (released in April)
The debut album from the group that took its name from its hometown, they consisted of seven founding members who would stay together without any changes in their lineup through the next ten years and eleven studio albums (one a "greatest hits" album) until the tragic death of singer-guitarist Terry Kath (one of Jimi Hendrix's most respected and studied guitarists) in January of 1978. CTA was recorded at CBS' studios on 52nd Street in New York in late January of 1969 with Columbia releasing it on April 28.
- Terry Kath / electric & acoustic guitars, lead (1,9,12) & backing vocals
- Robert Lamm / piano, Wurlitzer, Hammond, Hohner pianet, maracas, lead (2-11) & backing vocals
- Lee Loughnane / trumpet, claves, backing vocals
- James Pankow / trombone, cowbell, brass arrangements
- Walter Parazaider / saxophones, tambourine, backing vocals
- Peter Cetera / bass, lead (4,9,11) & backing vocals, agogo bells
- Daniel Seraphine / drums, percussion
LP 1
Side One ("The Jazz-Rock Fusion Side")
1. "Introduction" (6:35) a mostly-instrumental song that does exactly what the title says: introducing the band and its complex, multi-layered Jazz-Rock Fusion orientation. The displays of time signatures, variety of mood motifs, with some very complex layering and stellar individual performances fully demonstrate the virtuosity of the collective which, then, reflects on the talents of all of the individuals as well. For me it's the playing of drummer Daniel Seraphine, bass player Peter Cetera, and trombonist James Pankow that really stand out. The septet is so tight! Absolutely brilliant! What an album opener! (9.75/10)
1. "Introduction" (6:35) a mostly-instrumental song that does exactly what the title says: introducing the band and its complex, multi-layered Jazz-Rock Fusion orientation. The displays of time signatures, variety of mood motifs, with some very complex layering and stellar individual performances fully demonstrate the virtuosity of the collective which, then, reflects on the talents of all of the individuals as well. For me it's the playing of drummer Daniel Seraphine, bass player Peter Cetera, and trombonist James Pankow that really stand out. The septet is so tight! Absolutely brilliant! What an album opener! (9.75/10)
2. "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?" (4:35) Robert Lamm's jazzy solo lounge piano in the opening 75 seconds is definitely misleading for what is to come. What a big, anthemic song it becomes! Lee Loughnane's trumpet looms so big over the top! And then there are the timeless lyrics as sung so powerfully by Robert Lamm. (Great b vox, too!) And then, of course, there are the iconic horns. Wow! (9.5/10)
3. "Beginnings" (7:54) one of the best/my favorite J-R Fuse songs of all-time. Terry Kath's acoustic rhythm guitar performance is one of the strongest you'll ever hear. The horns are perfect throughout--even moreso in the closing jam--as is Peter Cetera's rock-solid bass and Daniel Seraphine's drums--but the closing jam's vocal chant and percussion play is so rollicking fun: as infectious as anything Santana ever played on stage! (15/15)
Side Two ("The Blues-Rock Side")
4. "Questions 67 and 68" (5:03) A very cool composition that is, in my opinion, flawed a bit by the incongruity of Terry Kath's dirty-distorted (though dynamic) lead guitar play with the pristine clarity of the piano and vocals of Peter Cetera. The bass and horn blasts are a good match for Terry's lightning guitar runs, and the song, overall, is quite engaging--especially with sections like the "Up, Up and Away" motif in the third minute--but there are inconsistencies. (9/10)
5. "Listen" (3:22) blues rock with Latin percussion arrangement. This song feels as if was written five or six years before and revived for this album as one of the final fillers to make it a double album. One of Robert Lamm's raspy-raunchier vocal performances. The musicians just don't do enough to elevate it to the level established by the first three songs. (8.5/10)
6. "Poem 58" (8:35) interesting that this little-considered song is the band's longest of the first disc of their debut album. Rooted in R&B, Terry Kath, Peter Cetera, and Danny Seraphine set themselves up as a little power trio à la CREAM or the BAND OF GYPSYS so that Terry can show off more of his guitar skills and ideas. I imagine this to be one of the songs to have earned Jimi Hendrix's notice and adulation. At 4:50 the band's palette and orientation changes quite radically as the rhythm section opens up and slows down and the horns join in. Vocals and background vocals take over the foreground for a minute before Terry's searing blues-rock lead moves into the very front of the song while the other instrumentalists maintain their support with a James-Brown-like motif. And to think that, lyrically, this turns out to be a love "poem" just strikes me as odd and incongruous. (There is a little incongruity and unaddressed, even subliminal, conflict within several of the Chicago songs.) (17.5/20)
LP 2
LP 2
Side One ("Terry Kath's Side")
7. "Free Form Guitar" (6:47) I was always fascinated by this song in my early teens: first of all for its experimental sound(s), but also for the fact that a band and record company would allow a song like this to A) be recorded, B) be considered for representation on an album to be published, and B) finally included on the internationally-published and marketed vinyl product. The cajones! Musically, this is mostly listenable as a curio, a time-capsule representation of the skills and technological experimentation and capacity available in 1968-69. (13/15)
7. "Free Form Guitar" (6:47) I was always fascinated by this song in my early teens: first of all for its experimental sound(s), but also for the fact that a band and record company would allow a song like this to A) be recorded, B) be considered for representation on an album to be published, and B) finally included on the internationally-published and marketed vinyl product. The cajones! Musically, this is mostly listenable as a curio, a time-capsule representation of the skills and technological experimentation and capacity available in 1968-69. (13/15)
8. "South California Purples" (6:11) I got to know and love this song because I played this side of CTA to death: I LOVED "I'm a Man," was fascinated by "Free Form Guitar" and really enjoyed the DEEP PURPLE-like simple bass, guitar, and drum pattern and the solos that could be played over and within it. (8.875/10)
9. "I'm A Man" (7:43) an absolutely iconic cover of Steve Winwood's famous song originally released by the Spencer Davis Group in January of 1967. Terry Kath's performances--on both electric guitar and vocal--are nothing short of ground-breaking--and the percussion work, organ, and background vocal performances are not far behind. (14/15)
Side Two ("The Political Side")
10. "Prologue (August 29, 1968)" (0:58) Led by the famous "The whole world is watching" crowd chant from the Democratic National Convention hosted by the city of Chicago in 1968, the band then tries to make sense of the events through song and lyric with the following song.
10. "Prologue (August 29, 1968)" (0:58) Led by the famous "The whole world is watching" crowd chant from the Democratic National Convention hosted by the city of Chicago in 1968, the band then tries to make sense of the events through song and lyric with the following song.
11. Someday (August 29, 1968)" (4:11) The band's processing of the events of the crowd demonstrations at the Democratic National Convention in 1968. (8.75/10)
12. "Liberation" (14:38) the album's longest song, 7:45 of it is a power rock guitar jam, the second part turns more bluesy but that ninth minute seems to revert into a vehicle for more of Terry Kath's free-form guitar --or at least it threatens to do so: this time the rest of the band members are right on board with Terry, presenting their own creative sounds to try to match or support Terry's acid-psych tripping. Then, from 11:30, the music breaks down into very lovely gentle blues-rock jam. (Is this where some of Dutch band FOCUS got their ideas?) I love the genuine emotion of Terry's "Thank you, People" before the frenetic Chuck Berry finale. (26.333333/30)
Total Time: 76:36
This album had/has such a different feel than any/all other Chicago albums (even the half-jazzy VII or the avant/RIO II); it is a true collection of experimental/progressive songs--many of which are on the jazz-rock side of the spectrum. From start to finish each song is testing boundaries, pushing composers' and performer's limits. The fact that radio play was achieved by any of these songs is miraculous cuz they're all long songs (much longer than the proscribed 2-3 minute AM pop standard), yet I heard over half of these songs on the FM radio in my home town of Detroit. (Thank you, WABX!)
The double album's first side is it's most thorough and complex whole-band rendering of some very advanced compositions--truly befitting of the new jazz-and-rock fusion movement. Side Two presents three songs that sound much more representational of an older, more foundational "blues-rock" incarnation of the band. Side Three seems to bend/cater to the band's most experimental member, guitarist Terry Kath. (I think they all understood what a genius they had in the form of Terry.) Side Four seems to allow the band to express the angsty zeitgeist of the Vietnam/Civil Rights/Nixon times. This does not make a fully or even partially perfect "jazz-rock fusion" album, but there are definitely lots of musical elements being fused into this album's whole.
89.45 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; rated up for creativity and sheer guts; a minor masterpiece of early or proto-jazz-rock fusion.
89.45 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; rated up for creativity and sheer guts; a minor masterpiece of early or proto-jazz-rock fusion.
LARRY CORYELL Lady Coryell (recorded in 1968; released either at the end of 1968 or the beginning of 1969)
The first release of Larry's material as a solo artist/bandleader. The album puts on display not only his roots, but some of his dreams for where he'd like to try to take music. It also lets people know that here we have a very talented musician/guitarist.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Larry Coryell / guitars, bass, vocals
- Bobby Moses / drums
- Elvin Jones / drums
- Jimmy Garrison / bass (track B1)
1. Herman Wright (3:21) blues rock built around a "House of the Rising Sun"-like style but with more Terry Kath-like vocals and a track (L) devoted entirely to Larry's fuzzed-up guitar and another (R) that appears in the last minute without the fuzz effect. Not a great song but interesting from an historical perspective. (8.6667/10)
2. "Sunday Telephone" (2:28) a Hendrix-like sound palette with lots of wah-wah lead guitar over which Larry sings with a Gregg Allman-like "Midnight Rider" voice. Not bad! (8.875/10)
3. "Two Minute Classical" (2:08) a full-band instrumental that sounds like a kind of a blend of The Who and The Beatles worked off a mathematical arrangement. Nice guitar performances on multiple tracks. (4.625/5)
4." Love Child Is Coming Home" (2:30) here Larry seems to be trying out Bob Dylan. (4.375/5)
5. "Lady Coryell" (6:31) a full band instrumental psychedelic trip into Larry's sex life: a musical expression of a love making episode with his wife. Did Larry help birth "Southern Rock"? Again, lots of tracks devoted to various guitar styles and sounds here--including one that sounds very much like a sitar (!?) (8.875/10)
6. "The Dream Thing" (2:35) this one sounds like an excursion into the history of the electric guitar with Larry using some genius chord progressions in his three tracks of guitar over drums and bass. I like this one very much: you can really feel Larry's genius for guitar jazz. (9.125/10)
7. "Treats Style" (5:42) like being in the bar for a blues-jazz performance--all instrumental, walking bass line, single line of guitar play. Very nice--and nicely recorded and mixed. When he ramps up both his intensity and clarity/precision at the end of the third minute it's almost as if another guitarist has stepped on stage for a solo turn. (The voices in the background throughout make me think of Buddy Guy.) (9/10)
8. "You Don't Know What Love Is" (2:35) acoustic guitar supporting Larry's plaintive lead--sounding here a bit like Chet Atkins (from a mastery of the melody play--excepting the fact that Chet would play both parts on one guitar, in one track, in one take.) Well done. And pretty! (9/10)
9. "Stiff Neck" (7:12) jazzy R&B drums from Elvin Jones with a jazz- and rock-directed electric guitar playing solo over the top. Elvin is so precise--despite being so syncopated--that his playing sounds as if it were digitally looped. Larry's free-form play, relying on his sound effects as much as his playing dexterity, in the sixth and seventh lends itself toward a psychedelic categorization bordering on that which would become called "heavy metal." (13.25/15)
10. "Cleo's Mood" (4:24) a blues rocker with a great blues "hook" and multiple layers of guitars wailing away over the bass and hand drums. Like a room of hungry cats all impatiently decrying the tardiness of their meal. (8.875/10)
Total Time 39:26
B/four stars; an excellent and very solid display of early, or proto-jazz-rock fusion from one of J-R F's earliest and future stars.
February
MILES DAVIS Filles de Kilamanjaro (released on February 5, 1969)
In June of 1968 (June 19-21) Miles Davis returns to the recording studio, recording material that would end up on the album Filles de Kilamanjaro. At Columbia's 30th Street Studio, on the 19th, with newcomers Dave Holland and Chick Corea sitting in for Ron Carter and Herbie Hancock, respectively, they got "Petits machins (Little Stuff)" in the can. On the 20th, with the core Second Quintet, two versions of "Toute de suite (Right Away)" were taped. On the 21st, in Columbia Studio B, "Filles de Kilamanjaro (Girls of Kilamanjaro)" was recorded with the core Quintet. A final song, "Mademoiselle Mabry (Miss Mabry)" was recorded on September 24 with Holland and Corea, again, as a celebration and wedding gift to his bride-to-be, Betty Mabry. (The two were married on September 30). Despite the inputs and presence of "outsiders" Holland and Corea, Filles would be the last studio album released from Miles' "Second Great Quintet."
Line-up / Musicians:
- Miles Davis / trumpet
- Wayne Shorter / tenor saxophone
- Tony Williams / drums
- Ron Carter / bass (A1, A2, B1)
- Herbie Hancock / piano, electric piano (A1, A2, B1)
- Dave Holland / bass (A3, B2)
- Chick Corea / piano, electric piano (A3, B2)
A1. "Frelon Brun (Brown Hornet)" (5:37) the newcomers (Holland and Corea) definitely present some new spice to Miles' music, while Tony seems content to play Tony (as only Tony can) no matter who he sits in with. (He is indomitable.) Meanwhile, Miles and Wayne seem to start out rather cautiously, conservatively, before really allowing themselves to feed off of Tony's controlled mayhem. Dave Holland certainly acquits himself of any accusations of wrongdoing with his performance in the second half of the song. Not one of Miles' classics but definitely a prime display of Tony's indefatigable spirit. (8.875/10)
A2. "Tout De Suite" (14:05) smooth and kind of laid back, even lazy, especially from the horn players, it is Ron Carter's bass play that feels the most alive--though he is matched perfectly by Tony's astute cymbal play. At the end of the third minute Herbie's Fender Rhodes seems to get a paroxysmal glitch in its rhythmicity--which is then met and matched by Ron's equally-herky-jerky bass--while Miles solos confidently and rather smoothly over the top. Soon we find Tony succumbing to the spasmodic malady that Herbie and Ron have contracted. When Herbie is given the nod to take the lead to perform his solo in the tenth minute his paroxysms continue (as do those of Ron and Tony) though their shaky, unstable-feeling rhythm play is by now beginning to feel "normal." Then, at the very end of the 11th minute, the band suddenly, subtly switches into a very smooth standard rhythm pattern--as if the dance of the paralytic spastics never even occurred. (They must have received the antidote.) At this point you think the song is going to quit, but, no! They plug along, as if they're unable to concede defeat, even as they appear to fall out of synchrony and inspiration. Quite the odd tune! I wonder if pulling off this tune presented any hardships. It was definitely interesting if not quite comprehensible. (26.125/30)
A3. "Petits Machins (Little Stuff)" (8:05) another song that, for me, offers little grist or grit--little meat for me to grab hold of; little familiar content for me to feel able to digest. It just passes by, nondescript, with me waiting for material to notice, single out, draw my attention. When the eighth minute draws to an end I find myself scratching my head wondering how the time passed by, how I missed everything--wondering if there was anything there to miss! (13/15)
B1. "Filles De Kilimanjaro (Girls Of Kilimanjaro)" (12:00) more conscribed and restricted play for Tony "the monster" Williams. The dude must have been going crazy! But then the boring single note bass line that Ron Carter was held to for 90% of the song must have also felt frustrating and belittling. Contrarily, the sax, Fender Rhodes, and trumpet solos are all fairly enjoyable. (22/25)
B2. "Mademoiselle Mabry (Miss Mabry)" (16:33) a jam executed on the weekend before his wedding (perhaps as a wedding present to his new bride), Miles summoned Wayne, Tony, and bassist Dave Holland with Chick Corea to the studio for this jam based on Jimi Hendrix's song, "The Wind Cries Mary." The pensive, attentive collaborative reactivity of Dave, Tony and Chick throughout the song's opening three minutes is quite amazing--even mesmerizing, despite Tony's syncopated tom-tom and conga play. When Miles enters in the fourth minute it is with a sensitive, uncharacteristically soulful and heart-felt emotionality--something his collaborators seem to feed off of--especially Chick. The pianist comes up with some absolutely brilliant chord sequences as response and accents to Miles trumpet play--until the end of the seventh minute when some of his choices become rather schlocky lounge chords. Still, about 75% of his piano play on this song is quite novel and creative. In the tenth minute Miles hands the spotlight over to Wayne--inciting some rebellious (or celebratory?) bursts from Tony: here beginning to employ the snare and hi-hat for the first time in the song. Wayne, then, hands the talking stick over to Chick at the end of the 13th minute. Chick takes this time to really play on and with the chord and rhythmic structure of "The Wind Cries Mary" using lots of bluesy riffs and flourishes as well as interesting chord and key shifts during the spaces between the quick three-chord sequence at the end of each section that distinguishes Hendrix's song. And then it's over! A brief, almost obligatory appearance by Miles in the song's final minute seems reflective of Miles attitude toward his new wife (and women in general): you use 'em and like when you think of them but then quickly (and easily) find yourself diverted by any number of equally (or more) interesting phenomena, customs, and habits that are experienced by men in general. Still, this makes for the most interesting and engaging song on the album and, thus, my favorite. (27.3333/30)
Total Time: 56:30
I really miss the wild and crazy, dynamic shaker and mover, that was Tony Williams in the early Sixties. How much did Tony like these sessions? How crazy was he going And why the French titles?
88.48 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an interesting if sometimes confusing and difficult-to-access musical exhibition in the transitional period between Miles' Second Great Quintet and his Jazz-Rock Fusion stage.
On February 18, 1969, Miles Davis gathered a group of musicians together at CBS Records' 30th Street Studio in New York for the legendary single session whose material would end up making its way to the July 30 release of the Columbia Records album, In a Silent Way.
Enlisting the contributions of hot shot young veterans Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams, John McLaughlin, and Joe Zawinal, Miles continued to rely on recent collaborators Dave Holland, on bass, and long-time co-conspirator Wayne Shorter on saxophone as well as recent stalwart, Chick Corea on electric piano. Three keyboard players!
Line-up / Musicians:
- Miles Davis / Trumpet
- Dave Holland / Bass
- Tony Williams / Drums
- Chick Corea / Electric Piano
- Herbie Hancock / Electric Piano
- Josef Zawinul / Electric Piano, Organ
- John McLaughlin / Guitar
- Wayne Shorter / Saxophone [Tenor]
- Tony Williams / Drums
- Chick Corea / Electric Piano
- Herbie Hancock / Electric Piano
- Josef Zawinul / Electric Piano, Organ
- John McLaughlin / Guitar
- Wayne Shorter / Saxophone [Tenor]
March
Recorded in March of 1969, guest artists John McLaughlin, Billy Cobham, and Chick Corea were coming straight out of the February 18 recording sessions with Miles Davis for would become the album In a Silent Way. Larry is quoted as saying that it took a whole day of recording for his guests to "come back down to earth" in order to play his compositions in the way he wanted them. Consequently, none of the music recorded from Day One ended up being used on the published album. For some odd reason, the album was not released until June of 1970!
Line-up / Musicians:
- Larry Coryell / electric & acoustic guitars
With:
- John McLaughlin / electric & acoustic guitars
- Chick Corea / electric piano (5)
- Miroslav Vitous / double bass
- Billy Cobham / drums
- René Thomas / guitar (2)
1. "Spaces (Infinite)" (9:16) Miroslav Vitous' bowed double bass is a nice presence during the opening 90-seconds but then he falls into fast picking as the song congeals and takes off at full speed at the end of the second minute. Larry takes the first extended solo of this composition credited to Julie Coryell (Larry's wife). John's unique support work on rhythm guitar is an example of one of the things that, for me, sets him apart from all other guitarists, and Billy and Miroslav are definitely on the same high-powered wavelength despite the more traditional jazz form Larry is wanting. Still, John and Larry seem to be having fun playing around and off of each other. (No wonder the first incarnation of the famous Guitar Trio with John and Paco De Lucia would include Larry before Al Di Meola was ever considered). There are definitely many beautiful melody ideas presented here as well as some very exciting dynamic play during the middle or second of the three very nicely composed motifs Julie and Larry have crafted together. (18.75/20)
2. "Rene's Theme" (4:06) an acoustic guitar duet between Larry and Belgian guitarist and Django Reinhardt devotee, René Thomas. You'd almost swear that it was, in fact, Django there in the room with Larry! (8.875/10)
3. "Gloria's Step" (4:29) double bass player Miroslav Vitous' bowed and unbowed playing are the highlights of this cover of a Scot LaFaro song made famous by Bill Evans's original Trio with his Live and the Village Vanguard sessions back in 1959 and 1960 (a song that is familiar to the listener because it has since become an ageless jazz standard). I also love Billy Cobham's exquisite work on the cymbals. (8.875/10)
4. "Wrong Is Right" (9:00) Larry, John, and Miroslav trade solos on this Django-paced jazz piece. Billy and John's more dynamically-varied playing definitely seem as they are coming from a different universe than that of Larry's. There are, however, some really nice melodies central to Larry's song that the band carries very faithfully. Also, I just love the pristine sound clarity of this one--not to mention the astonishing skill and spontaneity coming from all four of the band collaborators. (18.75/20)
5. "Chris" (9:31) like the opening song, this is a composition coming from Larry's wife, Julie. The addition of Chick Corea's electric piano is a wonderful effect to Larry's music, definitely smoothing and broadening the sound palette, taking a bit of the edge off of Larry's sometimes-abrasive jazz guitar sound and style. You might even say it offers the music (rightfully so, since it is listed as a composition of Larry's wife, Julie) a softer, more-feminine side. The subdued and rather laid-back restraint of the other three band members' performances while Larry is in the lead is not only noticeable but admirable--even remarkable. When Miroslav and John do get their turns at the front, they are still surprisingly soft and jazzy. (John almost lets himself go full Mahavishnu for a brief second in the final minute--with Billy quickly jumping on board with him--but then quickly pulls himself back in to conformity with Larry's expectations. (18/20)
6. "New Year's Day in LA, 1968" (0:20) an excerpt of electric guitar and bass taken from a concert from the year before. I'm not sure why.
Total Time 36:42
Not the jazz-rock fusion masterpiece I was expecting, the "Godfather of Fusion" seems very much grounded still in the forms, sounds, and traditions of hard-bop and gypsy jazz more than the rock-infused idiom that he had helped to launch a few years before. But the collaboration with four other musicians who were each very much caught up in the movement to inject the explosive volume and abandon of Led Zeppelin-like Power Rock into their music is just enough to sway the music of three of the album's song (the three long compositions) over into the realms of forward-moving Jazz-Rock Fusion. Who knows the effect these recording sessions had on John McLaughlin, Billy Cobham, Miroslav Vitous, or Chick Corea, but their next projects would include Tony Williams' Lifetime,
I do not know the reason for the extraordinary delay in time between the March 1969 recording sessions of this album and its November 1970 release, but both dates fall into the still-early days of the Jazz-Rock Fusion explosion--and settle well before the first releases of The Mahavishnu Orchestra (Aug. 14, 1971 and released Nevember 3, 1971), Weather Report (Recorded Feb. 16 & March 17 and released on May 12, 1971) or Chick Corea's Return to Forever (February 2 & 3, 1972, released in September).
90.94 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of early Jazz-Rock Fusion.
P.S. The two album covers are both legitimate covers from early 1970s. The brown cover with Larry's profile coincides with Vanguard Records' original 1970 release whereas the cool space-art cover is from the label's 1974 re-release of the same album.
April
Released on April 21 by Frank Zappa and Herb Cohen's newly-negotiated Warner Brothers subsidiary, Bizarre Records, Uncle Meat was released as a double album consisting of material recorded mostly live in concert performances. The music also represents the soundtrack for a film of the same name and incorporated many new recording techniques to "finish" the recordings as it was processed in New York City and Los Angeles at professional studios in which Frank got to work with some of the latest technologies (and with engineers who were trained and/or inventing said technologies), including the use of a 12-track recorder for the final studio-engineered versions of the live recordings (which translates as an exploration of the new "overdubbing" technologies that were becoming available to studio recording).
- Ray Collins / vocals
- Frank Zappa / guitar, percussion, vocals, producer
- Don Preston / electric piano
- Ian Underwood / organ, piano, celesta, harpsichord, clarinet, flute, alto & baritone saxes
- Bunk Gardner / bassoon, clarinet, bass clarinet, flute, piccolo, tenor, alto & soprano saxes
- Euclid James Sherwood / tenor sax, tambourine
- Roy Estrada / bass, vocals (Pachuco falsetto)
- Billy Mundi / drums
- Jimmy Carl Black / drums, voices
- Art Tripp / drums, marimba, xylophone, timpani, vibraphone, wood blocks, chimes, bells
With:
- Nelcy Walker / soprano vocals (5,11)
- Ruth Komanoff (Underwood) / vibes, marimba
- Pamela Zarubica (uncredited) / Suzy Creamcheese voice (2,10)
- Jerry Hansen / percussion Fx, engineer
Disc 1 Time: 57:21
1. Main Title Theme (1:56)
2. The Voice of Cheese (0:26)
3. Nine Types of Industrial Pollution (6:00)
4. Zolar Czakl (0:54)
5. Dog Breath, in the Year of the Plague (3:59)
6. The Legend of the Golden Arches (3:28)
7. Louie Louie (At the Royal Albert Hall) (2:19)
8. The Dog Breath Variations (1:48)
9. Sleeping in a Jar (0:50)
10. Our Bizarre Relationship (1:05)
11. The Uncle Meat Variations (4:46)
12. Electric Aunt Jemima (1:46)
13. Prelude to King Kong (3:38)
14. God Bless America (1:10)
15. A Pound for a Brown on the Bus (1:29)
16. Ian Underwood Whips It Out (5:05)
17. Mr. Green Genes (3:14)
18. We Can Shoot You (2:03)
19. If We'd All Been Living in California... (1:14)
20. The Air (2:57)
21. Project X (4:48)
22. Cruisin' for Burgers (2:18)
Disc 2 Time: 63:05
1. Uncle Meat Film Excerpt, Pt. 1 (37:34)
2. Tengo Na Minchia Tanta (3:46)
3. Uncle Meat Film Excerpt, Pt. 2 (3:50)
4. King Kong Itself [Played by the Mothers] (0:49)
5. King Kong II [Interpreted by Tom Dewild] (1:21)
6. King Kong III [Motorhead Explains It] (1:44)
7. King Kong IV [Gardner Varieties] (6:17)
8. King Kong V (0:34)
9. King Kong VI [Live at Miami Pop Festival] (7:24)
Total Time: 120:26
Uncle Meat represents yet another leap forward for Frank and his crew: stylistically for its sprawling musical composition, technologically for its experimentation with the cutting-edge engineering equipment and techniques available (and being invented on the spot!), as well as for its production and multi-media realization.
May
The band's fourth studio album, released on May 3, incorporated the previously-released hit singles "Everyday People"--the band's first chart-topping #1 hit single with its flip-side, "Sing a Simple Song," which were released in November of 1968.
Lineup / Musicians:
- Sly Stone / vocals, organ, guitar, piano, harmonica, vocoder, bass guitar (B3)
- Rose Stone / vocals, piano, keyboards
- Freddie Stone / vocals, guitar
- Larry Graham / vocals, bass guitar (except B3)
- Greg Errico / drums, background vox (A3)
- Cynthia Robinson / trumpet, vocal ad-libes, b vox (A3)
- Jerry Martini / saxophone, b vox (A3)
- Little Sister (Vet Stone, Mary McCreary, Elva Mouton) / b vox (A1, A3, A5, B1)
A1. "Stand!" (3:08)
A2. "Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey" (5:58)
A3. "I Want to Take You Higher" (5:22)
A4. "Somebody's Watching You" (3:20)
A5. "Sing a Simple Song" (3:56)
B1. "Everyday People" (2:21)
B2. "Sex Machine" (13:45)
B3. "You Can Make It If You Try" (3:37)
Total time:
Sly & The Family Stone's biggest selling studio album was the hot music both on the radio and in the concert scene during the first summer of the romance between Miles Davis and his bride-to-be, Betty Mabry. Betty was a big fan and friend of Sly and Jimi Hendrix as well as other hot cultural icons in the 50s hippie "counter-culture"--the jealousy of which led to the dissolution of that marriage.
Of course this is by no means a Jazz-Rock Fusion album but it does represent an incredibly influential music achievement not only for rock music but across all genres of art: a rock opera!
Line-up / Musicians:
- Roger Daltrey / lead & backing (3) vocals, harmonica (?)
- Pete Townshend / guitars, piano, organ, lead/co-lead vocals (1-3, 8, 9, 11, 13-15, 18, 19, 23, 24), banjo (23)
- John Entwistle / bass, French horn, trumpet, flugelhorn, lead/co-lead vocals (8, 12-15, 19, 24)
- Keith Moon / drums, timpani, gong, tambourine, vocals (?)
With:
- Paul Townshend (Pete's brother) / backing vocals
- Simon Townshend (Pete's brother) / backing vocals
1. Overture (5:20)
2. It's A Boy (0:38)
3. 1921 (2:48)
4. Amazing Journey (5:04)
5. Sparks (2:05)
6. Eyesight To The Blind (The Hawker) (2:14)
7. Christmas (4:32)
8. Cousin Kevin (4:06)
9. The Acid Queen (3:34)
10. Underture (10:04)
11. Do You Think It's Alright? (0:24)
12. Fiddle About (1:31)
13. Pinball Wizard (3:01)
14. There's A Doctor (0:23)
15. Go To The Mirror! (3:47)
16. Tommy Can You Hear Me? (1:35)
17. Smash The Mirror (1:34)
18. Sensation (2:28)
19. Miracle Cure (0:12)
20. Sally Simpson (4:10)
21. I'm Free (2:39)
22. Welcome (4:32)
23. Tommy's Holiday Camp (0:57)
24. We're Not Gonna Take It (3:28)
25. See Me, Feel Me/ Listening To You* [Deluxe Edition: Split From Track 24] (3:41)
Total Time 1:14:47
May 26 & 28, 1969, the Tony Williams Lifetime project recorded the material that would become the 71-minute, two-disc album, Emergency! Recorded at Olmstead Sound Studios, New York City, May 26 & 28, 1969, with Jack Lewis and Monte Kay in the production seats, it was released by Polydor Records in September--months before Bitches Brew!
In an interesting side note, guitarist John McLaughlin had only come to the United States at the request of Tony Williams--to join Tony's Lifetime project. Miles Davis heard the trio perform one of their amped up sets at a club in Harlem early that winter. (John McLaughlin had only been in the US for two weeks!) Next thing he knows, John gets a call from Miles asking if he would join him in the studio on February 18. This single day of recording would result in the July release of Miles' landmark fusion album, In a Silent Way.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Tony Williams/ drums, vocals (2,3,5)
AND
- John McLaughlin / electric & acoustic guitars
- Larry Young / organ
June
The sessions that would become the music for Donald Byrd's Blue Note release, Fancy Free, were recorded at Rudy Van Gelder's studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, on May 9th and June 6th of 1969, the music here was definitely experimental, definitely exploring the new sounds of electrified instrumentation and fusions of non-traditionally jazz music traditions (like blues, rock, soundtrack, and even African) with jazz. It was released by Blue Note Records in December of 1969.
- Donald Byrd / trumpet
- Frank Foster / tenor and soprano saxophone
- Julian Priester / trombone
- Jerry Dodgion / flute
- Lew Tabackin / flute
- Duke Pearson / electric piano
- Jimmy Ponder / guitar
- Roland Wilson / bass
- Joe Chambers / drums
- Leo Morris / drums
- Nat Battis / percussion
- John Richardson / percussion
July
MILES DAVIS In a Silent Way (released on July 30, 1969)
Line-up / Musicians:
- Dave Holland / Bass
- Tony Williams / Drums
- Chick Corea / Electric Piano
- Herbie Hancock / Electric Piano
- Josef Zawinul / Electric Piano, Organ
- John McLaughlin / Guitar
- Wayne Shorter / Saxophone [Tenor]
- Miles Davis / Trumpet- Tony Williams / Drums
- Chick Corea / Electric Piano
- Herbie Hancock / Electric Piano
- Josef Zawinul / Electric Piano, Organ
- John McLaughlin / Guitar
- Wayne Shorter / Saxophone [Tenor]
A "Shhh / Peaceful" (18:17) nice clarity and definition in the soundscapes but the only fire is coming from the keyboard players. And shame of Miles for forcing Tony to play hi-hat for 18-minutes straight! (35/40)
B1 "In A Silent Way" / B2 "It's About That Time" (mixed together by Teo Maceo) (19:53) opens like a variation on some national anthem or famous folk song. (a Civil War dirge?!) as a Fender and John McLaughlin's guitar reverently move their way through. In the third minute Wayne's soprano sax takes the lead. In the fourth Miles' trumpet. The splice into "It's About That Time" at 4:05 is fairly smooth, though one can tell that the IATT jam was well under way in the place that Teo chose to start it. Repeating frog-like bass "ribbits," rim shots and light cymbal play from Tony, gentle evenly spaced Fender Rhodes chord progressions, delicate guitar flourishes and occasional organ chords, second drummer at the end of the eighth minute as the tension slowly builds to the point at which bass and organ start up a "Birdland"-like melody. Then everybody slows down for a little reset around 9:10 before the multiple keys start a discordant interplay of the same chord presentations. Soprano saxophone takes the lead for the next couple minutes. Again, I would think if I were Tony Williams I would have been totally incensed and humiliated over the task that bandleader (a penalty/punishment for his wanting to go solo? If not, certainly the impetus for his leaving the Miles Davis fold. Miles finally enters in the thirteenth minute. Teo somehow splices into a new section in which the band is cooking on a different level (with Tony given a little freedom, finally) but this is quickly ended in favor of a scrimped down, more staccato version of the "Birdland" motif as Miles continues to hold the lead. In the 16th minute everything slows down and finally comes to a stop--where Teo splices in another section of the "In a Silent Way" Civil War dirge with John and the Fenders painstakingly making their way through the fields of fallen dead as before. Miles enters at 17:45 to give the battlefield his Aaron Copeland-like version of "Taps." Interesting but shamefully void of volume, dynamic diversity, or flashy displays of instrumental virtuosity. (34.75/40)
Total Time: 38:12
The music here is surprisingly sedate and accessible for such a "revolutionary" and "innovative" album. Nothing is offensive or repellant but then nothing, to my ears and mind, is neither particularly mind-blowing or ear-catching. I guess it's more of the fact that there are two side-long pieces presented here--something bands like The Soft Machine, Colosseum, Magma and other jazz and jazz-rock bands picked up on fairly quickly. While many hardcore jazz musicians turned their thumbs down to the new commercialized jazz coming out of Columbia and Miles, many others found inspiration and a new freedom to explore--many of them members of Miles' own studio sessions. The two songs are great if subdued, with my favorite performances on "Shh/Peaceful" coming from Dave Holland (bass) and Larry Young (organ) and on "In a Silent Way/It's About That..." from Miles and Wayne Shorter and the funk of Dave Holland and the keyboard players. Tony doesn't get much time to shine and John's guitar is so subdued without any effects enhancements that it sounds quite dull and even tame. I guess what we're really all in awe of is Teo's shaping of the music into pop-like songs (despite 19 minute lengths).
Personally, I don't understand why this album is given such acclaim: the music is okay, the musicianship fine, and, yes, there are electronic instruments used and the expanded lineup with three artists covering the keyboard positions is rather novel, but the sound production and compositional dynamics are completely devoid of any of the fire and passion that define the jazz-rock fusion subgenre. Are we giving credit just for the novelty of three electric keyboard players, a dynamic drummer, and a tamed- and toned-down guitar lion? I mean, musically there is very little on this album to excite me in the way that John McLaughlin and his Mahavishnu Orchestra, the latter-day Mwandishi lineup, Italy's Area, later Return to Forever and Weather Report, and Jean-Luc Ponty will generate.
87.1875 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a surprisingly dull and suppressed 38 minutes of music from a lineup that had incredible potential. In the military we would call this "unrealized potential" or "a dud."
August
Lineup / Musicians:
- Herbie Mann / flute
- Roy Ayers / vibraphone
- Sonny Sharrock / guitar
- Ron Carter / bass (1,2, 6)
- Miroslav Vitous / bass (3-5)
- Bruno Carter / drums (1, 2, 6)
- Mickey Roker / drums (3-5)
with Strings:
Violins: Peter Dimitriades, Emanuel Green (1,2, 6), Gene Orloff (1,2, 6)
Viola / Selwart Clarke, Al Brown (3-5)
Cello: Kermit Moore (3-5), George Ricci (1,2, 6)
Arranger: William Fischer
- Herbie Mann / flute
- Roy Ayers / vibraphone
- Sonny Sharrock / guitar
- Ron Carter / bass (1,2, 6)
- Miroslav Vitous / bass (3-5)
- Bruno Carter / drums (1, 2, 6)
- Mickey Roker / drums (3-5)
with Strings:
Violins: Peter Dimitriades, Emanuel Green (1,2, 6), Gene Orloff (1,2, 6)
Viola / Selwart Clarke, Al Brown (3-5)
Cello: Kermit Moore (3-5), George Ricci (1,2, 6)
Arranger: William Fischer
AUGUST 18-20 - The Woodstock Music & Art Festival at Yasgur's Farm in Bethel, New York.
Performers who would dabble in or exert great effect upon the Jazz-Rock Fusion fray include: Sweetwater, Santana, The Grateful Dead, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Ravi Shankar, and Jimi Hendrix.
The recording sessions of the material that will become Miles Davis' Bitches Brew occurred on August 19 through 21, 1969.
I've been listening to this album with great attention for the past couple years, trying to fully comprehend the accolades it has received over the years--especially from a prog perspective--as well as in the context of Miles' own personal evolution. What I've truly come to appreciate, more than anything else, is Miles' amazing, almost unique desire to grow, to absorb all that he hears, to gather, listen to, and integrate the leading innovators of the younger generations around him. His track record is truly astounding (and perhaps a bit of a psychological issue: feeding like a vampire off of fresh, young blood and then taking all the credit). For fifteen years Miles had been learning how to command and squeeze the best out of his studio musicians in as little time as possible, and Bitches Brew offers yet another example of this.
After a year of introduction to modern psych-pop culture via socialite wife Betty Mabry, the changes in Miles manifest in everything from clothes, food, and cars, to music, social circles, and concert attendance choices. Miles was now hep to Hendrix, Sly Stone, James Brown, The Byrds, Aretha Franklin, and Dionne Warwick/Burt Bacharach. Then came the 1969 Newport Jazz Festival in July. Witnesses say that after that--after seeing James Brown staged next to Frank Zappa and the Mothers and Dave Brubeck and Art Blakey, as well as a roster that included Sun Ra and his Arkestra, Roland Kirk, Herbie Hancock, Bill Evans and Freddie Hubbard, B B King, Sly and the Family Stone, Led Zeppelin and Blood, Sweat and Tears--Miles was super stoked to get back into the studio. (His first funk-infused album, In a Silent Way was already in the can but would not be released for another three weeks!) He was itching to try out some of the musicians and styles and recording techniques that he'd been hearing, seeing, learning about. Over the course of three days in August, using a kind of revolving door of musicians and multiple instrumentalists at each main instrument (three keyboard players, two drummers, two bass players [one acoustic, one electric], four drummers [not all at once; two at a time], and three percussionists, three horn players and electric guitarist John McLaughlin, the expanded or "new style big band" ensemble rehearsed and laid down six long tracks, only one of which had been composed and performed before ("Miles Runs the Voodoo Down" was one of the songs he played in his 24-minute set with his quartet at Newport--which may be one reason that song occupied all of Saturday, August 20). Then it was Miles' permission given to producer Teo Macero that led to much of the magic that we hear in the final release as he used many editing techniques in the post production, including tape loops, tape delays, reverb chambers and echo effects as well as splicing and micro-edits. In effect, it is the production work of Teo Macero that really brought Miles' work and Bitches Brew into the realm of modern sound recording and, thus, the attention and adulation of experimental rock and jazz musicians. While not the start of the jazz-fusion movement (that honor would have to be wrestled for between Gary Burton, Herbie Mann, Don Ellis, Larry Coryell, and Jimi Hendrix [this latter due to his influence on The Soft Machine), Bitches Brew was certainly the album that blew open the floodgates for jazz musicians EVERYWHERE to experiment and dabble in the "dark arts." For me, the contribution of Bitches Brew is more in the story, the lineup, the production, the rather noticeable (some might say "drastic") shift in the direction of Miles' sound, not in the songs, per se. I find the songs interesting but none have ever found their way into my jazz-rock/jazz fusion playlists. Thus my four star rating: while the entire album is fascinating and essential for the observation of the evolution of Miles Davis, I would not recommend any of these songs as introductions to the world of jazz-rock fusion.
Line-up / Musicians:
– Miles Davis / trumpet
– Dave Holland / acoustic bass
– Harvey Brooks / electric bass [Fender]
– Bennie Maupin / bass clarinet
– Don Alias / drums (,)
– Bennie Maupin / bass clarinet
– Don Alias / drums (,)
-- Jack DeJohnette / drums ()
-- Lenny White / drums ()
– John McLaughlin / electric guitar
– Chick Corea / electric piano
– John McLaughlin / electric guitar
– Chick Corea / electric piano
-- Joe Zawinul / electric piano (tracks: A, B, C1, D2)
-- Larry Young / organ, electric piano (A, C1, C2, D1)
– Jim Riley / percussion
– Wayne Shorter / soprano saxophone
– Wayne Shorter / soprano saxophone
The only album release from Allan Holdsworth's first band, a now-famous story of discovery and signing due to the words of Mick Jackson and Ronnie Scott covering the back side of the Deram Records album cover. The material for the band of Bradford mates' had been practiced on the road throughout the first half of 1969 but it was only when Ronnie Scott heard them play in his own club that a record deal was ordered. The result was Deram Records' August 1969 release of 'Igginbottom's Wrench.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Alan Holdsworth / guitar, vocals
- Dave Freeman / drums
- Mick Skelly / bass
- Steven Robinson / guitar, vocals
1. "The Castle" (2:55) the album opens with an Allan Holdsworth composition. Jazzy guitar playing syrupy chords all alone starts the song before the bass, drums, and guitars settle into a BEATLES-like blues-rock song over which Allan sings. He has a rather pleasant, unexceptional voice that sounds like a cross between RICHARD SINCLAIR, a young, higher-pitched Chet Baker, and demo-level GREG LAKE. The instrumental performances on the tune are full-on jazz rock with Mick Skelly's electric bass moving prominently in the foreground while the two guitars amply fill the sonic field with their sophisticated chord and riff playing. What a big, unexpected surprise! Like very little I've ever heard (before or since) for its instrumental jazz virtuosity and melodic Beatles/Caravan capriciousness. (9.25/10)
2. "Out of Confusion" (2:09) a whole-band composition that opens with a recording of a random conversation between the band members--one with levity and purpose--which leads into a rather wild expressly-Coltrane-inspired improvisation (mostly by Allan) over which one of the band members recites a poem. (4.333333/5)
3. "The Witch" (3:03) another Holdsworth composition, this one opens with snare and hi-hat-dominated (and stereotypic) jazz drum before the bass and guitars join in and the band settles into a with almost-Hawai'in slack-key style guitar chord play between and, sometimes, beneath the vocal. It's the ultra-Beat/jazzy flourishing that everybody does between the vocal passages that are interesting for their jarring million-mile per hour note exhibitions that impress and astound. Another impressive lyric with melancholy, almost-detached Astrud Gilberto/jazz delivery and affect. (8.875/10)
4. "Sweet Dry Biscuit"s (2:52) Holdsworth and company opening with some Charlie Christian/Wes Montgomery-caliber music (this is another Allan Holdsworth original) before his mellifluous voice joins in to settle the musicians down into a gentler support role while he provides a laid-back almost MICHAEL FRANKS- (though, more accurately, Astrud Gilberto-)like vocal. Wow! What a shocking revelation is this music, this album, this singer! And he was just 23-years old! And I love the jazzy sound engineering and mix of this with the instruments all up front and the slightly reverbed vocal track in the middle, just in front of the drums but behind/beneath the bass and guitars. (9.75/10)
5. "California Dreamin" (4:00) a cover of the classic Mamas & The Papas hit song, Allan has chosen to slow this down--way down--which is totally unexpected and absolutely genius. As one might expect, Allan gives this such an unique form that it becomes, at times, almost unrecognizable from its original form. I even love the high-speed improvisational work at the two-minute mark in which Allan fails: his mistakes and missteps lead to an actual pause and breakdown in the music! But then, like a good jazz musician, he picks it up again and tries once more. VERY impressive guitar playing. (8.875/10)
6. "Golden Lakes" (5:12) a very cool, even beautifully-textured song with excellent lead vocals of some great lyrics. Allan's vocal styling is so much more like some of the laidback 1960s French jazz/café chanteuses than anything I know from Britain. By the way, this is another Allan Holdsworth composition.
The instrumental section that occurs after the second chorus, however, turns very blues-rock with some quite jazzy and quite experimental guitar play over some very VAN MORRISON-feeling music. Then it returns to the main motif for the gentle finish. (9.75/10)
7. "Not So Sweet Dreams" (5:00) another unique song (and, of course, a Holdsworth composition), here a very interesting jazz-chromatic play on some of the pop jazz standards of the 1940s by Cole Porter or perhaps George Gershwin. There are moments in which I feel I'm listening to Beatnik music as well as early King Crimson and/or Terje Rypdal--or a French chanteuse--or JAN AKKERMAN's solo work or work with Kaz Lux. It's really all-over the place yet quite beautiful and relaxing. (9.5/10)
8. "Is She Just a Dream" (4:33) credited to bassist Mick Skelly and Allan Holdsworth, this song opens up with an unusually-simple arpeggiated chord progression performed by the guitar before a dramatic drum roll redirects the band toward an unusually melodied jazz vocal motif that is interspersed with wild uptempo instrumental passages filled to the brim with jazz flourishes from guitars and drums--mostly playing all at once. This could be a BRUFORD song with ANNETTE PEACOCK's melodic sensibilities running the show. (Interesting that Allan and Annette would be working together on that first Bruford album.) An odd little duck that sits far outside the realms of pop/radio-friendly music but might be quite popular in an underground Beat coffee house. I still find it eminently impressive. (9/10)
9. "Blind Girl" (3:46) the first of two songs credited to guitarist Steven Robinson, one can tell from the opening notes and chords because this is nothing like the ultra-complex yet-very-melodic jazz-rock that Allan makes: it's actually more experimental, dissonant, and obtuse than Allan's compositions--even the vocal performance! And the chord progressions Steven uses are definitely distinctly different from those favored by Allan. I hear a lot of similarity to Paul Weller and Steve White's STYLE COUNCIL in the vocal sections (which are still sung by Allan despite this being Steve's song) of this one, but it is, in fact, more instrumental "Moonchild" like than pop-vocal. The vocal makes me think rather distinctly of Caravan's classic hit, "Golf Girl"--in many respects. (8.875/10)
10. "The Donkey" (10:42) the second and final Robinson composition ends the album with a nearly-eleven minute epic suite. It opens with a minute and a half of jazz drum soloing before walking jazz bass joins in, helping the drummer to usher in a structure so that the guitarists can also join in. When they do, it's a solo fest, first with the speed runs of one guitarist in the left channel while the other plays interesting support chords from the right side. At the 5:29 mark the right side guitarist gets his turn to fly and impress while the left side provides quite standard blues and jazz chords in support. At 7:45 the drums and guitars simply disappear, leaving bassist Mick Skelly to venture off on his own. His solo is interesting for his choice to slow down and work within the sparsity of a vacuum. All in all, this is my least favorite song on the album due to the fact that it is pure jazz with very little melody (and no vocals. Who would ever though you'd hear/read that an Allan Holdsworth song is lacking because it doesn't have vocals on it!?!?!?) (17/20)
Total Time 44:12
It will not surprise anyone to learn that the music here is blues-rock based with very jazzy guitar, but many will be totally surprised by the level of sophistication and nuance in the performances--as well as by the interesting level of guitar competency of Allan's composition-partner and sometimes guitar-twin Steven Robinson (which begs for a "whatever happened to" question). In my state of awe and shock here, I must say that the music here--all ten of its songs--represent a direction of jazz-rock fusion that is rather unique in the prog/jazz-rock fusion world--and one that is unlike almost all music I've heard before as well as of a style and sound that has very seldom been approached again; definitely an unique listening musical experience. My best comparison might be to King Crimson's "Moonchild," early Penguin Café Orchestra, or perhaps some of Terje Rypdal's most experimental works. There is a quietude to the sonic landscapes presented on this album that one rarely hears in recorded music--and something that one almost never hears on stage since the advent of loud rock 'n' roll power amps. For this reason, Julian Lage might be a modern day artist with a similar approach.
With almost every song on this album I found myself thinking a lot of the small, quiet Beat/Beathnik poetry readings and bongo music often parodied in 1960s film and television (shows like The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis and Peter Sellers films), scenes that have much more in common with the music of this album than anything else I can conjure up.
It is my strong feeling that this album qualifies as a musical masterpiece--a significant landmark in history--not only for its sophisticated performances and top notch musicianship, but for the utterly unique angle of jazz-rock fusion (and often Canterbury Style-like pop-jazz fusion) that Allan and mates created.
90.67 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of one of the strangest, most unique examples of jazz-rock fusion from the very earliest days of fusionhood; definitely an album that every so-called prog-lover should hear before they die. I'll even go so far as to exclaim that several of the songs on this album are among my all-time favorite Holdsworth songs--and sometimes for the presence of the smooth, very quirky vocals of Mr. H!
Another album that is not truly befitting of the Jazz-Rock Fusion assignation (more the Jazz-Rock category with other bands like Chicago and Blood, Sweat & Tears), but it represents a major leap forward for Latin-infused rock 'n' roll music. Recorded in May of 1969, only months after the band had switched from being known as The Santana Blues Band, and released by Columbia Records on August 22. The band had gone in and out of promoter Bill Graham's good graces ever since being enlisted as one of his stable bands in January for his Fillmore Auditorium concert series.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Carlos Santana / guitars, vocals
- Gregg Rolie / piano, organ, vocals
- David Brown / bass
- Michael Shrieve / drums
- Michael Carabello / percussion, congas
- Jose 'Chepito' Areas / timbales, congas, percussion
With:
- Albert Gianquinto / arranger
1. "Waiting" (4:04)
2. "Evil Ways" (3:56)
3. "Shades of Time" (3:13)
4. "Savor" (2:45)
5. "Jingo" (4:21)
6. "Persuasion" (2:35)
7. "Treat" (4:43)
8. "You Just Don't Care" (4:35)
9. "Soul Sacrifice" (6:38)
Total Time 36:50
When you really think about it, this was an absolutely amazing debut album: to have such power, force, consistency, progressivity, while still producing multiple hits--for both FM and AM radio! Simply unheard of (in the prog/Jazz-rock fusion world). Albeit, Carlos and crew don't really fully enter the fold of true prog until their third and fourth albums and his collaborations with Buddy Miles, John McLaughlin, and Alice Coltrane, there are definitely songs and features of both the debut and Abraxas that bear awe from even the most proggy of critics. Compare this album to the debuts of Jazz-Rockers like CHICAGO or NUCLEUS, THE SOFT MACHINE or COLOSSEUM, BLOOD SWEAT & TEARS or THE FREE SPIRITS and you have to give Carlos and company their due.
From the opening cymbal, percussion and organ lines of the album's opening song, "Waiting" you know you're in for something special. And then you go into the classic 60s hit, "Evil Ways" which, despite it's SLY & THE FAMILY STONE start, really cooks as it gets deeper into the album. "Shades of Time" is as strong as anything on the Chicago debut and stronger than anything on The Doors albums. "Savor" and "Jin-go-lo-ba" jam, the latter a Latin rock masterpiece. "Pursuasion" shows off the band and singer's Blood, Sweat & Tears side. "Treat" gives a nod to older jazz and Latin forms and artists. "You Just Don't Care" gives more of a nod to the white side of the blues-rock scene (think Yardbirds & John Mayall) and the album's finale, "Soul Sacrifice," with its earworm melodies and call-and-response play between the guitar and organ--as well as between the percussionists--remains one of the most iconic Jazz-Rock songs of all-time--largely in part to its presence in the Woodstock movie and reputation as a highlight at the 1969 "Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music" otherwise known as the Woodstock Music & Art Festival.
There you have it: the complete set list for one awesome debut album. Is it perfect? No--not nearly. Is it mind-blowing and breath-taking? Some would argue, Yes. In terms of a prog rock, I'd call it a bridge, a harbinger of things to come.
on the Fishscales
on the Fishscales
P.S. Isn't that one of the all-time greatest album covers?
AUGUST 30-31 - THE ISLE OF WIGHT FESTIVAL
A countercultural event that had started only the year before, 1969's Festival received quite a boost when Bob Dylan deigned to show up (unexpectedly) to be one of its headline performers. This event proved to be even more sensational due to the fact that Bob had brashly turned his back on the Woodstock Music & Art Festival--despite the fact that he had been residing in Woodstock--with Yasgur's Farm practically in his own backyard--where it was hoped (almost expected) that he would perform, but instead took a ship crossing the Atlantic on the 15th of August, four days before the Music & Art Festival, to arrive in England less than two weeks before the Isle of Wight festival. Ah! The drama and mayhem one can create when occupying the status of a global superstar!
Bands who performed at the 1969 Isle of Wight Festival who dabbled in the "magical arts" of Jazz-Rock Fusion include: the prog bands The Nice and King Crimson, Indo Jazz Fusions, and The Pentangle.
September
TONY WILLIAMS LIFETIME Emergency!
"The loudest stuff I ever heard in my life," recalled Herbie Hancock when referring to a Tony Williams Lifetime concert that he attended in the fall of 1969. Knowing that he was probably risking his hearing later in life, he stayed for the entire show. "It was … new. It was exciting and very arresting."
Miles Davis heard the trio perform their amped up set at a club in Harlem in the early winter. John McLaughlin had only been in the US for two weeks (he had come to New York specifically to join Tony Williams' Lifetime project) when he got a call from Miles asking if he would join him in the studio on February 18. This single day of recording would result in the July release of Miles' landmark fusion album, In a Silent Way.
Recorded at Olmstead Sound Studios, New York City, May 26 & 28, 1969, with Jack Lewis and Monte Kay in the production seats, it was then released by Polydor Records in September--before Bitches Brew!
Line-up / Musicians:
- Tony Williams/ drums, vocals (2,3,5)
AND
- John McLaughlin / electric & acoustic guitars
- Larry Young / organ
Volume One (35:01)
1. "Emergency" (9:35) power drumming with loud, distorted electric guitar power chords open this one with Larry Young's organ providing the low and middle ground including all of the bass lines. John McLaughlin's guitar playing moves easily between runs that exude smoke and fire and those that evoke comfort and supplicating beauty, while his chord play in support are often jagged, angular, and confusing in their complex intention. Meanwhile, Larry Young gets some time to come out from his cave beneath the bridge (which is exactly when John gets his most ambiguous: is he trying to be mean or just provocative?). While some of the sound is a bit muddied (especially in the higher end), the jamming is so focused, so tight, so intertwined. and then it just ends! Probably my favorite song on the album. (19/20)
2. "Beyond Games" (8:17) built over a blues progression, Tony uses his speaking voice to recite some pre-Gil Scott-Heron poetic social commentary. (He sounds so young--like the lead singer of the Brighter Side of Darkness: just sitting in his high school classroom wishing he could say his thoughts out loud. John's guitar is ominous in its support while Larry's organ (and bass line) is almost Timmy Thomas gospel-like. You can tell that this song was recorded on the same take as the previous one--two songs on the same tape continuously--as all of the sounds and levels are the exact same. after six minutes the repetitive four bar four-chord progression gets a little old--which is right when Tony returns to speaking his quotidian poetry advice. (17.5/20)
3. "Where" (12:10) a very-sparsely populated opening is where Tony chooses to start singing his philosophical musings. In the third minute John begins to solo cerebrally while Tony's drums provide steady yet-minimal support and Larry's organ is so quiet it's almost non-existent Then in the fifth minute John begins to go to a higher gear and Larry's right hand and Tony's prowess begin to show--but then all this is cut off at the five-minute mark for a quiet section in which Tony sings his ambigous mult-level questions. This then ends after which Tony's cymbal play and John's small repetive blues chords provide support for a two-minute organ solo. There is a very basic hard-bop motif shifted into in the ninth minute while Larry resumes soloing. This is not the fire and ice that I was expecting to hear from these practitioners of scorched-Earth tactics. (Nor was I expecting lyrics or singing.) (21.5/25)
4. "Vashkar" (4:59) the signatory song of this album, here we have the fiery interplay between drummer and guitarist with the organ providing the glue between them. Lots of stop and start, loud and soft alternations. Great skill that would be better if there was a more pleasing melodic hook. Another favorite. (9/10)
Volume Two (36:28)
5. "Via The Spectrum Road" (7:50) like southern blues swamp rock--and acoustic guitar and not one but two vocalists singing. John's blues-rock lead guitar is purposely placed in the background--sounds as if it's coming from a different room. The nuances are numerous and delightful. Too bad Larry is relegated to being pretty much the bass player. Sounds like something from the Sixties--especially John's raunchy guitar play. Larry's distant and sparse injections of organ chords have an other-worldly spacey feel to them and Tony's drumming is marvellous but overall this is not really something that a musician would really get into. I know this one is considered revolutionary, but it is far from my favorite. (13/15)
6. "Spectrum" (9:52) Wow! What a ride Tony, John and Larry take us on. There is no let-up or break to the break-neck speed that these musicians hurl through space and time--and Larry even gets some lead organ time despite having some very demanding bass lines to keep going. Quite a stunning (and exhausting) ten minutes of hard-bop-based power fusion. John's lead and rhythm play are both quite often abrasive--and unapologetically so as he keeps doing the irritating, angular things he just seemed to temper with bridges of more-classic and familiar (and softer, more melodic) riffs. A very impressive song. (18.25/20)
7. "Sangria For Three" (13:08) another barn-burner, this song has some very experimental passages (like the fifth minute and the 11th and 12th minutes) as well as some that are very hard-driving rock and others that are very Hendrix-like in their powerful blues-rock. This is my other top three song: I just love all of the shifts and turns, the high speed chases and the stuck-in-the-mud experimental passages, and the powerful Hendrix-like passages. (23.5/25)
8. "Something Spiritual" (5:38) not one of the timeless beauties that John would pump out with great regularity over the course of the rest of his career, more a testament to the challenging and repetitive work required to establish a spiritual practice and then keep it going. Great drumming beneath the very repetitious four chords played by John and Larry to mind-numbing nauseum. But I get it! (8.75/10)
Total time 71:29
I can see why this is such an important and, yes, seminal album--especially for the rise and notice of the fusion of jazz and rock 'n' roll musics, but it's really not a an album of great songs: ground-breaking and often great performances, but often so raw and under-developed, rarely enjoyable or "finished" feeling.
90.69 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor-masterpiece of genre-busting rock- and avant-infused jazz music that would open the doors for all other jazz-rock fusion ideas and bands to come flooding into the fold. Definitely one of THE landmark albums of the J-R Fusion movement.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Tony Williams/ drums, vocals (2,3,5)
AND
- John McLaughlin / electric & acoustic guitars
- Larry Young / organ
Volume One (35:01)
1. "Emergency" (9:35) power drumming with loud, distorted electric guitar power chords open this one with Larry Young's organ providing the low and middle ground including all of the bass lines. John McLaughlin's guitar playing moves easily between runs that exude smoke and fire and those that evoke comfort and supplicating beauty, while his chord play in support are often jagged, angular, and confusing in their complex intention. Meanwhile, Larry Young gets some time to come out from his cave beneath the bridge (which is exactly when John gets his most ambiguous: is he trying to be mean or just provocative?). While some of the sound is a bit muddied (especially in the higher end), the jamming is so focused, so tight, so intertwined. and then it just ends! Probably my favorite song on the album. (19/20)
2. "Beyond Games" (8:17) built over a blues progression, Tony uses his speaking voice to recite some pre-Gil Scott-Heron poetic social commentary. (He sounds so young--like the lead singer of the Brighter Side of Darkness: just sitting in his high school classroom wishing he could say his thoughts out loud. John's guitar is ominous in its support while Larry's organ (and bass line) is almost Timmy Thomas gospel-like. You can tell that this song was recorded on the same take as the previous one--two songs on the same tape continuously--as all of the sounds and levels are the exact same. after six minutes the repetitive four bar four-chord progression gets a little old--which is right when Tony returns to speaking his quotidian poetry advice. (17.5/20)
3. "Where" (12:10) a very-sparsely populated opening is where Tony chooses to start singing his philosophical musings. In the third minute John begins to solo cerebrally while Tony's drums provide steady yet-minimal support and Larry's organ is so quiet it's almost non-existent Then in the fifth minute John begins to go to a higher gear and Larry's right hand and Tony's prowess begin to show--but then all this is cut off at the five-minute mark for a quiet section in which Tony sings his ambigous mult-level questions. This then ends after which Tony's cymbal play and John's small repetive blues chords provide support for a two-minute organ solo. There is a very basic hard-bop motif shifted into in the ninth minute while Larry resumes soloing. This is not the fire and ice that I was expecting to hear from these practitioners of scorched-Earth tactics. (Nor was I expecting lyrics or singing.) (21.5/25)
4. "Vashkar" (4:59) the signatory song of this album, here we have the fiery interplay between drummer and guitarist with the organ providing the glue between them. Lots of stop and start, loud and soft alternations. Great skill that would be better if there was a more pleasing melodic hook. Another favorite. (9/10)
Volume Two (36:28)
5. "Via The Spectrum Road" (7:50) like southern blues swamp rock--and acoustic guitar and not one but two vocalists singing. John's blues-rock lead guitar is purposely placed in the background--sounds as if it's coming from a different room. The nuances are numerous and delightful. Too bad Larry is relegated to being pretty much the bass player. Sounds like something from the Sixties--especially John's raunchy guitar play. Larry's distant and sparse injections of organ chords have an other-worldly spacey feel to them and Tony's drumming is marvellous but overall this is not really something that a musician would really get into. I know this one is considered revolutionary, but it is far from my favorite. (13/15)
6. "Spectrum" (9:52) Wow! What a ride Tony, John and Larry take us on. There is no let-up or break to the break-neck speed that these musicians hurl through space and time--and Larry even gets some lead organ time despite having some very demanding bass lines to keep going. Quite a stunning (and exhausting) ten minutes of hard-bop-based power fusion. John's lead and rhythm play are both quite often abrasive--and unapologetically so as he keeps doing the irritating, angular things he just seemed to temper with bridges of more-classic and familiar (and softer, more melodic) riffs. A very impressive song. (18.25/20)
7. "Sangria For Three" (13:08) another barn-burner, this song has some very experimental passages (like the fifth minute and the 11th and 12th minutes) as well as some that are very hard-driving rock and others that are very Hendrix-like in their powerful blues-rock. This is my other top three song: I just love all of the shifts and turns, the high speed chases and the stuck-in-the-mud experimental passages, and the powerful Hendrix-like passages. (23.5/25)
8. "Something Spiritual" (5:38) not one of the timeless beauties that John would pump out with great regularity over the course of the rest of his career, more a testament to the challenging and repetitive work required to establish a spiritual practice and then keep it going. Great drumming beneath the very repetitious four chords played by John and Larry to mind-numbing nauseum. But I get it! (8.75/10)
Total time 71:29
I can see why this is such an important and, yes, seminal album--especially for the rise and notice of the fusion of jazz and rock 'n' roll musics, but it's really not a an album of great songs: ground-breaking and often great performances, but often so raw and under-developed, rarely enjoyable or "finished" feeling.
90.69 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor-masterpiece of genre-busting rock- and avant-infused jazz music that would open the doors for all other jazz-rock fusion ideas and bands to come flooding into the fold. Definitely one of THE landmark albums of the J-R Fusion movement.
Sometime in 1969 a loosely-membered "big band" group of studio and sessions musicians began showing up at clubs after hours to jam. Their intention was to continue exploring the boundaries and crossovers between jazz and rock, as leader MIKE MAINIERI had done on his intrepid Journey Through an Electric Tube album release the year before. Known as "The White Elephant Orchestra" (and, later, simple as WHITE ELEPHANT), they recorded little but are recognized for helping to expand and refine the chops of musicians that included the likes of Michael Brecker, Frank Vicari, George Young, Ronnie Carter, Ronnie Cuber, Randy Brecker, Jon Faddis, Lew Soloff, Barry Rogers, John Pierson, Steve Gadd, Tony Levin, Donald MacDonald, Warren Bernhardt, Joe Beck, David Spinozza, Hugh McCracken, Nick Holmes, Sue Manchester, and Annie Sutton.
October
The landmark collaboration between rock music's only successful jazz-rock fusionist, Frank Zappa, and the ever-expanding, ever-adventurous, boundary-pushing, virtuoso violinist, Jean-Luc Ponty, was recorded on October 6 and 7, 1969, at Whitney Studios in Glendale, California, but not released to the public until the following year. The May 1970 release of what we know as JEAN-LUC PONTY King Kong - Jean-Luc Ponty Plays the Music of Frank Zappa was the result Frank Zappa asking Jean-Luc to perform an album of more-classically-oriented and expanded versions of previous compositions ("King Kong" from Uncle Meat, "Idiot Bastard Son" from Chunga's Revenge, "Twenty Small Cigars" from We're Only in it for the Money, and "America Drinks and Goes Home" from Absolutely Free) and themes, all penned, revised, and produced by Frank while "donning his Jazz Composer - Arranger suit" (borrowed from Rolling Stone reviewer Bob Palmer), contain all of the jazz and modern classical underpinnings and eccentricities that Frank loved to put into all of his compositions--especially during this period of his career. And, of course, they all contained at least some presence of the humor that he was so famous for--in both the music as well as the song titles.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Jean-Luc Ponty / electric violin, baritone violectra
With:
- Frank Zappa / guitar (4), arrangements
- George Duke / piano (5) & electric piano
- Ian Underwood / conductor (5), tenor saxophone (1)
- Ernie Watts / alto & tenor saxophones (2-4,6)
- Vincent DeRosa / French horn & descant (5)
- Arthur Maebe / French horn (5)
- Donald Christlieb / bassoon (5)
- Jonathan Meyer / flute (5)
- Gene Cipriano / English horn & oboe (5)
- Harold Bemko / cello (5)
- Milton Thomas / viola (5)
- Gene Estes (Harry James. Louis Bellson, Cher, Gene Vincent, The Hollywood Dreamers) / percussion & vibraphone (1,6)
- Buell Neidlinger / bass (1,5)
- Wilton Felder (The Jazz Crusaders) / Fender bass (2-4,6)
- Art Tripp / drums (1,5)
- John Guerin (Buddy De Franco, The Mystic Moods Orchestra, Tom Scott, Gabor Szabo, Seals & Crofts, Joni Mitchell, Jean-Luc Ponty) / drums (2-4,6)
The material that would become Miroslav Vitous' Infinite Search was recorded on October 8, 1969, with Herbie Mann producing, and then released in January of 1970. This publication was one of the first releases of Herbie Mann's new label, Embryo Records. The album is also remarkable for bringing on board four of jazz-rock fusion's hottest fairly-young phenoms in John McLaughlin, Jack DeJohnette, Herbie Hancock, and Joe Henderson.
Miroslav was a childhood friend of Jan Hammer who had made the move to the United States after winning a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music in 1966. After a stint with flugelhorn pioneer Clark Terry in Chicago, he matriculated to New York in 1967 at the invitation of Miles Davis. There he met Herbie Mann with whom he recorded two albums--one that was to come after this, his debut as a solo composer and band-leader.
Infinite Search would be released in January of 1970.
Lineup / Musicians:
- Miroslav Vitous / double bass
- Jack DeJohnette / drums (A1 thru B2)
- Joe Chambers / drums (B3)
- Herbie Hancock / electric piano
- John McLaughlin / guitar
- Joe Henderson / saxophone
FRANK ZAPPA Hot Rats
This landmark album was released on October 22, 1969, by Frank and business-partner Herb Cohen's Bizarre Records, a subsidiary and member of the Warner Brothers Records family. The reason Frank eschewed the former name of his band that he'd been using, i.e. The Mothers of Invention, is due to his record label, Verve Records, failing to renew their contract with Frank. Thus, Frank and Herb negotiated a contract with Warner Brothers to create their own label while using the "Frank Zappa" moniker for safe separation.
The album was recorded and engineered on a 16-track recorder in July and August. This new technology allowed for an expanded number of separable tracks which resulted in a remarkably clean, almost pristine sound that was quite unusual and attention-getting for its time.
1. "Peaches en Regalia" (3:39) Like many, this is one of my top five favorite FZ songs of all-time. (9.5/10)
2. "Willie the Pimp" (9:23) great music that is rather diminished by Mr. Van Vliet's vocal. (17/20)
3. "Son of Mr. Green Genes" (8:57) This song is great for the whole ensemble's contributions; I can listen to it while switching my attention from Frank to bass, drums, keys, and be equally amazed. (19/20)
4. "Little Umbrellas" (3:09) an intricately designed, almost European-sounding instrumental with the delightful presence of multiple parts for reed/woodwind instruments and organ. (All Ian Underwood?!) I especially enjoy the presence of the double bass. My second top three song here. (9.5/10)
5. "The Gumbo Variations" (12:54) jazzy blues or is it bluesy jazz? The simple bass lines seem to indicate the former, but Ian Underwood's sax seems to be treading into some serious jazz territory. Don Harris' violin solo in the middle section seems to be mirroring much of Underwood's sax lines, but then he takes it into his own world. Nice loosening up from the bass player in this section. When Frank finally joins in, or, rather, moves to the front, he only does so briefly before the violin and organ weave in with him. Nice performances; not a very exceptional or innovative composition. (21.75/25)
6. "It Must Be A Camel" (5:17) piano and percussion dominate this song in the opening section, but then a SOFT MACHINE-sounding quirky jazz-song evolves as the horn and violin join in. Interesting sound recording of John Guerin's drums, as can be said for Frank's solo guitar sound. Again, it is the tightness of the ensemble through all of the composition's sonic and textural shifts that makes this one so enjoyable. My other top three songs. (9.5/10)
Total time: 43:19
I remember hearing this album back in the 70s with a friend who was a Zappa-freak. My impressions were that it was a little too straightforward hard rock for my tastes and that the vocal performances and lyrics were just not my cup of tea. Fast forward to 2008 when my discovery of ProgArchives helped to resuscitate my passion for prog, old and new, and I've been able to give Frank's music a fresh start. Though I still find myself unamused by many of the puerile lyrics and topics (often unnecessarily drawn out, IMHO), I cannot nor will I deny the unmistakable high caliber of compositional genius and performance prowess in the songs rendered unto vinyl. Frank was a top tier guitarist whose antiauthoritarian genius could often be rather abrasive and uncompromising. His music seems to convey this as well. You either love it or you appreciate it. Hot Rats contains a collection of superb guitar-based, tightly performed songs which definitely put on full display the superior axe-craft of the headliner. It is not an album I go to often, but if I were to choose a FZ/ Mothers album to spin, it would this one or "Shut up..., Vol. 2"--though I think "Freak Out!" is pure genius.
90.79 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a seminal album in the infancy of progressive rock music that stands up well over time; a masterpiece of proto-progressive rock music with plenty of references and implications for the equally-infantile primordial soup that was Jazz-Rock Fusion.
90.79 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a seminal album in the infancy of progressive rock music that stands up well over time; a masterpiece of proto-progressive rock music with plenty of references and implications for the equally-infantile primordial soup that was Jazz-Rock Fusion.
LED ZEPPELIN Led Zeppelin II
Recorded in numerous sessions while the band was on tour promoting its ground-breaking debut album, from April through August, the album was compiled and released by Atlantic Records in the United States on October 22, 1969.
- Robert Plant / lead vocals, harmonica
- Jimmy Page / acoustic & electric guitars, backing vocals, producer
- John Paul Jones / bass guitar, Hammond C3 organ (4), backing vocals
- John Bonham / drums, timpani, backing vocals
1. "Whole Lotta Love" (5:34)
2. "What Is And What Should Never Be" (4:46)
3. "The Lemon Song" (6:18)
4. "Thank You" (4:47)
5. "Heartbreaker" (4:14)
6. "Living Loving Maid (She's Just A Woman)" (2:38)
7. "Ramble On" (4:24)
8. "Moby Dick" (4:21)
9. "Bring It On Home" (4:21)
Total Time: 41:29
DZAMBLE Wołanie o słońce nad światem (released in September of 1971)
A very successful album that was recorded in 1969 but not released until September of 1971. This talented Polish band sadly disbanded soon after the publication of this album.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Andrzej Zaucha / vocals
- Jerzy Horwath / organ, piano
- Marian Pawlik / bass, guitar
- Jerzy Bezucha / drums
- Benedykt Radecki / drums (10-12)
With:
- Marek Ałaszewski / vocals (5,6)
- Marek Pawlak / vocals (5,6)
- Janusz Muniak / flute, soprano & tenor saxophone
- Zbigniew Seifert / soprano saxophone (6,7,9)
- Tomasz Stańko / trumpet (6,7,9)
- Michał Urbaniak / bass, soprano & tenor saxophone, violin
- Jerzy Bartz / drums (1,5,9)
- Józef Gawrych / drums (1,5,9)
- Kwartet wokalny / backing vocals (2)
- Kwartet smyczkowy / string quartet (7)
1. "Święto strachów" (5:10) (8.66667/10)
2. "Hej, pomóżcie ludzie" (2:45) a song with an anthemic chorus that sounds like it was probably a big hit in Poland. (4.5/5)
3. "Muszę mieć dziewczynę" (3:02) violin is prominent contributor to this one. (8.66667/10)
4. "Naga rzeka" (4:57) the flute-led instrumental passage in the middle is founded on a motif sounding very much like Carole King's "I Feel the Earth Move." Nice song. (9/10)
5. "Dziewczyna, w która wierzę" (3:44) great Latin-oriented CHICAGO-like beat and rhythm track supports some interesting choral vocals that sound like something coming from a Cuban brass band! Once again the motif used for the instrumental section feels borrowed. (8.75/10)
6. "Masz przewrócone w głowie" (3:28) sounds like a borrowed Aretha song usurped by macho men and a gospel choir. (8.5/10)
7. "Wymyśliłem ciebie" (2:59) half Bond cinema, half Chicago/Andrew Lloyd-Weber Jesus Christ Superstar. (8.75/10)
8. "Szczęście nosi twoje imię" (3:15) except for the John Coltrane-like soprano sax work, this one is very close/imitative of BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS. (8.5/10)
9. "Wołanie o słońce nad światem" (10:36) a not very successful blend of DOORS-like pop music with big band progressive jazz. I wish it weren't the case but this is the weakest song on the album--a blending of styles that feels more like a medley of hits than a prog/jazz suite. (17/20)
Total time: 39:59
More proggy and brass poppy than Jazz-Rock Fusion, it's very vocal-centric. I'm told that I would like this album much more if had command of the Polish language. Vocalist Anrzej Zaucha commands a very respectable voice sounding like a cross between Greg Lake and David Clayton Thomas. I don't like or approve of the band's habit of usurping music from big American hits for the instrumental passages even if they do have good taste in the song motifs they "borrow." It's masterful but hardly indicative of a band that wants to create their own compositions and sound--more like that of a cover band in the process of converting to/experimenting with original compositions.
86.67 on the Fishscales = C+/3.5 stars; a creative and synthesizing band of pop-oriented rockers whose music draws a bit too much from other artists. As musicians they are very good. Their excellent vocalist would go on to achieve martyr-legendary status after an early death.
November
Line-up / Musicians:
- James Litherland / guitar, lead vocals
- Dave Greenslade / Hammond organ, piano & vibes (5), backing vocals (4)
- Dick Heckstall-Smith / tenor & soprano (2) saxophones, flute (4)
- Tony Reeves / bass, co-producer
- Jon Hiseman / drums, drum machine (? 4)
With:
- Neil Ardley / string quartet arrangements (2) & conducting (3)
- Barbara Thompson / saxophone & flute (6,7)
1. "The Kettle" (4:25) (/10)
2. "Elegy" (3:10) (/10)
3. "Butty's Blues" (6:44) (/10)
4. "The Machine Demands a Sacrifice" (3:52) (/10)
5. "The Valentyne Suite" (16:51) (/35)
- "Theme One: January's Search" (6:25) (/10)
- "Theme Two: February's Valentyne" (3:33) (/10)
- "Theme Three: The Grass Is Always Greener" (6:55) (/15)
Total Time 35:02
on the Fishscales = / stars;
An album that demonstrates the early growth and experimentation of innovative "Godfather" of Jazz-Rock Fusion, Larry Coryell. The album was recorded in 1969 and released by Vanguard Records in the same year as, but after, Lady Coryell.)
Line-up / Musicians:
- Larry Coryell / guitars, vocals, piano, electric piano
- Chuck Rainey / bass
- Ron Carter / bass
- Albert Stinson / bass
- Bernard Purdie / drums
- Jim Pepper / flute
- Mike Mandel / organ
- Jim Pepper / flute
- Mike Mandel / organ
1. "Sex" (3:51) a very different version than the one that ended up on the Basics album. More like something Larry and his FREE SPIRITS might have done in their live concerts. I appreciate the energy and rudimentary GRAND FUNK RAILROAD rock foundation, the enthusiastic vocals, and the 1960s guitar sound used on the solo. (8.875/10)
2. "Beautiful Woman" (4:32) a nice stream-of-consciousness tune that sounds like something the Canterbury dudes would have done--like in the Uriel/Arzachel or Wilde Flowers eras--or early John Sebastian or Joe Cocker.. The performances are still great. (8.75/10)
3. "The Jam with Albert" (9:20) not the same as the version recorded with the mystery (uncredited) saxophone player that ended up on the 1976 Basics even though it was recorded in 1968 or 69. The single guitar is played in a very aggressive fashion that is more like the style of Buddy Guy (or Stevie Ray Vaughn) than Albert Collins or Albert King. (My theory of who the mysterious "Albert" was included saxophone legend Albert Ayler because A) the original recorded version of this was a duet between Larry's guitar and a saxophone, B) Ayler was a NYC phenom that Larry almost certainly would have come in contact with being the music hound that he was ever since his arrival in that city in 1965, and C) Mr. Ayler died in 1970--which might have made Larry sensitive about publishing it (until he finally did in 1976). It's an okay song; great rhythm section holding down the low end while Larry shreds but nine minutes of Hendrix-like shredding without break or counterpoint is a bit much. (17.5/20)
4. "Elementary Guitar Solo# 5" (6:49) opens sounding like something coming from Chet Atkins, Roy Clark, or Glen Campbell before going turning to the territory of THE BAND or JIMI HENDRIX (or future Stevie Ray Vaughn) at 1:05. This jam goes on til about the sixth minute when Mike Mandel's organ and a second guitar join in to accent Larry's Hendrix-like guitar play. (13.125/15)
5. "No One Really Knows" (5:07) composed and arranged like a classic Sixties pop song. Larry's pleasant voice reminds me a bit of MICHAEL FRANKS. (I really like both!) At 1:18 I am surprised to hear it take a sharp right into funky town with Chuck Rainey and Bernard Purdie laying down some awesome MOTOWN-like chops while a track of Larry's rhythm guitar supports his own HENDRIX-like soloing with the wailing lead guitar up front. Surprisingly melodic in all its parts. I really like both motifs. A top three song for me. (9.25/10)
6. "Morning Sickness" (5:20) I love how much of Larry Coryell's compositions (especially on his solo albums) are inspired by or titled for his wife and family. This one is spacious yet funky, feeling like something that SLY & THE FAMILY STONE, BLUE CHEER, 13TH FLOOR ELEVATORS, War, or Azteca might do. It's not bad, just dated. (8.75/10)
7. "Ah Wuv Ooh" (4:22) a quintessential 1960s flower-power rock song with flute, gentle and melodic guitar chord progression. Ron Carter and Bernard Purdie feel a little out of sync with each other. I kept expecting singing/lyrics but instead get multiple lead electric guitar tracks. (8.75/10)
Total Time 39:21
B/four stars; an excellent view into the early development of one of Jazz-Rock Fusion's most blues-rockinest guitar virtuosi. Fun listen. Plus, I really do love Larry's singing voice!
2. "Beautiful Woman" (4:32) a nice stream-of-consciousness tune that sounds like something the Canterbury dudes would have done--like in the Uriel/Arzachel or Wilde Flowers eras--or early John Sebastian or Joe Cocker.. The performances are still great. (8.75/10)
3. "The Jam with Albert" (9:20) not the same as the version recorded with the mystery (uncredited) saxophone player that ended up on the 1976 Basics even though it was recorded in 1968 or 69. The single guitar is played in a very aggressive fashion that is more like the style of Buddy Guy (or Stevie Ray Vaughn) than Albert Collins or Albert King. (My theory of who the mysterious "Albert" was included saxophone legend Albert Ayler because A) the original recorded version of this was a duet between Larry's guitar and a saxophone, B) Ayler was a NYC phenom that Larry almost certainly would have come in contact with being the music hound that he was ever since his arrival in that city in 1965, and C) Mr. Ayler died in 1970--which might have made Larry sensitive about publishing it (until he finally did in 1976). It's an okay song; great rhythm section holding down the low end while Larry shreds but nine minutes of Hendrix-like shredding without break or counterpoint is a bit much. (17.5/20)
4. "Elementary Guitar Solo# 5" (6:49) opens sounding like something coming from Chet Atkins, Roy Clark, or Glen Campbell before going turning to the territory of THE BAND or JIMI HENDRIX (or future Stevie Ray Vaughn) at 1:05. This jam goes on til about the sixth minute when Mike Mandel's organ and a second guitar join in to accent Larry's Hendrix-like guitar play. (13.125/15)
5. "No One Really Knows" (5:07) composed and arranged like a classic Sixties pop song. Larry's pleasant voice reminds me a bit of MICHAEL FRANKS. (I really like both!) At 1:18 I am surprised to hear it take a sharp right into funky town with Chuck Rainey and Bernard Purdie laying down some awesome MOTOWN-like chops while a track of Larry's rhythm guitar supports his own HENDRIX-like soloing with the wailing lead guitar up front. Surprisingly melodic in all its parts. I really like both motifs. A top three song for me. (9.25/10)
6. "Morning Sickness" (5:20) I love how much of Larry Coryell's compositions (especially on his solo albums) are inspired by or titled for his wife and family. This one is spacious yet funky, feeling like something that SLY & THE FAMILY STONE, BLUE CHEER, 13TH FLOOR ELEVATORS, War, or Azteca might do. It's not bad, just dated. (8.75/10)
7. "Ah Wuv Ooh" (4:22) a quintessential 1960s flower-power rock song with flute, gentle and melodic guitar chord progression. Ron Carter and Bernard Purdie feel a little out of sync with each other. I kept expecting singing/lyrics but instead get multiple lead electric guitar tracks. (8.75/10)
Total Time 39:21
B/four stars; an excellent view into the early development of one of Jazz-Rock Fusion's most blues-rockinest guitar virtuosi. Fun listen. Plus, I really do love Larry's singing voice!
December
Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder's studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, on May 9th and June 6th of 1969, the music here was definitely experimental, definitely exploring the new sounds of electrified instrumentation and fusions of non-traditionally jazz music traditions (like blues, rock, soundtrack, and even African) with jazz. It was released by Blue Note Records in December of 1969.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Donald Byrd / trumpet
- Frank Foster / tenor and soprano saxophone
- Julian Priester / trombone
- Jerry Dodgion / flute
- Lew Tabackin / flute
- Duke Pearson / electric piano
- Jimmy Ponder / guitar
- Roland Wilson / bass
- Joe Chambers / drums
- Leo Morris / drums
- Nat Battis / percussion
- John Richardson / percussion
A1. "Fancy Free" (11:50) a song that offers a lot of memories for Detroiters due to its daily use on WJZZ beneath its community calendar notifications, Ronald Wilson's double bass and Leo Morris' drums seem to anchor the music in the jazz traditions while John Richardson and Nat Battis' Latin percussion with Duke Pearson's use of the smooth tones of an electric piano propel it forward, into the new realms of Jazz-Rock Fusion. Donald's trumpet and Jerry Dodgian's flute add more to the overall smooth sedating effect. (22/25)
A2. "I Love The Girl" (8:35) solo electric piano opens this, sounding like someone playing background music for a television show like Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. After 90 seconds Donald steps up to the microphone while bass, brushed drums, and subtle rhythm guitar add their nuanced support. This, too, sounds like background music for some film or a cover of a film theme song. The arrival of Frank Foster's tenor sax in the sixth minute somehow gives the music a little more credibility--as if the great Dexter Gordon had just stepped in, legitimizing this as Jazz. Duke's vibe-sounding effect on his electric piano is given the front in the eighth minute while soothing horns support from behind. (17.5/20)
B1. "The Uptowner" (9:05) jazz combo with electric piano integrated within provides the foundation for a bank of horns to enter and posit their melodies on this Mitch Farber composition. The bandleader himself takes over soon after, presenting a kind of HUGH MASAKELA-type trumpet style and sound. As a matter of fact, the main motif coupled with the leads (Frank Foster in the fifth minute) give the song a very upbeat, party-like feel not unlike some of the happy-go-lucky songs and melodies made famous by Hugh and others in the Sixties. Jimmy Ponder gives a very flashy guitar solo in the seventh minute--one that sounds part CHUCK BERRY, part GEORGE BENSON. (17.5/20)
B2. "Weasil" (9:50) a Chuck Hendricks composition that is very solidly rooted in the RAY CHARLES-like blues-rock music of the previous decade. Joe Chambers' drumming is noticeably more rock-oriented but Duke Peterson's electric piano chord progressions and playing style are very close to Ray's blues. Nicely arranged and performed but not the kind of music that I like or enjoy. (17.5/20)
Total Time: 39:12
Total Time: 39:12
I can certainly see/hear the seeds of commitment to the new sounds and stylings of Jazz-Rock Fusion--which was, of course, still in its infancy
86.875 on the Fishscales = B-/3.5 stars; a finely-crafted and very well-performed (and recorded) sample of one of Mr. Byrd's evolutionary shifts. It's not quite ground-breaking J-R Fusion yet but it's trying.
86.875 on the Fishscales = B-/3.5 stars; a finely-crafted and very well-performed (and recorded) sample of one of Mr. Byrd's evolutionary shifts. It's not quite ground-breaking J-R Fusion yet but it's trying.
WAYNE SHORTER Super Nova
Recorded at A&R Studios on August 29 & September 2, 1969--within two weeks of the landmark sessions with Miles Davis for the material that would become Bitches Brew--Super Nova would then be released before the end of the year (before Bitches Brew).
Line-up / Musicians:
- Wayne Shorter / soprano saxophone
- Miroslav Vitous / bass
- Jack DeJohnette / drums, kalimba [African thumb piano]
- Chick Corea / drums, vibraphone [vibes]
- John McLaughlin / electric guitar, classical guitar (A2)
- Chick Corea / drums, vibraphone [vibes]
- John McLaughlin / electric guitar, classical guitar (A2)
- Sonny Sharrock / guitar
- Airto Moreira / percussion
With:
- Walter Booker / classical guitar (A3)
- Maria Booker / vocals (A3)
A1. "Super Nova" (4:45) frenetic avant-garde bordering on free jazz. (8.75/10)
A2. "Swee-Pea" (4:35) slow, spacious, and much more interesting and accessible than the furious pace of "Super Nova." At times Wayne's sax sound veers toward an oboe-like sound while lots of tuned and untuned percussive sounds "blow" around in the background. John McLaughlin's classical guitar would be barely detectable had I not been prepared to listen for it. Pretty! (8.875/10)
A3. "Dindi" (pronounced "Jin-Jee") (9:45) opening with some African-sounding percussion play--both hand-driven and drummed--while squeaks and snorts emanate from both John and Sonny's guitars as well as Wayne's sax. In the fifth minute female vocalist Maria Booker is paired with her husband Walter's classical guitar. It just seems weird that this is considered part of the same African parade song that it opened with. For the final minute the song turns to an African-rhythm-backed sax frenzy. It's interesting but too disjointed to make sense to me. The motif with the Booker husband-wife duet is pretty. (17.5/20)
B1. "Water Babies" (4:50) nice jazz that could come from the 1970s--the element of jazz musicians trying to resist (or having trouble grasping) the J-R F concept and trend: it's Miroslav, Wayne and the two guitarists that really bend this music toward the new melodic styles, Mr. DeJohnette fighting fiercely to remain firmly anchored in jazz traditions. (9.125/10)
B2. "Capricorn" (7:45) Wayne's poised, composed sax lines play over Jack's continually roaming, roving, and rolling tom-tom play while John, Sonny, and Miroslav seem to struggle to find a place within the music--thus leaving the textural feel of the song something akin to a shag rug. Wayne is okay but I don't really like drumming like this (or the previous song). (13/15)
B3. "More Than Human" (6:10) more frenzied sax and drumming that seem to render the others as mere amateurs trying to contribute from the fringes. What a waste of talent. (8.375/10)
Total Time: 37:59
Total Time: 37:59
An album that is slanted surprisingly far more toward the avant-garde styles of the Sixties than any of Miles Second Great Quintet sounds or styles or any of the other rock-infusions that other jazz musicians are leaning toward in 1969. As I said with the Swee-Pea review, had I never been told that John McLaughlin and Sonny Sharrock were playing throughout this album I would have never guessed it--but, then, this is 1969: early in the two legends' careers.
87.50 on the Fishscales = C+/3.5 stars; an album that might satisfy lovers of free jazz but this is a total negation, in my opinion, to the development of that which will become Jazz-Rock Fusion. Wayne and Jack are on the same wavelength but this leaves the other superstars groping around for ways to contribute. Too bad.
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