Part 4: Other Great First and Second Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion Albums

 

OUTOF FOCUS Not Too Late (recorded in 1972, not released until 1999)

An album of discarded material that was recorded during the late Müncheners' 1972 sessions that produced the Four Letter Monday Afternoon album. (The band broke up and never released any albums after 1972. 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Moran Neumüller / vocals, tenor & soprano saxes, flute
- Remigius Drechsler / guitars, choir
- Klaus Spöri / drums
- Stephan Wischeu / bass
- Wolfgang Göhringer / guitars, choir
- Ingo Schmid-Neuhaus / baritone & alto saxes

1. "That's Very Easy" (9:04) opens as a more jazzified music that feels as if it came out of the recent 1960s--like something from THE ANIMALS or ARGENT (even without any keyboards!) spiced up with Moran Neumüller's Mick Jagger singing voice. (I keep hearing Mick singing the theme song to the current Apple TV series, Slow Horses, "Strange Game," virtually every time I hear Moran sing.) Te instrumental passages are, of course, the much larger portion of the song, with a very nice pastoral jazz section in the middle over which Moran's acrobatic flute solos for quite some time before the music ramps up to some heavier pschedelic blues-rock in the seventh minute. The guitar work in this section of the song is as powerful as anything I've ever heard by Clapton or Page. I'm not sure if it's newcomer Wolfgang Göhringer or founding member Remigius Drechsler. Cool song/suite that definitely has its progginess. (18/20)

2. "X" (10:57) a song that bursts out as if from the 1960s (or a 1970s porn soundtrack). Awesome! The music blends and smooths out for the second minute in which Ingo Schmid-Neiuhaus' alto sax solos. The two-burst horn-section-led theme that opened the song then returns as if as a chorus before we return to a smoother section over which the guitars take a more prominent role: one soloing in a JOHN TROPEA-like blues-jazz fashion while the other plays gentle rhythm in support. Drummer Klaus Spöri really shines! The guitarists are also good--very creative in their solos--one doing a pretty amazing TERRY KATH solo in the eighth minute. (17.875/20)

3. "The Way I Know Her" (3:36) with its Spanish-style played acoustic guitars, this little folk pop song sounds very cute--almost in a DONOVAN-like way. Moran's singing and flute playing are, of course, front and center in all respects of this fine little song. (8.875/10)

4. "Y" (7:51) sounds like an étude mélange getting ready for some of the other more polished/finished songs that would be released in 1972. Based around a "Take Five" kind of motif. I like the exploration of melodies as performed by the both of the guitarists and both of the saxophone players. (13.125/15)  

5. "Spanish Lines" (9:11) a song whose opening could very easily be mistaken for something from THE ALLMAN BROTHERS but then with the joinder of the Spanish-styled horns and new chord sequences we have something that kind of fits the style suggested by the title. But then, quite suddenly, at the 2:00 mark the band turns down a downhill path that presents some interesting and carefully-manouevered territory in which bass and rhythm guitars and even the soloing saxophone seem quite trepidatious while the drummer is willing to take his chances by travelling at more-dangerous speeds--descending out of the high grounds to find everyone as excited and on-board as he is with the thrilling speeds, wind blowing through their hair in their open-top 1935 Mercedes-Benz 770. (17.75/20)  

Total Time: 41:39

88.97 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent collection of songs that never made the grade for the band's final 1972 94-minute album but are here put on display for their worthiness. These are much more developed "finished"-sounding songs compared to the stuff on the follow-up album to this one, 2002's Rat Roads. but they do not have the blessing of the one amazing song that Rat Roads has.

JAMES "MINGO" LEWIS Flight Never Ending (1976)

The one and only attempt by young percussion virtuoso of SANTANA fame to produce an album as a bandleader. Recorded and produced by Mingo, it was released by Columbia Records in September of 1976.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Mingo Lewis / congas, Percussion, ARP Odyssey synthesizer, MiniMoog, clavinet [Hohner D6], ARP Pro Soloist, Yamaha acoustic piano, gong 

- Eric McCann / bass

- David Logeman / drums

- Randy Sellgren / guitars [electric and acoustic]

- Michael Kapitan / synthesizers [MiniMoog, ARP Odyssey, ARP String Ensemble, Oberheim 4 Voice, Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes], Organ [Yamaha YC-30] arrangements, writing

With:

- Kincaed Miller / synthesizer [ARP Pro Soloist], clavinet (6)

- A. Louis Bramy / hand bells (5, 7, 8)

1. "Aba Cua" (1:36) a drum circle of hand percussionists expressing with vocal chant/call (with no response). (4.33333/5)

2. "Frankincense" (7:02) a high-flying if loosely-conjoined hydra of instrumentalists moving along as if in the same direction yet without many constraints. Sounds very much like something that could have come from Al Di Meola's first two albums except the drummer is trying too hard, the bass line too monotonous, and the sonic field too disparate and incongruous despite all staying admirably on the same pace, the solos too repetitive and monotonous. (13/15)

3. "Heartsong" (8:20) great performances with excellent engineering and effects of a nice composition. Though there is more cohesion in sound and more variation in tempo and motif here, unfortunately, the song uses the same weird, slightly-flanged drum sound from the previous song--which might work with a less-frenetic drummer but this guy must think he's Keith Moon. I do, however, like the guitar solo of Randy Sellgren: he blazes with great consistency and "real" feeling fire. The motif change at 4:30 is perfect: from racing to regal and beautiful, everybody fully engaged with this one (except the drummer who starts flailing away beneath the guitarist's in the sixth minute. The fully-rock motif that starts at 5:50 is okay, very Jan Hammer-like, which supports a sweltering ARP Odyssey synth solo over the seventh and eighth minutes before everybody comes together for the finale--which is cheesy and poor. (17.75/20)

4. "The Wizard" (7:35) a song that is familiar to us all from Al Di Meola's cover of it on his debut album, Land of the Midnight Sun. A great song for racing along the highway, packed with memorable melodies and musicianship, but this version is more percussion dominant and contains a rather annoying high-pitch droning synthesizer note for a big chunk of its more dynamic sections. Overall, it's a little too loose and chaotic for my ears and brain. (13.25/15)

5. "Visions Of Another Time" (6:30) opens with what sounds like an Egyptian melody theme as introduced to them by the Anunnaki, again percussion and fast-pacing are the two predominant elements though there are some melodic elements worth pursuing that are led by multiple synths while the rhythmatists go crazy beneath. It's just a little too much chaos for my puny little brain. Then, lo! and behold! the music suddenly shifts into a "All Along the Watchtower" kind of chord progression with clavinet and harpsichord leading while someone (probably Mingo) sings a NewAge-y message over the top. The new Latin-based motif is okay--at least taming the percussionists into a more refined crew--but the vocal and guitar lead are only okay. (8.75/10)

6. "Trapezoid" (4:46) funk of the Parliamentary kind with multiple instruments dripping with funk in a pretty perfect weave of funkiness: bass, clavinet, multiple synths, drums, rhythm guitar, and congas all propelling this monster of a song forward in "Space Race" way that Billy Preston would be proud if not envious of! I only wish there was a more catchy melody to hook everybody in. (9.5/10)

7. '"Maginary Monsters" (1:02) experimental synth play. They must be drunken monsters. (4.33333/5)

8. "Flight Never Ending" (8:30) though this album is teeming with similarities to AL DI MEOLA's Land of the Midnight Sun album of the same year, none more than this somewhat cinematic suite: of its 8:30 about eight minutes and 29 seconds feel as if they are straight out of Al Di's world. How could this be possible, you might ask--especially when this album was released to the public a full month before Al's? Well, James had toured with Al's previous band, RETURN TO FOREVER (as well as Santana) and been a major contributor to the recording sessions for 22-year old Al's debut solo album which occurred in July and August of 1975 (sic [?!] More likely July and August of 1976). "Mingo" was surely inspired to try to replicate the energy and sound of the wave he'd been riding for the past three years and quite possibly was able to finagle the support from Columbia for this album--which became a "one-off" despite his playing on four other Al Di albums (as well as Billy Joel, The Tubes, and Todd Rundgren) over the next decade. But who are these no-name musicians? As alluded to in my opening statement, this would have been a worthy inclusion to any Al Di Meola album--even with "Randy Sellgren" playing guitar. (18/20)

Total Time 45:21

This much attention and volume given to frantic percussionists is Al Di Meola sound-alike Randy Sellgren is rumored to have been a psuedonym for another artist who had to stay hidden due to conflicting contractual obligations. That would help explain the fact that guitar phenom Randy appears on no other albums in music history--though there are Randy Sellgren's mentioned in the engineering/production credits to a few albums over the years--nothing else as a guitarist. Weird, hunh?   

88.92 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a worthy album of inclusion in one's Jazz-Rock Fusion collection--though not necessarily for the light of heart; an album that contains many moments of individual virtuosity as well as a bucketload of memorable moments is somewhat weighted down by the "Emperor Joseph II Syndrome": sometimes there are just "too many notes"--and not always coherently arranged. The album also suffers slightly, in my opinion, from some questionable sound engineering choices.

BILLY COBHAM Crosswinds (1974)

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

Line-up / Musicians:
- Billy Cobham / drums, percussion, arrangements, orchestration & co-producer
With:
- John Williams / acoustic bass (A2)
- John Abercrombie / acoustic guitar (A2), guitar (A1, A4 to B3)
- John Williams / bass, acoustic bass (A1, A4 to B3)
- George Duke / keyboards (A1, A2, A4 to B3)
- Lee Pastora / percussion [Latin] (A1, A4 to B3)
- Garnett Brown / trombone (A1, A2, A4 to B3)
- Randy Brecker / trumpet (A1, A4 to B3)
- Michael Brecker / woodwinds (A1, A4 to B3)

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

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

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

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

Total time 35:08

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

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

ARENA Arena (1975)

Australian studio/sessions musicians lured into breaking in a new recording studio just outside of Melbourne--Crystal Clear Studio--the band recorded and produced the album in 1975 and then released it (themselves!) early in 1976.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Ted White / saxophone, flute
- Peter Jones / keyboards, piano
- Graham Morgan / percussion, drums
- Bob Arrowsmith / bass
- Charlie Gould / guitar

1. "Journey In Threes" (6:30) drums, funked up bass, clavinet, saxophone, and guitar open this one with a GENTLE GIANT-like circus romp, then there is a long spacious pause before the band kicks back in at 1:20, this time in a very tightly arranged nearly-Reggae weave with tenor sax in the lead and guitar doing accent strums and notes. The bass is now more straightforward (the previous sound I called a "funked up bass" may have been, in fact, the left hand on the clavinet). Clavinet gets the second solo spot but the sax comes back for the third--this time with a little more vim and vinegar. Very interesting! And danceable in a DON ELLIS way. I don't know why I like the clavinet so well! (9/10)

2. "Scope" (5:05) BRUFORD-like syncopated complex opening weave turns into a little smoother jazz at the 30-second mark with bass and drums weaving a tightly Then, at 1:45 the band stops at the stop sign, looks both ways, then takes a left turn down one of the Fender Rhodes as keyboardist Peter Jones starts flying over his plastic keys. Another stop at another stop sign at the 3:15 mark results in another change of direction--this one more straightforward as the car cruises out onto the Nevada desert where we watch it fade away into the distance. Very interesting, complex jazz-rock fusion--all of the motifs sewn together here are quite complicated. Impressive! (9/10)

3. "Duke" (3:50) a duet of moody sax and supportive lounge Fender Rhodes gives this opening a late night French Film Noire or Femme Fatale feel. Nice performance if a bit stereotypic. The guys must have been in a mood. (8.75/10)

4. "Scrichell Cat" (6:30) more music that feels like something from an old black and white film--until the three-chord rock bridges. Sax is again offered the lead role while bass, drums, Fender Rhodes, and wah-rhythm guitar provide support and accents. Oddly simplistic compared to the mind-bogglingly complex music of the opening two songs. Charlie Gould's electric guitar finally gets a solo around the four-minute mark--it's nice! He's got a very nice tone and very flowing, technically sound run capabilities. When he pairs up with the sax in the sixth minute it works remarkably well and then they parts ways to return to the rock motif for an extended period over (beneath) which the searing ROBERT FRIPP-like guitar play continues to the very end. (8.875/10)

5. "Keith's Mood" (7:34) The angular, sometimes discordant Robert Fripp guitar sound and style starts off right from the opening note of this one while drums, bass, and saxophone play Coltrane or Ornette Coleman to the Robert. Around the two-minute mark the band takes a divergent path to explore a trash-filled alley that empties out next to the church onto main street in the form of a blues-based R&B passage. Sounds like The Isley Brothers, past (the Sixties) and future (Harvest for the World, Go For Your Guns. etc.) An extended drum solo fills the sixth minute and more sounding quite traditional jazz except for the use of a large floor tom. At the end of the eighth minute the rest of the band returns, playing some grroup scales before suddenly stopping. Interesting and impressive but not very engaging (or danceable). (13/15)

6. "The Long One" (6:32) this one sounds like early Herbie Hancock as he explored the landscapes and sonic possibilities of early funk and R&B-infused jazz-rock. Sax is the lead melody-maker but the funky bass and Fender Rhodes play a huge role in the song's overall feel. Very cool in the early-1970s meaning of the word. Fender Rhodes takes the next solo in the fourth minute while the bass, guitar, and drums do a great job of maintaining the funky base. The nuances of each instrumentalist's contributions to this song are really quite something to behold--and even study! Not my favorite song or song style but definitely praiseworthy for these incredibly mature performances. (9/10)

7. "Turkish Defunked" (7:41) Waht?! a straigt-time beat?! (Wait 20 seconds.) Oh! They were just messing with me! Back to some funk with some Eastern European/Middle Eastern sounds coming from the sax(es). When the opening mood and sound palette have been established, the sax drops out for an extended Fender Rhodes solo that sounds quite a bit like Ray Manzarek. Sax resumes the lead as Ray continues to add sass and bluesy funk around the sides. Cool song that has its feet more in jazz than R&B-rock but goes back to the Turkish theme enough to confuse us. In the sixth we finally get the return of the burning sound of Charlie (Glenn's nephew) Gould's fuzzy electric guitar, but then the band switches gears, gets more staccato rhythm-brained before finally returning to the main theme for the finale (while Charlie continues his nonstop Fripp runs from behind). High quality performances of a diversified composition.(13.5/15)

Total Time 43:42

I can see how the AVERAGE WHITE BAND inspired the world. 

88.91 on the Fishscales = B+/four stars; an excellent addition to any Jazz-Rock Fusion lover and an album that I think any and every prog lover can and would appreciate.

ABLUTION Ablution (1975)

Swedish experimental Jazz-Rock Fusion with the help of Quartermass keyboard player Pete Robinson (later a member of Brand X). The band's only album was recorded at Europa Film Studios in Stockholm with Anders Henriksson producing and then released by CBS Records in February of 1975. A number of these band members had been working together for a few years already (and would consider doing so)--including Janne Schaffer, John Gustav(f)sson, Ola Brunkert, and Björn Jayson Lindh, so it seems only natural that they might try something as a band (and also surprising that they didn't do more), but I suppose the participation of Brit's prog drummer Barry De Souza (Mick Greenwood, Shawn Phillips, Curved Air, Quartermass, Rick Wakeman, David Essex) and keyboard master Pete Robinson (Shawn Phillips, Quartermass, Brand X, Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford, Brian Ferry) was only meant to be a fleeting thing. 

Line-up / Musicians:
- John Gustavsson / Fender electric bass
- Barry De Souza/ drum, trumpet
- Ola Brunkert / drums, percussion

- Björn Jayson Lindh / flute, electric piano [Fender Rhodes]

- Janne Schaffer / guitar
- Pete Robinson / keyboards [Fender Rhodes, clavinet, organ, ARP 2600]
- Malando Gassama / percussion

1. "Bluegaloo" (6:25) a B+ funk track in a Herbie Hancock Headhunters style with successive solos from flute, electric guitar, drums and percussion, and electric piano (with flute and horn accents and embellishmnts). Nice jam with nice sound but there's really nothing very innovative from the soloists in terms of the sound or styles. (8.75/10)

2. "Woodchurch Sorceress" (1:50) creepy cinematic flute and percussion in-the-woods kind of stuff. (4.25/5)

3. "Kokt Tvätt" (5:51) flourish-filled launch into a repeating bar of odd rock-riffs arranged into a groove over which flute and electric piano solo and stuff. Not your typical Jazz-Rock Fusion; more like drawing from the older stuff of the earlier experimental work of Tony Williams, Freddie Hubbard, Herbie, and even Miles Davis. Nice drumming and percussion work. Pete Robinson and bassist John Gustavsson are a little too free and crazed for me. (8.75/10)

4. "The Nard Finished Third" (7:08) more funky like something from PARLIAMENT, WAR, or THE AVERAGE WHITE BAND than jazzy. Over the first few minutes it's all about the funk with little attention given to solos or jazziness. The third minute finally sees some soloing but this is all rock guitar (again like Parliament). I guess this reminds me also of Larry Coryell's eccentric Jazz Fusion. Again I must commend the percussion work of Malando Gassama and Ola Brunkert as well as dummer Barry De Souza (or is it Ola Brunkert on this one?). The flute play in the next section is quite flamboyant--more akin to that of Ian Anderson or Thijs van Lier than Joe Farrell or Hubert Laws. (13.25/15)

5. "Equator" (5:51) a quick-out-of-the-gate percussive sprint leads into a section of frenzy before the band finally settle into a still-frantically-paced and performed body akin to something John McLaughlin or Larry Coryell might have something to do with. Guitarist Janne Schaffer comes out of the first turn as the first true soloist before the percussion team takes over for a "solo" of their own. Then Pete Robinson, Janne Schaffer, and John Gustavsson start to trade barbs, back and forth, around the triangle, before settling into a side-by-side race of all-out soloing. The "chorus" brings the band back into harmony despite the frenetic energy feeding the soloing instincts of every one in the band. Wow! (9.25/10)

6. "Third Meter Stroll" (6:40) opens with lone bass acting as if he's trying to find his way through a cave system in the dark. Crazy-man Björn J'son Lindh joins in on his bat-fluttering flute while synthmeister Peter Robinson adds his own version of mammalian scurrying and fluttering action. The song goes on like this for the duration of the entire 6:40 as the hiker/spelunkerer continues down the tunnels on a steady if stop-and-go, look-and-listen, bump-and-learn mode. (8.875/10)

7. "The Visitor" (9:54) opening with an awesome deep thrum like the Talking Heads' "The Overload" within and over which guitar, percussionists, and wind instruments add their incidentals. Pretty cool--and, I'm sure, a lot of fun for the percussionists/sound effects artists! I wonder if Brian Eno or any of the Heads heard this song before heading into the Remain in Light sessions. (17.75/20)

Total Time 43:39

Interesting for the wide variety of Jazz-Rock Fusion styles adapted here as well as for the experimentalism used to try to create a variety of cinematic moods. 

88.91 on the Fishscales = B+/four stars; an excellent collection of experimental Jazz-Rock Fusion songs and tracks. A very interesting listening experience!

COMPANTIA ELÈCTRICA DHARMA Diumenge (1975)

Catalàn Jazz-Rock Fusion pioneers from Barcelona--their debut album, before they managed to imbed their j-r Fuse within traditional Catalàn musical traditions. Recorded on the 4th and 5th of February, 1975, at Estudis Gema 2 in Barcelona, the band helped produce this for both Edigsa and Zeleste record labels for its release in April. 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Esteve Fortuny / electric & Spanish guitars
- Jordi Soley / piano, Fender Rhodes, Moog
- Joan Fortuny / soprano saxophone
- Carles Vidal / bass
- Josep Fortuny / drums, percussion

1. "Fesomies Urbanes" (5:26) awesomely rich Jazz-Rock Fusion of the funk-infused sort; a cross between Headhunters-era Herbie Hancock and Return To Forever. I love the support of the too-heavily-reverbed  soprano saxophone by the electric wah-wah rhythm guitar and Fender Rhodes keyboard (they almost bury the sax!). Jordi Soley's Moog sound choice and play is very fresh/refreshing as well. Bass player Carles Vidal is solid though a bit too muted while drummer Josep Foruny is great in his pacing and support. (9/10)

2. "Lila" (4:17) water sounds beneath a soloing Spanish guitar open this one for about 40-seconds before bass, Fender Rhodes, and soprano sax join in with some very nice harmonic support. But it's the guitar that's the center and star of this show: displaying some pretty amazing skills in a kind of unique style along the way. The sax and Fender get some solo time in the third and fourth minutes, but, again, it's really Esteve Foruny's show on his Spanish guitar. (9/10)

3. "Capità Trueno" (10:16) back to RTF style and sound palette, though this time the guitar has a bit more Johnny Mac style to it--and the soprano sax certainly flavors the music differently than anything contemporary MO or RTF are doing. On this song the bass, electric guitar, and Fender Rhodes are mixed as if in the same universe while the sax and drums feel as if they're on different continents: the former a small church and the latter a distant tunnel of an underground cave system. Though all the musicians are competent at their instruments--and perform proving such--they really do not seem to always be "in the same song," that is, there's just a little too much separation and distance between the melodies and rhythms to make me feel a cohesive unity for this composition. Is it more mathematical--or more independent "free jazz" they're trying to merge within the RTF style? At 6:55 there is an interesting--and pleasant--shift in tempo and key which allows the sax a better bed over which to lay down his next solo. This is the first time in this song that I've felt as if the band had "come together" with a common vision for the song. The sax player is good--expressive and talented--but that weird, overly-reverbed sound is quite annoying. (17.5/20)

4. "Lalila" (1:16) more acoustic guitar play: either two or just one with a long-delayed echo effect employed. At the 0:45 mark Joan Fortuny enters with her soprano sax and then the song fades out! (4.25/5)

5. "Eufòria" (4:24) again the band seems to be trying to emulate the Return To Forever formula with guitar, drums, and bass propelling the song along while keyboards and sax add their own spices. At the same time, it's guitarist Esteve Fortuny who takes the first (and, it turns out, only) solo--one that is quite like Larry Coryell (in sound) and/or Corrado Restuci (in style) more than J. McLaughlin or Al Di. (8.75/10)

6. "L'harmoniosa Simfonia D'un Cos. Part 1" (4:17) opening with percussion bells and saxophone with spacious Fender Rhodes, bass, and guitar chords providing some accompaniment and mood-manipulation beneath. This one really sounds like the music that will represent the band NOVA either during the same year or just after this release. Unfortunately, despite the nice sound base, it never really develops much or takes off until "part 2." (8.875/10)

7. "L'harmoniosa Simfonia D'un Cos. Part 2" (3:39) the rhythm is added so that the song can move forward. It's a nice, city driving pace but it is highlighted by the top being down so the listeners can enjoy the sun, wind, and exo-urban scenery. Here all of the instruments seem to be in perfect synchrony while still supporting the soloing of Joan Fortuny's soprano sax. (9.125/10)

8. "El "bailaor" Còsmic" (4:22) a slow, spacey opening like something from a Larry Coryell album turns into a nice movin' bass-and-drum generated J-R F flight over which keyboard artist Jordi Soley gets a chance to show his stuff on his Fender Rhodes, that is, before guitarist Esteve Fortuny jumps in and takes over with his rather aggressive electric jazz guitar play. I like the more Latin (Catalàn?) rhythmic touches in the foundation. I also like the band's tightness on this one. (9/10)

9. "Tema Dels Carrers Radioactius" (1:50) another shaker and mover that shows the band firing on all cylinders--with fairly good precision timing, too. Too bad it's so brief. (4.5/5)

Total time 39:47

88.89 on the Fishscales = B+/four stars; a wonderful display of peak-era, somewhat Latin and Return To Forever-influenced Jazz-Rock Fusion. The family needs another year or two to polish their collective vision and timing skills, but I can only recommend this one highly!

GEORGE DUKE Faces in Reflection (Jul 1974)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Total time 39:37

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

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

SLOCHE J'un oeil (1975) 

Québecois band of jazz- and funk-oriented musicians release their first studio album. Recorded in July and August of 1975 at RCA Victor Studios in Montreal, the band's production of the album was overseen by Gaétan Desbiens before being released in December of the same year.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Caroll Bérard / acoustic & electric guitars, percussion, vocals
- Réjean Yacola / piano, Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer, clavinet, celesta, Minimoog, percussion, vocals
- Martin Murray / Hammond B3, Minimoog, Wurlitzer, Solina, saxophone, percussion, vocals
- Pierre Hébert / bass, percussion, vocals
- Gilles Chiasson / drums, percussion, vocals

1. "l" (8:52) starts very spacey with lots of synths playing around, as if trying to find a groove to attach themselves to. When the groove does arrive it sounds quite a bit like some Canterbury Santana--or maybe KHAN. Little keyboard interlude at the 4:54 mark brings us back to the searching chaos of the intro. The organ eventually directs everything into a kind of "Big Bang/Creation" crescendo. By 6:20 we're groovin' again--almost Motown-ish (the rhythm guitars--remind me of THE ISLEY BROTHERS, AVERAGE WHITE BAND, or WAR). Then the clavinet comes in! It's BILLY PRESTON! Fun song if a little dated. (17.5/20)

2. "Le kareme d'Eros" (10:50) begins like a piano bar player warming up his fingers with a bombastic pseudo-classic piece before getting into a CHICK COREA-like rhythm and style at the 1:10 mark. The melody established by the (Still) solo piano at 1:45 sounds a bit cinematic--as if to confirm that we are in the piano bar (with Billy Joel). At 3:15 the pianist starts to show off his classical licks à la KEITH EMERSON. At 3:45 a MAGMA-like choir makes quite an impressive (and welcomed) entrance--all over a repeating Chick Corea "Falling Aice" descending chord progression. Let the wild rumpus begin! The ensuing duelling electric guitar and keyboard sound very much like LARRY CORYELL'S performance on LENNY WHITE's forgotten classic Venusian Summer. Cool little bit. by 8:55 we've left that and gone into a more RETURN TO FOREVER-like passage. Interesting song that I'm not sure really works--even if it is supposed to portray little Cupid's random exploits. (17.75/20)

3. "J'un oeil" (4:43) relies on the repetition of a very familiar poppy riff until the wonderful clavinet-backed choral-vocal section begins. At 2:10 we go back to the introductory repetitive riff for a bit, until it slows down with a spacey organ and high-register electric guitar melody take over. Switch back to the choral-vocal section for the last minute. At times this is very Yes Fraglie quirky and funky--and  even humorous. (8.875/10)

4. "Algebrique" (6:30)  is a bit more cohesive and yet GENTLE GIANT- and YES-like in its structural shifts and staccato rhythms. An interesting ZAPPA-like part begins at the 2:10 mark, with synth and voices grabbing the listener's attention. At 3:28 begins a sudden foray into territory covered by TODD RUNDGREN'S UTOPIA's in "The Ikon." Luckily, they don't stay there long--though the drummer more and more sounds to me like a drummer from Todd's mid-70s posse. The heavier, more KING CRIMSON-esque final minute is my favorite part of this, my favorite song from this album. (9/10)

5. "Potage aux herbes douteuses" (7:07) begins again very much like the AVERAGE WHITE BAND, shifts to a little GINO VANELLI coda, then back to the A part, coda B before shifting into second gear with a fun off-tempo section. This seems to be very much an exercise in band odd tempos, though the insidious climb up the scale is enjoyable and interesting. At 3:30 the choral enters for a different coda before the THIJS VAN LEER-like organ play takes us to an extremely FOCUS/CAMEL-like section--which then combines with the choral beautifully. Wonderful! Interesting ANT PHILLIPS-like end! (13.5/15).

Total Time 38:25

This is a fairly recent discovery of mine, thus, as I go to rate it, I take into consideration both the impact it has on me today (a bit dated and immature) as well as my imagined impact the album would have had on me in the 70s or 80s (probably like Camel's Moonmadness.) I think it is a good album that has indications of a band that could (have) evolve into a great band. Like a funked up CAMEL or FRUUPP. 3.5 

88.83  on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; an excellent debut of very enjoyable funked up prog rock. Not quite pure Jazz-Rock Fusion but, at the same time, I consider the funky music here just jazzy enough to qualify for the Jazz-Rock Fusion lists.

MIROSLAV VITOUS Miroslav (1977)

Having had fun experimenting with many new electronic enhancements (including keyboards and synthesizers) on his previous solo album, 1976's Majesty Music, we see here Miroslav taking a more serious and more independent approach--using only a single percussionist as his collaborator for each song while relying on his own talents for all the rest of the sound generation. 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Miroslav Vitous / acoustic bass (arco & pizzicato), piano, electric piano, Mini-Moog,
ARP string ensemble
- Don Alias / congas, bongos, drums, percussion (except on 6)

With:
- Armen Halburian / percussion (6)

1. "Watching The Sunset Run" (8:02) a song that plays out more like a Weather Report song than any we've heard from the former WR member (and founder) as Miroslav plays his multiple tracks of basses with some periodic electric piano, ARP synth strings, and MiniMoog contributions with the cymbal-heavy multi-track contributions of long-time collaborator (and fellow Weather Report founding member) Don Alias. A cool song that also comes across as an OREGON/CoDoNa-like song. The melody production is okay, but the constant tension and urgency generated by the rhythm track is quite compelling. (13.75/15)

2. "Bassamba" (2:58) solo bass opens up with some flourishes and riffs before starting up a two-and sometimes three-chord Samba motif which Don quickly fall in line to support. Miroslav's bowed bass occupies the lead position while his electric piano and ARP synth strings add spice in the middle to give it a little Chick Corea flavor. Well done, Mr. Vitous! (9.125/10) 

3. "Tiger In The Rain" (8:54) electric piano opens this one, playing a lot like Joe Zawinul (the man had just finished spending six years under the tutelage of his elder and fellow Eastern European)--for a long time before small contributions from Miroslav's other keys and basses as well as Don Alias' bongos and (later) timbales join in. I'm not sure what tiger Miroslav had observed to inspire this song--or if the title was just applied randomly from a saved list of previously generated song titles--but I don't see the connection--unless one were trying to account for the youthful play of a young cub experiencing the fascinating effects of the rain for its first few times. Not as interesting, developed, or dynamic as one might have hoped--and very little bass play! (17.25/20)

4. "Concerto In E Minor" (5:30) ARP strings and congas open this free-flowing, Indian-like song with electric piano and bowed electrified double bass that sounds remarkably similar to the low-end tones of SHAKTI's Shankar with his patented double-neck 10-string violin. There is a bit of a tempo and motif change in the fourth minute as Don and the electric piano start up a new pattern while Miroslav continues soloing with his bowed bass, but then the ARP strings kind of move to the front as Don and Miroslav step back a bit to make room for Miroslav's pizzicato double bass for the song's final minute. Odd and not feeling as "classical" as the title would seem to suggest. (8.75/10)

5. "Pictures From Moravia" (4:49) electric piano and bowed electrified double bass present and each play with the main melody while pizzicato bass and ARP strings add their periodic notes and flourishes. Things get a little heated in the second half of the second minute--especially with the bowed bass--but then shift in the third minute as the MiniMoog and electric piano sneak in for a little more shine. The ARP strings chords tend to spoil it for me; I think the song would have been much better with them left out. (They tend to "date" the music, as well.) (8.875/10) 

6. "Sonata For A Dream" (5:39) opening with Armen's sparse, mostly-metallic percussion play, Miroslav focuses on (bombastic) piano as his main conveyor with ARP strings and MiniMoog providing a lot of  the lead flourishes and melody. I do like the fact that this song presents a slowly building and more dynamic sonosphere than much of the album's other songs--even evoking some of the feelings that I feel are signatory to the experience of listening to a classical music sonata. (8.875/10)

Total time: 35:52

Despite years of collaborating with others (especially Joe Zawinul but also Herbie Mann and Wayne Shorter), I've always had this sense that Miroslav was a rather fiercely-independent artist, and I think that this album serves as proof of that. With his previous year's album he was still relying on collaborators while exploring new technologies but he was also taking on much more of the musical textures for himself: learning and attempting to take over the keyboards, electronics, and even engineering duties on Majesty Music, but now, with Miroslav we have the butterfly finally, if shyly, emerging from his cocoon to begin to create music that is most all of it his. A very challenging prospect, I've always thought that this  "one-man band" approach (and attitude) can have a limiting, even detrimental, effect on the outcome--on the musical product. I've become convinced that collaboration, review, and feedback (even if it's critical), is important to a product that the public can and will connect with. Though Blue Note producer Michael Cuscuna is credited, I have a feeling that this was more Miroslav's solo project.  

88.83 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an interesting and often intriguing album that presents one artist's vision most purely--with only one collaborator--a percussionist--to be held accountable to. 

SECRET OYSTER Secret Oyster (1973)

Out of the ashes of Burning Red Ivanhoe, Hurdy Gurdy, and Coronarius Dans (or maybe just leasing the house next door) comes Danemark's wildest and most inventive psychedelic jazz-rockers.  

Line-up / Musicians:
- Claus Bøhling (Coronarias Dans, Hurdy Gurdy) / electric guitar

- Kenneth Knudsen (Coronarias Dans) / electric piano

- Karsten Vogel (Burnin' Red Ivanhoe) / alto & soprano saxophones, organ

- Mats [or "Mads"] Vinding (Burnin' Red Ivanhoe, Lise Rienau, Maria Stenz, Pop Workshop) / bass

- Bo Thrige Andersen (Burnin' Red Ivanhoe) / drums
With Bo Stief from Midnight Sun and Cæsar and Ole Streenberg of Coronarias Dans contributing bass and drums, respectively, to bonus material included on later releases. 

1. "Dampexpressen" (4:24) slow entry of a space-psychedelic keyboard before the whole band joins in rather explosively; it feels as if I'm listening to a freak out jam from an early rock band like The Who, The Yardbirds, or The Moodies. Alto sax and electric guitar eventually emerge as the two leaders, trading solos before merging into one. Kenneth Knudsen's electric piano tries to step into the spotlight a couple of times but is nearly washed out by its low volume. Surprising and inventive. (8.875/10)

 
2. "Fire & Water" (5:34) another psychedelic jam that opens like a drug-induced jam on "The House of the Rising Sun" but then suddenly leaps into third gear to run out of the intro gate into a motif that presents a rather hypnotic psychedelic weave of bass, drums, electric piano, and organ backing Claus Bøhling's heavily-effected lead electric guitar, soloing on all parts of his guitar. Even when Karsten takes a turn in the lead on the organ Claus' crazy squealing/sizzling electric guitar commands all the attention. Crazy and fresh if not really jazzy: more like stoner rock. (9/10)

3. "Vive la quelle?" (8:50) structure! Some crazy that reminds me more of early avant-garde/RIO music from Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, The Who, or early Jeff Beck Group. The drums are the real star of this show and kudos to Bo Thrige Andersen for holding it together with all eyes on him (at least, for the first five minutes)! The rest of the band eventually rejoins Bo with a very hypnotic four-note weave over which Kenneth Knudsen bangs away on his electric piano while Bo continues banging away underneath on his batterie. Claus takes over at the end of the seventh minute with a hard-rockin', less effected solo that plays right into the crazily disturbing weave until the ninth minute when the band revisits the disciplined structure that was the song's beginning. Quite remarkable! (18/20)

4. "Blazing Lace" (4:45) the band open with a clever and quaint little three-bar jazz-rock motif that they circulate over and over while individuals step out of the weave to solo: first Karsten vogel with his saxophone, then Claus Bøhling with an abrasive rock guitar that sounds like Alvin Lee, then Kenneth Knudsen's electric piano as the music is faded out. Interesting and once again displaying the band members' commitment to disciplined song construction. (8.875/10)

5. "Public Oyster" (10:46) percussion play (mostly cymbals) and repetitive/hypnotic electric piano play that plays out over the first 2:30 before fading away and being replaced by hypnotic bass riff and vacant drum play with more hypnotic background electric piano and "distant" electric guitar scratchings for a minute until the "dirty" electric piano becomes established as the de facto lead instrument (despite the creative echo-guitar noodling going on in the background). The creative echo-guitar noodling supplants the electric piano in the sixth minute as the drum and bass foundation thicken a bit with harsher play on the drum kit. At 6:15 soprano sax emerges out of nowhere to lead/solo, seemingly floating around in an ethereal dimension somewhere above or around the rest of the band--which gets even crazier when Claus rejoins with his guitar noodling--nearly matching, for a while, the cat-like screaching of Karsten's sax, note for note! Mads Vinding's note play becomes chord strokes, gaining in aggression and volume as we finish the cat-fight solo and return to some electric piano, briefly, before watching Claus step back into the spotlight with a highly-effected wah-wah-and-other-effects guitar solo in the tenth minute. The rest of the song sees Claus' "failing" guitar lead the band into a petering out until it all comes to an end in the eleventh minute. Weird but, I've got to be honest: creative! (17.5/20)

6. "Mis(s) Fortune" (1:28) bass and mellowed-down electric piano duet. Could be inspired by a classical music piece but really goes nowhere--serves no purpose unless as an étude. (4.375/5)

7. "Ova-X" (4:56) super spacey synths, sax, cymbal play, and electric piano play opens this rather chaotically for about 90 seconds before the band forms around a Herbie Hancock Mwandishi/Weather Report-like groove for a bit before devolving again into primordial cosmic soup. Interesting composition by Karsten Vogel.! It's as if Dr. Patrick Gleeson were in the house for this one! I like it! (8.875/10) 

Total Time 40:43

88.82 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent, highly creative, and surprisingly well-synchronized and cohesively consistent album that I might, someday, feel inclined to elevate to "minor masterpiece" status for its delightful uniquities. 

THE SOFT MACHINE Fifth (1972)

Goodbye Robert, goodbye to all vocals; hello to refugees from Ian Carr's Nucleus.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Mike Ratledge / Lowrey organ, Fender Rhodes
- Elton Dean / alto saxophone, saxello, Fender Rhodes
- Hugh Hopper / bass
- Phil Howard / drums (1-3)
- John Marshall / drums (4-7)
With:
- Roy Babbington / double bass (4-7)

1. "All White" (6:06) opening the album with a very serious, very heavy jazz commitment, the music develops as something that could come off of one of Miles Davis' Second Great Quintet albums or one of Herbie (Hancock) or Wayne (Shorter)'s solo side projects. Though Hugh Hopper's bass is rather dull with its near-metronomic riff repeating over and over, Phil Howard's drumming is quite satisfactory. Mike Ratledge holds down the middle ground more as a mirror and reinforcement for the rhythm section (until the very end) while Elton Dean commands attention with his continuous play of his sonorous soprano sax. Interesting. (8.75/10)

2. "Drop" (7:42) water drop sound effects paired up with delay and echoing organ (Mike Ratledge) and Rhodes (Elton Dean) noodlings make this, to my mind, a further exploration or variation on the Terry Riley-inspired opening and closing sections of Third's "Out-Bloody-Rageous." In the third minute the rest of the band starts to join in and try to establish a syncopated quick-step motif within which Mike continues soloing à la Herbie Hancock while Elton Dean steps in with his kazoo-sounding "saxello" for an extended stream of electrified nasal fuzz play. Interesting. (13.125/15)

3. "M C" (4:57) an introductory barrage of echoing and reverberating electric piano runs is then greeted by Phil Howard's free-form drumming. In the second minute the quartet seems to want to try to pull something together but each musician seems to be, for whatever reason, reluctant: as if standing on the sidelines, watching one another while holding space with ramblings from their own instruments, waiting for the signal to gel and jump into a forward-moving direction. Despite its pervasive feeling of indecision and neutrality, I find myself liking this song quite a bit; it's like a lineup of race horses, caged in their starting gates, waiting for the gun to go off. (But it never does!) Very cool! Great way to end Side One! (9/10) 

4. "As If" (8:02) by now I'm getting the distinct feeling that Elton Dean thinks that he's in charge--that this is his album as the "lead" instruments over the top of the relegated-feeling support of the "rhythm section" are overwhelmingly his. On this one it's the alto sax for the first five minutes before Roy Babbington's bowed double bass gets some extended shine (over Hugh Hopper's steady, hypnotic bass line). John Marshall's drumming stands out for its crisp, prominent sound, as well as for his quickness and decisiveness. Yet, despite the sharing of the spotlight, it definitely felt like Elton Dean's song--his decision to give newcomers Roy and John some time to "introduce" themselves. (13.25/15)

5. "L B O" (1:54) an eruption of drumming like something we've heard from Tony Williams and Billy Cobham. Though John Marshall is an impressive drummer, this is not a very winning solo. (4.3333/5)

6. "Pigling Bland" (4:24) a mellower, more-melody-driven near-Canterbury-feeling song in which the rhythmatists are allowed to shift and move, stop and start--and it works really well beneath Elton Dean's saxello soloing: giving the song a very interesting and engaging foundation and, perhaps, pressuring Elton to play something a little more melodic than he normally does. Cool speed shift and new motif for the last minute. I love the Nucleus effect! (9.25/10)

7. "Bone" (3:29) bowed double bass, bubbling electric bass, waves from cymbal crashes, and deep thrumming organ drone notes precede the introduction of some creepy spacey organ notes and "distant" piccolo/ocarina "jungle" noises. The feel here is both early Vangelis and early/proto World Music--perhaps even something inspired by the soundtrack to Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. Though I wish it could have developed a little more, I do like it. (8.875/10)   

Total Time 36:34

Definitely not as bad an album as many reviewers want to claim: though I am glad the band did not choose to continue to forge a path through the dark woods of avant garde "free jazz," there is a lot of authentic jazz experimentalism going on in these songs--which is admirable for what feels like its genuine sincerity.

88.78 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a solid collection of experimental jazz/Jazz-Rock Fusion tunes and études that connote advancement and progress for this band. This album result is not unlike some of the experimental albums we all know and lament that were released but we wish had been left in the artists' private libraries yet we also recognize were necessary for the artists' progress. Think Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Miroslav Vitous, Joe Zawinul, Tony Williams, Toto Blanke, Jan Hammer, John McLaughlin, Jan Akkerman, and many more and the experimental "duds" that they published (as songs or albums) but which served as stepping stones in their growth and development. That is what this album, Five feels like for me.

MARC MOULIN Sam Suffy (1975)

Though I was first introduced to this music via a YouTube posting of the 2005 release with all of MEDIAMOTION's remixes, I decided to go back to the original vinyl for my definitive review. 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Marc Moulin / keyboards
- Garcia Morales / drums 

With: 
- (uncredited) / bass (1)
- Richard Rousselet / Flugelhorn & Trumpet (2, 5, 6, 7)
- Philippe Catherine / Guitar (2)
- Bruno Castellucci / Drums (2)
- Jasper Van't Hof / Keyboards (3)

A1. "Le Saure" (6:00) since this was before sampling existed, I am going to go out on a limb and guess that Marc himself took on the duties of laying down the awesome electric bass track. The rest of the music has wah-wah-volume-pedal-controlled Charles "Skip" Pitts/"Shaft"-like rhythm guitar and piano-like electric piano with a whole bunch of interesting experimental synthesizer sounds parading around on top. I surmise that it is Marc, as well, who undertook the guitar part as it is also uncredited as otherwise. Awesome rhythm track. (9/10)

A2. "Misterioso" (1:43) Marc and Placebo-mates Philippe Catherine (guitar) and Richard Rousselet (flugelhorn) playing an indiosyncratic tribute to Thelonious Monk over drummer Garcia Morales funky/syncopated drum play. (4.375/5)

A3. "From" (3:35) mysterious cinematic music performed by Marc with keyboard maestro Jasper Van 't Hof and Garcia Morales' orchestral percussion support. But who played the STEVE HILLAGE-like "floating" guitars and the autoharp? Interesting and effective--even memorable. (8.875/10)

A4. "La Bougie" (4:14) fast-panning heavily-reverbed electric piano chord play opens this before Marc's synth bass and Garcia Morales' solid, driving drum track establishes a funky and rhythmically-mathematical rhythm track. Here Marc toys around with a synthesizer for his initial leads before giving way to his solo Brian Auger-like (electric? or electrically-enhanced?) piano. Whereas the bass lines offered on some of the other songs must come from a stringed instrument, this one is obvious that it's a synthesizer bass being played by the keyboardist's left hand. (8.75/10)

A5. "Le Beau Galop" (1:58) bluesy piano and trumpet. N'Orleans here we are! (4.25/5)

A6. "Le Blouse" (4:37) a deeply-hypnotic EARTH, WIND & FIRE/BOBBY CALDWELL-like rhythm track that has my sampling-self salivating (I can understand the crowded lineup of Acid Rock and other 1990s and 2000s Hip Hop artists for sampling this.) Everybody will recognize this enticing groove for its presence in slightly adulterated form in "La femme d'argent" the massive hit from French band AIR's downtempo electronic classic 1998 debut/breakthrough album, Moon Safari. Steely Dan-like piano chord hits are peppered effectively throughout the song, over the amazing bass 'n' drum rhythm track, and the bass line is doubled up by a heavily-treated synth "boing! (spring)" sound in the main meaty sections of the song. Marc chooses an odd synth to quietly, almost unobtrusively, lead for the first half of the song, alternating with his "piano" for the choruses and electric piano for the solo in the extended instrumental passage that takes us to the end, but, otherwise, there's not much to this! (8.875/10)

B1. "Tohubohut" (17:20) (35.25/40)

     a. "Tohubohut I" (5:11) single piano chord hit, water in the tub-or-sink splashing sound, bass drum hits, toms, eventual awesome BARRY WHITE "(I'm Gonna Love You) Just a Little More Baby"-like solo drum track build before the synth bass and synth horns and, later, real trumpet form the meat of the tune. Nice Acid Jazz beat before there was such a thing as "acid jazz." If Bruno Castellucci is this good at imitating the drum patterns of Barry White songs (especially this, Barry's best song ever), it's no wonder that his drumming on Jan Akkerman's 1977 masterpiece, Jan Akkerman seduces me so. (9.25/10)

     b. "Tohubohut II" (4:09) 90 seconds of synth sound experimentation through chord progression hits, sounding exactly like the work of synth pioneer LARRY FAST on his early SYNERGY albums. Around the two-minute mark the music shifts into a funky Cobham-like drum, bass and reverberating Fender Rhodes groove over which Richard's "distant" wah-wahed muted trumpet solos. Then Marc steps to the fore with his right hand on the piano while his left continues to play the reverb Rhodes chord pattern (and funky synth bass line). (8.875/10)

     c. "Tohubohut III" (2:10) Richard Rousselet's trumpet soloing in what sounds like animal sounds (predominantly elephant) while something Marc is playing makes warthog grunting sounds--for two minutes! Quite playful, somewhat humorous, but, ultimately, selfish and masturbatory. Not sure I really wanted or needed to hear this! (4/5)

     d. "Tohubohut IV" (2:07) really fun, oddly-timed, hugely-spaced piano and trumpet hits. It's like performing (or being subjected to) one of Miles Davis disciplinary exercises--the ones that mess with your mind! I have to admit that it's kind of cool though not exactly the kind of music you want to listen to for relaxation, love-making, or background ambiance. (4.75/5)  

     e. "Tohubohut V" (3:40) provides a return to the theme, palette, and style of the suite's opening movement. (8.875/10)

Total Time: 38:46

A lot of the music on this album feels quite experimental. In fact, I'd say Marc was more interested in fooling around with all of the new technologies in sound and sound engineering--especially with his synthesizers--than he was in creating new masterpieces of music that other musicians will want to emulate. It's all for entertainment: for both Marc and his perceived audience. (Witness the bass synthesizer throughout the album.) The music is smooth, funky (but not stanky), and quite serene, never really disturbing or grating. Marc's melody lines and chord progressions are, I'm sure, advanced and jazz-calculated but, like Bob James, they rarely stray outside the average, uneducated listener's comfort zone.

88.75 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; eminently entertaining and futuristic smooth jazz that is powered by Marc Moulin's creative curiosity and his drummers' considerable prowess. Just not the masterpiece other people are claiming (that I was sincerely hoping to find). 

AXIS Axis (1973)

The response to the Anglo-Italian progressive rock phenomenon from a very competent Greek band. Weird to see and hear a prog band that has no guitarists. It was recorded at Studio Hérouville (inside the Chateua d'Hérouville) in June (Side One) and April (Side Two) ("Pa Bu Ga Di" was recorded at Église Évangelique Allemenande in Paris  and then released by Riviera Records in the Autumn of 1973. This was the band's third and final studio album release.

• 
  

Line-up / Musicians:
- Dimitris Katakouzinos / bass
- Demis Visvikis / keyboards, vocals, percussion
- Chris Stassinopoulos / drums
- George Hadjiathanassiou / drums & percussion

1. "Waiting a Long Time" (4:26) more like across between URIAH HEEP and BLACK SABBATH. I like it but this is not Jazz-Rock Fusion. Really nice work on the keyboards.(8.875/10)

2. "Sewers Down Inside" (6:19) moody atmospheric music trying to be both Jazz-Rock Fusion and Space Music at the same time--like Stomu Yamash'ta's Go project. The vocals at the end sound like familiar. (9.125/10)

3. "Materializing the Unlimited" (5:03) Where the benefit of two drummers shows. Again, I love the creativity of keyboard maestro Demis Visvikis. Kind of long and drawn out with the raunchy, dirty imitation guitar two chords played over and over. (8.75/10)

4. "Asymphonia I" (5:05) piano, double bass, and percussion in an old-fashioned jazz style. Goes Don Pullen and Stanley Clarke in the third minute with its pounded piano chords and bowed bass. Nice drumming as well. (8.875/10)

5. "Suspended Precipice" (1:48) a jazzy composition that at times seems more advanced on the J-R Fuze evolutionary scale, but also slips into older blues-rock forms at times, and then bleeds into/becomes the next song. (4.5/5)

6. "Roads" (5:05) slowed down and bluesy while also projecting from the bass a little "Lucky Man" 'tude, then goes more jazz-rogue as the Demis launches into his solo. The drums and bass sound so good! I wish the electric piano solo were a little more creative or proggy. There's an interesting drum solo in an extended section of the second half with a kazoo-sounding Canterbury Hammond organ solo to follow. They're obviously giving a little nod to The Softs as well. Rated up purely for the awesome groove and sound presented by the rhythm section. (9/10)

7. "Asymphonia II" (2:50) bleeding over from "Roads," we slide back into the near free-for-all of Don Pullen/Ornette Coleman-like free jazz: for the first 90 seconds everybody is just going Animal wild, and then they try to incorporate space and pauses into their performances as if to try to trick one another! Interesting! Excellent skills on display; it's just not the most satisfying music to listen to. (8.75/10)

8. "Dancing Percussion" (2:38) another display of atmospheric keyboard work over which the band creates of a percussion-generated wall of sound. (4.375/5)

9. "Pa Vu Ga Di" (3:44) organ and choir sounding like Mellotron but it's real church music (from a real church setting?) Percussion starts getting a little loose and then, at 2:35, the drums, bass, and organ go full rock beneath the church choir. Interesting! I've rarely considered bringing prog into the church service! It's more common to try to bring church sounds and stylings into the prog studio. (8.75/10)

10. "The Planet Vavoura" (4:05) back to hard-drivin' rock-infused jazz-rock. The bass and drums are motoring while Demis tries to capture that Canterbury sax-saw-organ sound for a pseudo-sax solo over  the top. Mellotron enters and slows everybody down for a bit before the band reconvenes for a dramatic finish. (8.875/10)

Total Time 41:03

The album starts off with absolutely no connection to the Jazz-Rock Fusion movement, but then, rather surprisingly, turns jazzy in the middle--a commitment that the band then maintains over the course of the rest of the album. 

88.75 on the Fishscales = B+/four stars; a very good exhibition of prog rock from some very fine, very talented musicians. The songs just needed a little more polish and refinement. 

WEATHER REPORT Tale Spinnin' (1975)

Following the ground-breaking Mysterious Traveller--many prog and jazz-rock fusion lover's all-time favorite Weather Report studio release--was no small challenge. 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Joe Zawinul / piano, Fender Rhodes, Tonto & ARP 2600 synths, melodica (1, 4), organ (2, 6), steel drums (3), out (4), mzuthra (4), vocals (4), West African xylophone (4), cymbals (5), orchestration, co-producer
- Wayne Shorter / soprano & tenor saxophones, co-producer & mixing
- Alphonso Johnson / bass
- Leon "Ndugu" Chancler / drums, timpani, marching cymbals
- Alyrio Lima / percussion

1. "Man in the Green Shirt" (6:28) I really love the interplay of drumming, percussion, bass, and electric piano in this song. The horns are nice, and the weird synthesized Nature sounds entertaining, but it's the great coordination of high speed play from the rhythmatists that impresses and engages me the most. (9.375/10)

2. "Lusitanos" (7:24) opening with quirky comi-funk before synth, keys, and horns present a WR-type of melodic/chordal statement. Between regular repetitions of this chorded theme Wayne and Joe take turns adding their respective solos but the sonic field is so layered that it's almost full: practically burying any soloist's attempts. But then the band thins it out, keeping only the bare bones, so that Wayne and Joe can trade solos on soprano sax and piano, respectively--Joe even going so far as to solo twice: as if duelling with himself! Then Wayne takes a turn on his tenor sax: first within the full band weave, then with the open field laid out for him. No matter who's soloing, Joe is always adding quirky little sound injections from his circus collection of synth and hand tools. Alphonso Johnson's bass is creatively effected but it seems to handcuff him into playing some rather simple lines and a lot of single tone repetitions. (13.125/15)

3. "Between the Thighs" (9:33) the Weather Report circus show continues as Joe seems pretty set/obsessed with incorporating as many unusual quirky sounds and instruments into his songs as possible. So far in three songs, almost 24 minutes of music, there has really never a minute passed without some randomly fresh sound being injected haphazardly into the mix. It's almost like he's going for a citation in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most instruments played (or included) in a single song (or album). (Being a big fan of Andreas' Vollenweider's "busiest multi-instrumentalist I've ever encountered," Pedro Haldemann, as well as Pat Metheny's legion of upper-stage multi-instrumentalists, Mr. Zawinul may find that he has a little competition.) 

      So many times on this album I'm hearing riffs and samples that predict the cumulative breakout that 1977's "Birdland" will be for them. 

     The best funk and groove in this song is, for me, in the song's final minute. (17.75/20)

4. "Badia" (5:20) reaching into the orient for inspiration. (It's okay: the band had now been there--on their tours--several times.) Odd percussion, reeds, sqealy synth, pregnant bass couplets, cymbal play, and treated horn and mzuthra make for an interesting and very spacious weave. Melodica and oud are also prominent. How confusing it must have been for dynamic creatives like Alphonso Johnson and Leon Ndugu Chancler to have been so shackled like this. (8.75/10)

5. "Freezing Fire" (7:29) funk that finally taps the tremendous skill and potentialities of the relatively untested and untried bass funk master. A song that grooves and flows, feeling a little more like a Jazz-Rock Fusion tune, despite the continued barrage of incidentals injected as accents throughout the length of the song. Again, it's the drum 'n' bass unity that interests and impresses me, not the parade of creative sound injections that Joe (and Alyrio?) can muster. Just give me Alphonso and Ndugu and I'd be a happy camper! Great foundation; weird and "novelty" level entertainment. (But, Joe: I don't come to your albums for surprise and novelty: I come for the grooves and weaves!) (13.3333/15)

6. "Five Short Stories" (6:56) one of those interesting-but-ultimately-off-putting musical equations (or masturbatory exercises) that Joe and Wayne like to work through with their band. Slow and methodic, sometimes melodic; definitely cerebral and mathematical. Quite the challenge to stay engaged/interested--especially over seven minutes. (13/15)

Total Time: 43:10

The smooth, careful, and calculated side of Jazz-Rock Fusion, here presenting a lot of interesting ideas (many of which will be more fully developed on future albums). With Joe and Wayne monopolizing all of the compositional duties I think they still had not realized what they had on their hands with the recent acquisition of 24-year old bass genius Alphonso Johnson. As demonstrated on Eddie Henderson's Sunburst album that was recorded and released at about the same time as this one, the kid is nothing short of a creative genius; he has ideas, he has the chops to star--to lead--and he has a bag of his own compositions bursting at the seams (two of which ended up on that Sunburst album). Don't get me wrong: the compositions on Tale Spinnin' are all fine, mature, presenting ground for a lot of great performances and some rather memorable songs and riffs, they're just not quite as dynamic and powerful as those on Sunburst. I think it a terrible thing that Joe and Wayne "wasted" so much talent that came their way (though many would look at it as "mentored," "groomed," or "developed"). 

     There is some great music here, just too much entertainment-oriented circus noise.

88.63 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an album of sophisticated, busy, multi-layered music that is often overly-gilded in what amounts to circus entertainment tricks. Too bad! I love the bones and basic constructs of a lot of this music.    

PUPPENHAUS Jazz Macht Spazz 

Recorded in 1973 at SWF Studio in Baden-Baden, Germany, the material was not released as an album until 2009 (with 25 minutes of live material from 1974 tacked on).

Line-up / Musicians:
- Frank Fischer / bass
- Bea Maier / drums
- Büdi Siebert / flute, saxophone
- Herbert Binder / guitar
- Thomas Rabenschlag / keyboards

1. "Anfang" (10:41) whoever thought this aggressive FOCUS-like music was Jazz-Rock Fusion? I guess the people who listen past the introduction! But those alternating motifs are definitely far more rock/prog rock than J-R F. Then the third motif, in the third minute, feels way more rooted in 1960s blues rock despite its jazzy sax and flute contributions and Frank Fischer's impressively fluid bass play. The new alternating aggressive motif seems to come straight out of KING CRIMSON's playbook. Then there is an impressive drum display with only Frank's three note machine gun bass play to support Bea Maier's nuanced drum play before guitarist Herbert Binder joins in with some long-held notes screaming and bending their way into the front line. Interesting how close Herb's guitar sound imitates a Canterbury organ. In the ninth minute there is a return to the FOCUS-like aggression before a sudden electric piano chord arpeggiates us into a dreamy passage over which Büdi Siebert lulls us into his spell with his beautiful flute play. The final 35 seconds sees a return to the aggressive rock chord play of the opening. Pretty great song! (17.875/20)

2. "Jazz Macht Spazz" (7:54) a nice mid-tempo song that cruises along while Büdi cajoles us with his soprano saxophone. Around the three minute mark the band switches into closed top, windows up mode while negotiating a slightly rougher part of town through Thomas Rabenschlag's electric piano. Then the rhythm section drops out for the sixth minute as Büdi picks up his ethereal flute with Thomas' vibrating electric piano chords supporting beneath. The band returns to a slightly-slowed down variation of the opening motif for the final two minutes--which enables both Bea Maier and Büdi to ejaculate their solo flourishes between and over e. piano and rock guitar power chords. (13.25/15)

3. "Swingende Elefantenkompanie" (10:47) starting out slowly--like an orchestra tuning--but then the rhythm section comes bursting forth with a blistering pace over which Herbert rock guitar shreds followed by Büdi's tenor sax. Yes, there are jazz elements to this music, but so much more belong to the domains of either rock or prog rock. The performances are impressive, yes, but nothing here really grabs me enough to want me to come back--this despite the music's similarities to that of Canadian band LIGHTHOUSE. Then, almost exactly at the four-minute mark, quite suddenly and unexpectedly (as if the start of an entirely new and different song), the music stops with the band immediately returning with a very smooth WILL BOULWARE-like "Feel Like Makin' Love"-like song, sound, and style: dominated by Thomas Rabenshlag's gentle electric piano play and Büdi Siebert's winsome flute. Then, around the seven-minute mark the rhythm section takes a few measures to ramp back up into a kind of frenzied-Disco hysteria which crash-ends after about a minute, leaving a New Orleans-style military marching motif in its wake. this motif slowly begins to unravel, soon becoming full-on chaos, before then shifting into a high speed though delicate motif in which horns and guitar play accents on Thomas' dirty electric piano frenzy, off and on, over and over, during the course of the next minute with drummer Bea Maier pounding away with great vim and fervor underneath until the sudden end. Whew! What a weird ride that was! I'm not sure how to rate it though I have to give them credit for being unique in their vision of that which can constitute a jazz-and-rock fusion. (17.5/20)

4. "Let The Pig Out" (5:58) opening with 90 seconds of breathy, voicy flute play which culminates in some of Büdi's human-made pig noises supplanting his flute. Then the band kicks in with a five chord KING CRIMSON progression that turns frenetic in an almost avant-garde, but more comic way. This is a motif that displays some very skilled and disciplined team work as well as creative adaptation of the heavier KCrimsonian sound (reminding me of the humorous aspect of 21st Century's SEVEN IMPALE). I'm rating this up for its skill level and humor, not for its effectiveness at making me want more. (9/10)

5. "Improvisationen" (17:04) Though the music here is rather straightforward cruisin' speed jazz-rock fusion--with extended solo time for Büdi Siebert's tenor sax and, later, Thomas' Herbie Hancock-like treated electric piano--there is some rather extraordinary bass guitar playing here from Frank Fischer (the part I enjoy the most). Büdi picks up his flute for an extended solo in the mid-section--expanding upon the woodwind's sound with his own voice (though never as amazingly as Thijs van Leer). Frank gets a turn to display his bass creativity in the beginning of the song's final third, then Herbert Binder finally gets some front time (though rather hidden and often muted) before Thomas and Bea move the song more into the comedic/novelty range with some Disney/Mother Goose- and nationalistic/military-like themes flourished for their audience (and, I suppose, for themselves). (31/35)

Total Time 42:24

88.625 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a fun and skilled expression of jazz-rock fusion creative interpretation. Recommended for the experience of seeing once more one of the many ways the new idiom can be envisioned. 

TOTO BLANKE Tales of Tomorrow (1978)

This 1978 release is a real late-comer to the First, Second, and Third Waves of the Jazz-Rock Fusion movement. Tales of Tomorrow contains more of the German guitar virtuoso's sound experimentations captured for publication. And to make things weirder: other than a guest string quartet, the entire album's music and sounds are created by Toto tout seul! At least some of the weirdness has been worked into fairly competent song structures.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Toto Blanke / electric & acoustic guitars, Roland synth guitar, bass, bouzouki, bandoneon, ring modulator, PPG synth & sequencer, drum machine, composer & co-producer
With:
- Jörg Kramer / violin (1, 3, 8)
- Makar Niedrig / violin (1, 3, 8)
- Marian Lale / viola (1, 3, 8)
- Thomas Schultze / cello (1, 3, 8)
- Herman Josephs / arranger & conductor

1. "Overture" (0:42) string quartet opener. Nothing Earth-shatteringly innovative or expressive. (But quite a contrast to that which is following!) (4.375/5)

2. "I'm A Stranger Here Myself" (4:22) sound 40 years ahead of its time with its computer-sounding early drum machine rhythms at the song's foundation. Then all the layers of affected guitar sounds woven above! If this is Jazz-Rock Fusion then Kraftwerk and Bill Nelson are members, too! (8.75/10)

3. "Aliso Samba" (4:06) opens with string quartet before Toto's bass and acoustic guitar join in and, eventually, take over. The solo acoustic guitar (with bass, rhythm guitar, and bandoneon support) is awesome. Strings rejoin and swell in the final minute as Toto wraps things up. A very pleasant, upbeat song! (9/10)

4. "Roland The Giant" (5:02) I love how adventurous Toto was: always exploring the furthest edges that new technologies could allow the music (and musician) to travel. Here he's preparing us for "Music for Vacuuming," Jon Hassell, and Adrian Belew as well as Annette Peacock's Sky-skating. (8.75/10)

5. "Ostfriesisches Festtagsbegrabnis" (1:05) bandoneon and bouzouki. (4.25/5)

6. "Casablanca" (6:32) ring modulator and PPG sequencer open this one before Toto's George Harrison-toned electric guitar enters and begins his soloing. He's such a gifted, creative guitarist! It's too bad he got all obsessed with sound modification cuz he can really play! Weird manipulations of volume (performed, obviously, in the recording engineer's booth) make for an unfortunate cheap-sounding production. Too bad! Not even the Rodrigo-like Spanish guitar finish can save this one. (8.75/10)

7. "Rush Hour" (1:50) high-speed PPG sequencing with effects and volume modification while Toto's distorted electric guitar wails in the background (and through some other effects modifiers). (4.25/5)

8. "Pork Pie" (3:43) string quartet sounding very dire and serious open this one before turning George Martin/BEATLES-like. Synths and layers of electric guitars join in while Roland guitar synths and ring modulator provide the leads. Interesting ideas. (8.75/10)

9. "New Years Eve" (3:17) multiple layers of acoustic guitars playing some Spanish-themes and -styles give this a very AL DI MEOLA- and JOHN McLAUGHLIN-like feel and quality. Beautiful little song. In the second half, multiple layers of acoustic guitars: most of them strumming in a fast Latin/Spanish style while a steel-string acoustic provides the lead melody in fast time. (9/10)

10. "Flat Top And The U.S. Sad Cats" (9:11) mysterious bass line, volume-controlled bandoneon chords, over which two very different guitars solo: one wah-wahed that presents a very horn-like sound (though muted); the other more distorted and slightly compressed at the high-end that provides intermittent flourishes and machine gun blasts of runs while the cat-like sounding horn-guitar continues playing steadfastly over the fretboard. Again, very interesting but nothing I really want to hear repeatedly. (17.5/20)

11. "Sunday Morning The 26th Of February" (3:31) bandoneon cords and wonderful acoustic guitar  soloing that sounds just like John McLaughlin playing with Zakir Hussain and the Shakti gang. Stunningly beautiful. Just like the Mahavishnu. (9.666667/10)

Total Time 43:21

Though this is quite experimental, there is little to no fusion of jazz and rock going on here. As a matter of fact, with the collaboration of any other jazz or rock musicians, I'd be hard pressed to have much hope for such. I should have known better.

88.61 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an album of mixed energy and results: some are absurdly experimental--absolute frozen examples of what people were trying at the time (only, Toto chose to publish all of his experiments instead of learning from them for more mature future compositions), others are stunningly beautiful samples of Toto's guitar genius and skill. 

STANLEY CLARKE School Days (1976)

Stanley's highly-regarded sophomore release, his second as a band leader and principal composer, serves well to continue to cement his legacy as one of the greatest bass players of all time. Released on Nemperor Records on October 8, 1976, School Days was recorded in New York at Electric Lady Studios and A&M Studios in June of the same year.

• 
  

Line-up / Musicians:
- Stanley Clarke / acoustic, piccolo & electric basses, piano, gong, handbells, chimes, vocals, arranger, conductor & co-producer
With:
- Raymond Gomez / electric guitar (1, 3, 5)
- John McLaughlin / acoustic guitar (4)
- Charles Johnson / electric & acoustic guitars (6)
- David Sancious / keyboards (1), Mini-Moog (2, 3), organ (3), electric guitar (5)
- George Duke / keyboards (6)
- Gerry Brown / drums & handbells (1, 3)
- Steve Gadd / drums (2,5)
- Billy Cobham / drums & Moog 1500 (6)
- Milt Holland / percussion (3), congas & triangle (4)
- String Section: 

David Campbell, Dennis Karmazyn, Lya Stern, Thomas Buffum, Janice Adele Gower, Marcia Van Dyke, Karen Jones, Robert Dubow, Ronald Strauss, Rollice Dale, Gordon Marron, John Wittenberg, and Marilyn Baker 

- Brass Section: 

Jack Nimitz, Buddy Childers, Lew McCreary, Dalton Smith, Robert Findley, Gary Grant, George Bohanon, William Peterson, Stuart Blumberg, and Albert Aarons 

1. "School Days" (7:51) drums and bass chords open this one before Ray Gomez' horn-like treated electric guitar solos. Interesting in a very heavy RTF/rock 'n' roll way, but there's something missing: it all feels like an (over-)extended intro until the bridge at the end of the second minute. David Sancious' synth play is rather unique. The scaled-down (bass chords removed) passage from 2:45 to 6:45 allows for Stanley to start up, escalate and realise a pretty impressive electric bass guitar solo (four minutes long!). Also, drummer Gerry Brown is a pretty good foil for Stanley's play. Interesting end with Stanley humming over the piano. (13.33333/15)

2. "Quiet Afternoon" (5:09) a gentler, more pop/radio-oriented tune that is based over Stanley's piano play and Steve Gadd's distinctive drum sound (soft toms and bass drum). Stanley uses his piccolo bass for some soloing despite the presence of his standard electric bass play in the rhythm track. David Sancious gets some extended time for some MiniMoog soloing in the third and fourth minutes. Interesting--and melodic in a Minnie Ripperton/Maria Muldaur way. (8.875/10)

3. "The Dancer" (5:27) nice percussion-rich song with Milt Holland, Ray Gomez, Gerry Brown, and David Sancious playing around within the busy weave. Nice but nothing extraordinary. (8.75/10)

4. "Desert Song" (6:56) John McLaughlin on the acoustic guitar gives Stanley the inspiration to perform a SHAKTI-like bowed double bass solo within the first 1:45 of this acoustic duet. He then drops the bow for some amazing straight bass in the third minute. John finally gets his turn on his newly-created (by master luthier Mirko Borghino) scalloped-fretboard acoustic guitar around 3:15. Along with Milt Holland's congas and triangle, the song progresses very much like a Shakti song--but Stanley and John's rapport seems to really work: it seems very easy and sympathetic.

     Stanley takes back the lead again at 5:15, returning to his bowed bass for the rest of the song. I can't help myself: I'm such a sucker for this kind of music. (13.5/15)

5. "Hot Fun" (2:55) a little foray into funk-rock--including some extra support from strings and brass. Fun! Stanley can definitely play funk! (8.875/10)

6. "Life Is Just a Game" (9:00) orchestral support for a cinematic piece like a contemporary film theme song (one that would run through the credits at the end of the movie). Billy Cobham, George Duke, guest on this one with Charles "Icarus" Johnson on guitars. Something is missing from this song--from all of the performances: a kind of cohesive enthusiasm for the song. Some of the performances are impressive (though not Icarus Johnson, or Billy Cobham [his drums are recorded with some weird effects--perhaps through is Moog 1500], or even George Duke--and the orchestration seems excessive and perhaps unnecessary.) (17.5/20)

Total Time 37:18

I just don't connect with Stanley's musicality: his compositions, melodies, arrangements, and vision do nothing for me except augment my already-healthy respect for his virtuosity as a bass player.

88.54 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a nice album to continue our appreciation for Stanley Clarke, bassist extraordinaire.

BUSTER WILLIAMS Pinnacle (1975)

The double bass player from Herbie Hancock's Mwandishi team decides to go out on his own to produce some Mwandishi-like jazz-rock fusion. Recorded in 1975 at Blue Rock Studios, August 6, 7, 11, and 14, it was published by the Muse label in November.

Lineup / Musicians:

- Buster Williams / basses, electric and acoustic

- Onaje Allan Gumbs / keyboards

- Billy Hart / drums

- Guilherme Franco / percussion 

- Woody Shaw / trumpets (A3, B2)

- Earl Turbinton / soprano sax (A3, B1, B2), bass clarinet (A1, A3)

- Sonny Fortune / flutes, soprano sax (A1, A3)

- Suzanne Klewan / vocals (A2, A3)

A1 "The Hump" (11:26) a little too busy for my tastes--and the wind instruments are not so well recorded. As the song starts and slowly establishes its form and style (while the band leader solos on his Fender electric bass) I'm feeling as if I'm hearing the chords and melody of what will become Bob James' famous song, "Angela" (the theme song to the TV show, Taxi), but then when the full workup is accomplished the rest of the song sounds more like some of the playful funk jazz from Bill Cosby's Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids--on which Buster played, of course). Onaje Allan Gumbs creative and experimental "space synth" work sounds like something from the Star Trek television series soundtracks--and is the same that he will use on Lenny White's Venusian Summer. (17.66667/20)

A2 "Noble Ego" (6:52) an okay song with some excellent double bass exposition. The wordless group scat-chant vocals are a bit odd for their choice of syllables. Pianist Gumbs has obviously studied at the Chick Corea school of piano and keyboard play because his piano play as both accompanist and soloist mirror that of the Spanish Lepruchaun (even his spacey synth injections are similar to Chick's!) But the real star here is the master bass player. (13.33333/15)

A3 "Pinnacle" (4:41) Onaje Allan Gumbs' Fender Rhodes play is so rich and welcome. The electric bass and more-rock-formatted drums give this a true J-R Fusion feel. The choral chant vocals are fun in a spiritual way. The first half offers Billy Hart's exciting drum play, then the melodic keys and sax and Freddie Hubbard-like trumpet play steal the show. (8.875/10)

B1 "Tayamisha" (6:29) classic modal jazz between Buster and Billy (with some help from Guilherme Franco's percussion work) start this one out before the rest of the band join in. Onaje Allan Gumbs' piano, Earl Turbinton's soprano sax, and Buster's double bass take the traditional solo spots. Very nice jazz but not really much of a fusion with rock. (8.875/10)

B2 "Batuki" (14:10) the jewel of the album, it opens, of course, with some of Buster's dynamic and inventive double bass play, at the 45-second mark the rest of the band joins in to help Buster create a finely harmonized wave of gentle, melodic jazz. Sax, flutes, keys, and drums do an awesome job of establishing the song's Stevie Wonder-like weave before trumpeter Woody Shaw is given the first solo in the fourth minute. There is a double-timing of some of the instrumentation at the start of the fifth minute just as saxophonist Earl Turbinton is given his solo, but then everything slows way down and thins out for Buster's next solo in the sixth and seventh minutes--a solo that nears the EBERHARD WEBER sound standard that I love so much, supported by Onaje Allan Gumbs' dreamy flange-panned Fender Rhodes. It isn't until well into the tenth minute that Buster relinquishes the lead to allow Allan a chance to shine (wonderfully supported by both Billy Hart and Buster). In the end this is a great sounding song that only disappoints in its lack of sustained memorable melodies over the course of its 14-minutes. (27.5/30)

I don't know where Buster and the gang found this percussionist, Guillerme Franco (he'd previously worked with McCoy Tyner, Lonnie Liston Smith and Keith Jarrett), but I love his mischievous injections of odd and singular percussion instruments throughout--as well as his use of the Flexitone--the signatory open sound to Ronnie Laws' mega hit, "Always There." 

Buster Williams is without a doubt a virtuoso of the double bass; it is sad how little mention or credit he is given for his contributions to so many great jazz and jazz-rock fusion albums--especially the six Mwandishi lineup albums of 1972-4. 

88.53 on the Fishscales = B+/four stars; an excellent representative of the jazz-side of prog's "Classic Era" of Jazz-Rock Fusion.

JAZZ Q (MARTIN KRATOCHIVÍL) Elegie (1976)

Pianist Martin Kratochvil enters his thirties by leading his Czechoslovakian group of jazz/fusion artists, Jazz Q, through their fourth studio album since their debut in 1973.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Martin Kratochvíl / electric piano, Moog, composer, güiro (B3), organ (A1, B1), piano (A3, B4), synthesizer (A1-A4)

- Přemysl Faukner / bass
- Libor Laun / drums
- Frantisek Francl / guitar, vocals (A2), triangle (A3)
- Jan Hrubý / violin (A2, A3, B4)
- Jiří Cerha / vocals (A2)
- Jiří Tomek / congas (A2, A4, B2)
- Ladislav Kantor / vocals (A2)
- Lenka Filipová / acoustic guitar (B4), vocals (B1)
- Michal Gera / trumpet (A2), maracas (B3)
- Michal Vrbovec / cowbell (B3)
- Ondřej Konrád / blues harp (B1)
- Tomás Procházka / percussion (A3), claves (B3)
- Zdeněk Prouza / cello (B4)

- Frantisek Lhotka / cello (B4)

A1. "Slunovrat" (5:35) more like a slightly-funked up FOCUS song: some skillful expression of a challenging composition rendered quite well. (9/10)

A2. "Naděje" (7:00) opens sounding quite a little like one of JEAN-LUC PONTY's hypnotic weaves within which violinist Jan Hrubý does a fine job representing the new Jazz-Rock Fusion sounds and stylings of the electric violin. After almost two minutes with Jan's violin supplying the studied lead, Michal Gera's heavily-treated trumpet (sounding a lot like a wah-wah pedaled electric guitar) takes the lead. The third round of this 90-100 second repetition/rondo of a movement is given to Martin Kratochvíl to solo over using his own unique Moog sound choice. The fourth and final "round" allows electric piano and loosely-organized other members (wordless voice, guitar, trumpet, and violin) to let the song end-- very loose and unceremoniously, I might add. I must say that each of the soloists presents themselves in very unique sound choices and that they express themselves in ways that are flashier for their use of the strange effects and sounds than for their technical speed or skill. Too bad there isn't a little more oomph or zip to the main motif. (13.375/15)

A3. "Citadela" (3:20) strings synth and pounding left-hand piano chord play supports a solo from electric bassist Přemysl Faukner. Odd but "cute" song. (8.75/10)

A4. "Tanec" (3:45) Side One's fourth song bursts forth as if coming straight off of a HERBIE HANCOCK album from 1973 or 4. Great Cobham-like drum play, great Larry Coryell-like electric guitar soloing, great Latin percussion, great bass and Fender Rhodes support and leads. A very solid, very American-sounding funky Jazz-Rock Fusion tune. (9/10)

B1. "Létavice" (5:20) the basic quartet sans drums taking turns soloing over a two chord vamp that, at times, descends one key per measure with the bass pretty much holding center of one particular key. It's okay; interesting. (8.75/10)

B2. "Toledo" (7:35) built over a Spanish rhythm motif nuanced bass and drums and rhythm guitar hold down the rhythm track while Martin and Frantisek take turns soloing in Spanish melodies that are quite similar to those used by America's great Latin-protagonist, Chick Corea--even using the same synth and keyboard sounds Chick would use. The performances of the soloists are more impressive than is the muisc they've contracted to play over (it's a bit stereotypic and one-dimensional). (13.25/15)

B3. "Zravá Dáma" (5:20) a very playful exploration of deep Herbie Hancock-like funk conveyed through the white man's filters of order and easy-on-the-brain melodies. Radical change in the second minute as the song goes into a full percussion-only motif, but then it comes back to the funky with a little more distroted guitar for the final minute or so. Weird construct with some enjoable white man's exploration of American funk. (8.75/10)

B4. "Věstba" (1:55) piano, strings and acoustic guitar doing a modern avant-garde piece. (Pre-RATIONAL DIET.) (4.375/5)

Total Time 39:50

Havung come here straight after listening to Extra Ball's Birthday debut I can't help but be underwhelmed by both the lower level of instrumental mastery of the musicians in Jazz Q but also at the immaturity of their acquisition of mastery of the skills and technologies with which to emulate much less surpass American Jazz-Rock Fusion of the day. This is what I would definitely call a "second tier" album (and band) representing the Jazz-Rock Fusion ilk.

88.53 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent Eastern European response and contribution to the Jazz-Rock Fusion revolution going on in America. 

MOVING GELATINE PLATES The World of Genius Hans (1972) 

Definitely more on the jazzy side of what we call Canterbury music. Moving Gelatine Plates' second album--released only a year after their surprisingly mature debut--displayed a better quality of recording and engineering to equally mature and accomplished instrumental jazz arrangements. Other than their self-titled debut album's great "London Cab," I like this album hands down over the debut. There is more warmth in the songs and performances here--and a feeling that the band is more relaxed, as if they are just grooving and enjoying themselves and their unique sound. Recorded from December 7 through 15, 1971, at Studio Des Dames and Studio Johanna, The World of Genius Hans was produced by Claudio Delcloo for CBS Records, which released it in February of 1972. 

Line-up / Musicians:

- Maurice Helmlinger / Hammond & Capri Duo organs, trumpet, alto, soprano & tenor saxophones, flute & backing vocals (1-7)
- Gérard Bertram / electric, 12-string & Leslie guitars, vocals (1-7)
- Didier Thibault / bass, guitar, synth & vocals (1-12)
- Gérard Pons / drums (1-7)
With:
- Claude Delcloo / backing vocals (1-7)
- Jean-Pierre Laroque / bassoon (1-7)
- Michel Camicas / trombone (1-7)
- Guy Boyer / vibraphone (1-7)

The opening song, the fourteen-minute epic title song, 1. "The World of Genius Hans" (14:05), is a very jazzy piece with some quite technically challenging ensemble sequences all working coherently and cohesively together. (27/30)

2. "Funny Doll" (4:29) opens with some light, bouncy interplay between sax and lead guitar with snappy bass and drum play beneath. Towards the end of the first minute the band gels into a full sound just before a male voice sings to us in a kind of Benmont TENCH kind of raspy way. The following jazz section is quite lovely, with the band playing really tightly and with some awesome multi-instrumental melodies. In the fourth minute it starts to get a little more mathematical just before a very fun section with a circus-master like vocal saying "good-bye" to us. Awesome song! (10/10)

3. "Astromonster" (6:20) opens with a rolling bass playing beneath some guitar, bassoon, and percussive oriental-sounding staccato melody weave. Then things slow down for a bit, as if to reset, before opening the third minute with some more straightforward, driving ensemble jazz with organ and fuzz bass. The fourth minute then brings in another shift--almost a bolero kind of Latin section with a very Santana sound and feel to it (except for the drums). The Santana-like melody is carried forward by the guitar until, at the end of the fifth minute, a faster paced start-and-slow alternating pattern is established for about a minute. The final minute sees a very slowed down regurgitation of one of the song's main melodies--from the flute! Weird but awesome song.  (9/10)

The next song, 4. "Moving Theme" (3:56), feels like an étude, like a song created to exercise the group's dexterity and entrainment timing. Not particularly melodic or enjoyable except in the way one can appreciate the band members' command of their instruments and their ability to play tightly. It could just be what its title says: a theme for moving! (8/10)

5. "Cauchemar" (3:53) is a fast-paced piece that kind of follows one format for its entire four minutes--even trying to establish a melody line that follows the pop ABACAB-type of flow. (8.5/10)

6. "We Were Loving Her" (3:19) is a slow-to-unveil-itself piece that has a kind of MATCHING MOLE/SOFT MACHINE experimental feel to it. The song has nice melodies expressed by the saxophone in the last minute. (8.5/10)

7. "Un jour..." (1:30) has quite a SATIE feel to it despite it's being a bass and saxophone duet. (2/2.5)

Total Time: 37:05

Perhaps not as silly as their debut but not as serious either. While not my favorite type of Canterbury music--I go for the more melodic fun stuff of Caravan and Supersister--it is not my least. The musicians and compositional team of MGP are definitely amazingly good and awesomely confident. What feels like their step forward in World of Genius Hans is how relaxed and fun the band feels to be on this album. Too bad they never generated the interest or fan base to sustain their passion.

88.48 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a wonderful addition to any Canterbury-loving prog lover's music collection.

FREDDIE HUBBARD Sky Dive (1972)

Though Freddie had been collaborating for a couple of years with a group of musicians who dabbled with/ circulated on the fringes of the burgeoning Jazz-Rock "Fusion" scene--including Airto Moreira, Ron Carter, Ray Barretto, Jack DeJohnette, Hubert Laws, and, to a lesser degree, George Benson. Freddie's attempts at allowing more rock and electric elements into his stage and studio performances seemed hindered by his own allegiance to (and enjoyment of) more recent trends in jazz--like "hard bop" and "cool jazz." One problem was his relative aversion/avoidance to Latin influences like Afro-Cuban rumba and Brazilian bassa nova--two forms of popular jazz that had had huge influence in American music in the 1960s.Well, this album sees Freddie finally getting his foot in the door--thanks in no small part to his employment of Billy Cobham, Airto Moreira, and Ray Barretto--the former two of whom had been students/musicians with Miles and Carlos Santana and Joe Zawinul's Weather Report (Airto), the latter who had crossed over with the likes of Herbie Mann and Edgar Winter. This is the first album of Freddie's that I feel he has finally figured out how to fuse some of rock 'n' roll's innovations into his jazz music.

Recorded by Creed Taylor on October 4 & 5, 1972, CTI released the album in January of 1973.

Lineup / Musicians:

Freddie Hubbard / trumpet

Ron Carter / bass

Billy Cobham / drums

Kieth Jarrett / piano, electric piano

Airto Moreira / percussion

Ray Barretto / percussion

Hubert Laws / flutes [C-flute, alto flute, bass flute], all solos

Wally Kane / bass clarinet, piccolo

Don Sebesky / conductor, arranger

With:

Trumpets & Flugelhorns: Alan Rubin, Marvin Stamm

Trombones: Garnett Brown, Wayne Andre, Paul Faulise [bass trombone]

Tuba: Tony Price

Winds: Phil Bodner [flute, alto flute, bass clarinet, piccolo]; George Marge [flute, alto flute, clarinet, bass clarinet]; Romeo Penque [flute, alto flute, clarinet, oboe, English horn]

1. "Povo" (12:33) after an introductory extract from some man's speech the band enters, settling immediately into a somewhat funky laid-back groove for the solos of George Benson, Freddie, Hubert Laws, and Keith Jarrett (electric piano). A very pretty, engaging, and well-constructed grooving piece that I enjoy from start to finish despite its standard format of turn-taking alternating singular solos over the rhythm section. It's a good thing the basic rhythm track is so good. (22.75/25)

2. "In a Mist" (7:04) sounds like an old-time classic jazz piece with small acoustic combo and some side action big band horns. No infusion of rock (or anything else) here. Keith Jarrett's piano sounds to me like Thelonius Monk. I'm really not interested in old-time jazz, just Jazz-Rock Fusion. (12.75/15)

"Naturally" (5:53) (only available on the CD release) opens up sounding like the late-night musings of a band playing for the thinning crowd of mellowing lounge drinkers. Freddie steps it up a notch with the second verse--the rest of the all-acoustic band keeping up. Hubert Laws gets the second solo on one of his flutes, during which the horn section begins to show itself with gentle accents. Guitarist George Benson is next with his jazz guitar (sans vocal mirroring)--for which the horns and winds combine to provide some dreamy, gentle support. I'm not really into this song cuz I'm looking for Jazz-Rock Fusion, not jazz.(8.5/10)   

3. "The Godfather (from the Paramount Motion Picture The Godfather)" (7:21) solo trumpet opens this one with a jazzy rendering of the well-known movie theme. Bassist Ron Carter gets the next shot--also tout seul--then pianist Keith Jarrett joins in and Ron steps into the support role as Billy Cobham's soft jazz drums (mostly brush and cymbal work) joins. Freddie returns to the lead as a bank clarinets add their support from the wings, later the horn banks. Keith Jarrett gets a nice solo in the sixth minute. Finishes off with a repeat of the solo trumpet opening. (8.5/10)

4. "Sky Dive" (7:40) a return to the world of electricity with a smooth, Latin-flavored song. Nice solos from Freddie (a really long one!), George Benson, Hubert Laws, and Keith Jarrett (again on electric piano) as well as really nice work from all of the support staff--especially Billy Cobham as well as some really smooth arrangements for horns and winds from Don Sebesky. (13.5/15)

Total time: 34:38

88.46 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a very nice jazz album with a couple of fine Jazz-Rock Fusion songs (one funk-lite, the other Latin-lite).  

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Total Time: 34:57

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

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

CORONARIAS DANS Visitor (1975)

Danish band with 4/5ths of the membership of SECRET OYSTER. This SteepleChase album release, recorded at Rosenberg Studios in Cøpenhagen, Denmark, in February, July, and Novmeber of 1973, did not reach the public until November of 1975.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Peter Friis Nielsen / bass, double bass [electric double bass]
- Ole Streenberg / drums
- Claus Bøhling / electric guitar
- Kenneth Knudsen / electric piano, piano

1. "Se Det" (5:15) a song that opens as a kind of dreamy bass and Fender Rhodes duet with both musicians wandering rather aimlessly around their instruments for 90 seconds before settling into a pattern that the drummer and guitarist can join. Then it's keyboardist Kenneth Knudsen leading the way with his electric piano while the bass and drums gather momentum from beneath. The foundational pattern (especially the repeated bass riff) gets rather monotonous and, eventually, annoying. I wish Peter Friis Nielsen would change it up or at least embellish--at least a little bit! Ends with a Eumir Deodato-like dreamy chord overlay. (8.75/10)

2. "Morning" (8:13) thoughtful bass play over an open space which is soon permeated by equally gentle, almost wind-chime-sounding electric piano play. Bassist Peter Friis Neilsen sounds very much like Eberhard Weber: mysteriously floating over his long-neck fretboard, producing notes that seem to say so much more than that of a single pitch. Around the four-minute mark drummer Ole Streenberg's contributions (on mostly cymbals) begin to become more noticeable--as do those of Kenneth Knudsen's electric piano, with the keyboard eventually, slowly, supplanting the bass as the lead instrument. A not-unpleasant song that sounds nearer to free jazz but also has some of the palette of Herbie Hancock's Mwandishi-era music. (13.25/15)

3. "Esrom" (1:47) Peter Friis Nielsen's solo bass sounding like any bass solo ever despite his use of near-Eberhard Weber effects. Cool when it gets doubled up near the end. (4.375/5)

4. "Don't Know" (5:10) high-speed Jazz-Rock of the Mahavishnu/RTF nature with sound quality that reminds me more of CERVELLO's Melos: the effects used to process the lead guitar are already dated while the rhythmatists beneath the soloing electric guitar (including a track dedicated to wah-wahed rhythm guitar) have a bare Mwandishi-like sonic field. Nice discipline and skills on display. The foundational groove gets a little monotonous after … a minute or two--more like numbing. (8.875/10)

5. "Visitor" (3:23) more skills exhibitionism from the bass and drum players while Kenneth Knudsen wanders around his treated (wah-wah) Fender Rhodes and guitarist Claus Bøhling occupies the spotlight up top. Again Claus is using that odd combination of effects on his axe making him sound similar to some of Larry Coryell's sound incarnations. (8.75/10)

6. "Tied Waves" (5:24) gentle waves of sustained electric piano chords and fills spaciously (and melodically) open this one sounding like a pensive Herbie Hancock while Ole and Claus feel their way around from beneath (the latter sounding a bit like Eberhard Weber). There's actually something profoundly engaging about this--especially in the combination and interplay of the aqueous sounds coming from Peter's bass and Kenneth's keyboard. For some reason I have to give this unusual song a top three song commendation. (9/10)

7. "Sagittarius" (1:10) bumpin' electric piano over fully-formed "Latin" rhythm track. I respect Peter, Ole, and Kenneth for their attempt at infiltrating Chick Corea territory. (4.375/5)

8. "Which Witch" (8:48) opening with some angsty aggression, this one kind of awkwardly straddles a pseudo-funky rock style that sounds like some of the fusionary experiments of early Larry Coryell. The guitar is once again in the lead position while everybody else (including a track of wah-wah rhythm guitar) tries to keep the train running a top speed (without derailing). Definitely representative of an earlier, more formative stage of Jazz-Rock Fusion (like three or four years earlier). It's pretty good if you like to hear long soloing by a single instrument over some disciplined and nicely coordinated rhythmatists working hard beneath. In the final minute the straight-running train is given the signal to slow down, something the band does in an interesting, very cool way. (17.75/20)

Total time 39:10

Interestingly, there are several songs in which I can barely notice the presence of a guitar, which makes me wonder if this was really a trio with only occasional sessions using the credited guitarist. 

88.38 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent display of creative, textural early-Seventies Jazz-Rock Fusion from some pretty talented and disciplined musicians. 

MILES DAVIS Bitches Brew (1970)

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 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 / trumpets

- Dave Holland / bass

- Harvey Brooks / bass [Fender]
- Bennie Maupin / bass clarinet
- Don Alias / drums

- Jack DeJohnette / drums

- Lenny White / drums
- John McLaughlin / electric guitar
- Chick Corea / electric piano

- Joe Zawinul / electric piano (A to C1, D2)

- Larry Young / electric piano (A, C1 to D1)
- Jim Riley / percussion
- Wayne Shorter / soprano saxophone

A "Pharaoh's Dance" (19:25) the long, slowly developing opening is kind of unusual for its meandering, amorphous way, but eventually the band members seem to get into their own individual grooves. One can easily sense that the trumpet player is in command with each other soloist getting a nod of permission for their turns in the spotlight, no more. The song chugs along, moving but never really getting anywhere; it's like a 19-minute video clip of a train motoring through Wyoming. (35/40)

B "Bitches Brew" (26:45) this one is quite a bit more diversified and dynamic than the opener: with enough twists and turns, stops and gos, to keep it interesting. (48.5/55)

C1 "Spanish Key" (17:30) definitely a more rock-oriented rhythm track, which is probably why the keys and guitar (and drums) are more aggressive and abrasive. (31/35)

C2 "John McLaughlin" (4:23) If this was Miles' nod to John, why didn't he let the guitar innovator use more of the distortion and other effects he was using on his other State-side shows and recording gigs?  (8.75/10)

D1 "Miles Runs The Voodoo Down" (14:03) just a little too much on the bluesy side of R&B for my tastes, though I actually love the perfect recording and mix of all the instruments in the weave. My favorite part is the tenth and eleventh minutes when the Chick Corea's dirty Fender Rhodes and Larry Young's organ (as well as the bassists) go bat shit crazy--not a typical phenomenon in a Miles song. (26.5/30)

D2 "Sanctuary" (10:54) opens with rich Fender Rhodes support of Miles' plaintive, almost-tender trumpet play. I love it when Dave Holland and Bennie Maupin join during the second minute, Bennie trying to second Miles' melody line (but being a bit off). Until the song gels into its "solid form" at 3:!5 the drummers feel as if they're just warming up, each in their own universe. Joe Zawinul also has a rather unusual way of play off the beat (Teo Maceo's choice?) and yet, this is probably the album's most accessible song for me and, thus, my favorite. (18/20)

A little more exciting, diverse, and dynamic than its predecessor, In a Silent Way, I still have great difficulty understanding what people see in this album's music that elevates it to such high ratings. I understand the landmark it represents historically in the rise and development of that which will become the Jazz-Rock Fusion sub-genre, but there are very few moments on this album in which my blood gets pumpin' or my brain gets blown away by the solos, duels, or interface of these expanded lineups and their "new and exciting" electrified instruments. I mean, had I heard them in the day--in the context of what was going on sonically, evolutionarily, at that time, sure I would probably have been impressed. But, would it have made me inspired to become a musician? Would I have been blasting these songs across the Quad from my dormitory windows? Would I have been wearing out the grooves of my vinyl copy because I was playing it so much? I seriously think not! 

Total Time: 93:00

88.29 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a ground-breaking album, as they say, but to me this is just a rather messy conglomeration of highly creative musicians who have been given a certain amount of instruction, a little more freedom, and a lot of time. I mean, let's give credit where credit is due: Teo Macero took the tapes from the recording sessions and made whatever he thought sounded good to him, right? I mean, how much say did Miles or any of the other musicians have in the finished product that was released seven months after the recording sessions? Probably very little, so, then, in reality, how much credit should Miles receive for this product? Did he ever perform these songs live, in concert, the way they appeared here on vinyl? I seriously doubt it. I think we've been giving too much credit to a bandleader who had very little to do with the product that the world and posterity can own when in fact it is, according to what I've read, Teo Macero who shaped the finished product. 

CHRIS SPEDDING Songs Without Words (1970)

Advertised as a Nucleus album but, without Ian Carr's presence, I don't quite see how. Plus, it's kind if a shame that Chris never expected (or wanted) the music from these Harvest Records'-"forced" studio recording sessions to be published. (Apparently, the album's producer leaked it to a Japanese company who published it unbeknownst to Chris. In fact, Chris claims to have not found out about the existence of this publication for three or four years.)

Line-up / Musicians:
- Chris Spedding / acoustic & electric guitars, co-producer
With:
- John Mitchell / piano, electric piano
- Paul Rutherford / trombone
- Roger Potter / bass, double bass
- John Marshall / drums
- Laurie Allen / drums (7)

1. "Station Song" (14:39) long John Coltrane-like opening with everybody meandering every which way like a pack of rats that have been discovered hiding under a rowboat, the trombone of Paul Rutherford is given the greatest prominence, occupying the lead position for the first two and a half minutes before giving way to John Mitchell's piano play. Roger Potter's jazzy double bass and John Marshall's drumming are also top notch as they hold everything together beneath John's DON PULLEN."Sinner Man"-like piano play. Trombone again takes the lead in this increasingly "Sinner Man"-feeling piano-based song. Chris Spedding's wewird CZ&W jazz guitar sound slowly fills the gap made by the quiescence of the rest of the band in the tenth minute and gradually becomes quite animated and reckless in its abandon. Then things slow down again, with everybody spacing out, before assuming a blues groove for the final two minutes (including a ridiculously-long finish). Not a great song. (26/30)

 
2. "Plain Song" (4:40) a great song on which Chris and Roger Potter jam as a duet on acoustic guitars (steel string acoustic and mandolin) and bowed double bass, respectively on something that sounds like a cover of PINK FLOYD's "Wish You Were Here" (pre-dating David Gilmour's classic by three or four years) as performed by Jimmy Page and Roy Harper for on Roy's Stormcock. An album highlight (despite its awkward sound rendering). (9/10)

3. "Song Of The Deep" (8:50) another song that feels more grounded in the Post Bop of the late Sixties with John Mitchell's piano play, Roger Potter's double bass, and John Marshall's drumming sounding much more jazz-based than rock or even Jazz-Rock. Chris's guitar is rendered rather oddly in the final mix with far more prominence and credibility being given to the centrally-located trombone of Paul Rutherford. Once again John Mitchell lays down some awesome Don Pullen-like piano play, which is, for me, the highlight of the song. (17.75/20)

4. "The Forest Of Fables" (1:12) experimental guitar and piano sounds--not conventional playing or styling. Like Don Pullen and Phil Collins running through ideas that would end up serving The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway's "The Waiting Room." (4.375/5)

5. "New Song Of Experience" (8:22) this song sounds and feels like a combo of lounge musicians giving a jazzy mash up of a DOORS pop song ("Light My Fire"). Though John Mitchell is playing electric piano on this one, he's still throwing those riffs and tactics that I'm so familiar with due to my love of Don Pullen's piano stylings. The guitar playing on this feels so infantile as to seem to express a self-sabotaging element into the music. (Did Chris want this album to fail?) Still, Paul, the two Johns, and Roger perform rather respectably despite Chris' "mood." Even the way the final sound and mix are rendered seem to indicated a half-assed attempt at polish or completion. (17.5/20) 

6. "I Thought I Heard Robert Johnson Say" (3:14) a song of various sound tracks that all feel like experimentations that might end up on TALKING HEADS' Remain in Light. Cool and funky before Brian Eno's white funk was even a thing. (9.25/10)

Total time: 40:57

I'll say it again: I'm not sure why reviewers and historians want to include this within the aegis of Ian Carr's Nucleus. And, sadly, Chris hardly ever feels into it! Also, I do feel saddened as, once again, an artist's product has been undermined or even usurped by the label/production company (much as artists like Frank Zappa, John McLaughlin, John Fogerty, Nektar, Midnight Oil, Prince, and many, many others have claimed to have been taken advantage of at varioius points in their careers). 

88.29 on the Fishscales = B-/3.5 stars; some great individual performances over mostly less-than-polished compositions (or, more often, what sound like practice jams) does not make for a great album. Recommended only if you must.

DONALD BYRD Electric Byrd (1970)

Recorded on May 15, 1970, Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, we see with this album Donald's deeper dive into a commitment to both electric instrumentation with the prominent featuring of electric bass (from experienced jazz bassist Ron Carter, a man that did not stick with it for very long despite his electric bass play being very highly in demand) heavily-effected electric guitar and new special effects used on several of the other instruments in order to add a new "psychedelic" pastiche to his music. Also, Donald is here effectively using melody lines that intentionally fall out of line with the foundational keys and scales they're generally used in, giving the music a strongly disorienting, even "drugged" feeling. The album was released by Blue Note in November.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Donald Byrd / trumpet
- Jerry Dodgion / alto sax, soprano sax, and flute
- Frank Foster / tenor saxophone and alto clarinet
- Lew Tabackin / tenor saxophone and flute
- Pepper Adams / baritone saxonphone and clarinet
- Bill Campbell / trombone
- Hermeto Pascoal / flute (on "Xibaba" only)
- Wally Richardson / guitar
- Duke Pearson / electric piano
- Ron Carter / bass
- Mickey Roker / drums

- Airto Moreira / percussion

A1. "Estavanico" (11:00) for this song's first seven minutes Rudy Van Gelder convinces Donald and his crew to pull out all the stops on reality-based music: bending, distorting, panning, pitch-shifting all kinds of tracks while Donald, for his part, convinces his musicians to slip in some "off" or "sour" notes from time to time as if to prove or at least amplify the "drugged out" state being expressed in the music. The musicians who seem to be having the most trouble "fitting in" to the new style are experienced bassist Ron Carter and saxophonist Frank Foster; the rest seem to fall easily into the act of being under hallucinagenic sedation--especially the awesome flutes and percussionists. A pretty cool, bold, and successful foray into the counter culture. (17.75/20)

A2. "Essence" (10:30) late night jazz with some electrified accoutrements: walking bass, electric piano, and electric guitar. The sound effects added to the recording of the flute and cool drumming style provide some of the more interesting elements to the song. As experienced as Ron Carter was at this time, you'd think he'd have done a better job of finding his place in the groove; as it is he just feels lost and out of his element. Jerry Dodgion's heavily-effected (echoed) sax is interesting as is the berimbau and echoed trumpet and other percussives. The muted electric guitar is totally weird and irritating--even when the echo effect is applied to it. Could this have been the one and only take of a poorly rehearsed composition? (17.25/20) 

B1. "Xibaba" (13:35) to me this is the album's most interesting song because of the fact that there is so much space in it--space with which to take in every sound and echo, every jingle and jangle, every electric piano chord and  At the same time there is this rather heroic presence of the self-proclaiming, screaming (and echoing) trumpet. It feels as if the conquering young Spanish-Roman hero has returned, alone, to his home town, with all the excitement of fresh victory bursting to be shared, but when he reaches the normally-peopled public places he finds them empty, the city desolate, his cries echoing off of the stone walls of the empty open places, hallways and streets and edifices. The structure formed at the end of the fifth minute merely suggests the hero's more resolute walk around the streets and alleys as he fixes to his determination to find people--find his family and friends--but all he finds are ghosts and reverberations of his own echoing voice. I find this song intriguing as it heartily feeds my own imagination's tendency to visualize and storyboard the music I hear. For me, this song is more about impressions than technical prowess or sophistication. (27/30)

B2. "The Dude" (8:00) a suped up song that sounds as if it came from the overdubbing of a Motown foundational track. The R&B is strong with this one, Obi-wan. Though the "Motown" rhythm section remains tight and the soloists dancing lightly over the top sensitive, respectful, and creative, the song really doesn't do enough over the long run to make it memorable. (13/15)

Total Time: 43:48

I have to say that I respect Donald Byrd, now almost age 40, for his adventurousness. I also love the fact that engineer and recording studio owner Rudy Van Gelder was able to remain so fascinated with and invested in the latest greatest technological advancements in sound recording and engineering. The two coupled with a cast and crew who were at least able to try--to go along with their leader and producer's weird and whimsical requests (orders)--despite their own training, predilections and reservations. Many people look back upon the experiments and fumbles into the world of "psychedelics" as a laughable mistake--many with regrets--but I like it: it is all so entertaining (and nostalgic).  

88.235 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent second and further sortie into the world of electronic sound manipulation--one that definitely qualifies as a pulsating representative of the First Wave of Jazz-Rock Fusion.

BERITS HALSBAND Berits Halsband (1975)

Recorded for Forsaljud Records, August 10-17, 1975, in an old Swedish folk school in Hudiksvalls commune that was converted into a studio (Forsa Studio) in the same year that this record was made. This Swedish house band recorded this album live in the studio on a two-track tape recorder! The album was then released in December.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Göran Frost / bass
- Michael Lindqvist / drums
- Jonas Lindgren / electric piano, violin
- Mats Anton Karis / flute
- Olof Söderberg / guitar
- Per Lejring / piano
- Thomas Brandt / saxophone
- Tommy Adolfsson (ARCHIMEDES BADKAR) / trumpet
- Bengt Ekevärn / trumpet

1. "Myror I Köket" (11:45) Very brave and unique jazz-rock fusion with electric foundation and great Spanish/Latin-sounding trumpet play. Very engaging foundation and rhythm track as well. A delightful downshift at 5:40 allows space in the upper end for flute to be heard. Too bad these guys didn't get a few more chances to practice and refine this (or have multi-tracks for overdubbing). (23/25)

2. "Elhamokk" (9:45) the drumming is excellent, the coordinated delivery of lines and chords by the rest of the band quite extraordinary--like the synchronic timing of a big band. For some reason I hear a very strong hint of both Spanish and Balkan melodic traditions in this music. I also feel a bit of the high school band class in the performances--which makes the song get a little old and dull over it's ten minute length. (17.333333/20)

3. "Halvvägs Hildur" (19:00) has quite a Mwandishi-era Herbie Hancock feel to it with its sprawling length and excellent solos from guitarist Olof Söderberg and trumpeter Tommy Adolfsson (along with the consistently impressive drumming of Michael Lindqvist). Still hard to believe this was all recorded live, in one take, with no layering or overdubbing. The stylistic shift in the eighth minute into a more drummer-driven cruise machine makes a big difference in its power and engageability. Nice electric piano work and accents from the horn section. Again, the drumming is most impressive: it feels like a cross between Billy Cobham and Tony Williams. A full stop-and-shift in the 11th minute turns into a more pregnant earworm of a rhythm track over which horns and electric guitar begin an attempt to carry a melody forward together. Lot's of angular riffs thrown into the spaces between phrases as the bottom cruises along unperturbedly. The end is a bit of a disappointment. I liked that middle section the best. (35/40)

4. "Flaxöras Hemliga Återkomst" (8:40) a song that takes a little too long with its drawn out introductory motif to develop and turn into anything interesting--and then turns out to be a little more avant-garde than expected. Too bad the rhythm track wasn't allowed to develop a little more. (17.25/20)

Total Time 49:10

Too bad these guys A) didn't stay together (the bulk of the band members did reappear for one song ["Peter Yogurt = Peter Yoghourt"] as Berits Halsband on a 1980 Ton Kraft Records compilation album entitled Levande Music Från Sverige = Live Music from Sweden), B) didn't have a quality studio, engineer and/or producer for this album, C) didn't have the chance to polish and perfect their music, cuz this is wonderful stuff! It's not as exciting or rock-dynamic as Return To Forever or Mahavishnu Orchestra--rather, more mellow and melodic as was the habit of much of the northern Continent at the time. Too bad the solid and engaging rhytm tracks were often stifled into remaining so constant for so long.

88.17 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent if rather raw exposition of fresh if under-developed Jazz-Rock Fusion.

IAN CARR's NUCLEUS Roots (1973)

Ian and company are on a roll: kicking out two albums of original, experimental material in the same year!

Line-up / Musicians:
- Ian Carr / trumpet
- Brian Smith / tenor & soprano saxophones, flute & bamboo flute
- Dave MacRae / piano, electric piano
- Jocelyn Pitchen / guitars
- Roger Sutton / bass
- Clive Thacker / drums, percussion (2)
- Aureo De Souza / drums (2), percussion

- Joy Yates / vocals

1. "Roots" (9:24) picking up where Labyrinth left off with some pensive, spacious, deliberate Miles Davis-like music in which the musicians are slowly allowed to release their pent up energy. This song, however, is a lot tighter, a lot more organized, and a lot more spacious than Labyrinth's more chaotic "Naxos" (probably due to there being only one drummer, one keyboard player, one trumpeter, and one sax player as opposed to double those on Labyrinth). Mauritian guitarist Jocelyn Pitchen makes his presence known beneath the trumpet in the fifth and sixth minutes: she sounds more like Chris Spedding or John Tropea than the burgeoning new breed of heavily-effected jazz-rock guitarists. Ian's heavily-treated muted trumpet at the end sounds a lot like a wah-wah-ed electric rhythm guitar! (17.75/20)

2. "Images" (4:55) a mellow island-smoothy for New Zealand-born vocalist Joy Yates to sing over--here making her world premier in studio recorded form. She has a voice that kind of crosses sultry Annette Peacock with "Midnight at the Oasis'" Maria Muldaur. Clive Thacker's Caribbean percussion coupled with Roger Sutton's smooth bass lines and Brian Smith's flutes and Dave MacRae (Joy's future husband)'s rich electric piano makes for a perfect vehicle for this song of siren-like seduction. (8.875/10)

3. "Caliban" (4:35) bass and guitar team up to present a complex weave over Clive Thacker's drums and Aureo De Souza's racing conga play before Ian and Brian's multi-tracked horns enter and fill things out. Jocelyn Pitchen then strays into fiery guitar soloing while Aureo switches to timbales and the horns make their presence stronger and more insistent. Too bad Jocelyn chooses to use so little in the way of sound effects or enhancement, otherwise this would be a pretty cool song. (8.75/10)

4. "Whapatiti" (3:23) an up-tempo celebratory island song that sees two whole-band themes being alternated equally over which Brian Smith's soprano saxophone and Dave MacRae's percussive electric piano cover with their soloing. Spirited! (8.75/10)

5. "Capricorn" (4:01) slow-moving jazz coming from everybody except Dave MacRae's active electric piano. In the second minute the band shifts into a second gear: this one more bass-and-drum groove oriented, though still slow and mellow--though the groove becomes amplified by Brian's soprano sax, Jocelyn's rhythm guitar play and Ian's wah-wah-ed muted trumpet, all creating the effect as if it has sped up and, of course, not stayed so mellow. (8.875/10)

6. "Odokamona" (3:24) another song that gets its start from being bled over from the end of the previous one (the studio session must have been tight--and well rehearsed--with no time for breaks and resets--or else the engineers & producers thought the flow of the album should be continuous). The motif established here is like something from a Grand Funk rock album that's been thoroughly run over by an impromptu invasion of rogue guerrilla jazz musicians who, apparently, go from studio to studio, performing coup d'états in each recording session before leaving as quickly and brazenly as they came. (8.75/10)

7. "Southern Roots And Celebration" (7:43) opening with some very gentle, subtly-tinkled and heavily-echoed electric piano play that is supported by some intermittent bass notes (keyboard generated). This goes on for 1:15 before some other sounds are contributed, earning the music a blues-rock categorization. In the second minute Dave MacRae lets up on the echo and settles into a pleasant chord sequence with Jocelyn's rhythm guitar while the horn "section" and percussionists slowly establish their own patterns. enter a ocarina-like bamboo flute in the fifth minute over the one-chord motif and you have a bit of a vamp for horn-supported ocarina until 5:25 when piano, guitar, and bass introduce a new pattern that Clive, Aureo, and the hornists solidify and move into a more hard-driving blues-rock motif. (13.125/15)

Total Time: 37:25

While I liked the way the album started out (especially with the contributions of Joy Yates), I am disappointed with the rock and blues-rock strains and roots of the rest of the songs--as well as the inconsistent "flow."

88.09 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an album of solid and well-performed songs that disappoints when compared to the previous albums Ian had supervised. 

LARRY CORYELL Planet End (1975)

An album with a most impressive list of collaborators! This 1975 album is made of tracks left from 1970's Spaces sessions and 1974's Introducing Larry Coryell and the Eleventh House sessions. That is why we have two tracks with Eleventh House, two with McLaughlin, Miroslav Vitous and Billy Cobham, and one solo. The album was released by Vanguard Records sometime in 1975.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Larry Coryell / guitar, all instruments (4)
With:
- Mike Lawrence / trumpet (1, 3)
- Mike Mandel / electric piano & synth (1, 3)
- Danny Trifan / bass (1, 3)
- Alphonse Mouzon / percussion (1, 3)
- John McLaughlin / guitar solo (2, 5)
- Chick Corea / electric piano (2)
- Miroslav Vitous / double bass (2, 5)
- Billy Cobham / drums (2, 5)

1. "Cover Girl" (5:38) Larry and company with new and more electronic effects. (8.75/10)

2. "Tyrone" (11:38) impressive performances from a lineup of Jazz-Rock Fusion's All-Time Greats (John McLaughlin, Chick Corea, Billy Cobham, Miroslav Vitous, and of course, the Godfather of Fusion himself) on a song that never really invites the listener in. Eleven-and-a-half minutes is a long time to be sitting on the outside looking in, listening and waiting, hoping to get the magic ticket into the inneren Sanktum. But, for me, at least, it never comes. (17.5/20)

3. "Rocks" (4:48) the most melodic and yet most traditionally-jazz start to any song on the album, but then it takes off and speeds down the autobahn at breakneck speeds with all the abandon of a top-notch jazz-rock band that is intent on impressing. Nice funk coming from Mike Mandel's Fender Rhodes and some awesome semi-muted trumpet from Mike Lawrence. I really like this Randy Brecker composition. (So, where was Randy when his song was being recorded?) (9/10)

4. "The Eyes of Love" (3:21) an acoustic guitar piece that includes multiple tracks all performed by Larry.  Nice even if it is a little more on the Hendrix & Bayou bluesy side for my likes. (8.875/10)

5. "Planet End" (8:45) back to the same combo of all-stars from the album's second song, "Tyrone," including Billy Cobham, Miroslav Vitous, and John McLaughlin. Since Larry and Miroslav get the initial leads we get to hear the wonderfully-creative chord-play of the Mahavishnu in the role of accompanist. As always, I find myself far more intrigued by John's "rhythm" guitar work than anyone else trying to solo or drive the song from the rhythm section. As a matter fact, there is a frame in the fourth minute where it feels as if drummer Billy Cobham actually loses his connection with the rest of the players! (Maybe he dropped a stick, cuz right after he gets back up to speed and really shows some amazing chops!) (17.5/20)

Total Time 34:10

To my ears and brain, this album feels like the dumping ground for a lot of "extras"--songs that failed to make other albums and were here collected, dusted off, merged onto one tape, and published. Nice performances by some very skilled and proficient jazz-rock fusion all stars but, ultimately, lacking any music or melodic in-roads for the   Whereas the previous Larry Coryell album that I reviewed was one of my favorite and most enjoyable listening experiences in a long time, this album has set me back once again in my journey to love and enjoy the music and guitar playing of Larry Coryell, this album experience was more akin to those I've had in response to listening to Bitches Brew, Emergency!, or even the first Mwandishi album--too founded in the (still) foreign language that was 1960s Hard Bob jazz. 

88.04 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a solid display of jazz-heavy Jazz-Rock Fusion that sounds as if it comes from the earlier days of the movement rather than a true 1975 album would/should be; an album that is as dense and inaccessible to the ignorant outsider as any Hard Bop 60s album.

WEATHER REPORT Black Market (1976)

Though the band had long been established--inspired by Miles Davis' Bitches Brew sessions in the summer of 1969--ths is one of the band's most popular albums. It was recorded for CBS Records at Devonshire Studios and released by Columbia Records in March of 1976. 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Joe Zawinul / Yamaha grand piano, Rhodes electric piano, ARP 2600 & Oberheim Polyphonic synths, orchestrations, co-producer
- Wayne Shorter / soprano & tenor saxophones, Computone Lyricon, co-producer
- Alphonso Johnson / basses (1, 3-5, 7)
- Jaco Pastorius / fretless bass (2, 6, 8-10)
- Narada Michael Walden / drums (1, 2)
- Chester Thompson / drums (3-7)
- Don Elias / congas & percussion (1, 6)
- Alejandro "Alex" Acuña / congas, percussion (2-5, 7)

1. "Black Market" (6:30) (8.5/10)

2. "Cannon Ball" (4:40) the band's first contribution from Jaco Pastorius (9/10)

3. "Gibraltar" (7:49) (13.5/15)

4. "Elegant People" (5:03) the percussionist's treat (9/10)

5. "Three Clowns" (3:27) (8.5/10)

6. "Barbary Coast" (3:10) Jaco's first compositional contribution to the band. This is Jaco doing Jaco while the band supports. (8.5/10)

7. "Herandnu" (6:38) Alfonso Johnson penned this final song of the album--and a beauty it is! For me this is the band at their most dynamic and joyful. Very Steely Dan-like. (9/10)

Total Time: 37:17

While the performances are masterful throughout this album, I don't feel that the compositions are as strong or as memorable as those from other WR albums. While the sounds or stylings of Joe Zawinal and Wayne Shorter never really wowed me, the ensemble sound, unusual (and engaging) melodies, and great performances from the extraordinary Weather Report rhythm section always drew me in. Here we are graced with various combinations of contributions from bassists Alphonso Johnson and Jaco Pastorius, drummers Narada Michael Walden and Chester Thompson, and percussionists Don Elias and Alejandro "Alex" Acuña. What a treat!

88.0 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent acquisition for any Jazz-Rock Fusion lover and a landmark album in the discography of Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter's ever-transitioning band.

PLACEBO Balls of Eyes (1971)

An interesting album from creative composer and keyboard experimentalist Marc Moulin on which he surrounds himself with a group of competent musicians--including a full "big band" contingent of horn players--in order to manifest the full blown, three-dimensional explorations of his compositions--many of which feel like outward explorations of his own mental musical brain-teasers. 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Marc Moulin / keyboards, synthesizers
- Nick Fissette / trumpet
- Richard Rousselet / trumpet, other horns
- Alex Scorier / saxes, flute
- Frans Van Dijk / trombone
- Johnny Dover / bass clarinet, saxophone, flute
- Francis Weyer / guitars bass
- Nick Kletchkovski / bass
- Freddy Rottier / drums, percussions

1. "Inner City Blues" (5:10) an awesome cover (and tribute) to one of the greatest artists and albums of the 1970s. The piano is not recorded very well, but the instrumental palette and unusual vocal performances (and engineering) by Guy Theisen are worth every penny spent on recording this one. (9.125/10)

2. "Planes" (3:01) jazzy and creative instrumental jazz-rock with interesting structure and experimental keyboard sounds and solo styling. Perhaps a little too mathematical and, therefore, simplistic in its construct, it is still quite interesting. (8.75/10)

3. "You Got Me Hummin'" (6:12) piano musings and mental (mathematical) experimentations accompanied by metronomic horns, drums, and bass. Again, this is interesting from a mathematical perspective. The sudden appearance of Guy Theisen's David Clayton-Thomas (Blood, Sweat & Tears)-like scratchy male vocal at 2:20 comes as quite an unexpected surprise. The bass and horn accents get a little funkier after Guy's first go-round, but the song plays out quite like a B,S & Tears song. (8.75/10) 

4. "Humpty Dumpty" (2:35) this one has the lightness and sound palette of an early Canterbury Style song (shades of future COS) while the horn section provides accents and counterpoint to Marc's treated electric piano musings. (8.875/10)

5. "Aria" (4:48) This sounds very much like a continuation or variation on the music and theme of the previous song--using the exact same instrumental sound palette with perhaps a little more creative freedom and volume given to Nick Kletchkovski's excellent bass play and a different timbre coming from the now-reed/woodwind-dominated horn section. Marc's electric piano is still ubiquitous--and he plays a wicked clavinet solo in the fourth and fifth minutes--but I like the dominance of the horns as the presenters of the main melody and several of the front-and-center solos. (9/10)

6. "Showbiz Suite" (7:28) more explorations of the typical Dave Stewart Canterbury sound palette with pretty cool horn arrangements jumping off of Marc and Nick's fairly constant one-chord bass anchor. Here Marc is definitely experimenting with several synthesizer sounds as well as a variety of effects applied to his electric piano. The thing that makes this special--exciting and interesting--is the looser, freer expression coming from all directions: Freddy Rottier's drumming is more enthusiastic and creative, as is Nick's bass play and several of the brass and reeds corps. The three movements of the suite are quite distinctive from one another: each driven by Marc's left hand chord play on his warm electric piano. Too bad the recording of the horns is so scratchy (bad mics?: all of the plug-in instruments seem fine). The group horn arrangement in the final movement is very similar to the style American band Chicago was (13.25/15)

7. "Balls Of Eyes" (2:02) Marc's solo piano musing here sounding like something Thelonious Monk might do just for practice or amusement. (4.25/5)

8. "Oh La La" (1:01) sounds like an excerpt from a live performance in which some full choir is singing over the band's Latin-infused big band Rockabilly. (4/5)

Total time: 32:17

88.0 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a nice display of musical musings that are imitative variations on common Jazz-Rock and early Canterbury Style sounds, songs, and structures.  

GEORGE DUKE Feel (1974)

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

Line-up / Musicians:

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

With:

- Flora Purim / vocals (8)

- Frank Zappa / guitar (2, 6)

- John Heard / bass, double bass

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

- Airto Moreira / percussion

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Total time 42:39

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

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

MOMBASA African Rhythms & Blues (1975)

53-year old expat trombonist Lou Blackburn was living in Germany when he was wooed into trying to lead a band into adventuring in the new world of Jazz-Rock Fusion while, at the same time, celebrating the musical history and forms of Africa. Material for the album was recorded in Köln, Germany, on April 14, 1975, with H. Manfred Schmitz producing for Spiegelei Records--who released the album to the public later in the year.

Line-up / Musicians:
Lou Blackburn / trombone, leader [Shawn]
Donald Coleman / conga, bamboo flute
Charles Jefferson / trumpet, flugelhorn, kalimba
Gerald Luciano / bass (electric), percussion, African drums [Domba]
Cephus McGirt / drums

1. "Nairobi" (7:33) wah-wahed bass with drums and multiple percussion tracks creating an infectious groove over which trombonist Lou Blackburn solos. In the fourth minute trumpeter Charles Jefferson joins Lou for some harmonized horn banking before launching out on his own to dominate the fifth minute. Despite the electric bass, this song follows more of a traditional jazz form and sound. The play of the two soloists is solid but containing nothing to write home about whereas the bass and percussionists (and vocal leader) are pretty flashy. (13.5/15)

2. "Massai" (8:04) an okay song that feels more like an educational test for the band's unified syncopation and less of a dance or pop tune. (12.75/15)

3. "Holz" (4:23) Donald Coleman's bamboo flute plays over a slow, spacious weave of African percussion instruments. Nice for an African processional, not much else. (8.25/10) 

4. "Kenia" (6:49) electric line sets up the African melody that the group chants with an African choir vocal until about 45-seconds in the band kicks into what sounds like it could be full Juju music but then it takes a few turns and feels more Caribbean or Santana-like as active bass, cowbell, congas, and Charles Jefferson's flugelhorn take us into the Carnival. Muted trumpet and trombone join together for a few coordinated bank bursts before a round of African chanting signals a turn toward full Santana-like Jazz-Rock Fusion for Lou to solo over. All throughout Gerald Luciano remains quite nimble in dancing over the fretboard of his electric bass and drummer Cephus McGirt as well on his rock-expanded kit throughout the song. The song finishes with a minute of all percussion (and some chanting) with Gerald's dancing electric bass. (13.25/15)

5. "Makishi" (2:36) bass, drums, and percussion (including clapping) provide a base for African call and response vocals. (4.375/5)

6. "Shango" (7:48) an African melody line is presented by Gerald's bass, within which Donald Coleman's congas and the two horn players weave their instruments. The musical weave smooths out so that the horn players can take turns soloing. The bass play takes the lead over the course of the song, really stepping into it in a jazzy Motown fashion, especially shining in the final two or three minutes. (13.5/15)

Total time: 37:15

The players are experienced and seasoned but the music of this first expedition is rather prosaic, more like simple jams based around traditional African rhythms and melodies from different regions and cultures of the continent. While Africa is trying to be celebrated here, it's really the electric bass, American brass, and variety of percussive instruments that should take the bows.

87.8333 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a very interesting if under-developed idea for musical project. I look forward to a little growth as I move forward from this band's debut. 

WEATHER REPORT Weather Report (1970)

The international conglomeration that is to be known as "Weather Report" makes its debut. Fun to see two Central European-born collaborate on a successful jazz-rock fusion band. (Joe Zawinul was born in Austria and Miroslav Vitous in what was then Czechoslovakia.) The band seems to have been very sure to evenly distribute the compositional duties (or credits) between its three principle songwriters as three are attributed to Joe, three to Wayne, and three to Miroslav. 

 Line-up / Musicians:

- Joe Zawinul / electric and acoustic piano
- Wayne Shorter / soprano saxophone
- Miroslav Vitous / electric and acoustic bass
- Alphonse Mouzon / drums, voice

- Airto Moreira / percussion

A1 "Milky Way" (2:30) an atmospheric mood-setter by Joe and Wayne. (4.375/5)

A2 "Umbrellas" (3:24) an almost-funky (Miroslav does not quite have the comprehension for that which makes funk bass play yet) composition from the three principle songwriters is saved by a sharp turn in the final 45-seconds. Drummer Alphonse Mouzon and percussionist Airto Moreira are, surprisingly, not much better at bringing the funk. (8.66667/10)

A3 "Seventh Arrow" (5:20) an interesting song that seems to succeed despite not really hitting the funk on all cylinders nor presenting any melodies worthy of "earworm" status. I like Joe's use of experimental sounds from his electronic keyboard (a proclivity that he will continue to feed for the rest of his life). (8.75/10)

 
A4 "Orange Lady" (8:40) soft and spacious (and drumless) sax and Fender Rhodes interplay for the first 3:30. Then spacey electric bass and playful percussives are allowed to join in. Interesting. Alphonse's wordless vocalese can be heard far in the studio background starting at the end of the sixth minute. I don't know if this was composer Joe Zawinul's intention, but the song has a simple, naïve lullaby-like feel. (17.25/20)

B1 "Morning Lake" (4:23) another spacious impressionistic lullaby--this time coming from the mind of Miroslav Vitous. Joe's creatively playful electric piano play is especially noteworthy. (8.75/10)

B2 "Waterfall" (6:18) a composition credited to Joe Zawinul, this one presents a whole-band weave that is the most satisfying on the album for its solid form and generous melody-making. (8.875/10)

B3 "Tears" (3:22) A Wayne Shorter tune, this one actually kicks in and moves--for several teasingly brief passages, dropping back to complete stops every 30-seconds or so each time it does. Alphonse Mouzon's very pleasant voice (again wordless vocalese) works very well here. Nice tune! (9.125/10) 

B4 "Eurydice" (5:43) the only things that set this Wayne Shorter composition apart from more conventional jazz songs is its prominent placement of both Airto Moreira's playful percussion work and Joe's equally-prominent placement of his electric piano track despite its mostly-support role. Miroslav's walking bass lines are constant and perhaps more critical to driving the song forward than Mouzon's drum play. (8.75/10)

Total Time: 39:55

One of the things that really set Weather Report on its own is present here, from the very start: that is, the lack of guitars. Obviously, Joe and Wayne really wanted to be considered more jazz-oriented (which seems a bit ironic with so many atmospheric/impressionistic songs to their credit) than rock plus, I'm sure, they wanted the sound experimentations of their own instruments to garner all of the attention. Too bad that the electric piano Joe used predominantly at this time sounds so much like that of children's television host Fred Rogers. And too bad that both Kenny G and Najee chose to use Wayne's soprano sax as their main tools.

87.70 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a nice exposition of fresh ideas from this group of idealistic breakaway artists--two of whom had found a partner for fruitful collaboration that would last for quite some time.  

TERJE RYPDAL Terje Rypdal (1971)

It had been a few years since Terje's previous solo album, his incredible debut, Bleak House (1968) as he'd been studying in graduate school under George Russell--a man whose album George Russell Presents The Esoteric Circle (recorded in October of 1969 and released locally as "Jan Garberak with Terje Rypdal's Esoteric Circle"--considered by some as Jan Garbarak's debut album--but it was not published internationally until late 1971 by Bob Thiele's Flying Dutchman label) is considered one of the most important and influential albums in the history of Norwegian music. George was an American-born jazz musician who had chosen to make his home in Oslo in the early 1960s where he even became a professor at Norway's Conservatory of Music--where Terje and Jan Garbarek, Jon Christensen, and Arild Anderson all met and played in the school's jazz orchestra that recorded George Russell's Electronic Sonata for Souls Loved by Nature (recorded April 28, 1969; released January 1, 1971).

Line-up / Musicians:
- Terje Rypdal / guitar, flute
With:
- Inger Lise Rypdal / vocals
- Bobo Stenson / electric piano (1, 2, 4, 5)
- Tom Halversen / electric piano (3)
- Jan Garbarek / tenor sax, flute, clarinet
- Ekkehard Fintl / oboe, English horn
- Arild Andersen / bass & double bass (1-4)
- Bjørnar Andresen / bass (5)
- Jon Christensen / percussion

1. "Keep It Like That - Tight" (12:10) spacious-yet-steady syncopated bass and drums over which Terje issues strums of odd distorted electric guitar chords for five minutes. Then there is a dramatic shift (spliced?) into a slightly more straightforward section of same palette, different rhythm pattern, over which Jan Garbarek's tenor sax screeches and wails. At 8:49 the electric piano of Bobo Stenson suddenly rises into the middle of the mix (a blocked track that is now 'faded in'?) but it's Terje's distorted guitar that soon takes over in the lead position with some aggressive and abrasive soloing over the more-Miles Davis-like sound palette. Even some of the rhythmic and palette constructs feel as if they're direct imitations of In a Silent Way and some of Bitches Brew.) (17.25/25)

2. "Rainbow" (7:05) bowed bass and triangle and nut shell shakers open this one with a sinister feel. Oboe and clarinet join in to make a soundscape that feels like an outer space version of a Paul Winter Consort piece. Interesting, eerie, and cinematic. I'd love to see the music charts for this one! (13/15)

3. "Electric Fantasy" (15:45) more "space symphony" music using different instruments to create an initial sonic field to the previous song: drums, electric bass, Herbie Hancock Mwandishi-like electric piano, reverb-effected winds, fast-reverbed (and/or flanged) wah-ed electric guitar chords and even vocalese (courtesy of Inger Lise Rypdal) offer sound into a vacuum: the notes/chords fast-fading off into the distant stars as soon as they're issued. Very cool effects but about as memorable, melodic, or engaging as the previous song--even in the 11th-minute when the release of aggression and volume are ramped up (which all ends in the 12th-minute as everything goes back to the space music of the opening). Weird to claim one's highlight to be the vocalise from the female voice. (26/30)

4. "Lontano II" (3:10) more sinister music, this time feeling more industrial: as if music coming out of the mouths of tunnels or holes in the Earth. Bowed and effected bass and strained guitar chords, finger percussion, but mostly a show of engineering effects. (8.666667/10)

5. "Tough Enough" (4:45) solo electric guitar opening: some fast picking turning into gentle John McLaughlin-like chords, played off of by bassist Bjørner Andresen and Jon Christensen's drums. Though I don't really like this guitar sound and its blues-rock nature, the instrumental play and mix is my favorite on the album: there's actual motion and as if a story is being told as opposed to the spacious generations of soundscapes of all of the previous songs. These guys can play! (8.75/10)

Total time: 42:57

87.41 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; not my favorite Terje album or sound exhibition. 

THE SOFT MACHINE Sixth (1973)

Featuring the contributions of yet a third defection from Ian Carr's Nucleus in the personhood of uber-talented Karl Kenkins, the band is now rocking as a quartet with absolutely no vocals. Released in February of 1973, the album's material was recorded in the UK in October, November, and December of 1972 (some of it live in concert settings) for CBS Records.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Karl Jenkins / oboe, baritone & soprano saxes, electric & grand piano, celesta
- Mike Ratledge / organ, electric & grand piano, celesta
- Hugh Hopper / bass, sound effects (15)
- John Marshall / drums, percussion

LP 1 - Live Album (41:45) 
1. "Fanfare" (0:42)
2. "All white" (4:46)
3. "Between" (2:24)
4. "Riff" (4:36)
5. "37 1/2" (6:51)
6. "Gesolreut" (6:17)
7. "E.P.V." (2:47)
8. "Lefty" (4:56)
9. "Stumble" (1:42)
10. "5 from 13 (for Phil Seamen with love & thanks)" (5:15)
11. "Riff II" (1:20)

LP 2 - Studio Album (34:40) 
12. "The soft weed factor "(11:18) Mike Ratledge and Karl Jenkin's minimalist motif on multiple tracks of electric pianos. Nice weave but it's no Phillip Glass or Steve Reich. Bass and drums kick in during the fourth minute, then soprano sax and organ doubling up the melody line over the top. Seems there are nice multiple contributions from each of the band members but the song never really amounts to much besides a jazz-rock weave with the original minimalist tracks--which alone cover the final two minutes. (17.5/20)

13. "Stanley stamps Gibbon album (for B.O.)" (5:58) a more aggressive and sinister motif based once again on a minimalist piano arpeggio turns a little funkier in the second half of the first minute and yet Ratledge's left hand of his piano continues to maintain a short, two-part arpeggi as the song's foundation for the whole of time that Karl Jenkins solos with an heavily-treated/effected soprano sax (three plus minutes)--or is it a celesta keyboard? (8.75/10) 

14. "Chloe and the pirates" (9:30) a mild sonic landscape that definitely perpetuates a Canterbury sound and sound over the spacious three minute opening. Karl Jenkins' treated oboe is the lead instrument on this one while Mike maintains a free and frisky support from his seat at the electric piano. John Marshall's drumming is simple but nuanced and supplemented by some conga and other percussion additions while Hugh Hopper's bass is rolling and deep as if perhaps fretless or using extra thick strings. At 6:46 there is a glitch leading into what feels like a loop/repeat of two note electric keyboard riff while the organ rises and performs just beneath the oboe. A "Tomorrow Never Knows"-like reverse track of some instrument also rises to the top, actually ending the song as the lead and only forward sound. Interesting. (17.5/20)

15. "1983" (7:54) nefarious and slightly-bombastic dual pianos and bass play a cinematic motif of suspense while John's heavy ride cymbal play and Hugh's weird "speeded up" bottle-metallophone riff gets repeated to death on top. (13/15)

Total Time: 76:25

With my distrust and aversion to live recordings, I make it a habit to not review live albums, so only LP 2, the studio recordings, earn my attention here.

87.31 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a fairly good though consistently experimental Still, the studio LP of this release feels as if the boys were very curious and somehow satisfied with releasing to the public the results of their curiosities and experimentations with little regard for any kind of "finished song" product. 

Michał URBANIAK GROUP Inactin (1973)

Recorded in 1972 for Germany's Spiegelei label (at Stuttgart's Horst Jankowski Studios), this is another album of 100% Michał Urbaniak compositions as performed by his loyal band of virtuoso collaborators--though, in truth, it sounds and feels a lot like a collection of scraps and outtakes from the Paratyphus B sessions. The album was released in 1973 after the band had already started touring Germany and Poland with a new lineup (now calling themselves "Michał Urbaniak Constellation"), had already recorded a live album in May for Polskie Niagrania Muza/Pronit/PolJazz Records (released as Podróż na południe [Moving South]), and then signed a new contract with CBS for whom they recorded the material for Super Constellation at Walldorf Studios in June (which was released in Europe late in 1973 and would then be re-released in America six months later as Fusion).

Line-up / Musicians:
- Michał Urbaniak / electric violin, violectra, soprano sax

- Urszula Dudziak / vocal, Dynacord, Echocord, percussion
- Adam Makowicz / Fender piano, Hohner clavinet
- Roman Dylag / 

- Barcus Berry / bass and electric bass
- Czesław Bartkowski / drums, Paiste cymbals

- Branislav Kovacev / conga-drums

1. "Inactin" (6:58) a funky groove that feels like a slow summertime cruise through the 'hood in a convertible with lots of banter being engaged by sidewalk passers-by. At 3:30 the music cuts out, making way for some very idiosyncratic a cappella electronically-effected scatting (sounding to my imagination like the scurrying of mice around the house under the cover of darkness). The happy-go-lucky music returns at 5:45 and gradually re-establishes the neighborhood groove from the first half, only with Urszula still scatting above. (13.375/15)

2. "Alu" (3:58) with this gentle, spacious song we've re-entered the realm that will be explored more next year by HATFIELD AND THE NORTH. Roman Dylag is given quite a bit of time and room in the spotlight to solo his double bass. Ula's melliflous vocalese are gorgeous. (8.875/10)

3. "Ekim" (5:49) solo experimental electric violin opens this one before Roman's now-Barcus Berry-miked (and thus electronically treated and processed) bass enters and joins in. The combination of Michał's screeching and wining violin paired with Ula's equally feline vocalese and Adam Makowicz's obnoxious clavinet work is a bit disturbing--not unlike some of the work Herbie Hancock experiemented with in his electronic-dominated phase of operations. I understand and appreciate the skill involved to create this stuff, but using an historical perspective, it was kind of a waste of time and vinyl. (8.6667/10)

4. "Silence" (3:31) bowed violin and electrified bass perform a slowly-evolving space-atmospheric duet that is supported by some loosely--almost-randomly--played Fender Rhodes and percussion. Another song that is so predictive of some of the musics that are to come (including some of the great intros to Lenny White songs on Venusian Summer.) (8.75/10)

5. "Fall" (7:42) even more experimental sound production of the avant garde/free jazz sort. It gets even crazier when Ula's IRENE PAPPAS/GILLI SMYTH-like orgiastic scatting and Adam's frantic clavinet play double up in the fifth minute. Wild! (Yes, even wilder than anything published by GONG). Not even the somewhat-coalescent coming together of the band in the final minute can save it from future skips. (13/15)

6. "Groovy Desert" (5:01) faded in as if an excerpt from an extant jam, the groove devolves (while drummer retools or takes a little beer break) into an Adam Makowitz, Czesław Bartkowski, and Branislav Kovacev tuning and brief exploration of two separate themes joined together. Was this album just material grabbed from the cutting floor of the previous album--scraps and discards that the record label pasted together in order to try to make a few Marks from this band of now expats? (8.25/10)

7. "Lato" (8:06) the music of this song reminds me of the very first post-Bitches Brew recordings that Wayne Shorter, Joe Zawinul, Herbie Hancock, and Chick Corea did with their new bands (many members of whom were also in situ during Miles' seminal sessions). that they would eventually be calling WEATHER REPORT, "Mwandishi," and RETURN TO FOREVER, respectively. Nice stuff, a liitle rough  in organization--feeling a lot like exploratory jam-like session play--but, unfortunately, not my favorite direction that J-R Fusion took. (13.25/15)

Total time: 41:04

An album filled with such renegade experimentation, so much so that it seems to beg the question from us 21st Centurians, "What was going on here?" It's not that it's not admirable and skillful, it's just that it offers very little audio pleasure. I stand by my deduction that this is probably an effort by Spiegelei Records to eke out some more money from their now lost (moved to New York City) commodity. I feel that the album's lack of a citation/credit for a producer only lends to this theory.

87.25 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a very interesting (and perhaps historically significant) collection of "songs" from the end of Michał and Urszula's time in Europe. Recommended for all those curious about the roots and unusual experiments of infant Jazz-Rock Fusion.

MILES DAVIS In a Silent Way (1969)

In a way, a more accessible album than Bitches Brew, In a Silent Way offered the Miles listener a gentler show of transition from the exclusive world of jazz into the world of pop-rock-funk-jazz fusion. Enlisting the contributions of hot shot young bloods Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams, John McLaughlin, and Joe Zawinal, Miles continued to rely on bassist Dave Holland and saxophonist Wayne Shorter as well as recent band stalwart, Chick Corea. The biggest development with In a Silent Way came in the form of giving Columbia Records producer Teo Macero the green light to employ engineering thus taking the "live" sound out of the music and creating a fabricated, even stylized and/or fabricated music. (Teo was a big fan and student of classical music formats, thus the three movements, exposition, development, and recapitulation, used in the reconstruction of Miles' band's studio recordings.) 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).

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]

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

 

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."

PLACEBO Placebo (1974)

Marc Moulin's third rendering of his compositions using the jazz-rock Placebo support crew--many of whom have remained with him since they started working for him in 1970 (Fissette, Rousselet, Scorier, and Weyer, in particular). New to the crew are virtuoso guitarist Philip Catherine, drummer Garcia Morales, and bass player Yvan de Souter. 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Marc Moulin / keyboards, synthesizers
- Yvan de Souter / bass
- Garcia Morales / drums

- Philip Catherine / guitar

- Francis Weyer / guitar

- J.P. Oenraedt / percussion

- Nick Fissette / trumpet
- Richard Rousselet / trumpet, other horns
- Alex Scorier / saxes, flute

1. "N. W." (6:38) a real bass player! Disco-lite drums. And some more dimensional and dynamic horn arrangements and playing. The problem here is that the band feels stuck in (trapped, confined, sentenced to) a warp of "Papa Was a Rolling Stone"-like intro--for the entire six-and-a-half minutes! And the explorations up top are quite minimal. What is Marc thinking with this one? Was this intended for a soundtrack to a Black Exploitation film? (17/20)

2. "Plotselling" (7:37) more music that sounds more appropriate to a soundtrack to a film--a section of coastal driving in which the protagonist detective has to work out some issues in his head--which, of course, would be narrated over the montage and soundtrack music. The usual repetitive left-hand electric piano chords drive this one ad nauseum, but then the muted trumpet, and tout seul drums get some solo time that feels incongruous with "background" soundtrack music. When the rest of the band re-emerges in the sixth minute it is with a different motif: guitars, bass, and horn section accents providing the minimalistic mathematical backdrop to trumpet, and then, synthesizer solos. (13.125/15)

3. "Bosso" (3:20) fast, driving, and dynamic despite still feeling constrained to the production of one very monotonous form. (8.75/10)

4. "Dag Madam Merci" (3:10) now we're gettin closer to the kind of music Marc produced that became so popular among the samplers in the Acid Jazz and Hip Hop world of the 1990s (the sounds that made French electronic band AIR so successful). And there's enough expansion of variety to start feeling like some of Herbie Hancock's early fusion work. (8.875/10)

5. "Hop Hop" (4:32) more two-chord music that benefits from having a Herbie Hancock pop-jazz feel and some nice performances from the collaborators (that are well-recorded, too). Marc's age-mate Philip Catherine's acoustic guitar soloing is not to my tastes but the music has some nice pep to it. (8.75/10)

6. "Tanga" (3:33) the presence of an uncredited accordion is a bit mystifying but I love me some accordion! Marc employs several new, odd synth sounds for his solo injections between the accordion and horn arrangements. Cute but inconsequential. (8.66667/10)

7. "Stomp" (7:35) monotonous bass synth riff with syncopated though-monotonous drumming and very monotonous rhythm guitar chord play, and B,S & T/Chicago-like horn section accents all peppered with annoying synth and trumpet solo riffing leads up to a section with more extended synth soloing (is that a Casiotone?) from Marc. And absolutely no variation or deviation from the main rhythm track from start to finish! Nauseating! (13/15)

8. "S. U. S." (4:22) though still built around a rather stiff, mechanical rhythm track, the light and flighty flute and horn work and flanged rhythm guitar and Latin-funky drum and percussion work make this song probably the most enjoyable of the album! (9/10)

Total Time: 42:37

87.167 on the Fishscales = C+/3.5 stars; an improvement over the two previous Placebo albums--including supported by much better sound engineering and production--there is still something quite stultifying about Marc's compositions that make me feel sorry for the restraints imposed upon his collaborators. 

HERBIE HANCOCK Sextant (March 30, 1973)

The band is loose and funked up, maybe having more fun now that they're all so comfortable with each other, and with Herbie really going out there with his experimentations into electronic keyboards and sounds but, on the other end, there seems to be less attention to quality sound engineering on this album than on Mwandishi and Crossings.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Herbie Hancock / Steinway piano, Fender Rhodes, Mellotron, Hohner D6 clavinet, handclaps
With:
- Bennie Maupin / soprano sax, bass clarinet, piccolo, cabasa, kazoo
- Eddie Henderson / trumpet, flugelhorn
- Julian Priester / bass, tenor & alto trombones, cowbell
- Patrick Gleeson / ARP 2600 & Soloist synths
- Buster Williams / electric (with wah-wah & fuzz) & acoustic basses
- Billy Hart / drums
- Buck Clarke / congas, bongos

- Billy Bonner / Fx

1. "Rain Dance" (9:18) lots of experimental sounds here (mostly synthesizer generated). Drums and bass are probably the two most prominent and loyal to their acoustic origins than any other instrument here. As a matter of fact, there is very little input from the horn players on this one. Interesting for the fact that it previews the later world of computer sounds and sequencers but not really a song that I enjoy or wish to hear repeatedly. On the outlying edges of what I'd call music. (17/20)

2. "Hidden Shadows" (10:12) funky with quite a variety of keyboards under Herbie's hand (including Mellotron!), there is quite a bit more dynamic range in this sonic presentation of this song than that of the previous Mwandishi albums. (18/20)

3. Hornets (19:31) I wouldn't doubt that this song was the inspiration for the famous SNL "Killer Bees" sketches a year or two later, as trumpet, clavinet, kazoo, ARP, percussion, and other crazed sounds coming from Bennie Maupin all contribute to a serious attempt to reproduce the chaotic busy-ness of the eusocial wasps known as "hornets." Crazy yet brilliant, chaotic yet so disciplined and focused. Just like hornets. Though Herbie and Billy Hart make a strong play for the title, Bennie Maupin, however, is by far the craziest hornet of them all. Entertaining and fun/funny, historically important, but not really a song that draws me back. (I wonder if the band were able to replicate this song live, in concert.) (34.5/40)

Total Time 39:02

86.875 on the Fishscales = B; four star; a solid piece of progressive rock music from the domain of experimental jazz-rock fusion--where it may be deserving of more acclaim and accolades. 

DONALD BYRD Fancy Free (1969)

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 Mr. Rodgers' 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 MASALELA-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

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. 

ASSOCIATION (Pierre Courbois) Sun Rotation (1971)

Another go round with Pierre, Toto, Jasper, and, this time, all Siggi (who's picked up the electric bass). After the previous year's Earwax, I am very excited!

Line-up / Musicians:
-Jasper van't Hof / E-Piano, Orgel (electric piano, organ)
-Toto Blanke / Gitarren (guitar)
-Sigi Busch Bass / Kontrabass (bass)
-Pierre Courbois / Schlagzeug (drums) 

1. "Idee A" (4:30) engineered far more toward the accentuation of the electrified elements of the music than anything on Earwax (8.75/10)

2. "Suite":
a) "Scorpion" (6:47) spacey experimental soundscapes of a 2001: A Space Odyssey-like cinematic disorder opens up this suite as everyone in the band busies themselves with some unrestricted free-form play--yet there is a flow and tempo and even the shadows of some structural elements including harmony and interplay. The second half goes (13.25/15)
b) "Neuteboom" (5:42) buoyed by a very repetitive bass and circus-organ arpeggio line, guitar and electric piano are sent soloing while drummer and bandleader Pierre Courbois messes around with perfect timing beneath. Interesting--and a little annoying after five minutes of the same bass line--though not quite so much when Toto and Jasper begin to try to weave their way into the bass and organ's line. (8.75/10)
c) "Scorcussion" (5:56) Pierre is left alone to express on his drum kit. At the end of the third minute of Pierre's soloing Toto starts to inject some noise burst from his fuzz guitar while Jasper adds a spray of chords, flourishes, and crazed hits from his electric piano. At the end of the fifth minute everybody backs off to zero before Toto is given space for some target practice for his alien space ray gun. Despite my understanding the band's effort to take Herbie Hancock's spacey experimentation further, this is just not my cup of tea. (8.5/10)

3. "Silence" (0:18)

4. "Don Paul" (3:09) more jagged, angular jazz musings and exercises in cohesion and cooperation, this one opens a little too aggressively and then just as suddenly and quickly moves into a solo of Siggi's double bass. Eventually, he's joined by brushed drums and dissonant chord play from Toto's un-effected guitar. These guys are obviously so comfortable and proficient at their instruments that they can easily and smoothly do just about anything, but this is not the type of musical listening that I choose to come back to: there's just too much of the crazy Tony Williams Lifetime Emergency! avant garde experimentation going on here for my liking. (8.375/10)

5. "Totemism" (16:45) These guys are obviously so comfortable and proficient at their instruments that they can easily and smoothly do just about anything, but there's just a little too much of the crazy Tony Williams Lifetime Emergency! avant garde experimentation going on here for my liking. (Didn't I already say that?) Luckily, about two minutes into it the quartet gels into a forward-moving, single-direction motif over-and within which all of the individual musicians still find the freedom to move about and pave their own way. Having heard enough of Toto Blanke's guitar playing now to appreciate his skills, I have to say that when he plays like this--like 1960s jazz guitar with an experimental edge-- I am not a fan: impressed, yes, but not a fan. Jasper van't Hof is experimenting with way too much distortion on his electric piano which gives it a very "dirty" sound than I also do not like. This would probably be a very fun song to experience in a live jazz club scene but it is really not my kind of jazz (or jazz-rock fusion)--and here they're forcing 17-minutes of it down my throat! (30.375/35)

6. "Frau Theunisse"n (1:10) a FOCUS-like jam that seems to be coming out of some other jam (it's faded in to get started) but then is over far too quickly. (4.5/5)

Total time 44:17

86.84 on the Fishscales = B-/3.5 stars; a very good display of experimental, loosely-performed avant garde electrified jazz that feels like a detour down the wrong (but, I get it: necessary) direction. Check it out for yourself but this is no album that I will return to soon--maybe ever.

PLACEBO 1973 (1973)

Marc Moulin's second studio album release of his keyboard-centric compositions while using the same trio of jazz-rock support musicians and an expanded horn & reed section to help express his funky jazz-rock bordering on Jazz-Rock Fusion musings.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Marc Moulin / keyboards, synthesizer
- Nick Fissette / trumpet
- Richard Rousselet / trumpet, other horns
- Alex Scorier / saxes, flute
- Frans Van Dijk / trombone
- Johnny Dover / bass clarinet, saxophone, flute
- Francis Weyer / guitars, bass
- Nick Kletchkovski / bass
- Freddy Rottier / drums, percussions

1. "Bolkwush" (4:40) continuing where he left off on 1971's Balls of Eyes, Marc combines Canterbury sounds and stylings with the horn-expanded jazz-rock of American bands like Chicago and Blood, Sweat & Tears. While the left-hand of his electric piano continues to be the main driver in his compositions, the complexity of the arrangements offered his complementary instrumentalists has increased. I still like very much his horn arrangements as well as the drumming and bass play of Nick Kletchkovski and Freddy Rottier, respectively. (8.875/10)

2. "Temse" (4:40) Again, an increase/improvement in compositional complexity is here--as well as Marc's signature synthesizer experimentations (he and Herbie Hancock's Pat Gleeson would've been fast friends!)--but the dominance of the fast repeating two-chord left-hand electric piano playing becomes quite annoying quite quickly: it's too loud, distracting and detracting from the performances of the other musicians! (8.75/10)

3. "Phalène" (7:50) the crowd noises (and sound quality of the recording) betray the possibility (fact?) that this is a live recording. Once again I find myself feeling quite strongly that this song is an experimental working out of one of Marc's mental mathematical problems--one of what I imagine were dozens (for each problem). Were the herd bells really necessary? The horn play is really the most redeeming element of this one. (13/15)

4. "Balek" (4:20) fast-pulsing synthesizer bass open this one, expressing in a two-note pattern, followed by standard, metronomic rock drums. Synthesizer, horn blasts, and electric piano join in along the way with some soloing done by Marc (using several keyboard sounds) and a saxophone. Yet another execution of a possible solution to one of Marc's math-musical ideations. (8.75/10)

5. "Polk" (3:20) finally a fairly loose and predominantly funk-marinated Jazz-Rock Fusion song. Motile electric piano, dynamic drums, congas, and rhythm electric guitar lend themselves to a much more lively, vibrant, and full core over which the offerings of the horn section and other solos (predominantly coming from Marc's keys) can shine. (8.875/10)

6. "Only Nineteen" (3:50) using the same sound palette of instruments (and sounds) as the previous song, the motif explored here feels like a variation on a riff from Paul Desmond's "Take Five" or Billy and Gene Page's "The 'In' Crowd" (or a combination of the two). Though it is lively and uptempo, Marc's electric piano is the dominant instrument throughout--which makes it, for me, get a little boring. (8.75/10)

7. "Red Net" (5:40) a slowed-down variation on the structure and melodies of Frank Sinatra's version of Ervin Drake's 1961 composition, "It Was a Very Good Year." Frank Rottier's drums are so far in the background and the horn section's inputs so minimal that this might as well have been a solo electric piano piece--and I'm just not that big of a fan of keyboard soloing. (8.6667/10)

8. "Re-union" (5:20) a single droning bass synth note opens this one before Marc adds a few more keys to create chord movements to the drone. By the time we're knee-deep into the second minute I'm convinced this is like a TANGERINE DREAM exploration of a BACH organ prelude. Interesting but, I have to repeat a complaint that I registered with another one of Marc's albums: couldn't these experimental explorations of possible solutions to the personal mental musical problems that Marc is obviously inundated (and fixated) with be left to his own private, in-home sessions? I mean, this is exactly the kind of playing around that my brother and I used to do with analog and computer keyboards we began acquiring in the 1980s--but we never felt we needed to publish them as a means to filling out a full album's worth of music! (8/10)

Total time: 39:40

I'm beginning to feel a little cheated by Marc Moulin--genius that he is--for making the public suffer unto his musical musings and experimental explorations to solutions of his mathematical quandaries. Most of the time, the performances of his supplemental musicians seems relegated to expression or extensions of things he himself could do (and would have done)--they feel that superfluous and expendable!   

86.67 on the Fishscales = C/three stars; an inconsistent and often filler-feeling collection of renderings of Marc Moulin songs that leave me feeling sorry for the wasted time of the contingent of excellent supplemental musicians hired to deliver them.  

WEATHER REPORT I Sing The Body Electric (1972)

I have a bit of a problem with 45% of this album's music coming from Live concert recordings as I am never happy with live recordings or live performances of music intended for studio recording. The band's sophomore album sees the exit of the percussion duo of Alphonse Mouzon (gone to work with McCoy Tyner) and Airto Moreira (to work with some solo ideas as well as in lineups with Chick Corea, Freddie Hubbard, Antonio Carlos Joabim, Johnny Hammond, Hubert Laws, Flora Purim, Gato Barbieri, and Grover Washington, Jr.), here replaced by Eric Gravatt and Dom Um Romão. All Side A selections recorded in Columbia studios, New York City, in November of 1971 (A1, A2) and/or in January 1972 (A3, !4). All Side B selections were recorded during a "standing room only" concert performance in Tokyo, Japan, on January 13, 1972, in Shibuya Kokaido Hall. The album was released on the 26th of May, 1972.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Joe Zawinul / electric & acoustic pianos, ARP 2600 synth (1)
- Wayne Shorter / reeds
- Miroslav Vitous / electric & acoustic basses
- Eric Gravatt / drums
- Dom Um Romão / percussion (2)
With:
- Chapman Roberts / vocals (1)
- Joshie Armstrong / vocals (1)
- Yolande Bavan / vocals (1)
- Andrew White / English horn (1)
- Hubert Laws / flute (1)
- Wilmer Wise / D trumpet & piccolo (1)
- Ralph Towner / 12-string guitar (2)

1. "Unknown Soldier" (7:57) a great mood-setter, manipulating the listener's emotions as a cinema soundtrack is supposed to. Would that all WR music would do this as masterfully. Eric Gravatt's cymbal play is key, as are the spacious playing of the other three principle musicians. So disciplined! Once the drums go military-snare, the enlisted support of other musicians begins--and the principles go off into a frenzy of free-jazz. I've never heard Wayne Shorter go so fast! In the sixth minute the music returns to the more disciplined, spacious play as the opening. Very interesting--and surprisingly dynamic--song! (13.5/15)

2. "The Moors" (4:40) picked notes from Ralph Towner's 12-string guitar open this one, soon bursting into John McLaughlin-like runs of remarkable speed as well as a flurry of syncopated strumming of muted and unmuted blues chords and harmonics. At 1:44 soprano sax, percussion, and bass notes join in before drums and keys also kick in, creating a fast-moving jam over which Wayne holds long, smooth notes. It is very surprising to me how much the performers packed into this little 4:40 song! (9/10)

3. "Crystal" (7:16) spacey wind-synth sounds with slow conga beat open this one before multiple saxophones enter, obviously recorded on different tracks. Keys support. Drums add some stuff here and there but it's really Wayne's multiple saxes and Joe Zawinul's multiple tracks of keyboards that are doing all the movement. Heavily-distorted bass joins in during the fourth minute, going off on his own direction--as have all three of the principle musicians at this point. The mix really doesn't sound very good. Drummer Gravatt has moved to percussion: he keeps trying to join in with his congas but it really doesn't fit, so he gives up and moves to wind chimes with some additional ride cymbal. 

     Early experimentation with multi-tracking. It just feels like warm ups--as if it should never have been committed to tape/vinyl. Should we forgive them? (12/15)

4. "Second Sunday in August" (4:09) piano, percussion, distant drums, more horrible-sounding distorted bass, and spry and upbeat soprano sax. I like the piano and sax; the rest you can dispose of, thank you very much. (8.66667/10)

5. "Medley: Vertical Invader / T.H. / Dr. Honoris Causa" (Live *) (10:10) (/20)
6. "Surucucus" (Live *) (7:41) (/15)
7. "Directions" (Live *) (4:35) (/10)

Total Time: 46:28

* Edited from recordings at a concert January 13, 1972 in Shibuya Kokaido Hall, Tokyo, Japan.

86.333 on the Fishscales = B-/3.5 stars; a fair representation of studio songs which show the engineering and sound experimentation the band was going through. I do not review recordings of live performances. 

AREA Caution Radiation Area (1974) 

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

Line-up / Musicians:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Total Time: 32:19

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

THE SOFT MACHINE Fourth (1971) If one had never heard the previous albums with their quirky beginnings in psychedelia one might enter into the world of Mike Ratledge, Hugh Hopper, Robert Wyatt, and Elton Dean thinking that these guys are 1) serious jazz musicians and 2) great masters of their instruments. The only problem is:  There is very, very little here that feels or sounds like Canterbury style music--a little in "Kings and Queens" and "Virtually part 3." That's it. 

     While Dean's saxes will become more refined and creative in his more free-form future, the playing here of Robert Wyatt is the first and only time that I found myself thinking that "this is a really impressive musician." Ratledge and Hopper are really good and the addition of double bass from NUCLEUS founder Mike Babbington is awesome. Also, I still think it rather unique and brave of the band to go without a guitar player.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Mike Ratledge / Lowrey organ, Hohner pianet, piano
- Elton Dean / alto sax, saxello
- Hugh Hopper / bass guitar
- Robert Wyatt / drums
With:
- Roy Babbington / double bass (1, 3, 4, 6)
- Mark Charig / cornet (2-4)
- Nick Evans / trombone (1, 2, 4)
- Jimmy Hastings / alto flute (6), bass clarinet (1, 6)
- Alan Skidmore / tenor sax (1, 6)

1. "Teeth" (9:15) Jazz! Free jazz! At least, from the saxophone. From the opening notes this song presents the band as a jazz band with little or no ties to its previous incarnations. It's too bad as this is not one of the album's better songs--even the recording mix is "off." (15/20)

2. "Kings and queens" (5:02) slow and melodic with the gentle waves of keys, toms, and cymbals to support. Ratledge is brilliant in his support and Wyatt and Hopper and Dean are impressive as well. (8.75/10) 

3. "Fletcher's blemish" (4:35) pure free-form jazz in which the musicians exhibit some great control and, surprisingly, cohesiveness. (8.5/10)

4. "Virtually part 1" (5:16) jazz, pure and simple, with some nice structural experimentation. The barebones-ness of this piece gives each instrumentalists plenty of space in which to shine. (8.5/10)

5. "Virtually part 2" (7:09) enter the Lowrey organ--the last vestige of the Canterbury sound--and multiple tracks given to Elton Dean for his two instruments. Great instrumental performances--especially true of Robert Wyatt--but nothing very special melodically or emotionally. (12.5/15)

6. "Virtually part 3" (4:33) sees a step back from pacing and walls of sound as the drums check out and everybody else goes into "tuning mode." The electric bass of Hugh Hopper takes the lead while everybody else offers a kind of gentle support. It's actually kind of pretty music despite the fuzzed bass up front. (8.75/10)

7. "Virtually part 4" (3:23) smoother and more cohesive, even melodic. My favorite section of the album and the one that allows me to keep this album in the list of Canterbury favorites. (9.5/10)

Total Time: 39:13

84.12 on the Fishscales = B-/low four stars; a nice jazz album for its time but not a very glowing representative of the Canterbury Scene. 

AREA Maledetti (1976)

The last Area studio recording with Demetrio Stratos as part of the band, Maledetti was recorded at Fono Roma Studios in Milano, it was released by Cramps Records in December of 1976.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Demetrio Stratos / vocals, voice filter (4), Hammond organ (2-4, 6), piano (6), bells
- Giampaolo Tofani / electric guitar, (Serge) Tcherepnin synth (3, 4, 7)
- Patrizio Fariselli / piano (4, 6), electric piano (3, 4, 6), prepared piano (7), ARP Odyssey synth (3, 4, 6)
- Ares Tavolazzi / electric (3, 4) & acoustic (2, 3) basses
- Giulio Capiozzo / drums (3, 4)
With:
- Eugenio Colombo / kazumba ? (1)
- Steve Lacy / soprano sax (2, 3, 7)
- Paolo Salvi / cello (5)
- Giorgio Garulli / contrabass (5)
- Umberto Benedetti Michelangeli / violin (5)
- Armando Burattin / viola (5)
- Hugh Bullen / bass (2, 6)
- Walter Calloni / drums (2, 6)
- Anton Arze /txalaparta (3)
- Jose Arze / txalaparta (3)
- Paul Lytton / percussion (6, 7)

1. "Evaporazione" (1:45) a wonderful and powerful introduction to the crazed and unique mind and world of Demetrio Stratos. (4.5/5)

2. "Diforisma Urbano" (6:18) slightly discofied jazz-rock fusion of the funky kind being churned out in the second half of the 1970s by such bands as JAN AKKERMAN, SBB, STOMU YAMASH'TA's GO, JAN HAMMER, GEORGE DUKE, LENNY WHITE, and JEFF BECK. Excellent for that fare. (8.75/10)

3. "Gerontocrazia" (7:30) Demetrio, soprano sax, and an African marimba open this one with a very African folk feel until cello takes over at 2:40 as sole companion of Demetrio's singing. At 3:36 the full electrified contingent joins in though carrying a North African melody as its standard. Then at 4:20 we get another drastic shift into a more JAN HAMMER/MAHAVISHNU-like passage in which jazz-rock drums support multi-instrumental presentation of high-speed melody-noodling. A minute later the whole-group presentation breaks down to allow for singular soloists to present their interpretations. At 6:25 the passage ends and we are bridged back to the North African melody section for the song's finish. Interesting! (13.5/15))

4. "Scum" (6:30) piano-based WEATHER REPORT, JOE SAMPLE or even DONALD FAGEN-like jazz fusion with fretless bass in the initial lead and synths and electronic keys adding their voices after a minute. Nice, virtuosic DON PULLEN-like piano solo in the third minute continuing on until the ELP/YES-like 4:23 mark. Experimental synth noises take over, setting the stage for a Demetrio Stratos political vocal recitation (oddly, electronically treated). (9/10)

5. "Il Massacro Di Brandeburgo Numero Tre In Sol Maggiore" (2:20) a BACH string quartet with a little organ support from Demetrio. (4.5/5)

6. "Giro, Giro, Tondo" (5:55) Single note synth drops support a multi-track, multi-voice Demetrio onslaught before drums and keys smash their way into the song at the one minute mark. By 1:45 there is a full-band jazz-rock tapestry playing out over which Demetrio sings a fairly straightforward (for him) impassioned vocal. (8.75/10)

7. "Caos (Parte Seconda)" (9:00) a sonic free-for-all in which every band member is set loose in the studio with the intention, it would seem, to pluck and strike, clink and clank, wah and wang, fizzle and fazzle, strafe and staccato anything and everything they can A) come in contact with or B) imagine and invent. Methinks Demetrio, saxophonist Steve Lacy, and all percussionists had the most fun during this one. I'm guessing that only the most patient, most curious, or else detached and unexpectant listeners will find enjoyment in this one. (14/20)

Total Time: 39:18

84.0 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; another wonderful, well-produced display of the kind of politically-charged experimental music being done within the progressive rock movement in the mid-1970s.