Om - 1971 - Om

Om 

1971

Om

01. Excusa 6-8 (12:21)
02. No ho sap ningu (6:23)
03. Zitro's Ache (5:33)
04. Excusa Num.1 (12:54)
05. Vindra La Llum (4:30)
06. Waiting of Godot (4:36)

Martí Soler: Keyboards, Percussion
Toti Soler: Guitar, Percussion
Peter Hodgkinson: Drums
Romà Escales: Flute
Jordi Sabatés: Piano
Jordi Llorens: Sax
Manolo Elías: Bass
Xavier Garcia: Trumpet
Tim Hodgkinson: Trumpet, Saxophone, Flugelhorn

Om - led by superb catalan guitarist Jordi ‘Toti’ Soler after his previous band Pic- Nic split- were one of the most interesting outfits to ever come out from Barcelona. Starting in 1968, their first recordings were done as a backing group for other artists like folk- singer Maria del Mar Bonet or american hippie Joe Skladzien, but most notably Pau Riba whom they backed on his debut LP the legendary Dioptria, one of the finest pieces of european psych ever. During all their early work, the band benefited from the organ playing of one of the most talented catalan pianists, Jordi Sabatés (of Ocells del més enllà fame) as well as the musical talents of two english brothers: drummer Peter Hodgkinson and his brother Tim on sax and keys (this is, of course, the same Tim Hodgkinson who founded Henry Cow, together with Fred Frith).

By the time they released their LP on Edigsa in 1971, Om was already an experienced band, with important studio work on their back and countless gigs, having backed american blues- man Taj Mahal in his Madrid 1969 concerts. One particularity of Om was that, rather than having an established line- up, they worked as a musical concept where it was not so important the individuals playing as it was the resulting sound. Their only LP shows how, through the works of Miles Davies, Gary Burton and John McLaughlin, they had developed their sound from its original psych/folk- rock beginnings to an intensely psychedelic jazz rock fussion. A classic album that is hardly known outside Spain and ranks amongst the best of the era, sharing shoulders with similar underground european experiments by Min Bul, Colhemec Ensemble, Xhol, Dharma Quintet, Sunbirds, Full Moon Ensemble or the more progressive output of the british jazz of the era: John Surman’s Trio, Nucleus or Michael Gibbs.

Strictly limited to 500 copies - High quality gatefold sleeves reproducing the beautiful Tony Cepuka’s original psychedelic artwork from 1971’s first press on Edigsa - Insert with liner notes by Wah Wah’s Marc Argenter and Fermí Puig – Includes also repro of big Om poster (coming originally with the first copies of the LP) - Bonus 7" single reproducing Om’s single w/ non- LP tracks 'Vindrà La Llum' / 'Waiting For Godot' (actually the only one released under their own name and not as a backing band).

Om - 1983 - Solar Wind

Om

1983

Solar Wind

01. Bandom 4:26
02. Samarkand 5:18
03. Dancing Top 4:21
04. Windmill 4:41
05. Aguni (火神) 6:45
06. Pan's Fountain 5:08
07. Solar Wind 6:10

Bass – Yoshihumi Okajima
Flute – Kenji Ohi
Guitar – Seiji Hano
Percussion – Keita Shiraishi
Sitar – Kyoji Hoshikawa
Tabla – Toshiya Arai

Recorded & Mixed at Studio Magnet, April '83
Special Thanks to K. Miyagawa & J. Ohshio
Barcode and Other Identifiers
Rights Society: JASRAC

And here another band that goes by the name OM, great Japanese fusion, but absolutely no info on the band. So feel free to add to the story

Om - 1978 - Om

Om

1978

Om

01. Sons Silence 11:28
02. Ombres 6:03
03. Paysa
ges D'Âmes 17:40

Percussion: Guy Baudat
Percussion: Luk Duchateau

Recorded by Laurent Thibaut at the Château d'Hérouville.

Experimental and cosmical music made with metallic hand-made instruments built (like a psychedelic version of the structures sonores Lary-Baschet) by sculptor Guy BAUDAT & Luk DUCHATEAU in Gargilesse, Berry (south of Châteauroux, in the Centre of France), recorded & produced by Laurent THIBAULT (co-founder of french cult band Magma), who runned the Château d'Hérouville Studio

Om - 1976 - Om

Om

1976 

Om

01. Introducción Allegro / El Asesinato De Jarabaila 7:04
02. Tema De Gala 10:13
03. El Repasador Americano 4:24
04. Urticaria 7:23
05. Breves Reflexiones 5:08

Bonus Track (En Vivo E Inédito)
06. La Nota En Su Séptima Concentración (18:21)
    06.a Asegurense
    06.b Carrillón
    06.c Tracción Cardíaca

Bass – Camilo Iezzi
Guitar – Cristian Stabel Hansen
Keyboards – Oscar Laiguera
Percussion – Eduardo Annetta


Programmed By [Synth], Backing Vocals – Litto Nebbia
Recorded By – Jorge "Portugués" Da Silva

One of the most amazing bands to ever come out of Argentina, the stuff of legend and holy grails back in their homeland and virtually unknown outside of Argentina.

They are revered by their peers, from Luis Alberto Spinetta to Litto Nebbia (who did some programing on these recordings), They were one of the first bands that really started to play Progressive Rock in Argentina,

Even back in the day they became famous for their technical skills onstage, they never released an album, even thou I heard that one was planed under the name `La Nota En Su Septima Concentracion`, I have no clue if it evr was recorded and remains unreleased or if it was just a working title

The fact is that the only material they ever released in their lifelitme was this 1976 cassette, which is insanely hard to find.

A friend here in Amsterdam once mentioned the band to me, and said he had a tape... somewhere, right after Hanukkah this year and about 20 years after the original conversation he messaged me that he had found it back and had digitalized the whole thing at the radio station where he works! And then a couple of weeks later I found out that the album had been reissued on cd when I got it from him as a birthday present, turns out the whole... "I digitized the tape" thing was just to see if i was still interested in it... G_d! I Love My Friends! Thanks Budsky!

You will not be dissapointed!

Any other info will be greatly appreciated

Odin - 2007 - SWF Sessions 1973

Odin
2007
SWF Sessions 1973

01. Turnpike Lane (3:36)
02. Life is Only (11:24)
03. King Kong (10:39)
04. Oh No (6:31)
05. Make Up Your Mind (13:36)

Jeff Beer / keyboards, percussion, vocals
Ray Brown / bass, vocals
Stuart Fordham / drums, percussion

Bob Terstall / guitar, vocals

Odin are yet another in a seemingly endless stream of early seventies bands that came and went and were forgotten, casualties of changing times and tastes and, in Odin’s case, an energy crisis in Europe in the mid-seventies. This CD is the very late issue of their final studio tracks recorded at Südwestfunk studio U1 in Baden-Baden Germany in 1973, recorded for and played on German radio then but not released until the 21st century. The sound is quite dated but worth a listen for the representative heavy organ and guitar work that holds up surprisingly well after all these years. The album also features a couple of Frank Zappa covers, which the band was known for playing back then in their live shows.

Like bands such as Sweet Smoke (U.S.) and the Trip (British), Odin had to become ex-patriots in search of elusive fame and fortune due to their inability to secure either an audience or a recording contract in their native country. Odin was more like the Trip though in that they acquired local talent as part of the process. Originally British drummer Stuart Fordham (since passed away of cancer) and Dutch guitarist/ vocalist Rob Terstall were part of a band called Honest Truth, which British bassist Ray Brown later joined. The band had picked up a Hungarian keyboardist along the way but when he died unexpectedly the group signed German Jeff Beer (ex- Elastic Grasp) and took on the name Odin. A recording contract and studio album soon followed and the band seemed to be on their way, but legal wrangling and an energy crisis stymied a tour planned for 1973. The band recorded the tracks to this album for German radio in early 1973, but by 1974 they had disbanded with most of the members leaving the rock music business for other ventures. Jeff Beer remained in Germany and pursued a career in multidiscipline art, while Rob Terstall (who also stayed in Germany) continued to perform in a variety of regional jazz and rock outfits including the cover band Motion-Sound. Ray Brown left the music business altogether and today works as a carpenter, while Stuart Fordham returned to England for a career in the electronics business before passing away in 2003.

So what about the music? Well the tracks here are rather unexceptional, but the playing is pretty tight considering the haphazard nature of the band’s makeup as well as the times. The first two tracks are original compositions by Rob Terstall and Jeff Beer/Ray Brown respectively, and both are prototypical heavy organ / blues-psych guitar affairs with some vocal harmonizing and long stretches of instrumental jamming.

The band also offers up a contiguous and somewhat shorter version of Zappa’s disjointed “King Kong” suite, not nearly as wild as Zappa’s but something they probably played in their live shows as well and certainly would have been well-received. Another Zappa cover is their rambling rendition of ‘Weasels Ripped my Flesh' "Oh No", this one sounding more like free-form jazz experiment than anything else, with the majority of the tune being consumed by an extended organ sound orgy and fusion drumming.

The album closes with another jam indulgence, a rather odd cover choice again but this time from Quatermass, the sonically charged “Make up Your Mind”. I’ve never heard the original but a quick fact check shows Odin’s version to run about five minutes longer and I can only assume this is mostly because of the extensive amount of heavy drum/organ jamming that consumes several minutes of recording time.

Odin - 2007 - Live At The Maxim 1971

Odin
2007
Live At The Maxim 1971

01. Oh No!
02. Man Of Reason
03. Ohio
04. Silver Dollar
05. My Guitar Wants To Kill Your Mama
06. Gemini
07. Cinnamon Girl
08. Little House
09. Peaches En Regalia
10. 21st Century Schizoid Man

Jeff Beer / keyboards, vibraphone, percussion, vocals
Rob Terstall / guitar, vocals
Ray Brown / bass, vocals
Stuart Fordham / drums, percussion

A very good performance, given that they only perform one song of their own. They were all very good musicians and one must be grateful for all that has surfaced recently. Unfortunately, this archive recording is very poor. If this was remastered, as stated on the cover, it must have been atrocious beforehand, sounding as though it were recorded in an echo-filled room with mikes at some distance. I've heard bootlegs that sounded better.

They are frustratingly destined to remain a band who promised so much but circumstances denoted that they were to fall through the cracks prematurely. I can't help thinking that if they'd received the marketing and/or exposure they deserved, they would have been huge, especially in the UK where they fell foul of that dreaded "Winter of discontent", where a planned tour was shelved due to the power cuts and strikes.

A late "find" for me but Odin were pretty special. Forget generic labels and pigeon-holes, they made great music and that's as good a legacy as anyone can hope for.

Odin - 1973 - Odin

Odin
1973
Odin

01. Life Is Only (10:55)
02. Tribute To Frank (1:58)
03. Turnpike Lane (3:43)
04. Be The Man You Are (2:45)
05. Gemini (8:54)
06. Eucalyptus (2:51)
07. Clown (8:35)

Jeff Beer / keyboards, vibraphone, percussion, vocals
Rob Terstall / guitar, vocals
Ray Brown / bass, vocals
Stuart Fordham / drums, percussion

Odin, like NEKTAR was a British band residing in Germany. While NEKTAR received some success (especially the United States when Passport Records showed an interest in their music), ODIN simply released one album, disappeared, and has pretty much been ignored. The album was released on the swirl Vertigo label, and due to its obscurity, one of the more desired titles on the label. While NEKTAR sometimes flirted with Krautrock styles (often so far as being called Krautrock, even if they weren't German), ODIN mainly stuck to a heavy guitar/organ-dominated prog style that was typical of the British scene of the early '70s. The band consisted of Jeff Beer on keyboards, Ray Brown on bass, Stuart Fordham on drums, and Rob Terstall on guitar, all credited to vocal duties, aside from the drummer.

If you love the sound of the Hammond organ, this album is a total must, often Jeff Beer played his organ with fuzz tone, not unlike DEEP PURPLE's Jon Lord, or Peter Robinson's work with QUATERMASS (whose style was much closer to Lord's in that band than say, when he was in BRAND X, which was much more similar to Robin Lumley's). In fact the band so much as covers a QUATERMASS song as well!

The album starts off with "Life Is Only", a totally killer piece stuffed with cool guitar and organ solos. There are some passages that bear more than a passing resemblance to ELP, in fact it's the only piece on the album to feature ELP-like passages. "Tribute to Frank" is a jazzy instrumental that brings to mind some of ZAPPA's instrumental works, so unsurprisingly the tribute would be to Frank ZAPPA. "Turnpike Lane" features a lot of wordless vocals, and at times almost reminding me of certain Italian prog bands. Of course, the guitar and organ solos are more typical of British bands. "Be the Man You Are" finds the band doing a nice, laid-back acoustic piece. Certainly the vocals are no CSNY, but still a nice piece. Then there's the cover of QUATERMASS' "Gemini". If you know the original, you'll find they pretty much stick to the original, except they added on guitars (since of course ODIN featured a guitarist and QUATERMASS didn't), and an extended solo the original didn't have. "Eucalyptus" is a rather laid-back instrumental piece with some early string synth (presumably a Freeman, as it's too early for the Elka or Solina, and the Eminent, which was around in '72, didn't seem to get much use outside of Italy and France). "Clown" goes back to the heavy style that is most typical for this band.

The album was luckily reissued on CD, and given the kind of music this is, this album would be perfect for Repertoire Records out of Germany to reissue. Instead a small German label called Living in the Past got a hold of it, making it not as easy to get a hold of, but if you can find a copy, get it!

Certainly the music is dated, the heavy organ/guitar format of the music makes it obvious that this was the early '70s, but as long as the music is great, as this album demostrates, I don't care.

Truly an amazing and forgotten gem of British prog. If you like early '70s guitar/organ- driven prog, this album is a total must!

Alfredo Carrion - 1976 - Los Andares Del Alquimista

Alfredo Carrion

1976

Los Andares Del Alquimista

01. Espejo Sumergido 4:13
02. Tensa Memoria 3:48
03. Vino De Silencio 3:55
04. Romance 4:23
05. Los Andares Del Alquimista 16:14

Antonio de Diego / Vocal
María Aragón / Vocal
Angel Andrada / Guitar
Julian Llinasa / Flute, Keboards
Jose Maria “Chema” Gonzalez Maldonado / Drums
Celestino Charro / Bass
Francisco Martin / Violin
Marcial Moreirasa / Viola
Belen Aguirre / Cello, Viola
Manolo Figuero / Double Bass
Jose Luis Montolio / Piano
Antonio Cal / Flute, Saxophone
Vicente Gasca / Trumpet
Jimmy Kashisian / Trombone
Javier Benet / Percussions
Juan Iborra / Percussion

Notes
Released in a gatefold cover.
First cat. number on cover, second on label.

Alfredo Carrion was involved with arguably the most known progressive rock album from Spain: Canarios' Ciclos. This ultimately lead to him releasing a similarly big budget prog album with Los Andares del Alquimista. The opening side is more song oriented whereas side 2 is more grandiose. Music like this creeps on you and before you know it, you realize you are listening to something very important and intense. In the same manner as maybe William Sheller. I had heard this album once in the initial CD days of the late 80s and early 90s, and it didn't make an impact. But I'm certain I was looking for music that was more immediate. Los Andares del Alquimista is anything but immediate. If there's ever been an album to enjoy a bottle of wine with, this would be the one.

Alfredo Carriòn, in his long career as a composer, boasts important works and many collaborations with Spanish and non-Spanish artists. After completing his studies at the Reall Conservatorio de Musica de Madrid, he began working as a conductor for various shows for the Teatro Musical. He was also director of the Coro Nacional de Espana in the Opera section, as well as a teacher in the Real Escuela Superior de Arte Dramatic de Madrid and Catedratico de Lectura Musicale of the Real Escuela Superior de Canto de Madrid. Today he is Subdirector General de Musica of the INAEM and of the Theater of the INAEM and Director of the Departamento Dramatico of the SGAE. In addition to the academic level, Carriòn worked as an arranger, achieving the greatest popularity in the mid-1970s, participating in the Spanish version of “Jesus Christ Superstar“. He also collaborated with Miguel Rios on “La Huerta Atòmica” and together with Los Canarios he composed their Progressive masterpiece “Ciclos“. He then decided to produce a personal work and in 1976, he recorded “Los Andares Del Alquimista” at the Kirios Studios in Madrid. The album has two different faces on the two sides, on the Face A three tracks that are a mix of Folk, Lyric and Prog music, with the participation of the soprano Maria Aragòn, Antonio Garcia Del Diego (Los Canarios, Triana) and a good number of classical musicians. Face B opens with a track that follows the musical paths of the first part, and then closes with a song of over 16 minutes, which is the title track of the album. It is the most complex and supporting piece of the entire work, the one that best expresses the musical ideas of Alfredo Carriòn, who participates on the album only in the drafting and composition but does not sing or play any instrument. Rich in orchestral references and Progressive cues, even the Folkloristic component is noticeable, especially in the first four tracks. A “find,” moreover, quite difficult to find, this album is this artist deserve to be part of this column. The mix of different musical genres succeeds, also thanks to the collaboration with high-level artists. An artist and an album that are hardly considered, but deserve more attention. It is not considered a masterpiece, but a good listening, a little different from the usual proposals, especially for the personal style of the compositions. Apart from the Prog parenthesis, this man is a top-level teacher, one of the greatest figures in the musical university field of Spain. Not everyone would assign the task of working on the Spanish version of the Rock Opera Jesus Christ Superstar. In an interview years later he said: “My concern on this album has been to address a majority but without cheap concessions. I have accepted in principle the rhetorical elements of “pop”, but I have tried to express myself through them with all sincerity. The dose of originality that may be in this album has not been sought in itself, but as the only means I have found to express myself with authenticity. In “pop” music is often a mere pretext to set or accompany the text, well, the songs on this album have been structured first musically, without any supporting text, once finished completely I have looked for who put them letters. These, which once selected and adapted have seemed very beautiful to me, have been a secondary concern. Another thing, my music is genuinely Spanish, for the harmony, for the cadences and for the melodic bias of most of its themes. Of course, it is not topical Spanish music, not even the best known. I have not wanted to make a cult or pedantic work with this album. Strictly I do not know fundamentally the scope of what has been done, I only know that I needed to do it. From his influence in the middle I hope to learn for a good company.”

Radio Noisz Ensemble - 1983 - Odiszee-Parck

Radio Noisz Ensemble
1983
Odiszee-Parck.

01. Odiszée-Parck (11:17)
02. Circkus Minor (4:07)
03. Rara (8:30)
04. IllÒrno (1:06)
05. Why Art We So Hungry? (5:24)
06. A Ta Tendresse (1:00)

Bonus tracks:
07. Green Bananas (6:47)
08. Der chrybische Printz (8:40)
09. Serenade Central (8:09)
10. Circkus Minor (3:50)
11. Bizarreville (5:20)
12. Alina (4:48)
13. Apparati (8:03)

Topsi Tkacz - double-bass, violin
Biber Gullatz - oboe, flute, alto sax, cor anglais, voice
Michel Meyer - guitar, zither, voice
Sigi Siegler - tabla, percussion

The Radio Noisz Ensemble, successor of the folk group Emma Myldenberger, came from the Weinheim an der Bergstrasse area and released its only LP, "Yniverze" (Ubu Muziek UMS 01), in 1982. It was compared to works of the Third Ear Band, Between, and Tri Atma. "Odiszée-Parck" (Ubu Muziek UMS 03), appearing only as a small cassette edition, followed in 1983. The music on this album is of a significantly freer style, more unwieldy and harder to digest than its predecessor; less meditative. The CD was drawn from the master tape. The cover motif is the same as the one used for the cassette, the only difference being its coloured design - like the concert poster of a quite similar make - instead of black and white. Once again the oboe is the leading instrument, and also the remaining instrumentation, featuring English horn, zither, double-bass, violin, flutes, etc. is quite unusual.

 

Radio Noisz Ensemble - 1982 - Yniverze

Radio Noisz Ensemble
1982
Yniverze

01. Double Spring Code I/II (6:20)
02. Serenade Central (7:40)
03. Space Fasching (5:42)
04. Der schäfer von Rotterdam (5:22)
05. Der chrybische printz / Prettie Fiona (14:44)
a) Chrybian Waltz
b) Fiona Dagda
c) Waltz 2/Finale
06. Yniverze (Improvisation) (2:03)

Topsi Tkacz / bass, violin
Biber Gullatz / oboe, piano, crumhorn, flutes
Michel Meyer / guitar, mandolin
Matthias "Wastl" Gassert / percussion, drums

This album can be considered Emma Myldenberger's epilogue or even their fourth album. Indeed after the third album Live (only released under the cassette format at the time (and recently reissued in Cd by the GOD label, the group sort of managed to survive a few months later but members were abandoning the ship. I have no idea exactly how the jump was made tfrom EM to RNE, but no doubt the GOD label will detail us that when they'll release this album in the coming years, but three EM members formed RNE (or is it they changed the name) and released this excellent album where Guru Guru 's Mani Meumeier appears as a guest.

If RNE is the logical continuity of EM personel-wise, the same can be said grosso modo about their musical content. Maybe the music shifted a tad more ethnic rather than medieval, thus sounding a tad more Third ear Band and a tad less Ougenweide. After the TEB-reminiscent opening Double Spring Code, the album plunges you into its own Yniverse and into a splendid serenade Central where Gullatz's oboe flies from one mood to another while the semi-Indian classical rhythms transport you into a trance., but the ride is not that smooth as there are some intriguing dissonances as well. The same dissonance return but take a more cosmic dimension in Space Fasching which is strangely the more medieval track on this album, despite its futuristic name.

On the flipside, the group starts with a Rotterdam tune that was regularly played on the EM sets, and it's clearly Tkacz's stand-up bass' baby: it's all over it under everty conceivable form, even bowed, but Gassaert's drumming and Gullatz"s multiple wind instruments are also key ingredients. The album's centrepiece is the three-movements almost 15-mins Chrybische Printz and it leaves a lot of space for instrumental interplay and even some improvisations. The short closing title track is exactly that, an improv.

Definitely as excellent, if not more, than the EM albums, Yniverse easily compares to Tour De Trance and in some ways is better. No doubt that the excellent people at Garden Of Delight will one day (re-) issue this on cCd (I don't think it's been legitametely) and then this album will get a much-deserved sunray and it will be partially drawn from obscurity.

Emma Myldenberger - 1981 - Emmaz Live!

Emma Myldenberger
1981
Emmaz Live!

01. Live - Ruckkehr aus Emmarokkoko
02. Lenyas Fantasie
03. Opus 4
04. Ferngesprach - Vorwahl 030/RAA
05. Regenreigen suite
06. Ala Dalona
07. Caept. Blau Blau
08. Space Fasching in Zweischlingen

Bonus-Tracks:
09. Narrentantz
10. Der Schafer von Rotterdam
11. Alina

Biber Gullatz / flute, oboe
Gaby Kinscherf / vocals, percussion, glockenspiel
Reines Pauker / guitar, mandolin
Michel Meyer / guitar, mandolin
Anne Golau / violin
Topsi Tkacz / double bass
Rammy Mizrachi / tabla, percussion

Previously only available trough cassettes (79 copies produced to be exact), this third EM album (and last if you do not count the Radio Noisz Ensemble, which is the logic continuation of this venture), the superb Garden Of Delight label reissued this album very recently for our pure enjoyment. And enjoyment it is, because this lengthy (68 mins + 3 bonus tracks for 81 mins) live recording is of excellent sound quality and there are much "new" material that weren't present on the two studio albums, but rehearsed live for a possible third studio album, which would never come. Sporting a colourized version of the cassette photo as artwork, corrected running times, some group pictures, the GOD release is the usual excellent product that gives progheads so many joys over the years.

Some of the previously heard songs are in fairly different versions here, often with less vocals or presented in a different light. The superb RAA and Regenreigen Suite are both presented with excellent live alternatives. The last three songs on the original cassette were foreseen for the third album (as would the last two bonus tracks), thus giving you an idea that this third album would've at least as good as their debut and approach the second's outstanding relevance.

Of the three bonus tracks, the jig of Narrentanz is the least interesting (and already present in the first studio album), but Schäfer Von Rotterdam and Alina are superb medieval-sounding tracks that we're all used to hearing. More added value for a Live album which turns out to be just as essential as the studio ones.

Emma Myldenberger - 1979 - Tour De Trance

Emma Myldenberger
1979
Tour de Trance

01. Ein Bisschen
02. Regenreigen
03. Lenya's fantasie
04. Raa
05. Wassensteyn's hochzeitnacht

Bonus tracks on Garden of Delights issue recorded live Quartier Latin, Berlin 8/4/1979

06. RAA
07. Ein bisschen
08. I know you rider
09. Stromberger Siebensprung

Biber Gullatz / winds, guitars, glockenspiel
Gaby Kinscherf / vocals, glockenspiel, percusssion
Reines Pauker / guitars, perc., vocals
Michel Meyer / Guitars, Mandolin Sitar, voices
Anne Gosslau/ banjo, voices, flute
Topsi Tkacz / contrabass, guitar, vocals

This second album is the real reason of this group's presence into the rock almanacs or encyclopaedias and into our beloved Archives. After the release of their debut album, the group toured extensively Germany and made trips to Switzerland, Luxembourg and Ireland (several gigs a day over there), and were joined temporarily (actually he just stepped on stage uninvited and stayed) by Israeli percussionist (tabla, mostly) Rammy Mizrachi and he gave the group's original tracks a fairly different sound and direct the band to another direction than trad folk. Around the mid year of 79, the group started recording in their hometown this second album, which would be their definitive statement.

Starting out on the rather Ougenweide-style folky number, Ein Bisschen, that rides on a great banjo line and a myriad of small flutes. Closing the first side of the album is the almost 29-mins Regenreigen (rain round dance), easily the album's tour de Force and tour de France as well as tour de Trance. The lengthy tracks takes through a myriad of climates and rzegions exploring middle ages and more recent jigs, sometimes oscillating between Third Ear Band and East Of Eden Jig-A-Jig. Ranging from mid- Eastern (Arabian) to Indian classic music (though a raga) to semi-Spanish-sounding ambiances and much more, Gullatz's oboe getting a big share of the spotlight.

The flipside is made of three mid-length pieces, the first of which Lenyas Fantasie (Lenyas is Anne Gosslau's daughter pictured in the interfold of the vinyl the community photo) has a definite Spanish-Flamenco slant, coupled with pure chamber music. The Following RAA is obviously the album second highlight, constructed around some strong guitar strumming and tabla/bongo (obviously Rammi's influence) and Topsi's contrabass playing again a Spanish dramatic theme over a raga beat >> lovely chamber music ending too. The 5-mins Hochzeitsnatch (wedding night) starts on dissonant African metallic percussions, before two wind instrument (oboe and clarinet) take over and a steady beat, take on a classical twist before sinking in Aum psalms and full sitar psychedelia and obviously a one shot thing.

The only weird thing (and somewhat quite deceiving, even if the album is an incredibly success artistically and aesthetically) is that Rammi Mizrachi is not part of this album, although he appeared to be so instrumental in developing the album. The bonus tracks are from a Berlin concert prior to TdT's release and give us two "works-in-progress" tracks of the upcoming album and a Grateful Dead reprise and not adding incredible value, but not disserving it either. I would've preferred this track on the debut album instead on this one.

Tour De Trance is indeed one of the most stunning pieces of psychey prog folk with strong medieval tendencies and is considered a classic by connoisseur with every reason to be so. This album would then fill out the group's concerts set lists, with the Regenreigen track being the centrepiece, until the group's end in 81 with Rammy often starring on tables. In the very near future, the great label Garden Of Delights will release a live album of concert of the later period, which if you enjoy this album will most likely a must have for the fans. I know I will jump on at at sight.

Emma Myldenberger - 1978 - Emma Myldenberger

Emma Myldenberger
1978
Emma Myldenberger

01. Narrentanz
02. Oboenstuck
03. Emmarokkoko
04. Unter der linden
05. Fraw emma Myldenberger
06. Opus IV
07. Eines morgens
08. In meines vaters garten

Biber Gullatz / winds, guitars, glockenspiel
Gaby Kinscherf / vocals, glockenspiel, percusssion
Reines Pauker / guitars, perc., vocals
Michel Meyer / Guitars, Mandolin Sitar, voices
Anne Gosslau/ banjo, voices, flute

The average proghead will be wondering how such a group relates to prog rock, and the least that we can say is that his concerns are judicious but ill-founded. There is a solid tradition of folk group in the 70's to look up to pre-medieval music and pull in some ancient rhythms or melodies and update them with rock or electricity (much like Fairport Convention did), but not in every case as can be seen here. In fact, of the huge majority of these groups, most of them come from three lands, UK, France and Germany and names like Gryphon, Third Ear Band, Amazing Blondel, Ripaille, Malicorne, Parzival, Ougenweide and a few more are those who have the least elements of rock in their music. Hailing from the Upper Rhine river (Heidelberg), the acoustic sextet played the medieval music with much more scruples than Ougenweide or Parzival did.

With the first two tracks, temptation for the EM newbie proghead might be to unhook from this almost pure pre-classical music, but one has to wait for the third track, the 7-mins Emmarokkoko, where the subtleties and adventures become evident and take on a progressive twist. While EM stays on acoustic mode and go through a multitude of moods and progressions, their longer forays can remind a much happier (no gloom and doom in this combo where two beautiful women play violin flutes and percussion) Univers Zero. The following Under The Lime Tree might sound familiar to you, but the other highlight Opus VI is sometimes reminiscent of Third Ear Band. Eines Morgen and Vaters Dartens are among the better tracks after the two longer ones, pushing the music in a progressive manner, but nothing worth expanding on.

Among the five bonus tracks is the French traditional Colchiques, but somehow I wish they hadn't or kept in an instrumental. The other four from a 77 hometown concert and slightly more in line with their folkier and more trad songs, so therefore do not look for more adventurous material because of concert enthusiasm and experimentations. You'll find that some groups were almost more catholic than the pope was and EM might just be one of them. Not quite as good as the following Tour De Trance of the following year, this debut album is still quite worthy of investigation albeit a little far removed from the subject of the site.

Emtidi - 1972 - Saat

Emtidi
1972

Saat

01. Walkin' in the Park (6:27)
02. Träume (3:15)
03. Touch the Sun (11:42)
04. Love Time Rain (2:43)
05. Saat (4:07)
06. Die Reise (10:04)

Maik Hirschfeldt / vocals, guitars, bass, synthesizer, flute, cymbals, vibraphone, Muzzle drums
Dolly Holmes / vocals, organs, electric piano, piano, Mellotron, electric spinet

 

The album "Saat" has some vintage synths along with the basic folk instruments unlike it's predecessor, and there are two longer suites here too, so Emtidi has evolved to a more impressionistic and interesting direction with this release in my opinon.

Some parts of the opening song "Walkin' in the Park" are very pretty, like the melody at the start, but the verse is somehow naive. There's also a bluesy jazz run at the end, but there isn't a very strong groove present, as there are no full drum set included in the band. The guitar solo isn't very wonderful too, and the song fades out during it. However, the moods get much better direction then with "Träume" (Dream), which is a very beautiful, quiet and ethereal aural landscape for syhths and voices. Sadly it is quite short one, unlike the next nearly 12 minutes long "Touch the Sun". It opens with long waves of electronic sounds, which are later joined by crystal-like notes and gentle weeps from guitar and vocal. This is quite minimalist solution, but very beautiful and works pleasantly. After five minutes the acoustic guitar opens the folk composition phase with charming and strong melodies, and there is also the fabulous Mellotron audible behind some parts. The keyboard driven part in the middle of the conventional folk part introduces some avantgardistic elements to this composition, which weren't most optimal here for my own listening experience. The also song opens and closes with some quick sounds of birds, creating an illusion of physical space to the tune.

"Love Time Rain" is a just short conventional folk track, resembling the song of their first album, but the title tune "Saat" (Planting) is much, much better. It opens with some nice quiet chord runs on the acoustic guitar, where both female and male vocals soon are joined. Though this is also quite common psych folk song, the charming melodies and coherent performing makes this a nice tune, actually one of the the best one of the album concerning overall quality. Even the other tracks are good and more experimental, there are some solutions and details in them which I did not like so much, but after listening the record during the years, I have grewn to like this album quite much. There are some classical progressions from Spanish-styled music also to be heard here.

The epic "Die Reise" (The Voyage) lasting ten minutes, opens again with ethereal keyboards. Soon a brisk acoustic guitar starts to drive the song forward, and this progression is lead by a male voice singing the lyrics in German language. There are also some supporting form minimal keyboards and female voices. Sadly this tune did not totally achieve the potential it has in my opinion. After three minutes the voyage leads to a church organ sounding keyboard universe, where ancient electronics paint some aural patterns. Near the end there is yet much better sounding stuff, where a flute does solo over quiet synth chords. The epic closes for final emerging of the beginnings theme repetition.

I first wasn't totally charmed by this album, but often love grows with time, and I have learned to like it and accepting some elements which weren't so attractive to me first. I also think it is more interesting album than the band's first LP. Fans of psychedelic folk and German 70's underground should check this out certainly.

Emtidi - 1971 - Emtidi

Emtidi
1971
Emtidi

01. Lookin' for People (3:55)
02. Shadow on Your Face (3:55)
03. Long Long Journey (2:24)
04. No Turn Back (1:55)
05. Space Age (4:10)
06. Let the Joint go 'round (5:00)
07. Yvonne's Dream (2:40)
08. Birds on a Graveyard (3:30)
09. Flutepiece (7:20)

- Maik Hirschfeldt / 7 & 12-string acoustic guitar, flute, vocals
- Dolly Holmes / 6-string acoustic guitar, bouzouki, kazoo, vocals

The music on this album resembles mostly American hippie folk music which was popular at the 1960's. The more famous icons of this genre like Peter, Paul & Mary have probably been influences for these performers, but this stuff is slighly more amateurish when compared to the material of more professionally produced recordings of their innovators. However, sometimes rawness can be an interesting characteristics also. "Emtidi" is still an enjoyable album for a folk fan, but this record doesn't have very progressive music elements (experimentalism, innovations, emphasized spiritual insight) in it in. The simple compositions have some good melodies, but there are also some weak moments included, so I do not consider this the most classy "guitar and singer" material I have managed to hear yet on my path of musical exploration. Also most of the psychedelic elements here are only related to the non-musical aspects of folk scene, like themes in the lyrics etc. The first five songs (maybe the A-side of the LP?) are less innovative as the rest of the tracks, which have hits of Indian-style music with raga influences, as for examples "Let The Joint Go 'round" and the longer instrumental number at the end of the record titled "Flutepiece". "Birds on a graveyard" is a very good instrumental tune, worth of mentioning too. I wonder if the first songs are their early material, or have the first side have been wished to be more accessible? As for a German act, they sing and pronounce English quite well. The recording quality isn't exceptional, and there is lots of analog hiss audible on the background. Their following album sounded much more innovative, but the fans of psyhcedelic folk and German underground scene might want to check this out.

Elonkorjuu - 1972 - Harvest Time

Elonkorjuu
1972
Harvest Time

01. Unfeeling (3:23)
02. Swords (4:03)
03. Captain (3:41)
04. Praise to Our Basement (4:43)
05. Future (3:55)
06. Hey Hunter (3:40)
07. The Ocean Song (3:17)
08. Old Man's Dream (4:44)
09. Me and My Friend (4:01)
10. A Little Rocket Song (4:04)

Jukka Syrenius / guitar
Veli-pekka Pessi / bass
Pertti Hannus / drums

ELONKORJUU (Finnish for 'harvest') was formed in 1969 in the south-western Finnish town of Pori by the singer and guitarist Jukka Syrenius. In the autumn of 1970 the band were awarded second place in a music contest called Rockin' Suomen Mestaruus (Finnish Championship of Rock Bands).

In the Seventies they released two albums, the first of which, "Harvest Time" (1972), is considered the most expensive Finnish collector's item, commanding a price of 500-1,000 EUR. Their second album, "Flying High, Running Fast" (1978), was released under the English name of HARVEST in the hope of breaking the band on the international market. During those years, ELONKORJUU also performed live all over the country, and were often a feature at major Finnish rock events, such as Pori Jazz and Ruisrock festivals.

Though disbanded in 1978, the band made their comeback in 2003, and the following year released a new album, "Scumbag". This saw a change in the direction of their music, being more in a rock-blues vein. Besides Syrenius, the other original members still with the band are bassist Veli-Pekka Pessi and drummer Pertti Hannus, while keyboardist Jussi Reunamäki joined them after their reformation. ELONKORJUU are still very active on the live music circuit of their native country, often performing to full houses.

Eiliff - 2003 - Bremen 1972

Eiliff
2003
Bremen 1972

01. Journey To The Ego (8:07)
02. Suite (33:35)

Bill Brown / bass
Rainer Brüninghaus / keyboards
Herbert J. Kalveram / saxophone
Detlev Landmann / drums
Houschüng Nejadepour / guitar, sitar

Recorded 1972 in Bremen

Recorded after their last studio album and but chronologically before the other posthumous live release, this album is a bit the equivalent of the BBC sessions in Germany. This Bremen radio station apparently often committed groups to play a concert, recording them for a broadcast and some three decades later, the tapes are being issued for the first time legitimately. Eiliff (a deformation of Aleph) was a quintet (from Cologne) that developed an instrumental jazz-rock with a Canterbury feel and some ethnic touches (their guitarist, later with Guru Guru, was of Persian origin) and their two albums were rather wide-spectrumed and a bit unfocused sometimes a bit disjointed, even if the second was tighter than their debut.

Only two tracks on this session, the first being from their recent Girlsrls album and is easily the most representative of the two, with some excellent jazz-rock that seemed to come from a South-eastern English county. The second track is an extended version of their sidelong track (simply called Suite) of their debut album and lasts for over a half-hour. While it holds some excellent moments, it fairly indulgent, filled with lengthy solos, Bruninghaus' organ driving the group, but clearly everyone is rather proficient with their instrument. Leader drummer Landmann 's playing is reminiscent of Johnn Marshall (Nucleus) and halfway into the "epic jam", you could mistake them for Soft Machine with an added guitar player.

While not that essential, and rather short for a live recording, this album (along with the previous G.O.D. release Close Encounter With Their Third One) is definitely interesting for fans of the group and general jazz-rock fans.

Eiliff - 1999 - Encounter With Their Third One

Eiliff
1999
Encounter With Their Third One

01. Lilybaeum (4:47)
02. Girlrls (18:47)
03. Hallimasch (15:12)
04. Journey To The Ego (7:45)

Bill Brown / bass
Rainer Brüninghaus / keyboards
Herbert J. Kalveram / saxophone
Detlev Landmann / drums
Houschäng Nejadepour / guita, sitar

Recorded in 1972 at Westdeutscher Rundfunk Cologne

An interesting Krautrock reissue, to remind you that jazz rock was taken seriously in Germany from the earliest of times, even though the mainstream were evolving their own form of psychedelia. Also an interesting historic document of where at least one major jazz player started. Eiliff were their own band in respect to the music they composed and played, so references/comparisons made to better known bands, as in the other reviews, can only given in guidance.

Houschäng Nejadepour / guitar, sitar soon disappeared to Guru Guru - and inspired their brief Mahavishnu Orchestra period (e.g. on 'Dance of the Flames'), but don't expect that here. Instead his mixed Iranian and German upbringing shows. However, the main man here is Rainer Bruninghaus with his excellent Hammond work. This is the same Bruninghaus who is ECM's house keyboard player now 30 - 35 years later.

Eiliff - 1972 - Girlrls!

Eiliff
1972
Girlrls!

01. Eve Of Eternity (5:57)
02. King Of The Frogs (5:45)
03. Journey To The Ego (6:08)
04. Girlrls (6:40)
05. Hallimasch (8:48)

Bill Brown / bass
Rainer Brüninghaus / keyboards
Herbert J. Kalveram / saxophone
Detlev Landmann / drums
Houschüng Nejadepour / guitar, sitar

EILIFF's second album (same lineup) is really more of the same with shorter overall tracks though. I do like this one a little more mostly because of the final three tracks which guarantee this to be a 4 star album.

"Eve Of Eternity" is uptempo with organ and drums before the rest join in quickly. It settles after 2 1/2 minutes as the tempo continues to shift. "King Of The Frogs" is ruined completely by the vocals and lyrics (kidding, haha) and the spoken words 1 1/2 minutes in make me want to laugh. "Journey To The "Ego" has some atmosphere and sax early before it kicks in 1 1/2 minutes in. This sounds really good especially the piano. Guitar a minute later and the bass is prominent. Sax is back after 5 minutes.

"Girlrls" has a very "in your face" intro before it settles with sax before 1 1/2 minutes. Drums and guitar come in as it becomes powerful again. Keys arrive as it lightens. Good track. "Hallimasch" has this dramatic intro and the percussion and experimental sounds take over. Spoken vocals 2 1/2 minutes in and then it all stops and a new soundscape takes over with prominent guitar coming in at 4 minutes. It changes again 5 1/2 minutes in. This is catchy with guitar leading the way.

Eiliff - 1971 - Eiliff

Eiliff
1971
Eiliff

01. Byrd-Night Of The Seventh Day (5:05)
02. Gammeloni (6:43)
03. Uzzek Of Rigel IV (10:53)
04. Suite (20:38)

Bill Brown / bass
Rainer Brüninghaus / keyboards
Herbert J. Kalveram / saxophone
Detlev Landmann / drums
Houschäng Nejadepour / guitar, sitar

EILIFF were an early 70s prog band who released two albums before breaking up. "Eiliff" is their 1971 debut. The band seemed quite influenced by early Frank ZAPPA, SOFT MACHINE, and VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR. Listeners are quickly treated to countless complex, yet gritty, sections on each of the 4 tracks. There is an emphasis on sax and electric piano interplay, but the album also features excellent guitar work (although some solos border on noodling). Most of the vocals reminded me of the MOTHERS OF INVENTION. They tend to be dissonant, somewhat sloppy, yet charming. Overall, this is great stuff if you enjoy early 70s prog. If I were to point out a flaw it would have to be that EILIFF had the tendency to sound exactly like their influences. So, the ZAPPA-influenced sections sound exactly like ZAPPA, the SOFT MACHUNE-influenced sections sound like long-lost SOFT MACHINE recordings, etc. There is nothing wrong with that, of course, because it sounds like EILIFF did quite a bit of research and they did it correctly, but if you're looking for originality maybe you won't find it. Fans of SUPERSISTER, and MATCHING MOLE should definitely check "Eiliff" out.

Windy Corner - 1973 - The House At Windy Corner

Windy Corner

1973

The House At Windy Corner

01. Song From The Very North 7:05
02. Blinkered Man's Staring Face 3:08
03. Waiting To Fall Back Asleep 6:24
04. The Palace Of Twelfe Phases 3:24
05. Sitting On A Throne 16:22
06. Wind Is Blowing 5:22

Bass Guitar, Vocals – Wim Steevels
Drums – Kees Van Weegberg
Guitar, Vocals – Rob Braam
Organ, Guitar, Vocals – Wim Vree

Recorded on January 22nd & 24th 1973 live at the Windy Corner rehearsal room.

Formed in Amsterdam in the late '60s, Windy Corner were a psychedelic folk-rock band who rarely played live. Using self-made instruments and amplifiers, they recorded long sessions at their rehearsal space in a cottage. In 1973, they released their first album, The House at Windy Corner, a 100 copies custom pressing on the collectable Deroy label. Underground progressive/psychedelic folk-rock with a charming home-made sound and fragile atmosphere. Dreamy vocals, organ, acoustic/electric guitars, bass and drums, similar at times to other obscure lo-fi psych bands like A-Austr or Ithaca. First-ever reissue. Remastered sound, original artwork, insert with liner notes and rare photos. Rated with the maximum rarity on the 2001 Record Collector Dreams book by Hans Pokora.

The album is filled with soft acoustic folk songs and I find the quality of the material to be very balanced from the start to the finish. No clear standout moments but nothing weak either. All of the songs are more or less decent and enjoyable and that's why this is exactly a three stars album in my opinion. If you're a hardcore acoustic folk fan this album is an essential listen but in case you're looking for some trippy acid folk you should look elsewhere.

This hitherto rarity was originally pressed up by Deroy Sound Services, a bespoke tape-to-disc business in Carnforth, Lancashire, ideally suited to manufacturing 100 copies of an album from a Dutch quartet with such idiosyncratic demands that they hand-built much of their equipment, designed their own sleeve and played vintage guitars of notorious unreliability but boundless atmospheric quality. No matter: this is high-class DIY rather than a botch job, and the music has immense charm, mixing acoustic drive with some fabulous Gibson and Hofner picking.

Composed in 1973, but not released for a year because of strikes and the oil crisis, songs such as Staring Face and the progressively inclined Palace Of Twelve Phases are powered by Wim Vre and Rob Braam with plangent fervor and instrumental élan; the somewhat tentative nature of the lyrics can be overlooked. Considering they seem to have recorded the album for a few Guilders and a packet of fuse wire, the results are spectacular, partially reminiscent of Ditchling’s Ithaca combo in terms of adventure, but otherwise unique and self-contained.

When the albums were posted back to Holland at a cost of £1.95, Windy Corner were offered five extra copies at a pound each. They declined. The original is worth a bit more than that now.

Formed in Amsterdam in the late '60s, Windy Corner were a psychedelic folk-rock band who rarely played live. Using self-made instruments and amplifiers, they recorded long sessions at their rehearsal space in a cottage. In 1973, they released their first album, The House at Windy Corner, a 100 copies custom pressing on the collectable Deroy label.

Yoshio Kimura, Jiro Inagaki, Yasunobu Matsuura - 1973 - Showa Kayokyoku Hatoba Enka

Yoshio Kimura, Jiro Inagaki, Yasunobu Matsuura

1973

昭和の歌謡曲 波止場艶歌 

(Showa Kayokyoku Hatoba Enka)

01. Jiro Inagaki, Yoshio Kimura よこはまたそがれ
02. Yasunobu Matsuura 港町ブルース
03. Yoshio Kimura 長崎から船に乗って
04. Jiro Inagaki 出船
05. Yasunobu Matsuura, Yoshio Kimura かもめ町みなと町
06. Toshio Kawamura 放浪船
07. Yoshio Kimura, Yukitsugu Hatori, Yasunobu Matsuura 波止場町
08. Toshio Kawamura そして神戸
09. Yoshio Kimura 霧の出船
10. Yasunobu Matsuura, Yoshio Kimura 港の別れ唄
11. Yoshio Kimura 港町涙町別れ町
12. Yasunobu Matsuura 波止場女のブルース
13. Yoshio Kimura 港町
14. Yoshio Kimura 哀愁海峡
15. Yoshio Kimura 他人船
16. Yoshio Kimura 涙の連絡船
17. Shigeru Yamada, Yoshiteru Suzuki なみだ船
18. Yoshio Kimura 哀愁出船
19. Yoshio Kimura かえり船
20. Yoshio Kimura, 船村徹 連絡船の唄
21. Yoshio Kimura 別れ船
22. Fukuda Hirō 哀愁波止場
23. Fukuda Hirō 未練の波止場
24. Fukuda Hirō 港町十三番地

Alto Saxophone – Toshio Kawamura
Guitar – Shigeru Yamada 

Guitar – Yoshio Kimura 
Guitar – Yoshiteru Suzuki 
Guitar – Fukuda Hirō 
Tenor Saxophone 
Tenor Saxophone – Yasunobu Matsuura
Trumpet – Yukitsugu Hatori 

This is a collection of instrumental covers of Kayo and Showa era hits (1930s-1960s) by Saxophonists Jiro Inagaki and Yasunobu Matsuura, and guitarist Yoshio Kimura, courtesy of a old visitor of the blog who is making available some of his rarities.

Rabih Abou-Khalil - 1997 - Odd Times

Rabih Abou-Khalil 

1997

Odd Times

01. The Sphinx And I 5:44
02. Dr. Gieler's Prescription 5:15
03. Elephant Hips 10:15
04. Q-Tips 4:34
05. Son Of Ben Hur 11:29
06. The Happy Sheik 9:32
07. One Of Those Days 10:31
08. Rabou-Abou-Kabou 6:52

Drums, Producer – Mark Nauseef
Frame Drum, Producer – Nabil Khaiat
Harmonica, Producer – Howard Levy
Oud – Rabih Abou-Khalil
Tuba, Serpent, Producer – Michel Godard

Recorded live at the Stadtgarten, Cologne, Germany on May 11, 12, 13, 1997.

Odd Times is Rabih Abou-Khalil's first live album. Since it would be impractical to assemble all of the guests he has had on his albums over the years, Abou-Khalil has gone in the other direction and pared his ensemble down to what is for him the bare bones: himself on oud, Howard Levy on harmonica, Michel Godard on tuba and serpent (an antique form of the tuba), Mark Nauseef on drums, and Nabil Khaiat on frame drums. Most live albums contain well-known pieces from the artist's studio repertoire; in contrast, Odd Times is mostly new material. In general, the album is a mix of shapeless, overlong attempts at atmosphere ("Elephant Hips") and fairly bouncy and fun items ("Q-Tips"). The pared-down lineup is engaging because Abou-Khalil's oud and Godard's tuba are more prominent; unfortunately, Levy's harmonica is also pronounced, and simply clashes with the entire project of fusing Arabic music and jazz. Though in all fairness, on "The Happy Sheik" Levy sets aside his usual cadences in favor of something more bluesy that melds better with its surroundings. The album closes with a vibrant performance of "Rabou-Abou-Kabou," one of Abou-Khalil's best songs.

"Odd Times" is the perfect title for this original creative masterpiece born from Arabic modal musical phrases played on the oud, gutsy blues on the harmonica, and occasional brass sounds which add a semi-Balkan sound, totally original and world-class. The labyrinthine musical patterns seek a path of their own which provide Middle Eastern flavored jazz sounds that are distinctive and deeply rooted. At times the music is racously joyous and it twists into introspective Middle Eastern musical modes reminsicent of a Sheik and his dancing harem ... Track #3 has enormous appeal: a brass band intro morphs into haunting soul searching almost mournful Arabic styled music with exotic and hypnotic rhythmical interpretations.

This music has deep ethnocentric roots combined with jazz interpretations, added to it are superb technical expertise and a unique freedom of expression. The oud is liberated from the village and traditional music to a freedom it never anticipated. There is a dynamic exuberance of sound, a fresh joy at being released from its previous well prescribed role. Rabih Abou-Khalil is a master avante gard jazz player. He hypnotizes the listener with Arabic musical scales that arise somewhere out of the blues of the desert ... The music melds the best sounds of the traditional East with the experimental jazz of the West, creating a musical exaltation which breaks its cultural boundaries ... call it musical magic

Rabih Abou-Khalil - 1996 - Arabian Waltz

Rabih Abou-Khalil 

1996

Arabian Waltz

01. Arabian Waltz 8:10
02. Dreams Of A Dying City 12:08
03. Ornette Never Sleeps 6:58
04. Georgina 11:09
05. No Visa 9:59
06. The Pain After 9:26

Rabih Abou-Khalil / oud, composer, arranger & co-producer

With:
Michel Godard / tuba, serpent
Nabil Khaiat / frame drums

The Balanescu Quartet:
Alexander Balanescu / violin, co-producer
Clare Connors / violin
Paul Martin / viola
David Cunliffe / cello

Recorded 22-26 September 1995 at SWF Studio, Baden-Baden, Germany and 18-23 December 1995 at CMP Studio, Zerkall, Germany.

Arabian Waltz is the pinnacle of Rabih Abou-Khalil's achievement as a composer and arranger. It is a sublime fusion of jazz, Middle Eastern traditional music, and Western classical. In addition to Abou-Khalil on oud (the Arabic lute), Michel Godard on the tuba and the serpent (the tuba's antique kinsman), and Nabil Khaiat on frame drums, the album also features the Balanescu String Quartet instead of the usual trumpet or sax. The presence of the Balanescu might seem to pose a dilemma for the composer: traditional Middle Eastern music uses no harmony but a string quartet is all about harmony. Abou-Khalil achieves a compromise by generally writing the string parts in unison (or in octaves), in effect using the quartet as a single voice, but also letting the quartet split up to play parts in unison with the other instruments or to provide ornamentation. Without surrendering jazziness at all, the presence of the strings makes possible a wondrous atmosphere, almost as if one is listening to the soundtrack of a classy movie set in Beirut or Damascus during the '40s. This feeling is greatest on "Dreams of a Dying City" with its brooding tuba and cello motifs and grave, repeated rhythms. "The Pain After" starts with an impressive tuba solo that turns into a long interlude for tuba and string quartet; sad, slow music that sounds like one of Beethoven's late quartets. Then Abou-Khalil finally enters on oud, bringing a sustained note of wistfulness. Fortunately, beside the darker numbers lie the propulsive drama of "Arabian Waltz" and the bobbing and weaving quirkiness of "Ornette Never Sleeps." Abou-Khalil is known for experimenting with the possibilities his guest musicians bring to his style. In this case, the guests have inspired the host to reach a new height and maybe even a new style. This recording suits every fan of world music, jazz, classical, or just good music.

This would be readily included among my "desert island" discs. Some of Rabih Abou-Khalil's work has steered uncomfortably close to the cocktail lounge, but this set is a work of genius.

While the title track is awash with exciting tempo changes & vigor, "Dreams Of A Dying City" is incredibly sensual and steamily meandering. Definitely one of the most gorgeous compositions that I have ever heard. "Ornette Never Sleeps" is slightly more jazzy, yet still retains the pronounced Arabic feel of the rest of the disc.

"Georgina" has a starkly beautiful opening statement from the oud and some virtuoso playing from The Balanescu Quartet. The chamber orchestra feel during the beginning of the piece evaporates, leaving an incredibly sensual solo from the oud in its place.

"No Visa" has a more "refined" sound, but the dark beauty remains. The orchestral "swoops" accent the Arabic flavor. "The Pain After" is the only chamber piece I can think of that uses a tuba in a bewitching way. As with all of these pieces, this composition is haunting in its dark beauty. This disc is apparently out of print, which is a travesty. If you can find it, I heartily recommend that you get it & experience the beauty for yourself!

Rabih Abou-Khalil - 1994 - The Sultan's Picnic

Rabih Abou-Khalil

1994

The Sultan's Picnic

01. Sunrise In Montreal 8:14
02. Solitude 6:32
03. Dog River 4:25
04. Moments 6:17
05. Lamentation 8:59
06. Nocturne Au Villaret 6:33
07. The Happy Sheik 6:02
08. Snake Soup 4:28

Alto Saxophone – Charlie Mariano
Bass – Steve Swallow
Congas – Milton Cardona
Drums – Mark Nauseef
Frame Drum [Frame Drums] – Nabil Khaiat
Harmonica – Howard Levy
Oud – Rabih Abou-Khalil
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Kenny Wheeler
Tuba, Serpent – Michel Godard

Composer and oudist Rabih Abou-Khalil generates variety and interest by bringing aboard different guest musicians for each album. The personnel on Sultan's Picnic is so similar to that of Blue Camel that one might expect them to sound similar. But there's a key difference in the presence of Howard Levy on Sultan's Picnic. Levy is a talented harmonica player who has done a lot of offbeat work, including a stint with Béla Fleck & the Flecktones. Despite the power of Charlie Mariano on alto sax and Kenny Wheeler on trumpet, this album is dominated by the idioms of the harmonica, specifically the jazzy, quirky, lackadaisical idiom popularized by Levy's work with the Flecktones. This domination is noticeable from the beginning, on "Sunrise in Montreal." Occasionally, the harmonica recedes to the background and allows other instruments to shine through. On "Solitude," Levy provides only the occasional raspy sound effect, while Abou-Khalil steps forward with an instrument he had custom-built: the bass oud. Other novel instruments put in an appearance here as well. Michel Godard huffs and toots away on the tuba and its archaic predecessor, the serpent. (This is in addition to Steve Swallow on bass.) Whether because of the multitude of instruments -- all the aforementioned, plus three percussionists and an uncredited electric guitar -- or just too much influence from Levy, the album lacks focus, except when it sounds like the Flecktones. There are exceptions, like "The Happy Sheik" and "Snake Soup," where Abou-Khalil sounds like his dramatic self again. But on these tracks, Levy is used mostly as punctuation.

This album features a very similar lineup as Rabih's masterpiece Blue Camel. Once again Rabih uses his masterful arrangement skills to create wonderful horn lines and blends them with his middle eastern melodies and frenetic oud playing. As with all Khalil albums there is fantastic frame drame playing. Kenny Wheeler is featured on trumpet and really gets into the middle eastern thing. Two things that make this album different than Blue Camel are the addition of a harmonica player, and two tracks which feature Rabih the the bass oud. Personally I'm not a fan of the harmonica, but I abolutely love the bass oud. Solitude and Lamentation (which feature the bass oud) are chilling. Highly recommended.

Rabih Abou-Khalil - 1993 - Tarab

Rabih Abou-Khalil

1993

Tarab

01. Bushman In The Desert 8:02
02. After Dinner 5:52
03. Awakening 8:06
04. Haneen Wa Hanaan 8:07
05. Lost Centuries 7:10
06. In Search Of The Well 3:38
07. Orange Fields 9:38
08. A Tooth Lost 5:20
09. Arabian Waltz 4:59

Bass – Glen Moore
Drums [South Indian Drums], Percussion – Ramesh Shotham
Frame Drum [Frame Drums], Percussion – Nabil Khaiat
Ney [Nay] – Selim Kusur
Oud – Rabih Abou-Khalil

Recorded and mixed 28 February - 1 March 1992 at Sound Studio N, Köln, Germany.

In the RA-K albums I've heard so far (some 7 or 8), Tarab is probably the most "world" music in the sense that it's the most "ethnic", even we can't talk of a specific ethnic or continent with the Lebanese genius. It's actually no surprise since this album dates from 93 and is one of his earlier works, and one of the first to bear that luxurious Arabic arts wafer cardboard digipak.

In the accompanying band we can getv acquainted with contrabassist Glenn Moore and percussionist Nabil Khaiat, both of whom will become usual suspects in RA-K's discography. Tarab has a very much Arabic or Mid-Eastern sound, but some passages are strongly influenced by classical Indian music, especially when percussionist Ramesh Shotham plays tabla drums and engage in some raga. Unlike many of its successor, Tarab does not have much jazz influences, and remains acoustic and almost totally instrumental. The different pieces can range from festive and happy to reflective or even a tad melancholic, often coloured by Selim Kusur's flutes, of which the bamboo flute, but not only. If in general with later albums, the obvious Oregon or ECM label comparisons are unavoidable, it's not really valid with Tarab, although it could fit on the German jazz label without sticking out much.

Rabih Abou-Khalil - 1992 - Blue Camel

Rabih Abou-Khalil 

1992

Blue Camel

01. Sahara 8:18
02. Tsarka 6:45
03. Ziriab 6:49
04. Blue Camel 8:20
05. On Time 6:19
06. A Night In The Mountains 8:37

Alto Saxophone – Charlie Mariano
Bass – Steve Swallow
Congas – Milton Cardona
Drums [South Indian], Percussion – Ramesh Shotham
Flugelhorn, Trumpet – Kenny Wheeler
Frame Drum [Frame Drums] – Nabil Khaiat
Oud – Rabih Abou-Khalil

Recorded 19-21 May 1992 at Sound Studio N, Köln, Germany.

Bridging the gap between the folk music of his Lebanon homeland and modern jazz, Rabih Abou-Khalil crafts on Blue Kamel a distinctive atmosphere, that fuses the two major styles of music involved with admirable seamlessness. The end result is a moody, evocative set of songs which in moment evokes smoke-filled speakeasies and the next smoke- filled hookah lounges. Exactly what the camel is so blue about, we can't tell, but there's a melancholy aura hovering over the whole thing which is established and maintained masterfully. With a backing group drawing equally on Western and Arabic musicians, the album offers a boundary-shattering cultural blend which deserves to be celebrated.

Although the classification of Abou-Khalil's music as progressive folk may be misleading, since it is far more close to jazz, it is equally wrong to take it under the jazz-rock/fusion banner for the simple reason: it is lacking the rock element!

However, such an eclectic mix of jazz and the mid-eastern folk traditions (improvised soli on trumpet, bass and oud-lute and varied percussive and dynamic patterns) can be even called Global Jazz Music in order to avoid misinterpretation of the overused World Music tag. What is more important than the genre label is the beautiful music that is equally atmospheric, ambient-oriented and creatively produced as a top quality contemporary jazz act.

Jazz music has long outgrowth its American roots of the Southern Black communities and developed throughout the 20th century spreading across the Globe and incorporating many local, indigenous folk traditions from all regions. Blue Camel is one of the masterpieces of that kind of musical creativity, which will certainly be cherished by the fans of progressive rock, particularly those favouring not only prog folk but also jazz rock, psychedelic and the so-called oriental sub-section of Krautrock (e.g. EMBRYO).

What is maybe even more important is that Rabih Abou-Khalil is the authentic artist, native of Middle East, who is able to adopt some of the Western tenets of jazz production and technique, much like the earlier Western prog rock musicians (from the classic pshychedelic/prog era of late 1960s) were able to enrich their music with many oriental ingredients.