Kahvas Jute - 1971 - Wide Open

Kahvas Jute

1971

Wide Open

01. Free 5:12

02. Odyssey 4:01

03. Up There 2:50

04. She's So Hard To Shake 4:19

05. Vikings 4:32

06. Steps Of Time 3:20

07. 23 4:32

08. Ascend 3:10

09. Parade Of Fools 9:06

Bass, Harmony Vocals – Bob Daisley

Drums – Dannie Davidson

Guitar, Lead Vocals – Dennis Wilson

Guitar, Piano, Vocals – Tim Gaze

Recorded at Festival Studios, Sydney, Australia

Kahvas Jute were an unfortunately short-lived late 60s/early 70s "hard" rock/psychedelic rock outfit from Australia. Well short-lived as far as the studio was concerned releasing only one album although it looks like they limped on until the late 70s as a live band including numerous personnel changes and a change of name to Chariot.

The band's main claim to fame is the twin lead guitar attack of Dennis Wilson and Tim Gaze. This aspect of their sound reminds me most of Wishbone Ash. Unfortunately it reminds me most of Wishbone Ash's first two albums Wishbone Ash and Pilgrimage rather than the far superior Argus. Like Wishbone Ash's first two albums the band seems to think that "soulful" twin lead guitar playing is all that is required to make good music. They fail to inject enough good songwriting or creativity and, most importantly, heaviness for a supposedly hard rock band. Speaking of which, I wouldn't trust these genre labels too much, this is barely hard rock, with quite a soft, slow or midtempo and attempted soulful sound in parts. (Medium rock? Does that exist?) Apart from the virtuosic guitars and a few progressive leanings, it's also definitely not prog. Heavy psych is probably fair enough but just be aware it isn't that heavy. Perhaps just slightly progressive psychedelic rock?

Having said all the above I don't want to skewer the band too much. They are actually a good band and I do actually enjoy listening to this one album wondering what might have been if they had been able to release a few more. But these weaknesses mean that I can't enjoy the album as much as I could. The biggest problem for me though is that this is one of those albums where the opening track is just so much better than anything else. It is unbelievable really just how good 'Free' is compared to the remainder of the album. This track is one of the slower and softer tracks but is one of the few where the twin guitar attack is so effortlessly soulful and moving. After this almost every track just bludgeons you with its indiscernible twin guitar wankery or total lack of creativity. Track after track is mostly generic blues/psychedelic rock with barely an interesting moment amongst them. All of it is bland but none of it is bad mind, well nothing until we get to the closing 'Parade of Fools'. Presumably this is supposed to no holds barred jam or "wig out" as modern music journalists would call it but it's just so pedestrian and lengthy for the sake of it. No thanks.

All in all, a promising album, but nowhere near as good as it could have been.

Great aussie record that even if it's considered mostly as a heavy psych one, i warn you that this is not that heavy as the ridiculous hype can lead us to believe (some even say that this is a "stoner rock" album... WTF?), actually this is a moderately heavy, melodic, bluesy, folk rock infused acid rock album that sounds like a mix between Cream, Ten Years After and San Francisco bands like Grateful Dead, Mountain Bus, Tripsichord Music Box or even Quicksilver Messenger Service. The melodies are nice and interesting enough to compensate the relative lack of heaviness compared to contemporary aussie bands like Buffalo, Master's Apprentices, Chook, Blackfeather or Michael Turner In Session. Also, i can't get why this is considered "progressive", when this doesn't have anything about super-complex structures, time signature changes or super virtuosistic approach, actually it sounds quite stuck on the 60's stuff and it's not a bad thing if you like that kind of stuff.

Akritas - 1973 - Akritas (Ακρίτας)

Akritas

1973

Akritas

Ακρίτας

01. Εισβολείς [Invaders] (2:02)

02. Γέννηση [Genesis] (2:17)

03. Τα Παιδιά [The Children] (3:24)

04. Μνήμη [Memory] (1:48)

05. Επιστροφή [Return] (2:50)

06. Αγάπη [Love] (4:24)

07. Ego (0:58)

08. Τραγούδι [Song] (3:50)

09. Το Πανηγύρι [The Festival] (2:34)

10. Το Θαύμα [The Miracle] (1:37)

11. Το Όνειρο [The Dream] (3:19)

12. Και Ιδού Ίππος Χλωρός [And Behold a Pale Horse] (1:02)

13. Κατάκτηση & Ζέτα Ζωρζέτα [Conquest & Zeta Zorzeta] (3:06)

Aris Tasoulis / keyboards

Stavros Logaridis / bass, vocals, acoustic guitar

Giorgos Tsoupakis / drums

With:

Dimos Papachristou / electric guitar

The empire strikes back! An "Akritas" was a frontier soldier of the Byzantine Empire, guarding against the Muslim hordes from the Middle East. Alternatively, it's also the name of a Greek-Cypriot football club, although we'll stick with the former definition as it's more in keeping with the theme of Akritas' compelling concept album. The stunning artwork on the album cover depicts a young girl floating in the endless depths of space with a huge spiral galaxy pictured in the background. "Fascinating!" - as Mr. Spock would have said. And so, onto the music itself, which takes us to the final frontier of prog, - and just like Captain Picard - it's baldly going where no one has gone before. It's really difficult to pin this enterprising band down to one particular genre. One thing I can say about this amazing album is, it sounds like the best album that Aphrodite's Child never did. It's a rare treasure of Greek psychedelia, which sounds so Greek that you're almost there in the ancient Acropolis of Athens with the warm smell of moussaka rising up through the air. So why not break open a bottle of ouzo and celebrate one of the most obscure and mesmerizing albums to ever emerge from the Greek archipelago. Go tell the Spartans, and go tell all of your friends too, because this is the most exciting musical act ever to come from Greece.

A friend of mine from Greece, big fan of prog, told me that ''Akritas'' is the best progressive album ever made in his country. After listening to some prog and prog-related Greek bands like PLJ BAND, APOCALYPSIS, PELOMA BOKIOU, PANOS DRACOS, SOCRATES and obvious APHRODITE'S CHILD I completely share his opinion.

AKRITAS created a unique piece of art, Greek in nature (vocals in Greek, though there are not many vocal parts, Mediterranian tunes throughout the album) and similar to Italian symphonic prog in approach, when lots of musical ideas change each other in a short period of time, making the music always unpredictable. The mood of the whole album slightly reminds me of BALLETTO DI BRONZO's ''Ys'' (though I don't think AKRITAS were familiar with ''Ys'' back then in 1973), maybe less dark. There are also hints of jazz and some ELP influences. Lots of contrasts, powerful organ chords, propulsive and at times aggresive drums, testful use of synthesizers, interesting guitar passages are the components of this short record. My only complaint is the final part of the album, it seems to me a little crumpled, while I expected some impressive coda.

Flight - 1976 - Incredible Journey

Flight

1976

Incredible Journey

01. Music Is

02. 1929

03. First Impression

04. Mystery Man

05. 2003

06. Visions Of A Dream

07. The Sands Of Time

08. Rock 'N' Roll Star

Acoustic Bass, Electric Bass – John Ray 

Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar – Ted Karczewski

Brass, Lead Vocals – Pat Vidas

Drums, Percussion – Russell A. Dawber, Jr.

Keyboards – Jim Michael "Fizzwah" Yaeger

Recorded at Media Sound Studio, New York

Yeah, I can see where this would turn off plenty of listeners, particularly those like an underground fan such as myself. Don't ask me to explain how I like this, but I do. It surely has all of the elements of commercial, mid-70's US prog that really were turning off those not in the mainstream back then. In fact, I'm not sure if I can think of a more stereotypical example of the genre, from the cascading tom-tom drumming, synthesizers and ultra-high production quotient. And just to top it off, most of these tracks have utterly insipid lyrics. Thankfully, I'm not a lyric guy, and can quite easily tune them out and concentrate on the music. The musicianship on here is superb, particularly the lead guitar. When this guy solos, he scorches! But for the most part, no individual instrument is spotlighted. After all, this is rather fast moving, symphonic sounding prog, and everyone adds to the finished product fairly equally. I guess you could say there are also some fusion elements in the mix, but this is not what I generally consider fusion, based mostly on their selection of material. Overall, very consistent. Based on this one, I'm going to keep my eyes peeled for their first as well.

''Incredible journey'' (1976, Capitol) has this amazing, multi-colored, almost chaotic front cover, which tells a lot about the contained material.In this album Flight sound like Starcastle gone mad, taking a turn into Return to Forever/Santana-like territories.It has that US Pomp Prog feeling with the glam synthesizer flashes, poppy vocals and some of Yes' unbelievable ability to create ultra-complex, very dense instrumental music, then it passes through fast and furious jazzy patterns with technical interplays and solos and abnormal rhythm changes.They were pioneers in making something difficult sound listenable and that's exactly what's going on in ''Incredible journey''.Powerful trumpets, in-your-face synth lines, Fusion-esque electric piano, a cool guitarist with a flawless style, going from jazzy moves to almost Hard Rock-in leads, even some Mellotron/harpsichord echoes in a few tracks.The result is not absolutely on par with the debut, the main reason being the not so memorable hooks all the way through.Still a fascinating mix of pompous orchestrations and jazzy orgasms and definitely very far from a run-of-the-mill album.

Florida based Flight's second album is a super tight and intense fusion like Return to Forever.... mixed with AOR Midwest styled 1970s FM pomp like Styx or Starcastle. Just the most bizarre blend of contrasting styles one can imagine. As if the band were made fun of for being musical wizards, so in order to be cool they put out crowd pleasing rock music. WTH? I like it in any case. One of a kind that's for sure.

Flight - 1975 - Flight

Flight

1975

Flight

01. In Flight (4:48)

02. Make A Miracle (3:45)

03. Let's Fly Away (3:53)

04. Latin Dippy Doo (9:20)

05. Rhapsody to You (7:50)

06. Falling in Love (3:38)

07. Ease of Confusion (3:08)

08. Theme to the Stratosphere (9:01)

Pat Vidas - all brass & lead vocals

Jim Michael "Fizzwah" Yaeger - all keyboards

Ted Karczewski - electric & acoustic guitars

John Ray - acoustic & electric basses

Russell A. Dawber, Jr. - drums, percussion

Recorded at Media Sound Studio, New York

Originally released in 1975 by Capitol Records

This one is progressive jazz rock at its best for sure.Compositions are really fast,complex and intricate,offering tons of adventuruous interplays and a very rich sound.However,FLIGHT are not your average band,delivering long improvisated parts or jam sections.The compositions are mainly short with a great developing structure and also featuring often humurous vocals of somekind of late-60's pop style.Pat Vidas present a wide variety of catchy trumpet parts,supported by great electric piano,moog synths and a touch of mellotron and even some fantrastic solos by guitarist Ted Karczewski.The funky bass lines of John Ray try to create a more relaxed atmosphere...but instrumental parts are trully mind-blowing, reminding me of GENTLE GIANT and actually if you can imagine a cross between GG and NUCLEUS you are very close to FLIGHT's unique sound.Energetic brass rock in battle with complicated jazzy prog with also some hints of classic progressive rock.This band deserves a lot more than this limited fame they earned.A must-have for ages.

FLIGHT were a five piece band out of Florida and this is their debut from 1975. It's been a long time since I've groaned this much while listening to an album. The vocals are so weak and the trumpet that the singer plays is so not the style I like. You would think this was an old school Mexican band with those fast paced trumpet blasts. The synths also bring down the rating for me.

I like the start of the closer, probably the best part of the record for me. It goes downhill from there. Also the guitar early on "Latin Dippy Doo" is good, but songs like "Make A Miracle" and "Falling In Love" make me want to cry. It's music like this that explains why Prog has had such a bad reputation in my opinion. Not recommended.

Flight were a Florida based progressive rock/fusion band with mellotron, Moog, guitar, trumpet, and quite a bit of kinetic energy. This is one of the most confused releases from a most confused time in American history (think Gerald Ford and hyper inflation). The album opens up as if Starcastle had decided to sound like Yezda Urfa instead of you-know-who. But then there's trumpet. Trumpet? OK, then. This leads to 'Make a Miracle' which is more like Earth, Wind, and Fire. "Baa-bay, I need you...baa-bay" It's actually quite accomplished for the style. Then how about some fusion runs similar to Mingo Lewis' Flight Never Ending? And so it goes, yo-yo-ing back and forth from insane prog to complicated fusion to radio soul hits. What a cool and dopey album, really. Too sophisticated for chart topping; too mainstream to be an underground cult classic. Can't imagine what the hell Capitol were thinking here. The more I review albums on the Capitol label, the more I wonder just how drugged up were those guys in the 70s? Flight were to get even more bizarrely contrasting on their followup album. Awesome.

Magnificent US Prog band, recording and performing between mid-70's and early 80's.They recorded three albums as far as I am concerned:''Flight'' (1975, Capitol), featuring Pat Vidas on trumpets/vocals, Jim Michael Yaeger on keyboards, John Ray on acoustic & electric basses, Russell Dawber on drums and Ted Karczewski on electric and acoustic guitars, is Progressive/Jazz Rock at its best for sure.Compositions are really fast, complex and intricate, offering tons of adventuruous interplays and a very rich sound.However Flight are not your average band, delivering long improvisated parts or jam sections.The compositions are mainly short with a great developing structure and also featuring often humurous vocals of somekind of late-60's pop style.Vidas presents a wide variety of catchy trumpet parts, supported by great electric piano, Moog synthesizer and a touch of Mellotron and even some fantrastic solos by guitarist Ted Karczewski.The funky bass lines of John Ray try to create a more relaxed atmosphere.But instrumental parts are trully mind-blowing, reminding me of Gentle Giant and actually if you can imagine a cross between Gentle Giant and Nucleus you are very close to Flight's unique sound.Energetic Brass Rock in battle with complicated jazzy Prog with also some hints of classic Prog rock.This band deserves a lot more than this limited fame they earned.A must-have for ages.

Red - 1983 - Red

Red 

1983

Red

01. Stiff Collar

02. Self-Indulgent Noise

03. Cool And Unapproachable

04. Daft Tench Swims Backwards

05. Turbo-Tortoise

06. Kravat

07. Lost For Words

08. Tonight's The Note

Bass – Jerry Soffe

Drums – Francis Hockney

Guitar – Dennis Fitzgibbons

Keyboards – Mark Ambler

Percussion – David Holmes

Recorded at Jigsaw studios, Purley, Surrey, England.

Sleeve Design by Titanic Design Company

Amongst one of the true obscurities in the world of progressive rock has to be from this UK band simply titled RED that went against the grain in the early 80s. Instead of riding the new wave of neo-prog that was emerging with bands like Twelfth Night, IQ or Marillion, RED was defiantly into the no nonsense jazz-fusion sounds of the 70s however they were equally intrigued with a heavy rock bombast rarely heard in this style of music. The band seems to have formed in the early 80s and spent the year 1982 recording this one and only self-titled album but had an understandably difficult time finding a record contract due to the changing times and the band’s anachronistic stylistic approach that was a good six to seven years too late.

RED was the quintet of Dennis Fitzgibbons (guitar), Jerry Soffe (bass), Mark Ambler (keyboards), David Holmes (percussion) and Frank Hockney (drums) and by the time the band found a home on Jigsaw Records for this debut they had split up and moved on to other projects. After the album was released they had a short reunion with Phil Bastow replacing Ambler on keyboards in the hopes of recording a second album but after an endless series of delays, the band threw in the towel once again never to be heard from again. Needless to say with the current trends of new wave, post-punk and heavy metal fully en vogue that RED never had a chance and the album fell into obscurity as quickly as it emerged. The album has only been released just once on its original vinyl eagerly awaiting a proper reissuing in the 21st century.

Musically, RED pledged allegiance to the complex progressive rock era of the decade prior with a tight-woven heavy rock brand of jazz-fusion with moments of dreamy space rock intermissions and some funky grooves as a side dish. RED was somewhat unusual in that it donned hard rock clothing but had a total jazz-fusion underbelly. While the funk and fusion elements usually carried out by keyboards of the 70s were fully present, they were expressed with heavy guitar riffs and sizzling solos as if John McLaughlin had joined Herbie Hancock’s “Headhunters” era lineup and inserted a little of the heavy rock elements of the Mahavishnu Orchestra. The album alternates between highly complex and angular avant-jazz workouts to more just good ole get down and dirty funk laced simplicity.

The album is completely instrumental with some hefty bass grooves, frenetic jazz guitar workouts and heavy drumming. Keyboards are present but for a jazz-fusion band of the era they are quite subdued and provide more of an accompanying atmospheric ambience rather than take the lead but every once in a while such as in the middle of “Turbo Tortoise” overcome their shyness and take the front seat. If i had to compare RED’s stylistic approach to any of the 70s acts i guess the earliest Brand X albums are the best comparisons which makes sense considering the band’s UK origins. So little info about this band exists that it’s not even known from which part of the UK the band was from or anything about its history.

While i doubt RED will ever dethrone the legendary great works of Miles Davis, Return To Forever, Herbie Hancock or the Mahavishnus as best fusion album of the era, this is by no means just a curiosity. RED delivered some serious chops on this one and the album is quite unique in its approach and in dire need of some 21st century rediscovering. The uniqueness of the incessant jazz-fusion approach augmented with a contrasting heavy rock bombast may very well have been the influence behind more modern bands like Tribal Tech and others who dish out some serious guitar chops with their fusion. Whatever the case, RED proves that not all obscurities are throwaway albums and that there is a never-ending treasure drove of gems out there awaiting their proper day.

Red's sole album was released among all the other New Wave of British Progressive Rock albums, what would later be called Neo Prog. But Red were nothing like IQ, Twelfth Night, Marillion, Haze, LaHost, etc... nor were they like mid period King Crimson as their name might indicate. Nope, this is a very strong instrumental fusion oriented album, with some early 80s keyboard sounds. What separates this album from the pack is the ferocious guitar playing, and the outstanding melodies. Another trademark is the constantly moving compositions. It's remarkable just how progressive this album is, even though it sits just as comfortably within the jazz fusion genre. A real gem, one that still remains quite unknown.

Proteus - 1981 - Infinite Change

Proteus

1981

Infinite Change

01. Mandala 4:24

02. Dance Of The Moonchildren 5:46

03. Afternoon Affirmation 6:16

04. Steppin Out 5:07

05. Inner City 8:10

06. Song For Dave 5:05

Bass – Grant Austin

Drums – Sergio Nespola

Guitar – Ole Riise

Keyboards – Brian Zercher

Alto Saxophone – Jimmy Ellis (tracks: 6)

Congas – Kewu Oya (tracks: 2)

Rhythm Guitar – Herb Walker (tracks: 4)

Saxophone – Terry Ogolini (tracks: 4)

Trombone – Mike Fello (tracks: 4)

Trumpet – Mark Ohlsen (tracks: 4)

Proteus are a Chicago based fusion group, The highlight is the constant and fiery guitar work, and the compositions are more geared towards progressive rock than slick fusion. Side 1 is flat out awesome, whereas the other side begins to add the dreaded funky chicken components that were all too common for the era. Still, we're never too far away from another blazing guitar solo, and all is right again. An excellent album that is a must for fusion and instrumental progressive rock fans.

Who actually knew that this unknown Chicago-based Jazz Rock act featured a former drummer of Panna Fredda? Yes, Sergio Nespola was born in Rome, Italy and was a self-taught drummer, making his career baby steps with Panna Fredda, before going on tour with the American Soul/Pop band The Four Kents.Even if having met with several members of New Trolls, Goblin, Balletto Di Bronzo, Formula 3, Rovescio Della Medaglia and Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso, Nespola decided that the best for him was to move to the USA in mid-70's, landing in New York and later relocating to Chicago.His first band there was Treeborn and upon their disbanding he and bassist Grand Austin formed Proteus (around 1978), recruiting keyboardist Brian Zercher, who brought along his friend Ole Riise on guitars.Proteus released a private album in 1981 titled ''Infinite change'', featuring a bunch of guests on sax, trumpet, congas and trombone.

Proteus played a technically efficient Jazz Fusion with some very good bass lines and several connections to the classic sound of RETURN TO FOREVER, these were the tropical tunes, airy interplays and synth-based atmospheres, while the 80's secured the addition of a strong Funk flavor in their music.They were not good enough to compete with their idols, but at least they performed a passionate and intelligent Jazz Rock/electric Fusion, not becoming extremely slick or ending up to be cheap immitators of RETURN TO FOREVER.They showcase a mood for neurotic blends of edgy synthesizers with fast guitar soloing, propably some of the best moments of the album are based on these characteristics.But they also offer more laid-back and conventional tunes, pretty radio-friendy, in order to have some decent local airplay.Even these tracks are pretty nice with breaks and tempo variations, Riise prooves to be a great guitarist and keyboardist Brian Zercher was quite a talent, maybe the use of synths becomes a bit excessive throughout and I would prefer a little more electric piano pinches, but you can't have it all.The virtuosic stuff is great, beautiful instrumental interactions and some lovely tunes in the process, I just dislike some of the funkier material on the B-side.

The album was pressed in 1000 copies, sold at local stores, and the band was a frequent visitor of the local radio speakers.Nespola found himself alone in the line-up shortly after the album's release, but decided to keep Proteus alive with new members and Jazz veterans entering the line-up.The band dissolved finally in 1985, after performing live at the local Chicago Fest.

Interesting Jazz Rock, I wish all period bands of the style could adapt the 80's fashion in the same way Proteus did.Solid executions, some great synths and fantastic guitar and bass work. Recommended.

Light Year - 2020 - Hypernauts Of The Absolute Elsewhere

Light Year 

2020

Hypernauts Of The Absolute Elsewhere

01. An Automobile Accident In The Middle Ages 3:58

02. My Enormous 6:25

03. The Legend Of Myth 5:00

04. Dog Stars 2:27

05. Thoth 6:03

06. Firebird 9:40

07. 3:30 Tomorrow 6:35

Bass – John Yu

Drums – Zak McGrath

Guitar – Randy Sellgren

Keyboards – Cornelius Williams

Percussion – Doug Johnson

Vocals – Sharon Pucci

It is always astonishing what excellent music is stored in any archives, drawers or junk rooms, which for some reason was not published at the time of its creation and only then - if it is lucky - decades later finds its way onto an archive album.

The band was apparently formed in 1974 in San Francisco when drummer Raymond "Zak" McGrath teamed up with keyboardist Cornelius Williams to start a joint musical project. With John Yu, Doug Johnson and Randy Sellgren they found more members and with the singer Sharon Pucci they also found a voice. However, a label that would have wanted to release the music of Light Year was obviously not found. I could imagine that in the mid 70's of the last century such music would have been very popular and sellable, especially with a front woman on the mic. Light Year played live between Frisco and LA for almost two years, attracted a certain amount of attention, but disbanded in 1976.

Apparently, they had recorded all kinds of material under professional conditions, presumably in order to find a record label. In 2010, the same (or a part of it) was released on CD and LP by Green Tree Records, with the fitting title "Reveal The Fantastic" and with a relatively informative booklet, in which at least three former band members share some memories (you won't learn anything about the songs and the recording sessions) and a few contemporary photographs. The sound is excellent!

About the music. Friend Ashratom writes in his blog, Light Year is how COS play the pieces of the Mahavishu Orchestra. Jo, that fits! A colorful and complex jazz prog comes out of the speakers, sometimes with a slow to powerful, often vocalizing female vocals à la Pascale Son. Sellgren's electric guitar determines the sound, supplemented by the virtuoso but rather unobtrusive keywork (electric piano mostly), but in return very extensive, often soloistically working in the foreground interludes on the vibraphone and the very versatile and complex rhythm section. At times it is sound-floating and discreet, at times bulky and rocking, and at other times almost wild and weird.

One of my great personal finds of the last decade was Light Year, whose aptly named album Reveal the Fantastic, brought about a new combination of sounds I'd never heard before. In my notes for that album I referred to Light Year's sound as a combination of Mahavishnu Orchestra and the Belgian group Cos. The ferocious fusion of the former meets the higher pitched singing and insouciant manner of the latter. And while researching the album, we learned that the San Francisco based Light Year was involved in Mingo Lewis' Flight Never Ending masterpiece.

And now 10 years after that release, comes yet another archival find. Being that it's (likely) from 1975, the heavy fusion standards of the day were still accepted. And sure enough, Hypernauts of the Absolute Elsewhere is clearly a follow-up to their debut. Excellent in every way, and their patented sound remains. Perhaps there's a bit more funk than prior, in particular 'The Legend of Myth', which points to the times. And there's no mind blowing 20+ minute epic here, though 'Firebird' has the same gravitas, at half the length and represents the album's best number. The first part of '3:30 Tomorrow' is a fairly dull drum solo, though it atones itself with some lightning fast guitar from Randy Sellgren to close off the album. In conclusion, if you loved Reveal the Fantastic, then you'll also want Hypernauts of the Absolute Elsewhere.

Light Year - 2010 - Reveal The Fantastic

Light Year 

2010 

Reveal The Fantastic

01. Giant Babies 6:16

02. Zada 3:54

03. Buggy Cadavers 8:49

04. The Story Of Two Small Objects 2:25

05. The Nocturnal Avenger Of Human Potential 2:55

06. The World 6:12

07. Aura / Open Windows 20:20

Bass Guitar – John Yu

Drums – Zak McGrath

Electric Guitar – Randy Sellgren

Electric Piano, Keyboards – Cornelius Williams

Percussion, Vibraphone – Doug Johnson

Vocals – Sharon Pucci

Formed in 1974, Light Year were what seems to be a short lived fusion band operating out of the Bay Area of San Francisco. After support slots with the likes of The Tubes, the band's attempts to secure a record contract culminated in a showcase gig that had "....record executives exiting the club en masse with their hands over their ears" according to their biog.

From what I've heard they certainly did not deserve such treatment, as they serve up a potent stew of jazz fusion music that fair belts along. A highly competent ensemble featuring the diverse talents of Cornelius Williams (piano), Zak McGrath (drums), Randy Sellgren (guitars), John Yu (bass), Doug Johnson (percussion, marimba, vibes, etc) and the soaring vocals of Sharon Pucci.

This album, a posthumous collection of recordings finally seeing the light of day some 36 years after the event, kicks off with a crash and Giant Babies sees some furious guitar work from Randy and is an indication that if, like me, jazz fusion ticks all your right boxes, we're in for a treat. Sharon's melancholy lines in this song based around the refrain "Don't forget my love" do not prepare you for the outpourings of her soaring larynx on the next song, Zada. Some of you may be familiar with the renowned UK jazz singer Cleo Laine, and Sharon's voice, possibly starting from a higher point, puts me in mind of the British chanteuse. Probably the best vehicle for Sharon on the album is the poignant penultimate song The World, a lovely piece of work. She also gets to do some reasonable scat singing, especially on Buggy Cadavers (Nirvana would have killed for a song title like that!).

The rest of the band certainly get to show their chops, which are up there with the best fusion bands of the 70s. Think Return To Forever meets Zappa at his jazziest, with a bit of Etheridge era Soft Machine thrown in for good measure. Buggy Cadavers features Doug Johnson, who gets to hit all manner of vibes and similar instruments. The Nocturnal Avenger Of Human Potential (another great title) might have been what Black Sabbath would have sounded like if their formative influences were jazz rather than blues. It rocks!

The last song, the 20 minute Aura/Open Any Windows is a tour de force of jazz rock stylings and has a distinctly Black Napkins feel to it in the first 10 minutes or so, no bad thing indeed! The second half of this epic features mucho percussion and some nice scatting by Sharon, before leading into a keyboard led improv.

Before I bought this album I had never heard of this band, and I can well see myself returning to the album again and again. If you're a fan of 70s jazz fusion, buy this and you won't be disappointed.

Hailing from San Fransisco this little known troupe of musicians rose and fell without ever having an actually album released. They did have a handful of studio and live-in-the-studio recordings though which make up this discography CD. The music definitely comes from the Zappa school of zanny and complex Jazz/Prog/Rock music. Especially with the permanent vibraphone player which will no doubt bring to mind some of the best Zappa years with Ruth Underwood. They are also fronted by a great jazzy singer in Sharon Pucci which brings frontline personality to an already dazzling group of musicians. One of the things I like most about this album is there isn't a sleeper track to be found throughout these 7 songs. Its all kept to a pretty quick pace with a high level of technicality. Shit gives you a brain workout thats for damn sure! The grand finale is a 20 minute closer which starts off as a slow burn space rock jam, and slowly builds and breaks midway through into the more propulsive style of vibraphone hammering and vocal thrashing that normally dominates their signature sound, truly an epic piece!

Elvin Jones - 1975 - On The Mountain

Elvin Jones

1975

On The Mountain

01. Thorn Of A White Rose 5:07

02. Namuh 7:47

03. On The Mountain 4:37

04. Smoke In The Sun 4:00

05. London Air 5:29

06. Destiny 7:28

Bass: Gene Perla

Drums: Elvin Jones

Keyboards: Jan Hammer

This 1975 date for the brilliant drummer, with Jan Hammer on keyboards and bassist Gene Perla, is a minor, if somewhat overlooked, classic from the tail-end of the early '70s to the mid-70s' run of great jazz fusion releases. Both Perla and Hammer worked with Elvin Jones between 1971 and 1973, in bands featuring saxophonists Frank Foster, Joe Farrell, Steve Grossman and Dave Liebman. Here, the smaller format allows for a tight group sound with openings for strong solos and fluid interplay throughout. Jones is well up in the mix, giving fans a front-row opportunity to enjoy the drummer, both in all-over-the-kit, rolling-thunder mode and in the subtler moments of his peerless brushwork. The trio perform a half-dozen originals by Perla and Hammer. The impressive writing has a definite jazz sensibility, but Hammer's Moog and electric piano work, Perla's alternating between electric and acoustic basses, and Jones' own fierce eruptions provide a satisfying, rock wallop in several spots.

Elvin Jones makes an effortless transition into Jazz fusion with this gutsy effort eloquently ornamented with signature chops and precision drumming technique. Featuring fusion Icon Jan Hammer (writer of the very popular Miami Vice theme from the 1980's) Hammer, was also the keyboard player for John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu orchestra and did collaborations with Jazz guitarist John Abercrombie and a slew of others. Released in 1975 this is a must for 70's Fusion fans. Jones was already a veteran Jazz drummer from the 50's who made a major contribution to Jazz while performing and recording with all the great top Jazz masters. "On the Mountain" contains some great virtuosic riffing. The interplay between Jones and Hammer is compelling and a worthwhile listening adventure. Also featuring, Gene Perla who supplies the rich acoustic and electric bass registers to reinforce and enhance the chordal keyboard inversions and provides the groove and movement necessary to execute the completed musical canvas. A highly recommended collector's item.

An incredible, unique, and sadly underrated album here. These musicians are playing some grade A+ post-bop with heavy fusion stylings- mostly because of Mr. Hammer’s synth choices.

Mr. Jones plays as lovely and inspired as ever, and it is a pure joy to hear him in a trio context , with not a horn to be heard anywhere for the 35 minute running time.

Really cool music - would love to hear more jazz from this era that stays true to bop forms while keeping it fresh, progressive , and with a tasteful use of the technology of the time.

Charlie Mariano - 1976 - Helen 12 Trees

Charlie Mariano 

1976

Helen 12 Trees

01. Helen 12 Trees

02. Parvati's Dance

03. Sleep, My Love

04. Thorn of a White Rose

05. Neverglades Pixie

06. Charlotte

07. Avoid the Year of the Monkey

Charlie Mariano - soprano saxophone (#5-7), alto saxophone (#1,4), flute (#3), nagaswaram (#2)

Zbigniew Seifert - violin

Jan Hammer - acoustic piano, electric piano, Moog synthesizer

Jack Bruce - bass guitar

John Marshall - drums

Nippy Noya - percussion

Recorded and mixed May 6, 7, 8, 1976 at Union Studio Munich -Solln, Germany.

Saxophonist, flutist, and composer Charlie Mariano was 26 years into his recording career as a leader when he popped this wild bit of hardcore jazz-rock fusion out in 1976. He'd been playing with musicians from all over the world for most of his tenure, and Helen 12 Trees was no exception. The musicians Mariano was capable of recruiting had always been astonishing; in fact, it was his norm, but this group, despite being together for a very short time, was one of his finest. Mariano is aided by Jan Hammer from the Mahavishnu Orchestra on keyboards, former Graham Bond Organization and Cream bassist Jack Bruce, Soft Machine drummer John Marshall, Polish violin wizard Zbigniew Seifert, and Asian percussionist Nippy Noya. Just under 40 minutes in length, this is one of the great, under-heard records to ever come out of the fusion years. Tracks like "Parvati's Dance," where Mariano plays the Indian nagaswaram, a reed instrument that has a very unusual tonality, is gorgeous when juxtaposed against Seifert's droning violin or Hammer's high-pitched wandering keys. Bruce and Marshall are playing a near dub rhythm of pulse and bubble. "Thorn of a White Rose" is by Hammer, the only non-Mariano cut here. It carries within it dueling, winding lines of violin and saxophone, and Hammer becomes the funky part of the rhythm section where Bruce carries a straight series of four-note lines very forcefully as Marshall plays his kit in knotty military style with heavy snare. Mariano's solo hits the skronk a bit before Hammer comes right back to post-bop jazz on the Rhodes. "Neverglades Pixie" is a ballad gone to wonky funk, where the hand percussion on bells, vibes, metal rods, and other more standard instruments adds another layer to Marshall's rimshots as Seifert takes a solo right out of Cajun fiddling and the blues -- until he meets Hammer's big, cluttered chords and winds it out to the Gypsy jazz side of things. The bottom line is that over seven tracks, this set never runs out of surprises, grooves, kinetic energy, or astonishing improvisational ideas. But more than this, it never runs out of soul either, given Mariano's great sensitivity as a leader. There is pure poetry in this music, albeit of a very strident nature, and it's certainly some of the finest under Mariano's name as a leader -- it's a stone classic and one of the best examples of post-Miles jazz-rock fusion ever recorded! MPS was a visionary label, and kept putting out quality jazz, rock, and big-band records until it closed its doors in the late '70s, and this title is prime evidence of label boss Joachim Ernst Berendt's vision.

One of the headiest albums ever from reedman Charlie Mariano -- a far cry from the icy modernism of his work in the 50s! The set's recorded in a full-on MPS electric mode -- plenty of fusion touches in the mix, thanks to a lineup that includes Zbigniew Seifert on electric violin, Jan Hammer on keyboards, Jack Bruce on bass, John Marshall on drums, and Nippy Noya on added percussion! As with some of Mariano's later work, there's a bit of a world music influence going on here -- elements of Eastern styles mixed in with the jazz, especially on titles that feature Charlie on flute, soprano sax, or nagasawaram -- in addition to his more standard alto sax. The best tracks on the set are actually the ones that are a bit more laidback -- kind of spacey with nice changes from the core instrumentation, and a bit of the introspection that we always love from Charlie.

Steve Grossman - 1977 - Terra Firma

Steve Grossman

1977

Terra Firma

01. Katonah 6:38

02. In It 4:29

03. 37 Willoughby Place 3:30

04. Enya 3:21

05. Inmate Man 6:49

06. Relentless Lady 3:13

07. This Way Out 3:28

Electric Bass, Engineer, Producer – Gene Perla

Electric Piano, Synthesizer – Jan Hammer

Percussion – Don Alias

Tenor Saxophone – Steve Grossman

Recorded at Red Gate Studio, Kent, New York, April 1976, June 1976 (4), June 1975 (7)

Heavy, hard blowing sax from Steve Grossman in a fusion setting with two of his band mates from Stone Alliance and Jan Hammer on keyboards. Essentially a fusion record very much in the late seventies mode that is made to stand above a crowded fusion market by Grossman's super intense playing. Make no mistake he blows hard on this LP and his playing is far from the lighter sounds that were the curse of many of the periods fusion records. His style owes a lot to Rollins and Trane but this is no bad thing. Hammer bubbles away producing all sorts of sounds from his Moog and other keyboards and the rhythm section of Don Alias and Gene Perla add the funk.

Okay Temiz Trio - 1975 - Turkish-Folk-Jazz

Okay Temiz Trio

1975

Turkish-Folk-Jazz

01. Taksim 3:07

02. a. Introduction 1:449

    b. Batum 10:55

    c. Ulah-Balkan 5:10

03. Döktür 7:50

04. Kürt Havasi 0:45

05. Madimak 0:28

06. Üsküdar 1:37

07. Anadol Havasi 3:30

08. Trabzon Karsilamasi 2:50

09. Laz Havasi 1:15

Bass – Björn Alke

Clarinet – Saffet ündeger

Drums, Percussion – Okay Temiz

A2.b is traditional Turkish folk material collected by Maffy Falay. The rest of the titles except A1 and A2.a are traditional Turkish folk material collected by Okay Temiz.

A1 recorded March 6th, 1974 at Lützengatan 12, Stockholm. The rest is recorded March 25th, 1974 at "Guldhatten", Stockholm, Sweden.

Track B7 "Laz Havasi" not appearing on side B center label.

Okay Temiz studied percussion and graduated from Ankara Classical Music Conservatory. His interest in music came early as he grew up listening to his mother, Naciye Temiz, play Turkish classical music on oud. He became a professional musician in 1955.

Equipped with the knowledge of Western and Middle Eastern rhythms, he left Turkey for the first time in 1960s. Performing with a Turkish band (Ulvi Temel’s orchestra) and Okay Sextet, he toured Europe during 1967-68 and came to Sweden in 1967, returning in 1969 to join the Don Cherry Trio. Okay was with Don Cherry and Dyani for a year; forming the Don Cherry Trio. Before joining Dyani for Music for Xaba, he was with Sevda until the summer of 1972. He rejoined Sevda a year later.

Since 1967, Temiz established several groups: Sevda, Music for Xaba (Africa Combination), Oriental Wind, Okay Temiz Ensemble, and Magnetic Band (Tziganes). He has played at over 3000 concerts and have been a part of over 250 festivals. He has appeared on numerous TV and radio stations in Turkey and abroad. His discography includes over 40 recordings.

Temiz has been experimenting with folk jazz tradition around the world since 1967, at times working with avant-garde musicians in search of multi-cultural synthesis. His work expanded in Europe and he gained international recognition especially after Oriental Wind albums. Temiz blends traditional Turkish folk melodies with improvisonal art sometimes conveniently labeled as jazz. Temiz’s music combines African, Indian, South American rhythms together with Turkish rhythms, creating a unique sound. Originally a jazz drummer, Temiz also uses non-western instruments from all over the world. His collection includes instruments such as quicca, berimbau, talking drums and kalimba. In fact, he has even built instruments to play with. At times, his music also included latest technological equipments such as synthesizers.

Temiz has been living in Scandinavian countries since 1967. After a long residence in Sweden, he moved to Finland in 1993.

Genre - 1978 - Commercial Success

Genre 

1978

Commercial Success

01. Knock Out (5:15)

02. Love Light (5:05)

03. Auntie Em (5:25)

04. Just Messin' Around (1:30)

05. All Mixed Up (5:32)

06. On the Spot (5:49)

07. Commercial Success (5:57)

08. Love Light Reprise (1:23)

L. A. Jenkins / guitar

Matthew Mahboub / keyboards

Wally Stahl / bass

David Maxwell / drums & percussion

For we who love progressive music we often find, especially now so late in the game, we have to mine fusion to find some of the crazy songwriting and willingness to experiment that are its hallmark. And of course it's amazing how much creativity went on in jazz in the period from early 60s to late seventies, even early eighties, when fusion became a reviled term (which I take it, it stills is today, in the 'music biz' and the general public). Personally, I prefer the real classical progressive music such as Genesis, but I feel we've run out of this classical style almost.

Let's start with the opening of this record where a drum crash leads to some insane triplets played unison style with electric guitar and keys, hyperfast, smashing into a sequence of chords that sound lifted from the best RtF chord changes. Subsequently a similar triplet series leads up to higher chords, then abruptly, before the minute mark, we switch tempos to a slow sequence with digital strings and some sustained chords. After some soloing this passes into some slower triplets that sound quite classically composed and then reiterates the triplets with synthesizer only to move on to a standard funk tune. All this in the same track. Virtually the whole thing could be studied as an exemplar of fusion in the late seventies, all styles are featured. The first side continues on into some light fusion sounds, which I understand, may not appeal to all. (I take it this 'soft fusion' is the reason fusion became anathema later on.) Pay attention to the end though, oddly enough an acoustic guitar solo closes it out. I wouldn't say it's the best composition but definitely it makes for a very varied record.

Side two features some more really eye-opening music. Electric guitar is front and centre throughout the record but in the first track we get some crazy Jimi Hendrix solo riffage after a bunch of minor second chord changes recalling alternative or early metal, like black sabbath. Subsequently a chromatic scale descends into the standard funky fusion style again that even we fans are getting a little tired of at this point. At least the energy never falters on side two, and the musicianship is superb. More ingenious riffs pop up out of nowhere, collapsing into almost metal-hard guitar patterns or thick chunky chords. Obviously this guitarist was not just a prodigy but had some brilliant ideas in his acoustic cortex. Side 2 closes out with an aggressive F sharp note on the guitar into an outro with a descending pattern of chords (what could be more fitting), like a fusionist's fadeout-- was it a fadeout to the whole concept of progressive and creative rock music for all mankind?

This is an outstanding example of how much thought can be put into one instrumental record. How unfortunate that this record and the players are unknown and relegated to that great big deleted bin in the sky.

Now here's one that was buried deep in my LP collection. I first discovered this one while on a record buying trip in 1992 to Albuquerque with my old buddy Jeff. At one store there was a pile of sealed local albums, almost all of them pop or country. But this fusion album looked like it was worth taking a chance on - so we did. One reason is that we were both looking for the hard rock Message "It'll Be Awhile" album (also on Black Gold) that Jeff had received a tip on (we later found one at a different store). Neither of us regretted the choice on picking up the Genre album.

Lead by the guitarist - a slightly chunky black dude with a cool fro - named L.A. Jenkins, Genre play a fairly typical late 70's fusion with toned down guitar leads and Rhodes piano as the lead instruments. While Side 1 isn't particularly noteworthy, Side 2 opens with the excellent 'All Mixed Up' where Jenkins lets loose with a more psychedelic tone to the guitar. And this continues throughout the side, though the standard fusion motif is never strayed from too far.

Neal Schon & Jan Hammer - 1983 - Here To Stay

Neal Schon & Jan Hammer 

1983

Here To Stay

01. No More Lies (3:30)

02. Don't Stay Away (3:35)

03. (You Think You're) So Hot (3:53)

04. Turnaround (4:48)

05. Self Defense (3:11)

06. Long Time (3:50)

07. Time Again (4:55)

08. Sticks and Stones (3:14)

09. Peace of Mind (2:12)

10. Covered by Midnight (5:26)

Bonus track on 2017 CD release:

11. Weekend Heaven

- Neal Schon / guitar, guitar synthesizer, lead vocals

- Jan Hammer / synthesizer, keyboards, drums

With:

- Glen Burtnik / bass (1), backing vocals (1,2,6,7)

- Colin Hodgkinson / bass (3.4,6,8-10)

- Ross Valory / bass (5)

- Steve Smith / drums (5)

- Steve Perry / backing vocals (5)

Neal Schon's furious Guitar and Jan Hammer's fantastic Keys make quite a formidable combination. This album contains yet another of the first batch of songs that really impressed me and made me love Rock, the firestorm assault of No More Lies. You really should hear it. And the rest of the album? Mostly solid.

Neal Schon & Jan Hammer - 1981 - Untold Passion

Neal Schon & Jan Hammer

1981

Untold Passion

01. Wasting Time (3:46)

02. I'm Talking to You (4:54)

03. Ride (2:27)

04. I'm Down (4:09)

05. Arc (3:57)

06. It's Alright (4:43)

07. Hooked on Love (3:06)

08. On the Beach (5:28)

09. Untold Passion (7:01)

Bonus track on 2017 CD release:

10. Planet Empathy

Neal Schon / guitar, guitar synthesizer, vocals

Jan Hammer / synthesizer, keyboards, drums

Colin Hodgkinson / bass

Before Journey became one of the top pop/rock acts of the early '80s with a string of arena rock anthems and power ballads, the group had a more detectable prog and fusion edge -- while guitarist Neal Schon's earliest work was with the very un-Journey-like Carlos Santana. So at the height of Journey's popularity, it appeared as though Schon wanted to get back to his fusion roots by uniting with keyboard wizard Jan Hammer. However, the resulting album, 1981's Untold Passion, wasn't going to be confused with Mahavishnu Orchestra anytime soon -- tracks such as "I'm Talking to You" wasn't much different from Journey's melodic rock style, while "Hooked on Love" saw Schon (who also doubled as vocalist) replicate Paul Rodgers' singing style. That said, the funky keyboard/guitar duel "The Ride" gave both Schon and Hammer a chance to show off their chops. Untold Passion seems to lean toward the more melodic rock side of things, rather than finger-spraining chops.

Hammer - 1979 - Hammer

Hammer 

1979

Hammer

01. Goodbye (3:37)

02. I Got You (5:50)

03. Oh, Pretty Woman (3:41)

04. One Day (4:38)

05. Vaporize Me (3:42)

06. Nowhere To Go (5:46)

07. Forever Tonight (4:46)

08. Highway Made Of Glass (3:14)

09. Rainbow Day (5:38)

10. Sister Louisiana (3:14)

Jan Hammer / keyboards, vocals, producer

Glen Burtnick / lead vocals, guitar, tambourine

Colin Hodgkinson / bass, 12-string guitar, vocals

Gregg Carter / drums

Very solid and substantial sounding rock music that is more mainstream rock sounding than what has usually been associated with Jan Hammer, i.e. the Miami Vice sound. It is well worth taking the time for a listen.

Hammer - 1978 - Black Sheep

Hammer

1978

Black Sheep

01. Jet Stream

02. Heavy Love

03. Black Sheep

04. Light of Dawn

05. Hey Girl

06. Waiting No More

07. Between the Sheets of Music

08. Manic Depression

09. Silent One

Jan Hammer / keyboards, drums, percussion

Tony Smith / drums, vocals

Fernando Saunders / bass, vocals

Colin Hodgkinson / vocals

Gregg Geya Carter /vocals

Bob Christianson / vocals

'Black Sheep',released in 1978 was the first album by this artist I ever heard and indeed it's very atypical of Jan Hammer.So is 'Hammer' from 1979.Strictly speaking about 'Black Sheep' the album is a wild mixture of musical styles,starting out with the brazen heavy metal of "Jet Stream" while the title song and the pretty "Silent One" are catchy midtempo pop that couldv'e easily come off of the Melodies album."Waiting No More" and "Between The Sheets Of Music" are the most musically interesting as they both showcase an uptempo fusing of blues,funk and fusion set to quirky arrangements.Hammer himself takes on the lead vocals himself on "Hey Girl" which strangly has a certain punk edge (?????)while he takes another hard rock turn on a metallic cover of Jimi Hendrix's"Manic Depression".As for the next album 'Hammer'-a VERY different animal.Where 'Black Sheep' is pure transitional material THIS album,despite being the follow up takes a more drastic turn towards simple three chord rock n' roll,heavily influened by Steve Miller and Paul McCartney.Only the fairly funky "One Day" sounds anything like the old Jan Hammer Group.Tunes like "Goodbye","Vaporize Me",a cover of "Oh Pretty Women" and the Beatle-esqe pop of "Sister Louisianna" owe almost everything to mainstream pop-rock then to anything relating to fusion jazz,except that Hammer's electric guitar-like porto moog subtitutes for the lead guitars.Only the oddball,clished Eurodisco of the Georgio Moroder-ish "Forever Tonight" falls really out of place,sounding strangly like Donna Summer's "Sunset People" of the same vintage.In addition this CD includes a bonus cut,a Jimmy Clif-style reggae version of "Oh Pretty Woman" that's very exciting. Taken together this twofer CD package collects two of Jan Hammer's most unusual and experimental music.Likely to disgust jazz and fusion fans for it's heavy rock n' roll content and not likely to appeal to fans of commercial R&B because of the genre defying material but for someone already exposed to the other music of Jan Hammer (ie his two albums with the Mahavisnu Orchestra circa 1971-72 or his two Jan Hammer Group albums circa 1976-77) these albums will fill some gaps left between 1977's Melodies and his subsequent hard rock with Neal Schone and his latter Miami Vice (1984-89 Television Series) soundtrack work.

Tony Williams - 1979 - The Joy Of Flying

Tony Williams

1979

The Joy Of Flying

01. Going Far 4:13

02. Hip Skip 8:03

03. Hittin' On 6 6:18

04. Open Fire 6:15

05. Tony 6:50

06. Eris 3:33

07. Coming Back Home 6:06

08. Morgan's Motion 8:18

Tony Williams / drums

Stanley Clarke / bass

Paul Jackson / bass

Mario Cipollina / bass

George Benson / guitar

Ronnie Montrose / guitar

Jan Hammer / keyboards

Herbie Hancock / keyboards

Brian Auger / hammond B3

Cecil Taylor / piano

Ralph MacDonald / percussion

Michael Brecker / tenor sax

Tom Scott / lyricon[track 3-5]

Jon Faddis / trumpet

David Sanborn / alto sax

Ronnie Cuber / baritone sax

Barry Rogers / trombone

It would be an understatement to say that there was a fair amount of variety on this set. Drummer Tony Williams is heard in two duets with keyboardist Jan Hammer, with a quartet also including keyboardist Herbie Hancock, Tom Scott (who unfortunately sticks to lyricon) and bassist Stanley Clarke, and he welcomes rock guitarist Ronnie Montrose, keyboardist Brian Auger, guitarist George Benson, Hammer and tenorman Michael Brecker on other tracks. Much of this music is closer to R&B than to jazz, although there are many strong moments. But the most interesting selection is certainly "Morgan's Motion" which matches Williams with pianist Cecil Taylor in a powerful (and completely atonal) collaboration

A key record in the evolution of Tony Williams as a drummer -- and kind of a powerful summation of all the changes he'd made in the 70s -- before a return to straighter jazz in the next decade! Williams' drumming here is incredibly fierce at points -- almost at a Billy Cobham level -- but he also shows the sensitivity to deeper sounds that he first brought into play during the 60s -- and manages to mix an ear for fusion modes with some freer elements too

This album is ... excellent! This killer shuffle on "Going Far" is just great. Jan Hammer does a great job too. The second song "Hip Skip" is an awesome funky song which has Jan Hammer, George Benson, funky bassist Paul Jackson, Michael Brecker and Ralph McDonald. "Hittin on 6" is funky too and has Herbie and Stanley playin'. Now comes the hard-rock part of the album: "Open Fire" - a real hard rockin' song. My favorite song( out of 7 killer cuts)is "Tony" by Stanley Clarke. Gotta love Herbie's playing and Tony's tight grooves.. "ERIS" is another song which has Jan Hammer doing Keyboards and all synths and Tony's awesome drumming - but now it's not funky like on "Going far", now its rocking. Great playing - thayt isy Tony. "Coming Home" is a beatiful song. The only song I couldn't get into is the last one, "Morgan's Motion", which has Tony and Cecil Taylor doing a duo - just too free for me.

Get this album - its DOPE!

David Earle Johnson - 1980 - Hip Address

David Earle Johnson 

1980 

Hip Address

01. Rebel Trot (4:39)

02. Green & Black (3:30)

03. Punk Luck (3:50)

04. Siete Parati (3:34)

05. Hip Address (Vocal) (4:45)

06. Night (8:02)

07. Bamboo Forest (6:07)

08. Hip Address (Instrumental) (6:19)

Jan Hammer / Moog & Oberheim synths, pianos, drums, bass drum, tambourine, producer

David Earle Johnson / vocals, congas, timbales, guiro, African log, cuica, hand drums, shaker, treble kalimba

With:

Jeremy Steig / flutes & wooden whistle (5,7,8)

What a surprise to have stumbled upon this CD by percussionist David Earle Johnson, who doesn't seem to have many albums in print, let alone much of a solo discography. Granted, the co-billing of Jan Hammer (a mover and shaker during the heyday of jazz-rock fusion) on the CD cover may have convinced me that there was some worth to buying "Hip Address", but the music itself turned out to be rather good for the most part.

Orignally released in 1980, "Hip Address" builds on the jazz-rock fusion Hammer created with both the Mahavishnu Orchestra and Jeff Beck, adding a more percussive feel to it courtesy of Johnson. Hammer and Johnson play all instruments, with Hammer playing drums in addition to his multiple keyboards. The duo are augmented by flutist Jeremy Steig on two tunes, "Bamboo Forest" and "Hip Address" (instrumental).

Odd-metered tunes such as "Rebel Trot" and "Siete Para ti" and "Hip Address" (instrumental version) add a Latin-tinged influence thanks to Johnson's percussive assault using congas and timbales along with other exotic instuments such as an African Log, cuicas and kalimbas. Yet the music is not entirely geared towards dance-like rhythms ("Punk Luck", "Hip Address") and attempts at commercialism (the vocal tunes sung by Johnson are rather dated, but nonetheless charming in their own way). Tunes such as "Green and Black" and "Night" (the latter tune orignally from Hammer and Jerry Goodman's "Like Children" album from 1974) are displays of textures ranging from lush to moody. "Bamboo Forest" (originally released on Hammer's "Oh, Yeah?" in 1976) is a fierce jazz-rock workout with Hammer blazing with a fierce guitar-like synthesizer solo.

This is definitely worth owning for Jan Hammer fanatics such as myself. However, Johnson pulls his musical weight by adding to Hammer's frenetic energy and stimulating musical dialogue throughout "Hip Address"./F0719.zip