Napalis - 1977 - Napalis

Napalis 

1977

Napalis

01. I'll Smile, Part 1 (4:16)

02. I'll Smile, Part 2 (6:11)

03. Napalis (9:47)

04. Instant Thing (4:00)

05. Roslyn And Mea (3:20)

06. Venetian Splash (13:05)

07. Harmon (1:09)

08. Bitumen En Paragnosten (5:26)

09. Insert (6:30)

Henny Vonk / electric bass

Nippy Noya / congas, percussion

Michael Samson / twelve-String guitar, electric guitar

Dick Vennik / tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, baritone saxophone, flu

Leo De Ruiter / drums

Rob Van Den Broeck / keyboards, synthesizer

World class funkified fusionoid moves from this forgotten Dutch unit whose supple and fluid but busy busy busy attack and thematically sharp arrangements give the proceedings a distinct whiff of Italian jazz rock; the adrenalized bits here glancing off the likes of Arti & Mestieri and Etna and the more languid sections having a certain Perigeo and Toni Esposito je ne sais quoi. I'd posit Francois Cahen's post Magma outfit Zao as being an influence here as well, especially the burnished warmth of the work they were issuing contemporaneous with this LP on Kawana.

Another interesting band on the Dutch Negram label (Finch, Crypto). Napalis are a pretty standard European fusion band with all the usual trappings (sax, electric piano, guitar). However, the sell point here is the ferocious pace and ripping guitar solos, a purposely more edgy sound than is typically heard from the era. One of the better albums in the mid 1970s fusion genre. Cool cover too

Dutch Jazz Fusion sextet with members of Free Fair, The Chris Hinze Combination, Third Eye, Basic Train.Standard keyboard- and sax-driven sound with also some light flute parts and quite often an exotic touch reminiscent of RETURN TO FOREVER.Electric piano work is sometimes very dominant and the more groovy parts remind me of PASSPORT.