A Compendium of My Favorite "Classic Era" Jazz-Rock Fusion Albums, Part 1: 1967-1976, The Masterpieces

I've toyed with the idea of not including any albums after 1977 on this list but then we'd be losing so many great albums from late-comers and we'd be missing the short-but-true evolution from raw rock energy of the 1960s to the smooth "Yacht Rock" and "Smooth Jazz" sound palettes that became the popular norm from 1977 and on. 

I've posted the albums with their accompanying reviews in an order dictated by the metric rating each album has secured on my Fishscales rating system. The Compendium is as yet incomplete: there is always room to add more albums--albums that I am unfamiliar with or considered too minor or otherwise unworthy of this list.

1. JULIAN PRIESTER aka "PEPE MTOTO" Love, Love (January 1974)

Known more as Herbie Hancock's trombonist during the Mwandishi-era sex- and septets, this was Julian's first release after the formal disbanding of Herbe's Septet--here released and recorded under Manfred Eicher's new ECM label, as was Bennie Maupin's solo release of the same year, The Jewel in The Lotus. While Maupin used four of the Septet to help record his album, Julian almost accomplished this album as a one-man solo project, playing the roles of Bass Trombone, Tenor Trombone, Trombone [Alto], Baritone Horn, Horn [Post], Flute, Cowbell, Percussion [Small], Synthesizer [Arp 2600, Prototype Arp String Synthesizer], Producer, Mixer, and Composer on all songs with only synthesizer expert Patrick Gleason (the seventh and final addition to Herbie's Septet) and drummer Ndugu Leon Chancler from his former band. 

Working under his alter ego name, "Pepe Mtoto," a name Julian here is exploring the "cosmic music" that he found himself attracted to in the 1960s while working with Sun Ra and his Archestra.

LIneup /  Musicians:
Julian Priester ("Pepo Mtobo") - trombone, horns, whistle, flute, percussion, synthesizers
Patrick Gleason - synthesizers
Hadley Caliman - flute, saxophone, clarinet
Mguanda David Johnson - flute, saxophone
Bill Connors - electric guitars
Bayete Umbra Zindiko (Todd Cochran) - piano, clavinet
Ron McClure - electric bass (Track 1)
Nyimbo Henry Franklin - electric bass (track 2)
Ndugu Leon Chancler - drums
Kamau Eric Gravatt - drums, congas

1. "Prologue/Love, Love" (19:30) an extremely engaging groove with some very Deodato-like keyboard and bass play providing the spine of the entire side-long song. The overall feel does have more of a long-play Krautrock feel despite the business of the contributing musicians (particularly keyboard artist Todd Cochran and electric guitarist Bill Connors but also bassist Ron McClure). The drums, percussion, and bass are incredibly solid and steady throughout, which offers the soloists very fecund ground on which to perform their psychedelic gymnastics. It feels as if all of the soloists were given plenty of room and encouragement to experiment and "go off"--even during the live recording. As a result, this is a great, eminently enjoyable, and also very soothing and hypnotic song. (37/40)

2. "Images/Eternal Worlds/Epilogue" (18:24) a song that seems founded far more in more-traditional form and structure despite the rogue bass playing of Henry Franklin. In the third minute , drummer Chancler and electric pianist Todd Cochran seem to fall back into Deodato-like mode, yet are free enough to expand upon their foundational forms to express themselves with admirable abandon. Gleason and Priester also seem to be having a creative free-for-all. Even the sax player in gets into the act in the sixth and seventh minutes. This is some cosmic ride: entropy rules! Thus it is quite unexpected when the whole band suddenly shifts in the eighth minute into a sudden shift into a low-piano chord and cymbal-guided "Love Supreme"-like motif, congealing over the next two minutes into such tightly- engaged and focused unit that their gradual, almost imperceptible transition into what feels like a high-speed Latin rumba line by the eleventh minute made me wonder (more that once) if I was still listening to the same album--or even the same band! These are obviously very serious and very skilled jazz musicians. Pianist Todd Cochran is especially impressive but so is everyone else. They are so tight! So skilled! So professional! After the first rather psychedelic song of hypnotic space funk and the chaotic opening seven minutes of this, I would never in a million years have predicted this amazingly sophisticated "big band" jazz! I love this song--immediately wanted to play it again and then left it on repeat for the whole morning! Wow! (39/40)

96.25 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; an amazingly fresh expression of the relatively new Jazz-Rock Fusion idiom containing free-form experimentation over super-solid rhythm play, spanning the spectrum from the spacey-psychedelic to the most professional big band sound. One of the finest J-R Fuse albums of its time (with great sound thanks to Manfred Eicher and his ECM label); definitely in my Top 10 Jazz-Rock Fusion Albums of prog's "Classic Era."

2. LENNY WHITE Venusian Summer (1975)

An album offering quite a diverse palette of what Jazz-Rock Fusion was offering at the time of its making, the truly surprising element of these songs is how well they were composed and how amazingly well each song's multitude of tracks were recorded and mixed (not to mention performed).

Line-up / Musicians:
Bass - Doug Rauch
Electric Piano, Clavinet - Onaje Allan Gumbs (tracks: A2, A4, B2, B3)
Engineer - Dennis MacKay
Guitar - Al Di Meola (tracks: B3) , Doug Rodrigues (tracks: A1, A2, B2) , Larry Coryell (tracks: B3) , Raymond Gomez (tracks: A1, B2)
Keyboards, Synthesizer - David Sancious (tracks: A2, A4)
Organ - Jimmy Smith (tracks: A1) , Larry Young (tracks: B2) , Weldon Irvine (tracks: A2)
Producer, Drums - Lenny White
Synthesizer - Patrick Gleeson (tracks: A3, A4, B1) , Peter Robinson (tracks: A3, A4)
Synthesizer, Flugelhorn - Tom Harrell (tracks: A3, B3)
Flute - Hubert Laws (A4)

1. "Chicken-Fried Steak" (4:33) tight and funky but not great prog or jazz-rock. (8.75/10)

2. "Away Go Troubles (Down The Drain)" (3:21) more sophisticated funk; there are several highly-demanding tracks woven together here in absolute vacuum-sealed tightness. The bass play alone seems near impossible! (8.875/10)

3. "The Venusian Summer Suite:
Part 1. "Sirenes" (4:28) lots of ethereal/heavenly synth and fluegelhorn play from keyboard triumvirate of Patrick Gleeson, Peter Robinson, and Tom Harrell. It's long and kind of dull but very space-cinematic and probably experimental for 1975--kind of similar to the work Klaus Schulze was doing at the same time. (8.75/10)

Part 2. "Venusian Summer" (6:38) kicks into full form with a very engaging/infectious DEODATO-kind of cinematic funkness. The synth players, clavinet and rhythm guitarists, and, later, MiniMoog soloists are so locked in it's crazy! But it's free-flowing Doug Rauch that really drives this bus! (9.5/10)

4. "Prelude To Rainbow Delta" (1:10) Patrick Gleeson doing some synthesizer magic as an intro-prelude to the next song (which it bleeds into). (4.5/5)

5. "Mating Drive" (7:40) between the "support" work of organist Larry Young, clavinet player Onaje Allan Gumbs, and hyper-speed bass player Doug Rauch this would suffice as an incredible song but then put over the top one of the greatest electric guitar performances of all-time from a relative newcomer in one Raymond Gomez (with a very strong Doug Rodrigues in close support/assistance) and this one qualifies as one of those Golden Tickets into Prog's Hall of Valhalla. And that's not even mentioning the dreamy final 90-seconds beneath which Lenny gets to really show off his chops (for once). Amazing amazing song! Such creative vision! (16/15)

6. "Prince Of The Sea" (11:37) a great song over which two of jazz-rock fusion's greatest/most influential guitarists go head to head. Opened slowly, almost like a pastoral float down a lazy, gentle stream, is the distant plaintive calls of a bird over some piano and flugelhorn work. The acoustic piano beneath it all is quite lovely. In the second half of the fourth minute one of the electric guitar gods (Larry Coryell) shows up to give his demo of his powers. Onaje Allan Gumbs' shows up with piano, electric piano and organ ofr a bit as some really fine rhythm guitar (DiMeola) seethes in the background. At the seven-minute mark he is finally let loose--and man does he let you know who the new kid on the block is! All other pretenders are now demoted to demi-god status! Organ notes the transition to the axe-to-axe cmbat at 9:00, with Larry in the Right channell and Al in the Left. Lenny and Doug Rauch are, all this time, observing from their sentinel posts, but even their own performances can't help but ramp up from the carry-over effect from the raging warriors. A minute later the two guitar gods agree to team up and, for a brief 40 seconds they are united, but then their independent energies can't help but take them into soaring heights before crashing down into the sea Definitely one of the fiercest one-on-one guitar battles you'll ever hear--and a great, great moment in the history of prog rock and jazz-rock fusion. (20/20)

I cannot fathom how anyone hearing this album could not be blown away by the musicianship here. Doug Rauch on bass, Lenny White on drums, along with a veritable who's who of jazz fusion all-stars guesting throughout, all playing as if their life depended on it. The song "Mating Drive" alone has got to be one of the greatest achievements in music performance with Lenny, Doug, David Sancious, organist extraordinaire Larry Young, and the most under-recognized super guitarist of all-time, Ray Gomez, shredding the vinyl grooves with nothing but fire and brimstone! This album has it all: cinematic themes, four-keyboard electronica, funky fun, frenetic screams, players taxing their fingers and brains at break-neck speeds (check out Larry Coryell trying to keep up with Al Di Meola on "Prince of the Sea"). Another of my "closet favorites" from the 70s, this one has stood the test of time and remains one of my go-to albums for joy and exuberance. If you've never heard it, don't miss out! Venusian Summer has got some of the most amazing moments of virtuosity, passion, and beauty ever put to vinyl!

As a post script I have to add, again, for the sake of attracting attention, the number of INCREDIBLE individual performances here are so high caliber, so stunning, that this alone should make this a must listen--an album for study. As I said in my opening statement, I cannot fathom how anyone hearing this album--really listening with their fully-present self--could not be blown away by the musicianship here. There are very few albums that I've heard in my lifetime that achieve this level and number of "WOW! What the f¥¢∑ did I just hear?" responses. Plus, this may be the recorded peak of supernova bass player Doug Rauch's career! That alone, makes this a "can't be missed" listen.

95.55 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a high-flyin' masterpiece of jazz-rock infused progressive rock music (this despite the funk of the first two songs). Definitely one of my Top 10 Favorite Jazz-Rock Fusion Albums of prog's "Classic Era."

3. AREA Crac! (1975)

The second AREA album I'd ever heard (after Arbeit Macht Frei), there was so powerful of an impression made on me by this latter album that I failed to follow up by exploring other AREA albums for years. Luckily, I got unstuck and moved outward, into the band's other discography.
Coming two years and one album after Arbeit (with Caution Radiation Area having been released in 1974), the growth in musicianship, studio mastery, and tightened song-writing skills is quite noticeable here. While Arbeit shocked with musical and lyrical force and brashness (it was the band's debut release), Crac! supplies proof that this band is not just a political force but that it must be looked at and respected from a musicianship perspective as well. It is an album of astounding musicianship--virtuoso performances that rival anything else the jazz or jazz fusion worlds has ever created. The amazing thing is that this album stands up perfectly even today--it sounds as if it could have been made today. I will go even farther as to say that this album exceeds my heretofore respect and reverence for all-things Mahavishnu as I think the sound engineering and overall production far surpass those of any of the Mahavishnu Orchestra albums. And the musicians and compositions are so tight! Thus, I find myself wanting to proclaim Crac! as perhaps the best jazz-rock fusion album of all-time! And drummer Giulio Capiozzo may be the best jazz-rock fusion drummer I've ever heard!

1. "L'elefante bianco" (4:33) Demetrio's powerful voice opens the album right in your face as he and piano declare their intentions. By the end of the first minute we've apparently heard enough from Demetrio for the song catapults into a kind of jazzy version of fast-paced folk theme. At 2:30 we return to piano and voice, but this time the band gradually joins in and builds up into a modern rock variation of that amphetamine-laced Middle Eastern-tinged folk (or is it classical?) theme. Excellent musicianship and a great opener. (9/10)

2. "La mela di Odessa" (6:27) opens with a kind of SUN RA-spacey free-form jazz sound and style, that moves quickly into a drum and percussion display before harpsichord, Arp synth and electric bass join in and move the song into structure and drive. Nice TONY WILLIAMS/MAHAVISHNU feel to this one until, after 3:10, things shift to funk land. The clavinet, synths and horns are prominent along with Demetrio's commanding Zappa-like vocal performance--all in spoken form. So tight! Drummer Giulio Capiozzo is extraordinary (as is Demetrio). (9.25/10)

3. "Megalopoli" (7:53) opens with some play on the Arp synthesizer before Demetrio joins in with multiple tracks of his voice free-styling. Electric piano and bass clarinet join in the atmospheric play before a drum roll takes us out and into a new funky jazz excursion with a great melodic base. Demetrio's wordless vocal scatting over the top is, at first, like a substitute for a lead guitar or sax, but then gives way to an extraordinary jam between drums, bass, electric piano, organ, and synth. The Mahavishnu Orchestra was never this tight or well recorded! Incredible drumming! Why is this guy never included in the talk of the greatest of the greats? (15/15)

4. "Nervi Scoperti" (6:35) Every time I hear this song I think I am listening to one of the all-time greatest prog fusion songs ever created and that, thus, it has to be a product of Corea/RTF, Miles, Mahavishnu, Cobham, Williams, Weather Report, or even a straight jazz genius. But it's not. It's AREA! Astounding, stupendous, incredible, jaw-dropping performances from everybody in the band. What a band! This one deserves extra-credit for being exactly what I said: one of the very best jazz fusion songs of all-time. (11/10)

5. "Gioia e rivoluzione" (4:40) opens like a JOHN COLTRANE, TEMPTATIONS or MAGMA song before switching radically to an acoustic guitar-based, countrified jam. The lyric of Demetrio's vocal throughout is obviously meant to be the center of attention. Otherwise, it is an okay pop song for delivery to the common folk. (8.5/10)

6. "Implosion" (5:00) a little more Zawinal/Weather Report-ish than the previous jazz fusion masterpiece. More melodic and showcasing of individuals (especially the extraordinary bass player, Ares Tavolazzi). (10/10)

7. "Area 5" (2:09) an ejaculatory expression of free-form improvisational jazz. (4/5)

An album of astounding musicianship--virtuoso performances that rival anything else the jazz or jazz fusion worlds has ever created. The amazing thing is that this album stands up perfectly even today--it sounds as if it could have been made today.

95.36 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a true masterpiece of progressive rock music--mostly cutting edge jazz fusion. Amazing! Definitely one of my Top 10 Jazz-Rock Fusion Albums of prog's "Classic Era."

4. CARLOS SANTANA and MAHAVISHNU JOHN MCLAUGHLIN Love Devotion Surrender (1973)

I received this album in the mail as the Columbia Record Club's "Record of the Month." I'd heard Santana's hits--even the long versions on our local album-oriented FM station, WABX--and I was already a big fan of Latin rhythms due to my dad's obsession with Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass and Sergio Mendes & Brazil '66--which he blasted on his stereo quite often in the late 60s. But I was not, by any means, prepared for what Love Devotion Surrender unleashed. Even when I saw McLaughlin and his double neck guitar with Mahavishnu Orchestra doing things that I didn't understand on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert later in the year I couldn't comprehend what I was seeing. I think this is why this album didn't quite click with me for a while. I listened to it--a lot (I didn't own many albums at this time--though I had a pretty hot Soul/R&B collection in 45s). I always thought that I was listening to two guitarists of two completely different levels of competency. I didn't know Coltrane or his works and had only begun to know some jazz and fusion but loved guitarists (Jeff Beck mostly), so I stuck with it.
     After the 70s, the album pretty much fell off my radar. Until a few years ago, I don't think I'd heard it for over 30 years. Now I listen to it with a sense of awe and wonder. I feel so fortunate that we have this testament to the genius and inspiration of all of these masters in their peak years of adventurosity. Larry Young. Dougie Rauch. (Both taken from us far too soon--and both among my very favorite 1970s instrumentalists.) Billy Cobham. Don Alias. Michael Shrieve. Mingo Lewis. Jan Hammer.
     The album (and my worship for John McLaughlin) even prompted my visit to Sri Chimnoy's vegan restaurant in Haight Ashbury the first time I ever visited SF.
     Now I find myself listening to it multiple times per month. It is, to my mind, to my heart, one of the peak achievements in jazz-rock fusion collaborations. Yes, I wish I had more control of the sound mix (I want so badly to listen to JUST Dougie Rauch and JUST Larry Young and JUST Billy C.) but I'm just so fortunate to have it all that I won't complain. For people in the know, Larry's organ play magically provided a bridge between the two guitarists and their individual styles--with Larry's two hands somehow representing each one of the leaders. But this is difficult for the unschooled, ignorant listener to pick up due partly to the often poor mix of the individual instrumentalists.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Carlos Santana / acoustic & electric guitars
- John McLaughlin / acoustic & electric guitars, piano
With:
- Khalid Yasim (Larry Young) / organ
- Doug Rauch / bass
- Billy Cobham / drums
- Don Alias / drums, percussion
- Jan Hammer / drums
- Michael Shrieve / drums
- Armando Peraza / congas
- James Mingo Lewis / percussion (unconfirmed)

1. "A Love Supreme" (7:48) a masterful condensed rendition of the Coltrane classic that does a great job of capturing the essence of the original while being elevated and celebrated by these two spiritually-infused guitarists. The opening alone does an amazing job of announcing what the listener is in for: not your typical Santana album! Organist Khalid Yasim (formerly known as "Larry Young") gets the honor of playing a little while the expanded band takes their time gelling and grooving. Then it's off to the races as John and Carlos take turns of about 10-to-20 seconds each in a noncompetitive duel of ascendent transcendence. The choral chant of the title begins in the sixth minute while Khalid gets another chance to show off his amazing skills. (14/15)

2. "Naima" (3:09) acoustic guitar duets don't get much more beautiful than this. Beautiful respite between the two bookends of Side One. (9.25/10)

3. "The Life Devine" (9:30) the drumming and percussion play on this one is alone worth the price of admission, but then you get John and Carlos--and Larry! and Armando and Mingo--and "the note"! (at the end of the fourth minute). The best engineered (though still lacking) and most fully-invested feeling song of the album. The band was obviously warmed up by this point--and the soloists on firing on all cylinders. (19.5/20)

4. "Let Us Go into the House of the Lord" (15:45) John's domination of the song's first four-minutes is a bit excessive (and selfish?) but he was probably just in "the zone." After this, the song just really kicks in with everybody just smooth-groovin' beneath and with Carlos--until the second half of the sixth minute when Khalid, Billy, Shrieve, and the percussionists start to play. When John re-takes the lead at the end of the seventh minute it is tasteful and only to open the way for Khalid to take off. What a solo! (Too bad his volume is mixed beneath that of the percussion and guitarists playing rhythm chords.) With all that Afro-Latin rhythm around him he probably couldn't help being inspired. It's not until well into the 12th minute that the two guitarists start "duelling" i.e. playing off one another--both displaying incredible moments of tenderness and melodic beauty in their still-fiery play. I really like the extended/prolonged ending. Not the best song on the album--nor the best sound engineering--but still a treasure for capturing these two at this particularly numinous point in both of their lives. (28/30)

5. "Meditation" (2:45) John on gentle piano chord play while Carlos expresses his profound inspiration and gratitude with a steel-string acoustic guitar. I simply can't find a flaw with this one--nor a reason to devalue it as less than a full, completed song composition. (10/10)

Total Time 38:57

I love the beautiful two acoustic pieces--especially John's "Meditation"--and "Let Us Go Into The House of The Lord" may just be my favorite jazz-fusion jam of all-time. And give me those Santana conga and bass lines all day long! I feed off of them!

95.0 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; I have absolutely no reservations about proclaiming this album, flawed as it may be, a masterpiece of progressive rock music and a pinnacle and landmark of the jazz-rock fusion "movement."





5. SBB Pamiec (1976)

Had I heard this or any SBB album in the 70s I might not have favored FOCUS/JAN AKKERMAN and RETURN TO FOREVER/AL DI MEOLA/CHICK COREA/STANLEY CLARKE/LENNY WHITE so much. This is perhaps the best match of emotion and virtuosic jazz fusion I've ever heard--and I do like this album more than the other three highly acclaimed SBB studio albums (1981's Momento z banalnym triptykiem and 1978's "Slovenian Girls"). Not so complex or complicated as to lose listeners but by no means simple or uniform, these songs are well composed and extremely well preformed.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Jozef Skrzek / grand piano, Fender electric piano, Hammond organ, Moog synth, bass, vocals
- Antymos Apostolis / guitars
- Jerzy Piotrowski / percussion

1. "W Kolysce Dioni Twych (Ojcu)" (9:07) the album's opener sucked me in from the opening notes like a PFM or RTF classic. Just beautiful music! And then it matriculates into an absolutely AWESOME groove at the 5:20 mark. (I love the subtle but masterful interplay of the instrumentalists during the minute before the guitar and vocal solos begin.) The switch at the seven minute mark saddened me, but then I was able to relax into it and enjoy. The drums are so tight! Keyboard work is fun! It segues back into a recapitulation of the beautiful intro section for the final 45-seconds with guitar and voice(!) leading the high register melodic notes. (19/20)

2. "Z Ktorych Krwi Frew Moja" (10:14) had almost the same effect on me as the opener: sucking me right into its emotional, melodic weave. The vocal, electric guitar, and background vocals at the one minute mark bring forth a beautiful hook. This B section returns until at 2:37 we have a subtle bass keyboard solo. The hypnotic mid-section supports an adequate guitar solo before everything slows down to a spacey FOCUS-like section at 6:55. RPI-like vocals at 7:35. Still AKKERMAN/VAN LEER-like guitar & organ background throughout. This one didn't reach the heights nor sustain it as dramatically as the opener (though the ending two minutes is stronger vocally) but it's still an excellent, emotional song. (18.75/20)

3. The album's side-long epic, "Pamiec w Kamein Wasta" (19:48) opens with synth "waves" and some very slow, subtly developing space music. It sounds like a prelude/interlude piece from the soundtrack of 2001: A Space Odyssey--the part where the evolutionary chimps are figuring out the use of weapons (leading up to Ricard Strauss' "Also Sprach Zarathustra"). Eventually the song evolves into a "Court of the Crimson King"-like song (especially the Michael Giles-like drumming). At 10:15 an ELP "Tarkus"-like section starts up before evolving into what sounds (incredibly) like a cross between EUMIR DEODATO's "Also Sprach Zarathustra" and a JEAN-LUC PONTY classic. Great fun following the drums, bass, keyboards, and volume pedal controlled guitar both separately and stepping back to hear the effect of the woven mix. AT 14:55 there is an shift into a more funky rhythm section to support a three-minute electric guitar solo. Not quite AL DI MEOLA but a very nice solo anyway. The next shift is into another chorale-led section (nicely displaying the drummer's prowess) that brings me back to a familiar PHAROAH SANDERS/GINO VANELLI feeling. Fade out is as it started: spacey keys and synth waves. Great song despite the divertissement section to support the lengthy guitar solo. (38/40)

Total time: 39:30

My CD version has two bonus songs, "Niedokonczona Progresja" (6:24) (9/10) and "Reko-reko" (4:31) (7/10), the first a slow piano-based song that builds slowly into a kind of TONY BANKS/ANTHONY PHILLIPSian piece (with some awesome frenetic synth soloing), while the second song starts out with the melodrama of a great GINO VANELLI song. Later the presence of a mouth organ makes it take on a little bluesy feel. I can see why theses songs did not make the cut for this album as they don't have the development of the other songs--they are in fact kind of one-dimensional, though still very melodic.
     Based on the material presented on the original album this is in my opinion a very important 4.5 star contribution to the prog catalog. Essential, as it is, IMHO, the first SBB album that I would recommend to the curious listener.

94.68 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a true masterpiece of jazz-rock infused progressive rock music; one that has earned its place in my Top 10 Jazz-Rock Fusion Albums of the "Second Wave" of prog's "Classic Era."

6. TERJE RYPDAL Bleak House (1968)

A 21-year old Norwegian guitarist bursts onto the world scene with some highly experimental "future" jazz in which he fuses together multiple genres of jazz and rock (with shocking facility) into tightly-designed compositions that profess a maturity and musical understanding far beyond his years. Recorded in three days during early October, its release date is somewhat controversial: either late in 1968 or early 1969.

Lineup / Musicians:
- Terje Rypdal / guitar, flute, vocals, producer
With:
- Tom Karlsen / drums (1)
- Christian Reim / piano, organ (1,3,5)
- Jon Christensen / drums (2-5)- Terje Venaas / bass (2-5)

- Carl Magnus Neumann / alto sax & flute (2,5)
- Hans Knudsen / baritone sax (2,5)
- Jan Garbarek / tenor sax, flute & bells (2-5)
- Kjell Haugen / trombone (2,4,5)
- Tore Nilsen / trombone (2)
- Øivind Westby / trombone (2)
- Ditlef Eckhoff / trumpet (2)
- Jarl Johansen / trumpet (2-5)
- Kåre Furuholmen / trumpet (2,4)
- Knut Riisnæs / tenor sax (3), arranger & conductor (2,4,5)
- Frode Thingnæs / trombone & tuba (4,5)
- Frøydis Ree Hauge / horn (5,6)
- Odd Ulleberg / horn (5,6)


1. "Dead Man´s Tale" (7:03) Hawai'in guitar over Hammond organ and blues band (with loud kick drum) over which Terje sings in a very lovely emotional voice. Total blues. Beautiful interplay between the Hammond and Terje's voice, guitar, and flute. Christian Reim's Hammond play is actually good even if his instrument is recorded a little dirty. (14/15)

2. "Wes" (4:15) big band horns with Terje's chameleonic guitar. The rhythm section sets up a couple of excellent swing patterns that they smoothly from, back and forth, over the course of the album. Great song with great solo performances from Wes and saxophonist Jan Garbarek. At times Terje's guitar sounds Wes Montgomery-like, at others less so. (9.25/10)

3. "Winter Serenade" (6:04) imitation wolf sounds with delicate piano tinkling and percussives open this before the piano takes over. Guitar sneakily joins in during the first half of the second minute with a lot of wobbling sounds--single string and whole fretboard. Horns and drums add a variety of wind-like bursts and gusts as the storm arrives and its intensity increases, varies, and wavers. Ingenious orchestration of musical instruments to achieve such a mirroring "reproduction" of Mother Nature. (9/10):
- a) Falling Snow
- b) Snow Storm
- c) Melting Snow

4. "Bleak House" (7:05) this one starts out soft and slow, sounding very Sixties, but then the loud big band horns join in and the song becomes something totally different--even transforming the guitarist right before our ears. It's part Larry CORYELL, part DON ELLIS ORCHESTRA! The bass, drums, guitar, and saxophone performances are all excellent but it's those horns that carry this one over the top! An excellent, lively, and very melodic song. (14.25/15)

5. "Sonority" (5:21) a song of stunning emotion and tenderness--even from the horns! Terje's electric guitar expresses a feeling of such depth, pain and beauty as to evoke tears. I've only heard Roy Buchanan do it as well! The best song on a great album and one of the prettiest jazz songs I've ever heard. (10/10)

6. "A Feeling Of Harmony" (2:29) acoustic guitar, flute, and wordless voice scatting from the artist alone. Feels sounds like an intimate moment from Maestro John Martyn. (9.5/10)

Total time 33:05

94.29 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a shocking revelation of masterful jazz-rock fusion A remarkable achievement of music for 1967-68 with some breathtakingly beautiful music. One of the finest and most unforgettable musical listening experiences I've ever had the privilege of experiencing.





7. SANTANA Caravanserai (1972)

Carlos and Michael Shrieve getting into spiritual exploration through Eastern teachers, at this point, mostly Parahamansa Yogananda. At the same time, the world had just had their ears and mind blown by John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra and their debut album (and tour), The Inner Mounting Flame. Carlos had heard Doug Rauch in a concert with his band, The Voices of East Harlem, and loved his Mahavishnu-like style and enthusiasm. In fact, Michael and Carlos both credit Doug Rauch's infectious enthusiasm and endless flow of musical ideas for becoming a driving force behind the realization of this album project as well as the preceding practice tour and following world tour.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Carlos Santana / lead guitar, percussion, vocals (6), co-producer
- Neal Schon / guitar (1,3-6,8-10)
- Doug Rauch / guitar (2,3), bass (2-6)
- Gregg Rolie / organ, piano (6)
- Tom Rutley / acoustic bass (1,6,8-10)
- Michael Shrieve / drums, co-producer
- Jose 'Chepito' Areas / timbales, congas (7), bongos (8)
- James Mingo Lewis / percussion, congas (2,4-10), bongos (7), piano (9), vocals (6)
- Armando Peraza / percussion, bongos (9)
With:
- Rico Reyes / vocals (6)
- Douglas Rodrigues / guitar (2)
- Wendy Haas / piano (1,8)
- Tom Coster / electric piano (9)
- Lenny White / castanets (6)
- Tom Harrel / orchestral arrangements (10)

1. "Eternal Caravan of Reincarnation" (4:28) crickets and Hadley Caliman's solo saxophone signal the dawning of a new era. About halfway in, the band joins in to provide a gentle, welcoming instrumental intro to the soul-augmenting jazz that is the new orientation of Carlos, Michael, and all of their new band members. (9.25/10)

2. "Waves Within" (3:53) Carlos and Neal Schon (yes, that Neal Schon!) exchanging emotional and electrical guitar-fire (with newcomer bass-player Doug Rauch also on rhythm guitar!) Incredible earworm melodies created repeated seven-step chord progression. A song that is credited to Doug Rauch and Gregg Rollie. (10/10)

3. "Look Up (To See What's Coming Down)" (2:59) the funk is also here: the percussion and bass certainly let you know it! Great guitar interplay between Neal, Doug, and Carlos. Another song credited to Doug Rauch and Gregg Rollie (as well as Carlos) and including Doug's guitar assistance. (9.25/10)

4. "Just In Time To See The Sun" (2:19) the jamming becomes more insistent: power chords and relentless rhythm play driving this one along. Carlos's singing is okay but I know how important his spiritual message is, so it rings true. (8.875 /10)

5. "Song of the Wind" (6:02) great little tune carried by the bouncy organ and steady percussion. What beautiful music--and beautiful guitar play: melodic as hell and so emotional! The other band members must have been so inspired and confident while listening to Carlos' passion: no wonder their subtle flourishes and nuances are so perfect! Neal Schon is listed as one of the authors of this one. (9.75/10)

6. "All the Love of the Universe" (7:36) the last song on Side One is oriented like a Sly & The Family Stone jam song with Chicago-like whole-band choral vocal singing. (They're really not very good as a choir). Doug Rauch's rapid fire funk bass sounds like a cross between Percy Jones' machine gun and a Disco bass. Interesting song with a lot of energy--both kinetic and potential--but probably my least favorite song on the album. (13/15)

Side Two is often referred to as "the percussionists' side."

7. "Future Primitive" (4:12) opens with an atmosphere created by space-synths (uncredited but probably provided by Michael Shrieve) that is really just a setup (and, later, underlying texture) for percussionists José "Chepito" Areas and Mingo Lewis to jam in some kind of Cuban polyrhythmic language. (4.5/5)

8. "Stone Flower" (6:14) Carlos and Michael adopt this Antonio Carlos Joabim instrumental and put their own lyrics to it (and sing it: together). Yes, the melody does sound like it was lifted from some of the recent Brazilian-based bassa nova pop songs that had been seeping into American pop radio but that's just exemplifies the broad range of music that Carlos and especially Michael were listening to at that time. Great "Nature Boy"-inspired solo from Carlos. Also, acoustic bass is used on this one instead of Doug's funky electric--here provided by Tom Rutley. Man that organ and expanded lineup of percussionists really brings this to life! (8.875/10)

9. "La Fuente del Ritmo" (4:33) a wild ride that is driven by pure Latin rhythms as written and led by Mingo Lewis. The song also introduces two new band members who would become fixtures for a while in percussionist Armando Peraza and keyboard artist Tom Coster. (9/10)

10. "Every Step of the Way" (9:04) this Michael Shrieve song opens with the total feel of a Miles, Herbie or Mahavishnu song. (It actually sounds a lot like the music the band would issue on their next album, Love Devotion Surrender, a collaboration with John McLaughlin and some of the Mahavishnu members). The nuclear detonation occurs at the three-minute mark, unleashing a barrage of energetic play from every goddam member of this band--including some who were not members (horns ! (I agree with ProgArchives admin &. reviewer Sean Trane: "Every Step of the Way" escorts the listener to a divine orgasm.) Turn this one up to 11! It deserves a 6! One of Jazz-Rock Fusion's all-time great songs! (21/20)

Total Time: 51:20

It is so exciting to discover albums from 35-40 years ago that I'd never heard before and find myself totally blown away by the 'new' music I hear. Again, thank you Max and ProgArchivists: my world of music has never been so blown open. Caravanserai is an album whose first listen flooded me with such nostalgia; I had never before realized how much Carlos' guitar playing and his Latin rhythms and amazing organists influenced my core musical likes and values until I listened to this album. Hearing "Waves Within" I was (and am each time I listen to it) overcome with a flood of emotion taking me back to the Eden that was my formative pre-teen years.
     While I understand the derogatory comments bestowed upon the atmospheric "introludes" ("Eternal Caravan of Reincarnation" and "Future Primitive"), I love them and find them essential to the spiritual journey Santana is taking us on.
     Through the years I have enjoyed many of the singers and lyrics of Santana songs, however, I quite agree that on this album their presence are, overall, IMHO, out of place with and even detract from the spirit of the rest of the music. And while many of Carlos' extended solos are backed by simple two-chord repetitions, the band is always jamming their hearts out: they're in the same cosmic groove that allows Carlos to soar--and soar he does: The man is a true master of 'stumbling' upon incredibly catchy, melodic riffs while negotiating the fret board at seeming break-neck speed. Amazing talent. Truly a god channeling the divine!
     A wonderful album with outstanding work from Michael Shrieve, Neal Schon, Mingo Lewis and Greg Rolie--not to mention the Devadip and the new kid on the block, Doug Rauch!

5 star songs: "Waves Within," "Look Up (To See What's Coming)," "Song of the Wind," "Every Step of the Way."

94.09 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a true masterpiece and shining beacon of light from the young and still-forming Jazz-Rock Fusion movement--and one of my Top 20 Jazz-Rock Fusion Albums from prog's "Classic Era." One of the few concert tours for which I wish I had been a "Deadhead"/groupie.

8. RETURN TO FOREVER Where Have I Known You Before (1974)

Replacing fan favorite Bill Connors was no easy feat, but 20-year old Al DiMeola brought a lot more to the table besides jaw-dropping speed.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Stanley Clarke /Bass, Organ, Percussion [Chimes, Bell Tree]
- Lenny White /Drums, Percussion
- Al Di Meola /Guitar
- Chick Corea /Piano, Clavinet, Organ, Synthesizer, Percussion

A1 "Vulcan Worlds" (7:51) The iconic song from the album with Stanley's slap bass and Tony's Billy Cobham-like drumming has Stanley, Chick, and Al playing with interesting sounds and effects on their lead-blistering instruments. The first real instrumental section starts at 2:10 with a brief Chick MiniMoog solo followed by an equally-brief bass solo before yielding back to Chick for an extended solo. At 3:30 Stanley takes the reins back for a few seconds as if to bridge/hand off to Al for an impressive solo in which he slowly builds up with a distorted sound toward some of his famous machine gun runs. But it is Stanley's solo in the fifth minute that really takes the prize, showing the world who's Number One. Chick and Al get the seventh minute--with Al revealing more of his prodigious talent. Then the band goes into a near-"Midnight Cowboy" melody motif to close out the song in the final minute. (14.5/15)

A2 "Where Have I Loved You Before" (1:01) the first of Chick's piano interludes sounds so Oscar Peterson-like (at least, they do to these untrained ears)! (4.5/5)

A3 "The Shadow Of Lo" (7:34) See: even jazz-rock fusionists can make beautiful laid-back music! The pace does pick up in the third minute but it remains constant in its commitment to melody and smoothness. Al and Chick both get plenty of chances to shine while Lenny and Stanley remain pretty steadfast in their duties as rhythmists. The final couple minutes sees the band picking up a funk theme that sounds like a variation on Rufus' "Tell Me Something Good." (14.25/15)

A4 "Where Have I Danced With You Before" (1:12) acoustic piano solo with a little acoustic guitar support. (4.5/5)

A5 "Beyond The Seventh Galaxy" (3:11) I love the full rock bass on this one as Lenny crashes away and Al and Chick fill the top. The opening themes are presented and carried forward by the trio of Chick, Al, and Stanley! Then Chick gets to fill the next section with multiple keyboards at once. Al gets a left channel solo in the third minute. (I hear a little of "Alice" in some of the melody lines coming out of Chick!) (8.875/10)

B1 "Earth Juice" (3:45) heavy rock-funk line with near-disco drumming and percussion accompaniment along with Chick's Fender Rhodes over which Al gets full leadership (despite Stanley's amazing bass play beneath and Chick's almost constant accents between Al's lines). Nice song though it is not my favorite sound to come from Al's electric guitar. (8.875/10)

B2 "Where Have I Known You Before" (2:09) Bill Evans-like solo piano: quite dramatic and beautifully melodic. The right hand might be a little more aggressive and dynamic than Bill ever gets, but it's still so beautifully melodic! (5/5)

B3 "Song To The Pharoah Kings" (14:21) the song opens with an extended MiniMoog-over-organ solo passage. At 2:10 there's a shift to a different palette of electronic keyboard sounds with the rhythm section of Lenny and Stanley (and Fender Rhodes and clavinet) joining in at the end of the third minute. A little tango-like rhythm pattern is established by Stanley and Chick, with Stanley maintaining the oscillating chord progression, while Chick takes the first solos. Lenny gets to impress in the sixth minute (man! is he awesome!) before Stanley steps to the front at the end of the sixth. Man! is he amazing! (As is Chick's support beneath). Al finally gets to step up after an awesome bridge in the beginning of the eighth minute, but it's a slow, Latin build through Chick's layers of keys that gets him there, finally, in the middle of the ninth minute--duelling with Chick's screaming MiniMoog until 8:50 when he finally gets the stage all to himself. He does not disappoint though some of his playing feels a bit soulless--a feeling that is only augmented by the very connected and dynamic performances of his three band mates beneath and around him. Chick gets rest of the tenth minute as Al moves into some pretty awesome rock rhythm guitar and Stanley and Lenny continue to fly around beneath. Wow! How could anyone possibly compete with this amazing foursome? The song plays out with everybody hitting their chords together while Lenny boisterously accents it all from beneath. The very final 30-seconds is as good as any of the other moments of the song with the incredible dexterity on display. Wow! (28.75/30)

Total Time: 41:24

To my ears and brain, the music on this album is a serious step up from that of the second RTF album. The debut album stands alone as a very nice Chick Corea project, but Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy is to me merely an attempt to emulate and compete with John McLaughlin and his Mahavishnu Orchestra. And who can blame Chick for this? Everybody else was doing it! And the Bill Connors quartet may have been the best at it, but the three Al DiMeola-staffed RTF albums present a sound and engineering step up into the realms of that of progressive rock music: clean, clear capture of dynamic instrumental performances throughout each and every song, start to finish; gone are the thin, watered-down soundscapes of Teo Maceo and David Rubinson; here are the vibrant soundscapes that Bruce Douglas envisioned with his 1969 work with Hendrix and John McLaughlin's Devotion (an album I much prefer to the early Mahavishnu albums). Here is the sound vibrancy and quality of Boston, Aja, and the computer/digital age beyond.
     20-year old Al will get better (as we'll see on No Mystery and Romantic Warrior) but Lenny, Stanley, and Chick are definitely at the top of their game! And the compositions are simply perfect for these instrumentalists! Bravissimo!

93.95 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; an incontrovertible masterpiece of prog-rock-satisfying jazz-rock fusion; one of the shining moments of the apex of the movement.





9. MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA Birds of Fire (1973)

The nearly-universally acclaimed peak of Jazz-Rock Fusion, the Orchestra's second studio album. The band was still fresh, still inspired, not yet road-weary and spiritually exhausted by Mahavishnu John's uncompromising rule and order.

Line-up / Musicians:
- John McLaughlin / guitars
- Jan Hammer / piano, Fender Rhodes, Moog
- Jerry Goodman / violin
- Rick Laird / bass
- Billy Cobham / drums, cymbals, percussion

1. "Birds of Fire" (5:41) gongs and tightly fingered guitar and keyboard arpeggi open this, a two-chord major/minor flow, over which the virtuosi take turns expressing their pent-up energies with pyroclastic displays--John McLaughlin taking up more of that solo time than the others. Sometimes it's the instrumental play of the artists on "standby" that impress as much as the front-and-center man, but it's always the multi-player mirrored solos, like the fifth minute here, that impress the most. (9.25/10)

2. "Miles Beyond" (Miles Davis) (4:39) bluesy-jazz from Jan Hammer's keys open this one before the funk bass and drums join in. Jerry Goodman and the Mahavishnu take the first turn at expressing (Mile's) melody line before a stripped-down gap of Fender Rhodes support allows Goodman an odd pizzicato violin solo. Ramping back up into full-band repetition of the six-chord progression, John and Jerry take turns unleashing their demons--performing at the end in tandem. Not my favorite song melodically but the musicianship cannot help but impress. (8.75/10)

3. "Celestial Terrestrial Commuters" (2:53) The drumming and keys are so tight but this is one of Rick Laird's more impressive displays. It is remarkable that Jan Hammer can maintain the rhythmic support on the Fender Rhodes while also joining in on the triple-enunciation runs of such fast, fluid lines with the guitar and violin. (9/10)

4. "Sapphire Bullets of Pure Love" (0:22) a sudden cacophony of electric sounds produced by all of the musicians flailing away at once.

5. "Thousand Island Park" (3:19) opening with a Baroque-classical feeling--played on all-acoustic instruments! Rick's loud double bass being the only offset to the tight weave between piano, steel-string acoustic guitar, and violin. Feels very much like the inspiration for RTF's "Medieval Overture." Nice! (9.25/10)

6. "Hope" (1:55) a cool, tension-filled piece that is brief but very powerful; like an antithesis to the album's final song, "Resolution." This song could/should have been expanded into something bigger. (5/5)

7. "One Word" (9:54) Billy Cobham's amazing drumming open this one before the band join in with a couple ominous deep chord progressions. Things quiet down at the end of the first minute, but then what sounds like a freight train barreling out from behind a desert mountain comes speeding at us before arriving to settle into a DEODATO/WHO-like funk rhythm pattern within which Rick Laird gets the first solo. I love the way the rest of the virtuosi support with wild flourishes of their pent up energy, all the while Billy (and amazing rhythm guitar) just keeps the train rolling along at top open-road speed. When Rick falls back into the rhythm flow, his lines are as flawlessly impressive as Billy's. In the meantime Jan, Jerry, and John take turns spitting out quick licks from their instruments until at 5:50 they can no longer abide by the turn-taking rule. But then Billy jumps in to stop them as he launches into a solo that just gets jaw-droppingly more and more complex as it goes on. After two minutes Jan and the others try to push back into the mix but only after the third minute is over does Billy finally lets the others back in. From there it is four person sprint to the end. Who one this one? I have to give it to Billy. (19.5/20)

8. "Sanctuary" (5:01) a serene yet surprisingly-disturbing song to follow the frantic pace of the previous ten minutes. Great slow-developing melodies over Billy's punctuating drumming and a some awesome Minimoog play from Jan Hammer. Feels unresolved at the end: remitting and surrendering. (9.5/10)

9. "Open Country Joy" (3:52) opens like some happy-go-lucky song coming out of a Grateful Dead jam--from one of their good trips. Violinist Jerry Goodman is particularly central to the "country" melody in the opening minute, but then there is this terribly confusing, long pause, out of which the full band bursts with unbound passion and energy, flying through their solos (and collective bridges) with unheard-of speeds. At 2:40 we slow down and once again fall into that devil-may-care "Afternoon Delight" space. Very interesting song. (9/10)

10. "Resolution" (2:08) One of my all-time favorite Mahavishnu songs, I know it's just a continuous chord progression over which John, Jerry, and Jan climb chord by chord to the top of their scales, but it's so beautiful: an étude we would all love to have recorded. (5/5)

Total Time 39:44

It took me a long time to really like the funk-oriented or screaming guitar work of early jazz fusion artist John McLaughlin. His sound, his speed and emotion awed me, but I never found myself really liking it--until the sound smoothed out in the collaboration with Carlos Santana, when Stanley and Al joined RTF, when Jean-Luc and Narada Michael Walden came to join the later incarnation of Mahavishnu Orchestra. Again, I attribute this phenomenon to my untrained ears--I was too young and inexperience to be able to take in all of the notes--"too many notes" the Emperor says in Amadeus. Well, as a thirteen and fourteen year old, I definitely had the mushy, malleable brain and sensibilities of Emperor Joseph II. "There are just so many notes that the human ear can tolerate in the course of one sitting" (paraphrased and adapted to this particular situation). Now as I listen to this music I am awed but at the same time I am enjoying the music, the collaborative, instinctual journeys each musician is prodded and provoked to explore due to their companions' virtuosic daring. At the same time, there are some songs on the album that are not up to the standards of quality sound recording that I've come accustomed to--especially with regards to the keyboards and guitar (or perhaps it's just over use of distortion). The highlights for me are not when the individual musicians are trading machine gun insults but when the whole band are working a melody/riff together. As Inner Mounting Flame announced the arrival of a new form of music, Birds of Fire showed resoundingly that this music was real, was not going away, while also perfecting it, thus making it a masterpiece of jazz fusion and one of its shining representatives to the world of progressive rock music.

93.61111 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a shining masterpiece of Jazz-Rock Fusion--one that fully expresses the many variables and influences available to J-R Fuse artists. Not only a landmark album for the sub-genre but probably one of THE most influential albums of any genre on future music and musicians. For me this is definitely a Top 20 Jazz-Rock Fusion from the "Classic Era," however, it is not an album that earns a place in my list of "Top 20 Favorites."





10. MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA Apocalypse (1974)

After John McLaughlin's failed attempt to keep the original Mahavishnu Orchestra placated and nurtured, he went to Carlos Santana and found new inspiration. Add in a mix of musicians who couldn't wait to play with him--including the violinist he'd hoped to have for his first incarnation of the Mahavishnu Orchestra--and a new hope arises for a new version of his ground-breaking experiment in power jazz-rock. Add to the mix the London Symphony Orchestra and we have the makings of something very interesting.

Line-up / Musicians:
- John McLaughlin / guitars, vocal composer
- Gayle Moran / keyboards, vocals
- Jean-Luc Ponty / violins (electric & baritone electric)
- Ralphe Armstrong / bass, double bass, vocals
- Michael Walden / drums, percussion, vocals, clavinet (?)
With:
- London Symphony Orchestra
- Hugh Beau / orchestra leader
- Michael Tilson Thomas / piano (2), orchestra conductor
- Michael Gibbs / orchestration
- Marsha Westbrook / viola
- Carol Shive / violin, vocals
- Philip Hirschi / cello, vocals

1. "Power of Love" (4:13) descending piano chords are soon joined by horn/wind section of orchestra sounding very cinematic. Classical guitar joins in around the one-minute mark and then Jena-Luc Ponty's heavily-treated electric violin as the orchestral strings swirl around the individual soloists quite magnificently, repeating the same ascending melody line. Sounds like a dream come true: guitar, violin, and piano power trio with London Symphony Orchestra. Wow! So beautiful! I could/should loop this on an eternal repeat! (10/10)

2. "Vision Is a Naked Sword" (14:18) crescendoing cymbals precede an ominous bowed-bass intro over which dynamic drumming of Narada Michael Walden joins in. At the 1:25 mark the horn-led full orchestra joins in spouting out a continued ominous chord progression. It's furious and powerful, it's bold and beautiful. Then things settle down in the fourth minute for a bit while Jean-Luc begins his time up front, but the orchestra swells again before dropping off, leaving an open space that drummer Walden gladly fills. A whole-band primordial soup then ensues in which all of the individuals are arpeggio-riffing with no apparent coherent goal until the Orchestra jumps in and starts doing its own version of arpeggio riffing, trampling over the individual soloists for a bit. In the middle of the seventh minute the two sides (orchestra and individualists) seem to reach a balance as all members' inputs are being heard. The eighth minute unveils a surprising change of pace and motif as playful bass and very playful funky rhythm guitar establish the grounds for Michael and Jean-Luc to play over. It's one big happy playground! Since there is so little egocentric flash and flare here, this makes me think that this is quite possibly the best Mahavishnu composition I've ever heard. John's interesting muted "rhythm lead" guitar is given the front for the tenth and eleventh minutes before teaming up with Jean-Luc and Gayle to release a spray of bullets in tandem before the orchestra jumps in to take over. But then, at 12:50, the rock band takes over gelling in a cool weave of fertile soil over which the Orchestra rises to the front as the soloist! The finish is typical Mahavishnu flare but it's brief and conclusive. A surprisingly egalitarian composition! (28.5/30)

3. "Smile of the Beyond" (8:00) Gayle sings in her beautiful operatic voice with the accompaniment of the London Symphony Orchestra for the opening four minutes. It's quite lovely if a little protracted! Then, as if another song, the band launches into a very pop-sounding rock form built around the melody of Gayle's vocal (which is continued internittantly in the background by a Gayle Moran-led choir), guitar, drums, bass, and violin all firing at high speed. But then, in the seventh minute, the rock elements disappear whereupon Gayle and the LSO return as the sole musical elements to the finish. Interesting blend; I'm not sure it worked, overall. (13.125/15)

4. "Wings of Karma" (6:06) full orchestra (mostly strings) takes the first two-minutes before the Fender Rhodes-led chords introduce a moderately-paced song form, but then when everybody in the Mahavishnu Orchestra joins in it becomes a very odd almost-disharmonious mix of incongruous playing--almost as if every individual is flying off in their own directions with little guidance or adherence to the keyboard pace and melodies. The instrumentalists are all very impressive (especially, I have to say, the young drummer), but I'm not sure it all works--this despite the song's title. The band once again drops off in lieu of Michael Tilson Thomas closing out the song with an all-orchestra finish. Not my favorite. (8.75/10)

5. "Hymn to Him" (19:19) a pretty orchestral opening is blended (finally!) with the rock and electric instruments from the very beginning--which is the way it should be--with the rock quintet emerging with the song's dominant form only in the fourth and fifth minutes, finally establishing ascendency at 5:10. The way the orchestra has been interwoven up to this point in a give-and-take kind of way is absolute perfection--nothing short of amazing! The barrage of instrumental fireworks (from John and Michael, at first, with a little craziness from Ralphe Armstrong, then Jean-Luc in the eighth minute) that ensues is is nicely balanced by Gayle's patient Fender Rhodes chords and occasional LSO flares. In the seventh minute John produces an absolutely amazing rock guitar solo. At the eight-minute mark, however, there is a total changeover into what feels like an orchestra-less jazz-rock motif. This is nice, with Gayle's Fender Rhodes getting some lead time and John's eccentric electric wah-ed guitar strumming in support in their usual fascinating way. (The man is truly an unheralded genius at accenting rhythm guitar support.) Ralphe gets the next extended solo in the tenth and eleventh minutes--a solo that seems to just keep on going even when Jean-Luc takes over in the front-and-center position.
     At times on this album it feels as if Jean-Luc is convinced that he needs to come from more of a blues-rock orientation. This is unfortunate because, in my opinion, he is much more noticeable and effective as a melodic rock soloist. Anyway, he does get some stunning firecrackers in--especially in opposition to John's machine gun Roman candle spray. And I love how the drums and bass pick up the pace in the fifteenth minute! But then the LSO jump back into the mix (to great effect) as the rest of the jazz-rockers try to keep their barrage flowing. It seems that only Michael Walden and Jean-Luc Ponty are willing to stay the course--until the 17-minute mark when the fleet reaches the calmer waters of the port bay--at which time they unleash some beautifully-ecstatic bursts of celebratory sounds as the orchestra slowly cradle them into port.
     A brilliant if still not perfect composition. I really think the blend of the two orchestras here is not only some of the best I've ever heard between jazz or rock band and symphonic orchestra but incredibly inter-supportive. with stunningly-beautiful melodies coming from multiple fronts. (37.75/40)

Total Time 51:56

I found it very comforting and reassuring that John did not feel the need to jump out of the blocks with bullets spraying--that the first song, "Power of Love" showed the kind of restraint and beauty that can only come with serene confidence; this just let me know that this time around using the Mahavishnu Orchestra moniker--this "incarnation"--he was feeling far less need to impress. But then, as the album plays on, I find myself tiring a bit of the LSO-Mahavhisnu-LSO format used by all of the songs. I know you have to get your money's worth of such an esteemed group as the LSO (and Michael Tilson Thomas), and I don not mean to belittle the orchestra arrangements and performances: they're amazing--but I really am surprised at the fact that the Mahavishnu Orchestra gets only about 50 percent of the album's 52 minutes. Also, as impressive as Michael Walden's skills are, he is, for my tastes, a little too cymbal-happy (not unlike my major complaint of Who drummer Keith Moon). Perhaps if the cymbals weren't mixed so high as to shade some of the band's other sounds it wouldn't be so annoying. And then there's the fact that John's acquisition of his "dream" partner in violinist Jean-Luc Ponty results is so little front time for the fiddle master. Too bad. At the same, I do call this my favorite Mahavishnu album. I really love the experimentalism of the next album, Visions of the Emerald Beyond--on which Jean-Luc has far more face time and Michael less temerity--and I've always felt a little "left out" or put off by the machine gun showmanship of the first two (three counting the live Eternity album). On Apocalypse, there's just something comforting about the cushioning that the LSO provides.

93.45 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a true masterpiece of jazz-rock fusion and what I consider the Mahavishnu Orchestra's best album of finely-crafted fusion songs. For me this is definitely a Top 20 Jazz-Rock Fusion from the "Classic Era," but more, it is an album that also earns a place in my Top 10 "Favorites."





11. AREA Arbeit Macht Frei (1973) (from my 6/12/11 review on ProgArchives:) A bona fide, certifiable masterpiece! From Italia! And not RPI!

Line-up / Musicians:
- Demetrio Stratos / lead vocals, organ, steel drums
- Gianpaolo Tofani / lead guitar, VCS-3 synth
- Patrizio Fariselli / piano, electric piano
- Victor Edouard ('Eddie') Busnello / sax, bass clarinet, flute
- Patrick Djivas / bass, double bass
- Giulio Capiozzo / drums, percussion

 
1. "Luglio, agosto, settembre (nero)" (4:27) an obviously-ethnic music-based song, (/10)

2. "Arbeit Macht Frei" (7:56) (13.5/15)

3. "Consapevolezza " (6:06) The grooves laid down in "Consapevolezza" at the 1:25 and 2:15 marks are among the prettiest I've ever heard. (10/10)

4. "Le Labbra del tempo" (6:00), and the ever-so smooth (9.5/10)

5. "240 chilometri da Smirne" (5:10) deposit, IMHO, some of the tightest, most enjoyable jazz/ jazz-rock grooves of the 60s or 70s. All performers test the creative boundaries of their respective means of expressivity--the LEON THOMAS-like voice experimentations of Demetrio Stratos, the guitar play of Gianpaolo Tofani, woodwinds, keys, the jaw-dropping bass play of Patrick Djivas, and, especially, drumming of Giulio Capiozzo, are all "out there." (10/10),

6. "L'abbattimento dello Zeppelin" (6:45) leans heavily toward the avante garde, the center four songs, (9/10)

The mixing and recording of this album are amazingly clear and balanced for a 70s record.

Having loved the vocal talents and stylings of Leon Thomas for many years, I was immediately into Demetrio Stratus's singing. Such emotion and passion! As if his soul is on fire! Without question a masterpiece of progressive music if ever there was one! The only direction of improvement needed is in the area of sound recording and reproduction (and that will come).

93.08 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a landmark album for Italian, European, and world music as well as for Jazz-Rock Fusion; Definitely a Top 20 Favorite Album from J-R Fuse's "Classic Era."





12. HERBIE HANCOCK Mwandishi (March 1971)

An album of brave, masterful performances, production, and mutually supportive collaboration--the first in a series of albums produced over the course of three years in which experimental techniques in collaboration, song structure, and sound manipulation were radically explored. Even the discordant, unstructured 'free jazz' parts of "Wandering Spirit Song" are eminently listenable, enjoyable, even add to the spiritual 'letting go' space and process that the band has lulled you into by that time. Though some people choose to begin this period of Herbie's creativity with the 1969 album Fat Albert's Rotunda because it marked his first release under his new Warner Brothers label after some years in the Blue Note stable, I choose to begin with this album due to the fact that it's the first appearance of the lineup of musicians that he played with over the next five years--his so-called "Mwandishi sextet."

Line-up / Musicians:
- Herbie Hancock / Fender Rhodes electric piano, arrangements
With:
- Eddie Henderson " Mganga" / trumpet, flugelhorn
- Bennie Maupin "Mwile" / bass clarinet, alto flute, piccolo
- Julian Priester "Pepo Mtoto" / tenor & bass trombones
- Buster Williams "Mchezaji" / bass
- Billy Hart "Jabali" / drums
- Leon Chancler "'Ndugu" / drums, percussion
- Ronnie Montrose / guitar (1)
- Jose Cepito Areas / congas & timbales (1)

1. "Ostinato (for Angela)" (13:10) starts the album off with an incredibly infectious groove and many fascinating production effects that introduce the listener to the new Herbie: Engineer and Producer. Herbie's fender playing is the glue over which his band mates perform highly entertaining, often unusual solos, but these are never obtrusive or outside or above the thread and weave of the group's mix (a feat due, in part, to the recording engineering). The use of two drummers (at times flanged!) and along with a percussionist is, to my ears, highly entertaining and enjoyable. Eddie Henderson's lead trumpet play is great, as is Bennie Maupin's bass clarinet, but it's Herbie's keyboard work that I find most engaging--whether it's in the lead or support role. Again, however, it's the effects used on the instruments and track orientations that make the sound of this song so ground-breaking and fascinating. (23/25)

2. "You'll Know When You Get There" (10:15) is a beautiful piece of kind of ambient jazz in which echo and space, slow tempo, and subtlety are kings for the day. It's easy to float off and let go of this one, but so worth paying attention if you can/when you do. The first half is almost an Eddie Henderson solo but then the music congeals again in a truly beautiful and intricate weave in the fifth minute. Great bass play from Buster Williams and awesome interplay of sometimes-conflicting or tension-building melodies by Herbie, Bennie, and others. Truly a masterpiece of experimental jazz music. (19/20)

3. "Wandering Spirit Song" (21:28) My favorite of this album of sublime music. This is for me a soundtrack for deep spiritual introspection and regeneration. Amazing things music can do! Definitely a masterpiece of music--offering the highest gifts to humans that other humans can give: transportation and transcendence. Kudos to Buster, Herbie, and the horn players and percussionists for this mighty piece. (37/40)

Total Time 44:50

92.94 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a masterpiece of experimental jazz fusion and, by inclusion, a milestone in progressive rock music. Despite the fact that I like the lineup's next album, Crossings, better (due, I think to the fresh injection provided by Patrick Gleeson's synthesizers and the all-female background vocalists), this one rates slightly better on my Fishscales metric system (in the Top 25, in fact).

13. HERBIE HANCOCK Crossings (May 1972)

Of Herbie's three Mwandishi sextet/septet albums, this is my favorite. Here the band (now a septet since the officialy addition of synthesizer guru Patrick Gleason) is more seasoned, working seemlessly, almost effortlessly, in cohesion. The music feels more rehearsed, more repeatable, and still quite organic despite the addition of Patrick Gleason's synthesizers and the advent of spacier sonic backdrops. The production is so clean and clear, with each instrument standing prominently in the mix wherever its place. (The previous album had a more equanimous washed feel to it and the next album Sextant suffered from poor sound engineering.)

Line-up / Musicians:
- Herbie Hancock / acoustic & electric pianos, Mellotron, percussion
With:
- Bennie Maupin / soprano sax, bass clarinet, alto & piccolo flutes, body percussion
- Eddie Henderson / trumpet, flugelhorn, percussion
- Julian Priester / bass & tenor & alto trombones, percussion
- Patrick Gleason / Moog synthesizer
- Buster Williams / acoustic & electric basses, percussion
- Billy Hart / drums, percussion
- Victor Pontoja / congas
- Candy Love / chorus vocals
- Della Horne / chorus vocals
- Sandra Stevens / chorus vocals
- Scott Beach / chorus vocals
- Victoria Domagalski / chorus vocals

1. "Sleeping Giant" (24:48) Herbie's lone compositional credit on the album manages to fill an entire side of the album and, to my ears, represents the most structured jazz-like tune on the album. Opening with an awesome polyrhythmic percussive tribute to Africa, the song jumps into more Western-friendly arenas with bass and electric piano in the fourth minute. This is a sonic palette and style that will be replicated with much success by the likes of Emir Deodato and Brian Auger within the next year. A song that plays out like a smooth MILES DAVIS song (despite the Fat Albert-like theme interjected into the twelfth minute). (46.25/50)

2. "Quasar" (7:25) though the structure and flow are quite unusual and experimental, the sounds used, for the most part, are pretty straightforward traditional jazz instruments. (14/15)

3. "Water Torture" (13:54) piccolo and percussion and strange ARP and Moog sounds open this Bennie Maupin composition, truly mimicking some of the sounds of water. That feeling and sensation of waterflow somehow is maintained continuously, though in varying forms, throughout this extraordinary piece.
     After 90 seconds an actual musical soundscape is built around bass, keys, and clarinet while percussives and trumpet play around on the edges. (28/30)

Total Time 46:21

92.89 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a masterpiece of progressive rock music coming from the jazz-rock fusion subgenre. My favorite of Herbie's three "Mwandishi" albums--earning a Top 20 ranking among my Favorites.





14. CERVELLO Melos (1973) 

The debut--and only studio album release--by Napolitano natives Cervello is eclectic, exotic, unusual, and interesting. Introducing to the world 17-year old guitar phenom, Corrado Rustici. This album is one of the best recorded and mixed albums from this classical Rock Progressivo Italiano scene--especially in the drums department. Also, all chord presentations coming from the guitars are so harmonically unusual when thrown into the rest of the melodic key structure. Truly an innovative and experimental adventure in music making.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Antonio Spagnolo / 6 & 12 string acoustic guitar, bass, pedal, recorder, vocals
- Giulio D'Ambrosio / electric sax (contralto & tenor), flute, vocals
- Corrado Rustici / guitar, recorder, flute, vibraphone, vocals
- Gianluigi Di Franco / lead vocals, flute, small percussion
- Remigio Esposito / drums, vibraphone

1. "Canto del Capro" (6:29) opens with three minutes of weird, creepy psychedelia before establishing a fairly fast-paced psych rock song. The musicians are performing very tightly, at a very high level of competency. The dissonant flutes, guitar plucks, and reverse electric guitar over long, steady Mellotron chord progression are so fresh and creative. An odd but brilliantly inventive song. Brave youths! (9.5/10)

2. "Trittico" (7:19) opens with strong vocal sung over electric guitar arpeggi, trading the lead with flutes and vibes. Again, such an unusual and inventive foundational sound and construct! Guitar harmonics takes the lead in the third minute before vocal effects project the singers' voices to be in several places in the sound. Then, suddenly, at 3:06 the band kicks into high gear with rapid fire lead guitar licks, drum flourishes, sax, bass, and vocal stepping into the oddly-timed pace. Everything drops back into pastoral pace at 4:20--though lead guitar is playing his arpeggi at a much faster (William Tell Overture) speed. These guitarists are so talented--moving in and out of time signatures, in and out of acoustic and electric sections, in and out of strumming and picking. The song has a very odd fade-in and fade out closing of "la-la-la" drunk men's vocal chorus. Amazing song! (14/15)

3. "Euterpe" (4:32) opens with acoustic guitars and recorders before vocalist. I love the vocals of Gianluigi di Franco because they feel so common and relaxed, not forced or operatic or melodramatic. This song is John McLaughlin-inspired Corrado Rustici's breakout song--the one that lets us know just how fiery his lead style is. And yet, the fact that he has held back (or been held back) over the first 14-minutes of this very adventurous, very experimental album, just let's me know how band-oriented and non-ego driven this young man was. (9.5/10)

4. "Scinsione (T.R.M.)" (5:43) Probably the weakest song on the album, but still exploratory and innovative, not straightforward at all, it just doesn't have the beauty, surprise- or wow-factors of the previous songs. The sustained, almost-droning synth occupying the background throughout (and then climbing to the fore in the final minute) is absolutely brilliant--as is the multi-tracks of Corrado dueling with himself at the end. (9/10)

5. "Melos" (4:58) Vibes, slow acoustic guitar picking, gentle voice is soon joined by Pete Giles-like drumming, flutes to make for a gorgeous if slightly King Crimson-like song. The interplay of multiple vocalists in the second minute is cool. The two-guitar interplay that follows with singing over the top is a little awkward, but the cacophonous buildup that follows with Corrado's blistering, bluesy guitar soloing over thick mix of saxes and Mellotrons is awesome. (9.5/10)

6. "Galassia" (5:48) opens with cymbal play soon joined by distant flutes, guitar picking and voices. By the time the one minute mark arrives the soundscape had moved more forward--except for the vocals that soon ensue--which remain in the far background. Drums, guitars, flutes, even Mellotron are all forward of the voice. Vibes and electric guitar take turns soloing over the acoustic guitar pretty picking--until voice and Mellotron jump in to declare their messages. At 3:25 everything drops out for a brief vocal section before a heavy, frenetically paced instrumental section comes crashing in. This insistent, crazed weave seems to creep steadily forward even till the end. (9/10)

7. "Affresco (1:11) is an adventure into space and effects with vocal, flutes, and picked guitars weaving together over the top--the most forward presentation of sound on the album! Surprise and flawless. (4.5/5)

92.86 on the Fishscales = five stars; A; a true masterpiece of progressive rock music and one of my favorite albums from the classic period of Rock Progressivo Italiano.





15. ARTI E MESTIERI Tilt (1972) 

How is this album, this band not as famous and talked about as other Italian prog from the mid-70s? The instrumental prowess, mature songwriting, broad dynamics, and great production here is to my mind on par with PFM, Banco, and Cervello and even AREA! Prog of ANY era does not get better than this--especially in the fact that acoustic and folk elements are worked in and there were no computers! Where are people finding the deficiencies or inadequacies! Not in melody. Not in sophistication. Not in sound quality. Is it in the seeming lack of originality? (I read all the comparisons to Mahvishnu and Jean-Luc Ponty.) Break out albums happen. The fact that they emulated--that they inspire other musicians to create in a similar style--should be rewarded not penalized! To strive to be the best--to go through doors that other geniuses have opened--should be lauded and encouraged, not denigrated and discouraged! They may even end up refining something to make it even better! But it could never happen if they are discouraged from trying. I have no hesitation calling this album a masterpiece of progressive rock music--composition and performances of the absolute highest caliber---and, best of all, very accessible/engaging and enjoyable (as opposed to some of the obtuse and jarring music made by Mahvishnu, Miles, and even Yes. Check this album out everybody! It's a work of genius, passion, and inspiration from start to finish. It should be heralded as one of the shining pieces of 1970s progressive rock music--not just RPI or jazz-rock fusion.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Luigi "Gigi" Venegoni / electric & acoustic guitars, ARP2600 synthesizer (8), co-producer
- Beppe Crovella / acoustic & electric pianos, ARP2600 & Eminent synths, Mellotron, Hammond organ
- Giovanni Vigliar / violin, vocals, percussion
- Arturo Vitale / soprano & baritone saxes, clarinet & bass clarinet, vibraphone
- Marco Gallesi / bass
- Furio Chirico / drums, percussion

1. "Gravità 9,81" (4:05) opens the album with an energetic burst before backing off to allow for an almost chamber strings intro. At the one minute mark everybody in the band jumps into a fully formed JEAN-LUC PONTY-sounding song of high speed, tight sequencing of high complexity, and very catchy melodic presentation with violin in the lead. At the two minute mark things break and shift to a slightly slower tempo a different structure as the bass and saxophone become more prominent. Amazing drumming throughout and nice presence of Mellotron in the background. At 3:40 we return to the violin theme of the second minute for the finale. Tight song of melodic and instrumental perfection. (9.5/10)

2. Strips (4:39) drum kit and piano and synth bass line open this before the 'tron and violin enter and the drums kick into full gear. Saxes enter later with a second melody introduced into the weave. After 90 seconds things stop and restart with vocals! Multi-voiced, gentle, even sappy--as acoustic guitars, xylophone, and Mellotron accompany in a gentler fashion than the previous section. At the three minute mark the vocals end and piano, violin, xylophone and acoustic guitar take turns with the melody in between singing sections while drums and bass support in a kind of staccato way for the final two minutes of the song. Unexpected and nice! (9/10)

3. Corrosione (1:37) opens with Mellotron strings before bass, keys, and cymbals crash in with two-stroke pattern over which roto-toms and sax. It turns out that this song is merely a bridge between "Strips" and "Positivo / Negativo" as both songs bleed into each other. A kind of three-chord experiment over which drummer gets to play and sax and keys hold down the melody and chordal structure before going into: (4.5/5)

4. "Positivo / Negativo" (3:29) opens with slow, forceful single-stroke strums of a 12-string guitar accompanied by congas. Violin, synths, cymbal play and vibraphone join in. The tempo shifts a couple of times as vibraphone takes a brief turn at lead until at 1:40 things stop, new keyboard instrument takes over the "strum" of the guitar as rest of band jumps it at breakneck speed to allow shapeshifting extravaganza of solo-turn-taking--saxes, violin, electric guitar, vibes, and then all in unison!--and this while the bass and drums are terrorizing the rhythm tracks beneath. Wow! Impressive! (9.5/10)

5. "In Cammino" (5:36) opens with some beautiful slow sax and, later, vocalise melody-making with piano and brushes providing some support. At 1:45 there is a stop as piano and electric piano provide a pretty bridge into a new section in which full band supports violin and sax dual lead melody establishment. Frequent stops, breaks, tempo and stylistic shifts follow though the busy bass, drums, and keys remain at the foundation of it all throughout. Nice electric piano and electric guitar soloing in the fifth minute. Man, this band is tight! J-RF doesn't get much better than this! (9.5/10)

6. "Farenheit" (1:15) opens as if a little piano interlude ditty, but after the first run through the piece, seconded by sax, and then full rhythm section for the third, and sax and violin for the fourth and fifth. (4.25/5)

7. "Articolazioni (13:24) opens a bit like something from PFM's Per un amico, slow and exploratory, not ready to commit to full song but willing to play around with a theme. At the one minute mark there is a pause before the band kicks into a mid-tempo, full band jazz-rock exposition with violin, sax and electric guitar providing the melody in triplicate. Music shifts behind speeded up, frenetic drums yet slowed down bass and keys while violin, sax, and guitar take turns teaming up or independently carrying the melody forward. At 2:46 there is another break before soprano saxophone restores the melody while drums and bass provide a slow, sparse, stoccato accompaniment. At 3:17 a cool drum roll across the toms signals a new full-on dynamic commitment, but this is short-lived as a lot of shifts and transition/transformations occur before a slightly more straightforward (Brian Auger-like) singing section begins by the end of the fourth minute. Cool tension in the transition at the 5:00 mark and thereafter--a kind of preview of BRUFORD/UK-ishness. Speaking of which, man is this drummer amazing! soft and loud, subtle and intricate, fills and cymbal work that have blinding speed, and always in command as the staunch time-keeper. Very cool instrumental sections broken up by brief vocal sections play out with lots of vibes, 'tron, violin and sax in the lead. One neat thing about this band seems to be that the lead instrument is always propelling the songs' melodies with very detailed, intricate, and often-doubled up melody lines and that the actual "solos" are actually very few and brief. At 10:30 there is a big downshift in both tempo, delicacy, and mood with vibes and violin establishing the melody while drums do all kinds of wildly impressive subtleties before sensitive singing enters. At l1:45 band amps up for the full exposition of the current melody before 'tron and flanged strummed electric guitar guide us into a kind of GENESIS "As Sure as Eggs Is Eggs" finale. Great song with dazzling but never over-the-top or overwhelming complexity, constant beauty in the melodies. (24/25)

8. "Tilt" (2:29) an exercise/étude in synthesizer weirdness--including special effects being applied to saxophones and violin. Not exactly melodic or very memorable, it is a fitting representative of the infatuations that new technologies must have been causing adventurous musicians in the early 1970s. (4/5)

Total Time 36:34

92.81 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a true masterpiece of jazz-rock fusion from the classic era of Rock Progressivo Italiano. One of my Top 10 Favorite Jazz-Rock Fusion Albums from prog's "Classic Era."





16. PERIGEO Abbiamo Tutti un Blues da Piangere (1973)

Italian band Perigeo's sophomore studio album. It's nice to see the band's lineup stay the same from their debut album as I am curious to watch their development both as a band as well as virtuoso musicians.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Bruno Biriaco / drums, percussion
- Franco D'Andrea / acoustic & electric pianos
- Claudio Fasoli / alto & soprano saxophone
- Tony Sidney / guitar
- Giovanni Tommaso / vocals, basses

1. "Non c'é Tempo da Perdere" (8:48) vocal-led up-tempo jazz-rock that starts out with a long intro of instrumental roaming as piano and cymbals are busy feeling around beneath the ethereal male vocals. It reminds me of some of Tony Williams' compositions. I like Franco D'Andrea's Fender Rhodes style, but drummer Bruno Biriaco grabs most of my attention throughout this one. (18/20)

2. "Déjà Vu" (4:58) I know that I'm hearing an uncredited violin in the lead during the intro to this sax-led song (or is it Giovanni Tommaso bowing his double bass?). So who was it? Piano and guitar arpeggi provide the initial support for the sax (and continued violin) I really like the unconventional melody lines throughout this one--more jazz like than rock: more like a Coltrane or Magma composition. (9.5/10)

3. "Rituale" (7:31) great jam that just sucks the listener in deeper as it builds and builds. Kind of like a classic Traffic (Stevie Winwood), Allman Brothers or Joe Cocker jam. I just love this! It's so fun--and so funky! (15/15)

4. "Abbiamo Tutti un Blues da Piangere" (6:08) acoustic guitars (two tracks) on display for the first minute before bass takes the lead over some very gently-picked steel-string guitar. Keys first make a mark at the two-minute mark (with cymbals) but only a couple chords for the first 30-seconds, then full complement of toms and Fender Rhodes join in as the full band kicks into sync. Soprano sax takes the lead from the three-minute mark over some awesome bluesy-jazz groovin'. So solid! Too bad I'm not more of a fan of the saxophone family. (8.875/10)

5. "Country" (3:03) more keyboard-centred DEODATO-and DONALD FAGEN-like music. Quite brief. (9.125/10)

6. "Nadir" (3:46) gentle Fender Rhodes with equally gentle saxophone over the top. Switch in the second minute to fiery electric guitar teaming up with the sax to carry the melody forward. I really like American-born guitarist Tony Sidney's fire! (9.5/10)

7. "Vento, Pioggia e Sole" (9:40) It feels obvious to me that American-born guitarist Tony Sidney had been hearing either John McLaughlin or Cervello's Corrado Rustici because his guitar playing has progressed in directions reflecting this style of pyrotechnical flourishing. Such solid drum and bass play throughout. Great jazz piano solo in the last quarter of the song. (18/20)

Total time 43:48

I don't get why some reviewers have rated this album lower than their debut as I see no flaws or weaknesses in this album. Keyboard artist Franco D'Andrea's playing is far more supportive, serving in a mostly accompanying fashion than flashy noodling, which is fine, but, knowing that he develops into such a virtuosic solo jazz piano artist makes one wonder what was going on with him during the composition and recording of this session. Tony Sidney's guitar and Claudio Fasoli's sax seem to take far more of the lead/front stage on this album--which is fine since both are very good and have grown so much since the year before--while the rhythm section has just gotten tighter and more mature.

92.5 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of jazz-rock fusion--even better, in my opinion, than its predecessor--the band's highly-regarded Azimut. One of my Top 20 Favorite Jazz-Rock Fusion Albums from prog's "Classic Era."





17. PAUL WINTER CONSORT Icarus (1972)

Not your typical Jazz-Rock Fusion since there is little rock, R&B, or funk infused into these songs: what Paul Winter and company gives you is more of a classical, folk, and world music infusion with jazz--which is exactly why I've chosen to include this review among this list: to help illustrate how broad the styles of the sub-genre are. 

Lineup / Musicians:
- Paul Winter / soprano saxophone, vocals
- Paul McCandless / oboe, English horn, contrabass sarrusophone, vocals
- David Darling / cello, vocals
- Herb Bushler - bass guitar
- Ralph Towner / classical guitar, 12-string guitar, steel-string guitar, piano, bush organ, regal organ, vocals
- Colin Walcott / drums, kettledrums, congas, surdo, tabla, mridangam, bass marinda, sitar
- Billy Cobham / drums (4, 6)
- Milt Holland / Ghanaian percussion (6)
- Barry Altschul / random percussion
- Larry Atamanuik / drums (1)
- Andrew Tracey / dobro (9)
Chorus on "Minuit": Janet Johnson, Paul McCandless, Bob Milstein, Paul Stookey

1. "Icarus" (3:02) one of THE anthems for the environmental/ecological movement--and a beautiful song, to boot. (10/10)

2. "Ode to a Fillmore Dressing Room" (5:32) wonderfully pregnant weave of multiple beautiful tho-sad melodies open this one before David Darling, Herb Bushler, and Ralph Towner put together a more pastoral Spanish theme over which Colin Walcott's sitar and other Indian instruments as well as Towner's amazingly sensitive guitar provide direction and mystical melody. Colin really gets cooking in the fourth and fifth minutes while Ralph supports from beneath. Then the winds and cello and percussion enter to give Colin a cushion for a safe landing. Brilliant! (9.5/10)

3. "The Silence of a Candle" (3:22) piano and voice open this one before being joined by bass and cello for the chorus. A surprising song for a jazz-rock album but perfectly appropriate for a band whose vision of activism was went far bigger than music alone could take them. (9/10)

4. "Sunwheel" (4:52) cello, funky bass, strumming guitar, rollicking drums (from Billy Cobham!) and percussion, cor anglais, and soprano saxophone converge to create this melodic jam that plays out like a little funkier version of "Icarus." (8.875/10)

5. "Juniper Bear" (3:10) essentially a tabla and 12-string duet. Okay. (8.666667/10)

6. "Whole Earth Chant" (7:42) one of the more complex and complete compositions on the album included Ralph Towner's Regal organ and Paul McCandless' contrabass sarrusophone as well as electric bass guitar Ghanaian percussion from Milt Holland and Billy Cobham's rather tame drums as well as David Darling's "funk cello" and Paul's soprano sax. There is funky transition in the fifth minute led by Billy and David into the rousing Ghanaian finish. (14.25/15)

7. "All the Mornings Bring" (3:48) wordless vocals and timpani open this before Ralph sets up a kind of WILLIAM ACKERMAN/Windham Hill style of song. After the intro the reed horns lead the way into a harmonized melody and then the rest of the troupe joins in with great jazz-rock drumming and bass playing from Colin Walcott and Herb Bushler, respectively. Paul McCandless' oboe play is superlative--one of my favorite expositions on the entire album. (9.375/10)

8. "Chehalis and Other Voices" (5:26) opens with some classical guitar and classical/chamber-sounding horn and cello arrangements. Quite lovely--and played very much like something out of an English folk song like Elgar, Delius, or Britton--or Copeland in the US--might have penned. This just goes to show you how accomplished/virtuosic classically-trained Ralph Towner really was--as well as how well-trained were the other members. I love it! At the end of the fourth minute David Darling starts "scraping" his cello fretboard in the way he was known to, a manouevre that kind of signaled everyone to back off so that Ralph could go solo classical. At 4:40 the rest of the "chamber quintet" rejoin to accompany Ralph's harp-like guitar to the song's close. (9.3333/10)

9. "Minuit" (3:06) falling back into the more Western/Americana/Copeland sound-style, the band creates a fairly simple, thin foundation over which they all sing (including folk singer Janet Johnson and Peter, Paul, and Mary's Paul Stookey!) Nice anthemic sing-a-long that I'm sure went over big with audience participation in intimate concert settings. Not proggy or even jazzy, it's a pretty little song. (8.875/10)

Total Time: 39:20

Recorded in 1971, the album's producer, the George Martin, claimed for years that, "Icarus is the finest album I've ever produced." I won't disagree.

92.50 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a masterpiece of world folk-oriented jazz-rock fusion created by visionaries of human potential that the rest of the world is still trying to catch up to.





18. THE SOFT MACHINE Bundles (1975)

After two years off, Mike Ratledge, the only remaining member of the original Softs, pulls his previous lineup of former-NUCLEUS members together for one more time but this time recruiting one more recent NUCLEUS member into the fold: guitar phenom ALLAN HOLDSWORTH. What an injection of life and power he is! What results is one fine collection of jazz-rock fusion songs--one that is unfortunately often overlooked due to the band's previous history and, to many, disappointing evolution. (I think a lot of people had long given up on buying their new releases--myself included--which is sad as this is an absolutely stellar album.)

Line-up / Musicians:
- Allan Holdsworth / acoustic, electric & 12-string guitars
- Mike Ratledge / Fender Rhodes, Lowrey organ, AKS synthesizer
- Karl Jenkins / oboe, soprano sax, acoustic & electric pianos
- Roy Babbington / bass
- John Marshall / drums, percussion
With:
- Ray Warleigh / alto & bass flutes (12)

- "Hazard Profile" (5 part suite) (41.5/45):
1. Part 1 (9:18) introducing: ALLAN HOLDSWORTH, NUCLEUS, and Mike Ratledge! a song that not only cruises but grooves--and is relentless in both aspects! And the band is so tight! Holdsworth, of course, is impressive (though in a surprising Jan-Akkerman-kind of way), but Babbington and Marshall are almost equally so. Ratledge's "glue" that is is Lowrey organ really helps to hold it all together while at the same time directing the soloists with his oft-unexpected chords. Very interesting! And Holdsworth's similarity to the FOCUS guitarist's sound and style are really rather striking. In the seventh minute we get to hear a little Eef Albers-like style but it really isn't until the eighth minute that we get to start hearing any of the "destablized" notes that he becomes so well known for in the UK era and beyond. (19.5/20)
2. Part 2 (2:21) soft, delicate interlude of Karl Jenkins' piano and, later, Allan on acoustic guitar. Nothing really very interesting here much less innovative. (4/5)
3. Part 3 (1:05) a Jan Akkerman-like dramatic interlude over Ratledge's Lowrey, carrying forward the exact same chord progression and melody line of "Part 2" (4.5/5)
4. Part 4 (0:46) another transitory interlude in which the band takes have heavy, low-end-dominant approach to expressing the previous chords. (4.375/5)
5. Part 5 (5:29) with its repetitve base it sounds like something from a previous era of jazz-rock fusion--something from the earlier Tony Williams Lifetime, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, or even Mahavishnu Orchestra transition period from jazz to rock using standard two-chord blue-rock foundations to jam over. Karl Jenkins' heavily treated horns, Mike's AKS synthesizer, and Allan's soar and fly over the solid rhythm section of Marshall and Babbington (and Holdsworth). (8.875/10)
-
6. "Gone Sailing" (0:59) opens with what sounds like an acoustic steel-string guitar (or Celtic harp), but then it turns into a more-advanced Steve Hackett-like guitar. Breathtaking! (5/5)
(27/30)

7. "Bundles" (3:14) sounding very Return To Forever-ish, this one launches with some very complex and intricate whole-band play, but then shifts into jam-formation using a two-bar riff from Babbington's bass repeated ad infinitum to support the soloing of Holdsworth and Jenkins. (9/10)

8. "Land Of The Bag Snake" (3:35) carrying seamlessly forward from the previous song as if it was just another stylistic shift into another motif that slowed down the previous one, Holdsworth continues soaring and racing around though with a muted effect on his horn-like guitar sound. Ratledge's Fender Rhodes work beneath is awesome. Marshall's ride cymbal is a little loud and Babbington's bass mixed a little fun, but this is a pretty good groove. (9.25/10)

9. "The Man Who Waved At Trains" (1:50) again, no separation from the previous song--as if the band just slides into this totally new, completely softer Weather Report/Chick Corea-like motif. Jenkins gets a turn to solo with his soprano sax, at times being shadow/mirrored by Holdsworth. (4.5/5)
10. "Peff" (1:57) yet another slide--this time into fourth gear, yet while still holding on to the softer, gentler sound palette of the previous motif--a motif that reminds me of GINO VANNELLI's wonderful Storm at Sunup suite (form the album of the same name that won't come out for another six months). What starts out so great, however, eventually becomes stale and boring. (4.5/5)

11. "Four Gongs Two Drums" (4:09) a Carl Palmer-like drum and percussion exhibition. (8.75/10)

12. "The Floating World" (7:12) gentle Fender Rhodes doubled with Lowry organ provide a gently floating foundation for the first 55-seconds before Karl's oboe and guest Ray Warleigh's flute present an equally etheric melody line in harmonized tandem. Another Fender Rhodes comes forward at the three-minute mark as the keyboard weave seems to take on a thicker, more intentionally-disorienting polyrhythmic pattern while Babbington's steady bass stays just below the surface--as if anchoring the floating world above. Oboe and flute pick up the melody-giving again at the 4:15 mark. Very Alice in Wonderland-like--and very aptly titled. Great piece. (14.5/15)

Total Time: 41:55

Many people refer to this album as the Allan Holdsworth breakout album as he would go on to work with many of the jazz fusion superstars in the next couple of years. I believe that this "breaktrhough" is made possible by the amazing cohesion of the Nucleus support crew--Babbington, Marshall, and Jenkins. As a matter of fact, this album, in my opinion, should have a different band name cuz they're not really the Soft Machine (history says that with Bundles Ratledge had given the reins over to Karl Jenkins). They're more Nucleus but not Nucleus: they're really the Allan Holdsworth Debut Project.

92.38 on the Fishscales = A/four stars; an excellent masterpiece of evolving and eclectic jazz-rock fusion: on the level of Newcleus, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea/Return To Forever, Tony Williams Lifetime, Jean-Luc Ponty, and Brand X, but NOT a Canterbury style album. Definitely in my Top 20 Favorite Jazz-Rock Fusion Albums of prog's "Classic Era."





19. RETURN TO FOREVER Romantic Warrior (1976)

An incredibly seminal album in my formative musical education: if not THE PEAK of the "First Wave" of Jazz-Rock Fusion then the Gateway into the "Second Wave." On Romantic Warrior, the four virtuosi involved are all at the top of their game both technically and creatively--all giving stunning performances throughout. It still stuns me that Al was only 24 or so when he made this album with, by now, seasoned veterans Chick, Stanley and Lenny. It also stupifies me that drummer Lenny White has received so little due over the years. To my ears, he is incredible! He is so smooth, so "melodic"--if a drummer can be said to be so (which is probably why his solo projects and self-penned compositions are so likable/memorable.) Rather than go into detailed song-by-song review as I often do, suffice it to say that the music and performances here are stellar.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Chick Corea / Yamaha organ, piano, Fender Rhodes, Hohner clavinet, Polymoog, Minimoog, Moog 15, Micromoog, ARP Odyssey, marimba, percussion, producer
- Al DiMeola / guitars (electric, acoustic & soprano), percussion
- Stanley Clarke / basses (Alembic, acoustic & piccolo), percussion
- Lenny White / drums, congas, cymbals, timbales, timpani, hand bells, snare drum

Though the opener, Chick's 1. "Medieval Overture" (5:14), doesn't capture much of a medieval vibe to me (no nods to medieval music that I can hear), it is no less impressive (8.75/10).

The next offering, the funky Lenny White composition, 2. "Sorceress" (7:34) has some real ear candy in spacious, melody slapping rhythm roles and smooth, emotional soli. Chick's piano solo is vintage Chick--just awesome! Al throw's his weight around, Lenny's percussion play off the drums is breathtaking, and Stanley! Well, Stanley just kind of sneaks in his mastery on this one. (13.5/15)

Then comes 3. "The Romantic Warrior" (10:52), an all-acoustic affair that just happens to be one of my all-time favorite fusion songs. (20/20)

4. "Magestic Dance" (5:01) opens like it's going to be a Led Zeppelin rock'n roll song--which might be explained by the fact that it's a Di Meola composition. The second section--a bit of circus cheese, and the weak repetitious keyboard bass line make this not quite up to par with the rest of the album's songs. (8.6667/10)

But then comes Stanley's tune, 5."The Magician" (5:29) which is pure prog heaven--ushering in stunning performances (if sometimes subdued and quirky) by all four performers--including a piccolo bass harmonics duet with a "micro" mini Moog piccolo! (9/10)

The incredibly well-produced album closes with it's most dynamic and in-your-face tune in the form of an eleven minute epic, 6. "The Duel of the Jester and the Tyrant" (11:26) There are soli by each and every one of the artists on this one that are without doubt hailed in Prog Heaven in the "How is this humanly possible?" sound room. One of the most incredible songs you are likely to ever hear. (19/20)

Total Time 45:36

92.25 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; overall this is a minor masterpiece of prog-infused jazz-rock fusion, so well engineered, with performances unsurpassed in terms of skill level. There are two epic-length songs that deserve to be in Prog's Hall of Valhalla. An album that earns its way into the bottom of my Top 20 Favorite Jazz-Rock Fusion Albums from prog's "Classic Era."





20. MIROSLAV VITOUS Purple (1970)

Recorded in New York City on August 25, 1970, under the supervision and production of Miroslav's current bandleader, Herbie Mann. Herbie had just started his own music production label, Embryo, and here acts as both producer and distribution agent for this, 23-year old Miroslav's second record as a bandleader. Of the four hot-shot 30-somethings that participated in Miroslav's debut solo album nine months before, only John McLaughlin returns (and he only for one song).

Lineup / Musicians:
- Miroslav Vitous / bass, piano (B1, B3)
- Billy Cobham / drums
- Joe Zawinul / keyboards (A1, A2)
- John McLaughlin / guitar (B1)

A1 "Purple" (9:40) Billy Cobham's drums are so attention-grabbing that one forgets to listen to Miroslav's bass--which is supposed to be the lead instrument. Even when Billy is only playing rims and light toms (while Joe and Miroslav duet and duel) he is still mesmerizing. (Perhaps it's the way he's mixed: so forward and mostly on the left.) Still, Joe and Miroslav are both mighty impressive throughout. (This might be one of the more impressive Joe Zawinul performances I've heard--though it took two tracks of the electric piano to do so. I like it!) Billy's just putting on a show. (How can the others not want to just stop and watch in awe and wonder?!) Miroslav returns to bowing his double bass in the eighth minute (preparing us for Stanley Clarke). Great stuff! And not just for the phenomenon that was the young Billy Cobham. (He was 26 at the time of this recording). (18.5/20)

A2 "Mood" (7:34) Billy's on brushes for the opening of this one as Miroslav and Joe establish a soft, plodding pace with their calm spacing of their notes and chords. Miroslav picks up the bow to issue the first plaintive tones of melody and then Joe gets a turn to respond--just like a relaxed conversation over a bottle of red on a late-night couch review of a couples' day. The like attunement between the three artists throughout this song is really something to behold. A veritable masterpiece of three artists being mentally and spiritually "synched." (15/15)

B1 "Water Lilie" (8:57) the song opens with some quiet, spacious yet-very pregnant interplay between the three musicians (Miroslav, Billy and John McLaughlin) with Billy merely holding a beat on his hi-hat while the John plays around with some amazing chord selections (some of which was heard on Tony Williams' first Lifetime record [in Vashkar"] and some of which will be heard in their different states of evolution on his first Mahavishnu Orchestra albums). Miroslav is triple-tracked with electric bass, bowed double bass, and electric piano all playing within the same areas of the song. How interesting to have John's guitar chord play vying for attention with all three of Miroslav's instruments. I wonder how this was recorded: Did John have the benefit of playing with any of Miroslav's tracks--live or recorded? Unfortunately, the song is more interesting for trying to follow/predict each of its five nearly-independent feeling tracks. Fortunately for me, the listener, Señor Cobham is never unleashed so I am able, therefore, to pay close attention to the work of McLaughlin and Vitous. (18/20)

B2 "Dolores" (4:10) recorded rather differently than the first three songs: with both drums and bass rather quieter or back further in the mix--the band is down to a duo now, but Billy Cobham and Miroslav have more than enough to offer on this Django Reinhardt-like jam. I love the way Billy's cymbal work matches all of the vim and verve that Miroslav puts into his bass and then the toms fill the spaces where Miroslav rests! Excellent entertainment. Too bad there wasn't anything as memorable as the album's opening song. (8.875/10)

B3 "It Came from Nowhere" (5:18) Another "quartet" with Billy Cobham delighting and impressing on his drum kit while Miroslav plays electric bass, bowed double bass, and a pretty impressive electric piano. Tbis one feels a little less finished, more haphazhard and uninspired (especially from Billy) than Side One's songs. (8.75/10)

Total Time: 35:39

This album may be where I find my favorite work from Joe Zawinul. The trio especially seem to have an incredible rapport and ease with one another as I've never heard Miroslav feel this much "a part" of an organic whole--though for three of the songs it took three tracks of his own expression to accomplish. Still, a very impressive album. I'm sure Herbie Mann felt no surprise (or misunderstanding) when Miroslav left him to fly off in another direction (to Weather Report) after their next album together.


92.166667 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a minor masterpiece of Jazz-Rock Fusion featuring four artists reaching the absolute peak of their powers (but not yet fully aware of such). This album came as a real surprise to me; it is definitely one of the early masterpieces of this new style of musical expression.





21. AL DI MEOLA Land of the Midnight Sun (1976)

Guitar phenom Al Di Meola's debut album as a bandleader.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Al DiMeola / 6- and 12-string electric & acoustic guitars, synth & chimes (4), gong (6), vocals (4), arranger & producer
With:
- Mingo Lewis / keyboards (1), percussion (1,2,4,5)
- Barry Miles / electric piano & Mini Moog (2,5)
- Chick Corea / piano & marimba (6)
- Anthony Jackson / bass (1,2)
- Jaco Pastorius / bass guitar (5)
- Stanley Clarke / bass & vocals (4)
- Steve Gadd / drums (1)
- Lenny White / drums (2)
- Alphonse Mouzon / drums (5)
- Patty Buyukas / vocals (4)

1. "The Wizard" (6:46) a song that is forever burned into me brain for the way it blew me away upon first hearing it in 1976. Now, almost 50 years later it still stands up well: for both freshness in sound and power and proficiency as a strong composition. Nice drumming from Steve Gadd but even better percussion work from Mingo Lewis. Great bulidup to the five-minute mark but then the crescendo and dénouement don't really live up to the hype until the very end. (14/15)

2. "Land of the Midnight Sun" (9:10) a great whole band groove with great starting melody coming from Al's smooth electric guitar, but then at the 0:45 mark we start the stop and staccato punching that Al becomes so known for before recapitulating the opening theme for the second verse. His playing is so clean and crisp! At 2:03 there is a motif switch into a gorgeous little Latin swing dance piece over which Al's muted soloing and Barry Miles' MiniMoog trade solo shots back and forth three rounds before moving into the stop and staccato punching for some Mingo Lewis conga display. Then we move into a different-key variation of the opening melody, another staccato divertimenti this time extended with some serious lead guitar and backing electric piano. Al does what Al Di does best at 6:20, soaring to Icarus' heights. The motif goes on just a bit too long before finally showing teasing signs of coming out in the final minute. Masterfully done! (18.75/20)

3. "Sarabande from Violin Sonata in B Minor" (1:20) a nice little display of classical feel and restraint for Al on this Bach piece. (4.75/5)

4. "Love Theme from 'Pictures of the Sea'" (2:25) obviously an excerpt from something else Al and company were recording that he liked but not enough to rework or re-record the piece in its entirety. Al's first display of his vocal talents (with Patty Buyukas and axe-buddy Stanley Clarke). It's nice, innocuous with nothing to really fault. (4.5/5)

5. "Suite - Golden Dawn" (9:49) a suite that is sometimes challenging to find connections between the parts, but the sum is nice. All in all it's good but not great (except for the work from the rhythm section). (17.75/20):
- a. "Morning Fire" (1:15) opens sounding like Todd Rundgren's "Utopia Theme" only a little more refined.
- b. "Calmer Of The Tempests" (1:11) a gentle tropical breeze from Mahavishnu land.
- c. "From Ocean To The Clouds" (7:18) a funk-rock piece with liberal percussion and Alphonse Mouzon on drums. Nice trade offs in the duel between Al and Barry Miles' MiniMoog.

6. "Short Tales of the Black Forest" (5:41) an all-acoustic duet between Al and Chick Corea. Makes you comprehend how much of the RTF stuff comes from the keyboard maestro. Still, Al excels at playing with and off of other masters--filling those spaces with his magical flourishes and trilling runs. Chick's piano is recorded a little too far back--as if it's only Al's guitar that's getting mic-ed and all of Chick's piano sound is only being recorded by the grace of what Al's mic can pick up. (9.25/10)

Total Time: 35:11

The impressive debut album from prodigious guitarist Al Di Meola, fresh off of his first three albums with Chick Corea's Return to Forever project. While Al had undoubtedly the pick of the jazz and jazz-fusion worlds from which to use as his studio musicians on he could easily have just used all of his RTF band mates to display his singular compositional ideas. But his did not. While Chick, Stanley and Lenny all made contributions to Land of The Midnight Sun, Al also employed the support of such stalwarts as bassist Anthony Jackson and Jaco Pastorius, drummers Steve Gadd and Alphonze Mouzon, and keyboardist Barry Miles. As was becoming known throughout the music world at the time, a musician had to be highly proficient bordering on virtuosic to hang with Al; what would become evident in the years to come was that there were other challenges to working with the demanding, self-absorbed maestro. While Midnight Sun does not stand up as well as Elegant Gypsy or some other later Al Di releases (I rarely listen to it, choosing 1977's Elegant Gypsy, 1978's Casino, or his 1980s releases over it), it represents an incredibly impressive display of instrumental and compositional skills though I feel a slightly cold arrogance creating some distance between the music and me, the listener. It's hard to argue with Al's virtuosity; the issue, as the years will bear out, is with his ability to engage his audience with something more than his skill and prowess.

4/20/24 addendum: With all the grief over Al's "soul-less" technicality, I have to say that I disagree: there is plenty of heart and emotion here, even in those blistering runs. The true test, for me, is the feel the listener gains from listening to the artist perform on an acoustic instrument and on Land of the Midnight Sun I think Mr. Di Meola accounts for himself in spades.

92.0 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of multi-dimensional Jazz-Rock Fusion--a rather brilliant display for one's first foray!





22. DEODATO Prelude (1973)

Another addition to my list that may surprise many readers but take pause to read that list of musicians contributing to this album: it's a practical Who's Who of Jazz-Rock All-Stars! Plus, the album produced an anomoly in the world-wide Top 5 hit single, "Also Sprach Zarathustra"--a phenomenon that may have changed the course of Jazz music forever!

Lineup / Musicians:
Eumir Deodato / piano, electric piano
With:
- Ron Carter / electric bass, double bass
- Stanley Clarke / electric bass
- Billy Cobham / drums
- John Tropea / electric guitar
- Jay Berliner / guitar
- Airto Moreira / percussion
- Ray Barretto / congas
- Hubert Laws / flute
Horn Section:
Trumpets: John Frosk, Marky Markowitz, Joe Shepley, Marvin Stamm
Trombones: Wayne Andre, Garnett Brown, Paul Faulise, George Strakey / trombone
French horns: Jim Buffington, Peter Gordon
Flutes: Phil Bodner, George Marge, Romeo Penque

Strings:
Violins: Paul Gershman, Emanuel Green, Harry Lookofsky, David Nadien, Gene Orloff, Eliot Rosoff
Violas: Emanuel Vardi, Al Brown
Cellos: Harvey Shapiro, Seymore Barab, Charles McKracken


Side A:
1. "Also Sprach Zarathustra" (9:00) a song that changed the course and direction of Jazz music: letting record companies know that a certain kind of jazz could make them money! Listening to the album version of the song lets you know why this album belongs in this Compendium. (20/20)

2. "Spirit of Summer" (4:04) a heavily-cinematic Burt BACHARACH-like display of orchestral magic out of which emerges several very brief individual performances: Eumir's BOB JAMES-like Fender Rhodes, Jay Berliner's classical guitar (which is, in my opinion, a little over the top), and Hubert Laws' tasteful flute. The highlight, however, is truly the orchestra. (8.875/10)

3. "Carly & Carole" (3:38) an obviously-sexist homage to two of the era's premier female singer-songwriters. (8.75/10)

Side B:
4. "Baubles, Bangles and Beads" (5:20) so fitting with all of the Latin jazz-rock that had been flowing through the American airwaves during the previous ten years. Great lead guitar work from John Tropea. (8.875/10)

5. "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun" (5:13) despite Billy and Airto's contributions, this is really more of a duet between Stanley and Eumir. The smooth transition into Latin-jazz for the second half is so cool: Ray Barretto's congas and Jay Berliner's rhythm guitar providing so much for Eumir and trumpeter Marvin Stamm to fly over. Another chaotic dismantling to get back to the bass and Fender simplicity of the opening in order for Marvin to complete the cover of Debussey's timeless piece. (9/10)

6. "September 13" (5:24) back to the funk. Love those wah-wahed rhythm guitars. Great melody line from the horn bank 90 seconds in. I love it when Stanley and Billy are in sync and the playful flourishes are flowing. (8.875/10)

91.96 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of jazz-rock fusion and one of my top 25 Favorite Jazz-Rock Fusion Albums from prog's "Classic Era."





23. EDDIE HENDERSON Inside Out (1974)

The end of Herbie Hancock's Mwandishi-era team lineup is officially an Eddie Henderson album due to Eddie's leadership (initiative, funding, and role as principle composer), and it's another great one. (The next of Eddie's album's, 1975's Sunburst, again has a great lineup of young and seasoned jazz musicians--including Bennie Maupin and George Duke--but there is a radical shift in musical styles toward a more radio- and sales-friendly "smooth" or "funky/disco" jazz fusion that became popular in the mid-70s.) Recorded in San Francisco in October of 1973, the album wasn't mastered and released until 1974--long after Herbie had called it quits on the head-in-the-clouds, atmosphere-exploring Mwandishi septet. (Herbie recorded his first album with a new funk/R&B lineup of four in September, 1973. The album, Head Hunters, was released on October 13 or October 26 [depending on sources] to become the biggest selling jazz album of all-time--until George Benson's Breezin' laid claim to that title in 1976.) How the recording sessions for Inside Out happened after Herbie had dismantled the Mwandishi septet and after he had already recorded his new pop-oriented album is a mystery to me. If any one out there knows how this happened, please let me know!

Line-up / Musicians:
- Eddie Henderson / trumpet, cornet, flugelhorn
With:
- Herbie Hancock / Fender Rhodes, clavinet, organ
- Patrick Gleeson / synthesizer
- Bennie Maupin / clarinet, bass clarinet, flute, alto flute, piccolo, tenor saxophone
- Buster Williams / acoustic & electric basses
- Eric Gravatt / drums
- Billy Hart / drums
- Bill Summers / congas

1. "Moussaka" (8:59) Patrick Gleeson and Bennie Maupin get first crack at opening this album: it sounds like the real-time sounds of a sunrise. At the end of the first minute Buster Williams' bass and Bill Summers congas start us off on a journey across the desert but then we slow way down as if to examine the scenery from some carapace high up above the desert floor. But then at 2:40 the journey recommences--exactly the same way it began at the one minute mark--this time allowing Eddie time to solo with his muted cornet. Then Herbie gets a turn in the fifth minute with his Fender Rhodes. Such a nice Caravanserai groove going beneath it all. Eddie retakes the reins with a muted flugelhorn at 5:30. A second track is given to Eddie for the intermittent dipersal of flourishes from his unmuted trumpet until at 7:30 that instrument takes the lead where he is joined by a legion of other horn and wind instruments (Obviously Eddie, Bennie, and Patrick have become enamored of multi-track overdubbing.) (18/20)

2. "Omnipresence" (2:14) another display of circling instruments that sounds/feels like the presence of something. The two drummers are busy as Eddie and the rest fill the cauldron with more ingredients in order to make the soup. (4.375/5)

3. "Discoveries" (5:08 ) multiple horns are tracking while Buster and the drummers are providing a kind of DEODATO version of "A Love Supreme" but then things veer right and we've got a more train-like cannonball racing downhill so that Bennie's clarinet, Herbie's clavinet and Fender Rhodes, Patrick's burbling saw synths, and Eddie's trumpets (muted and unmuted) can weave their off-set flourishes of melody. Very interesting and progressive. The music on this album is definitely exploring new, expanded ideas of what is linear and how melodies can be delivered by all of the instruments of a large ensemble while being out of sync with one another. I like this one more for its innovation than its engaging qualities. (8.875/10)

4. "Fusion" (3:33) a veritable continuation of the previous song (there is no break between the two) sees a shift in the rhythm track coming from both the bass and drums. Over the top Eddie, Bennie, and Herbie manage the melody delivery with subtle collaboration and admirable discipline. (8.875/10)

5. "Dreams" (7:21) drums and bass going rogue while the lead instruments hold the melody together simultaneously and smoothly. Interesting! The recording and engineering is so perfect: with every subtle sound captured and balanced gently into the mix. I can't recall hearing a jazz album on which each song's soundscape is so egalitarianly distributed. Rather amazing. And beautiful! (14/15)

6. "Inside Out" (9:25) It's Buster again to lead the way out of the gates. Drummers and clavinet follow as Eddie's horns and Bennie's tenor saxophone start their own journeys. Clavinet gets a little "me" time before multiple horns give a loosely banked MILES-like pepper spray--a pattern of delivery that Eddie continues to reinforce with his trumpet's own first foray as sole soloist. This is a really fun song to listen to while paying attention to any and every one of the individual musicians--listening for their subtle expressions of unrepressed individuality. Even the two drummers are playing so subtly off of one another, creating something that is spiraling around Buster's bass lines, feeding the other instrumentalists into explorations and expressions of their own creative heights.
     In the sixth minute Bennie gets the second extended solo with his tenor sax. I like the relaxed length of times given between soloists. Herbie's wah-ed Fender Rhodes gets the next solo, filling the eighth minute. Bennie and Eddie come squawking out of the pond like two geese (or more as each is given multiple tracks) to try to cut Herbie off but Herbie just continues on with both his Fender Rhodes soloing and his clavinet (multi-tracked or played simultaneously?--or, more likely, taken on by Bennie Maupin?) Very cool song to listen to over and over. (19/20)

7. "Exit #1" (2:54) the bookend opposite of the album's opening four minutes: this must be the sunset. Perfect! (5/5)

Total Time: 39:34

The music on this album is so much more experimental, feeling innovative on several fronts, than any of the previous Mwansishi-era albums. While not as melodic, the weaves are incredibly complex for the fact that it feels as if each individual musician has been set loose on his own path and journey with the same map and destination but with the freedom to follow their own independent paths and means to get there. It's really a breath-taking and marvellous to watch (and listen). If this isn't the peak of the experimentalism that was the spirit and intent of the Mwandishi albums, then I don't know what is.

91.91 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; musically this may be a minor masterpiece but to my ears there are developmental things going on here that, for me, proclaim an evolutionary jump in the progress of jazz-rock fusion--a jump that is in direct opposition to the pervasive tendency toward favoring smooth audience accessibility over mathematical and creative exploration and experimentation. A Top 30 Favorite J-R Fuse Album from prog's "Classic Era."





24. DON ELLIS ORCHESTRA Autumn (1968)

Don's first album since the Shock Treatment debacle (Columbia Records' righted wrong), it is a bit of a scattered collection of songs. Also, it is the Orchestra's first album without superhuman work of drummer Steve Bohannon (replacement Ralph Humphrey [The Mothers of Invention] is pretty amazing in his own right). The band here stretches out with new arrangements of "Indian Lady" (recorded live at Stanford University) and a cover of Charlie Parker's "K.C. Blues" as well as two other songs recorded under live conditions during the "Summer of Love." It also presents to the world the rollicking fun "Pussy Wiggle Stomp"--a song that would become the band's signatory opening song at live performances for the next few years. Autumn manages to showcase Don's continued compositional exploration of how to simplify complexities (i.e. create memorable, even danceable melodies while still incorporating constantly shifting time signatures) while also continuing to explore his own private fixation with the replication of classical Indian music melodies through his quarter-tone trumpet.

Lineup / Musicians:

Don Ellis / quarter-tone trumpet, amplified trumpet
With:
- Saxes & Woodwinds:
Ira Schulman - alto sax
Frank Strozier - alto sax, clarinet
Ron Starr - alto sax, flute, piccolo, soprano sax, clarinet
Sam Falzone - tenor sax, soprano sax, flute, clarinet
John Klemmer - tenor sax clarinet
John Magruder - baritone sax, clarinet, bass clarinet
- Trumpets:
Glenn Stuart
Stu Blumberg
John Rosenberg
Bob Harmon
- Trombones:
Ernie Carlson
Glenn Ferris
Don Switzer - bass trombone
Terry Woodson - bass trombone
- Tuba:
Doug Bixby
Roger Bobo
- Rhythm:
Pete Robinson - piano, clavinet, electric piano, prepared piano
Mike Lang - piano, claviniet, electric piano
Ray Neapolitan - bass
Dave Parlato - bass
Ralph Humphrey - drums
Gene Strimling - drums, miscellaneous percussion
Lee Pastora - conga
Mark Stevens - vibes, miscellaneous percussion

1. "Variations for Trumpet" (19:23) A wonderfully-recorded exploration of spacious arrangements and shifting time. Don's trumpet in the lead is as strong as ever, as are the clarity of the recordings of all of the other instruments of the Orchestra--which in and of itself is quite a feat for the follow-up of the massively corrupted and misproduced predecessor, Shock Treatment. (38.5/40)

2. "Scratt and Fluggs" (1:57) sounds like a real hoot at a country barn dance! (4.375/5)

3. "Pussy Wiggle Stomp" (6:47) a couple steps out of the deep woods of the Ozarks or Western Appalachia starts this rollicky dance tune. Eventually, the music conforms to more normal WW II-like Big Band jazz dance hit styles--only waiting for the professional dancers or the Andrews Sisters to step up front for the stage entertainment. Pretty amazing drum solo in the fifth minute! And then there is a downshift into yet another face of the Pussy Wiggle Stomp (a return to the opening motif). Such an infectious song with such tightly performed and well-recorded musicianship! (14/15)

4. "K.C. Blues" (8:44) opening with Frank Strozier's lone alto saxophone tearing up the skies yet playing with such distinct clarity that I'm sure original composer and performer Charlie "Bird" Parker would be proud. The band finally joins in during the third minute, playing pretty straightforward 1950s big band jazz, at first supporting and accenting Frank but then finally taking over for him around the five-minute mark. The rich, full arrangements that follow are notable for how numerous the banks' memberships feel. More sax soloing int he sixth minute but this time on a tenor, eventually finding the full band backing him in every way possible before everybody recedes for an electric piano solo. Nice performances, arrangements, and sound recording; just not my favorite kind of jazz. (17.5/20)

5. "Child of Ecstasy" (3:14) such solid musical performances of what feels like a simple (but we know is not) composition. The realization of the ideas of a true master of musical composition. And let's not forget how infectious is this man's energy and passion that he inspires such incredible performances like this! (9.510)

6. "Indian Lady" (17:42) those familiar horns at the start are the same but some of the instrumental performances have changed or the emphases within the soundscape mix. It feels as if the bass and drums and trumpet play have all been speeded up and clarified. The fact that this is from a live performance is nice for having the reactions of the live audience captured in the recording. But, man can these instrumentalists boogie! Because of the familiar earworm of the main melody one forgets how long this song is: so many twists and turns, so many ways to keep the main melody going on different levels while the other elements go off on crazy solo or group tangents--every expression displaying amazing skills instrumentally as well as compositionally. The all-percussion frenzy in the fourteenth and fifteenth minute is another amazing highpoint as is the frenetic bass playing behind and throughout. Simply astonishing! And that's not even mentioning the four or five times Don and the band "trick" us into thinking they're winding down to the finish only to start right back up again! I have to say that the amazing precision, recording, and energy of this long version of a song that was only eight minutes long in its first studio presentation on Electric Bath is more impressive and winning than even the great original. (33.75/35)

Total Time: 53:49

While continuing to hold the bar exceedingly high for demanding skills and performance cohesion, the music on Autumn, on the whole, feels far more diverse, dynamic, and rollicking than Don's previous recordings have captured. I may be wrong--it may be the wonderful clarity and separation of all of the individual instruments captured by the recording engineers, but it's just a great music listening experience, start to finish.

91.81 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; an excellent collection of diverse jazz-rock fusion songs coming from one of the greatest compositional and motivational masters of the movement.





25. LARRY YOUNG'S FUEL Spaceball (1976)

Another obscure album that I've only recently discovered from my favorite keyboard artist from the 1970s (Emergency!, Love Devotion Surrender, Venusian Summer) issues his second "Fuel" album.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Larry Young / Hammond organ, Fender Rhodes, piano, synths (MiniMoog, Freeman String), arrangements
With:
- Larry Coryell / performer
- Paula West / vocals
- Ray Gomez / guitar
- Danny Toan / guitar
- Julius Brockington / piano, MiniMoog, Hohner clavinet, arrangements
- Al Lockett / flute, tenor & soprano saxophones, vocals
- David Eubanks / bass
- Jim Allington / drums, percussion
- Abdoul Hakim / percussion
- Barrett Young / percussion
- José Farouk percussion
- Clifford Brown / percussion

1. "Moonwalk" (5:00) a funky jam that feels more Parliamentary and SANTANA-like than RTF--especially with the intermittent choral vocals. Larry's sound palette feels similar to some of the work on Lenny White's Venusian Summer--with Ray Gomez and Larry Coryell dueling in the background and he and Julius Brockington layering the front with their multiple keyboards. This leads to the big question of Who is Julius Brockington and why haven't we ever heard of him (before and since)? I love Larry's exploration of the sound possibilities of the low-ends of his instruments' sounds. (9.25/10)

2. "Startripper" (4:44) flowery music similar to something that would be backing Minnie Ripperton or even Steely Dan. I really like it--especially for the wonderfully playful work of the two keyboard players and rhythm and lead guitar work of Ray Gomez and Larry Coryell as well as the very engaging and melodic Latin-lite rhythm foundation. I love the presence and contribution of the flute. I love this song! It's like joy incarnate! (10/10)

3. "Sticky Wicket" (9:26) once again the listener finds itself in more of a funk/R&B range of bands like SLY & THE FAMILY STONE, PARLIAMENT, or even the AVERAGE WHITE BAND. Great performances from the drums, bass, Larry (Young), and Larry (Coryell). Not a big fan of the intermittent infusion of choral vocals to say "Sticky Wicket", but I do like the Stevie Wonder-like thickness and excellent interplay of all of the musicians. Who are these two: drummer Jim Allington and bassist David Eubanks? They're both really good! (17.875/20)

4. "Flytime" (4:50) a gentler but very much Parliamentarian funk infused with some AVERAGE WHITE BAND melodic sense. Again, I am so impressed with the cohesion of this lineup of musicians: they all seem so well-invested/attentive to Larry's charts (or intentions, if that was the case). (9/10)

5. "Spaceball" (5:07) with an introduction of male voices doing doggy "bow wow"s and Paula West performing her best quick orgasm vocal, and then the invitation to the "spaceball" party who could turn this one down?! Good funk. (8.66667/10)

6. "Message from Mars" (7:29) Solid, fully-formed, multi-level jazz rock fusion on the level of any of Chick Corea's RETURN TO FOREVER songs (and, I feel pretty sure, modeled after such). Great guitar work from both Ray Gomez and Larry Coryell as well as the organ, bass, drums and rhythm guitars. Really tightly performed. Who is Julius Brockington? Who is this David Eubanks? What ever happened to Jim Allington? (14.25/15)

7. "I'm Aware of You" (5:09) funky but not nearly as funk-oriented as much of the other stuff, this one has a more serious, true Jazz-Rock Fusion direction in its core--closer to Steely Dan than Parliament, Chicago than Stevie Wonder. Nice work from the horns and drums, though, once again, the entire band is so tight. How did they achieve this? Hours of practice or just good food and great comaraderie? (9/10)

Total Time 41:45

Throughout the entire listening to this album I kept wondering where Larry's band members came from and why I've never heard of any of these excellent musicians, but more, I kept thinking what a far superior album this is to any of Larry Coryell's Eleventh House efforts: the collaborative inputs and song compositions are way better across the board. Too bad Mr. Coryell couldn't have found more parties like the Fuel to participate in.

That Larry Young was allowed to imbue each and every one of his collaborators with such energy and fuel to perform at their most creative selves while still working within the team scape is something that comes through quite remarkable from every one of these songs: everybody was feeling the freedom and confidence to fly--and amazing is the job they did!

91.81 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a definite masterpiece somehow hidden in obscurity.

26. RETURN TO FOREVER No Mystery (1974)

Chick's second album with guitar phenom Al DiMeola completing the quartet lineup.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Stanley Clarke /Bass [Acoustic, Electric], Organ [Yamaha], Synthesizer, Vocals
- Lenny White /Drums, Percussion, Congas, Marimba
- Al Di Meola /Guitar [Electric], Acoustic Guitar
- Chick Corea /Piano [Acoustic], Electric Piano, Clavinet, Organ [Yamaha], Synthesizer, Drums [Snare], Marimba, Vocals

A1. "Dayride" (3:15) bouncy, joy-filled Latin Chick opening is quickly assisted by the full band (plus some nice percussion over dubs). It's really Chick's show for the first half of the song with everyone else performing tightly proscribed tasks (quite competently, I might add--even spectacularly in the case of Stanley). The vocals in the middle of the third minute are a bit of a surprise--but they work--and then the multiple downshifts for the finish are really cool. (8.8/10)

A2. "Jungle Waterfall" (3:15) a little more Hendrix-like with some funk in the bass and guitar strumming, the chorus is different: definitely more rock/R&B than is typical for RTF. In the end, with little soloing (Al gets a little spotlight in the final 30-seconds), this feels more like an étude--a whole band exercise in cohesion. (8.8/10)

A3. "Flight Of The Newborn" (7:20) more funk-oriented music with Al doing more of that surprisingly dirty wah-strumming that he'd been doing in the first two songs. The shifts and little individual flourishes start to become more the style than not with some great runs by Al and some stellar interplay between the other three: it's really an awesome display of top notch Jazz-Rock Fusion. Al is not at his fiery best--mostly due to his persistent allegiance to the distortion of the wah-pedal. Definitely the best display of Lenny's supreme talents on the album so far. The fifth minute is filled with some of Stanley's signature electric bass runs which are always astounding as well as lyrical, and then Chick gets to play on his MiniMoog while Al joins Stanley and Lenny to provide the steady yet-spacious support that allows Chick to be prominent. (13.5/15)

A4. "Sofistifunk" (3:20) some extremely funky keyboard play is accompanied by far simpler and surprisingly less-funkier drums, bass, and guitar. The band is cohesive but the style they're going for seems to escape me. If it's sophistication they're going for, they may have achieved it, but it just doesn't feel natural to the band as a whole--maybe to Chick and Lenny, but not so much Al and Stanley. (8.75/10)

A5. "Excerpt From The First Movement Of Heavy Metal" (2:45) classical grand piano opening that turns into sophisticated jazz at 0:28 and then Hendrix blues-rock at 0:50. Stanley's bass play is out-of-this-world awesome from the get go, seeming to play multiple styles all at the same time: R&B, slap, metal chords, and more. Ends with more of Chick's grandeliquent piano bombast. (9/10)

B1. "No Mystery" (6:06) one of the more fully-developed songs on the album and one that more fully conveys the individuality of each of the band members (especially Chick and Stanley in the first third). Acoustic instruments. Al and Stanley's bowed double bass occupy the third minute until Chick's piano chords bring the full band back together. (Lenny's playing percussion only.) Al Di Meola--the Al we've all come to know and love--takes the fourth minute, eventually sharing the spotlight with Stanley and Chick. It's always such a delight to see & hear J-R Fuse artists show off on their acoustic instruments. I love Lenny's marimba play mixed in with the others as they all stop-and-go with their virtuosic flourishes over the final minute. (9/10)

B2. "Interplay" (2:15) piano and bowed double bass open this one sounding almost avant garde. At 0:53 Chick and Stanley inject a more Latin direction, each performing at incredible speeds and ideations: a precursor to the amazing work they do on Romantic Warrior's "Medieval Overture." (4.75/5)

B3. "Celebration Suite (Part 1)" (8:25) opens like a prog rock opera or tongue-in-cheek version of an overture to a classical opera by Bizet or Ravel. The very-Spanish style is maintained in the second and third minutes as the full band shifts into full gear. Lenny's display of drumming is absolutely spell-binding--almost to the distraction of hearing the other amazing performances. Chick gets the first solo on his MiniMoog, but it's the battle between Stanley and Lenny that gets all of my attention. Al gets to jump in with Chick in the fifth minute: they're such an amazing duo, so well-synched. Great bridge at the end of the fifth minute leads into a very complex, showy tangent in which Lenny really gets to shine. At 5:52 there is a break that Chick jumps into with his electric piano, starting up a completely different motif--one that is laced and interlaced with incredible melodies. Wow! The rest of the band, I think, must be standing back, watching in awe--though somehow they are able to continue to be sporadically supportive. The final minute sees Chick taking the solo spotlight into a very dreamy passage before the band moves on to Part 2. (19/20)

B4. "Celebration Suite (Part 2") (5:30) Full band with everybody "hitting" big chords with all of their electronic effects (and Lenny absolutely killing it on le batterie!) so that Al can go off on one of those soaring solos that he would become so famous for. (Mid-blowing Lenny!) At the two-minute mark there is an oddly melodic bridge into a pause before everybody picks up the chase again--this time with everybody on full show-off mode: Stanley hitting some incredible bass chords, Chick manning multiple keyboards as if they were extensions of his 20 fingers and toes, and Lenny going absolutely crazy--all before a dramatic extended finale. (9.25/10)

Total Time: 42:53

91.60 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece representative of the highest echelon of Jazz-Rock Fusion and yet the band is still gelling, the compositional excellence still eluding them at times.





27. BENNIE MAUPIN The Jewel in The Lotus (Summer 1974)

Recorded after the formal breakup of Herbie's Mwandishi septet, The Jewel in The Lotus harnesses the talents of over half of that septet in Bennie, Herbie, Buster Williams, and Billy Hart but expresses a musical direction quite different than any of the Mwandishi albums (three under Herbie Hancock's name, two under that of trumpeter Eddie Henderson). First of all, the album was produced and released by Manfred Eicher's new ECM label (which leads to expectations of impeccable sound quality), while also being recorded in New York City's Record Plant.

Line-up / Musicians:
Bennie Maupin / Reeds, Voice, Glockenspiel
Buster Williams / Bass
Billy Hart / Drums
Frederick Waits / Drums, Marimba
Bill Summers / Percussion
Herbie Hancock / Piano, Electric Piano
Charles Sullivan / Trumpet (tracks: 2, 3)

1. "Ensenada" (8:05) fast-paced static two-note bass line and wind chime-like percussion instruments open this song until the reset pause at the 95-second mark signals the arrival of flutes and piano. A song that reminds me of some of Mahavishnu John McLaughlin's more sedate spiritual-oriented songs as well as some of Chick Corea and Gary Burton's duets. At 4:35 there is another reset pause which is then followed by a key change when the instrumentalists resume their wind-chime nature imitation. I really love this song! (14.5/15)

2. "Mappo" (8:25) Bennie's flute leads this one as trumpet, bowed double bass, delicate drum play (from both drummers) and additional percussion inputs support. In the third minute the band starts to establish a kind of tense, dour, even cinematically-frightening motif but then backs off. This is so much like the future music of avant gard pioneers UNIVERS ZERO and PRESENT! But then Latin hand drums enter totally wiping away the cinematic tension, redirecting the tension into some free-jazz kind of play. Even Herbie's discordant piano play in the fifth and sixth minutes (or Buster Williams and Bill Summers' wild play) seem only to add to the tense 20th Century classical music feeling of this. This feels like a very wise and mature composition! Wow! (19/20)

3. "Excursion" (4:47) starts out sounding as if we're in some high mountain Tibetan monastery with the horns, reverberating gongs, glockenspiel, tuned percussion, prayer-like vocalisations, piccolo, bassoon, and, later, discordant and free-for-all double bass riffs, piano hits, and snare and drum fills. The cacophonous sound just builds and thickens the further the song runs until the end when recorder and single-voice vocal chant are left to end the song. Wow! What a journey this man is taking us on! (9/10)

4. "Past + Present = Future" (1:45) piano, distant snare and shaken percussives, long, bowed double bass notes, and multiple flute and reed instruments present this lovely little interlude. (4.75/5)

5. "The Jewel In The Lotus" (9:57) spacey electric piano (with fast-panning reverb) with shaker percussives open this while reed instruments, double bass sprays, delicate cymbal play, and marimba gradually set the stage for Bennie's soprano sax and other reed instruments to slowly, subtly set a melody. I am so impressed with the design of this music! And the discipline it takes to perform it. (And I know from second-hand sources that Bennie is a very exacting, very demanding band leader.) Once Bennie is in front, the music pretty well established and solidified, it kind of loses its appeal to me as it becomes less about mystery and melody and more about continuing the floatability. The individual instrumental choices and contributions are interesting yet they're often so soft and subtle that they do more to deflect my attention off into some tangential place of dreamy sensuality. I hate to detract from the ability to perform such a wonderful (and wondrous) feat, but I kind of want to stay engaged with the song. (17.66667/20)

6. "Winds Of Change" (1:25) multiple reed instruments performing together, in attempted unison. (4.5/5)

7. "Song For Tracie Dixon Summers" (5:14) a lot of space--some times quite empty--around which Bennie and company add small whorls and twists of movement--until the third minute when Bennie's soprano sax leads Herbie, Buster, Billy, and the percussionists into something slightly more definitive and organized. There's just so much space! I usually love spacious music like this but this one is almost too reliant on the long decays of instrumental sound as to not represent music but rather act as a reminder of what the world would be like without music. Interesting! (8.75/10)

8. "Past Is Past" (3:52) Bennie's plaintive, languid soprano sax in duet with Herbie's full piano prowess--at least for the first 90-seconds, then triangle, shaker, timpani, and other hand percussion instruments (and background harmonizing flutes) join the flow (which is pretty much a drawn out three-chord flow). The drummers get to join in--as only accenting percussionists--in the final minute. (8.875/10)

Total time: 43:37

A surprisingly transportive, spiritual experience comes out of listening to this album each time I do so. This is, in my opinion, no small feat. In fact, I would argue that it might take some artists a lifetime to achieve such an effect through their art.

91.62 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of quite remarkably-mature song compositions performed by a gathering of remnants of the Mwandishi lineup months after the last Mwansishi session had wrapped up.





28. RETURN TO FOREVER Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy (1973)

For Chick Corea's third album using the Return to Forever moniker the bandleader must have felt the need to make some major changes. (It seems obvious that he felt the need to response.compete with the first incarnation of his Bitches Brew band mate John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra.) Gone are the Brazilian husband-wife team of Airto Moreira and Flora Purim--and, thus, the Santana-like Latin flavor and energy--and gone are the horns; what we have here is now a power fusion band--the most rock 'n' roll like form of all: bass, drums, guitar, and keyboards.

Line-up / Musicians:
Chick Corea – electric piano, acoustic piano, organ, harpsichord, gongs
Stanley Clarke – electric bass, bell tree
Lenny White – drums, percussion
Bill Connors – electric guitar, acoustic guitar

A1 "Hymn Of The Seventh Galaxy" (3:25) here the band opens with a dynamic display of the new member more rock 'n' roll-oriented skills and volume. The way Bill and Stanley play off one another is very cool. (8.75/10)

A2 "After The Cosmic Rain" (8:33) using a form that enlists two or three different speeds, we get a nice view of the skills of Chick, Lenny, and Bill Connors with Stanley showing off a lead-guitarist kind of mentality with his fuzz-bass. Stanley's dextrous use of full chords on his electric bass is also quite unusual and ground-breaking. Chick on the electric piano is more demonstrative than melodic in his showmanship and I find Lenny's drums to be mixed a little too loud (as well as come across as a little too rock 'n' roll). Nice but not really anything very engaging or memorable--except for Stanley's bass solo. (17.5/20)

A3 "Captain Señor Mouse" (8:56) the hard driving rhythm track of this one could've easily come from a rock band like The Allman Brothers Band or Think Lizzy. This is the first song on which I am certain that the band used multiple tracks to accomplish the full soundscape here as the percussion, multiple keyboards, and even guitars have too much reinforcement to be done in one take. I like the occasional shifts into the Latin motifs while Chick's electric piano patterns and solos finally sound more like the signature style that he would become known for: with lots more slurs as if he were bending notes (which he later masters on his MiniMoog). The drum and bass play beneath Chick is nothing short of miraculous: tight and yet jaw-dropping in speed and dexterity. No wonder this song became a standard in Chick's concert repertoire. I even like the drop back into harpsichord at the end of his extended solo (and, of course, his signature bounce accents beneath his bandmates' solos). Bill Connors' first truly extended solo in seventh and eight minutes is truly remarkable, marred only by his over-obsession with John McLaughlin-like long-held note bending. When he does his runs and quick changes in direction it's impressive. (19/20)

B1 "Theme To The Mothership" (8:22) It is obvious to me that the band is gelling and heading toward the sounds and styles that we will come to know and recognize as distinctly their own the further we get into this album--this song being yet another step in this process from "Captain Señor Mouse." The one variable is Bill Connors' style (which obviously affected the style of incoming star Al Di Meola in that he had to learn these songs in Bill's style for auditions and live replications). At the same time, it is often remarkable how similar the styles of the two guitarists are. The more rock-steady (almost sedate) bass play (when he's not soloing) of Stanley Clarke is surprising over the first five minutes, but then, as Chick starts his multi-instrument solo in the fifth minute you can finally hear the bass begin to introduce some of those lightning flashes of flurries and riffs between or in response to some of Chick's pauses between phrases--just like the blues and R&B-trained guitarists do between their own vocal phrases. The band still hasn't mastered the art of unforgettable solo blasts with unforgettable melody lines, but they are very much on their way. (18/20)

B2a "Space Circus (Part I)" (1:28) gentle, hypnotic Fender Rhodes arpeggi from Chick's left hand over which his right hand spits out melodic riffs. Quite lovely. An obvious influence on Ronnie Laws. (4.75/5)

B2b "Space Circus (Part II)" (4:08) a pause after Chick finishes the intro, then Stanley and Chick jump forward with Lenny and Bill quick to join in. I love the sound Bill is using on this one. Stanley is back in lead-predatory mode here, but Bill may be up to his challenge. Lenny elbows his way into the spotlight in the fourth minute and then, finally, Bill lets loose. It's good--more Larry Coryell-like than Mahavishnu Di Meola in that there is a "nasty filth" to his sound that Al or John rarely aspire to. (9.25/10)

B3 "The Game Maker" (6:49) contemplative electric piano play to open, some gentle metallic percussion, too (cymbal and triangle hits). At 1:50, when the full band kicks in, Bill's twangy guitar is first to jump to the lead with Lenny and a dreamy Stanley in solid support. Even Chick, with his rotating two chords of fast arpeggi is in full support. In the fourth minute Chick breaks in with a solo that gets Stanley's adrenaline pumping and to which Bill sees a need to compete and fire back. This duel between Chick and Bill goes on for some time as Lenny and Stanley--especially Stanley--impress from beneath. A great song that fully illustrates the cohesive whole-band skill and comradery that this band will master. The Mahavishnu Orchestra may have broken the J-R Fuse genre wide open, but it is RTF that perfected it! (14.25/15)

Total Time: 42:16

This album is quite a favorite with a lot of critics and fans, but I think the band is still undergoing growth and self-discovery and have not yet fully-defined their everlasting sound.

91.50 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a minor masterpiece of genre-advancing Jazz-Rock Fusion. Again, that which Mahavishnu started, RTF perfected.





29. EDDIE HENDERSON Realization (1973)

Recorded in the Winter of 1973 (February 27 & 28), this was recorded with Herbie Hancock's sitting Mwandishi Septet before its disbandment.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Eddie Henderson / trumpet, cornet, flugelhorn
With:
- Bennie Maupin / flutes, saxes, bass clarinet
- Herbie Hancock / Fender Rhodes & Univox electric pianos
- Patrick Gleeson / ARP & Moog synthesizers, organ, producer
- Buster Williams / bass
- Lenny White / drums
- Billy Hart / drums, percussion

1. "Scorpio-Libra" (11:12) opens immediately with a funky Isaac Hayes "Shaft"/Bitches Brew pretentiousness that is immediately winning due to its cocky arrogance. It's spacey yet still jazzy, free form but mapped out, and full of musicians sounding like they're really having fun. Patrick Gleeson's play on synths and organ sounds so loose and liberating and I LOVE the two drummers! Billy and Lenny both bringing their best, playing with and off of one another. Herbie, of course, is so solid on the Fender Rhodes but he's mixed a little too far into the background (until his solo in the seventh minute). And Bennie Maupin and Eddie just playing their hearts out. Great stuff! (18.5/20)

2. "Mars in Libra" (8:40) sounds very much like the same foundation as the previous song with much wilder performances from the soloists, more dynamic and independent energy from the drummers. Space music in which the pioneers are exploring deep dimensions of the universe. I can tell the boys are having their fun but I personally find that I'm kind of done with Buster Williams' bass line that's holding it all together. Then it all just kind of ends: no ceremony or gravitas just ... done! Weird. (17.5/20)

3. "Anua" (8:30) opens with bass and drums, long-sustained flue and keyboard notes with crazy-wind synth sounds flying around just beneath the surface. Eddie's muted and unmuted horn joins in, takes the lead as the band solidifies its support beneath. It's a beautiful weave of full whole-band chords with incredible leadership from Buster Williams' double bass. The dreaminess of the foundational music reminds me of Freddy Henderson's Love Connection a few years down the road as well as many of the Crusader's Joe Sample's and Huber Laws' solo albums from the time. Beautiful stuff that could easily exist without the soloists on top--thought there are some dreamy solos in the seventh and eighth minutes. (despite the drums getting a bit drowned out by the cymbal play). (19/20)

4. "Spiritual Awakening" (2:33) synth-generated "water"/"bird" noises over which Eddie ejaculates his horn and riffs while the rest of the band just floats and flit in and out of the sonic field. (4.375/5)

5. "Revelation Realization" (8:00) really smooth night groove from the bass with double horn tracks on top and the two drums and keys pushed way down in the mix. I know this gives the listener much greater access to the fine bass and horn play, but then we have to listen that much harder to pick up the nuances of the two amazing drummers. Fender Rhodes and Bennie Maupin's bass clarinet get brought forward somewhere in the third minute. Everybody (except Pat Gleeson's continued synth play with constantly panning water and wind sounds) is contributing some truly beautiful melodies. So nice. The dénouement is long (almost 2:30) and a bit too drawn out for my tastes. A weird but, at the same time, wonderful song. (13.75/15)

Total Time: 38:55

I know that one of the reasons I like this album and its successor, Inside Out--as well as the last two of the Mawndishi albums, Crossings and Sextet--is due to the presence and influence of synthesizer expert Patrick Gleeson. Patrick's contributions to Lenny White's Venusian Summer--making that five out of the the 30 albums in "Classic Era" Jazz-Rock Fusion--make me think that his genius plays no small factor in my coming over to Jazz-Rock Fusion 1972-75.

91.34 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of spacey jazz-rock from the Mwandishi lineup.





30. NEIL ARDLEY Kaleidoscope of Rainbows (1976)
 One of the most obscure albums that I've discovered in my recent deep dive into the early Jazz-Rock Fusion scene comes from British intellectual Neil Ardley. Here he composes complex jazz-rock and then enlists the help of many seasoned musicians (many of whom had served in the ranks of Ian Carr's Nucleus).

Line-up / Musicians:
Neil Ardley: director, synthesizer
Bob Bertles: alto, soprano, flute
Paul Buckmaster: acoustic & electric cello
Ian Carr: trumpet, fluglehorn
Geoff Castle: electric piano, synthesizer
Tony Coe: tenor, clarinet, bass clarinet
Dave Macrae: electric piano, synthesizer
Roger Sellers: drums
Ken Shaw: guitar
Brain Smith: tenor, soprano, flute, alto flute
Roger Sutton: bass guitar, electric bass
Barbara Thompson: alto, soprano, flute
Trevor Tomkins: percussion, vibraphone.

Side 1:
1. "Prologue/Rainbow One" (10:25) layers upon layers of minimalist arpeggi performed polyrhythmically in rondo form--until 3:05 when they all come together in an awesome kind of DON ELLIS/EARTH WIND & FIRE/AVERAGE WHITE BAND jam. And then, oddity of all oddities (especially for a Jazz-Rock Fusion song) is the fact that the first instrumental solos don't begin until the seventh minute! (Given to Ian Carr, of course.) Very interesting--and enjoyable! (18.75/20)

2. "Rainbow Two" (7:35) a gentle duet of acoustic bass and flute open this one before woodwinds join in. Though mathematically interesting, eventually, the gentle, plodding music becomes rather soporific. (13.25/15)

Side 2:
1. "Rainbow Three" (3:28) Jean-Luc Ponty-like cello gets the leadership role over a percussive, Afro-folk rhythmic weave from the drums, percussion, and funky electric bass. Everything slows down at the end for a very subdued dénouement. (8.875/10)

2. "Rainbow Four" (6:15) this one starts out sounding like a merger of old-style jazz with modern minimalism but then everything shifts into old style Sketches of Spain-like music for trumpet, flutes, and other wind instruments to solo and weave in and out of a gorgeous Spanish-sounding ballad. Absolutely gorgeous melodies performed with awesomely inventive "choral" weave. Soprano sax solos in the fourth minute. The pain and anguish of the soloist gets so overwhelmingly powerful in the fifth and sixth minutes! Music does not get much better than this! (10/10)

Side 3:
1. "Rainbow Five" (4:25) sounds like a modern melding of DON ELLIS' big band ORCHESTRA with a smooth Weather Report or Freddie Hubbard. Great clarinet play in the song's first and only extended solo. Ends with another odd separate whole-band horn motif. (9/10)

3. "Rainbow Six" (7:39) flutes and other winds trill around each other like butterflies before electric bass, vibes, hand percussion, and brass enter providing gentle waves of Kind of Blue-like textures. The bass and jazz guitar provide the only disruptors to the gentle waves of winds--the bass creating an EBERHARD WEBER-like feel. By the final third of the song the rolling waves of wind instruments begin to show a hint of a minimalist pattern. Nice tune. A very interesting composition. (13.5/15)

Side 4:
1. "Rainbow Seven/Epilogue" (14:58) sounds and feels like a kind of mélange of several (if not) all of the themes and styles of the other songs--the Epilogue portion definitely mirrors the opening in a re-oriented kind of variation. A little slower and more spacious than the opening side, there is some nice guitar and electric piano play involved (which was not so featured on previous songs). I love the rolling bass sound and the big band horn. Ken Shaw's extended guitar solo is a bit too jazz guitar-like and not so rock 'n' roll, and then Brian Smith's sax solo follows. With four minutes to go there is a full shift into a completely new and different motif with bass and drums leading the band into an almost-imperceptibly speeding up pace will horns et al. follow and embellish. (27/30)

Total Time 54:46

An album with wonderfully crisp and clean compositions performed and recorded with equal definition and clarity. With no side extending beyond 18 minutes--and three less than 15 minutes--in length I guess it should be no wonder that the sound quality is so great.

91.25 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of finely-crafted jazz-rock fusion--an album that I think every prog lover would love.





31. WEATHER REPORT Sweetnighter (1973)

Joe and Wayne's third outing as "Weather Report" may be my favorite album of theirs as I really enjoy the textural approach to song-building over which the soloists are then given expansive room to experiment.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Joe Zawinul / piano, electric piano, synth
- Wayne Shorter / soprano & tenor saxes
- Miroslav Vitous / electric (3,5) & acoustic (1,2,4) basses
- Eric Gravatt / drums (2,4,6)
- Dom Um Romão / percussion (1,4-6)
With:
- Andrew White / electric bass (1,4,6), English horn (3,5)
- Herschel Dwellingham / drums (1,2,4,6)
- Steve "Muruga" Booker / Moroccan clay drums (1), timpani (2), Israeli jar drum (4)

1. "Boogie Woogie Waltz" (13:03) R&B infusing Afto-Caribbean rhythm. I like the loose, airy feel of this: a "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone"-like song that feels as if the musicians are adding their contributions in small doses, not constantly or into an already-established weave (other than the percussion play). Also, I see/feel this as a response to Deodato's "Also Sprach Zarathustra." Amazing how consistent is the restraint shown by the four core members: bassist Miroslav Vitous, keyboardist Joe Zawinul, soprano sax player Wayne Shorter, as well as Andrew White's electric bass guitar. Might be a stretch too long, but . . . (23/25)

2. "Manolete" (5:55) a very pleasant Wayne-Shorter soprano sax-led song that shows off some wonderful experimental wah-volume-controlled electric piano play by Joe Zawinul along with some great double bass and percussion play from supplemental percussionists Herschel Dwellingham on drums and Steve "Muruga" Booker on timpani. (9.25/10)

3. "Adios" (2:59) wind-chime-like hand percussives and serene keyboard washes provide the backdrop for Joe and Wayne to issue some very relaxing waves of their own. Nice tune. (9/10)

4. "125th Street Congress" (12:13) based on a free-form funk bass "line" that, for me, seems to preview all of the rap and hip-hop for the next 15 years. Another weave from the percussion section (and two drummers) is surprisingly open and spacious, creating the perfect groove for Miroslav and Wayne to create their magic while at the same time allowing for lots of room for meditation--at least until the fifth minute when Joe chimes in with some rather abrasive and aggressive keyboard "noise." This soon disappears, leaving the groovy percussive groove for Miroslav and Wayne to feed off. Joe's next reentries are a little less alarming and usually a little more reflective of the work that Wayne is doing though for a time becoming part of (or bouncing off of) the "percussion" weave. A very engaging and eminently entertaining song. (22.5/25)

5. "Will" (6:20) a textural weave of percussives, both hand and cymbal play, coupled with Joe Zawinul's steady chord arpeggi of wah-effected electric piano provide the steady foundation for Miroslav and Wayne to play with the presentation of their own inputs: one short bursts of creative bass chords, the other long-held sedating breaths of soprano saxophone. Very hypnotic. (9/10)

6. "Non-stop Home" (3:52) another amorphous exploration of texture built with experimental sounds over the tight drumming of Eric Gravatt. After 80 seconds, Andrew White's deep electric bass, a second drummer, and an uncredited organ accompany the main melody as delivered through Wayne's sonorous (background) soprano sax notes and Joe's electric piano. Interesting. I like it. It's like a sort of étude. (9.25/10)

Total time 44:22

As I gert to know the world and music of Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter I'm coming to believe that their vision is to explore textures more than form--to see how many permutations and combinations of textures they can come up with that will calm and/or soothe the audience/listener into contentment.

91.111 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of jazz-rock fusion--one that explores the gentler, more hypnotic groovin' side of said fusion. This may, in fact, be my favorite Weather Report album!





32. JOHN McLAUGHLIN Devotion (1970)

John's second solo album but first to be recorded in and released from the United States (Douglas Records). It featured a lineup that included organist Larry Young (with whom he'd been playing for six months in Tony Williams' Lifetime power trio), Billy Rich on bass, and former member of Electric Flag and Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsys drummer, Buddy Miles. John immediately distanced himself from the album when during its publication phase as he was disappointed in the way producer Alan Douglas "destroyed" the music when mixing the songs down in John's absence.

Line-up / Musicians:
John McLaughlin - guitar
Larry Young - organ & electric piano
Billy Rich - bass
Buddy Miles - drums & perc

1. "Marbles" (4:05) slow build with shimmering organ and bird sounds echoed from John's guitar turns into another monstrously engaging SANTANA-like groove with a bit of a Latin feel to it over which John rips and rents holes in the sky. Larry's organ in support is so perfect: so strong and melodic. The rhythm section is doing their job but nothing very "out of the box" for the first three minutes. (8.75/10)

2. "Siren" (5:55) based on an old feeling blues tune, the heavily-effected bass, organ and guitar are so far beyond the distorted effects Alan Douglas employed to some of Jimi Hendrix's stuff! Great guitar play but probably my least favorite song on the album. (8.666667/10)

3. "Don't Let the Dragon Eat Your Mother" (5:18) a nice, steady, hard-drivin' blues rocker of the Mahavishnu kind with Larry playing both organ and electric piano beneath John's fiery heavily-treated NEKTAR "Journey to the Centre of the Eye"-like guitar. The song meanders around space in its psychedelic LSD trip way, especially when Larry and Buddy are given the solo time at the very end. The problem is: I really like it! (9.75/10)

4. "Purpose of When" (4:42) very bluesy (and very loud) guitar and organ played over plodding bass and drums while Larry's organ and electric piano support from behind. The music may not be great but John is lit! He is burning white hot from the inside out! A difficult song to assign a rating for since the music isn't that great, but John's performance is absolutely jaw-dropping. (9/10)

5. "Dragon Song" (4:13) sounds as tension-building as some of Hollywood's best soundtracks but is perhaps a little too loud and dynamic, but man is John cooking! And Larry holding the Earth still as best he can beneath. Great use of the wah and delay pedals as well. Larry's time in the final minute is too little too late especially with the big finish at the end. (9.25/10)

6. "Devotion" (11:25) great multi-track dynamic play over addictive (and stellar) bass and drum play. I can't say that Larry's contributions are half as remarkable as Johns, but that's okay. This is John's album. Still, he's pretty good in the seventh and eighth minutes (just not as amazing as he is on xior Lenny White's Venusian Summer). (19.25/20)

Total time: 35:40

I find the quartet so much more satisfying than the organ-based trio: Billy Rich is wonderful in expressing his own idiosyncratic personality and I feel that Larry Young is allowed much more freedom to create and be himself. I'm sorry that John did not like the "finished" rendition of the album but I find it quite enjoyable--much more so than any of the Lifetime or Miles Davis works that he participated in during the previous year. I even like parts of this more than some of his Mahavishnu stuff!

90.95 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of ground-breaking, transformational psychedelic jazz-rock fusion. An album I value more and consider more a favorite than any of the Mahavishnu Orchestra albums! Absolutely mind-blowing for its time! A Top 40 Favorite "Classic Era" J-R Fuse Album for me.





33. NUCLEUS Let's Talk About It Later (1971)

Seasoned trumpeter Ian Carr had had his fill with co-leading a band and so branched out with his new band Nucleus. In 1970 the UK label Vertigo released the new band's debut album, Elastic Rock, to much acclaim and popular fervor. Next came an album from the same lineup, Songs Without Words, on which guitarist Chris Spedding received top billing. In 1971 Let's Talk About It Later album was released. 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Ian Carr / trumpet, flugelhorn
- Brian Smith / tenor & soprano saxes, flute
- Karl Jenkins / piano, Hohner Electra piano, oboe, baritone sax
- Chris Spedding / guitars, bouzouki, vocals (6)
- Jeff Clyne / acoustic & electric bass
- John Marshall / drums, percussion

1. "Song For The Bearded Lady" (7:25) upbeat, hard-drivin, great musical weave, great use of horns. At two minutes in the sound calms down to support Ian Carr's soloing. He sounds so much like American jazz great Freddie Hubbard it's uncanny! Background instrumentalists start getting a little frisky in the fourth minute (awesome!) but then Chris Spedding takes a turn in the lead as Karl Jenkins toys with him on the Hohner Electra piano in the opposite channel. in the fifth. Nice contrasting styles. Everybody remerges together for the final minute--an outro to bookend the intro. (14.5/15)

2. "Sun Child" (5:19) opens with some saucy, spacious bass, drums and guitar over which a soprano sax teases seductively. The interplay intensifies insidiously over the first couple minutes until it feels as if each instrument is kind of in their own world. The arrival of Ian's trumpet kind of soothes and shifts the direction and intensity of the collective, creating more space but less "competitiveness." (8.75/10)

3. "Lullaby For A Lonely Child" (4:21) opens with delicate bass, cymbal and electric piano interplay before controlled yet emotional trumpet takes the lead. Support is joined by gently picked guitar and saxes before a little whole-group chorus spaces out the next section of trumpet and bouzouki solos. Intensifies slightly for the second chorus but then bouzouki takes us to the end. Pleasant but nothing to write home about. (8.25/10)

4. "We'll Talk About It Later" (6:19) opens with some raunchier guitar sound accompanied by subdued bass, hi-hat, and Hohner. Accompanying instruments shift into second gear as the song becomes fully blues. Guitars, Hohner, and drums all shift into third and fourth gears as bass and muted trumpet remain rock steady until the second half of the third minute when trumpet takes on a more prominent roll. Has a very DOORS-like quality and sound. Chris Spedding's free-wailing guitar really stands out on this one. (8.5/10)

5. "Oasis" (9:49) opens as if all instrumentalists are in their own world, expressing their own moods, until around 1:50 the keys' chord selection become steady, guitar strums, bass line and cymbal play support this. Horns too, before trumpet goes off on a solo. Guitars, drums and keys start amping up their inputs as Ian continues to solo into the fifth minute. At the end of the fifth minute, Ian goes a little freestyle but then everybody else softens and backs down, making room for a prominent muted soprano sax solo in the sixth, seventh and eighth minutes. Drums begin to go rogue in the seventh and eighth before a calm appears in which Brian Smith continues playing his sax as Chris Spedding and Jeff Clyne's bass take more foreground prominence. Horn section enters to bring everybody together just before the end. (18/20)

6. "Ballad of Joe Pimp" (3:48) Vocals! Sounds like it could come off of an early SOFT MACHINE album. Horns take over after the first verse. A very Philly R&B/Soul feel to this one. (8.5/10)

7. "Easter 1916" (8:47) Sounds like a classic experimental late 1960s experimental jazz fusion song as BRAINTICKET-like vocals and keys are driven along by blues-rock bass, guitar and drums play. Its a great groove, despite it's odd meter. Melodic jazz sax solo in the third and fourth minutes becomes more free form in the fifth and sixth. Support instrumentation disappear in the seventh minute as drums solo while sax continues it's spitting and spouting. Awesome drum play! Ends with a familiar "Love Supreme" sound and drum solo. (19/20)

Total Time: 45:48

Over all I'd call this an exceptionally good collection of experimental jazz-rock fusion songs with the artists all sounding like they are coming from the jazz world trying to cross over into rock. Though not all of it stands up as being "fresh" since so much J-R Fusion has come since this album's 1971 release, most times it works very well. Definitely a wonderful accomplishment for it's time.

90.95 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of progressive rock music from the early era of jazz-rock fusion experimentation. Though Ian Carr would continue to use the Nucleus name for almost two decades, from here out it was well understood that this was his band and they were to play music his way: thus the consistently (almost absurdly) high turnover rate among band membership. In fact, three of Ian's major finds would soon become fairly steady members and compositional contributors to another of England's new Jazz-Rock Fusion bands: drummer John Marshall, multi-instrumentalist Karl Jenkins, and John Babbington will settle for some time with Mike Ratledge's The Soft Machine. 

34. LARRY CORYELL Spaces(1970)

Recorded in March of 1969, guest artists John McLaughlin, Billy Cobham, and Chick Corea were coming straight out of the February 18 recording sessions with Miles Davis for would become the album In a Silent Way. Larry is quoted as saying that it took a whole day of recording for his guests to 'come back down to earth' in order to play his compositions as he set forth. Consequently, none of the music recorded from Day One ended up being used on the published album.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Larry Coryell / electric & acoustic guitars
With:
- John McLaughlin / electric & acoustic guitars
- Chick Corea / electric piano (5)
- Miroslav Vitous / double bass
- Billy Cobham / drums
- René Thomas / guitar (2)

1. "Spaces (Infinite)" (9:16) Miroslav Vitous' bowed double bass is a nice presence during the opening 90-seconds but then he falls into fast picking as the song congeals and takes off at full speed at the end of the second minute. Larry takes the first extended solo of this composition credited to Julie Coryell (Larry's wife). John's unique support work on rhythm guitar is an example of one of the things that, for me, sets him apart from all other guitarists, and Billy and Miroslav are definitely on the same high-powered wavelength despite the more traditional jazz form Larry is wanting. Still, John and Larry seem to be having fun playing around and off of each other. (No wonder the first incarnation of the famous Guitar Trio with John and Paco De Lucia would include Larry before Al Di Meola was ever considered). There are definitely many beautiful melody ideas presented here as well as some very exciting dynamic play during the middle or second of the three very nicely composed motifs Julie and Larry have crafted together. (18.75/20)

2. "Rene's Theme" (4:06) an acoustic guitar duet between Larry and Belgian guitarist and Django Reinhardt devotee, René Thomas. You'd almost swear that it was, in fact, Django there in the room with Larry! (8.875/10)

3. "Gloria's Step" (4:29) double bass player Miroslav Vitous' bowed and unbowed playing are the highlights of this cover of a Scot LaFaro song made famous by Bill Evans's original Trio with his Live and the Village Vanguard sessions back in 1959 and 1960 (a song that is familiar to the listener because it has since become an ageless jazz standard). I also love Billy Cobham's exquisite work on the cymbals. (8.875/10)

4. "Wrong Is Right" (9:00) Larry, John, and Miroslav trade solos on this Django-paced jazz piece. Billy and John's more dynamically-varied playing definitely seem as they are coming from a different universe than that of Larry's. There are, however, some really nice melodies central to Larry's song that the band carries very faithfully. Also, I just love the pristine sound clarity of this one--not to mention the astonishing skill and spontaneity coming from all four of the band collaborators. (18.75/20)

5. "Chris" (9:31) like the opening song, this is a composition coming from Larry's wife, Julie. The addition of Chick Corea's electric piano is a wonderful effect to Larry's music, definitely smoothing and broadening the sound palette, taking a bit of the edge off of Larry's sometimes-abrasive jazz guitar sound and style. You might even say it offers the music (rightfully so, since it is listed as a composition of Larry's wife, Julie) a softer, more-feminine side. The subdued and rather laid-back restraint of the other three band members' performances while Larry is in the lead is not only noticeable but admirable--even remarkable. When Miroslav and John do get their turns at the front, they are still surprisingly soft and jazzy. (John almost lets himself go full Mahavishnu for a brief second in the final minute--with Billy quickly jumping on board with him--but then quickly pulls himself back in to conformity with Larry's expectations. (18/20)

6. "New Year's Day in LA, 1968" (0:20) an excerpt of electric guitar and bass taken from a concert from the year before. I'm not sure why.

Total Time 36:42

Not the jazz-rock fusion masterpiece I was expecting, the "Godfather of Fusion" seems very much grounded still in the forms, sounds, and traditions of hard-bop and gypsy jazz more than the rock-infused idiom that he had helped to launch a few years before. But the collaboration with four other musicians who were each very much caught up in the movement to inject the explosive volume and abandon of Led Zeppelin-like Power Rock into their music is just enough to sway the music of three of the album's song (the three long compositions) over into the realms of forward-moving Jazz-Rock Fusion. Who knows the effect these recording sessions had on John McLaughlin, Billy Cobham, Miroslav Vitous, or Chick Corea, but their next projects would include Tony Williams' Lifetime,
     I do not know the reason for the extraordinary delay in time between the March 1969 recording sessions of this album and its November 1970 release, but both dates fall into the still-early days of the Jazz-Rock Fusion explosion--and settle well before the first releases of The Mahavishnu Orchestra (Aug. 14, 1971 and released Nevember 3, 1971), Weather Report (Recorded Feb. 16 & March 17 and released on May 12, 1971) or Chick Corea's Return to Forever (February 2 & 3, 1972, released in September).

90.94 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of early Jazz-Rock Fusion.

P.S. The two album covers are both legitimate covers from early 1970s. The brown cover with Larry's profile coincides with Vanguard Records' original 1970 release whereas the cool space-art cover is from the label's 1974 re-release of the same album.

35. LARRY YOUNG Lawrence of Newark (1973)

Larry's first album as a band leader since he went off to work with Tony Williams and John McLaughlin--and it's good one: he obviously had a lot of ideas to get out of his system.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Larry Young / Hammond organ, bongos, vocals, composer & producer
With:
- James Blood Ulmer / guitar
- Art Gore / drums, electric piano
- Cedric Lawson / electric piano
- Dennis Mourouse / saxophone
- Pharoah Sanders / saxophone, vocals
- Charles Magee / electric trumpet
- Diedre Johnson / cello
- Don Pate / bass
- Juini Booth / bass
- Abdoul Hakim / bongos
- Stacey Edwards / congas
- Umar Abdul Muizz / congas
- Abdul Shahid / drums
- Howard King / drums
- James Flores / drums
- Armen Halburian / congas, bells, percussion
- Jumma Santos / congas, bell, tom tom, tambourine, hi-hat, whistle
- Poppy La Boy / percussion

1. "Saudia" (4:30) a song that opens up with shadows of the music Larry heard and participated in while working with Tony Williams and John McLaughlin for the 1969 album, Emergency! There's some real regal beauty in this rather simple, laid-back arrangement (even though Larry's initial Hammond work sounds a bit like the Sunday church organist). Still, there are at least two drummers operating (rather quietly) as well as any number of percussionists. It's the saxophones that are missing. (James Blood Ulmer's guitar work is very odd: mixed high but fairly inactive). The bass line is rather simple. (9/10)

2. "Alive" (2:00) two (or three) drummers and multiple percussionists lay down some vicious rhythm over which Larry issues forth some fairly-sedate, nearly-church organ. (4.5/5)

3. "Hello Your Quietness (Islands)" (10:17) is this where Freddie Hubbard got "Little Sunflower"? There's definitely a lot of the SANTANA effect going on on this album. The craziness of the multiple woodwinds, cello, and, of course, Hammond organ, are matched and balanced out by the calm serenity offered from the expansive rhythm section. Amazing balance! And there's even tons of melody! (18.75/20)

4. "Sunshine Fly Away" (8:50) a very solid and well-balanced opening groove immediately established from the drums, percussionists, and bass. The woodwinds and cello here are surprisingly supportive, laying back in the background, so Larry can have the spotlight all to himself. Starting around 2:00 a tenor sax starts to wiggle his way to the front. The melodies are fairly consistent--even when Larry is expressing a new one beneath Dennis Mourouse's lead. The two leads get a little crazy with their play while everybody beneath just remains calm and in control. This seems as if it would be quite a feat! The crazy sounds Larry is getting out of his Hammond are at times quite abrasive and spacey. All the while the sax settles down, occasionally going off on some tangent, until the rhythmatists back off and leave the bass and cello player quite on their own. The song fades out while Diedre is finishing her solo. (18/20)

5. "Khalid of Space, Part Two (Welcome)" (12:41) a complicated multi-themed rhythm track tries to establish itself straight out of the blocks, but the cacophony of 30 infantile monkeys all screaming for attention at once rather distracts (detracts?) from the rhythm fusing into something whole and "finished." The ensuing solos are all great--even over the rather annoying downbeat honks in eighth minute; it just feels as if all of these guys--especially those working out of or above the rhythm section--are having a great time. Too bad that rhythm track never got tweaked into perfection: it's as if they were trying to be funky but were side-tracked by their bass player(s) obsession with two note bursts. Man, Dierdre Johnson can play a mean cello! (22.5/25)

Total Time 38:18

Obviously, Larry hung around with a different crowd of musicians than his NewYork City compatriots with whom he worked in the late 60s. Other than James Blood Ulmer and Pharoah Sanders, I'd never heard of any of these collaborators, but I appreciate how easily and willingly they seem to work together. A great album that would be very fun to have watched live. Also, has anyone played a more dynamic Hammond than Larry? If so, I'd love to have the reference.

90.9375 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of Jazz-Rock Fusion--one that mixes the rhythmic flow of Santana with the crazed experimentation of Sun Ra and Ornette Coleman.

36. MOOSE LOOSE Elgen Er Løsen (1974)

Brilliant and experimental/boundary pushing proggy Jazz-Rock Fusion from Sweden. They sound a bit like a Chick Corea-led FOCUS only better.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Jon Arild Eberson / guitar
- Brynjulf Blix / keyboards
- Sveinung Hovensjø / bass
- Pål Thowsen / drums

1. "Eber's Funk" (7:45) opens aggressively like something from the early J-R Fuse masterpieces from Tony Williams and John McLaughlin then gets really funky with Brynjulf Blix's masterful clavinet play. (One cannot help but wonder how long he'd been playing this rather new instrument and its funk applications.) Drummer Pål Thowsen is amazing! Then guitarist Jon Arild Eberson launches into a wonderfully fiery solo himself, showing no shame or fear of being compared to the J-R F greats like McLaughlin, Coryell, Akkerman, and Connors. (14/15)

2. "B.M." (11:45) I love the experimentation here with all of the early Mahavishnu Orchestra instrument sounds--and the way they take some of the music and style of Dutch progsters FOCUS and move it even further into the realm of jazz or jazz-rock fusion. The main electric piano four-chord motif gently propelling the song along does get rather old as the soloists go on (and on), but the work of drummer Pål Thowsen beneath is quite a nice diversion to pay attention to. (22.5/25)

3. "Flytende Øye" (6:39) again, the proggy side of Jazz-Rock Fusion--here exploring the Bitches Brew/Herbie Hancock approach to electrifying jazz. These musicians are so talented! (9.25/10)

4. "Skakke Jens" (5:32) with some scathing electric guitar in the spotlight and only bass and drums beneath this one feels more like a progression of power trio rock as Jimi Hendrix might have taken it had he lived longer. Not as jazzy as the previous songs, still very interesting. R-L reverberating-panning Fender Rhodes enters at 2:50 with great effect (essentially shutting down Jon Arild Eberson's guitar) taking over the lead for the remainder of the song. (8.875/10)

5. "O Kjød" (6:42) what sounds like electric piano (though it could be oddly processed acoustic piano) and gently-picked electrified acoustic guitar open as kind of a duet, though the guitar exists more in a support capacity for the first minutes. Very Mahavishnu John McLaughlin and Chick Corea like. Jon gets a turn in the lead halfway through while Brynjulf settles back into an even-more-Chick Corea-like support roll. Wish it were better recorded. (9/10)

Total Time: 38:23

I often find it hard to understand how caucasian people can be so funky--as if African traditions have some kind of exclusive on the sound and form--but this band definitely has some serious funk running through their veins. Awesome stuff! 

90.89 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of Jazz-Rock Fusion in its very quintessential form(s). An album every self-proclaimed prog lover should hear at least once over their lifetime. Highly recommended.

37. THE MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA The Inner Mounting Flame (1971) 

Breathtaking. Startling. Groundbreaking. Exhausting. I have resisted putting a review to pen (or computer) for this album because it is such an important album for the history and progress of progressive rock music. Despite the fact that John McLaughlin had introduced this new, raw, full-volume shredding sound and style to the world with the previous year's release of his Devotion album (with drummer Buddy Miles, bassist Billy Rich, and organist Larry Young), it took the lineup of crack virtuosi of this Mahavishnu Orchestra to express the team approach to explosive machine gun riff deliveries--both solo and collectively. And wow! Are these guys explosive! All five of them capable of rattling off rounds at clips that boggle the mind! And yet, amazingly, they also manage to incorporate and express melody and structure! Though the sound quality here is not yet where I like it to be (that will be better displayed on Birds of Fire), the gross effect of increased talent on display here is so far beyond what has come before. It's something totally new for jazz, jazz-fusion, rock and roll, and, most certainly, progressive rock music. I want to rate this with the highest amount of stars but it is, in my opinion, still an expression of a band just finding its way. It'll take the next album to express total superlatives. Still, this is a minor masterpiece and, so, still deserving of five stars. Thank god for Jimi Hendrix, Tony Williams, Miles Davis, and Indian music for giving Mahavishnu John McLaughlin the inspiration to create the Mahavishnu Orchestra!

Line-up / Musicians:
- John McLaughlin / acoustic (4) & electric guitars, producer
- Jan Hammer / piano (4), Fender Rhodes, organ (?)
- Jerry Goodman / acoustic (4) & electric violins
- Rick Laird / bass (excl. 4)
- Billy Cobham / drums (excl. 4)

1. "Meeting Of The Spirits" (6:52) Has there ever been a more mind-blowing opening song in history? Billy Cobham and John McLaughlin are, of course, the most impressive over the first three and a half minutes, but then in the softer sections you get to figure out that there are many times in which multiple instruments are carrying those lightning-speed melody lines all at the same time! (A phenomenon that the band build upon on their next album.) (14/15)

2. "Dawn" (5:10) this soft rather sedating start is in such a polar contrast to the whole vibe and energy of the previous song that it might leave some asking whether or not this is the same band! But then in the second minute some of the instrumentalists up front begin to express themselves through light-speed runs even getting Billy and Rick involved by the second half of the third minute. Jan, Jerry, and John are the main soloists up front but Billy Cobham's drum fills and cymbal play are often just as astonishing and competitive. Cool chord progression of whole-band arpeggi in the final minute. (8.875/10)

3. "Noonward Race" (6:28) a song that is very much in line with those of the JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE--both in pacing, bluesy flavor, and fireworks. Jerry's distorted violin sound used during his extended solo in the second minute is interesting--and then to be followed by a similarly processed Fender Rhodes from Jan Hammer in the third makes for quite an interesting consistency. John's electric guitar, then, is almost "normal" sounding during his following solo. The turn-taking solos are impressive but it's the three-, four-, and five-in-one displays of speed and dexterity that I find most astonishing and ground-breaking (though I guess in the context of an orchestra or big band there is nothing really new or innovative there; it's more of this use in rock 'n' roll, I guess). (8.75/10)

4. "A Lotus On Irish Streams" (5:39) the acoustic side of the band: sweeping piano arpeggi and runs with flighty violin notes and astonishing flourishes from the steel-string guitar makes for an impressive expression of the trio format. Jan's play previews Rainer Brüninghaus' play with Eberhard Weber, John's guitar previews that which he expands upon with Shakti, and Jerry's violin sounds like a cross between Ralph Vaughan Williams' "Lark Ascending" and Stephane Grappelli. Very beautiful. A perfect masterpiece. (10/10)

5. "Vital Transformation" (6:16) a high-energy showpiece for the virtuosity of everyone in the band but Billy Cobham first and foremost. Here is where you get to hear more of those extraordinary passages in which the whole band is ripping through the space-time continuum at speeds that don't seem possible. It's no wonder that drummer Steve Smith chose this song title for the name of his jazz-fusion band in the 1980s. I find myself most drawn to the performances of Billy and John on this one. (9/10)6. "The Dance Of Maya" (7:17) a meditative start in which the band plays with an awesome chord sequence. A song that must have had a huge influence on Robert Fripp for the evolution/progression of his King Crimson project from the The Court of the Crimson King, Wake of Poseidon, Lizard, and Islands phase into Lark's Tongues, Starless, and Red. I've always hated the dramatic downshift at 2:33 into the two-chord blues motif--and the fact that they abandon the cool experimentation with chord progressions until the very end (where they do do the cool thing with interplaying/overlaying the chord progression motif over the blues chords. Also, I'm not much of a fan of the Clapton-style blues-wah-pedal guitar lead that John uses throughout the last five minutes of the song. (13.25/15)

7. "You Know, You Know" (5:07) another étude of chord progression possibilities, this time done slowly and with minimalist input and plenty of space. Billy Cobham is the only one to really try to break out of the restriction zone but not until the final minute though Jan Hammer's Fender Rhodes seems to send out probes in the third minute. Kind of a cool song! (8.875/10)

8. "Awakening" (3:32) another high-powered display of machine-gun declarations of force and vitality--in fact, these are probably the most impressive displays of the virtuosity and dexterity of each and every one of the five individuals gathered together to make the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Not only impressive but jaw-dropping. Too bad it's lacking in any kind of engaging melody but I think they were banking on impressing their audiences more than expressing any kind of timeless beauty (though, of course, there is a kind of beauty in virtuosity). (9/10)

Total Time: 46:34

90.83 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of music but an major landmark in the course of music history: the album that made Jazz-Rock Fusion and instrumental virtuosity in rock 'n' roll household terms.

38. HERBIE HANCOCK Headhunters (1973)

Herbie's first studio album since decommissioning his Mwandishi project. Herbie is stated to have said that he was tired of the spacey, high-end stuff and just wanted to bring it back down to Earth with some funk. It is important when listening to this album to remember how influential it was: both to other artists as well as on the tastes of the popular ear; this was, after all, at the time (until the 1976 phenomenon of George Benson's Brezzin'), the highest selling jazz album of all-time!

Line-up / Musicians:
- Herbie Hancock / ARP Odyssey & Soloist synths, Fender Rhodes, Hohner D6 clavinet, pipes, co-producer
- Bennie Maupin / soprano & tenor saxophones, saxello, bass clarinet, alto flute
- Paul Jackson / electric bass, marimbula
- Harvey Mason / drums
- Bill Summers / percussion (congas, shekere, balafon, agogo, cabasa, hindewho, tambourine, log drum, surdo, gankogui, beer bottle)
 
1. "Chameleon" (15:41) the opening funk bass sound and line lets us know right off the bat what's going to be different about this music compared to the famous "Mwandishi sound" of Herbie's previous three years of work: Funk is paramount here. The problem here is how long Herbie stays affixed to a particular pattern and motif: it's as if it takes him 30 measures to get the feel of a pattern enough to be able to play within much less diverge or solo above it.  I don't know if the rhythm section (or engineer) realized that they were speeding up in the sixth minute, beneath Herbie's funky ARP Soloist solo, but it's awkward for a bit until they all return to the pocket. At 7:40 there is a reset to let Paul Jackson and Harvey Mason reset their rhythm pattern. Now we're in Fender Rhodes territory--the soundscape that will become BOB JAMES' standard/go-to palette. Paul and percussionist Bill Summers start playing off one another, which is highly entertaining despite Herbie supposedly being in the lead up top. Harvey's innovative use of the hi-hat here might also have served to influence all future Disco drummers. I prefer this middle section to the opening one. At the 12-minute mark there is a reset bridge with those rich ARP strings and panning Fender Rhodes play. J-R Fuse Heaven! Now this is where Smooth Jazz came from! At 13:15 there is another reset bridge that allows the band to restart the opening motif. Here Bennie Maupin finally gets some front-time on his tenor sax. Nice. A song that contains so much innovation I can't justify down-rating it despite my not really liking the majority of it. (27/30)

2. "Watermelon Man" (6:29) a very popular song that is denigrated by the fact that to me it is a very thinly-veiled  revisitation on Dobie Gray's big hit from 1964 (a Billy Page compostion), "The 'In' Crowd." Then there is the presence at the opening and ending of the odd breath and voice percussion (what would probably inspire a whole generation of Bobby McFerrins. (8.875/10)

3. "Sly" (10:18) a reference to he of the Family Stone? What starts out deceptively in some disarray becomes, quite suddenly, at the two-minute mark, a meteoric flight through high altitude with bass, drums, percussion, and clavinet all rushing wildly along in a very loose weave beneath Bennie Maupin's wild soprano saxophone play. Then Herbie gets a turn on his Fender electric piano. The man is so smooth!  Paul Jackson's low end bass play paired up with Harvey Mason's hi-hat and cymbal work is pure genius! Somebody (Bennie Maupin) must be playing the clavinet beneath/alongside Herbie's two-handed Fender Rhodes exposition. I have to admit that I'd never really appreciated the drumming of Harvey Mason before this--cuz I'd never heard anything quite like this before. High marks for the extraordinary work of that dynamic middle section.(19/20)

4. "Vein Melter" (9:10) It would seem here that Harvey's semi-automatic militaristic snare and hi-hat riff would run contrary to the somber, etheric world being created by the rest of the band, but somehow it all works (except the ARP sounds: they sound so dated!) My favorite part is hearing Bennie Maupin playing with such feeling and emotion without having to blast it or even raise his "voice." Also, you can hear here the reverberating Fender Rhodes electric piano sound that everybody will be using over the next ten years: KOOL AND THE GANG  "Summer Madness," Donald Fagen/STEELY DAN, BOZ SCAGGS Silk Degrees and so many more. (17.5/20)

Total Time 41:38

Thrust is my favorite Herbie album.

90.78 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor-masterpiece (and landmark album) of Jazz-Rock Fusion.

39. MATRIX Matrix (1976)

The debut album from this very-mature-sounding big band of Jazz-Rock Fusion enthusiasts from Wisconsin (where I live)--with six (!) full-time members of the horn section.

Line-up / Musicians:
Michael Bard / saxophones
Larry Darling / trumpet, flugelhorn, synthesizer, vocals
Kurt Dietrich / trombone, synthesizer, vocals
Randall Fird / bass, vocals
Mike Hale / trumpet, flugelhorn, percussion, vocals
John Harmon / keyboard
Jeff Pietrangelo / trumpet, flugelhorn, percussion
Fred Sturm / trombone, vocals
Tony Wagner / drums

1. "Earth And The Overlords" (3:42) an odd adventure into near-funky jazz-rock that tries to cross over into Jazz-Rock Fusion the way Don Ellis' orchestra pioneered it but comes up short. (8.875/10)

2. "Catalpa Complex" (6:29) a little more funking but a little more big band-like too. The best section is the funky synth solo in the third minute when the horns are silent and the bass and percussion can be heard. No wonder it's got some nice keyboard centricity to it: it's composed by keyboard player John Harmon--a member whose position in the band will move more toward leadership over the course of the next few albums. The choral vocals in the fith and sixth minutes give the song even more of an AVERAGE WHITE BAND feel despite the more big band-sounding horn arrangements. Nice drum work in the final minute though it feels a little academic--rehearsed (and maybe charted). (9/10)

3. "Blue Snow" (2:36) quite cinematic in an ECM/Eberhard Weber-kind of way. Speaking of ECM, the sound quality of this album is so clean and pristine that it begs asking to know more about Ray Papai and his Ultra Nova Records in Lake Geneva! (9.5/10)

4. "Dark Riders" (5:52) a rather unique musical experience in that this song feels as if it was intended as a soundtrack accompaniment to something like the "Monkey Chant" from the film Baraka. Very interesting and visionary! (9/10)

5. "Clea" (10:05) more contemplative music that sounds like it could come from Paul Winter Consort, Weather Report, or maybe even Bob James. Soprano sax, gentle bass and electric piano and percussion play. In the middle the band collective provides wordless choral chants. Then it turns very dreamy with keys, gentle wind-like percussives, and sonorous trumpet soloing over the top. Worded choral vocals enter in the seventh minute. Such interesting and unusual music! I am truly impressed! And it ends like an ECM version of "Edelweiss"! (18/20)

6. "Geese "(1:42) horns working in a flock-like mathematical weave of individual honks. Pretty cool! (4.5/5)

7. "The Last Generation" (6:46) another odd song that seems to blend and bridge many styles and sounds--sometimes feeling conflicting, sometimes feeling perfect, at others purposely awkward and tension-filled while behaving as if perfectly intended to be exactly as provocative and ambiguous as it is. Like projecting/predicting a future jazz onto the soundscape of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Too bad the arrangement of the horn section and the drum play are so "standard" otherwise this would really work! (13.75/15)

Total Time 37:12

Definitely a surprising, haunting album of resfreshingly creative, one might say innovative Jazz-Rock Fusion--unlike anything I've ever encountered yet in my deep dive into the history of J-R Fusion. I have to admit to liking future bass player Randy Tico's bold fretless work on Tale of the Whale more than Randall Fird's rather tame and unobtrusive work on this album. 

    Overall, I'm not sure whether I like all of this music despite the fact that I appreciate and greatly admire the quirky, unorthodox, "out of the box" compositions contained herein. 

90.78 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of innovative and eccentric Jazz-Rock Fusion.

40. TONY WILLIAMS LIFETIME Emergency! (1969)

"The loudest stuff I ever heard in my life," recalled Herbie Hancock of a Tony Williams Lifetime concert that he attended in the fall of 1969. Knowing that he was probably risking his hearing later in life, he stayed for the entire show. "It was … new. It was exciting and very arresting."
     Miles Davis heard the trio perform their amped up set at a club in Harlem in the early winter. John McLaughlin had only been in the US for two weeks (he had come to New York specifically to join Tony Williams' Lifetime project) when he got a call from Miles asking if he would join him in the studio on February 18. This single day of recording would result in the July release of Miles' landmark fusion album, In a Silent Way.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Tony Williams/ drums, vocals (2,3,5)
AND
- John McLaughlin / electric & acoustic guitars
- Larry Young / organ

Volume One (35:01)
1. "Emergency" (9:35) power drumming with loud, distorted electric guitar power chords open this one with Larry Young's organ providing the low and middle ground including all of the bass lines. John McLaughlin's guitar playing moves easily between runs that exude smoke and fire and those that evoke comfort and supplicating beauty, while his chord play in support are often jagged, angular, and confusing in their complex intention. Meanwhile, Larry Young gets some time to come out from his cave beneath the bridge (which is exactly when John gets his most ambiguous: is he trying to be mean or just provocative?). While some of the sound is a bit muddied (especially in the higher end), the jamming is so focused, so tight, so intertwined. and then it just ends! Probably my favorite song on the album. (19/20)

2. "Beyond Games" (8:17) built over a blues progression, Tony uses his speaking voice to recite some pre-Gil Scott-Heron poetic social commentary. (He sounds so young--like the lead singer of the Brighter Side of Darkness: just sitting in his high school classroom wishing he could say his thoughts out loud. John's guitar is ominous in its support while Larry's organ (and bass line) is almost Timmy Thomas gospel-like. You can tell that this song was recorded on the same take as the previous one--two songs on the same tape continuously--as all of the sounds and levels are the exact same. after six minutes the repetitive four bar four-chord progression gets a little old--which is right when Tony returns to speaking his quotidian poetry advice. (17.5/20)

3. "Where" (12:10) a very-sparsely populated opening is where Tony chooses to start singing his philosophical musings. In the third minute John begins to solo cerebrally while Tony's drums provide steady yet-minimal support and Larry's organ is so quiet it's almost non-existent Then in the fifth minute John begins to go to a higher gear and Larry's right hand and Tony's prowess begin to show--but then all this is cut off at the five-minute mark for a quiet section in which Tony sings his ambigous mult-level questions. This then ends after which Tony's cymbal play and John's small repetive blues chords provide support for a two-minute organ solo. There is a very basic hard-bop motif shifted into in the ninth minute while Larry resumes soloing. This is not the fire and ice that I was expecting to hear from these practitioners of scorched-Earth tactics. (Nor was I expecting lyrics or singing.) (21.5/25)

4. "Vashkar" (4:59) the signatory song of this album, here we have the fiery interplay between drummer and guitarist with the organ providing the glue between them. Lots of stop and start, loud and soft alternations. Great skill that would be better if there was a more pleasing melodic hook. Another favorite. (9/10)

Volume Two (36:28)
5. "Via The Spectrum Road" (7:50) like southern blues swamp rock--and acoustic guitar and not one but two vocalists singing. John's blues-rock lead guitar is purposely placed in the background--sounds as if it's coming from a different room. The nuances are numerous and delightful. Too bad Larry is relegated to being pretty much the bass player. Sounds like something from the Sixties--especially John's raunchy guitar play. Larry's distant and sparse injections of organ chords have an other-worldly spacey feel to them and Tony's drumming is marvellous but overall this is not really something that a musician would really get into. I know this one is considered revolutionary, but it is far from my favorite. (13/15)

6. "Spectrum" (9:52) Wow! What a ride Tony, John and Larry take us on. There is no let-up or break to the break-neck speed that these musicians hurl through space and time--and Larry even gets some lead organ time despite having some very demanding bass lines to keep going. Quite a stunning (and exhausting) ten minutes of hard-bop-based power fusion. John's lead and rhythm play are both quite often abrasive--and unapologetically so as he keeps doing the irritating, angular things he just seemed to temper with bridges of more-classic and familiar (and softer, more melodic) riffs. A very impressive song. (18.25/20)

7. "Sangria For Three" (13:08) another barn-burner, this song has some very experimental passages (like the fifth minute and the 11th and 12th minutes) as well as some that are very hard-driving rock and others that are very Hendrix-like in their powerful blues-rock. This is my other top three song: I just love all of the shifts and turns, the high speed chases and the stuck-in-the-mud experimental passages, and the powerful Hendrix-like passages. (23.5/25)

8. "Something Spiritual" (5:38) not one of the timeless beauties that John would pump out with great regularity over the course of the rest of his career, more a testament to the challenging and repetitive work required to establish a spiritual practice and then keep it going. Great drumming beneath the very repetitious four chords played by John and Larry to mind-numbing nauseum. But I get it! (8.75/10)

Total time 71:29

I can see why this is such an important and, yes, seminal album--especially for the rise and notice of the fusion of jazz and rock 'n' roll musics, but it's really not a an album of great songs: ground-breaking and often great performances, but often so raw and under-developed, rarely enjoyable or "finished" feeling.

90.69 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor-masterpiece of genre-busting rock- and avant-infused jazz music that would open the doors for all other jazz-rock fusion ideas and bands to come flooding into the fold. Definitely one of THE landmark albums of the J-R Fusion movement.





41. STANLEY CLARKE Stanley Clarke (1974)

Bass guitar legend Stanley Clarke's debut foray as a band leader.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Stanley Clarke / acoustic & electric basses, piano (2), vocals, brass orchestration (1), Fx, arranger & producer
With:
- Bill Connors / acoustic & electric guitars
- Jan Hammer / acoustic & electric pianos, organ, Moog synthesizer
- Anthony ("Tony") Williams / drums
With:
- String Section of: Beverly Lauridsen, Carol Buck, Charles P. McCracken, David Nadien, Emanuel Green, Harold Kohon, Harry Cykman, Harry Lookofsky, Jesse Levy and Paul Gershman
- Peter Gordon, Daid Taylor, Jon Faddis, James Buffington, Lew Soloff and Garnett Brown / brass section
- Michael Gibbs / string & brass orchestration (5,6)
- Airto Moreira / percussion (6)

1. "Vulcan Princess" (4:00) great whole-band jazz-rock with horn section and a bit of the RTF feel in the rhythm section. How to find fault with this? Maybe it lacks a little in the melody side. And drummer "Anthony" (Tony) Williams doesn't get much chance to shine. (9.25/10)

2. "Yesterday Princess" (1:41) slowed down for Stanley's vocals. (4.75/5)

3. "Lopsy Lu" (7:03) another song which amply displays Stanley, Bill Connors, and Jan Hammer's skills but seems to severely restrain those of Tony Williams. The musicians all feel at such ease that at times it feels as if they're kind of just dialing in their performances--especially Jan By the time we get to the fifth minute it's feeling like a drawn out version of JEFF BECK's "Freeway Jam" (which, I know, came out later). Tony finally gets to show off a bit in the sixth minute but even there it feels dialed in. (13/15)

4. "Power" (7:20) okay, finally Tony Williams gets to show his stuff! A full minute of just him, tout seul! When the rest of the band joins in they settle into a fairly (and surprisingly) steady funk pattern of surprising simplicity. Its spaciousness allows plenty of room for Bill's rhythm guitar and Jan's soloing to be heard even if Stanley's four chord bass line is getting really old. Luckily, he begins to change things up--add riffs and plucks--while the electric guitar and Moog take turns playing around up front. Tony is steady but even he gets lots of room to embellish and fill while Stanley seems to hold down the fort--until the sixth minute, that is, when he starts to get antsy. Then there is a shift in motif at 5:30, this one shifting Stanley's gear up a notch or two as Bill and Jan (now on electric piano) trade solos. This section sounds much more like that which is to come in the next RTF albums. (13.25/15)

5. "Spanish Phases for Strings & Bass" (6:26) opening with two minutes of impressive acoustic bass play, Stanley stops and then Michael Gibbs' string section joins in for a bit to support Stanley, but then disappearing while Stanley goes back to exploratory improvisation on his now-electric bass. Another bridge at 4:15 of strings before Stanley unleashes a fury of chord strumming. I can see how this song might be very exciting and inspiring for other bass players--aspiring and otherwise. I only wish there had been more time committed to interplay/layering of the bass with/within the strings. (13.375/10)

6. "Life Suite" :
- "Part I" (1:51) time-keeping piano left hand with bowed double bass and full orchestra. (4.75/5)
- "Part II" (4:12) and now we're off to the races. Awesome orchestral support. And bass play. Becomes very Chick Corea-sounding as it goes on. About halfway through there is a switch in motifs as a gentle Latin foundation settles in with very engaging bass and rhythm guitar play over which Jan Hammer performs a very Chick-Corea-like Moog solo. Love the horn accents. (9.125/10)
- "Part III "(1:03) a return to swirling piano play with strings and bowed double bass carrying the main melody. (4.75/5)
- "Part IV" (6:41) gently repetitive rhythm track once again allows for space for other instruments to solo and for accents and flourishes for those instruments waiting in the wings (for their turns). Bill Connor's first solo builds and builds into what sounds so much like the solos that Al Di Meola will become so celebrated for--and he gets over three minutes to perform! At first warming into his space and spotlight, his solo becomes something for the ages. Now I think I finally understand why this guy is so revered! Even Tony Williams' drumming seems almost lame in support and comparison! Jan Hammer gets the final minute to solo but this has really been a Bill Connors display--and a very giving and selfless act of band leader Stanley Clarke to offer up. (9.75/10)

Total Time 40:31

This is Stanley's album but don't miss Bill Connors' work in the final movement of the "Life Suite."

90.59 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of Jazz-Rock Fusion.





42. WEATHER REPORT Mysterious Traveller (1974)

Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter's fourth expression of their collaborative interpretation of "jazz-rock fusion" shows the band continuing their sound experimentation while adding some more form and multi-track engineering to the mix.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Joe Zawinul / piano, Rhodes, synth, kalimba (7), organ (7), tamboura (7), clay drum (7), maracas (7), tac piano & melodica (5), vocals (1,7), co-producer
- Wayne Shorter / soprano & tenor saxophones, co-producer
- Alphonso Johnson / bass
- Miroslav Vitous / bass (2)
- Ishmael Wilburn / drums
- Don Um Romao / percussion, drums (6)
With:
- Billie Barnum / vocals (1)
- Edna Wright / vocals (1)
- Marti McCall / vocals (1)
- Jessica Smith / voocals (1)
- James Gilstrap / vocals (1)
- Auger James Adderley / vocals (2)
- Skip Hadden / drums (1,4)
- Steve "Muruga" Booker / percussion (1)
- Ray Barretto / percussion (3)
- Steve Little / timpani (6)
- Don Ashworth / ocarina & woodwind (7)
- Isacoff / tabla & finger cymbals (7)

1. "Nubian Sundance" (live) (10:43) with this live performance--coming from quite an expanded stage lineup--we can definitely hear the "future" of this band's sound (including riff elements that will become "Birdland"). Newcomers Alphonse Johnson and Ishmael Wilburn sure bring a strong and steady presence to the rhythm section! This song also makes one wish for more vocals and/or choir presence in jazz-rock fusion. Though I still hear some of the textural approach to song and music building carrying over from their earlier albums (especially Sweetwater) I feel that there is a lot more polish and finish to this than anything from before. (18.75/20)

2. "American Tango" (3:42) a developmental step toward or preview of what will become "A Remark You Made." There's Joe still experimenting with the sounds he can get out of his synthesizers. (8.875/10)

3. "Cucumber Slumber" (8:25) gentle funk with congas to help usher along a fabric for Joe and Wayne to play over. Showing Joe still being enamored with his wah pedal effect on his electric piano. Not much on the top to make one shout out about this one. (17.5/20)

4. "Mysterious Traveller" (7:21) It feels odd to hear Joe's piano cuz it's been a while--and he's playing his electric one at the same time as well. Multi-tracking by Wayne on both his saxes. I like the way Joe is alternating his bass clef piano chords with the bass guitar's regular riffs. His electric piano play in the fifth minute is the song's highlight for me. (13.25/15)

5. "Blackthorn Rose" (5:05) a soft, spacious, and slow song of delicately played piano and sax. It starts out as a duet before Wayne's emotional playing calls for the joinder of a synth wash and melodica around the two minute mark. This one shows the duo definitely toying around with space as Joe's piano support of Wayne becomes very short-lived chords played in syncopated patterns. The final minute allows some normal piano play with a little more melodica. Cute. (8.875/10)

6. "Scarlet Woman" (5:43) wind sounds are gradually joined by soft timpani before some horn and synth horn blasts shock the hell out of us. The foundation is so spacious and atmospheric--like Native American drums being played outside on the Great Plains--which makes the unpatterned appearances of the horn and synth blasts so unsettling--even at the end of the song! The fourth minute sees some sax soloing during a longer stretch of quiet but then this is spoiled by a prolonged attack of the horn blasts. The song fades out with wind as if the Scarlet Woman had just been passing through the area of an Native American encampment--like a wild animal or spirit/ghost. Interesting. (8.75/10)

7. "Jungle Book" (7:22) more gentle spaciousness with human voices and odd percussion instruments with distant upright piano, bass, and ocarina all mixed together as if being viewed from some rocky outcropping above the campfire. Happy and celebratory--preceeding some of those similarly happy and complex songs from Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays in the early Group days and especially with As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls. (13.25/15)

Total Time: 48:21

Man have the band progressed light years since their previous album with much more development than usual on some of the songs while, at the same time, this may be the most cinematic of all of the Weather Report albums I know.

90.50 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of forward-moving yet-still experimental jazz-rock fusion.





43. HERBIE MANN Stone Flute (1969)

Recorded in New York on March 18 & 20 and August 8, 1969 and then released in 1970 on January 15 on Herbie's on Herbie's new label, Embryo. The album represents quite a departure from previous Herbie albums in that it contains five (out of six) original compositions. It also employs several fairly young, experimental instrumentalists in Roy Ayers, Sonny Sharrock, Ron Carter, and Miroslav Vitous.

Lineup / Musicians:
- Herbie Mann / flute
- Roy Ayers / vibraphone
- Sonny Sharrock / guitar
- Ron Carter / bass (1,2, 6)
- Miroslav Vitous / bass (3-5)
- Bruno Carter / drums (1, 2, 6)
- Mickey Roker / drums (3-5)
with Strings:
Violins: Peter Dimitriades, Emanuel Green (1,2, 6), Gene Orloff (1,2, 6)
Viola / Selwart Clarke, Al Brown (3-5)
Cello: Kermit Moore (3-5), George Ricci (1,2, 6)
Arranger: William Fischer

1. "In Tangier/Paradise Beach" (10:35) quite a long. atmospheric, and very cinematic (think Lawrence of Arabia) opening with mellifluous low flute notes played alongside Bruno Carter's twinkle-touch cymbal play. Guitar, bass, and other percussives begin to eek their way into the mix in the third minute. Then strings, At the five-minute mark the music shifts into its second theme, "Paradise Beach." Ron Carter double bass, uncredited piano (that I'll assume is Herbie but could be Roy Ayers), a little vibraphone, with simple time-keeping brushed drums and, later, orchestral strings establish the rich, almost lush soundscape; it's beautiful! Herbie Mann's approach to flute is so soothing and melodic. I love this! Now I know who might have inspired BOB JAMES to make the kind of music he did. A very enjoyable tune! (19/20)

2. "Flying" (5:21) from the Baptist church organ opening to the Southern fried blues meat of the soft center, I can appreciate the music and its performances but have to admit that I do not really enjoy this music. (8.75/10)

3. "Don't You Know the Way (How I Feel About You)" (5:17) a song mired in the blues. Slow and melodic but it just doesn't satisfy me. (8.5/10)

4. "Miss Free Spirit" (12:40) Very nice work (and interplay) between Miroslav Vitous, Herbie, and drummer Mickey Roker. The music is still very much jazz despite the enlistment of electronic elements (like Sonny Sharrock and the uncredited organ). The flute play is way more vivacious than anything before this, Herbie really showing his skills in the third and fourth minutes. Song swims along rather placidly until some weird descending strings chords are added near the end. (22.25/25)

5. "Waltz for My Song" (4:23) another slow, drawn out rather contemplative exploration of unusual chord progressions from bass, vibes, and organ over which Herbie's flute tries to find and create melody. Very interesting. (But what's the deal with all of the uncredited keyboard parts? That's four songs now!) I like it most for the fact that everyone on board feels equally invested and engaged. Great, fitting performances. And a beautiful closing with William Fischer's strings arrangement in support. (8.875/10)

6. "Pendulum" (2:35) a little bit of stage-friendly Burt Bacharach-like pop and circumstance. (5/5)

Total Time: 40:51

As other reviewers have noted, this is not the Sonny Sharrock that everyone will be expecting: here he's quite reserved and circumspect; the album offers more opioid effect than exciting experimentalism. Also, this not a very inspired or dynamic Ron Carter. Even the young and adventurous Miroslav Vitous has a little trouble unleashing his true self on the songs he performs on.

90.47 on the Fishscales = A-/4.5 stars; an excellent album of subtle performances from a great cast but not quite a masterpiece of Jazz-Rock Fusion.





44. PERIGEO Azimut (1972)

A ground-breaking Jazz-Rock Fusion band from Italy that is new to me, thanks to PA compendium of so many things Italian, James Baldwin. This is the band's debut album. Apparently, several members of Perigeo would go on to historic acclaim in solo and other projects, including keyboard virtuoso Franco D'Andrea and saxophonist Claudio Fasoli as well as the band's leader, bassist/composer Giovanni Tommaso from Lucca in Tuscany.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Bruno Biriaco / drums, percussion
- Franco D'Andrea / acoustic & electric pianos
- Claudio Fasoli / alto & soprano saxophone
- Tony Sidney / electric guitar
- Giovanni Tommaso / vocals, basses

1. "Posto di non so dove" (6:12) Listening to the first song of Azimet, I'm immediately blown away by the Demetrio Stratos-like vocals (a year before anybody'd heard of Demetrio Stratos), the brilliant Don Pullen-like piano, as well as the truly distinctive saxophone. The transition near the beginning of the fourth minute reminds me of early Premiata Forneria Marconi and Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso. I wonder if they (or Tommaso) had ever heard of the Giuseppi Logan Quartet. Beautiful! And so refreshingly new! (9.25/10)

2. "Grandangolo" (8:22) The second song seems to convey a feeling and stylistic approach that Eumir Deodato would make popular a year later in America with crème de la crème American jazz players--though there are also Tony Williams Lifetime feelings to it as well (despite the excellent funky bass). I'm am loving this rhythm section! Drummer Bruno Biriaco is quite impressive! The Fender Rhodes soloing is okay and the raunchy electric guitar is great but it's this rhythm section! They are so tight! Great smooth saxophone soloing in the sixth minute. (I love the engineering effects used on it.) And I love the quick descent into frenzied chaos for the final minute before pulling it together for the final coda! It's so Tony Williams like! (18/20)

3. "Aspettando il nuovo giorno" (3:55) The spacious third song opens with the nice Fender Rhodes and electric bass interplay. As sax joins in and then drummer's cymbal play, the keyboard moves to a repeating chord progression while electric guitar and sax solo over the gentle jazz. This part reminds me of both The Soft Machine and Miles Davis. Quite a pleasant listen. (9/10)

4. "Azimut" (7:18) Side Two's title songs seems to continue the spacious forms from the previous song, though this one a little more free jazz-like. Piano, bowed bass and tuned percussion sounds. This sounds so much like the opening of Return to Forever's "The Romantic Warrior"! (Did Chick steal it from Tommaso?) As the song develops further, it reminds me more of the works of Alice Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders in the late 1960s. Then, halfway through, the band pauses to come together for a structured full band presentation--one in which the presentation of the main melody is traded off among the instrumentalists in a kind of call-and-response rondo! Cool! Then Franco goes off on a wild piano solo while guitar and bass keep the vehicle on the road (with drummer providing some very entertaining accents and embellishments). Once again I am reminded of the jazzier post-Third work of The Soft Machine (as well as Ian Carr's post-Nucleus albums). (13.5/15)

5. "Un respiro" (1:30) The second song on Side Two opens with gentle Fender Rhodes chords supporting the twin melody-making of saxophone and Tommaso's reverbed vocalise. Very cool little interlude! (4.6667/5)

6. "36° parallelo" (9:51) The final songs breaks out sounding very much like a song from The Soft Machine. The dirty electric guitar takes the first lead over the steady drummer, Fender Rhodes chord play, and machine gun note-delivery of the bass. The rhythm section is really moving! And the melody lines are awesome! I especially like saxophonist Claudio Fasoli's sound and style. Impressive drum solo in the fourth minute. These guys can all play but the drummer, keyboardist, saxophonist, and bass player are all of the very highest caliber! A little too oriented toward the individual solos throughout the second half, which kind of turns me off, but excellent jazz. (17.875/20)

90.36 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; an excellent jazz-rock fusion album--one of the best j-r fuse debut albums ever! A minor masterpiece of Jazz-Rock Fusion.





45. MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA Visions of the Emerald Beyond (1975)

An album in which all of John McLaughlin's recent influences can be felt: Jimi Hendrix, Carlos Santana, Shakti/Indian music, the Classical Impressionists, even the raw Larry Coryell sound.

Line-up / Musicians:
- John McLaughlin / 6- & 12-string guitars, vocals
- Gayle Moran / keyboards, vocals
- Jean-Luc Ponty / violins (electric & baritone electric) (10 solo)
- Ralphe Armstrong / bass, double bass, vocals
- Michael Walden / drums, percussion, clavinet, vocals
With:
- Bob Knapp / flute, trumpet, flugelhorn, vocals
- Russell Tubbs / alto & soprano saxes
- Steven Kindler / 1st violin (5 solo)
- Carol Shive / 2nd violin, vocals
- Phillip Hirschi / cello

1. "Eternity's Breath Part 1" (3:10) taking a bit to get started, the band eventually establishes a Hendrix-like power motif over which some Indian scales are recited and repeated by the new soloists (Ponty and McLaughlin) and choral vocals perform. It's okay. Sounds a bit juvenile. (8.66667/10)

2. "Eternity's Breath Part 2" (4:48) more group chant vocals à la MAGMA over some complex but tightly performed group rock-jazz. McLaughlin takes the first solo--sounding very different from his "normal" self--more like Carlos Santana. He backs down into electric guitar power chords while Jean-Luc takes the next solo. Grand piano and strings and McLaughlin take the next motif before returning to the "love supreme" Hendrix group chant. Impressive play from everyone--nice composition. No wonder Jean-Luc took Ralphe Armstrong with him for his next three solo albums (Enigmatic Ocean, Cosmic Messenger, and A Taste for Passion). (9/10)

3. "Lila's Dance" (5:34) solo piano opens this one (and finishes it), leading into a nice little classical construct. At the end of the third minute the music takes a radical left into blues-rock in order for McLaughlin to take a wild Hendrix-like solo. Nice musicianship; I just don't really like the music. (8.875/10)

4. "Can't Stand Your Funk" (2:09) rhythm guitar, funk bass and drums, horns. Not much here, really; it's like an étude of a OHIO PLAYERS or early KOOL AND THE GANG song. (4.25/5)

5. "Pastoral" (3:41) birds introduce a piece that sounds Indian musicians taking on a Western classical composer (like Elgar or Delius)'s rendering of a traditional folk tune. Weird and, frankly, a little unexpected and out of place on a Mahavishnu Orchestra album. Yet well played! (9/10)

6. "Faith" (2:00) an unusual splicing of three different pieces, one that sounds like Larry CORYELL's abrasive guitar. (4.25/5)

7. "Cosmic Strut" (3:28) this one feels like a Jean-Luc Ponty composition: so funky and straightforward in the linear setup for a successive series of jazz solos. Confirmed by the presence of Jean-Luc himself in the "key" soloist's spot. I like the horn accents! And the clavinet and funk bass. Rudimentary for Jean-Luc, but it does all work. (9/10)

8. "If I Could See" (1:18) Gayle Moran's operatic voice over theatric strings, bass and horns. Like a big WHO rock opera kind of thing. Interesting. (4.5/5)

9. "Be Happy" (3:31) Bled into from the previous song (!!) we are off to the Jean-Luc Ponty races à la his great piece, "Egocentric Molecules," from Cosmic Messenger. The presence of John McLaughlin's pyroclastic guitar bolts makes it a bit different, though. Again, Jean-Luc takes the prime soloist's spot but he's challenged to a duel there by the Mahavishnu himself. It's pretty epic and awesome seeing these two go toe to toe. (I'm sure they both LOVED it!) Jean-Luc's song is simply the perfect vehicle for this. (9.5/10)

10. "Earth Ship" (3:42) a contrastingly gentle recovery song: very smooth and ambient with Fender Rhodes, gently walking bass, and soaring distant violin and flutes within which what sounds like Narada's voice singing as well as some bluesy McLaughlin guitar snippets. Nice! (9.25/10)

11. "Pegasus" (1:48) like instruments in a void: first fiery electric guitar strums followed by wafting violin swaths, ending with more of the percussive-like heavily-effected guitar strums. I find this one very interesting--worth further exploration. (4.75/5)

12. "Opus 1" (0:15) a quickly passing falcon is barely seen as it soars past.

13. "On the Way Home to Earth" (4:34) Narada Michael Walden puts together his best, most Lenny White-like drumming while John explores the sounds of his heavily-distorted guitar. A short break in the middle and then Michael is up and drumming again, this time with John's less-adulterated exploration of the upper-most frets of his electric guitar. It's very Hergest Ridge-like when the organ chords sneak up from underneath. I actually really like this one too despite it feeling, again, like an underdeveloped étude. (9.25/10)

Total Time 39:58

I couldn't agree with Ivan Melgar more: I always felt more engaged and satisfied by the second incarnation of the Mahavishnu Orchestra. The flash of the first incarnation never drew me back for reasons of pleasure, more for reasons of amazement and awe. And now, forty years later, I find Inner Mounting Flame and Birds of Fire hardly listenable, while Visions and Apocalypse have a warmth and friendliness that invite me in and keep me wanting to come back. Understand: Goodman, Cobham, Laird and Hammer are amazing and impressive instrumentalists but it was like they were all just waiting for their turn to flash--to solo--not really making music or songs; the second incarnation the MO seem more cohesive, playing memorable music, cohesive, repeatable songs. The first incarnation are jaw dropping amazing; the second incarnation produced music I want to listen to.

90.29 on the Fishscales = A-/4.5 stars; a very minor masterpiece of experimental jazz-rock fusion.





46. DEDALUS Dedalus (1973) 

A great, amazingly well-produced Canterbury-oriented jazz album. (from my 9/22/13 review on PA:) Presdoug is right: This is an album that deserves much more attention and recognition than it has (thus far) received. The other reviewers aptly cover the comparable bands though some of the uses of electronics reminds me of a less-avant DEODATO, too. Everyone seems to want to give Soft Machine or Weather Report credit for the style and sound of this band, but I think this group has far superior planning and less jamming, plus the instrumentation sounds are often quite different (the keys' sounds are much more diverse than Ratledge, more strings-oriented than Zawinal & Co.) Also, the guitarist sounds much more "straightforward" jazz, not at all like John McLaughlin (to me). I love the combination of the Coltrane, Freddy Hubbard/Chick Corea and Eumir Deodato feel of "C.T. 6" and the beautiful "Leda" and "Brilla." Side 2 definitely feels more jazz-oriented than Canterbury or Avant/RIO to me.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Marco Di Castri / guitar, tenor saxophone, percussion
- Fiorenzo Bonansone / electric cello, Fender Rhodes, synth (3)
- Furio Di Castri / bass, percussion
- Enrico Grosso / drums, percussion
- René Mantegna / African percussion

1. "Santiago" (9:13) driven by a great bass line and some solid rhythmic support from keys and drums, the sax and electric cello get most of the solos on this long, very well produced jam. The spacey electric cello begins a solo in the middle of the song, allowing Fiorenzo Bonansone the chance to display the experimental use of the echo and sustain effects he's plugged into. This solo plays out for the remainder of the song--about five minutes worth. Reminiscent of some of the electronic sound experiments released on albums by CHICAGO, PINK FLOYD, or JEAN-LUC PONTY. (17.75/20)

2. "Leda" (4:30) an unexceptional first half yields to an amazing second half with simply stunning work from the Fender Rhodes. (8.75/10)

3. "Conn" (3:48) an oddly discontiguous intro opens this one for the first minute before a fully formed jazz tune is spliced in and played out for the next two-and-a-half minutes. (8.5/10)

4. "C.T.6" (14:02) the truest jazz song on the album, this one could have come straight from an RTF or Freddy Hubbard album. There are several sections, each with their own groove, pacing, melodic structure, and familiarity, from flourishes of John Coltrane, Thelonius Monk, Deodato, and Herbie Hancock. Nice Jerry Goodman-like play from the electric cello in the tenth minute. Not a prog song, this is an excellent jazz song, filled totally with jazz solos, jazz scales, and jazz drumming. (28/30)

5. "Brilla" (5:39) drums, bass, and beautiful Fender Rhodes play support to a gorgeous and sensitive solo saxophone in the lead . . . for the first 1:23. Then things stop, change directions, pick up speed, and shift into electric cello and fast-walking bass mode. Lead instrument switches to electric guitar and then back and forth, sometimes together, until 4:45 when we turn back onto a Coltrane-like sax-led "easy street," familiar to us from the opening section. (9/10)

Total Time: 37:12

For now I'll give it four stars--especially as I'm not sure how "proggy" this is--despite the avant use of space, electrified strings, and diverse keyboard sounds. Maybe further familiarity will cause it to climb to masterpiece status. I will add that it has incredible engineering/production for its time!

It is quite remarkable how narrow the window of productivity was for the artists of this amazing nation and yet how bright these stars shine. Also of interest to me is how these artists most typically produced only one, maybe two, album forays into the "experimental" fad that was progressive rock--again, a testament to how small the window of "popularity" this musical movement had. As a matter of fact, only five of the bands recognized in this list of masterpieces from the "classic" RPI period of 1971-1975 had more than two albums under consideration (PFM, Le Orme, Banco, Area, and Oliver/Cherry Five/Goblin).

90.0 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a of jazz-rock fusion.