Jazz Archives

My rating of four stars is based on the assumption that the listener considers the confluence of jazz-rock fusion, disco and almost Zeuhl-like Magma-ish material, from a pioneer Miles Davis Alumni, of interest to a progarchives denizen. Admittedly, it's hard for me to imagine how this album might come across to a modern listener who didn't live through the disco age, the Miles late 70's electric period, and the Prog heyday of the mid-late 70's. The closest modern reference I can think of (minus the disco era vocals) is Squarepusher's "Music is Rotted One Note". I was notorious for toting the vinyl of this album with me circa 1977, and subjecting my friends to it. I found it's mix of booty shaking grooves, funky Weather Report and Miles-like textures, and spaced out background vocals to be a stand out of the era, and still enjoy listening to it today. If your taste in prog encompasses the jazz-rock and funk experiments of the mid 70's, Magma, or even the Japanese Zeuhl expressions of Koenjihyakkei and Bondage Fruit, I'd recommend giving this album a listen. Miroslav Vitous may not be a prog icon, but he certainly is a major figure in jazz and fusion history, and this particular entry should interest those with a broader interest and definition of what constitutes *prog*.

:::Review by G. Hogweed:::

Miroslav Vitous - Magical Shepherd (1976)

1. Basic Laws 11:46
2. New York City 9:32
3. Synthesizers Dance 5:09
4. Magical Shepherd 6:09
5. From Far Away 2:30
6. Aim Your Eye 6:57

Credits
Bass - Miroslav Vitous
Drums - Jack DeJohnette , James Gadson
Guitar - Miroslav Vitous
Keyboards - Herbie Hancock
Percussion - Airto Moreira
Vocals - Cheryl Grainger