Jazz Archives

The aesthetic and cultural merits of Eddie Gale's Ghetto Music cannot be overstated. That it is one of the most obscure recordings in Blue Note's catalogue -- paid for out of label co-founder Francis Wolff's own pocket -- should tell us something. This is an apocryphal album, one that seamlessly blends the new jazz of the '60s -- Gale was a member of the Sun Ra Arkestra before and after these sides, and played on Cecil Taylor's Blue Note debut Unit Structures -- with gospel, soul, and the blues. Gale's sextet included two bass players and two drummers -- in 1968 -- as well as a chorus of 11 voices, male and female. Sound like a mess? Far from it. This is some of the most spiritually engaged, forward-thinking, and finely wrought music of 1968. What's more is that, unlike lots of post-Coltrane new jazz, it's ultimately very listenable. Soloists comes and go, but modes, melodies, and harmonies remain firmly intact. The beautiful strains of African folk music and Latin jazz sounds in "Fulton Street," for example, create a veritable chromatic rainbow. "A Walk With Thee" is a spiritual written to a march tempo with drummers playing counterpoint to one another and the front line creating elongated melodic lines via an Eastern harmonic sensibility. Does it swing? Hell yeah! The final cut, "The Coming of Gwilu," moves from the tribal to the urban and everywhere in between using Jamaican thumb piano's, soaring vocals à la the Arkestra, polyrhythmic invention, and good old fashioned groove jazz, making something entirely new in the process. While Albert Ayler's New Grass was a failure for all its adventurousness, Ghetto Music, while a bit narrower in scope, succeeds because it concentrates on creating a space for the myriad voices of an emerging African-American cultural force to be heard in a single rchitecture.

:::Review by Thom Jurek:::

Eddie Gale - Ghetto Music (1968)

1. The Rain 6:23
2. Fulton Street 6:47
3. A Understanding 7:50
4. A Walk With Thee 6:06
5. The Coming Of Gwilu 13:37

Credits
Bass - James "Tokio" Reid , Judah Samuel
Drums - Richard Hackett , Thomas Holman
Lead Vocals - Elaine Beener
Saxophone [Tenor], Flute - Russell Lyle
Trumpet, Recorder [Soprano], Kalimba [Jamaican Thumb Piano], Steel Drums, Whistle [Bird], Composed By, Arranged By, Conductor - Eddie Gale
Vocals - Art Jenkins , Barbara Dove , Edward Walrond , Evelyn Goodwin , Fulumi Prince , Mildred Weston , Norman Right , Sondra Walston , Sylvia Bibbs

The OM first appeared on the scene in 1970, particularly in the Show "Toxic and Electric horn 6" with Toti Soler, Josep Polo Montaberry and Doro. They recorded two singles for Edigsa (Vindra the Llum) and sang a theme (Waiting of Godot). In May 1971 they recorded their first single and album namesake Edigsa. In late 1971 they began to record an album titled "Death of Butterfly". In 1972, after a brief reappearance, the group separates and Jordi Toti Soler recorded a solo album in July 1973 entitled "Gat blanc" which reflects his inclination to the Flemish and the use of the guitar espanola.

Excellent guitar driven jazz rock on this album!! Sometimes a bit mellow and Miles Davis-like, sometimes more rocking. The instrumental performances are way above average, and even the occasional vocals are good. The last track, called "Waiting of Godot" is perhaps a bit unnecessary, since it's a bit too easy going, but overall a very much recommended album, for the lovers of jazz, instrumental music, and guitar rock.

:::Review from http://progres-agitation.blogspot.com:::

Om – Om (1971)

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

Credits
Bass - Manuel Elias (tracks: 1 to 4)
Bongos - Xavier Batllés (tracks: 1 to 4)
Drums - Peter Hodgkinson
Drums, Organ, Tambourine - Martí Soler (tracks: 5, 6)
Electric Bass - Manuel Elias (tracks: 5, 6)
Electric Guitar, Cello - Jordi Soler (tracks: 5, 6)
Guitar - Martí Soler (tracks: 1 to 4)
Guitar, Percussion - Jordi Soler (tracks: 1 to 4)
Maracas, Percussion - Francesc Pi De La Serra (tracks: 1 to 4)
Percussion - Rafael Poch (tracks: 1 to 4)
Trumpet - Xavier Garcia

The P.C. in the title refers to Pierre Courbois, the drummer whose country of origin I keep forgetting - Belgium or Holland - in any event the group contained people who were known in Northern European early 70s jazz-rock circles - in particular keyboardist Jasper van't Hof and guitarist Toto Blanke, whose later 70s group Electric Circus gets mentioned in the recent Krautrock discographies. [BB]

In their classic configuration, Association P.C. were comprised of percussionist Pierre Courbois, keyboarding Jasper Van't Hoff, bassist Siggi Busch, and guitarist Toto Blanke. Earwax retains the swing of jazz rhythms, although much of it is electrified and the playing abandons structure almost as often as it embraces it.  Best cut is "Round A'bout Nine" (sic), which is centred on a solo acoustic bassline, evocative of some traditional European folksong and accented with crazy percussive and electronic voicings -- eventually even the bassist dissolves into pure sound investigation.  Good free playing, although not particularly kozmik.  The linernotes to Earwax drop Soft Machine, MEV and er, Burnin' Red Ivanhoe as references. Sun Rotation immediately sounds heavier, tho I attribute some of this to Conny Plank's engineering role.  Courbois is playing more rock-based rhythms, and even gets into some near-funk at the beginning of "Totemism." Still, don't mistake this for Miles' fusion-- this album is very progressive and European and is closer aligned to some of the early ECM black sheep. Lotsa weirdo time signatures too (11/8 on "Neuteboom" and 7/8 on "Fran Theunissen".)  This is the record with the controversial slagging of free jazz on the back cover-- ironically, much of this album is without a groove. The live Erna Morena set sees them moving deeper into free rock, with a greater emphasis on textural playing.  Karl Wiberny guests on reeds and contributes to the album's best moment, on "Space Erna" where Van't Hoff's dense organ washes are roughed up by Wiberny's alto clarinet squonks.  By this point, the transgressions were established and although (or maybe because) Wiberny's blowing wasn't particularly virtuous, it lended itself perfectly to the group.  Nice and scrappy, an aesthetic which sadly became endangered-- shunned, really-- in jazz-rock as the 70s progressed. [DW]

The liner notes to Erna Morena throw around the Soft Machine comparisons pretty liberally but think post-Robert Wyatt when most "rock" elements (aside from electric instruments) have been lost - the liner notes also consider mentioning Chicago, Colosseum, Blood Sweat and Tears, Cream and Tony Williams' Lifetime in the same breath as a thinkable proposition so the historical element is invaluable. Although the LP, in part no doubt because of it's obscurity has always been a bit of a prize of mine, I was listening to it hard recently and all the experimental parts and ring modulator squawks are cool, when it's time to actually "blow" (you know, like Coltrane or something), they don't quite stack up. With titles like "Space Erna" and "Erna in India" there's a certain drone/trance aesthetic at work that gives it some appeal and it's important to remember that some people really thought those recently reissued Miles Davis double-lives from the era were crap at the time too, so you don't want to get really bogged down in evaluating it in some kind of purist jazz terms. [BB]

Joachim Kuhn joined Association PC for their final two recordings, Rock Around The Cock and Mama Kuku, replacing Jasper Van't Hoff when the latter took leave to form the much lesser project, Pork Pie. While the playing on these lps may tend toward the complex and technical, it's employed as a vocabulary rather than as something cosmetic. Listening to it as I type, I'd haveta say this occasionally evokes the powerhouse attack of Miles' lost quintet (cf. the 1969 Antibes gig, "In A Violent Way.") Worthy. [DW]

:::Review from http://www.freeform.org/music/a/Association_PC.html:::

Association P.C. - Erna Morena (1972)

1. Frau Theunissen's Kegel (8:05)
2. Erna Morena (37:12)
a) Space Erna (9:35)
b) Erna In India (5:50)
c) Erna Audi Maxima! (2:28)
d) Only Grass In My Stomach (12:17)
e) Schnoor 8 (7:02)

Credits
-Toto Blanke/ Guitars
-Jasper van't Hof/ E-Piano, Organ
-Siggi Busch/ Bass, Kontrabass
-Pierre Curbois/ Drums, Percussion

guest:
-Karl H. Wiberny/ Sax, Clarinet

When I was hearing the young French band NeBeLNeST for the first time, I instantly understood that they have to be one of the most interesting avant-garde progressive rock bands today. "Nova Express" is actually their second album, but unfortunately I haven't had the opportunity to hear that album. My first thought was that they had reminiscences to KING CRIMSON, but without being clones. Later on I could also hear similarities to MAGMA, MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA, MATS & MORGAN, THINKING PLAGUE, UNIVERS ZERO. The music is energetic and intricate with intense drum playing masterly performed by Michael Anselmi. His one of the most interesting drummers I've heard recently. All the members are highly technical top musicians and the album is not surprisingly released on one of my three favorite labels: Cuneiform Records. Without doubt one of the best releases this year.

:::Review by Greger:::

NeBeLNeST - NoVa eXPReSS (2002)

1. BLaCKMaiL (9:35)
2. STiMPy BaR (5:12)
3. ReDRuM (11:03)
4. CiNeMa 1920 (5:00)
5. NoVa eXPReSS (15:32)

Credits
- Michael Anselmi/ drums
- Cyril Malderez / guitar
- Gregory Tejedor / bass
- Olivier Tejedor / synthesizers, devices

Like the weather itself, this band would assume a new shape with virtually every release - and this album, half recorded in the studio and half live in Tokyo, set the pattern of change. Exit Airto Moreira and Alphonse Mouzon; enter percussionist Dom Um Romao, drummer Eric Gravatt, and a slew of cameo guests like guitarist Ralph Towner, flutist Hubert Laws, and others. The studio tracks are more biting, more ethnically diverse in influence, and more laden with electronic effects and grandiose structural complexities than before. The live material (heard in full on the import Live in Tokyo) is even fiercer and showcases for the first time some of the tremendous drive WR was capable of, though it doesn't give you much of an idea of its stream of consciousness nature.

:::Review by Richard S. Ginell:::

Weather Report - I Sing the Body Electric (1972)

1. Unknown Soldier 7:57
2. The Moors 4:40
3. Crystal 7:16
4. Second Day In August 4:09
5. Medley: Vertical Invader, T.H., Dr. Honoris Causa 10:10
6. Surucucú 7:42
7. Directions 4:37

Credits
Bass - Miroslav Vitous
Drums - Eric Gravátt
Flute - Hubert Laws  Jr.
Guitar [12-string] - Ralph Towner (tracks: 2)
Keyboards [Electric & Acoustic] - Josef Zawinul
Percussion - Dom Um Romao (tracks: 2)
Reeds - Wayne Shorter
Trumpet [D And Piccolo] - Wilmer Wise
Vocals - Chapman Roberts , Joshie Armstrong , Yolande Bavan

Imagine writing for an instrumentation of two electric guitars, two tubas, French horn, drums and Henry Threadgill's alto. Threadgill was up to the challenge and his four avant-garde originals utilize the odd combination of tones to great advantage. Two additional songs feature Threadgill, just one tuba, drums, a

few exotic instruments and three strings to create some particularly unusual music. It's for the open-eared listener only.

1. Little Pocket Size Demons 10:48

2. In Touch 8:48

3. Paper Toilet 5:38

4. Better Wrapped, Better Unwrapped 13:04

5. Too Much Sugar 2:59

6. Try Some Ammonia 12:22

Composed By - Henry Threadgill

Drums - Gene Lake (tracks: 1 to 4, 6) , Larry Bright (tracks: 2, 4)

French Horn - Mark Taylor 

Guitar - Brandon Ross , Masujaa

Oud - Simon Shaheen (tracks: 2, 4)

Percussion [Fulia, Culo'e Puya] - Johnny Rudas (tracks: 2, 4) , Miguel Urvina (tracks: 2, 4, 5)

Producer - Bill Laswell , Henry Threadgill

Saxophone [Alto] - Henry Threadgill

Tuba - Dorian L. Parreott II (tracks: 2, 4, 6) , Edwin Rodriguez , Marcus Rojas

Violin - Jason Hwang (tracks: 2, 4) , Leroy Jenkins (tracks: 2, 4) , Simon Shaheen (tracks: 2, 4)

This is a major set, "new" music from John Coltrane that was recorded February 15, 1967, (five months before his death) but not released for the first time until 1995. One of several "lost" sessions that were stored by Alice Coltrane for decades, only one selection ("Offering" which was on Expression) among the eight numbers and three alternates was ever out before. The music, although well worth releasing, offers no real hints as to what Coltrane might have been playing had he lived into the 1970s. The performances by the quartet (with pianist Alice Coltrane, bassist Jimmy Garrison, and drummer Rashied Ali) are briefer (from two-and-a-half to five-plus minutes) than Coltrane's recordings of the previous year, but that might have been due to the fact that this music was played in the studio (as opposed to the marathon live blowouts with Pharoah Sanders) or to Coltrane's worsening health. Actually 'Trane (who sticks exclusively to tenor here) is as powerful as usual, showing no compromise in his intense flights, and indulging in sound explorations that are as free (but with purpose) as any he had ever done. Coltrane's true fans will want to go out of their way to acquire this intriguing CD.

:::Review by Scott Yanow:::

John Coltrane - Stellar Regions (1967)

1. Seraphic Light 8:54
2. Sun Star 6:05
3. Stellar Regions 3:31
4. Iris 3:50
5. Offering 8:20
6. Configuration 4:01
7. Jimmy's Mode 5:58
8. Tranesonic 4:14
9. Stellar Regions (Alternate Take) 4:37
10. Sun Star (Alternate Take) 8:05
11. Tranesonic (Alternate Take) 2:48

Credits
Bass - Jimmy Garrison
Drums - Rashied Ali
Piano - Alice Coltrane
Producer, Composed By, Saxophone [Tenor] - John Coltrane

Of pianist McCoy Tyner's seven Blue Note albums of the 1967-1970 period, Expansions is the most definitive. Tyner's group (comprised of trumpeter Woody Shaw, altoist Gary Bartz, tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter on cello, bassist Herbie Lewis, and drummer Freddie Waits) is particularly strong, the compositions (four Tyner originals plus Calvin Massey's "I Thought I'd Let You Know") are challenging, and the musicians seem quite inspired by each other's presence. The stimulating music falls between advanced hard bop and the avant-garde, pushing and pulling at the boundaries of modern mainstream jazz.

:::Review by Scott Yanow:::

McCoy Tyner – Expansions (1968)

1. Vision 12:15
2. Song of Happiness 11:55
3. Smitty's Place 5:20
4. Peresina 10:20
5. I Thought I'd Let You Know 6:25

Credits
Bass - Herbie Lewis
Cello - Ron Carter
Drums - Freddie Waits
Piano - McCoy Tyner
Producer - Duke Pearson
Recorded By - Rudy Van Gelder
Saxophone [Alto], Flute [Wooden] - Gary Bartz
Saxophone [Tenor], Clarinet - Wayne Shorter
Trumpet - Woody Shaw

Now this is more like it. In its Connoisseur Series, Blue Note is making available a completely unreleased Andrew Hill date from 1969. Passing Ships wasn't even included in the Mosaic box because the master tape wasn't found until 2001. The band Hill employed on this session was a nonet, featuring Woody Shaw and Dizzy Reece on trumpets, Joe Farrell on reeds, woodwinds, and English horn, Howard Johnson on tuba and bass clarinet, Ron Carter on bass, Lenny White (on only his second recording date) playing drums, trombonist Julian Priester, and French horn player Bob Northern. The music here is ambitious. Hill's scoring for one reed, two trumpets, and low brass is remarkable for the time. In fact, it isn't until his big-band album of 2002 that he ever ventured into these waters again. The title cut, with its bass clarinet and English horn counterpoint, is almost classical in structure but nearly Malian in melody. While the cut's dynamics are restrained, its color palette -- especially with the lilting muted trumpets playing a mysterious harmonic line -- is flush and royal.
"Plantation Bag" is a showcase for Farrell's tough, grooved-out soloing as he blows blue and free in response to Hill's funky, large-spread chord voicings. The trumpets layer one another in the middle of the tune, alternately soloing and punching comp lines through the middle. The Asian melodic figures at the heart of "Noon Tide" add exoticism to one of the most adventurous tunes ever written by Hill. Rhythmically it turns on pulse rhythms that shift and slide methodically as Priester takes the tune's first solo, playing against Hill's left-hand stridency. Of the remaining three selections, "Cascade," with its staggered harmonic architecture that goes against all common wisdom for big-band harmony, is remarkable for its precision and rhythmic invention. Why this isn't going to be out there for the general public for all time is beyond reason. Why punish the artist that way? Conventional wisdom would suggest that something that has been unearthed for the first time in 34 years deserves to be a part of the general catalog. Get it quick.

:::Review by Thom Jurek:::

Andrew Hill - Passing Ships (1969)

1. Sideways 4:09
2. Passing Ships 7:08
3. Plantation Bag 8:32
4. Noon Tide 9:49
5. The Brown Queen 6:22
6. Cascade 6:27
7. Yesterday's Tomorrow 5:11

Credits
Bass - Ron Carter
Clarinet [Bass Clarinet] - Howard Johnson , Joe Farrell
Drums - Lenny White
English Horn - Joe Farrell
Flute [Alto] - Joe Farrell
French Horn - Bob Northern

Piano - Andrew Hill
Producer - Francis Wolff
Saxophone [Soprano Sax] - Joe Farrell
Saxophone [Tenor Sax] - Joe Farrell
Trombone - Julian Priester
Trumpet - Dizzy Reece , Woody Shaw
Tuba - Howard Johnson

After leaving Soft Machine after their fifth album (in 72), Elton dean returned to the jazz scene for a few years and created his own groups and projects like Just Us, Elton Dean Quartet and big band Ninesense. Around Jan 78, Soft Heap was created by him with ex- Hatfield and Gligamesh members Pip Pyle and Alan Gowan, and Elton thought of inviting his old buddy and ex-Machinist Hugh Hopper. Thus the name of the band being a bit of revenge, using the Soft part of the Machine, the Heap being their respective forename's first letter. (Thus Soft Head was the same, when Pyle was unavailable and they called upon Dave Shean). Sadly Esoteric Record did not find any extra tracks lying around for this album's only second reissue, but deliver some neat liner notes.
Starting slowly , as if from a Tery riley album, the gorgeous Circle Line is the only Hopper- penned track, but certainly the most poignant on this album, in no small part due to Elton's impression of Coltrane. The collective jamming AWOL is a much more furious affair, breathing Elton's intentions with Phil Howard's short tenure of the drum stool in Soft Machine. Demented and sometimes spacey, but never really totally dissonant either. Gowen's Petit 3's is a much quieter affair with the dominating electric piano, but the slow groove is evolving a bit in an early Nucleus lava stream, pouring down a volcano's cone. Cool yet torrid, but not reaching the apex you'd wish it had.
The flipside starts on the Terra Nova were the Softs would be meeting Coltrane on the way to Ascenscion, but not reaching the summit either, even though this is the album's best track. The other Dean composition Fara is a slow jazz, close to standard granddaddy jazz and it sticks out a bit from the rest of the album. Not even old Tippettt mate Mark Charig can bring much excitement to this crooning jazz track that's only missing Louis or Ella's vocals. The closing short Hand is a free-form jazz piece written by Gowan, and sticks out just as muchas its predecessor, but in the opposite direction. True enough, Soft Heap has the inevitable Soft machine traits, but you won't catch this writer to say that they were trying to revive a spirit, even though by now, the SM mothership had folded after much more line-up changes.
A very worthy one shot album from a group that would go on to record under this name but with different personnel, their debut remaining their best. Both owan and Pyle woud go on in National Health (this album was a bit delayed to that group's schedule), but today as I write this review, Soft Heap is the first prog group (let's put aside Jimi Hendrix Experience), with Hugh Hopper's death, this group is the first to extinct by all of its members, something I'd have rather not seen or known.

:::Review by Sean Trane :::

Soft Heap - Soft Heap (1979)

1. Circle Line (6:54)
2. A.W.O.L. (9:35)
3. Petit 3's (6:17)
4. Terra Nova (10:03)
5. Fara (6:42)
6. Short Hand (3:11)

Credits
- Hugh Hopper / bass
- Elton Dean / saxes
- Alan Gowen / keyboards
- Pip Pyle / drums and percussion
- Mark Charig / cornet and trumpet
- Radu Malfatti / trombone

John Greaves and Peter Blegvad project Kew. Rhône is a jazzy RIO project quite similar to some Henry Cow music. The music is more accessible in this album, though. But it doesn't mean that the band is not RIO or that the music is not crazy and innovative in this album. Lisa Herman does most of the vocals, with the help of the other members and is credited as a main member of the project, along with Greaves and Blegvad.
A kind of a concept album, with many songs having their names containing numerals. The music is primarly jazzy, with great piano, bass and guitar work by Greaves and Blegvad. The album starts with a short interlude and goes directly to a RIO song, Twenty-Two Proverbs, whose lyrics are really proverbs. The instrumental part of the music is rich and diverse.
Seven Scenes From The Painting, the third song, is more jazzy, with great piano, saxophone and vocal work. The title track has good orchestral and piano work, with a very good melody. Pipeline is another jazzy song with good piano and saxophone work, with not much RIO elements. Catalogue Of Fifteen Objects & Their Titles is another RIO song, with good piano intro and many changes and strange elements in the song.
One Footnote has a long brassy intro and a good melody. Three Tenses Onanism is a song with a great piano work and some instrumental craziness in the middle of the song. Nine Mineral Emblems is a good jazzy song with good bass, guitar, piano and drum work, which changes and contains crazy saxophone and guitar solos. Apricot is another RIO song with good musicianship. Gegenstand is the last song, a quiet and somber song that closes the album.
The album is very good and it is the album that made me become interested in RIO. I didn't become a huge fan of RIO, but I enjoy it and I think this album is good both for people who like RIO and for people who don't know RIO very well, because, along with Henry Cow's debut, it blends jazzy songs with crazy RIO songs and are easier to get.

:::Review by akin :::

John Greaves - Kew Rhône (1977)

1. Good Evening (0:33)
2. Twenty-Two Proverbs (4:08)
3. Seven Scenes From The Painting (3:32)
4. Kew Rhône (3:04)
5. Pipeline (3:41)
6. Catalogue Of Fifteen Objects & Their Titles (3:36)
7. One Footnote (to Kew Rhône) (1:29)
8. Three Tenses Onanism (4:07)
9. Nine Mineral Emblems (5:51)
10. Apricot (3:05)
11. Gegenstand (3:46)

Credits
-Lisa Herman/ Vocals
-John Greaves/ Piano, Organ, Bass, Vocals, Percussion ( Tr.7)
-Peter Blegvad/ Vocals, Guitar, Tenor Sax (Tr. 5)
-Andrew Cyrille/ Drums, percussion
-Mike Mantler/ Trumpet, Trombone
-Carla Bley/ Vocals, Tenor Sax (Tr. 1 & 7)
-Michael Levine/ Violin, Viola, Vocals ( 9 )
-Vito Rendace/ Alto & Tenor Saxes, Flute
-April Lang/ Vocals (Tr. 5 & 8)
-Dana Johnson/ Vocals (Tr. 2)
-Boris Kinberg/ Clave (Tr. 5)

Breathtaking instrumental progressive rock from Japan carrying a nice laid back Canterbury fusion element throughout. This is truely beautiful music with some great jazz-like imagery(jazz piano..), loads of atmospheric synths (aka CAMEL), wonderful guitar accents and superb bass and drum interplay. "A Story of Mysterious Forest" seems to progress seamlessly through its wild musical transformation which moves from the intro of fusion jazz into the lounge-like excursions to its grand finale resting spot, the title 20 mins track which is full of the most wonderful pastoral, space prog you have ever heard. This epic track nicely captures with the use of the mellotron the atmosphere of the fog laden imagination within the mysterious forest... sounds deep eh! Album offers enough mood and tempo swings to satisfy every progressive rock fan for years to come. Without a doubt this is an essential jem and would most certainly be one of my personal fav from Japan...

:::Review by loserboy:::

Ain Soph - A Story Of Mysterious Forest (1980)

1. Crossfire (2:54)
2. Interlude I (1:30)
3. Natural Selection (8:10)
4. Variations on a Theme by Brian Smith (9:44)
5. A Story of Mysterious Forest (18:47)
a) Awakening
b) Longing-Whith the Wind
c) Mysterious Forest
d) Passion
e) Deep Sleep
f) Darkness
g) Dance
h) Misfortune
i) Mysterious Forest
j) Awakening
6. Interlude II (0:33)

Bonus

7. A Story Of Mysterious Forest (Oryginal version) (24:24)

Credits
- Masey Hattori / acoustic & electric pianos, celeste, Hammond organ, clavinet, synthesizers, strings, vocoder, mellotron

- Hiroshi Natori / drums, percussion, crystal gong
- Masahiro Torigaki / bass
- Yozox Yamamoto / acoustic & electric guitars

Arc of Testimony is one of the last recordings to feature legendary drummer Tony Williams, and its bold, experimental textures are a fitting epitaph to his career. Arcana was formed by bassist/producer Bill Laswell with the intention of exploring the outer reaches of fusion, ambient and free jazz. Like the group's debut, Last Wave (released only in Japan), Arc of the Testimony is a freewheeling, unpredictable blend of electronic and acoustic sounds. However, this record is even more adventurous, since it finds a common ground between improvisation and post-production studio trickery. All of the musicians Williams, Laswell, saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, saxophonist Byard Lancaster, cornetist Graham Haynes, guitarist Nicky Skopelitis and guitarist Buckethead are open-minded and help push the music forward, resulting in a thoroughly involving, challenging listen.

:::Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine:::

Bill Laswell - Extending energy and experimentation by Anil Prasad

Arcana - Arc Of The Testimony (1997)

1. Gone Tomorrow 9:39
2. Illuminator 6:07
3. Into The Circle 9:25
4. Returning 4:29
5. Calling Out The Blue Light 6:37
6. Circles Of Hell 7:15
7. Wheeless On A Dark River 4:27
8. The Earth Below 5:28

Credits
Bass - Bill Laswell
Cornet - Graham Haynes (tracks: 1, 3)
Drums - Tony Williams
Guitar - Buckethead (tracks: 2, 4, 6) , Nicky Skopelitis (tracks: 1 to 7)
Saxophone [Alto] - Byard Lancaster (tracks: 1, 3, 5)
Saxophone [Tenor] - Pharoah Sanders (tracks: 1 to 6)

Arti+Mestieri's debut album titled "Tilt" was Italy's answer to the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Layer on top of an album full of high energy and high creative explosions the masterful drumming of Furio Chirico and you have a recipe for great success. With varing styles and major tempo and mood swing this band unleash a truely wonderful album that will light the ital-prog veins in you! I should also mention that there is a good dose of Mellotron work here too. The addition of Saxes, piano, and vibraphone also give this album a stong polarity into the jazz genre. The violin wok of this album (Giovanni Vigliar) reminds me very much of Jean Luc Ponty and when combined with the band in full sounds truely majestic. Strongly recommend this album to all fans of Fusion and Ital-prog genres.

:::Review by loserboy :::

Arti E Mestieri - Tilt - Immagini Per Un Orecchio (1974)

1. Gravità 9,81 (4:05)
2. Strips (4:39)
3. Corrosione (1:37)
4. Positivo / Negativo (3:29)
5. In Cammino (5:36)
6. Scacco Matto (0:52)
7. Farenheit (1:15)
8. Articolazioni (13:24)
9. Tilt (2:29)

Credits
- Furio Chirico / drums and percussion
- Beppe Crovella / acoustic and electric pianos, synths, mellotron, Hammond organ
- Marco Gallesi / bass
- Gigi Venegoni / guitar, synthetizers
- Giovanni Vigliar / violin, vocals, percussions
- Arturo Vitale / soprano and baritone saxes, clarinets, vibraphone

This album by Zbigniew Namyslowski is considered by many as a great peak in his long career. His abilities as an improviser and his skills as a composer come together in order to create a perfect modern jazz recording. The 3 brass instruments (2 saxes and trombone) and the pianoless rhythm section all work in perfect unison with amazing interplay and scary solos chasing one after another. One can find of course influences by John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman, but this is truly original in every sense. A masterpiece!
Polish Jazz Vol.33

:::Review by Jazzis:::

Zbigniew Namysłowski – Winobranie (1973)

1. Winobranie (Wine Feast) / Jak nie masz szmalu to jest łaź (No Dough, No Kicks) 9:55
2. Nie mniej niż 5% (Not Less Than Five Per Cent) 6:35
3. Gogoszary 4:40
4. Pierwsza przymiarka (First Take) / Ballada na grzędzie (Ballad on the Roost) / Misie (Teddy Bears) 14:05
5. Taj Mahal / Winobranie (Wine Feast) 6:55

Credits
Bass - Paweł Jarzębski
Cello, Composed By, Piano, Saxophone [Alto] - Zbigniew Namysłowski
Clarinet [Bass], Saxophone [Tenor] - Tomasz Szukalski
Drums - Kazimierz Jonkisz
Trombone, Percussion - Stanisław Cieślak

The third album by the king band of Slovekian prog, Fermata's "Huascaran" is one of the most accomplished works ever recorded in the realm of jazz-oriented prog rock. Being a concept album around the tragedy of Huascaran's deadly eruption (back in 1970), this album evokes ideas of destruction, power and solidarity with multiple colors and moods, all of them properly delivered through effective musical ideas and solid, tight performances. Fermata is very heavily influenced by the powerful dynamics of Mahavishnu Orchestra and special exuberance of Di Meola-era return to Forever, but there is also some important room for the delivery of soaring moods in the vein of space-rock and classic nuances on a symphonic-related note. The long namesake opener gets started with cosmic synth ornaments properly accompanied by floating electric piano lines, serving a preparation for the whole ensemble to state a full frontal jazz-rock main motif. The funky vibe that works in the rhythm section allows the band to convey warmth through the pyrotechnics, not unlike Iceberg.
At the 5 minute mark, things shift toward a stylish solemnity featuring piano and cello, a soft passage that seems to portray the survivors 'grief. The sense of sadness becomes even more overwhelming in the following section, which sounds somewhat related to 73-75 era Pink Floyd with Akkerman replacing Gilmour: the symphonic element is retained all the way until the final section brings a reprise of the initial jazzy motif with augmented Latin touches. What a way to start an album!... and there is more greatness to be enjoyed, let me assure you. '80,000' is the approximated number of victims of this terrible natural disaster, and so the band decides to go for a denser mood: there is lots of heavy psych-rock and electric blues going on in this piece. The Hendrixian guitar and Zawinulesque electric piano melt amazingly well, as unlikely as it may sound in written form. Eventually, the Latin-jazz centered coda takes advantage of the fire that had been delivered during the previous section. Since the word 'Solidarity' conjures images of love for your fellowman and togetherness, it is no wonder that this track no. 3 should bear such a warmth feel on its basic compositional body. Santana seems to be the dominant reference now, although guitarist Griglák never lets go of his combined McLaughlin and Akkerman influences. This track's melodic basis is so colorful that its monotonous framework never gets boring, not even for a second. There is the long namesake closer that wraps up the album's official tracklist. Segued to 'Solidarity', 'Huascaran II' has a recurrent bizarre similarity to Iceberg during its first section. The joyful spirit delivered through the successive link of various motifs apparently alludes to the reconciliation between Man and Nature: beside the always spectacular guitar solos by Grilák, here are also the most accomplished Moog solos in the album. The last 100 seconds are occupied by synth emulations of birds' singing and wing shaking. The cosmic reconciliation has been achieved at last. This is the end for the "Huascaran" album per se, but the bonus tracks are excellent as well. '15' is very related to the funky flairs of  Return to Forever's joyous side, while 'Valparaiso' is more frantic and 'Perpetuum' bears a more complex scheme. Fermata is a name that must be included in any good prog collection and/or good jazz collection, with "Huascaran" being one of its most distinguished assets. Indeed, this is a masterpiece.

:::Review by Cesar Inca:::

Fermáta – Huascaran (1977)

1. Huascaran I (13:41)
2. 80 000 (7:30)
3. Solidarity (6:34)
4. Huascaran II (11:13)
5. 15 (4:03)
6. Valparaiso (6:09)
7. Perpetuum (2:17)

Credits
- Tomás Berka / piano, synthesizer
- Frantisek Griglák / guitar, piano, synthesizer
- Ladislav Lučenič / bass
- Karol Oláh / drums, percussion
- Peter Oláh / vocals
- Dezider Pito / violoncello

Highly experimental, with one foot solidly in the RIO camp and the other in outer space, Astro Can Caravan is an unconventional mix of large ensemble post-Sun Ra cosmic jazz, Magma-influenced Euro-fusion and Herbie Hancock/Miles Davis-styled avant-jazz funk. The 20 members of ACC (most of whom are apparently Finnish) all display a consummate musicianship and a keen awareness of the intricacies of ensemble playing throughout the ten tracks on 21st Century Drifting Episode, and in the process virtually create a new sub-genre one might call "big band space rock." The uncanny mesh of horns (trumpet, trombone), winds (sax, oboe, clarinet), guitar, bass, synthesizer and four percussionists, in addition to being unusual when transposed to the context of space rock, creates some undeniably astounding altered states of consciousness if listened to for extended periods of time. The more overtly Arkestra-influenced pieces ("De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium" and "Kohoutek") are brilliant, if not wholly original, exercises in solar jazz, in some ways extending, though not surpassing, the experiments in cacophony and atonalism that Sun Ra pioneered on Heliocentric Worlds. But ACC is quite capable of rocking the house, too, as both "Meteor Shower Geel" and "Mad Oracle" show. The up-tempo pace allows for some dynamic jamming where the synthesizers and saxes literally race each other as if they were on some intergalactic speedway. Imagine if Sun Ra's Arkestra were composed of members of Amon Duul II and Can - 21st Century Drifting Episode is the kind of album he would've done. Like most "difficult' music, you'll have to listen to it at repeated intervals in order to truly appreciate the thorough-going nonconformist approach that Astro Can Caravan adopts - especially on a piece like "The Scale of Anubis" - but rest assured that 21st Century Drifting Episode will clear out the cob webs in your CD collection and will probably find a place of distinction there in the near future.

:::Review by Charles Van de Kree:::

Astro Can Caravan - 21st Century Drifting Episode (2004)

1. Tungar Tudu (6:21)
2. Mad Oracle (2:56)
3. De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium (6:17)
4. Beef Jeans (4:27)
5. Dark Bravos (4:16)
6. Moon Boots (1:40)
7. Tapernaakkeli (4:23)
8. The Scale of Anubis (5:11)
9. Meteor Shower Geel (4:17)
10. Kohoutek (9:47)

Credits
- Otto Eskelinen / piano, organ, accordion, synthesizer, bandoneón
- Pharaoh Pirttikangas / synthesizer, guitar
- Joonas Hytti / trumpet, euphonium
- Tuomas Eriksson / trombone
- Joakim Berghall / soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone
- Tomi Kosonen / tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone
- Veli-Pekka Parkkinen / clarinet
- Suvi Pappi / bass clarinet, flute
- Arvi Hasu / bass
- Niko Votkin / drums
- Jari-Pekka Hautalampi / drums, percussion
- Torsti Tuovinen / percussion
- Jarkko Pellikka / trumpet
- Samuli Peltoniemi / trumpet
- Artturi Taira / alto saxophone, baritone saxophone
- Tapani Varis / baritone saxophone, bass
- Henna Karhunen / oboe
- Emil Luukkonen / electric piano, synthesizer
- Pentti Dassum / guitar, mandolin
- Jape Karjalainen / percussion, bass
- Teemu Mäenpää / percussion
- Rasmus Pailos / percussion

What a stunning album is Banquet. A truly amazing symphonic album with a jazzy elements and a great brass section. Every track is quite enjoyble to me, but the forte ones are the opening piece Spanish galleon and Sorrow, the longest tracks from here. The incorporation of brass section combined with great keys and guitars and a solid voice of John Lawton made this album to be a masterpiece of the '70's, at least for me. Transitions between music segments where the instruments take the lead are very well done, specially the keys and guitars. After all this album has nothing to do with early works of Lucifer's Friend, witch are more rough, more hevy prog, than this one. Here the sound and the entire album, musicaly speaking is much mature and deserve to be included in top of the most amazing albums of the '70's. So a 5 stars for this great and never old album.

:::Review by b_olariu :::

Lucifer's Friend – Banquet (1975)

1. Spanish Galleon (11:50)
2. Thus Spoke Oberon (6:44)
3. High Flying Lady-Goodbye (3:40)
4. Sorrow (11:36)
5. Dirty Old Town (4:46)

Credits
- John Lawton / vocal
- Peter Hecht / piano, organ, mood, synthesizer, Fender Rhodes
- Dieter Horns / bass, backing vocals
- Peter Hesslein / guitar, 12 string guitar, acoustic guitar, percussion, backing vocals
- Herbert Bornhold / drums, percussion, backing vocals
Guest musician:
- Herb Geller / Soprano saxophone solo on (1) and flute on (4)

Definitely a masterpiece of British Jazz-Rock/Fusion along with Neil Ardley's amazing Kaleidoscope of Rainbows. Here, Nucleus appear a much tighter group. After their stunning first album, they decided to create this amazing follow-up, as if the first album wasn't great to begin with. I can't even express in words how highly I regard this album, truly Nucleus's finest effort.

The opening track is quite possibly the most famous Nucleus piece, and for a good reason. What a fantastic opener! By the way, for those who have heard Soft Machine's Bundles, Jenins decided to use the riff on "Song for the Bearded Lady" for "Hazard Profile Part 1." While this is by far my favorite piece on the album, the other ones are just as great; tons of wicked oboe, trumpet, guitar, etc.. pasages played by these virtuosos. This is, to my knowledge, the only Nucleus album with vocals, although they only appear on two tracks. Sure, they take some getting used to, but definitely do not affect the album in any negative way IMO. In fact, I think they even enhance the album, making it seem more coherent overall.

Although I do not think that this album is quite as good as the Neil Ardley album I mentioned earlier, this is a MUST for all fans of Jazz-Rock, a masterpiece of the genre. Buy it, now, you won't be disappointed! In fact, you can get this and the first album in a 2-CD set from BGO, so you have no excuse. Highly recommended, 5 stars, no doubt in my mind!

:::Review by Zac M :::

Nucleus - We'll Talk About it Later (1970)

1. Song For The Bearded Lady (7:25)
2. Sun Child (5:19)
3. Lullaby For A Lonely Child (4:21)
4. We'll Talk About It Later (6:19)
5. Oasis (9:49)
6. Ballad of Joe Pimp (3:48)
7. Easter 1916 (8:47)

Credits
- Ian Carr / trumpet, flugelhorn
- Karl Jenkins / electric piano, oboe, piano, baritone saxophone
- Brian Smith / tenor & soprano saxes, flute
- Chris Spedding / guitars
- Jeff Clyne / bass, electric bass
- John Marshall / drums, percussion

As jazz's first extended, continuous free improvisation LP, Free Jazz practically defies superlatives in its historical importance. Ornette Coleman's music had already been tagged "free," but this album took the term to a whole new level. Aside from a predetermined order of featured soloists and several brief transition signals cued by Coleman, the entire piece was created spontaneously, right on the spot. The lineup was expanded to a double-quartet format, split into one quartet for each stereo channel: Ornette, trumpeter Don Cherry, bassist Scott LaFaro, and drummer Billy Higgins on the left; trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, bass clarinetist Eric Dolphy, bassist Charlie Haden, and drummer Ed Blackwell on the right. The rhythm sections all play at once, anchoring the whole improvisation with a steady, driving pulse. The six spotlight sections feature each horn in turn, plus a bass duet and drum duet; the "soloists" are really leading dialogues, where the other instruments are free to support, push, or punctuate the featured player's lines. Since there was no road map for this kind of recording, each player simply brought his already established style to the table. That means there are still elements of convention and melody in the individual voices, which makes Free Jazz far more accessible than the efforts that followed once more of the jazz world caught up. Still, the album was enormously controversial in its bare-bones structure and lack of repeated themes. Despite resembling the abstract painting on the cover, it wasn't quite as radical as it seemed; the concept of collective improvisation actually had deep roots in jazz history, going all the way back to the freewheeling early Dixieland ensembles of New Orleans. Jazz had long prided itself on reflecting American freedom and democracy and, with Free Jazz, Coleman simply took those ideals to the next level. A staggering achievement.

:::Review by Steve Huey:::

Ornette Coleman - Free Jazz (1961)

1. Free Jazz 37:03
2. First Take 17:00

Credits
Bass - Charlie Haden , Scott LaFaro
Clarinet [Bass] - Eric Dolphy
Drums - Billy Higgins , Ed Blackwell
Engineer - Tom Dowd
Producer - Nesuhi Ertegun
Saxophone [Alto] - Ornette Coleman
Trumpet - Freddie Hubbard
Trumpet [Pocket] - Don Cherry