Firyuza – s/t (1980 Turkmenistan). I once joked that if it was from Turkmenistan, it had to be good. Of course I was talking about the Gunesh Ensemble, and didn’t realize there was a second group from the same place and time. Three long tracks adorn this one of a kind album. Seven piece group with guitar, sax, flute, keys, violin, bass, drums and percussion. While not as hot or as entirely unique as the almighty Gunesh, this is still a fascinating fusion, one that relects the unique culture of the Turkmens. I’m constantly amazed at some of the subversive sounds coming from the old Soviet Union. I’m surprised Boheme Music of Russian didn’t reissue this with all the other great ex-Soviet albums formerly on Melodia. Cool cover featuring the band, with instruments in hand, proudly wearing their traditional telpeks (tall fur hats).

Jumbo – Bigger and Better! (197? USA) Label: Leonard Productions. Pretty cool mix of Blood Sweat and Tears inspired horn rock and a traditional college level stage band. Not a lot of this kind of stuff available on the open market, and worth a few spins. No date on the album anywhere, but hair styles and clothes point to 1970 or so. Can’t find any info on the web about them either (which is why I left the label info here). No CD obviously.

Guntram Pauli + Christian Kabitz + Klaus Haimerl – Rock Requiem: Concert For Orchestra Choir And Band (1980 Germany). One of the many Christian progressive rock albums coming out of Germany at this time (Eden, Credemus, Yavanna, Gloria’s Children, etc…). Typically varied album with uplifting tones and lyrics. Nice flute (some nice echoing towards the end of the album) and acoustic guitar. Some latin mass overtures. And some regular rock tracks with early 80s digital synths. Naturally there are some full orchestra classical bits to sit through. A hit and miss affair, but better than you might think. No CD exists.

Piano Conclave (directed by George Gruntz) – Palais Anthology (1975 Germany). Hard hitting fusion album on MPS from an all-star cast of Europe’s finest ivory ticklers. A mix of funky fusion, Canterbury rock and piano jazz. A nice surprise and not an album one would likely buy if they saw it – except for the marquee names, which is more than impressive: Gordon Beck, Wolfgang Dauner, George Gruntz, Jasper Van’t Hof, Joachim Kuhn, Martial Solal, John Lee, Alphonse Mouzon. Yea, pretty ridiculous lineup right there. Since the MPS label is starting to be reissued, I would imagine this would be a high priority for fans.

Jun Fukamachi 21st Century Band – Rokuyu (1975 Japan). Keyboardist Fukamachi made many fusion albums throughout the late 1970s. Supposedly this is his best and most progressive oriented album. Parts are great heavy fusion with smoking electric guitar, and one could see a band like Kenso getting wind of this prior to launching their career. One track is a pretty mundane, standard 70s jazz, that would later be known as “smooth jazz”. Side 2 is more varied and includes some experimental bits, electronic rock (mellotron, el. piano, synths, rock drums) and blistering heavy fusion. Pretty cool record. I haven’t seen on CD so I’ll presume it is in need of a reissue.

Patrice Meyer – Racines Croisees (1983 France).
Patrice Meyer – Dromadaire Viennois (1986 France). Two solid instrumental albums from guitarist Patrice Meyer, who recruited some famous Canterbury names like Pip Pyle, Hugh Hopper and Didier Malherbe (from Gong) to participate on the latter solo effort. “Dromadaire Viennois” has some Zeuhl bass and is the more interesting of the two albums. When Meyer plugs in, he can be quite kinetic. Both albums are rooted in jazz, and possess a tranquil side to offset the more energetic pieces. Not essential, but very good for the era, especially the latter album. Neither are available on CD.

Crypto – s/t (1974 Netherlands) Known as the Dutch Placebo, though I found this more funky and less “cool” than Marc Moulin’s outfit. Fairly typical of the era, especially the synth work. The guitar and Rhodes playing is a bit more exceptional, however. Overall a good example of the European instrumental funky fusion sound. File next to Saluki. Never issued on CD.

Spektar – s/t (1974 Croatia). Heard this at a friend’s house about 3 years ago, and nice to finally have a copy for myself. A keyboard trio, Spektar’s sound vacillates between funk (lots of clavinet), progressive (with organ featured) and straight ahead rock with some marginal vocals. There’s definitely some weeds to clear here, but underneath is some prime turf. All the 8 tracks are short. Probably the most obscure album coming from the former Yugoslavia, even more so than Izvir. Adding to the obscurity factor, Suzy was generally known for releasing straight pop music, and Spektar was sort of the odd album out. Not on CD.

Cry Freedom – Volcano (1976 Germany). One of the earlier entries in Germany’s huge fascination with everything jazz fusion. By the 1980s it seems there were dozens of such releases. Primarily instrumental sax/guitar/organ/synthesizer driven numbers, with a stronger than usual emphasis on melody. Not quite at the level of Embryo or Missus Beastly, but more thought out than Kraan, Headband, Morpheus, etc… File next to Katamaran. They have two later albums, but I’ve been told they aren’t quite up to standard. Another one that lacks a CD issue.

Continuum – End of Line (1984 USA) On the Schmizz label. Heavy American fusion featuring John Redfield on keyboards and Robert Baglione on guitar. Nope, I don’t know anything about them either, but that’s the ONLY references I could find on this album. Baglione is primarily featured, though there’s some mean synth soloing as well. The jazz sequences featuring piano also light it up. Has some of the most insane guitar runs I’ve ever heard, and this is prior to the shredder movement! There’s much more meat on its bones than most 1980s era fusion albums. Not quite as angular as the Inserts “Out of the Box” for example, but that kind of aggressiveness. A very welcome development and a window to what the 1980s could’ve been. Never released on CD. Not related to the 90s US group Continuum.

Jean-Claude Gaupin – Anatheme (1984 France). Fairly typical early 1980s era light, sunny and breezy funk fusion. The great exception being the edgy guitar work from Xavier Piton, his one and only venture into recorded music (that I could find anyway). Other than that, it’s the usual sax, Caribbean drums and warm / funky bass that push these harmless cruise ship style instrumental tunes along. Never issued on CD.

Agharta – s/t (1981 Canada). Light and breezy instrumental fusion with piano and various woodwinds (sax, clarinet, flute) mixed up front. Lead by keyboardist Jacques Mignault, and released on his own label, with the help of other local Quebec jazz musicians including Michael Seguin. Very much a product of its day, with strong overtones of same era Weather Report and Spyro Gyra. Well done for the style. Another one without a CD issue.

Forgas Band Phenomena – Soleil 12 (2005 France). For me, one of the most anticipated new albums for 2005. Definitely not a let down, as Forgas and Co. really put together a nice set of instrumental compositions. The opening title track is the best, almost deploying a horn rock sound. This is followed by a 34 minute number that tends to drag a bit. I think that’s the main problem with the album, as it doesn’t sustain the enthusiasm for its length (another 28 minutes follows). It’s never boring, just missing a little something. Like running the football on every play – until they finally score a touchdown. Give me a little razzle dazzle! My guess is the “one take – live concert” concept hurt it a bit. From my perspective, “Soleil 12″ falls behind the debut, but is better than the sophomore album.

Napoli Centrale – s/t (1975 Italy).
Napoli Centrale – Mattanza (1976 Italy). The debut is a competent, better than average progressive fusion with vocals. Politically oriented band, though the album doesn’t have that angry feel of their socially conscious brothers in Germany. On a musical level, more enjoyable than similar acts like Il Baricentro, New Trolls Atomic System and latter day Arti+Mestieri. This one is aging well. The followup, which I hadn’t heard prior, is a little more edgy, the vocals are indeed angrier and the sax player has a definite free jazz quality about him. Not that it’s free blow or anything, but definitely a little more grinding. These CDs have cell phone ads stapled in the booklet. For crying out loud…

Wicked Minds – From the Purple Skies (2004 Italy). So many of these new stoner bands seem more interested in the social aspects of said lifestyle, rather than what makes it really interesting – and that’s the music. Wicked Minds may be the best band in this genre I’ve heard that captures the essence of the early 70s, while still moving the ball forward into the modern age. Fantastic hard prog rock, with great period instrumentation such as organ and fuzz guitar. Long tracks with experimental bits also points to an adventurous heritage. All roads lead to the UK early 70s non-symphonic school. Very much recommended.

(Originally posted Dec. 2005)

Plamp – Und Uberhaupt (1978 Switzerland). Like many albums from Switzerland, Plamp’s sole album is a private press that time forgot. The CD Reissue Wish List is full of such albums (Nautilus, Agamemnon, Schakta, Eloiteron, etc…). From the northeastern town of Chur, Plamp went boldly forward with their native German language. As for the music, it’s a hodge podge of late 70s rock with jazz and classical accents highlighted by flute, violin and sax. A bit too diverse for its own good, but plenty of nice fuzz leads and organ bursts. Reference groups: Flaming Bess, Novalis, Sicher, Novaks Kapelle and El Shalom.

George Hirota – Sahasurara (1976 Japan). Fascinating fusion / progressive / avant rock hybrid with indigenous tribal Japanese elements. Lots of flute, chanting / manic vocals, acoustic and fuzz guitar, piano, vibes, and a variety of percussion. Strays a bit towards the avant-garde, ala JA Caesar, during the middle of Side 2. Very unique album. Definitely in need of a CD reissue. Hirota isn’t exactly an unknown (note Joji Hirota below), and King Records is still a very active label. Not sure why this one is still sitting in the vaults? And it’s a total unknown. Took me nearly 12 years to finally hear it!

Joji Hirota – Wheel of Fortune (1981 Japan). All the inventiveness that was “Sahasurara” is completely lost here. Hirota fell hard for the fusion bug and recorded a very typical album of the day, with tinny synthesizers, and run of the mill solos. Plenty of boring percussion work to sit through as well. Whereas the percussion was a major force behind the ethnically tinged “Sahasurara”, here it’s used in typical showoff form (with one notable exception). A major disappointment for anyone but diehard Weather Report fans who still felt 1981 was a relevant year for that band. No CD exists that I’m aware of.

Barney Wilen & His Amazing Free Rock Band – Dear Prof. Leary

The album cover of Dear Prof. Leary uses flashing colors, a green on red design that makes the title of the album wobble in true psychedelic fashion. No matter what one thinks of MPS and jazz rock, this one’s announcing something more in common with the rock scene of the time than jazz music, despite the pedigree of the musicians. Interesting to see French guitarist Mimi Lorenzini on board, readers may recognize him from his late 70s fusion group Edition Speciale or other similar projects. You also get Joachim Kuhn on keys, Aldo Romano and Wolfgang Paap on drums, Gunter Lenz on bass and the leader on saxes. However, the band seems to play as two trios. You have Paap on the left for the beats and Romano on the right for the freer material and often the two diverge for quite a bit of cacaphony.

Musically this starts with a lot of different tunes from the era, both soul (“Why Do You Keep Me Hanging On” and “Respect”) and pop (The Beatles’ “The Fool on the Hill”). If you add a couple originals and Ornette Coleman’s “Lonely Woman,” you’ve got the whole record and despite the different source materials, the album is quite consonant as a whole. Generally the musicians play the themes and then go berserk, time and time again, making it quite a bit different from the same sort of method soul jazzers like Grant Green were using, the vamp and the jam. The whole thing is overlaid by great psychedelic excess, heavy almost Jon Lord-like organ, freaky wah wah guitars by Lorenzini and the warm sax tone you’d expect from a band like Xhol Caravan. The music grooves like some psych beat monster but it always gives a way to bountiful noise and shredding, as if Brotzmann or Braxton was doing a late 60s song book with Booker T and the MGs as backing band.

Overall it’s not really quite what you’d expect. The cover screams the 60s, the line up a great jazz combo, the song line up a mix and the overall approach one of heavy rock. Strangely all these threads converge in a style almost perfect for MPS, American jazz gone European style, deconstructing a lot of familiar tunes until you would barely recognize them. I’ve always considered Kuhn to be a fairly mellow player for the most part, so it’s great to hear him really let loose on the organ here. While the occasional free sax outburst might scare some potential listeners away, be assured that this is far more a rock release than most of what MPS puts out and is likely to appeal as much to the psych/freak out collector than the jazz crowd. It’s a gem well worth rediscovering.

John Tchicai and Cadentia Nova Danica – Afrodisiaca

Danish musician John Tchicai is an alto and soprano sax player who has been involved with a number of important out jazzers such as John Coltrane (Ascension), Don Cherry and Archie Shepp and still appears to this day on various projects such as Henry Kaiser’s Yo Miles tributes (he’s also taught music at my local college in Sacramento). After Tchicai’s stint in New York playing with the luminaries of the free jazz scene, he moved back home in the late 60s and formed Candentia Nova Danica with whom he recorded Afrodisiaca with a cast of 25 other musicians.

Unlike many of the recent MPS albums I’ve covered, many of which are jazzrock or at least edgy, electric jazz, Afrodisiaca is somewhere between free jazz and composed material, with the title track a side-long piece written by Hugh Steinmetz, who also plays trumpet. While much of the music is written (apparently in the scale of the African percussion instrument the balafon), the solo spots and general chemistry are very reminiscent of free jazz, with a wide musical palette incorporating dissonant free-jazz inspired solos into the music’s framework.

The result is one of MPS’s most difficult and challenging albums and one that could possibly be described as “third stream” in the manner of combining European classical tradition with American jazz. Where side 1 slowly builds to quite the climax, the second side with compositions (or arrangements) by Tchicai himself open the floodgates entirely. “Heavenly Love on a Planet” could be Tchicai’s ode to Sun Ra, slow percussion sets up solos for both he and William Breuker, wildly free and dissonant, while the slow tempo set up by the percussionists creates quite a bit of tension. Pierre Doerge’s guitar gets a bit of play on “Fodringsmontage” which plays like a collage of Albert Ayler, Sonny Sharrock and Ascension, all of the freedom wrapped up in some beautiful, eerie ensemble work.

The final two pieces are probably the work’s most consonant pieces and I still hear, even through such a European approach, a lot of Americana in the melodic themes, always reminiscent of Albert Ayler to my ears, the way he’d swirl chaos and anger around the familiar. Harry Akst’s “This is Heaven” is almost like a march, slightly mournful and delirious, and surprisingly tuneful. “Lakshmi” seems to follow right on out, before breaking into a growingly accompanied Michael Shou flute solo and disappearing into mystery, with the ensemble floating up strange chords and returning in between Willy Jagert’s ophicleide and Christian Khyl’s soprano-saxophone like a narrator. The finale is quite meditative in the end thanks to these solos, as if the bursts of chaos and return to ensemble themes were returning one slowly to the center.

It’s not a surprise that this is a highly lauded free work, given that the ensemble work acts as the glue that holds together all the abandon and experimentation so well. It’ll sit comfortably if not edgily next to one’s Art Ensemble of Chicago, Brotzmann and early ECM albums as a prime example of a truly syncretic and avant garde work that ran with the multiculturalism of the late 60s and created something new and lasting from it.

Nadavati – L’Esprit Souffle ou il Vent

This is one of those French one-offs I used to see cruising the old Musea discography books, the kind of arcana that made collecting rare progressive music such a joy at the time, even if a good percentage of these bands never made the grade. Nadavati are very much a combination of two major influences, the lion’s share comes from fusion, the smaller but still substantial influence, particularly in the album’s bookends, comes right from old Chicago Transit Authority (I think mostly from the first couple albums). It has the horns, the electric guitar soloing and the Chicago method of amping a songs intensity by changing to a higher key with the full horn section in swing. Surprisingly this influence is only relegated to a song or two, the lion-share of the middle parts are internationally inspired jazz rock, most obviously Mahavishnu Orchestra or mid-period Return to Forever, but also, bridging the two influences, Tower of Power. Here the band creates lots of vamps for plenty of guitar and horn solos and as such does a fine job of it; I also have to also borrow Tom’s previous comment on the unison lines which often act as the backbone to the songs. Obviously the extreme derivation in parts knocks it down a little, but overall this is a nice slice of horn fusion, with a much heavier American influence than most French prog-related rarities.

MOTUS – Machine of the Universal Space

Another bizarre French one off that could be considered similar to something like Concept from Canada or even a more hippy Godley and Creme, a band whose art pop crosses a number of different styles and due to the era occasionally bridging progressive rock. MOTUS, however, are a lot more mainstream than Concept were and throughout there’s a concentration on the sort of post Crosby Stills and Nash pop and folksy rock that you’d find in the Eagles on the most populist side and something like Ophiucus referencing an obscure countrymate. This is likely not to be interesting to anyone except those who collect strange, but quirky records, although at times the band does a remarkable side of aping the song stylings of American bands that has a tendency to make you look up and wonder what you’re listening to. Certainly not a waste of time to stop by and check this one out, but not one you’re likely to return to either.

Ceddo – s/t (1979 Germany).
Ceddo – Aufhoren (1980 Germany).
Ceddo – Step by Step (1983 Germany). Ceddo, on their debut, is very much from the jazz school, but in the same way as Association PC and Electric Circus. Long tracks, and the guitar playing gets pretty wiggy, so a real plus there. The bass plays fretless and has that warm 80′s jazz sound. The drumming is scattered which is nice. Closest comparison would be Dzyan’s “Time Machine” (more jazzy though) or maybe Alpha du Centaure’s album (rhythm section not so strictly straight jazz). “Aufhoren” is very similar and continues with a mixture of jazz and rock styles. Band features guitarist Jochen Schrumpf (and in fact the band is later known as Jochen Schrumpf’s Ceddo), who later went onto the reformed 1980′s version of Kollektiv. “Step By Step” begins the journey towards fuzak, with smooth jazz sax, Caribbean steel drums, cocktail-hour Spanish themes and an overall feel of a cruise ship lounge act. Despite all of that, there’s still some fine guitar work. In this way, I’m reminded of Santana’s 1980s output. They also have, incredibly, two more albums. So much output from such an obscure band.

Nadavati – Le Vent de L’Esprit Souffle Il Vent (1978 France). Mike gets the credit for this post, as he mentioned the album to me yesterday, and I scrounged around in the pile until I found it. I think he plans on posting his thoughts here soon as well (hopefully not stealing the thunder here). “Le Vent de L’Esprit Souffle Il Vent” is an interesting jazz rock album, that opens incongruously with a Chicago styled horn rocker (again, Mike’s keen ear clued me in on this). There’s a definite Mahavishnu streak that prevails, especially in the violin and guitar parts. Some nice flute jazz too. They seem to favor unison runs to overlong solos, and that scores points in my book. Nadavati do not offer anything that hadn’t already been done countless times prior, but for what they do, it’s quite competent. A good one that I’m sure many fusion fans would enjoy if it was to be reissued on CD.