Double Image. 1977 Inner City (LP). From a store in the Denver area (Dec). At this point of my life, I'm going to pick up anything on the Inner City label, as they have some hidden gems for sure. I suspected this wasn't going to be for my taste, and I was correct. And the primary reason is the lineup itself. The lead instruments are vibraphone and marimba. And that's your namesake "double image". A little tuned percussion goes a long way, and a whole album of it is tiresome, but I have to say this was an enjoyable listen all the same. The primary reason is the backing band (bass and drums) is excellent throughout. One just wishes for a keyboard/guitar styled instrument to break out into a wild solo. Not going to happen here.
Free Flight - Illumination. 1986 CBS/BFM (LP). From the 25 cent haul at Independent (Nov). I pulled this LP out because the cover looked cool and it had flute in the lead. What the heck, it's only a quarter. Once I put it on though, I knew it wasn't going to be for me. If someone blindfolded me and asked what year it came out, I would have said 1986. This is prototypical smooth jazz. I wonder if there will ever be a renaissance for the kind of tones the band achieves here? I never liked this sound, even back then. Did anyone? lol. In any case, the music itself isn't so bad, and I made it through both sides relatively unscathed. Average for the styled I'd submit.
*Herbie Mann - Memphis Underground. 1969 Atlantic (LP). Thrift shop find (Nov). Even though I truly enjoy flute jazz, I'm not so keen on Herbie Mann. The hairy chested one (what was with that anyway?) tended to be too steeped in tradition to break into the next level of spiritual jazz or heavy fusion. And honestly, Memphis Underground isn't that much different in terms of style. Except Larry Coryell and Sonny Sharrock were on board for this recording, and it's their variations of psychedelic guitar that make the album intriguing. Given the entire package (cool cover!), I'll hold onto this one.
* - Keeping for the collection
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