Rustichelli & Bordini - Opera Prima. 1973 Italy

Over 18 years ago I wrote the following:

If I were to do a movie, I would use parts of ‘Nativita’ as my opening. One of the most perfect realizations of instrumental keyboard driven progressive rock ever made. Paolo Rustichelli is a virtuoso on the ivories and plays an arsenal of analog equipment (Hammond C3, Arp VCS 3, mellotron, piano), so a dream for fans of the style. His vocals range from dramatic to raspy and are an acquired taste. Carlo Bordini is up to the task on the drum kit as well.

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Last night's listen confirms the above observations. Opera Prima is mostly instrumental and the bookend tracks are the best, along with A2. I appreciate the vocal sounds though there are couple of sections that feature them rather than augment the music, and that's the only thing holding this album back from the next level. All the same, an essential record for any Italian prog collection.

Ownership: LP: 1987 RCA (Japan). Gatefold with obi and insert. Acquired as part of a large buy many years ago (1997).

1994; 1997; 2//05; 7/31/23 (new entry)

J&F Quintet ~ Switzerland

Contrast (1976)

---10/6/13

Contrast is a pure jazz album with a rock subtext. Flute with rock styled rhythms lay the foundation for sax and keyboard (mainly piano) solos. These rock foundations recall no less a luminary than Soft Machine, so they definitely make your head rise when listening. Some of the atmospheric flute passages recall the great Lloyd McNeill Quartet. And as we do immerse ourselves further into Side 2, the album does change its tone from jazz to rock. And goes from very good to extraordinary. This is a deep release. Of the top echelon of jazz releases that experimented with rock structures, energy, and tones. Requires a couple of listens to fully comprehend. Contrast comes highly recommended.

---7/26/23

On last night's listen to the new reissue LP, the Soft Machine reference becomes apparent on A2, so I wouldn't agree that it becomes more rock as it goes. It's a unique jazz album for certain. I'd also mentioned some about the use of language, but it was more sparse than I'd originally realized. Otherwise I captured the sound pretty well the first go round. Continues to be highly recommended.

Ownership: 2023 BBE (LP). Includes insert that includes a recent interview and some history. 

On the back of the original LP it says: "The J + F Quintet got known as a "Hard-Bop" group in German, French and Swiss Jazz clubs. For the last three years this group has played in the underground, concerning itself with experimental music. The group also finds time for studio recording sessions and film soundtracks.   This record is a representative example of their compositions, containing a wide spectrum of Jazz oriented music. If we here the motif of a folksong or of a classical chord, it doesn't disturb us, on the contrary we feel that the musicians use the different forms and join them with love in a perfect union.   The musicians of the J + F Quintet consider the record to be sketches in sound, and we would like to point them out as sketches of a very contrasty, interesting and lively world."

10/6/13 (review); 2/9/20 (new entry); 7/26/23 (update)

Alkana ~ USA ~ Los Angeles, California

Welcome To My Paradise (1978)

---7/19/11

Alkana's sole release is a really strong hard rock album from California with great riffs influenced no doubt by prime 70's era Judas Priest. Throw in a cool 11+ minute epic and you have one great album. Easily two to three years ahead of its time in both sound and composition. In the big leagues with other sophisticated private US hard rock bands like early Manilla Road, Legend's From the Fjords, Winterhawk, and Granmax's Kiss Heaven Goodbye.

---7/25/23

In hearing the album again last night, not too much more to add. The band is named for guitarist and lead singer Danney Alkana and were based in San Bernardino. Side 1 is down and dirty hard rock with topical titles like 'California Rock & Roll' and 'On Our Own'. Side 2 is the "head" side with longer, more thoughtful tracks like 'Paradise' and the aforementioned epic 'The Tower'. Not quite as heavy as 1978 era Van Halen, but Alkana comes in second for Californian hard rock - with an additional slightly proggy past. Essential hard rock here.

Ownership: 1978 Baby Bird (LP). Lyric insert. One error to call out: The back cover mixes A2 and B3. The labels are correct.

No legit reissues as of 3/31/25.

7/19/11 (review); 7/25/23 (update / new entry)

2023 Fusion / Jazz Journal Vol. 1 - Complete

*Yusef Lateef - Jazz 'Round the World. 1964 Impulse. Stereo original press. Of the few jazz albums I found in the Colorado mountain interior, this is the one I was most looking forward to hearing. It wasn't quite what I expected, but all the same, it's going to be the keeper of the bunch. Essentially the concept here is to take traditional sounds or songs of a region and jazzify them. 'Yusef's French Brother', for example, includes snippets of 'Frere Jacques'. I preferred Side 2 as Lateef switches over to flute from saxophone. Overall a fine work, and the way I discovered it will likely keep it around longer than normal. (Aug)

John Coltrane / Don Cherry - The Avant-Garde. 1966 Atlantic mono. This is one of the albums I inexplicably found for a dollar in a Colorado mountain town (Aug). The title could almost be considered exploitation. Recorded in 1960, this is most certainly not avant garde for either artist by 1966. But it works well as a post bop jazz album. But it's not free jazz either, that which I doubt I'd enjoy more, but you never know. This isn't anything I need to keep.

Joe Zawinul - The Rise & Fall of the Third Stream. 1968 Vortex. Found this pre-Weather Report LP for a $1 at a thrift shop in the Colorado mountain interior of all places, along with two other relatively rare jazz pieces (to be discussed soon) and a mono The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. All in great condition. Sometimes you get lucky like that. As for the music, the only Third Stream album I consciously know I've heard is its most famous proponent: Don Ellis' Electric Bath. I found Zawinul's album more jazz and less classical than that effort. It's a fine album overall, though there isn't enough here for me to keep. (Aug)

Brand X - Do They Hurt? 1980 Passport. Curiosity killed the cat. Or alligator in this case. After regaining an appreciation for Brand X's classic albums, how about a go for their B-listers? Naw. Do They Hurt? is a decent fusion album, but all too typical of the era without any surprises or peak moments. At times it sounds like a Percy Jones solo album. Too much bass really. Goodsall's guitar is way too subdued. (Jul)

Airto - Fingers. 1973 CTI. Another one from the Austin show. This checks a lot of boxes for me: Brazil; Jazz funk fusion; Thick gatefold on CTI. Airto's name is somewhat ubiquitous throughout the 70s and 80s (same with his wife Flora Purim). Despite that fact, this is the first time I've heard an Airto solo album. It's quite good, sounding like Sergio Mendes on a fusion bender. The songwriting isn't very compelling however, at least compared to the dozens of albums I have like it. Yet one more album I would have kept in the last decade, but that ship has now sailed. All the same, I'll definitely pick up (most) anything else I see by him, as I'm sure he has a gem or two that I will enjoy at a higher level.(Jul)

Eberhard Weber - Later that Evening. 1982 ECM/Warner Bros. More adult jazz from Weber. Always pleasant, never satisfying. (Jul)

Allan Holdsworth - Atavachron. 1986 Enigma. Picked this one up in Austin for $1. Perfect nick. There was a lot of fusion like this in the middle 80s. Not a big fan of the Synthaxe, which is all over this thing. The tones and production are off-putting, though I suspect the material would hold up better in an analog setting. Overall it's a pleasant listen, but nothing I need to hold onto. (Jul)

*Vince Guaraldi Trio - Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus. 2002 Analogue/Fantasy (SACD) (1962). Earlier in the year I found a large stash of SACD's for pennies at an estate sale, which are always great for resale. Most were classical, and we held back a couple of the less expensive ones for our happy hours. Almost all of them are hybrid, so you can listen to them on any CD player. There were a couple of rock titles that sold in about 10 minutes. But the few jazz titles were pure SACD, meaning I couldn't play them, so I put them for sale. Including this title, until I realized that it was a hybrid. This is a well known piano trio album, and even won awards in its day. I wish they'd play this at restaurants instead of the awful pop music we sometimes have to endure. Guaraldi later when on to fame and fortune with his soundtrack to the Peanuts TV cartoon specials. Unfortunately he passed away in his late 40s in 1976. Not to end on a bummer, this constitutes my very first SACD for the collection. Eh, why not? (Jun)

Rare Silk - American Eyes. 1985 Palo Alto. When I first heard this on a scan, I thought it was a New Wave album. As it turns out, it belongs to vocal jazz. The production and instrumentation scream middle 80s. I struggled to get through this one. Not a bad album, but outside of my interest area for sure. (Jun)

Larry Nozero Quartet - Island Fever. 1981 MSI. Found this private album from Birmingham, Michigan (Detroit suburb) at a thrift shop a few weeks ago (Jun). Very obscure release. A very nice and pleasant background styled jazz, with Nozero providing flute and saxophone. The former has a fairly large presence, so it's curious he only credits himself with saxophone. It's traditional jazz otherwise with piano, standup bass, and drums providing the backdrop. A little more depth and spirituality ala Lloyd McNeill would have made this a keeper. Too crowd pleasing for me.

One Shot. 1999 private. Collection revisit (May). This is the original mix. I bought this when it came out as it promised to demonstrate what the current Magma lineup were doing on their off days when Vander wasn't around. Well it isn't Zeuhl, but rather a heavy kind of instrumental jazz rock similar to the 70s masters. It's very well done with excellent instrumentation and sound. However it's very derivative lacking any kind of hooks, composition, or innovation one would look for at this late date. It's a One Shot jam essentially, which was the premise of the group to be fair. This one really is too much of the same thing. A lot of notes but not a lot of music. I own three others by them, hopefully they're more interesting to me. 

Full Moon. 1972 Douglas. Picked this up at a store in Pueblo (Mar). I recognized the name Buzz Feiten (cool name) from some obscure Japanese CDs I found at a thrift shop a couple of years ago. Full Moon's debut comes at the very beginning of the jazz rock movement and the instrumental portions here are excellent. But it's a 50/50 proposal that also includes quite a bit of bluesy soul crooning that isn't very enjoyable to me. Borderline keeper, but I have enough quality jazz rock here to last a lifetime. I needed just a little more from this title. Incidentally all the reissues come from Japan, indicating that Feiten is highly revered in that country.

 * - Keeping for the collection

Joachim Kuhn ~ Germany

Sunshower (1978)

A mix of heavy fusion and other styles, including a couple of vocal funk-soul numbers. Perhaps a bit too eclectic for its own good, though not uncommon in the jazz world from this era. Borderline keeper when taking in account the heavier pieces, but it can't compete with what's already in the collection. 

Source: 1978 Atlantic (LP)

7/19/23 (review)

 

Cinemascope (1974)

Talented jazz and fusion keyboardist who had many albums through the 60s and 70s (and beyond). Cinemascope is probably the rarest from this time frame, and the one that is most aligned with my personal focus from a musical standpoint. A very strong fusion effort, with Toto Blanke lighting it up on guitar.

Ownership: 1978 MPS (2xLP). Gatefold with Piano (album).

2009 (first listen); 12/15/11 (review); 

8/8/17 (new entry)

Atomic Rooster. 1980 England

A very interesting curveball from the music scene that was 1980 England. Atomic Rooster felt they belonged closer to the new metal and punk movements rather than the old dinosaur keyboard rock of Rainbow or ELP. So they went about releasing a very hard hitting rock album, with sneering vocals, guitars, and... Hammond Organ. What? The latter from band leader Vincent Crane is the x-factor here. A complete throwback to 1972 in an otherwise heroic attempt to be relevant. Which probably explains why Atomic Rooster could never get over the hump to the next level. As with White Spirit, they were no Judas Priest. In retrospect though, it's a very cool anomaly. Paved the way for the 90s renaissance of bands such as Death Organ or jazz rock revivalists Niacin. But those were made for niche markets, not the masses that Atomic Rooster were attempting to play to. And it does beg the question: Does this have the most Hammond of any rock album from the 80's? I'm thinking the answer is yes.

Ownership: LP: 1980 EMI (Germany). Single sleeve. Part of the large buy from last week.

7/14/23 (new entry)

Puzzle. 1973 USA-Illinois

This was a pleasant surprise. I was expecting soul music. Part of that is obvious because of the label, but also I had investigated this band in the past and didn't read anything of interest. Turns out to be a solid horn rocker with at least 4 killer tracks out of 9. I even like some of the poppier stuff, very much in the Chicago realm. A couple of stinkers, but that's OK and to be expected within the genre. Best tracks are the opener and closer of Side 1 and 'Suite Delirium' on Side 2. Solid album all around. Apparently the group is from Chicago as well, home of brass rock.

Ownership: LP: 1973 Motown. Single sleeve with lyric inner bag. This was a free throw-in to that big pile I recently purchased. There are 5 known pressings of this album. The others have a darker cover while this one is silver.

7/13/23 (new entry)

Coto en Pel - Holocaust. 1978 Spain

Holocaust was a very unusual album coming from Spain during the 70s, in that it lacked any indigenous qualities, whether Mediterranean or Andalusian. Mostly an instrumental rock is presented with a strong space rock backdrop. It's a very subdued release, which meanders along at its own pace. Plenty of fine instrumental work (with light vocals) while no doubt belonging to progressive rock. A little Pink Floyd, some more King Crimson, a touch of Krautrock. It's a smorgasbord of the European sound, something the Spanish seemed to focus on more once the 90s rolled around. In that way, Coto en Pel were forward looking.

Ownership: LP: 1987 Dial. Single sleeve with obi. A gift from a good friend of the UMR (2023). Though pressed in Spain, it was primarily made for the Japanese market which was hot for anything European prog during the 80s. Similar to Cai's debut in that way. The original on Nevada is a gatefold. My first copy was The Laser's Edge CD that I purchased upon release (1991). As I continue to downsize, I can let it go as it offers up nothing else. But for 32 years, it served me well.

1991; 4/8/99; 11/9/17; 7/11/23 (new entry)

Popol Vuh - Aguirre. 1976 Germany

An interesting album from Florian Fricke and company. Combines their recent foray into new age styled rock with guitar, percussion, and female wordless vocals - with their electronic oriented past. Somewhere between Das Hohelied Salomos (side 1) and Affenstunde (side 2). It's been suggested that this recording is a comp of sorts, given that Fricke no longer owned his big Moog at this point. Maybe Schulze let him borrow it... All the same, most of this was unreleased prior, with some reworkings of earlier material.

Ownership: LP: 1976 PDU. Single sleeve. Acquired from Jeff Baker many years ago (1990). Wonderful cover. Other than the front, the images on Discogs aren't well presented. I should update those with my copy.

CD: 2004 SPV. Digipak. With one bonus track that is essential. I've read that the long piece is slightly different here than on the LP. I listened to both, but you really have to pay attention I think. I didn't notice it. Comes with the all-purpose Florian Fricke booklet, though mine has 3 different pages than the one shown on Discogs. Wondering if the submitter had the wrong one, or if the label "mixed and matched" the booklets with their other Popol Vuh releases at the time. 

1990; 6//05; 7/10/23 (new entry)

Ethos - Open Up. 1977 USA-Indiana

For their debut album Ardour, I wrote the following:

Fort Wayne's Ethos were like many bands of Midwest America whose obsession with Yes, Genesis, and Gentle Giant are well documented (at least by me...). These English progressive bands would enjoy regular airplay on the local underground, and very popular, FM stations played throughout the region. Concerts were met with great enthusiasm, and anyone that possessed a great talent for musicianship along with a hyperactive imagination, were quickly assembling together a band and making a go of it for themselves. Most ended up nowhere. Some procured a private release handed out at sparsely attended concerts. And then a few made the "big time". In this scenario, Ethos were one that made it.

---

By 1977, Ethos were facing serious headwinds. Disco, punk, and the rest of them were aiming to destroy whatever fragments of progressive rock that had managed to creep into the American landscape. For a regional group with no presence to speak of, it was nigh impossible for the band to gain any kind of foothold. Lucky for us, Ethos paid no mind to current trends and went about releasing one more solid progressive rock outing before calling it a day. Songwriting is front and center, so it's not an obvious gymnastic styled prog, but close listens reveal quite a bit of complexity. Fantastic production and highly original material as well. This is one of those albums that once you buy the premise, the value goes up considerably.

Ownership: LP: 1977 Capitol. Single sleeve with lyric inner. Recent acquisition from Paradise Found Records in Boulder (2023) while up there for business. The first LP I bought was at Wooden Nickel Records, in Fort Wayne appropriately enough (1992 - store is still open!). I let it go a few years ago because it wasn't really in that good of shape. And that's the case with every copy I've found - except this one (and much nicer than these Discogs' stock photos). It's perfect mint. As such I can let go of the Japanese papersleeve CD, which is pretty scarce and remains the only reissue of this fine album. Incidentally there's only one original LP pressing of Open Up, which tells us the album was anticipated to sell poorly - and it did. It's much rarer than you might initially think.

9/23/92; 2009; 7/3/23 (new entry)

New Trolls - Tempi Dispari. 1974 Italy

Over 18 years ago I captured the following:

The New Trolls are heavy duty into their jazz rock/fusion phase here. Way more so than on the previous Atomic System album. Some of it is smoky jazz, with atmospheric saxophone. Others contain ripping acoustic bass, drum solos and wailing sax. There isn’t much here that tells of its Italian origin, it could be from anywhere, and is fairly typical sounding for the time. Side 2 is the more interesting of the two sides. Here it’s more of a cosmic space rock meets jazz fusion. Driven by a pretty neat bass guitar sequence, plenty of acid guitar, sax, and organ solos are laid on top for a feel closer to what Miles Davis was doing during this period.

---

Yep, that was a good listen. This is the one New Trolls album that belongs to the jazz collection versus ...welll everything else I guess. With the New Trolls, one never knows what they're going to hear. They never had an identity one could latch on to. For those who like variety, New Trolls are your band.

Ownership: LP: 1982 Magma (Japan). Gatefold. Acquired online (2000). My Tempi Dispari collection is a complete mess. At one point I had two copies of the Japanese papersleeve CD, the original LP on Magma, and this version. This listen came from the original LP with the purpose to see if I needed to hold onto the CD as well. Switching gears while listening, I'm not happy with the condition of the original, so I was thinking of just keeping the CD. Then I realized I never sold the Japanese LP that I had in the sell bin (which is also the first copy I bought). OK, it's perfect mint. I'll keep that and sell the other two. "Not the way it was supposed to go down, Rockford."

2000; 3//05; 7/3/23 (new entry)

Agusa - En Annan Värld. 2021 Sweden

En Annan Värld is Agusa's 4th studio album made up of two long tracks totaling 46 minutes. The first opus presented here is largely a continuation of what Agusa had established on their self titled 3rd album. On that review I stated that Agusa seems to be the next generation of Flasket Brinner, with organ, psychedelic guitar, and flute leading the instrumental parade. Their overall sound is very organic, and while complex, it doesn't seem overtly so. Melody and warm analog tones are their key drivers. The second track is a bit of a departure and introduces a Krautrock element. Oh darn, not that. lol. Elements of late 60s Pink Floyd trickle in, as Agusa flows into a deep space. The instrumentation remains the same as everything else they've done, so this is not a cold clinical exercise in modern post rock, which I usually find to be boring. Rather, Agusa are pure analog bliss, with a trippy 60s mindset. Doesn't get better than that. This is the second album in a row that Agusa transcends the competition to the highest level. And now I'm reading about a new 5th album. Might break down and get that one upon release. I don't do that much anymore.

Ownership: CD: 2021 Kommun 2. Simple digipak. I think they want everyone to buy the LP instead...

7/1/23 (first listen / review / new entry)