Matrix - Tale of the Whale. 1979 Warner Bros. (LP). Last year I wrote about Harvest, their late era big band jazz rock 1981 album. On Tale of the Whale the Wisconsin based band were still, remarkably it would seem, on a major label. The music is a mix of jazz fusion, funk, and big band. Much more on the jazz side of the equation than Harvest. More soloing as well. No highlights to speak of, though as I listen through, it seems like ECM would have been a better fit for the album. Pleasant though non consequential. The last track has some killer bass work. (2/5)
Robin Crow - Electric Cinema. 1992 Rendezvous (CD). We were in the middle of nowhere Arkansas, and one of the thrift shops had a great deal: 10 CDs for $1. 10 cents a piece for those that struggle at math. I found a few goodies right away, but then I needed to fill in the rest. Then I saw Robin Crow. No idea who he is, but he's featured on the front cover with a double neck guitar. I looked him up and it said he performed CCM - Contemporary Christian Music. Hmmm. After finding nothing else, I reluctantly tossed this on the stack. Much like David Diggs that I featured last year, Crow may be a mover and shaker in the CCM world, but this is no CCM album. It's instrumental jazz fusion all the way. With a progressive rock slant. And none other than fellow Christian music traveler, Kerry Livgren, is one of the participants. One of the tracks is a cover suite - that encompasses Yes, U2, and Pink Floyd. A very well done fusion album. Had Crow brought just a bit more edge to the proceedings I would have kept this. But there's no more room for just very good fusion albums. I have too many as it is. Interesting to note that he thanks Compassion International as a cause he truly supports. Their headquarters is a stone's throw from Casa UMR, and the Mrs. and I run their well maintained dirt trails sometimes. (1/23)
Dixie Dregs - Free Fall. 1977 Capricorn (LP). Dixie Dregs, from Miami, are a band I've chosen not to write about in the past. Their albums come and go through Purple Peak Records, but I can never generate any enthusiasm surrounding them. I don't have a rating on their debut, so might as well at least get some notes down about it. I have an old friend that absolutely adores them, much of it going back to his own youth. Time and place, I talk about that often. I didn't have that history, so there's no nostalgic pull for me. Their albums are something like a jazz fusion hoedown. The musicianship is at a very high level, though I'm not a big Southern rock or Country guy, so the melodic quotient score goes down. That's personal taste versus an issue with the band's approach or performance. I definitely understand why they are popular. I found the second side more preferable. (1/22)
*Horacee Arnold - Tales of the Exonerated Flea. 2011 Wounded Bird (CD) (1974). One of the more heralded of the early 70s heavy fusion albums, drummer Arnold's second and last solo album gathers up some marquee names and let's loose a fiery set of jazz rock tunes. Jan Hammer, John Abercrombie, Rick Laird, Sonny Fortune, Art Webb, Ralph Towner, and many others contribute. The compositions are on the high energy side, which I consider a plus. Track 2 is a banger. I'd heard this album back in the day, but it struck me as rather ordinary fusion. Which it may be, but in the context that was 1974, that's still a high compliment. Mahavishnu Orchestra and Weather Report fans would me amiss not to check it out. CD adds one very good undocumented bonus track, which is more jazz oriented than the fusion based album. (1/5)
The following are jazz albums that I've been finding around town for $1 or less. Not necessarily in my interest wheelhouse, but they make for fine late evening listens. I'm not rating or reviewing these anywhere, since it doesn't seem the right thing to do. I'm keeping some of these for now, though probably not permanent. Any titles that capture my imagination will be rated and elevated to the primary collection. This is an ongoing project.
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