Dissidenten - The Jungle Book. 1993 Wordly Dance Music (CD). This is exactly the kind of CD's I look for in the 25 cent bins. Originally known as Embryo's Dissidenten, the group's premise was to take the blueprint of Embryo's Reise and expand upon it. Catalogs of the day promoted Sahara Electric as the next level of world fusion (and I of course fell for it). Not really. For one, there really wasn't a rock component, which was the key reason Reise was such a strong effort from Embryo. Dissidenten largely falls under the vague World Beat categorization. One can expect lots of ethnic taped samples among the beats and rhythms. Sahara Electric was all about Morocco. The Jungle Book is India. Oftentimes the music comes across as gimmicky and annoying. Though it's not without merit. It's a serious effort, though one wishes for more angst and variety. Roman Bunka does guest on guitar, but his contributions are mostly muted. The label name is indicative of the contents within. (4/19)
Jaco Pastorius. 1976 Epic (LP). Famed jazz bassist Pastorius' debut album. The opening is essentially a bass solo, so I'm already looking for something to do. 'Come On, Come Over' is straight up funk with Sam & Dave on vocals, and a full horn section. 'Continuum' is a moody atmospheric piece in the ECM mold. A4 is the expected fusion number that has finally arrived. With orchestration. The side closes with another bass solo. The track by track descriptions point to the usual problem of solo albums - that of random style choices. While no doubt most artists like to demonstrate that they have more tricks up their sleeve than what they're known for, it can also be frustrating for the listener who isn't necessarily all-in with the artist. Side 2 is similarly disparate. The album enjoys high ratings from the general population, despite my misgivings. Hardline loyalists? Died early syndrome? No telling, everyone has their filters. Good jazz oriented album - of course it is - but nothing that grabs this listener beyond the usual. (3/8)
Don Randi & Quest. 1990 Sheffield Lab (CD) (1979). As is often the case with the Sheffield Lab label, interest in this title has more to do with the recording details, and audiophile sound, than the music itself. I pick up anything I see from the label, and ask questions later. This title was listed as jazz funk, so I held it back for a future listen. And that day has arrived. The first track had me questioning both the jazz and funk tags, as it's more from the new age school. But once the title song lands, then yes, jazz funk is correct. It's definitely of the era, with some nice piano (both acoustic and electric) from Randi, along with trumpet, flute, and sax. Soft on the ears, it makes for a pleasant Saturday afternoon listen. Requisite Beatles cover provided. A little more depth would have resulted in an album that invites repeated plays, and thus would have been put in the keeper category. I'll go ahead and grab the profit on this one. (3/7)
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