Jean Cohen-Solal - Captain Tarthopom. 1973 France

It would appear that Jean Cohen-Solal was conscious of the seriousness of the debut, and tried to lighten the mood with the somewhat silly opening title track on his second album Captain Tarthopom. This is followed by the sublime 'Ludions', meshing his trademark flute work with the sound of Soft Machine's Third, and is the highlight of both albums. Next track 'Ab hoc et ab hac' indicates more of the same with some massive fuzz bass, but then ventures back into more experimental territory, where it never leaves again. While the tracks on Captain Tarthopom are relatively compact compared to the debut, the level of experimentation remains high. I find this album a +1 from the debut, and both come recommended.

Ownership: CD: 2003 Mio (Israel). Purchased new upon release. Also includes Flutes Libres in full. Fine reissue with an 8 panel booklet including one dedicated page to liner notes. The sound is very good (though I hear distant vinyl noise, so I'm guessing the masters were lost), and a relevant 2003 era bonus track, which is an interpretation of the side longer from Flutes Libres. The second and third photos are this copy as we added them to Discogs. 

8/20/15 (new entry); 1/2/22

Jean Cohen-Solal - Flutes Libres. 1971 France

On the surface, it would appear Flutes Libres would be yet another flute jazz album that was all the rage back then. With Jean Cohen-Solal appearing in his Yankee Doodle outfit, it couldn't be more than a cash-in album of that era's greatest hits. Right? Way wrong. Flutes Libres is a dense work, bordering on the Kosmische with droning organs, and classical level flute played on top. While there are some rocked out rhythms and trendy moves looking East, in general, this is an album that will appeal to those into both experimental rock and serious avant garde music. The album is remarkably consistent, without any notable highs or lows.

Fans of atmospheric, and perhaps even difficult, avant-garde jazz rock will find much pleasure in Flutes Libres. For certain it's not an easy listen, and definitely not the kind of music that results in pleasing a crowd. But for private listening in a dark room with headsets, the rewards are great.

Ownership: LP: 1971 Daphy / Sonopresse; CD: 2003 Mio (Israel). The LP comes in a heavy duty gatefold with a dissertation of the flute, and details of each track, within the centerpiece. I picked this up online in 2012, and this is the first time for me to hear the LP, close to 10 years later. The CD includes the second album in full, entitled Captain Tarthopom. More detail can be found on that entry, since it's the only copy I own of it.

8/20/15; 1/1/22 (new entry)