Mostrando postagens com marcador Jan Hammer. Mostrar todas as postagens
Mostrando postagens com marcador Jan Hammer. Mostrar todas as postagens

22.6.24

ELVIN JONES — Merry Go Round (1972-2010) RM | Limited Edition | Serie Blue Note Best & More 1100 Encore – 178 | 24bits-192Hz | FLAC (tracks), lossless


Inexcusably, there are no date or personnel listings on this LP from Blue Note's declining years, but the music is generally quite worthwhile, if a bit eclectic. The personnel changes throughout the session, despite all the performances being apparently recorded on the same day. The great drummer Elvin Jones is joined by the reeds of David Liebman, Steve Grossman and Joe Farrell; baritonist Pepper Adams is also on two numbers, keyboardists Chick Corea and Jan Hammer generally alternate (although they both appear on a few tunes together), guitarist Yoshiaki Masuo has guest appearances on two songs, and most selections include bassist Gene Perla and percussionist Don Alias. The group mostly plays concise versions of band originals, including Corea's classic "La Fiesta." An interesting set, but Elvin Jones has recorded many more rewarding albums. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1    'Round Town 3:25
Composed By – Gene Perla
Soloist – David Liebman, Steve Grossman

2    Brite Piece 4:46

Composed By – David Liebman
Soloist – David Liebman, Jan Hammer

3    Lungs 2:22
Composed By – Jan Hammer
Soloist – Jan Hammer

4    A Time For Love 4:48
Composed By – Joe Farrell
Soloist – Chick Corea, Joe Farrell
5    Tergiversation 3:26
Composed By – Art Wiggens, Gene Perla
Soloist – Chick Corea, Jan Hammer

6    La Fiesta 6:05
Composed By – Chick Corea
Soloist – Chick Corea, Joe Farrell

7    The Children's Merry-Go-Round March 2:47
Composed By – Keiko Jones
Soloist – Elvin Jones

8    Who's Afraid... 4:21
Composed By – Frank Foster
Credits :
Acoustic Bass, Electric Bass [Fender] – Gene Perla
Alto Clarinet – Frank Foster (tracks: 8)
Baritone Saxophone – Pepper Adams (tracks: 7)
Congas – Don Alias (tracks: 1, 3, 5, 6)
Drums – Elvin Jones
Engineer – Rudy Van Gelder
Flute – Joe Farrell (tracks: 4, 7)
Guitar – Yoshiaki Masuo (tracks: 1, 4)
Piano, Electric Piano – Chick Corea (tracks: 4, 5, 6)
Piano, Electric Piano, Glockenspiel – Jan Hammer (tracks: 1, 2, 3, 5, 7)
Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – David Liebman (tracks: 1, 2, 6 to 8), Joe Farrell (tracks: 2, 6, 8)
Tenor Saxophone – Steve Grossman (tracks: 1, 2, 6, 7)

21.6.24

ELVIN JONES — Mr. Jones (1973-2013) RM | Serie BNLA 999 Encore | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1    One's Native Place 6:17

Written-By – Keiko Jones
2    Gee Gee 5:45
Written-By – Gene Perla

3    Mr. Jones 7:35
Written-By – Keiko Jones
4    What's Up-That's It 5:40

Written-By – Gene Perla
5    Soultrane 6:12
Written-By – Tadd Dameron
6    New Breed 6:55
Written-By – David Liebman
Credits :
Acoustic Bass – Gene Perla (tracks: 1, 4 to 6)
Baritone Saxophone – Pepper Adams (tracks: 3)
Bass – Wilbur Little (tracks: 3)

Congas – Carlos "Patato" Valdes (tracks: 1, 2, 4 to 6)
Drums – Elvin Jones
Electric Bass – Gene Perla (tracks: 2)
Engineer – Rudy Van Gelder
Flugelhorn – Thad Jones (tracks: 1, 2)
Flute – David Liebman (tracks: 1)
Percussion – Candido Camero* (tracks: 3), Frank Ippolito (tracks: 1, 4, 5)
Piano – Jan Hammer (tracks: 1, 2, 4)
Soprano Saxophone – David Liebman (tracks: 4), Steve Grossman (tracks: 1)
Tenor Saxophone – David Liebman (tracks: 2, 6), George Coleman (tracks: 3), Joe Farrell (tracks: 3), Steve Grossman (tracks: 2, 4 to 6)
Timpani – Albert Duffy (tracks: 1, 5)

ELVIN JONES — At This Point In Time (1973-1998) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This 1973 album features the legendary jazz drummer Elvin Jones in a rather unique musical setting. Joined by a large band (not to be mistaken with what is known in jazz as a "big band"), Jones knocks down the walls that separate jazz from rock, jazz from avant garde, and jazz from the generic "jam band" music that blossomed in the 1960's. That said, Jones' group consists of three saxophonists, a guitarist, pianist/keyboardist, bass, and four percussionists in addition to himself on drum set.

AT THIS POINT IN TIME is essentially jazz fusion. This music is an expansion of Jones' post-1966 groups using typically modal material. The music is strongly groove oriented, and attempts to use early drums machines (called rhythm boxes) and Moog synthesizers to augment the group's already huge sound. Percussionist Omar Clay's composition "Pauke Tanz" is memorable because of the vast array of electronically created sound effects. Also, Frank Foster's "The Unknighted Nations" is interesting because of its funky beat and electrifying keyboard solo by Jan Hammer. However, the highlight is definitely the lengthy (and virtuosic) drum solo that Jones takes on his wife's composition "Don't Cry." AllMusic
Tracklist :
1    At This Point In Time 7:32
Written-By – Frank Foster
2    Currents/Pollen 11:12
Written-By – D. Garcia, G. Perla
3    The Prime Element 8:16
Written-By – Omar Clay
4    Whims Of Bal 12:22
Written-By – Omar Clay
5    Pauke Tanz 6:32
Written-By – Omar Clay
6    The Unknighted Nations 6:25
Written-By – Frank Foster
7    Don't Cry 7:41
Written-By – Keiko Jones
Credits :
Baritone Saxophone – Pepper Adams
Bass, Electric Bass – Gene Perla
Congas – Candido Camero
Drums – Elvin Jones
Guitar – Cornell Dupree
Percussion – Richie 'Pablo' Landrum
Percussion, Drum Machine [Programmable Rhythm Box] – Omar Clay
Piano, Electric Piano, Synthesizer – Jan Hammer
Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Frank Foster, Steve Grossman
Timpani [Tympani] – Warren Smith

ELVIN JONES — Elvin Jones Is "On The Mountain" (1975-1994) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

This 1975 date for the brilliant drummer, with Jan Hammer on keyboards and bassist Gene Perla, is a minor, if somewhat overlooked, classic from the tail-end of the early '70s to the mid-70s' run of great jazz fusion releases. Both Perla and Hammer worked with Elvin Jones between 1971 and 1973, in bands featuring saxophonists Frank Foster, Joe Farrell, Steve Grossman and Dave Liebman. Here, the smaller format allows for a tight group sound with openings for strong solos and fluid interplay throughout. Jones is well up in the mix, giving fans a front-row opportunity to enjoy the drummer, both in all-over-the-kit, rolling-thunder mode and in the subtler moments of his peerless brushwork. The trio perform a half-dozen originals by Perla and Hammer. The impressive writing has a definite jazz sensibility, but Hammer's Moog and electric piano work, Perla's alternating between electric and acoustic basses, and Jones' own fierce eruptions provide a satisfying, rock wallop in several spots. Jim Todd
Tracklist :
1    Thorn Of A White Rose 5:07
 Jan Hammer
2    Namuh 7:47
 Gene Perla
3    On The Mountain 4:37
 Gene Perla
4    Smoke In The Sun 4:00
 Jan Hammer
5    London Air 5:29
 Jan Hammer
6    Destiny 7:28
 Gene Perla
Credits :
Bass – Gene Perla
Drums – Elvin Jones
Keyboards – Jan Hammer

20.6.24

ELVIN JONES — The Prime Element (1976) 2 x Vinyl, LP | The Blue Note Re-Issue Series | FLAC (tracks), lossless

This two-LP set consists of a pair of unrelated Elvin Jones Blue Note sessions that had not been previously released. The earlier date features Jones in a septet with the tenors of George Coleman and Joe Farrell along with trumpeter Lee Morgan, while the 1973 album has an 11-piece group that includes a large rhythm section, baritonist Pepper Adams and the tenors of Steve Grossman and Frank Foster. The challenging modal material (an extension of John Coltrane's music of the early '60s) and diverse soloists make this two-fer into a rather stimulating listen. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
A1    At This Point In Time 7:30
Written-By – F. Foster
A2    Currents / Pollen 11:06
Written-By – D. Garcia, G. Perla
B1    The Prime Element 6:14
Written-By – O. Clay
B2    Whims Of Bal 12:22
Written-By – O. Clay
C1    Inner Space 6:28
Written-By – C. Corea
C2    Once I Loved (O Amor E Paz) 6:18
Lyrics By – V. De Moraes
Translated By – R. Gilbert
Written-By – A. C. Jobim

C3    Raynay 7:54
Written-By – E. Jones
D1    Champagne Baby 10:20
Written-By – J. Farrell
D2    Dido Afrique 11:14
Written-By – E. Jones
Credits :
Baritone Saxophone – Pepper Adams (tracks: A1 to B2)
Bass – Wilbur Little (tracks: C1 to D2)
Congas [Conga] – Candido Camero
Drums – Elvin Jones
Electric Bass, Acoustic Bass – Gene Perla (tracks: A1 to B2)
Electric Guitar – Cornell Dupree (tracks: A1 to B2)
Percussion – Miovelito Valles (tracks: C1 to D2), Omar Clay (tracks: A1 to B2), Richie "Pablo" Landrum (tracks: A1 to B2)
Synthesizer [Mini Moog], Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes], Piano [Acoustic] – Jan Hammer (tracks: A1 to B2)
Tenor Saxophone – George Coleman (tracks: C1 to D2)
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Frank Foster (tracks: A1 to B2), Steve Grossman (tracks: A1 to B2)
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Flute, Alto Flute – Joe Farrell (tracks: C1 to D2)
Timpani – Warren Smith (tracks: A1 to B2)
Trumpet – Lee Morgan (tracks: C1 to D2)

16.6.24

JERRY GOODMAN & JAN HAMMER — Like Children (1974-2006) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Violinist Jerry Goodman and keyboardist Jan Hammer away from Mahavishnu. They play all instruments (overdubbed). "Country and Eastern Music" and "Steppings Tones" were high-water marks for this new breed (at the time). Like Children was reissued on CD by Wounded Bird in 2006. Michael G. Nastos
Tracklist :
1    Country And Eastern Music 5:37
Electric Guitar, Violin [Violins], Viola [Violas], Viol [Violows], Electric Violin, Vocals – Jerry
Piano, Drums, Bass [Moog Bass], Synthesizer [Moog Lead], Percussion, Vocals – Jan
Written-By – Jan Hammer

2    No Fear 3:28
Synthesizer [Moog], Sequencer [Oberheim Digital Sequencer] – Jan
Written-By – Jan Hammer

3    I Remember Me 3:49
Acoustic Guitar, Violin [Violins], Viola [Violas], Viol [Violows] – Jerry
Piano, Synthesizer [Moog] – Jan
Written-By – Jan Hammer

4    Earth (Still Our Only Home) 4:17
Drums, Bass [Moog Bass], Synthesizer [Moog Lead], Electric Piano, Sequencer, Vocals – Jan
Electric Guitar [Electric Guitars], Electric Violin, Vocals – Jerry
Written-By – Jan Hammer

5    Topeka 2:57
Acoustic Guitar [Acoustic Guitars], Electric Guitar, Mandolin [Electric Mandolin], Electric Violin – Jerry
Drums, Synthesizer [Moog Bass & Lead], Electric Piano – Jan
Written-By – Jerry Goodman

6    Steppings Tones 3:30
Synthesizer [Moog Bass & Lead], Piano [Acoustic], Electric Piano, Drums, Percussion – Jan
Violin [Acoustic], Electric Violin, Mandolin [Electric Mandolin] – Jerry
Written-By – Rick Laird

7    Night 5:49
Synthesizer [Moog Bass & Lead], Sequencer, Percussion, Drums – Jan
Viola [Violas], Viol [Violows], Violin [Acoustic], Electric Violin – Jerry
Written-By – David Earle Johnson, Jan Hammer

8    Full Moon Boogie 4:13
Drums, Electric Piano, Piano [Acoustic], Synthesizer [Moog Lead & Bass], Vocals – Jan
Electric Violin, Electric Guitar, Lead Vocals – Jerry
Written-By – Jan Hammer, Jerry Goodman

Giving In Gently / I Wonder    (4:44)
9a    Giving In Gently
Acoustic Guitar [Acoustic Guitars], Electric Guitar, Violin, Viola, Viol [Violow], Lead Vocals – Jerry
Synthesizer [Moog Lead & Bass], Electric Piano, Drums, Percussion, Vocals – Jan
Written-By – Ivona Reich, Jan Hammer

9b    I Wonder
Drums, Synthesizer [Moog Lead & Bass], Electric Piano, Piano [Acoustic] – Jan
Lead Guitar, Mandolin [Electric Mandol
in], Violin [Violins], Viol [Violow] – Jerry
Written-By – Jerry Goodman

22.3.24

AL DI MEOLA — Electric Rendezvous (1982) APE (image+.cue), lossless

Al di Meola's fifth of seven fusion albums as a leader for Columbia is a typically fiery effort, with di Meola joined by keyboardist Jan Hammer, electric bassist Anthony Jackson, drummer Steve Gadd, percussionist Mingo Lewis, and guest spots for flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucía ("Passion, Grace & Fire") and keyboardist Philippe Saisse. This lesser-known effort is easily recommended to fans of rock-ish jazz guitar. Scott Yanow
Tracklist  :
1 God Bird Change 3:57
Composed By – Mingo Lewis
2 Electric Rendezvous 7:55
Composed By – Al Di Meola
3 Passion, Grace & Fire 5:40
Composed By – Al Di Meola
4 Cruisin' 4:19
Composed By – Jan Hammer
5 Black Cat Shuffle 3:06
Composed By – Philippe Saisse
6 Ritmo De La Noche 4:21
Composed By – Al Di Meola
7 Somalia 1:40
Composed By – Al Di Meola
8 Jewel Inside A Dream 4:06
Composed By – Al Di Meola
Credits
Bass – Anthony Jackson (tracks: 1, 2, 4 to 8)
Drums – Steve Gadd (tracks: 1, 2, 4 to 8)
Guitar – Al Di Meola, Paco De Lucia (tracks: 3)
Keyboards – Jan Hammer (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 6 to 8), P. Saisse (tracks: 5)
Percussion – Mingo Lewis (tracks: 1, 2, 4 to 8)

7.6.20

BILLY COBHAM - Spectrum (1973-2007) RM / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Drummer Billy Cobham was fresh from his success with the Mahavishnu Orchestra when he recorded his debut album, which is still his best. Most of the selections showcase Cobham in a quartet with keyboardist Jan Hammer, guitarist Tommy Bolin, and electric bassist Lee Sklar. Two other numbers include Joe Farrell on flute and soprano and trumpeter Jimmy Owens with guitarist John Tropea, Hammer, bassist Ron Carter, and Ray Barretto on congas. The generally high-quality compositions (which include "Red Baron") make this fusion set a standout, a strong mixture of rock-ish rhythms and jazz improvising. by Scott Yanow
Tracklist:
1 Quadrant 4 4:20
2 Searching For The Right Door 1:24
Soloist [Uncredited], Drums [Uncredited] – Billy Cobham
3 Spectrum 5:09
Acoustic Bass – Ron Carter
Congas – Ray Barretto
Electric Piano, Synthesizer [Moog] – Jan Hammer
Flugelhorn – Jimmy Owens
Flute, Soprano Saxophone – Joe Farrell
4 Anxiety 1:41
Soloist [Uncredited], Drums [Uncredited] – Billy Cobham
5 Taurian Matador 3:03
6 Stratus 9:50
7 To The Women In My Life 0:51
Soloist [Uncredited], Piano [Uncredited] – Jan Hammer
8 Le Lis 3:20
Acoustic Bass – Ron Carter
Alto Saxophone – Joe Farrell
Congas – Ray Barretto
Electric Piano, Synthesizer [Moog] – Jan Hammer
Flugelhorn, Trumpet – Jimmy Owens
Guitar – John Tropea
9 Snoopy's Search 1:02
Soloist [Uncredited], Synthesizer [Uncredited] – Jan Hammer
10 Red Baron 6:37
Credits:
Electric Bass [Fender Bass] – Leland Sklar
Electric Piano, Piano [Acoustic], Synthesizer [Moog] – Jan Hammer
Guitar – Tommy Bolin
Percussion, Producer, Written-By – Billy Cobham

2.4.20

THE MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA - The Inner Mounting Flame (1971-1998) RM / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The Inner Mounting Flame is Mahavishnu Orchestra's debut studio album originally released in 1971 by Columbia Records. The jazz-rock group performed tracks composed by leader John McLaughlin.
This is the album that made John McLaughlin a semi-household name, a furious, high-energy, yet rigorously conceived meeting of virtuosos that, for all intents and purposes, defined the fusion of jazz and rock a year after Miles Davis' Bitches Brew breakthrough. It also inadvertently led to the derogatory connotation of the word fusion, for it paved the way for an army of imitators, many of whose excesses and commercial panderings devalued the entire movement. Though much was made of the influence of jazz-influenced improvisation in the Mahavishnu band, it is the rock element that predominates, stemming directly from the electronic innovations of Jimi Hendrix. The improvisations, particularly McLaughlin's post-Hendrix machine-gun assaults on double-necked electric guitar and Jerry Goodman's flights on electric violin, owe more to the freakouts that had been circulating in progressive rock circles than to jazz, based as they often are on ostinatos on one chord. These still sound genuinely thrilling today on CD, as McLaughlin and Goodman battle Jan Hammer's keyboards, Rick Laird's bass, and especially Billy Cobham's hard-charging drums, whose jazz-trained technique pushed the envelope for all rock drummers. What doesn't date so well are the composed medium- and high-velocity unison passages that are played in such tight lockstep that they can't breathe. There is also time out for quieter, reflective numbers that are drenched in studied spirituality ("A Lotus on Irish Streams") or irony ("You Know You Know"); McLaughlin was to do better in that department with less-driven colleagues elsewhere in his career. Aimed with absolute precision at young rock fans, this record was wildly popular in its day, and it may have been the cause of more blown-out home amplifiers than any other record this side of Deep Purple.
Tracklist:
1. Meeting of the Spirits (Remastered)
2. Dawn (Remastered)
3. The Noonward Race (Remastered)
4. A Lotus on Irish Streams (Remastered)
5. Vital Transformation (Remastered)
6. The Dance of Maya (Remastered)
7. You Know, You Know (Remastered)
8. Awakening (Remastered)
9. The Noonward Race (Live) (Remastered)
Personnel:
John McLaughlin - guitar
Rick Laird - bass
Billy Cobham - drums, percussion
Jan Hammer - keyboards, organ
Jerry Goodman - violin
Producers: Mahavishnu Orchestra

MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA - Birds of Fire (1973-2000) RM / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Emboldened by the popularity of Inner Mounting Flame among rock audiences, the first Mahavishnu Orchestra set out to further define and refine its blistering jazz-rock direction in its second -- and, no thanks to internal feuding, last -- studio album. Although it has much of the screaming rock energy and sometimes exaggerated competitive frenzy of its predecessor, Birds of Fire is audibly more varied in texture, even more tightly organized, and thankfully more musical in content. A remarkable example of precisely choreographed, high-speed solo trading -- with John McLaughlin, Jerry Goodman, and Jan Hammer all of one mind, supported by Billy Cobham's machine-gun drumming and Rick Laird's dancing bass -- can be heard on the aptly named "One Word," and the title track is a defining moment of the group's nearly atonal fury. The band also takes time out for a brief bit of spaced-out electronic burbling and static called "Sapphire Bullets of Pure Love." Yet the most enticing pieces of music on the record are the gorgeous, almost pastoral opening and closing sections to "Open Country Joy," a relaxed, jocular bit of communal jamming that they ought to have pursued further. This album actually became a major crossover hit, rising to number 15 on the pop album charts, and it remains the key item in the first Mahavishnu Orchestra's slim discography.
Tracklist:
1. Birds Of Fire
2. Miles Beyond (Miles Davis)
3. Celestial Terrestrial Commuters
4. Sapphire Bullets Of Pure Love
5. Thousand Island Park
6. Hope
7. One Word
8. Sanctuary
9. Open Country Joy
10. Resolution
Personnel:
John McLaughlin - Guitar
Rick Laird - Bass
Billy Cobham - Drums, Percussion
Jan Hammer - Keyboards, Moog synthesizer
Jerry Goodman - Violin

JOHN MCLAUGHLIN / CARLOS SANTANA - Love Devotion Surrender (1973) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Love Devotion Surrender is an album released in 1973 by guitarists Carlos Santana and John McLaughlin, with the backing of their respective bands, Santana and The Mahavishnu Orchestra. The album was inspired by the teachings of Sri Chinmoy and intended as a tribute to John Coltrane. It contains two Coltrane compositions, two McLaughlin songs, and a traditional gospel song arranged by Santana and McLaughlin. It was certified Gold in 1973. In 2003, Love Devotion Surrender was released on CD with alternative versions as bonus tracks.
Both men were recent disciples of the guru Sri Chinmoy, and the title of the album echoes basic concepts of Chinmoy's philosophy, which focused on "love, devotion and surrender." Sri Chinmoy spoke about the album and the concept of surrender:
 Unfortunately, in the West surrender is misunderstood. We feel that if we surrender to someone, he will then lord it over us....But from the spiritual point of view...when the finite enters in the Infinite, it becomes the Infinite all at once. When a tiny drop enters into the ocean, we cannot trace the drop. It becomes the mighty ocean.
For both men the album came at a transitional moment spiritually and musically: Love Devotion Surrender was a "very public pursuit of their spiritual selves." Carlos Santana was moving from rock toward jazz and fusion, experiencing a "spiritual awakening," while McLaughlin was about to experience the break-up of the Mahavishnu Orchestra after being criticized by other band members. Santana had been a fan of McLaughlin, and McLaughlin had introduced Santana to Sri Chinmoy in 1971, at which time the guru bestowed the name "Devadip" on him, and the two had started playing and recording together in 1972. According to his biographer Marc Shapiro, Santana had much to learn from McLaughlin: "He would sit for hours, enthralled at the new ways to play that McLaughlin was teaching him," and his new spirituality had its effect on the music: "the feeling was that Carlos's newfound faith was present in every groove.
A hopelessly misunderstood record in its time by Santana fans -- they were still reeling from the radical direction shift toward jazz on Caravanserai and praying it was an aberration -- it was greeted by Santana devotees with hostility, contrasted with kindness from major-league critics like Robert Palmer. To hear this recording in the context of not only Carlos Santana's development as a guitarist, but as the logical extension of the music of John Coltrane and Miles Davis influencing rock musicians -- McLaughlin, of course, was a former Davis sideman -- this extension makes perfect sense in the post-Sonic Youth, post-rock era. With the exception of Coltrane's "Naima" and McLaughlin's "Meditation," this album consists of merely three extended guitar jams played on the spiritual ecstasy tip -- both men were devotees of guru Shri Chinmoy at the time. The assembled band included members of Santana's band and the Mahavishnu Orchestra in Michael Shrieve, Billy Cobham, Doug Rauch, Armando Peraza, Jan Hammer (playing drums!), and Don Alias. But it is the presence of the revolutionary jazz organist Larry Young -- a colleague of McLaughlin's in Tony Williams' Lifetime band -- that makes the entire project gel. He stands as the great communicator harmonically between the two very different guitarists whose ideas contrasted enough to complement one another in the context of Young's aggressive approach to keep the entire proceeding in the air. In the acknowledgement section of Coltrane's "A Love Supreme," which opens the album, Young creates a channel between Santana's riotous, transcendent, melodic runs and McLaughlin's rapid-fire machine-gun riffing. Young' double-handed striated chord voicings offered enough for both men to chew on, leaving free-ranging territory for percussive effects to drive the tracks from underneath. Check "Let Us Go Into the House of the Lord," which was musically inspired by Bobby Womack's "Breezing" and dynamically foreshadowed by Pharoah Sanders' read of it, or the insanely knotty yet intervallically transcendent "The Life Divine," for the manner in which Young's organ actually speaks both languages simultaneously. Young is the person who makes the room for the deep spirituality inherent in these sessions to be grasped for what it is: the interplay of two men who were not merely paying tribute to Coltrane, but trying to take his ideas about going beyond the realm of Western music to communicate with the language of the heart as it united with the cosmos. After three decades, Love Devotion Surrender still sounds completely radical and stunningly, movingly beautiful.
Quick! Name an album on which John McLaughlin plays piano and Jan Hammer plays drums. Give up? The answer: the much loved but often maligned 1973 collaboration between Carlos Santana and John McLaughlin, Love, Devotion and Surrender. (At this time John was still MAHAVISHNU and Carlos was not quite yet DEVADIP.) Now if anyone out there in musicland can determine on which cuts John McLaughlin played the piano and Hammer played the drums - you win a prize! 
In 1973, Carlos Santana had become mesmerized by the music of the Mahavishnu Orchestra. His interest became so strong that he literally followed the band on tour across America. He and McLaughlin became friendly. One night John McLaughlin had a dream that the two should record an album together. He took that dream to Clive Davis, the head of Columbia Records, and Love, Devotion and Surrender was born.
LDS delivers some of the hottest playing you are ever going to hear. John McLaughlin and Carlos Santana play their respective butts off, especially on the inspirational "Let Us Go Into The House Of The Lord". The rapid-fire machine gun bursts and call and responses make for an electric guitar Nirvana. Other musicians assembled for the recording included Santana compatriots Armando Peraza, Don Alias, Doug Rauch and Mike Shrieve. John McLaughlin brought along Jan Hammer, Billy Cobham and the legendary organist Larry Young. Imagine a Latin Mahavishnu Orchestra! 
At the time of this recording’s release, the patience and reverence afforded gurus was waning. This could help explain the relatively poor sales of Love, Devotion and Surrender relative to expectations. After all a smiling Sri Chinmoy, in all of his splendid grandeur, was pictured on the album cover. It may also help explain the many negative reviews. In hindsight, you will probably find that most of these reviews came from Santana fans that just couldn’t figure out what was going on with their hero. 
Despite all outward appearances, the fact of the matter was that this album pointed much more in the direction of John Coltrane than it did any guru or religious movement. Santana is, like McLaughlin, a devoted Coltrane admirer. McLaughlin and Santana even make the effort of trying to pull off “A Love Supreme,” and it works very well. (Even the vocals are effective). An acoustic treatment of “Naima” does the master proud, too. The other players are strong on all tunes. Cobham, in particular, is a powerhouse. 
In recent years, Love, Devotion and Surrender has begun receiving the praise it so richly deserves. (Bill Laswell has even released a well-received remix.) LDS remains a milestone in the history of fusion music. We can only hope that McLaughlin and Santana will find an opportunity to record together again soon, something both men have hinted at.
Tracklist:
1. A Love Supreme (7:48)
2. Naima (3:09)
3. The Life Devine (9:30)
4. Let's Go Into The House of the Lord (15:45)
5. Meditation (2:45)
Total time - 38:57
Line-up / Musicians
- Carlos Santana / guitars, vocals
- John McLaughlin / Guitar, piano
- Larry Young / organ
- Doug Rauch / bass
- Billy Cobham / drums
- Don Alias / drums
- Jan Hammer / drums
- Mike Shrieve / drums
- Armando Peraza / Congas, Bongos

2.3.20

STANLEY CLARKE - Stanley Clarke (1971-2007) RM / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Stanley Clarke is the second album of jazz fusion bassist Stanley Clarke. This is a classic in the jazz rock fusion genre. Highly electric featuring an all-star band of Stanley Clarke, Jan Hammer, Bill Connors, and the incomparable Tony Williams. To listen to this album/cd at less than full volume does not do it justice.
No one ever accused Return to Forever of playing too few notes, and bass wonder Stanley Clarke commits a few similar sins of excess on his first solo album (see "Life Suite, Parts 1-4"). But, hey, this was 1975, and there's no denying Clarke's genius for sublime grooves and fancy fretwork. As funky as Larry Graham and more fun than Jaco Pastorius, he moves agilely between the convoluted pleasures of "Lopsy Lu" and the more highbrow charms of "Spanish Phases for String and Bass." The album is one of the best showcases for Clarke's mastery of both double bass and electric.
While some jazz purists will detest this LP for it's marriage of jazz improvisation and rock, the simple truth is, "Stanley Clarke" (both the LP and the man)are stunning and ingenious. The late, great Tony Williams is volcanic in his drumming, notice how he plays slightly behind the bass on "Lopsy Lu", or plays in circles around guitarist Bill Connors on Part IV of the "Life Suite"? There is not a wasted note here and listeners who are looking for 'light' or 'smooth' jazz are barking up the wrong tree! Clarke himself is an astounding bassist and takes on shades of Charles Mingus on "Phases for Strings and Bass" and all of the opening "Vulcan Princess". Electro-funk, hard rock and jazz rarely live on the same street these days, but this kind of adventurous music making(a treasure for us more discriminating music lovers)tells me that the 3 should visit each other more frequently. Stanley Clarke is the man! 
This was one of the best jams of it's time.If you ever heard Tony in the mid to late 60ies with miles you know how fast his foot work was. He takes it to a new high on this whole jam sesson. And you know how Stanley got down. anyone who cant understant this fusion all time great. Dont know Jazz. I am very very happy to have this calabaration of Rock&Jazz to my long list of unforgetable moments in Jazz history.
Tony Williams on drums, Jan Hammer on keyboards, Bill Conners on guitar and, of course, Stanley on bass(es). The pedigree of this line up rivals any, and when the Jazz Fusion style of this album is considered, this line up is as close to unbeatable as can be. Even relative unknown NoCal guitarist Bill Conners steps up with impressive performances. Tony's driving, if not frenetic style and Jan's melodic fills compliment Stanley's virtuoso. For fans of Jazz Fusion, or Stanley, this recording is a must. It will be tough to remove from your changer. As an aside I would like to mention that Stanley released an album previous to this as a solo artist. It is called "Stan Clarke: Children of Forever. Chick Corea, Pat Martino, Andy Bey, Dee Dee Bridgewater. Not Fusion, not pure jazz. Well worth checking out (especially "Bass Folk Song). 
I first heard "Stanley Clarke" way back in the mid seventies. I was in a rock band while I was in high school, and the bass player played the album for me in his basement. I had never heard a bass sound the way Clarke's did: more of a lead rather than rhythm or "bottom" instrument. My reaction was "Who is this dude?"
"Stanley Clarke" is full of fine performances: keyboardist Jan Hammer, guitar player Bill Connors, Clarke himself, and the guy who steals the show from everyone else, the legendary Tony Williams. Williams does amazing work throughout this album, but his solos on "Power" and "Life Suite" are simply incredible. In the second movement of "Life Suite", Williams' solo is otherworldly; the work he does on the high hat, bass drum and toms is beyond anything I have ever heard in my 50 years. Williams then moves on to cover what seems like every single piece of his drum kit: toms, cymbals, high hat, and snare-and he does it with such fluidity and speed that it seems like there is more than one person playing simultaneously. When the song drops in volume and tempo, Williams then does a sort of "background solo" with rim shots on his snare drum.
This is tremendous stuff. "Stanley Clarke" is perhaps not as polished as some of his later solo works such as "School Days" or "Journey to Love", but it is still a marvel to behold. The big thing is Tony Williams is on this album, and not the others. The only reason I subtract one star is Stanley somehow thought he could pull off what he thought would pass for singing on "Yesterday Princess". Maybe he got the idea from Tony, who also "sang" on his "Lifetime" albums. Bad idea for both of them...
More than 30 years hence "Stanley Clark" can still tingle my spine when I listen to "Life Suite"! As far as I'm concerned, that qualifies this album as a classic.
Stanley Clarke is Jazz Fusion Bass. There is not now, never was, and never will be an equivalent . Few artist achieve instant greatness with their solo debut album...Stanley did. The opening cut..."Vulcan Princess"...winds its way from a sassy rythmic dance, into a bold, fully ripe melody, fermenting into a beautifully eerie vocal ballad of love and longing. "Vulcan Princess" leads-sans pause- into a (now classic) string popping, synchopathic jaunt through the spacey landscape which is titled "Yesterday Princess". "YP creates musical slices of synthesizer, electric guitar and percussion which seem to fragment, then cascade back together, pulled sytematically into line by the ever present "syncho-Stanley- pops". The "Princess" tunes are wonderful introductions for the middle of the six tune album...they make us like Stanley, appreciate Stanley, recognize that Stanley is an extremely passionate and talented musical poet. Tunes 3 and 4, "Lopsy Lu" and "Power" creep up on you teasing with an underlying, pseudo-subtle flavor of the beast which lurks in the fantastic fingers of Monsieur Clarke. "Lopsy" is poignant. "Power" is, well... powerful. The next cut "Spanish Phases for Strings and Bass" is moody,seductive, occassionaly lilting, nearly passifying. The "SPfSaB" calms you, soothes you, puts you at just the right place to best handle the adrenelaine shot to the heart that concludes the album...The final cut "Life Suite" states simply that if life starts with a slap on the rear and a cry...it surely ends with a hard swift kick in the pants and a passionate scream. That's Stanley.... (web)
Tracklist:
1. Vulcan Princess (4:00)
2. Yesterday Princess (1:41)
3. Lopsy Lu (7:03)
4. Power (7:20)
5. Spanish Phases for Strings & Bass (6:26)
6. Life Suite
Part I - 1:51
Part II - 4:12
Part III - 1:03
Part IV - 6:41
Credits:
    Stanley Clarke - acoustic and electric basses, guitar, piano, vocals
    Jan Hammer - acoustic and electric pianos, organ, Moog synthesizer
    Bill Connors - acoustic and electric guitars
    Tony Williams - drums
    Airto Moreira - percussion
    Peter Gordon, Jon Faddis, James Buffington, Lew Soloff, Garnett Brown - brasses
    David Taylor - brasses, trombone
   David Nadien, Charles McCracken, Jesse Levy, Carol Buck, Beverly Lauridsen, Harry Cykman, Harold Kohon, Paul Gershman, Harry Lookofsky, Emanuel Green - string section
    Michael Gibbs (string & brass arrangement) 

20.8.18

GARY HUSBAND - Dirty & Beautiful Vol. 1 [2010]

Fusion isn't as plentiful as it was back in the 1970s, which was the golden age of fusion just as the '30s and early '40s were the golden age of swing and the mid- to late '40s and '50s were the golden age of bop. But noteworthy fusion can still be found if you know where to look for it, and Gary Husband's Dirty and Beautiful, Vol. 1 is an example of noteworthy 21st century fusion. An impressive cast of fusion icons joins the British keyboardist/drummer/composer on this 2010 release, including guitarists Allan Holdsworth and John McLaughlin and keyboardist Jan Hammer; guitarist Robin Trower, who is best known for hard rock and blues-rock, is also on board. With such a cast, one would expect five-star results. But Dirty and Beautiful, Vol. 1 falls short of exceptional, although it's still an enjoyable, solid outing as well as a fairly diverse one. This 51-minute CD, which is dominated by Husband's original material, has its more aggressive moments (including "Ternberg Jam" and "Dreams in Blue"), but many of the tunes are on the reflective, contemplative side; that is certainly true of "Bedford Falls," "Afterglow," "The Maverick," "Averstone Jam," and the mysterious "Boulevard Baloneyo." And Husband reminds listeners that quality fusion, like quality bop, quality Dixieland, or quality swing, isn't just about pyrotechnics -- which is why there is a lot of lyricism on this album to go with all the chops and technical proficiency. Fusion enthusiasts will appreciate the amount of nuance that Husband and his soloists bring to Dirty and Beautiful, Vol. 1. by Alex Henderson  
Tracklist:
1 Leave 'Em On  4:32
Bass – Jimmy Johnson
Drums – Gary Husband
Guitar – Allan Holdsworth
Keyboards – Jan Hammer
Written-By – Allan Holdsworth
2 Bedford Falls  3:20
Bass – Laurence Cottle
Drums – Gary Husband
Keyboards – Gary Husband
Written-By – Gary Husband
3 Between The Sheets Of Music  3:32
Bass – Jimmy Johnson 
Drums – Gary Husband
Guitar – Allan Holdsworth
Violin – Jerry Goodman
Written-By – Jan Hammer, Anthony Smith
4 Yesternow - Preview  0:57
Bass – Livingstone Brown
Drums – Gary Husband
Guitar – Robin Trower
Written-By – Miles Davis
5 Afterglow  2:15
Keyboards – Gary Husband
Written-By – Gary Husband
6 Dreams In Blue  10:12
Bass – Jimmy Johnson 
Drums – Gary Husband
Guitar – John McLaughlin
Keyboards – Gary Husband
Written-By – Gary Husband
7 Ternberg Jam  3:01
Bass – Jimmy Johnson 
Drums – Gary Husband
Keyboards – Gary Husband
Written-By – Gary Husband
8 Moon Song  4:32
Bass – Laurence Cottle
Drums – Gary Husband
Guitar – Steve Hackett
Keyboards – Gary Husband
Written-By – Gary Husband
9 Swell  0:45
Drums – Gary Husband
Keyboards – Gary Husband
Written-By – Gary Husband
10 The Maverick  4:53
Bass – Steve Price
Drums – Gary Husband
Guitar – Steve Topping
Written-By – Steve Topping
11 Boulevard Baloneyo  7:42
Bass – Jimmy Johnson 
Drums – Gary Husband
Guitar – Allan Holdsworth
Keyboards – Gary Husband
Written-By – Gary Husband
12 Alverstone Jam 5:22
Bass – Mark King
Drums – Gary Husband
Keyboards – Gary Husband
Written-By – Gary Husband, Mark King
Credits:
Gary Husband (Drums and Keys)
Allan Holdsworth (Guitar)
John McLaughlin (Guitar)
Robin Trower (Guitar)
Steve Hackett (Guitar)
Steve Topping (Guitar)
Jan Hammer (Keyboards)
Jerry Goodman (Violin)
Jimmy Johnson (Bass)
Mark King (Bass)
Laurence Cottle (Bass)
Livingstone Brown (Bass)
Steve Price (Bass)
GARY HUSBAND - Dirty & Beautiful, Vol. 1
 [2010] Abstract Logix ‎/ CBR320 / scans
O Púbis da Rosa

25.3.18

CHARLIE MARIANO – Helen 12 Trees (1976-2008) RM | 24bit/88.2Hz | FLAC (tracks), lossless

Saxophonist, flutist, and composer Charlie Mariano was 26 years into his recording career as a leader when he popped this wild bit of hardcore jazz-rock fusion out in 1976. He'd been playing with musicians from all over the world for most of his tenure, and Helen 12 Trees was no exception. The musicians Mariano was capable of recruiting had always been astonishing; in fact, it was his norm, but this group, despite being together for a very short time, was one of his finest. Mariano is aided by Jan Hammer from the Mahavishnu Orchestra on keyboards, former Graham Bond Organization and Cream bassist Jack Bruce, Soft Machine drummer John Marshall, Polish violin wizard Zbigniew Seifert, and Asian percussionist Nippy Noya. Just under 40 minutes in length, this is one of the great, under-heard records to ever come out of the fusion years. Tracks like "Parvati's Dance," where Mariano plays the Indian nagaswaram, a reed instrument that has a very unusual tonality, is gorgeous when juxtaposed against Seifert's droning violin or Hammer's high-pitched wandering keys. Bruce and Marshall are playing a near dub rhythm of pulse and bubble. "Thorn of a White Rose" is by Hammer, the only non-Mariano cut here. It carries within it dueling, winding lines of violin and saxophone, and Hammer becomes the funky part of the rhythm section where Bruce carries a straight series of four-note lines very forcefully as Marshall plays his kit in knotty military style with heavy snare. Mariano's solo hits the skronk a bit before Hammer comes right back to post-bop jazz on the Rhodes. "Neverglades Pixie" is a ballad gone to wonky funk, where the hand percussion on bells, vibes, metal rods, and other more standard instruments adds another layer to Marshall's rimshots as Seifert takes a solo right out of Cajun fiddling and the blues -- until he meets Hammer's big, cluttered chords and winds it out to the Gypsy jazz side of things. The bottom line is that over seven tracks, this set never runs out of surprises, grooves, kinetic energy, or astonishing improvisational ideas. But more than this, it never runs out of soul either, given Mariano's great sensitivity as a leader. There is pure poetry in this music, albeit of a very strident nature, and it's certainly some of the finest under Mariano's name as a leader -- it's a stone classic and one of the best examples of post-Miles jazz-rock fusion ever recorded! MPS was a visionary label, and kept putting out quality jazz, rock, and big-band records until it closed its doors in the late '70s, and this title is prime evidence of label boss Joachim Ernst Berendt's vision. Thom Jurek   
Tracklist 
1 Helen Twelvetrees 4:42
Alto Saxophone [Altosax] – Charlie Mariano
2 Parvati's Dance 7:32
Nadaswaram [Nagaswaram] – Charlie Mariano
3 Sleep, My Love 2:51
Flute – Charlie Mariano
4 Thorn Of A White Rose 4:30
Alto Saxophone [Altosax] – Charlie Mariano
Composed By – Jan Hammer
5 Neverglade Pixies 7:10
Soprano Saxophone [Sopranosax] – Charlie Mariano
6 Charlotte 6:33
Soprano Saxophone [Sopranosax] – Charlie Mariano
7 Avoid The Year Of The Monkey 5:30
Soprano Saxophone [Sopranosax] – Charlie Mariano
Credits
Bass Guitar – Jack Bruce
Composed By – Charlie Mariano (tracks: 1 to 3, 5 to 7)
Drums – John Marshall
Percussion – Nippy Noya
Piano [Acoustic Piano], Electric Piano, Synthesizer [Moog Synthesizer] – Jan Hammer
Violin – Zbigniew Seifert

30.10.17

JOHN ABERCROMBIE - Night (1984) APE (image+.cue), lossless

This surprising 1984 effort from John Abercrombie finds the guitarist in conversation with Jan Hammer, Jack DeJohnette, and Mike Brecker. The lack of a bassist on this session is not felt; the spaciousness of the music and the masterful playing of all parties involved keep the focus clearly on the melodies, both scripted and improvised. This can best be heard on the title track, a lovely, tear-wrenching ballad. On some of the more up-tempo tracks, Hammer covers the bass end with his keyboards almost like he is taking part in an organ trio. Unlike the high-velocity fusion that Hammer is best known for in his work with the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Al DiMeola, and elsewhere, his work on Night is highly subdued. In fact, his playing is one of the most pleasant things about this record. It's nice to hear him doing something other than blaring away at a million miles a minute. He really is an excellent keyboardist, and his range is often underappreciated. However, the excellent compositions by Hammer and Abercrombie are the strongest thing about Night. One of the best is the opener, "Ethereggae," which features an incredible guitar solo over a sparse, haunting synth figure and DeJohnette's incomparable comping. When Brecker adds his pointed, searching tenor, the despair and loneliness of the music are almost too much to bear. This record is the kind of album that one would like to hear while enjoying a late-night cigarette on the roof of a Manhattan apartment. Moody, atmospheric, and beautiful. by Daniel Gioffre  
Tracklist :
1 Ethereggae 8:23
2 Night 4:56
3 3 East 4:27
4 Look Around 8:55
5 Believe You Me 7:36
6 Four On One 6:42
Credits :
Drums – Jack DeJohnette
Guitar – John Abercrombie
Keyboards – Jan Hammer
Tenor Saxophone – Michael Brecker
Composed By – Jan Hammer (tracks: 1), John Abercrombie (tracks: 2 to 6)

20.10.17

MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA - The Complete Columbia Albums Collection (2011) 5CD Box Set / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless


The Complete Original Mahavishnu Orchestra Columbia Albums Collection (5 CDs):
1 The Inner Mounting flame (1971)
2. Birds Of Fire (1973) 
3. The Lost Trident Sessions (1973) 
4. Between Nothingness and Eternity (1974) 
5.Bonus Disc: Between Nothingness And Eternity [Disc 2]

The Complete Columbia Albums Collection features the output of the original Mahavishnu Orchestra (John McLaughlin, Billy Cobham, Jan Hammer, Rick Laird, and Jerry Goodman). When it was released in 2012, this compact box set sold for roughly the same price as two full-price CDs. It contains the studio albums The Inner Mounting Flame (1971) and Birds of Fire (1973). The live release Between Nothingness & Eternity (1973) is joined by Unreleased Tracks from Between Nothingness & Eternity, which features three cuts from the same August 1973 Central Park performance documented on the original, along with another three cuts recorded the previous night at the same location. The fifth and final disc is the 1999-released The Lost Trident Sessions. As with similar Legacy sets for Stanley Clarke, Weather Report, and George Duke, the discs are in durable LP replica sleeves that feature all-original artwork reproductions. Full credits are listed in the 15-page booklet, which also includes brief notes from McLaughlin and Richard Seidel.
The Mahavishnu Orchestra, in its original incarnation, lasted just four years, but in that brief time, the pioneering quintet set both the template and the high-water mark for fusion music. No band ever rocked as hard in a jazzy place as guitarist John McLaughlin's charging ensemble. 

McLaughlin had already built a firm reputation in his native England as a keen improviser with blues and rock leanings when he was invited by drummer Tony Williams in early 1969 to join him in New York. Almost immediately, McLaughlin was swept up into the very epicenter of the burgeoning fusion movement, appearing on in 1969 alone three of the genre's most significant recordings: Emergency! (by the newly-formed Tony Williams Lifetime) and In a Silent Way and Bitches Brew, the epochal Miles Davis albums that kick started fusion. 

When it was time for McLaughlin -- who, in his initial New York stay, had quickly developed from a gifted player to a brilliant one -- to form his own band, he brought together musicians who could apply full-force rock energy to improvisatory jazz skill. Keyboardist Jan Hammer, violinist Jerry Goodman, and drummer Billy Cobham were each extravagant virtuosos eager to match McLaughlin at his own game; bassist Rick Laird contained the passion with his steady bass lines. Dubbed the Mahavishnu Orchestra, the new band released its debut recording, The Inner Mounting Flame in August of 1971: fusion as we know it was now fully born. 

Younger listeners raised on rock responded to the band's vitality and extraordinary musicianship; before long The Mahavishnu Orchestra was appearing with the likes of The Byrds and Aerosmith. Subsequent hit albums built on The Inner Mounting Flame s innovations; Hammer added synthesizers to his arsenal, developing a keyboard style nearly as influential as that of McLaughlin's frenetic guitar work and Cobham's rumbling percussive attack. But it was nearly inevitable that the life span of such a dynamic ensemble would be brief. The Mahavishnu Orchestra threw down the gauntlet; fusioneers who followed have been trying to catch up ever since. 

The original Mahavishnu Orchestra only lasted a short time, but they created a tremendous body of work. Not quite rock but too loud for jazz, they blazed the trail for fusion and left everyone far behind. This collection has both studio albums - with not a bad cut between them -and the live 'Between Nothingness and Eternity', which, unusually for the time, had all new music on it and was more expansive, with the shortest cut being nearly ten minutes long.

Tensions among such high powered individuals were perhaps inevitable, especially concerning songwriting royalties, and the group broke up after only two short years. It was a real pleasure when decades later 'The Lost Trident Sessions' was released, a complete album recorded and abandoned during the last days of the group. Much of the material overlaps the live album, with less intensity but greater precision and accuracy. It often sounds slightly incomplete and doesn't quite reach the heights of the first two albums, but it is still superior material to everything else to come from other contemporary bands.

But the real treat of this box set, besides the remastering, besides the great price, and besides the informative booklet, is the bonus album of live material. This stuff is as smoking hot as you would expect and clocks in at a generous running time. A lot of the classics are covered, often at blistering speed. This alone is worth the price of the box set. But wait, there's more! The first album also has a 15 minute bonus live cut from the Mar-Y-Sol festival.

The Mahavishnu Orchestra may not be everybody's cup of tea, and jazz traditionalists dismiss them as too loud and fast. But for the fan of early 1970s music, of jazz fusion or progressive rock (the band is closer to King Crimson than anyone else, in truth), they were the Kings of the Mountain. 

Until recently, this set had only been sold on Sony's "Pop Market" website, which is absurdly secretive, not revealing song line-ups for product, so it is impossible for fans to know (before buying) if their box sets contain any previously unreleased material. I've now purchased this set from Amazon.com, and so I can now reveal the specifics. The contents are:

1."The Inner Mounting Flame"(original 1971 Don Puluse mix), plus a bonus track: a 15 minute "Noonward Race" live at the "Mar Y Sol" festival, which was originally released on a 2-L.P. ATCO Records "Mar Y Sol" various artists set)

2.Birds of Fire

3.The Lost Trident Sessions

4.Between Nothingness & Eternity

5."Unreleased tracks from Between Nothingness & Eternity".Tracklisting: "Hope", "Awakening", "You Know, You Know","One Word", "Stepping Tones", "Vital Transformation", "The Dance of Maya". These tracks were all recorded August 17 & 18,1973 at Wollman Rink in New York.

The booklet with the box set gives the basic information for each album , but does not reproduce the liner notes for "The Lost Trident Sessions". Also, I would note that I would have preferred the late 1980's Mark Wilder remix of "The Inner Mounting Flame" because of its superior sound quality, but I've got it elsewhere in my collection.

The Disc Five of unreleased material is worth the price of the box set's purchase. Some may complain about the omission of later Mahavishnu Orchestra albums, but the set is titled "The Original Mahavishnu Orchestra-The Complete Columbia Albums Collection", and so it is complete; all the released albums by the original John McLaughlin/Jan Hammer/Rick Laird/Billy Cobham/Jerry Goodman line-up.

 The Inner Mounting Flame (1971)
The Inner Mounting Flame is Mahavishnu Orchestra's first studio album, released in 1971 and consisting solely of original compositions by John McLaughlin.
The track "You Know, You Know" was sampled in Massive Attack's "One Love", Mos Def's "Kalifornia", Black Sheep's single "Similak Child", David Sylvian's "I Surrender", Cecil Otter's "Rebel Yellow" and Blahzay Blahzay's "Intro" from Blah Blah Blah album.
A remastered version of the album, on CD, was released in 1998 by Sony Music Entertainment. It features a facsimile of the LP front cover, a new set of liner notes by Bob Belden, as well as many photographs of the band. "The Inner Mounting Flame" was included in 2011 as part of "The Complete Columbia Albums Collection" boxset, along with the other albums by the first line-up of the band, including "The Lost Trident Sessions". This version includes a version of "The Noonward Race" recorded live at the Mar Y Sol Pop Festival 3 April 1972. That version was previously available on the compilation album "Mar Y Sol: The First International Puerto Rico Pop Festival", but the version included in the boxset is two minutes longer.

This is the album that made John McLaughlin a semi-household name, a furious, high-energy, yet rigorously conceived meeting of virtuosos that, for all intents and purposes, defined the fusion of jazz and rock a year after Miles Davis' Bitches Brew breakthrough. It also inadvertently led to the derogatory connotation of the word fusion, for it paved the way for an army of imitators, many of whose excesses and commercial panderings devalued the entire movement. Though much was made of the influence of jazz-influenced improvisation in the Mahavishnu band, it is the rock element that predominates, stemming directly from the electronic innovations of Jimi Hendrix. The improvisations, particularly McLaughlin's post-Hendrix machine-gun assaults on double-necked electric guitar and Jerry Goodman's flights on electric violin, owe more to the freakouts that had been circulating in progressive rock circles than to jazz, based as they often are on ostinatos on one chord. These still sound genuinely thrilling today on CD, as McLaughlin and Goodman battle Jan Hammer's keyboards, Rick Laird's bass, and especially Billy Cobham's hard-charging drums, whose jazz-trained technique pushed the envelope for all rock drummers. What doesn't date so well are the composed medium- and high-velocity unison passages that are played in such tight lockstep that they can't breathe. There is also time out for quieter, reflective numbers that are drenched in studied spirituality ("A Lotus on Irish Streams") or irony ("You Know You Know"); McLaughlin was to do better in that department with less-driven colleagues elsewhere in his career. Aimed with absolute precision at young rock fans, this record was wildly popular in its day, and it may have been the cause of more blown-out home amplifiers than any other record this side of Deep Purple.
Tracks Listing
1. Meeting Of The Spirits (6:52)
2. Dawn (5:10)
3. Noonward Race (6:28)
4. A Lotus On Irish Streams (5:39)
5. Vital Transformation (6:16)
6. The Dance Of Maya (7:17)
7. You Know, You Know (5:07)
8. Awakening (3:32)
Total Time: 46:34
Line-up / Musicians
- John McLaughlin / guitar
- Jerry Goodman / violin
- Jan Hammer / piano, electric piano and organ
- Rick Laird / bass
- Billy Cobham / drums

 Birds Of Fire (1973)
Birds of Fire is Mahavishnu Orchestra's second album. It was released in the first half of 1973 and is the last studio album released by the original Mahavishnu Orchestra line-up before the group dissolved, although Between Nothingness and Eternity, a live album, was recorded and released later that same year. (The final studio recordings by this line-up would be released as The Lost Trident Sessions in 1999).
As in the case of The Mahavishnu Orchestra's previous album, The Inner Mounting Flame, Birds of Fire consists solely of compositions by John McLaughlin. This includes the track "Miles Beyond (Miles Davis)", which McLaughlin dedicated to his friend and former bandleader.
The back cover of the LP features a poem entitled "Revelation" by Sri Chinmoy.
A remastered version of the album, on CD, was released in 2000 by Sony Music Entertainment. It features a facsimile of the LP cover and a new set of liner notes by Bill Milkowski, as well as photographs of the band.

Emboldened by the popularity of Inner Mounting Flame among rock audiences, the first Mahavishnu Orchestra set out to further define and refine its blistering jazz-rock direction in its second -- and, no thanks to internal feuding, last -- studio album. Although it has much of the screaming rock energy and sometimes exaggerated competitive frenzy of its predecessor, Birds of Fire is audibly more varied in texture, even more tightly organized, and thankfully more musical in content. A remarkable example of precisely choreographed, high-speed solo trading -- with John McLaughlin, Jerry Goodman, and Jan Hammer all of one mind, supported by Billy Cobham's machine-gun drumming and Rick Laird's dancing bass -- can be heard on the aptly named "One Word," and the title track is a defining moment of the group's nearly atonal fury. The band also takes time out for a brief bit of spaced-out electronic burbling and static called "Sapphire Bullets of Pure Love." Yet the most enticing pieces of music on the record are the gorgeous, almost pastoral opening and closing sections to "Open Country Joy," a relaxed, jocular bit of communal jamming that they ought to have pursued further. This album actually became a major crossover hit, rising to number 15 on the pop album charts, and it remains the key item in the first Mahavishnu Orchestra's slim discography.
Tracks Listing
1. Birds Of Fire (5:41)
2. Miles Beyond (Miles Davis) (4:39)
3. Celestial Terrestrial Commuters (2:53)
4. Sapphire Bullets Of Pure Love (0:22)
5. Thousand Island Park (3:19)
6. Hope (1:55)
7. One Word (9:54)
8. Sanctuary (5:01)
9. Open Country Joy (3:52)
10. Resolution (2:08)
Total Time: 39:48
Line-up / Musicians
- John McLaughlin / guitar
- Jerry Goodman / violin
- Jan Hammer / piano
- Rick Laird / bass
- Billy Cobham / drums

 The Lost Trident Sessions (1973)
The Lost Trident Sessions is a studio album by jazz fusion group the Mahavishnu Orchestra, released on 21 September 1999 through Sony Music Entertainment. It was originally recorded in June 1973 at Trident Studios but was not released until 26 years later. According to the album's detailed liner notes, in November 1998 Columbia Records producer Bob Belden stumbled upon two quarter-inch tapes in Columbia's Los Angeles vault whilst gathering material for a remastered reissue of the Mahavishnu Orchestra's 1972 album Birds of Fire. The tapes were otherwise unlabelled besides the recording location, but upon further inspection they were revealed to be the two-track mixes for what would have been the Mahavishnu Orchestra's third studio album at the time 

McLaughlin feels that the Orchestra was never recorded at their peak. "There is a studio album that never got released which is really good", he explains. It would have been their third studio album, following Inner Mounting Flame and Birds of Fire. "But at the time the record was being made, emotion in the band was running so high that people could no longer see clearly. Everyone felt nervous about it". Why? "I don't know why". And McLaughlin did not pursue it either: "When the people in the band told me how they felt, I respected it. I didn't ask them to explain why they felt it. That was enough. So we put a live album out (Between Nothingness and Eternity) which was good, but it wasn't on the same level. But one day I'd like the album to come out. It's a great album" 

With the exception of "John's Song #2", all compositions on this album were performed on other albums: "Dream", "Trilogy" and "Sister Andrea" appeared on the Mahavishnu Orchestra's 1973 live album Between Nothingness and Eternity, whilst "I Wonder" and "Steppings Tones" appeared on violinist Jerry Goodman and keyboardist Jan Hammer's 1974 album Like Children.

Recorded in London on June 25, 1973, these sessions for a planned third Mahavishnu Orchestra album were shelved when the band decided to put out the live Between Nothingness and Eternity instead. Bootlegged in the past, two-track mixes of the missing album were discovered in the vaults in the late '90s, paving the way for its official release in 1999. It's thus the last of the three studio albums done by the original Mahavishnu lineup (with Cobham on drums, Goodman on violin, Hammer on keyboards, and Laird on bass). Although McLaughlin had been the only composer on the first two Mahavishnu albums, he penned only three of the six tracks here, with Hammer writing two and Laird pitching in one. It's fiery, if perhaps over-busy at times, fusion, McLaughlin reaching his most feverish pitches in the frenetic concluding passage of the ten-minute "Trilogy." The numbers written by other members than McLaughlin tend to be a little more subdued, and perhaps unsurprisingly less inclined toward burning guitar solos.  
Tracks Listing
1. Dream (11:06)
2. Trilogy (9:30)
3. Sister Andrea (6:43)
4. I Wonder (3:07)
5. Stepping Stone (3:09)
6. John's Song (5:54)
Total Time: 39:45
Line-up / Musicians
- John McLaughlin / 6 & 12 string electric guitar & acoustic guitar
- Jerry Goodman / electric violin, viola & violow (custom viola with cello strings)
- Jan Hammer / electric piano & synthesizers
- Rick Laird / bass
- Billy Cobham / drums


 Between Nothingness & Eternity (1973)
Between Nothingness & Eternity is the first live album of Mahavishnu Orchestra, and last with the original line-up, released in 1973. According to the Mahavishnu Orchestra Gigs listing by Walter Kolosky, it was recorded live at the Schaefer Music Festival, held in Central Park, New York on August 17 and 18, 1973, even though, available recordings seems to prove that all of the material from the album was actually taken from the second night only. Originally, Mahavishnu Orchestra's third album was to be a studio one, recorded in June 1973 at Trident Studios in London, but was scrapped during the final days of the project. A live album containing versions of three out of the original six tracks came out instead. The original studio album was later released in 1999 as The Lost Trident Sessions.
Between Nothingness & Eternity was included in 2011 as part of The Complete Columbia Albums Collection boxset, along with the other albums by the first line-up of the band, including "The Lost Trident Sessions". This new version was a new different mix with an additional minute of music on "Sister Andrea". The boxset also contained an album called "Unreleased Tracks from Between Nothingness & Eternity" which contains other selections from the two Central Park shows.

The first Mahavishnu Orchestra's original very slim catalog was padded out somewhat by this live album (recorded in New York's Central Park) on which the five jazz/rock virtuosos can be heard stretching out at greater length than in the studio. There are only three selections on the disc, all of which were to have been on the group's then-unissued third album -- two of them, guitarist John McLaughlin's "Trilogy: Sunlit Path/La Merede la Mer" and keyboardist Jan Hammer's "Sister Andrea," are proportioned roughly as they were in their studio renditions, while the third, McLaughlin's "Dream," is stretched to nearly double its 11-minute studio length. Each develops organically through a number of sections, and there are fewer lockstep unison passages than on the earlier recordings. McLaughlin is as flashy and noisy as ever on double-necked electric guitar, and Hammer and violinist Jerry Goodman are a match for him in the speed department, with drummer Billy Cobham displaying a compelling, raw power and dexterity to his work as well, especially on the CD edition, which also gives bassist Rich Laird a showcase for his slightly subtler work. Yet for all of the superb playing, one really doesn't hear much music on this album; electricity and competitive empathy are clearly not enough, particularly on the 21-minute "Dream," which left a lot of fans feeling let down at the end of its side-two-filling run on the LP. In the decades since this album was released, the studio versions of these three pieces, along with other tracks being worked up for their third album, have appeared as The Lost Trident Sessions -- dating from May and June of 1973 -- thus giving fans a means of comparing this repertory to what the band had worked out (or not worked out) in the studio; and Between Nothingness and Eternity has come up a bit in estimation as a result, benefiting as it does from the spontaneity and energy of a live performance, though even that can only carry this work so far -- beyond the personality conflicts that broke up the band, they seem to have been approaching, though not quite reaching, a musical dead end as well.
Tracks Listing
1. Trilogy Medley (12:01)
... The Sunlit Path
... La Mere De La Mer
... Tomorrow's Story Not The Same
2. Sister Andrea (8:22)
3. Dream (21:24)
Total Time: 41:47
Line-up / Musicians
- Jerry Goodman / violin
- Jan Hammer / synthesizer, piano, keyboards, Moog synthesizer
- Rick Laird / bass
- John McLaughlin / synthesizer, guitar
- Sri Chinmoy / poetry
- Billy Cobham / drums

 Unreleased Tracks from Between Nothingness and Eternity (1973)
Unreleased Tracks from Between Nothingness & Eternity is a live album by the Mahavishnu Orchestra, first released in 2011 as part of The Complete Columbia Albums Collection boxset, along with the other albums by the first line-up of the band, including The Lost Trident Sessions. As the title explains, the album contains other selections from the two Central Park shows from August 1973 from which the live album Between Nothingness and Eternity was culled. 

While the other half of this concert, recorded in August 1973 in NYC's Central Park, was released as Mahavishnu Orchestra's third album, these recordings have been sitting in a vault for almost 40 years.  Well recorded, and with at times, blistering performances, this concert should be regarded as essential. The Mahavishnu Orchestra (original lineup) only existed for two short years. Get this. You will be glad you did.

Shame on Columbia records for keeping this hidden for 40 years. They seem to have a fetish for this sort of thing. After all, they allowed what we now have as "The Lost Trident Sessions" to languish unseen for 25 years. It was live versions of the major songs from that recording which Columbia released as the original "Between Nothingness & Eternity." This second volume from that same concert contains a shorty from "Trident" and three pieces each from "The Inner Mounting Flame" and "Birds Of Fire." But these are not simply readings of familiar tunes. This is a band at the pinnacle of its estimable powers. Each player is a brilliant soloist, but also a team player who comps for the others. The guys have stretched and squashed these pieces, smacked them flat and thrown them over, popped them inside out and played them backwards. They've wrung as much joy, peace, exuberance, anguish, anger and laughter from them as possible, until they resemble the originals at times, but also not at all. This is muscular music which calls to mind a world record athletic performance: its tempos are furious, its harmonies angular and shifting, its rhythms thunderous yet intricate, its execution serving precision and inspiration equally. It will hit you in the solar plexus and knock the wind straight out of you.

Five stars is not nearly enough for this music. How about several hundred each for Billy, Rick, Jan, Jerry and Johnny Mac. And another hundred for Rex Bogue's (RIP) magnificent double rainbow, the finest example possible of the right guitar for the right player.
Track listing:
1 Hope 1:48
2 Awakening 14:09
3 You Know, You Know 7:12
4 One Word 18:30
5 Stepping Tones 2:02
6 Vital Transformation 6:16
7 The Dance Of The Maya 14:04
Line-up / Musicians
- John McLaughlin / guitar
- Jerry Goodman / violin
- Jan Hammer / piano
- Rick Laird / bass
- Billy Cobham / drums
MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA 
The Complete Columbia Albums Collection
[5CD Box] 2011 / FLAC

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