Quincy Conserve: Listen to the Band, Epitaph, Tasteful, and ST (1970 to 1975)

Yet another undeservedly forgotten band from the golden age.

From discogs:

Founded in Wellington, New Zealand in 1968 by lead guitarist and vocalist Malcolm Hayman, Quincy Conserve were one of the more popular local bands of their era. Their sound progressed more in the direction of jazz-rock, and they had success with audiences at jazz festivals. They split up in 1976.

Their music is similar to my Madura post, if you recall that one, with the old 60s simplistic jazz-rock style augmented by slight proto-prog but incorporating a little too much blues to be called fusion yet, a little too simple to be considered inventive like the early Chicago albums (1 to 3 when they were still progressively minded).

Predictably the last album is the best one showing a more mature and perfected style with no fear of being original and more inventive.  Consider the oddball track which talks about an earthquake:

Note how the opening riff, usually a repetitive electric guitar instrumental, is accompanied by vocals, an oddity for sure in rock history.  A few more interesting numbers can be found and enjoyed in that last album from 1975.

From the first I was pleasantly surprised by the song called "Everybody has their way" written by the drummer Bruno Lawrence who went on to become an actor apparently.  This song has such a great hook it should've been a hit (was it?) back in the day:

Heading in the Right Direction Aussie funk Compilation

 

Back to the Aussie stuff for a couple of weeks.

Information here.  Of course Renee Geyer was featured exhaustively (I think) here and at that time I mentioned the great track which actually has its own wiki page, Heading in the Right Direction which oddly enough doesn't appear on this comp from which it received its title.  Jazz Co-Op more recently here.

Joyce Hurley's Sunbath:

More from Isao Suzuki with the String Band (1978) FLAC and mp3

One more from him, as everyone knows by now I just love the addition of strings to either rock or jazz to add that comprehensive musical sound, so I was quite interested in this record. Note that according to the discography, the String Band only appears for this one.  Unfortunately again we have the appearance of standards with the passable Nica's Dream by Horace Silver, a Jobim composition called Lamento and the absolutely horrific and plague-infected old rotten apple Greensleeves. What makes it even more torturous is that its arrangement (by our most beloved Masahiko Satoh!) is absolutely brilliant.  (Kind of like a perfect breast implant job on a very old woman.)  Note that shockingly Ron Carter appears on secondary bass here and Hank Jones on piano.  There is a credit for piccolo bass for Suzuki, an instrument which I hadn't even heard about.

Here's Avenue by Suzuki which really highlights his skills as a composer:

Well worth hearing this album for and making it well worth the price of admission, as I always say.

More from Isao Suzuki 1975 to 1981 (Ako's Dream, Cadillac Woman, Push (with Miyamoto), Blow Up, Three Cushion)

 

First of all, we have to point out the cover painting of Cadillac Woman-- which is really something.  

I mean-- what can you even say to that one? I have to wonder if the painting originally had the electrical wire coming out from further down and it had to be adjusted?

Here's some more from Isao Suzuki, again it's really hit and miss with some albums overloaded with standards but once in a while a well composed or fusiony track appears like the summer sun through a dark expanse of threatening and ugly storm clouds of generic nauseating jazz standards. His bio borrowed from discogs:

Born in Tokyo on January 2, 1933. Was a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers in the early 1970s. Known in Japan as the 'Jazz Godfather'. Died March 8, 2022 in Kawasaki.

Sites:

isaosuzuki.com, Wikipedia, Wikipedia

From the Cadillac Woman LP (1977) I love the intricacies of the post-bop riff on a track called Bamboo:

The title track of Push (which is a collaboration composition from the 2 of them) from the 1978 album with singer Niroko Miyamoto is remarkably progressive for a pure funk track:

Isao Suzuki and the New Family, by request

Here's a wonderful instance where a request led to something I didn't know about that was well worth hearing.

This guy is like a cross between the hard progressive Sasaji fusion and the Watanabe (Sadao, not Kazumi) that was so much mellowy smoother.  He's a bassist so expect a number of bass solo tracks in these records, including some bass renditions of standards which really don't need to see the light of day or sound of ear ever again, such as What are you doing the rest of your life.

As an ex. the title track from his best album, the Mongolian Chant:

Amazing how many sounds, moods, and themes they run through in that one track.

It's unfortunate he didn't make more than these 3 with his band the New Family, not sure of the solo material which is extensive as you can see here.  His Impressions of Chas. Mingus is unfortunately a little underwhelming esp. in comparison to that by Teo Macero.  The last album is full of jazz standards like a toilet that got clogged, sadly.

But Mongolian Chant is an almost masterpiece for sure.

And how odd that The Thing in the album cover above is a horse.