Ernie Krivda's 1978 The Alchemist, plus Bonus Satanic

Once again a one-off fusion experiment from that golden year of 1978 by an American saxophonist called Ernie Krivda, born 6 February 1945 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA.  A clear progressive influence emerges in the title track which appears as intro to the work, with a mysterious sounding soprano sax playing fourth intervals over a whole tone enamoured piano (Gil Goldstein) with an oddly played tuba (?) performing bass duties:





Subsequently the tracks become more straightforwardly modal or post-bop, a Brazilian-like number appears at A2, while some Eastern European folk elements show up in Tzigine (recalling our great Bulgarian find Vesselin Nikolov) and the subsequent brilliant Danse Macabre.

Not bad though.

Note that his previous effort with the wonderful name of Satanic is not quite as successful, being dominantly modal jazz.  But check his classical composition skills on the music box track:





Also to be found down below.

Towson State U. Again: Jazz 78

Back for another of the yearly outings from this college outfit...  I hope I'm not the only one to dig this groove, and dig it deep.  Great compositions again by Hank and performances all top-notch, as top caliber as Putin's custom-made bespoke assault rifles.  (Did we ever think we'd see the day where Russia and the US would have leaders who were best friends forever?)  

In particular you'll note the influence of fusion well to the fore here.  As well, notice the lone black man again on the rear.  Check out the extra-galactic adventures of the mothership traveling at Warp Factor V:

If you thought that was good, wait till you hear the next track, the 3 Phases of V, which is really quite progressive.

Thijs Van Leer's Pedal Point in the stunning Dona Nobis Pacem (1981) [no download]

What a shock that there are still such progressive masterpieces sitting around utterly unknown.  At least to me.

My attention was drawn to this by one of those wonderful aforementioned friends who are always finding things I would never have known about, or to put it in his words, "the hungry dog always finds a bone..."  And we sure have been ravenous lately with the endless series of library records and fusion opuses, so many dipping their cold toes in the inclement waters of the eighties...  Which ironically is exactly what composer Thijs van Leer is doing here, in this work which could easily have been made or written just after his 1975 magnum opus O My Love.  (One of my all-time favourites.)  Note that he does steal from himself on the one track, the resurrection, using the title track from the prior.  I guess we can forgive him that.

Check out the highly progressive material we have on the third track, which starts with the classical flutes weaving a beautiful tapestry, whereupon suddenly the electric guitars intrude in the style of ol' Mike Oldfield:

Wow.  One might also mention how similar to Pohjola's composed works this sounds.  I mentioned earlier how much I love Thijs for his work arranging Bulgarian-Dutch angel Bojoura in Beauty of Bojoura (wasn't he married to her once too?)-- now some six years ago.  (What a lot of previously unknown progressive and beautiful music we've heard in those 6 years.)  It's interesting to me as well how successfully the music has been married to the oratorio style.  Often there is some spark lacking as I found with another roughly contemporaneous such attempt involving Garfunkel (of all people!) and the great songwriter Jimmy Webb (how could he ever go wrong?) about the Christmas of Animals.  An egregious work which shocked me insofar as there is not a hint of the master who wrote MacArthur Park, By the Time I get to Phoenix, Up Up and Away, I'm still Alive, etc., etc.  Not to pummel him, esp. since some of the tracks he wrote for Art were some of his most beautiful songs, like on Watermark which was their best collaboration (most people will mention Scissors Cut however), but my point is that these religious works meant presumably for concerts are often lacking spontaneity.

Not this one though.  (Nor the Kantata of Siebert.)  This is absolutely amazingly magical from beginning to end, a double-LP moreover, and it's shocking to me that I never knew about it despite loving Focus-related artists deeply.  Note that it was released to CD in 1990 and thus out of respect for the powers to be the link if there is one permitted will be down very quickly.  I'm guessing from the price of the CDs on discogs though these are relatively rare too and must be out of print.

Really stunning music.

Jean-Pierre Debarbat & Dolphin Orchestra's Prologue (FRA 1977)

A remarkable piece of French fusion along the lines of my old favourite Transit Express-- clearly not as good, but nonetheless interesting to hear.  Notice compositions are by many, but mostly Debarbat and guitarist Frédéric Sylvestre who accompanied him on the next release, in 1980, with the wonderful title of Debarbat Rencontre Raterron Et La Planète Carrée (N.B.- not as good).

For those like me who didn't know him before he is described on discogs as saxophonist/clarinetist, composer, video and graphic artist (born 4 May 1952 in Montluçon, France).  Notice he is still performing here.

The great classic track is the first one called Oreve which is actually a composition by colleague Sylvestre:





As usual for the classic fusional style note the minor second arpeggiated patterns a la Asia Minor, the building intensity, the surprising and unexpected descending chord changes that dramatically excite the sound, the scoring of multiple instruments to provide layers of sound, etc.  The only thing missing here, though it's hardly a true drawback, is a moog synthesizer and a thicker, fuzzier, punchier or more masculine electric guitar sound.

On our next sample saddled with the uncomfortable name of Paraphernalia - Phase (again by Sylvestre!) the buildup on acoustic piano sounds a great deal like the gorgeous French epic fusion album by Francis Moze which I mentioned before I love so much (still thankfully available here, I think):





But if you stay tuned to the end of that track, there is a sudden smashing gorgeous uplifting progressive link that made me drop everything to listen to again and again.  Check it out.  Too bad there isn't more material like that to flesh out this album.

More Tom Letizia: Digital Dance, from 1983 [+ lossless]

I guess I was wrong that they didn't have more recordings, this came out a couple of years later.  The same style of advanced eighties slight fuzak material but totally lacking in cliches and conventional chord changes; entirely instrumental and guitar-based.  It does remind me a lot of the old American fusion guitar master Tony Palkovic who also made two, very recommended albums.  Also similar of course are Tony Dupuis, Mike Warren and Survival Kit, Mike Santiago, etc.

Here's the first and title track:





Luckily, no standards here, all compositions by Tom Letizia.  Notice the blurb on the back written by him:

Music is a mirror of the soul, your music is you.
It can be a sublime prayer honoring  your life, your origin, your goals, and God, or...
It can be a worthless ridicule of everything you are.
Years ago, wild animals, savages and disease destroyed men.
Today in our plentiful society men are destroyed from within.
Even if no one has taught you, learn to value the things that make a good human being.
Integrity, love, faith, effort, discipline, humor, creativity, and intelligence make your music sublime.

This album includes several styles of jazz, rhythm and blues, and rock.
Each original composition was designed to be listened to and enjoyed by both musician and non-musician, while not being simplistic and commercial or illogically avant-garde or atonal.  Translation: if you like music-- buy this album.


I love it.  Perhaps someone can twitter that blurb to president-to-be Donald and get a good quote?