New Jazz Quintet's High Energy Design, from 1981

Now for a series of US fusion albums, followed by some huge rock rarities.

This band with its one-off album hails from Louisiana and features the following folks, all or most of whom contribute compositions to the LP: Dave Emilien on percussion (and production), brothers Harold Scott on bass and George Scott on guitar, Lonnie Morris on second guitar, and on keyboards Randy Weber.  (Glad I got that out of the way.)  They play a very precise and warm fusion in the typical American late seventies style that we retroverts love so much with electric keys and two guitars, occasionally chords played on acoustic, and some Soft Machine ca. 7-type Ratledge electronic doodling in some hidden corners.  The big drawback despite the ganged-up sound is the limitations in chord progressions, with the typical composition sticking to two chords and a bunch of solos on top.  The first song never goes past E minor alternating with C major and as a result it's hard to get excited or inspired by the melody, really just a scale played up and down in a few different ways or Greek modes.

The final track called Q-Man and cowritten by the Scott bros turns up the energy dial to max with a funky riff involving a little bit of dissonance:





As usual the blurb on the back is heartbreaking in its hopelessly naive optimism:

This is the beginning of a long [--! Editor] and enjoyable relationship between you and the music of NJQ.  Their sound is fresh, memorable, energetic and warm.  You'll walk around today with traces of NJQ tunes rolling in your mind.  

This album is the culmination of 6 years of musical energies of 5 young men.  All hail from New Orleans, Louisiana, and all 5 pursue their music with a passion.  With backgrounds ranging from jazz to pop to rock from self-trained to advanced formal training, they have created an energetic and unique musical sound; a sound you'll instantly love-- the music of the New Jazz Quintet.

Robin McCartt, "The World of Jazz" WTUL 91.5 FM, New Orleans

But it is after all an advert blurb.