Wednesday 18 January 2023

The Jeff Lorber Fusion from 1977 to 1981













I really love that last album cover album-- just a gorgeous painting. It recalls of course Soft Machine's Cockayne, and it's surprising that in 1984 we should see something pictorially so magnificent. Really bucking the trend of neon green, spandex and short hair.

The band made quite a few albums in this period, plus he did a couple on his own too. Things start auspiciously enough in the first album which came quite early (in 1977), consider the almost atonally dancing dissonance of the Refunk track:




I love it went artists are able to craft something whereby you hear familiar patterns, chords changes, etc. over that funky rhythm section, but everything sounds just so slightly off, as if it was put up by one semitone or down a semitone-- it takes real genius to do that and still have it come off sounding great like in this instance.

But I guess things go downhill fast into the smooth fusion lacking in original ideas, very quickly, and surprisingly soon, before even the turn of the decade.  When it came to simplistic fuzak, I guess he was ahead of his time.  Note that Kenny G was in this band before he branched out on his own.

Title track of Galaxian:





5 comments:

  1. https://www70.zippyshare.com/v/Pl6T8LtP/file.html

    https://www.sendspace.com/file/j8ghec

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  2. @Julianryan Thank you for another great artist do you have any Richard Davis albums
    Richard Davis - The Philosophy Of The Spiritual (1972)
    Richard Davis - Epistrophy & Now's The Time (1972)
    Richard Davis - Dealin' (1974)
    Richard Davis - As One (1976)
    Richard Davis - Harvest (1979)
    Richard Davis - Way Out West (1980) Thank you again

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  3. That bottom cover is a still frame from a commercial by computer animation pioneer Bob Abel. Here's the spot, also notable for its synthy sound-alike of "Can You Read My Mind"

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MErklAt-TKM

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  4. Some pleasing moments and compositions, definitely crafty players. I somehow feels a bit strange listening to Kenny G. (don't tell my friends!). ;)

    Thank you very much for sharing Julian!

    ReplyDelete