Friday 26 July 2024
Praise Poems Vol. 9
Wednesday 24 July 2024
Praise Poems Vol. 8
Monday 22 July 2024
As requested Geoff Tyus in Continuation, 1979, fresh rip with limited time lossless
From discogs:
American pianist, composer and keyboardist, died 7 October 2007.
This was requested and I didn't have much to go on other than the Mt. Vernon composition from the Praise Poems series, which admittedly was wonderful. His first LP from 1979 though is mostly solo piano, which definitely gets a little boring at times. The first two tracks achieve a bit of library feel to them with the more filled out arrangements, as in the first:
Notice the appearance of Joplin's horrific The Entertainer piano piece, made famous at the time by that Robert Redford movie that was big in the 70s. Amazingly, he manages to ruin an already monstrous piece, with boogie-woogie stylings, to make it even more blood-curdling. The second side is all solo piano, partly improvised.
Saturday 20 July 2024
Peter Giger and Family of Percussion from 1976 by request
I posted the later album Sunday Palaver, here. To repeat quickly, Swiss Peter Giger was the drummer for the formidable early kraut fusion band Dzyan, that still blows me away when I listen to it today. Other than the first Giger/Lenz/Marron album Beyond, from 1976, the remainder of his material disappoints me. Family of Percussion was founded by Trilok Gurtu and made a bunch of LPs too, but on his own Giger made an album with the same name in 1976 which is the one posted here. So I guess technically this album is not a part of the band FoP's discography at all.
First track called Mistral gives you an indication of this, mostly percussion, some improvisations, not much actual music therefore:
Thursday 18 July 2024
Third Stream in Gettin' It Together, 1979 freshly ripped from lovely mint with limited time only lossless
Tuesday 16 July 2024
Sunday 14 July 2024
Praise Poems Vol. 6
Information here. Soda Creek Ferry is by Ted Ritchie and Friends, year unknown, who put out only one little single but boy is this composition a gem:
Not only is it well performed, with beautiful guitarwork and the addition of that lovely background flute, but the lyrics are well worth paying close attention to, back from a distant time long ago (half a century) when there were still such simple things: 'Billy really knew the river bed,' the ferry doesn't charge, it's broken down and gives him no food, but god bless it, if only there were still simple honest experiences left like that in the world today 50 years later, but how could there be with double or triple the population of the world weighing it down and the triumph of capitalism everywhere to be superseded by the coming Age of Kings, of Right-Wings, the Age of Billionaires, which will likely throw the rest of us all back into some kind of inferior medieval existence.
Note the incredibly lovely end: "if you are ever want to come along, we can add your river to my new song."
Saturday 13 July 2024
Praise Poems Vol. 5
Al Walton Trio's 1982 single, called Al's Thing:
Wednesday 10 July 2024
Michael Dues, I've never been to Nashville, 1979
Information here. His track called appeared on Praise Poems 4, recall. Unfortunately most of the remainder of this LP is bluegrass and country style.
Another lovely song called In My Prime:
Monday 8 July 2024
Praise Poems Vol. 4
Information here. Less on this one compared to its predecessors.
Goodbye Rainbow, by Michael Dues, a rare case where an LP release actually exists:
Friday 5 July 2024
Praise Poems Vol. 3
Wednesday 3 July 2024
Hippopotamus' Schnatterzapfen by request
A one-off from this German group that came out in 1982. The title track gives you an idea of what to expect, very light fusion if so it can be called, with a mixture of jazzy styles:
Monday 1 July 2024
Seeds of Fulfillment in 2 from 1981, 1982
Thursday 27 June 2024
Chris Hinze Combination plus Metropole Symphony Orchestra with Parcival, 1976, by request
2 alternate covers, as you can see. I was pretty thrilled when I first saw this as LP because let's be honest, Hinze is a genius and performed with so many brilliant artists in the glory days of fusion of the 70s, particularly in the stuff he put out with Charlie Mariano. You can see his discography here, and the combination one here. I especially love the 'solos duos trios' releases. I guess subsequently he went in the easy listening and ethnic folky new age directions.
Information here. Hinze of course is the composer of the whole work. Surprisingly it has not been released to CD, ever. Normally I love this kind of stuff where fusion and jazz are combined with a classical orchestra in an original way hopefully with a bit of creative, advanced composing, not baroque or simplistic classical borrowings, like Chuck Mangione did so perfectly well as I mentioned in posts before. Well I guess what's 'wrong' with this work is that it doesn't get amalgamated seamlessly, with a mixture of classical parts, simple pop-like songs, gospel, and fusion outbursts here and there throughout. Sometimes you get all three types in one track, but not conjoined, just one style followed by another style with abrupt transitions. I thought Deep Purple's famous Concerto for Group and Orchestra suffered from the same affliction, more so actually since it had no fusion aspect, though lots of people love that one. For some incomprehensible reason.
It's also surprising because in the year 1976 one would have expected something stunning since it was such a fertile year for this kind of thing.
Anyways, it ends like this:
Wednesday 26 June 2024
Praise Poems, Vol. 2
Again some really standout tracks on this second installment, with a bit of lovely fusion. Information here. Standouts are for sure Joe B's The Dude (no LP from him that I can see), Third Stream's In a Galaxy Far Away, and Seeds of Fulfillment with The Provider.
Monday 24 June 2024
Praise Poems, Vol. 1
Gotta love all the thought that was put into that piece.
The track called Praise Poems from which the series presumably derives its name is truly lovely despite the Bob Dorough like vocalist:
Thursday 20 June 2024
Japanese Fusion guitarist Masayoshi Takanaka in Seychelles (1976), An Insatiable High (1977), and ST (1977)
From Seychelles; Tropic Birds:
Tuesday 18 June 2024
Xhol Caravan Hamburg 1969, by request, limited time only
Info here:
℗ 1969 NDR / Xhol Caravan. © 2022 Garden of Delights.
Made in Germany.
Packaged in a standard jewel case with black tray and 32-page booklet.
Monday 17 June 2024
Release Music Orchestra, Vlotho Live 1977
From discogs:
German fusion band originating from Tomorrow's Gift via a complex transition that included the bands Release Group (also featuring Uli Trepte), Kickbit Information and Dennis (6).
Release Music Orchestra (known as RMO for short) played a lively fusion with lots of Krautrock elements, with stylisms that people compare to the "Canterbury scene".
They made 5 albums in total in the 70s period all of which are worth hearing, originally with some drony psych stuff as well as boring ethnic importations, which all got washed out as the decade progressed and what we're left with by the time of News in 1979 is a nice progressively smooth fusion, tightly played by these wonderful virtuoso musicians. Subsequently some live material from the era was released with Bremen from 1978 and now Vlotho from 1977.
These is quite a bit of improvising resulting in meandering qualities to the songs, most of which I think appeared on studio recordings already. Originally from Garuda is Torso im Summerwind:
Friday 14 June 2024
Message - It'll be a While [1981] samples
Unfortunately I can't post the whole thing but at least you can get an idea of it from a few samples. It's classic late 70s (very late, since it came out in 1981) hard rock with slight progressive touches, not quite as proggy as guys like Rush and definitely no inventive keyboards-work and synths like Styx managed so successfully, a little bit monotone in its straight up rock.
This oft-requested album, discogged here, opens with Treasures of Snow:
Wednesday 12 June 2024
Legend's Before the Fjords, Demo from 1978
Monday 10 June 2024
Som Nosso de Cada Dia from Brazil in 2 albums 1974 and 1978
Sure the mushroom cover up above is brilliant, especially with the darkness, is it derivative of Gryphon's Magic Mushrumps? I guess not, on closer examination.
Information on this band here. First album is pretty classic prog, I meant we're not talking like the great Italian masters PFM etc., but songs with slight progressive edges and overtones, nothing too daring here. The most proggy track is likely Direccion de Aquarius from the first album:
A sample track called Montanhas from the 2nd which unfortunately veered into the pop MFB direction, with actually minimal prog, but some nice fusion and funky stuff:
Friday 7 June 2024
Back to Michal Pavlicek with Miroslav Vitous in Minotaurus, 1991
This one from him came out in 1991, information here, I was pleasantly surprised by the compositions, all in the progressive fusion, electric, vein, coming out as an OST in that year definitely unusual.
A bit of description there as follows:
Part of an original soundtrack to "Minotaurus" based on synopsis by Friedrich Dürrenmatt as presented by the Laterna Magika theatre.
Hudba z představení Laterny Magiky "Minotaurus" podle literární předlohy Friedricha Dürrenmatta.
Recorded and mixed at the Smetana Theatre Studio, and Fisyo Studio from January to April 1989 and August 1989.
First track which is the Prologue gives you a complete idea of the contents:
Probably it would be worth hearing the totality of his oeuvre, given this and the strength of his other material.