IMPARIS

Fantastic playing, but Jazz-Rock/Fusion it isn't . Closer to Eclectic with a touch of Canterbury. Really, no need to salivate over a long lost masterpiece of that genre. There are some jazzy elements, but a violin played (at times) along with a few dissonant cords doesn't make it sound like Mahavishnu Orchestra with Jerry Goodman. Just like a flute player doesn't make a band sound like Jethro Tull. Far from it, but the music is great anyway, very close to a 5 star recommendation..

...till the vocals come in and practically ruin the enjoyment. The singer has a reasonably strong voice, but a voice that doesn't really belong on top of this otherwise excellent piece. Mixing coffee with salt comes to mind. I'd rather avoid that.

Mixing credible Hammond work, alongside pleasing guitar and violins with a very commendable rhythms section would please me enormously. Unfortunately, the vocals don't belong here and do severely detract from my enjoyment. I have no choice, but to drop my rating to 3 as a result. I wish that I had access to the master tapes to separate the instruments from the vocals. The former would be treasured, whereas the latter may serve better in a different context. .