EXTRAPOLATION

I really feel that this debut album from John McLaughlin is a "must have" for all of his fans out there. As John was getting ready to record this "Extrapolation" album his roommate Dave Holland got a call from Miles Davis and suddenly John's intended bass player was flying to the U.S.A.. McLaughlin still had two bright young Jazz stars on board in drummer Tony Oxley and sax player John Surman, he eventually added Brian Odges to fill in on bass. I didn't think much of this the first time I heard it. I guess I was looking for something more like his "Devotion" album and this isn't nearly as dynamic or as fiery as that one. For me this is pretty much straight up Jazz but i'm sure Jazz purists would say it's in the middle between Jazz and Rock. It only took one careful listen though to reveal how intricate this record is. Especially the guitar and drumming. It really got me excited after that.

"Extrapolation" opens with cymbals and drums before everyone joins in. It's not very full sounding, more intricate with all these sounds weaving in and out, especially the guitar. The sax leads 2 minutes in before the guitar returns after 3 minutes. "It's Funny" is laid back with sax leading. It's McLaughlin's turn 2 1/2 minutes in. Sax is back before 4 minutes. "Arjen's Bag" is one of my favourites. I really enjoy the sax here as the guitar picks away. Gorgeous track. "Pete The Poet" opens with the focus on the bass then the guitar and sax join in. Love the drumming 4 minutes in.

"This Is For Us To Share" opens with intricate guitar. Actually John uses both acoustic and electric guitar on this tune. Sax is followed by drums and bass as it builds in intensity. Nice. "Spectrum" has some excellent guitar / sax interplay and the drumming is killer. The bass eventually becomes prominant. "Binkey's Dream" is the longest track at 7 minutes. It opens with some good guitar and bass. Sax a minute in while drums continue to impress. This is so impressive. "Really You Know" is very laid back while "Two For Two" is uptempo with the guitar eventually taking the lead with some jagged melodies. Everyone joins in after 2 minutes. "Peace Piece" is a short tune with acoustic guitar melodies throughout.

I do enjoy "Devotion" more but I love how intricate this is.