BACK DOOR

This album was somewhat of a good surprise for me. I am not very much fan of traditional jazz, so I was somewhat afraid that an album by a trio, with limited instrumentation and short songs would not fit to my tastes of more complex Jazz Rock and Fusion.

However, this trio impressed me. Playing mostly energetic songs with inventive bass lines and great sax soloing, Back Door's debut captured my attention in a way I didn't expect. There are no bad or boring songs, and despite most of them having the same instrumentation, they are not all similar. Highlights for me are: Lieutenant Loose, a song that is played only by Hodgkinson on bass, but the bass lines are so good that you don't even care that there is only one instrument; Turning Point, which has a captivating bass melody along with the sax lines; and Human Bed, that is a calm song with soothing flute melody. As for the energetic songs, I'd highlight Slivadiv and Jive Grind, with have the best interplay by the trio, with every member doing great things with their own instruments.

4 stars, since it is a very inventive album, featuring great Jazz Rock music even by those who are not very much fan of Jazz.