INNOCENT CANON

Takeshi Inomata is almost legendary Japanese jazz drummer. This, second album of his Sound L.T.D. band isn't jazz of jazz fusion though. Released in 1971 it contains weird music - very eclectic mix of psychedelia, jazz, heavy rock and avant-garde.

First unusual thing is waiting listener at the very beginning - there is no vocalist on this album, but there is narrator ( speaking voice). But the music is far not a down tempo saga for such vocals! Album's opener "Introduction" is heavy rock guitar filled organ passages based energetic composition with speaking vocals on English and Japanese! Heavy psychedelic version of early Deep Purple or Uriah Heep.

"The Death Of Janis", dedicated to Janis Joplin, is spacey down tempo aerial composition, mostly based on synth sounds (with some speaking vocals in Japanese as well)."Go For Nothing" is jazz composition with sax soloing. Still spacey and slightly psychedelic. At the end of it there most strangest screaming voices are added. Absolutely weird atmosphere!

"Child And I " is brass-rock composition flavoured with sax and guitar soloing, electric keyboards and speaking vocals. "Blue " is blues rock with soloing flute. "Alone" sounds as Miles Davis influenced complex free jazz with post-bop elements and soloing sax.

"Epilog", the last album's composition opens with sea waves noise and contains very optimistic melodic pop tune. So - now you can imagine all these different genres with freaky vocals (voices?), placed on one album? But most important - all this eclectic mix is very professionally played, and sound very attractive!

Great and unusual album, somewhere between psyche, avantgarde and jazz. Recommended!