DAVID SANCIOUS & TONE: DANCE OF THE AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT

This album was supposed to be released in 1977 but because of a dispute between Sancious' old label Epic and his new one Arista over ownership rights, it wasn't released until 2004 ! This album continues pretty much in the same path as the previous one but we do get vocals on a couple of tracks. Those two vocal tracks if anything lower my opinion of it.

"Overture" features vocals that come in quickly including some cringe worthy backing vocals.This is really wimpy except for the bass. "1st Movement" opens with vocal melodies followed by drums and organ a minute in. A calm with vocal melodies return then it kicks in once more before we get a steady rhythm with lots of keyboards 3 1/2 minutes in. The tempo shifts often after 6 1/2 minutes. The best part of the song is 11 minutes in.

"2nd Movement" opens with atmosphere before an orchestral-like soundscape takes over. A calm follows then it kicks back in quickly. Best parts are after 2 and 4 minutes. "The Dawn" is laid back with a beat and keyboards leading the way. "3rd Movement" opens with a flury of keyboards and drums then it settles as contrasts continue. "4th Movement" is led by piano throughout. "Finale Part I" has a Middle Eastern vibe with vocals. "Finale Part II" is my favourite tune as it's filled with atmosphere only.

It's difficult to even give 3 stars for this one. Just not my cup of tea I suppose.

This is a staggering masterpiece & is still my sixth favourite album of all time, just blazing perfection. It's a shame that very few people in the 20th/21st Century have heard what is arguably one of the most moving and jaw dropping symphonic jazz suite put to tape. The first time I heard this I was moved to tears on three or four occasions during the Overture and the first four beautiful minutes of the First Movement. The architecture of the music is awesome....cathedrals of sound. Brilliant multi-tracking of a single mini moog. If David never wrote/played another note I would say he is a genius of compositional conception and should be up there with other composers like Keith Emerson, Jan Hammer & Rick Wakeman. Every song on here is amazing with soaring synths and keyboards and some stunning piano work by David. Although, the highlight of this album would be the 1st Movement. A 12 minute long peice with some of the most remarkable playing from Tone that just moves me so much. What makes David Sancious such a great composer is that there is just as much Progressive Rock in his songwriting as there is Jazz Fusion, & not only that but is pulling off of other serveral genres such as Classical and Funk.

Overall, this is just such a mind blowing and beautiful Symphonic Prog Jazz Rock album that I heavily recommend with his other work Forest Of Feelings & Transformation.

I was not familiar with this chaps work at all. Listening to this for the first time as I write, this is a very odd album, some of it is Ok, very like ELP , but with a big helping of cheese, but whereas with the more bombastic ELP stuff, there is always an element of danger or menace, this is absent here, and the proceedinga are not helped by the most annaying drummer I have ever heard, perenially just behind the beat. A lot of it is kinda a bit of a mess, theres some nice keyborad stuff going on in places , but the backing & arrangements are either painfully banal or over the top. There's definitely a virtuoso element to some of the playing on this album , but thats in a framework of of tired and clichéd arrangements. Not great. Perhaps there are other releases from this artist that may warrent attention, but this is a diffenent avoid.