WAVES

Very dreamy music, discret, almost mediative, silent. Something between "progressive" rock, ECM-jazz and with an East Asian impression. Well, I have not heard it for many many years, and don't know how interesting it would be today. Highly recommended if you like history of music.

"Waves" was JADE WARRIOR's 2nd release and was characterized by 2 side long tracks. Truly this album is a meditative voyage on which your mind will love. On "Waves", Field and Duhig added the keyboard talents of Steve Winwood who adds some great piano. JADE WARRIOR was the creative force of Jon Field and Tony Duhig who managed to write several truly original and compelling album somewhere in the space, new age, jazz, progressive zone. This is the kind of music that everyone can hear different dimensions within and is conqueror of none. The signature of JADE WARRIOR's music is the careful juxtaposition of ethereal ambient sounds with magical keyboards, guitar and assorted wind instruments. The biggest challenge with this album is in trying to classify it with part 1 being well entrenched in the ambient school, yet part 2 fitting much closer into the fusion genre.

We are in the presence here of one of the most peaceful, relaxing, graceful and delicate albums ever made! If peaceful paradise can be evoked with music, then this album is a serious option: it consists in catchy & mellow flute melodies, jazzy piano parts and tons of gentle percussions, peaceful electric & acoustic guitars, tribal beats and exotic birds as intros. The overall sound is very acoustic, natural and warm. The mysterious floating keyboards-like sounds are really captivating. There are some less mellow bits, more jazzy, and they are quite good too. Some parts with flutes also remind me the "Changing places" track on the Camel's Nude album, or a mellower version of the "Cadence and cascade" track on the King Crimson's Wake of Poseidon album. I believe this is their best album.

A very enjoyable, relaxing album. In fact one of the most beautiful prog albums I have ever heard. It has its spacey moments and its heavier moments but in the end, it is very chill. The climax towards the end of track 2 is amazing.

The second ambient / symphonic album from this band for the Island label is maybe the best of them, but still does not contain very exceptional values for me.

The record starts with a slow massive sound, a symbol for a whale, and from its wake enters the oriental soothing strings, flute and piano sounds to weave a web of the music. Piano continues to be a dominant instrument driving forth the next movement, being a laid back jazzy lounging with ethnic sounds. After this there are very pretty acoustic guitar arpeggios presented, only to turn the boat of music to another stream, flowing along with the dreamy electric guitar solo. The last movement on the LP's A-side is also a very calm acoustic piece.

The second side starts with nature sounds, where the instruments sneak in slowly among the birds, creating a scene where distant drumming gives the rhythm for the guitar and flute. Later a more mysterious scene is presented with percussions and peculiar guitar pickings, which morph as a bluesy boogie with a screeching guitar solo in style of Jimi Hendrix. Then there's a calmer flute and guitar playing, which I would have liked to hear more; The bluesy psych rock movements don't work here as good as in the early albums of this group (maybe as the whole band wasn't constant but a studio session line-up). The music fades then via natural soundscapes to void of very low frequent noises.

Being a very meditative and calm recording, it's probably the best of the four virgin label records of this group. But somehow there are no such elements or movements in the music which would really touch me deeply. Nice jamming on mostly pleasant themes, but nothing special considering my tastes.

Like Debussy's original score for LA MER, the cover of Jade Warrior's WAVES incorporates the main image from Hokusai's 'Great Wave'. Jade Warrior's music even bears some similarity in mood to Debussy's chamber music (particularly the latter's sonata for flute, viola and harp), though compositionally it is considerably less daring. Guitarist Tony Duhig and flautist Jon Field perform most of the duties, with some assistance from Steve Winwood (piano solos and Moog), David Duhig (electric guitar solos) and Graham Morgan (drums). Gently undulating guitar and keyboard arpeggios rise and fall, a couple of lazy riffs fade in and out of the picture, solos on flute, piano, acoustic and electric guitars come and go. The term 'New Age' rears its ugly head, but the music isn't as anodyne as that: it is never sentimental, and it has a hypnotising effext - at least on THIS listener. Somehow, the music seems more mature than the ten tracks on the band's previous album, FLOATING WORLD, but this time there's no trace of sudden shocks or starts. Like FLOATING WORLD, WAVES is best appreciated in the context of the highly enjoyable 2-disc collection ELEMENTS.

After subdividing their sultry repast into rather tasty and easily digestible morsels on "Floating World", JADE WARRIOR opted for the 6 course meal all served at once on "Waves". As a result, it takes more listens to appreciate, but one is rewarded for the effort. This is hypnotic and meditative music that is moving on several levels, not the least of which it gives the sense of discovery of new lands, living beings and adventures of mind, body and spirit. It is instrumental music as it should be, where lyrics would only interrupt the intimacy of the experience.

The sound here is essentially soft progressive rock with jazzy touches particularly on well placed keyboards by STEVE WINWOOD. Meticulously rendered percussions, flutes, acoustic, lead, and bass can be unassuming or imposing as your mood dictates. The melodies are languid and yet intense, focused by the loving arrangements. Only on a middle segment of Part 2 do we really experience a "this is rock music" revelation; personally I don't think it was needed. In any case the first part contains most of the highlights. I hate to mention KING CRIMSON's "Islands" for the second time in a few days but it fits, although JADE WARRIOR is more consistent.

In and of itself, JADE WARRIOR didn't make a splash at the time, and while this disk can be a bit like watching waves empty gently ashore for 40 minutes, it can be every bit as restorative.

"Waves" was released in 1975 and the theme of this album is the sea. This is the most peaceful and mellow album i've heard from the band so far. Steve Winwood who became a JADE WARRIOR fan after watching them open for his band TRAFFIC guests on piano and moog.There are two side long suites although clearly these two tracks are made up of shorter songs.

"Waves Part I" opens with barely audible sounds as the atmosphere slowly builds until it gets loud 2 1/2 minutes in. It settles back quickly with keys,flute as other sounds come and go. A change 5 1/2 minutes in as we get louder piano and a beat. Flute 7 1/2 minutes in makes this sound much better. Piano leads before 8 1/2 minutes then the guitar joins in. Flute returns then it settles back before 11 minutes. A calm 12 1/2 minutes in to until after 14 minutes. Another calm 16 minutes in then a new soundscape of acoustic guitar and other sounds to the end.

"Waves Part II" opens with nature sounds then the guitar comes in around 2 minutes. Flute a minute later as nature sounds return. A change in sound after 5 minutes. Guitar after 7 minutes. Some surprisingly aggressive guitar a minute later playing over top. Flute before 9 1/2 minutes then trumpet. It becomes kind of funky after 11 minutes. Great section. A calm 12 1/2 minutes in. I like when the flute comes in, it's so calming, pleasant and peaceful.The sound does get fuller before a calm arrives around 20 minutes. Whale sounds join in and continue pretty much to the end.

I enjoyed quite a bit of this album but overall I can't give it four stars. "Kites" remains my favourite from the band.This is a good album to veg out to.

First wave of New-Age Jazz

One thing one can always rely on Jade Warrior to do is to come up with something different with each new album. With Waves, the group almost completely eliminated the Rock side of their sound in favour of an interesting mix of New-Age and Jazz. As opposed to the previous album, Floating World, there is no longer anything on Waves that connects with the early Jade Warrior sound (of their first three albums). Indeed while the previous two albums had been kind of transitional between the old and the new, Waves displays a group fully transformed from eclectic and experimental Rock band to an early New-Age ensemble. One should not, however, as with all other Jade Warrior albums, expect an album that falls as easily into any given category as that. They still manage to retain their own spirit, even when they float above (but never really dive into) different genres.

Waves consists of only two sidelong tracks, Waves part 1 and Waves part 2. Again, as on Floating World, the music is entirely instrumental throughout. There are indeed some nice parts occasionally, but also lots of grey areas. To my ears, this album is too uneventful for its own good with only a couple of more melodic and rhythmic passages over its 40 minutes plus running time. Steve Winwood adds some nice piano and other keyboards. Some parts are surprisingly jazzy.

Overall, Waves is a pleasant if rather unexciting effort. In my opinion, Jade Warrior peaked with the previous two albums, Last Autumn's Dream and Floating World. But for those who enjoy the more relaxing side of Jade Warrior's music, Waves is a worthy addition.

Waves is the second of the Island releases and one of the main reasons for controversy with the Elements anthology. The album begins with some very quiet drumming, helping to create an atmosphere of a distant exotic land. This ends and is followed by the slowly growing roar of a large wave going by. The Elements anthology cut the birds and drumming for the sake of space. The band was not happy with the choice, for the whole mood is shifted by the omission. Still, it is overall an excellent album and any one not familiar with the original would probably not notice anything amiss. Waves differs from its predecessor, Floating World, in that it is organized in two extensive suites, both clocking in at over 20 minutes on the original release, rather than a series of individual pieces segued together. This makes it a more cohesive album, although it too runs the gamut of JW styles. We get acoustic jazz, some floating ambient sections, as well as some sections that rock out. On the surface this sounds much the same as the earlier release, but there is an emphasis on rhythm that sets it apart. In fact, there are sections of the album that just simply groove in ways not found on any previous JW album. There is an emphasis on melody as well. This, tied in with the strong rhythms, make for a more memorable listening experience. In other words, where Floating World did just that, float, Waves moves along deliberately, sometimes gently and sometimes with power. Again, the band consists of Tony Duhig and Jon Field who both play a variety of instruments besides their regular guitar and flute/percussion, respectively. The rhythmic nature brings Jon Field's musicianship to the forefront. His flutes are highly melodic and enhance the rhythms. More so, almost all the lead melodies enhance the rhythms. Thus, the album is a very solid work. Other musicians appear, not the least of which are Tony's brother, Dave (again) on lead guitar in one section and Steve Winwood on moog and piano, throughout. Graham Morgan also appears playing drums. Other than that, it is all Field and Duhig continuing what they began on their first Island outing: using instruments to generate particular sounds and not relying on the same arrangements and orchestrations. Winwood's role deserves special mention. He became a champion for the band and was instrumental in them getting their contract with Island Records. Although he is not listed as such, I do believe he assisted with the production. Part I begins with the slow and powerful movement of a wave in deep water and ends with a light, delightful groove. In between is some of the best JW music yet. Life is good. Part II begins with bird and a short and very quiet drumming session, a reprise of the edited opening for Part I. A crescendo demonstrates that the distant land is waking up again, perhaps after an afternoon nap. The centerpiece of Part II is the powerful groove I describe in the proceeding paragraph. My two favorite sections are Part I, starting at 15:50, which lasts for a few minute to close out the first suite and Part II, starting at 4:50, which runs over six minutes. Each of these sections represents the best this album has to offer in terms of rhythm and melody blending together. The section in Part II begins with a chimes and some soft guitar before moving into some ominous chording to set the stage, and then a powerful groove featuring Dave Duhig on his ferocious lead guitar comes in. Tony Duhig's rhythm guitar really gets it moving. By the time Field's rhythmic flutes come in, the section is at full groove. Winwood plays a cool moog solo. The music winds down and we are in gentler waters. The music moves through a number of positively lovely sections, beautifully segued, and ends on an unexpected spacey note. Still, the exotic atmosphere remains, only now it is nightfall instead of sunrise. It is like we have spent a day on a tropical island somewhere. Life is still good. Waves is aptly titled, as insinuated above. Each of the two parts moves along from one section to another quite gracefully even if a little abrupt at times. The concept of rhythmic flowing is central to the recording. In fact, I don't think I have ever used that word more often in a review. The trademark JW sound explosions are softened here and function as crescendos rather than eruptions. With it's construction in two long suites, its emphasis on flow, and the solid cohesion between lead and rhythm, Waves is perhaps the most consistent and strongly built of all Jade Warrior albums. For me, it stands on par with its predecessor on Island (which also means it is very different from the earlier phase of the band with Glyn Johns), and signifies that the band had hit a new plateau. Not to be missed.

I listened again to this album the other morning. Me and my fourteen month old son enjoyed our brekafast as the sun shone in throug our window and the world suddenly seemed so incredibly beautiful. Waves is a beautiful album, there is no doubt about it. The gentleness and relaxing mood (dare I say ambient?) is quite breathtaking. Someone compared it to Camel's Nude and to some extent I do agree.

There are several sections in here that gets my attention, with beautiful flute and at times a biting electric guitar, especially in the second part which, as others said before, is more in the realm of fusion. At least that is true in parts. The whole of the album is more of a gentle exercise in mellowness and ambiance, a british excursion into the worlds beyond our own european existance. There are, as evident by the cover, asian influences on Waves, which are very relaxing.

Though beautiful and relaxing I can't help but feel it is more pleasant than anything. Great as it is, still it is merely pleasant. That should not, however, deter anyone from listening to the album. I promise you, it will be a listening experience you'll enjoy if you care for relaxing music. It may seem like a contradiction giving it only three stars then but that is the thing, though I love listening to Waves it becomes the soundtrack of the moment. Not that much remains, besides the feeling of pleasantness. (Is that even a word?)

Conclusion: Waves is a great piece of music. Relaxing, gentle and calming. Still, it's good for the moment but fails to capture my imagination for any longer period of time. Still I will never sell my copy. It is a precious piece of plastic I really enjoy.

Like the tide, sometimes high, sometimes low, sometimes boisterous, sometimes peaceful, this album possesses much variation despite maintaining an almost eternal steadiness. Musically, expect generous quantities of symphonic, jazz, and psychedelic progressive rock, making this a wondrously eclectic album. Guest musician Steve Winwood adds quite a bit of flair to Waves with the keyboard instruments. To be fair, the pieces don't flow as united works of music; that is to say, this could have safely been divided into eight or so tracks. For an alternative, more avant-garde experience, try playing both parts simultaneously!

"Waves (part I)" Usually tumultuous music is loud and energetic, but the first five minutes of Jade Warrior's 1975 album is quiet though unsettled. A quarter of the way in, a dominant piano leads into a more structured jazz passage, complete with easy percussion and moaning bass slides. Swirling flute dazzles during perhaps the most satisfying section of the album. The next section focuses on a gentle acoustic guitar. Gentle woodwinds carry the listener away in a reverie of sound.

"Waves (part II)" As with part one, the first five minutes consist of quiet, rolling sounds, this time almost pastoral. Chiming tones and distant electric guitar enter thereafter. The funkiest (and loudest) section of the album features a repetitive groove and a blistering guitar solo, followed by whimsical woodwinds and a gritty keyboard jam. After all that, there is a return to the soothing pastoral music, culminating in a the album's most triumphant passage. The final moments, almost a musical epilogue, offers mellow washes of sound, like a musical cocoon.

I'm guessing everyone on this site has had many of those aha musical moments where you discover something new and it results in that glowing enlightened feeling like you are holding the most precious gem in front of your own eyes. The discovery of Jade Warrior has put my musical fandom on a different, brand new plane - ambient music. Meditative, relaxing, soothing, some call it New Age. I feel a great deal of this kind of music started with Jade Warrior's previous masterpiece Floating World and the vision crystallizes with Waves. In my prog collection, this really only rivals Celeste in terms of sheer beauty. A five star masterwork from the most unsung of unsung prog acts from the golden age. Original Jade Warrior champion Steve Winwood contributes memorable organ and piano solos, adding to the layers of interest.

Waves is the second Jade Warrior to benefit from the new instrumental-focused approach that debuted on Floating World. Just as on that album, we hear a shift away from the sometimes muddled mixture of psych and prog that featured on their early albums and towards a more unambigiously prog-oriented approach. It offers a blend of New Age and jazz fusion sounds arranged across two side-long tracks - like if Mike Oldfield had listened to way more Mahavishnu Orchestra - which is perhaps not surprising when you consider that Jon Field, one half of the band, had contributed flute to Tubular Bells.

The end result sits in the same sort of borderland between ambient new age, and the more fusion end of Canterbury that Robert Wyatt and Brian Eno's work in the era would occupy, and showed that the band's new approach had staying power. As with Floating World, the sound ends up substantially more cohesive than on the band's earliest albums, where the more straight-ahead psychedelic rock compositions always sat a little uneasily next to the more peaceful tunes; as a result, if you're into what they are doing here, you'll be into the entire album, but if you miss some of their old psychedelic crunch you may feel stranded.