MOONSHADOWS

Debut solo album of one-time Weather Report bassist Alphonso Johnson is quite characteristic jazz fusion from mid-70-s. Strongly based on keyboards sound (Narada Michael Walden , Alphonse Mouzon and Ian Underwood all are presented on this recordings), there still is some place for Johnson bass and some guitars and percussion as well. Even vocals of Flora Purim is presented, but when I will say, that Airto Moreira and Alejandro Acuna both are percussionists there, and one of guitarists is Lee Ritenour, you can almost imagine, what the music is.

No, it is not pure Latin jazz, or even Latin fusion, but it is quite warm, soft light and relaxed jazz fusion with some pop-jazz or even disco elements. Johnson gave some funky groove to this music, but in fact bass is far from being important instrument there. Music is well balanced and comfortable jazzy mix, with some soul vocals and pop-moments. Happily, listener still can find few more serious and interesting moments here and there.

I believe this album could be good addition to jazz-funk fusion lover, but don't you try to find something experimental, new or just serious in this album. More music for your heart and feet, than for your head.

First solo album from the ex-Weather Report bassist, group he left to work with Cobham, but he started recording his own solo albums, and Moonshadows is his first. Released in 76 on the Epic label, the album might have switched front and back cover illustrations (nit- picking, here), but Alphonso chose some mighty friends for his debut solo: Leon Chancler, Narada Walden, Alphonse Mouzon, Flora Purim, and hubby Airto Moreira, Bennie Maupin, Ian Underwood, just to name a few. Johnson was first a stand-up or contrabass player, but switched to electric bass and became one of the Chapman stick explorer and there is all three on this album.

Despite the many Latin-American players, this album is not as ethnic as you'd fear it to be, especially knowing that Johnson was still in WR's Black Market. You can't really label this album as jazz-funk either. It's probably best to describe it as fusion or jazz-fusion and in that regards, it's fairly typical of mid-70's album of that microcosm. Starting on a typical jazz-funk of Stump, the album moves quickly to a slow-starting Involuntarily Bliss and the music gradually picks up, only to return to the smooth gliding layers of the start of the track with Flora Purim's aerial scats. Not fascinating, but soothing. Cosmoba Place starts on a descending guitar riff, but it soon dissolves to make space for a piano ostinato, before the guitar returns in rock-fashion histrionics with excellent drumming (Walden I gather) before moving on to other delightful passages. Excellent stuff. Maupin's typical bass clarinet opens Pandora's Box over cymbal scratches, but there is little happening, besides a slow pedestrian bass.

Another funk-jazz track, Up From The Cellar, opens the flipside (which unlike the other is not all Johnson-penned) and you'd believe you're on a Mysterious Traveller album, if it wasn't for Purim's soft singing, Alphonso's ultra funk and technical bass being the centre of attention. Certainly the weak track on this album, IMHO. Amarteifio is a quiet and slow soft jazz that oozes boredom over sea waves. On The Case is the more essential track on this side, with a strong rock-like guitar over a Rhodes-led funk-rock with lots of bravura. The closing track is an ambitious (but flawed) uptempo jazz-rock piece that moves into different passages (some convincing, others less), but the pompous vocals ruin it partially.

An interesting album that shows Alphonso's greatest strengths AND weaknesses at the same time and has certainly not revolutionize the JR/F genre, but to those interested in WR? related works, Alphonso's first solo album is certainly worth putting an ear on it and even own it if he wants to consolidate his JR/F. Not essential or groundbreaking, but good enough to draw your attention, despite a few flaws, but personally I'll pass on it.

Long-time WEATHER REPORT bass player, this was Alphonso's debut studio album as a band leader after being replaced/pushed out of his former band by Jaco Pastorius. An album produced and shaped by Mahavishnu Orchestra drummer Narada Michael Walden--which means there will be many more infusions of pop and rock elements as well as a tendency to want to tell stories with each song.

Line-up / Musicians: - Alphonso Johnson / bass, vocals, Chapman Stick With: - Narada Michael Walden / drums, keyboards, Producer, co-composer (8) - Dawilli Gonga / keyboards, vocals - Alejandro Acuna / percussion And: - Lee Ritenour / guitar (1, 3, 5-8) - Bennie Maupin / reeds (1, 4, 6) - Flora Purim / vocals (2, 5, 6, 8), co-composer (6) - Airto Moreira / percussion (2, 5, 6) - Gary Bartz / soprano saxophone (2) - Chris Bond / guitar (3) - David Amaro / guitar (3) - Alphonse Mouzon / keyboards (Orchestron voice choir) (4) - Blackbird McKnight / guitar (5) - Patrice Rushen / keyboards (5) - Ndugu Leon Chancler / drums (5) - Ian Underwood / keyboards, synthesizer, programming (5, 6)

1. "Stump" (4:19) funk with a happy, upbeat, pop-orientation. (8.75/10)

2. "Involuntary Bliss" (6:08) pretty, fey-like music with some lotus garden like soundfeel noises and gentle chord play for the first 2:45, then the band changes lanes and picks up the speed in order to enter the real world and compete with the blind consumers cluelessly choosing that way of life. At 4:15 the acolyte gives up and returns, exhausted, to the lotus world where she tries to recover and recuperate. A very interesting Narada Michael Walden-like song. (8.875/10)

3. "Cosmoba Place" (6:18) definitely a very visual/cinematic multi-part song. Narada Michael Walden's drums are given a very different treatment here--slightly flanged or reverbed, I'm not sure what, but I like it! The song set up is part RTF part GENESIS and the bass play and Chris Bond's lead guitar work (similarly effected) are awesome. (8.75/10)

4. "Pandora's Box" (2:10) a gentle Alphonso Johnson composition that feels like a sonic and textural étude--projecting what angel music might sound like. (4.5/5)

5. "Up from the Cellar" (5:41) despite the dramatic and heavy opening wave, this song quickly establishes as a quirky funky early-Disco tune with lots of elements that will be further developed as the Disco and House music genres take root and blossom. Right now it's like a cross between The OHIO PLAYERS and EARTH, WIND AND FIRE or early Kool & The Gang. The wordless vocals are nice but it's Blackbyrd McKnight's rhythm guitar and Patrice Rushen's clavinet work that are the two instruments that really attract my attention. (8.875/10)

6. "Amarteifio" (4:48) beach waves and seagull song give this mellow opening a Lenny White Venusian Summer feel. The gentle play of Alphonso's double bass, Bennie Maupin's "distant" lyricon, Alex Acuña and Airto Moreiri's gently hypnotic percussion, the delicate picking of both acoustic and electric guitars, coupled with co-composer Flora Purim's gorgeous voice and bucolic words, as well as Dawilli Gonga's piano and keys and Ian Underwood's ARP 2600 synthesizer all work perfectly together to make this by far and away my favorite song on the album. (9.25/10)

7. "On the Case" (6:23) Alphonso tries to hook us in with a rather extended opening repetition of his bass riff but I find it kind of boring and not very melodic. It's his solo play during the fully established song that really impresses: yes, this guy's good! Nice drumming from Narada Michael Walden and electric piano work from Dawilly Gonga. Alphonoso's "electric guitar" [ChapmanStick] solo preceding that of Lee Ritenour is fresh and inventive. I'm not sure I like the carbon copy of the main song base being taken from Jeff Beck's "Freeway Jam" but here we are. (8.875/10)

8. "Unto Thine Own Self Be True" (5:14) this Narada Michael Walden composition's bombastic opening makes me think that I'm going to be hearing something from JOURNEY or FLEETWOOD MAC, but then it evolves into something different with Moog and harpsichord and piccolo bass and MiniMoog lead play, but there is a wave-like flow to the song, overall, that feels very Michael Walden-esque. (8.875/10)

Total Time 41:01

Pleasant and melodically pleasing as all Narada Michael Walden music is there is a certain flow and feel to it that is rather predictable and, thus, becomes familiar, even dull, to the listener despite all of Narada's sincere attempts to reach for music that stimulates a higher thinking and functioning for the human animal.

B/four stars; an excellent adventure in Third Phase Jazz-Rock Fusion from one of prog/fusion's premier bassists.