FROM

As a jazz and fusion enthusiast I was surprised for having spent so many years without knowing this album. This is a truly hidden gem. Great jazz album that flirts with that prog aura. It certainly deserves 5 stars as the compositions are very inspiring, and the jams very equilibrated. Not that usual virtuosity showoff we see in some many later instrumental albums. The second track "Catalyst" feels a lot more proggy for the genre. The kind of sound you would find in Ronnie Foster's Mystic Brew.

It's a shame that this album was only shown to me via youtube's suggestions in a random day. I've searched so many times in the past for the jazz rock/fusion genre in ProgArchives and this album should be in the top albums, at least in my opinion, but it is not even in the top 100.

4.5 stars. This is a killer album out of Germany 1971 from a band called FROM. A five piece, they released two studio albums in the early seventies this being the second one. No guitar but a variety of keyboards including some of the best sounding electric piano you'll ever hear. Tenor sax, soprano sax, drums, bass and a percussionist who adds a lot including steel drums, congas, percussion and vocals. We get three tracks only with a side long opener and two on side two of course.

The long opener is my favourite for the electric piano mostly but man there's just so much that I like about this track. The drumming is top notch along with all the musicians here. Just a pleasure to listen to this album. NUCLEUS comes to mind every time I spin the opener. Early NUCLEUS actually. Miles Davis comes to mind as well for the often trippy jamming that goes on. So many odd sounds come and go too like timpani, bells and more. The sax player is prominent along with the keyboardist who plays a fair amount of organ on that second track which is my least favourite but still really good. It's called "Catalyst". Steel drums in this one too, not exactly a favourite sound of mine. Vocals along with an ethnic vibe. The closer "Fog In Rossert" opens with organ and sax but they give way to the amazing sounding rhythm section rather quickly. The sax and organ will return. There's that electric piano. Bass only before 4 minutes as electric piano joins in and it starts to rebuild. Sax will help out the rest of the way.

This isn't about complex compositions or arrangements as they tend to jam a lot but for me it's about the "sound" and that electric piano, bass, drums and sax all sound incredible. Jam away boys!

In an idealized world this album from this German group calling themselves From should be very much a classic in fusion, as far as I'm concerned. Probably with the name "From" it's an easy name to get lost in the shuffle, no matter how good it is. Of course this never being reissued, still to this day only available as a rare vinyl LP, has a lot to do with its obscurity. This is fusion of the top order, with lot of great sax and electric piano playing, and when the Hammond organ rears its head, it's frequently in Brian Auger territory, but the occasional Keith Emerson circa-The Nice moves rear its head. Totally recommended for those who enjoy In a Silent Way-era Miles Davis, Soft Machine, Brian Auger, etc. If you disliked how fusion became, where it was frequently dismissed as technical showoffmanship, this definitely hearkens back to the early days of fusion. There's also a slight Canterbury feel as well, probably due to some of the Soft Machine-like passages, and electric piano. Plus the sax playing is very tasteful and never wanders into smooth jazz. The jamming is top-rate and never gets tedious or overstays its welcome, unless too many jams you might run into regardless of genre., It's also a crying shame this wasn't reissued, other than the band name, because it was released on a major label (CBS), I could have easily seen this being released on Columbia in the States, but never had. There those mystery albums why they never made it and this is one of them, because it's truly a wonderful fusion classic worth having, unfortunately you'll have to open your wallet for a used LP copy, which don't turn up too often. Fusion doesn't get much better than this!