JAN HAMMER

After "cleansing his palette" during the previous year with his prog rock space soundtrack The First Seven Days, Jan returns to the funk power fusion music which provided him with his first notoriety.

1. "Magical Dog" (6:43) opens with a bass and keybaord blues-rock chord variation before stopping to shift into something more rock and Jazz-Rock oriented within and over which violinist Steven Kindler takes as prominent a role as that of bandleader Hammer. Sophisticated--almost classical in its orientation--it's a good example of the continued exploration of the different directions that Jazz-Rock Fusion can go. I love the inclusion of "harpsichord" in the third minute as well as the sophisticated syncopation of the bass, drums and percussion work. High praise from the compositional perspective, not nearly so for the engagibility factor. (9/10)

2. "One To One" (3:32) a funky synth-dominated pop-oriented fusion song that is constructed for the exhibition of drummer Tony Smith's lead blues-rock vocal. Interesting (and unusual) weave of sounds used to form the music beneath Tony's vocal. (8.75/10)

3. "Evolve" (4:45) driving fusion rhythm lines from bassist Fernando Saunders, Steven, and Tony--as well as Jan's electric piano--over which Jan offers a Moog extravaganza. As worried as I was about Jan's "over-the-top" aggressive synth solo play, he remains wonderfully restrained and understated throughout this song. (8.875/10)

4. "Oh, Yeah?" (4:30) an unexpectedly smooth and controlled romp through a public park (when I was expecting a wild rampage across the Sahara or a four-wheelin' mudbath racing through the two-track trails of a wilderness forest). I even like the little Afro-pop reprise at the end. (8.875/10)

5. "Bamboo Forest" (5:24) opening with some heavy, ominous Mahavishnu-level chords coordinated among the quintet (which includes the conga work of David Earle Johnson). Jan's soloing after the protracted 90-second intro sees his Moog emulate the searing lead guitars of contemporary peers (like John McLaughlin). I can see why people like this one but for me it never really rises to the heights that it seemed to insinuate from its opening. (8.875/10)

6. "Twenty One" (5:05) an impressively complex weave of drums, bass, and percussion provides the background for Steve Kindler to shine--for the first half of the song! Then Jan steps up to take his turn with his signature Moog--this one a larger synth more capable of expressing both low and high end notes. The Moog-violin interplay in the fifth minute is a lot like the East-West collaboration John McLaughlin was doing with Zakir Hussain in the Shakti format. Nice exhibition of instrumental prowess! (9.125/10)

7. "Let The Children Grow" (4:50) a song that seems to be constructed to emulate the music of GENTLE GIANT--even vocal-and lyrically--until, at least, the Beatles/George Harrison-like chorus that takes over at the 2:50 mark. The song then returns to the GG form and style for the rest of the fourth minute until the band jumps back into the chorus again for the final minute. (8.875/10)

8. "Red And Orange" (6:44) a set up for some J-R Fusion jamming that somehow lacks the collective power of the Mahavishnu Orchestra/Return to Forever "traditions." It may be the lack of electric guitar but seems more attributable to the slightly weaker (quieter) rhythm section. (8.875/10)

Total Time: 41:33

Once again I find myself surprised at the gentleness and melodic sensibilities of an artist that I (mistakenly) thought was too bound to showy noodling.

B/four stars; an excellent but by-no-means rousing contribution to the lexicon of Jazz-Rock Fusion's power milieu.

A prog-like concept album?! (From The Year in Which Anything Was Possible!) With The First Seven Days Jan Hammer grabs the commercially-successful progressive rock bull by the horns and tries his hand at "soundtrack" music (something he will excel at in the near future) as artists like Mike Oldfield, Rick Wakeman, Vangelis Papathanassiou, Jeff Wayne, Patrick Moraz, Larry Fast, David Sancious, and so many others had been trying to do for the previous year or two.

1. "Darkness/Earth In Search Of A Sun" (4:31) decent soundtrack music with everything performed by Jan himself. Impressive! (9/10)

2. "Light/Sun" (6:44) the "Light" component of this song/suite is comprised of a treated(?) jazz piano played over Oberheim synth strings in a near-melody-less fashion (with a poorly recorded piano). The second half of the song sees Jan moving totally into full synthesizer mode à la Japanese artists Tomita and Kitaro as well as Todd Rundgren (side two of 1975's Initiation),Vangelis Papathanassiou, Larry Fast, and to a different degree, Kraftwerk were doing. I rather like this second part--and, surprisingly, moreso with each repeated listen (perhaps because it sounds so much like a personal favorite "song" [suite] of mine: Tod Rundgren's "Treatise on Cosmic Fire")! (9/10)

3. "Oceans And Continents" (6:16) hi-lo bounced piano chords over and within which various "strings" and Moog sounds are laid out and/or woven. It's pretty though rather simple; what it does do is capture a mood--much in the way that New Age artists like Suzanne Ciani, Philip Aaberg, Liz Story, Yanni and David Lanz would soon be making careers out of. (8.875/10)

4. "Fourth Day - Plants And Trees" (2:46) oddly melodic "classical" piano, tout seul (until synths, 'tron, et al. join in during the final minute). (8.875/10)

5. "The Animals" (6:14) African drums displayed prominently beneath Jan's strings, Moog, and other strands of synths. An hypnotic tune that is, ultimately, rather enjoyable. The shift in tempo and dynamic at the 3:50 mark, I take it, is meant to represent the wild herds on the plains--or the dynamic chases that occur as the predators hunt down their food prey. The percussion play on this song is my favorite element despite the Mahavishnu-level epithets of machine gun spray emanated from Jan's keys at the end. (8.875/10)

6. "Sixth Day - The People" (7:15) piano and Steve Kindler's violin dancing a rather formal, almost classical, duet for the first two minutes. Then Steve fast-bows a single note while Jan introduces some odd synthetic sounds (sequenced) into the mix and the dance starts over. The sequenced synthesizer, it would seem, might be intended to depict society and advancements in technology--things that contributed not only as survival tools but, eventually, as means to comfort, ease, and, hopefully, artistic creativity.--especially as the weave thickens and grows in complexity over the course of the length of the song. Interesting. And not a bad representation for the addition of humankind. (13.5/15)

7. "The Seventh Day" (6:11) repetitious piano chord and melody could very well connote the Day of Rest. The full-build of the musical palette and form would certainly lend itself to thinking of relaxing--at least for the first 90 seconds. Add drums, violin, and synths and we have a more plotted out day presented to us: brunch, church, group entertainment (involving Nature?), family gathering (for a Sunday meal). Nice finish to a surprisingly satisfying (though fairly simple) album. (8.875/10)

Total Time 40:08

An album that feels oddly brief for the number of things The Creator god accomplished over the space of those seven "days." I have to admit that I'm a bit surprised at the (admirable) restraint shown by one of Power Fusion's founding disciples! Who knew that Jan could grasp a concept such as "Less is more"?

B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of remarkably-well-crafted progressive rock soundtrack music!

Jan Hammer is a versatile keyboard player and can dabble in multiple disciplines. His electronic adventures may divide his older fans they still have artistic value. One example is the soundtrack whose film I have never seen. Since 80's, Hammer hasn't created the most emotional music to be honest, one skill he can't be denied is being equally effective in creating upbeat and reflective moments. This soundtrack has both categories. The first track is the best composed number with mechanical beats yet accessible and warm melody. I prefer the instrumental track but the vocal adds more warmth to it. Further tracks are all instrumental, far from the fusion complexity. When listening to this soundtrack in the late hour, I felt like it had quite a reflective mood thanks to keyboards and guitars. Hammer proved he could still produce a competent piece of music regardless of its distance from the 70's fusion.

"Too Much to Lose" is such a killer opening track. A show of talents, a show of excellent songwriting, specifically unto the normal goals of a "Pop song." Right off the bat, very clearly a continuation of the slickly produced, funk-inflected second-wave(?) Fusion of JEFF BECK (culminating in his mid-70s releases Blow By Blow in 1975, and Wired in 1976, the latter featuring HAMMER). And unsurprising at that, as Jeff performed alongside the Jan Hammer Group in 1976, releasing their "eponymous" release March that next year.

Very interesting to me is track 3, "I Sing", a mostly acoustic track with sharp pointed guitar trills (simply beauty captured on tape, in my opinion), soft and low background strings (I assume cello) and layers upon layers of otherwise a capella vocals. The vocals throughout this release are really quite good.

More tracks have a different Jeff Beck-inspired sound, such as "Honey 5379" and "Window of Love", hearkening back to his early work with his JEFF BECK GROUP; though technologically very clearly in 1977, not 1972, for better or for worse. That's up to you, I suppose.

I have to know, especially sparked upon hearing "Hyperspace", which is just an ingenious way of sonically building using strings (so incredibly epic, definitely one of the most interesting tracks here): Was it actually Jan, and not JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, who had the greatest affinity for "classical strings" in Jazz Fusion? Jan did so happen to continue collaborating with violinist JERRY GOODMAN outside of (and both after) MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA. Just struck me. Certainly not going to suggest that Jan's breadth or diversity is greater than that of McLaughlin. Not sure this can even necessarily be debated.

Anyways, good album. Worth hearing.

My personal highlights: T1, T3, T8, T9, T10

For a couple of years while I was finishing up with college (around 1975), Jan Hammer was "it". It was a transitional time in jazz, and while Mahavishnu was already starting to wane, Grover Washington and smooth jazz were coming on strong. Meanwhile, Jan hung in there and produced a couple of stunningly original albums - this one and "Oh Yeah". In retrospect, their place in the grand scheme of things fusion-wise was quixotic yet curiously enduring. They kind of stand alone as a testament to the times and foreshadowed later developments in electronic music with a kind of naive yet charming simplicity. I was pretty much like Jan and his music too - bold, at times a bit crass, but never dull - and so I really dug it.

Anyway, but "simple" is not really an appropriate term to use here. "The First Seven Days" is harmonically rich and paints dense, exotic colors with what electronic sounds were available at the time. It's really a series of vignettes or soundscapes with structure, each dealing with one aspect of the story of creation. Taken as a whole, this is Jan Hammer in all his glory - spacey, technically brilliant, funky, tender and unabashedly 70's in all its bold colors. Darkness/Earth in search of Sun starts things off well with a good old fashioned jam after an ominous, dark start. Light/Sun features Jan on piano and reminds me of the Mahavishnu Jan we all loved so well. His keyboard work has always been instantly identifiable. Next up is Oceans and Continents, one of my favorite tracks. Jan's soaring Moog hovers over a simple piano line, and the result is peaceful and tells a timeless story. The first side concludes with "Fourth Day - Plants and Trees, possibly his best work on the album. All of Jan's compositional skills and technical prowess are on display here as he temporarily shelves the Moog in this short but elegant piece.

Side two gets you rolling with a fun number, "Animals". It seems the animal life evoked a bit of funk and tribal drumming in Jan. You can almost see the chimps, zebras and gazelles strutting their stuff. "The Sixth Day-The People" seems to evoke a sunrise and indeed likely deals with the subject of the emergence of man. It feels like the animals are suddenly uncertain as to their future now. Will this spell their demise? Humans have now arrived on the scene, and you can almost imagine those first important questions are being asked here - who am I? How did I get here?

The final track, "the Seventh Day" is suitably grand and a wonderful way to close the album. It is resolute and builds to a terrific climax. What we've just witnessed is the work of a superior being, and its hand touches us all with spiritual enlightenment. Uplifting and proud, it marks the close of this notable album. "The First Seven Days" is ambitious, entertaining and a quintessentially charming example of that mind altering mid 70's era and the "dawn of the synthesizer age". Thank you, Jan - I wore this record out!!

Mahavishnu Orchestra's first (and arguably most prolific) incarnation came to a painful end in 1973, as a sudden rise in popularity and a series of calamitous recording failures suddenly turned the great Mahavishnu into less of what they originally were into more or less the John McLaughlin Group. The band's original lineup, however, was so bursting-at-the-seams with talent and skill that it's members couldn't help but go on to form formidable solo careers -- Billy Cobham would traverse the jazz fusion path himself with Spectrum in 1973, and Jan Hammer, after collaborating with fellow musician Jerry Goodman, debuted his own solo material with The First Seven Days in 1975.

The album was well-received, and showcased the excellent skill Hammer obviously had. He continued on with the jazz- fusion shtick until the 80's, where he found himself composing film and television scores for such programs as Miami Vice. For the time being however Hammer really got in the swing of things and, not but a year later, delivered the facetiously titled Oh, Yeah? in 1976.

It's common for musicians to take an album or two to really get going, and get going Hammer did. Oh, Yeah? is a romp through some of the most thought-provoking and challenging sides of the jazz rock genre, whether it be the thumping bass/timbale combination of 'Bambu Forest', the eclectic and insane callbacks to Mahavishnu on 'Twenty One', or the driving openers and closers, 'Magical Dog' and 'Red and Orange', respectively. Almost every single song has something different to say in their own right, such as the throwing in of drummer Tony Smith's soulful vocals on 'One To One'. Jan Hammer and his band utilize an almost proto-80s synth culture to design Oh, Yeah? to be a sort of generational bridge that sits on neither side of the waters. A culture clash it may be, but it's a good one. Jan Hammer himself is the main pioneer in this regard, and with his effective use of a gamut of different synthesizing and keyboard effects it's easy to see why his more progressive electronic leanings make a greater impact than the likes of new age artists like Jean Michel Jarre did.

Towering and powerful, Oh, Yeah? is a can't-miss album, not only of the jazz fusion genre but of 70's music in general. It is the definition of a passion-project and is justly the penultimate release of Hammer's career.

Jan Hammer blazes a new trail on his first solo album post-Mahavishnu. "The First Seven Days" is a very compelling listen. Instead of in your face jazzrock, Hammer goes progtronica.

The titles of the songs and the elastic mood of the music does a terrific job portraying the concept of the beginning of the world laid out in the Christian Bible. Hammer is about the only musician you hear, except for an extra percussionist on two tracks and a violin on four tracks.

Every note is quality. I should think most discerning prog listeners would put this somewhere from good to great, in my house it's great. Definitely a mood piece though, when taken cover to cover.

For some reason, this album has always reminded me of the album "Layers" by Les McCann. Probably because they're both one man synth mood workouts, probably because they are both in my top 50 albums.

Jan Hammer unleashes a funky style of fusion on Oh Yeah? which sets it aside from his previous solo effort (The First Seven Days), which was a more laid back affair. Whereas on The First Seven Days Hammer seemed to be working through some ideas which wouldn't have fit in the Mahavishnu context, here Hammer produces his own vision of where the Mahavishnu Orchestra's style of vision might have developed. (Notably, there's actual guitar this time around courtesy of Steve Kindler, though Hammer does use his synths to create a faux-guitar effect once again here too.) Invigorating stuff which will appeal to Mahavishnu Orchestra fans, though as far as funk-fusion in general goes it has quite a bit of work before it hits the standard of Herbie Hancock's Headhunters work.

It's Hammer time ! Oh yeah it is (groan). Sorry about that I just couldn't resist. I have to agree with Dick and Slarts on their thoughts and rating for this one.This is the [&*!#] people. I must say I was very surprised with this one after spending considerable time wih his previous album "The First Seven Days".That was such a laid back and subtle album, very intricate and very far away from what Jan's previous band MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA was doing. Well "Oh, Yeah ?" is very MAHAVISHNU-like. Actually it's like a MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA / Herbie Hancock hybrid. This is energetic, dynamic and lights out good. We even get a composition from Rick Laird.The drumming from Tony Smith is unbeliveable, and Steven Kindler on violin simply shreds. We get a percussionist as well, and then there is Hammer with his variety of keyboards and synths. He has this Minimoog-Oberheim synth combination that sounds just like a guitar.

"Magical Dog" has this fantastic keyboard intro as the violin comes and goes. Nice prominant bass too. It's all so crisp and intricate. A calm with electric piano and violin follows. Nice. Percussion joins in then it kicks back in around 2 1/2 minutes.This is an amazing section. It sounds like guitar before 5 minutes.

"One To One" is a vocal track with a funky groove. What up ! "Evolve" is the Laird composition.The bass, percussion and electric piano sound amazing.Violin joins in then check out the drumming before 1 1/2 minutes.Violin then leads, then synths, then back to violin. Electric piano and percussion end it.

"Oh,Yeah ?" opens with drums as bass and electric piano join in. Synths too in this catchy song. Violin after 3 minutes. Drums and vocal expressions end it. Nice. "Bambu Forest" is probably my favourite. It's dark and powerful to start and very MAHAVISHNU-like. Love the drum work here. It sounds like guitar wailing away before 2 minutes as it continues for some time.Violin 3 1/2 minutes in.

"Twenty One" has some incredible violin and drumming in it early on.The violin is ripping it up.The synths and drums lead before 3 1/2 minutes. Man this song is a show-case for the drummer. Amazing ! "Let The Children Grow" opens with piano as the vocals join in. It's fuller before 1 1/2 minutes as the contrasts continue. A catchy tune.

"Red And Orange" opens with some killer drum and bass work. Electric piano joins in then violin and percussion. Powerful stuff. Some crazy synths 6 minutes in. A top three track for me.

A must for JRF types.

I wasn't expecting this when I picked this up. The former keyboardist for MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA has created an album here that is almost the polar oposite to what his former band used to release. Maybe that isn't too surprising since they didn't breakup in exactly the best of terms as it seemed to be a McLaughlin versus the rest of the band attitude before they folded the tent. So yeah none of that high energy, intense fusion that we were used to hearing. I always think of this guy that came in my store a few years ago and we got talking about music and MAHAVISHNU ORHESTRA came up and he related how he couldn't listen to "Birds Of Fire" all the way through because it just too much for him. I was grinning when he told me that. It was just too overwelming for him. He should listen to "The First Seven Days" because this is about as laid back as your going to get. In fact I kept thinking of Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays' "When Witchita Falls..." album. This was the first record Jan produced for himself in his newly built studio in his home in upstate New York.This is all about Hammer and the variety of keyboards he employed including piano, Fender Rhodes, electric piano, moog, sequencers, synths, string synths and mellotron. While I wouldn't call this a mellotron album it is on all but one track but it's used in the background usually. I do like when the mellotron choirs come to the fore though.There is a guest percussionist and violinist helping out as well.

"Darkness / Earth In Search Of Sun" opens with a spacey atmosphere including mellotron.The synths start to kick in before 2 1/2 minutes followed by drums as the atmosphere disappears.Great sound ! Jan describes this song as feeling like your lost groping in the dark when suddenly this gigantic globe which is slowly spinning reveals itself. "Light / Sun" opens with piano then it turns spacey before 2 minutes as the piano stops.The tempo picks up 4 minutes in then back to that spacey sound after 5 1/2 minutes.

"Oceans And Continents" is as Jan describes "Probably the most visual piece on the whole album, this goes back to Van Gogh, painting vast brush strokes from left to right and as far as the eye can see, a landscape painting". Piano to start then these intricate sounds come in after 2 minutes. "Fourth Day-Plants And Trees" is a short, laid back piece that reminds Jan of his homeland. "The Animals" is percussion and synths led early on. Cool sound. A change 4 minutes in as it becomes a little more aggressive.

"Sixth Day- The People" is as Jan describes it "turning from pure acoustic into a much more lush electric thing, the entrance of people, humans". Mellotron ends this one in style. "The Seventh Day" is Jan's ode to joy so he says. Piano to start then it becomes fuller a minute in. Nice. Even fuller 5 1/2 minutes in.

A good album that i have to be in the right mood for. A low 4 stars but this one is an interesting and laid back listen.