TRANSIT EXPRESS

"10eme RUE EST" opens with uptempo violin before the power comes in with drums and bass. I like when it settles 1 1/2 minutes in with violin playing over top. Keyboards follow then the violin returns. The bass is chunky late. "Visite Au Minoir" opens with the sound of rain and acoustic guitar. Melancholic violin joins in. Drums and a full sound 1 1/2 minutes in. It settles into a funky groove. A calm with rain, acoustic guitar and violin like the intro takes over 3 1/2 minutes in. Drums join in as it builds. "Marchand De Sable Et Pere Fouettard" opens with acoustic guitar and bass. Violin joins in as it builds. Drums too. It turns funky 1 1/2 minutes in as it changes. Guitar after 2 1/2 minutes lights it up.

"Au Dela Du Miroir" opens with piano as violin joins in. It starts to pick up before 4 1/2 minutes. "Le Grande Escalier" features these haunting vocal melodies as drums come in and eventually dominate. "Cathedrale De Verre" is a darker song while "Stress" opens with slicing vioin as drums, bass and electric piano support. The guitar starts to rip it up before a minute then the violin responds as they trade solos. Nice. It blends into "L'Imaga Du Miroir". This is intense with violin,bass and drums standing out. "Qui Donc A Reve?" is uptempo with violin playing over top.

Cool to see that this was recorded and mixed at Laurent Thibault's studio. This one is a pleasure to listen to.

"Convulsion" hits the ground running as electric piano, guitar, drums and bass fire on all cylinders. It settles before a minute then builds. Some fuzz too. "Disparition" has this dramatic intro before it settles in before a minute. A great sounding track. "Le Souffleur De Reve" is melancholic early. Some sparse electric piano eventually comes in with bass. It's building slowly. Spacey sounds before 5 1/2 minutes as it settles to the end. "Dialogarythme" sounds really good as the guitar and bass stand out. Nice crisp drumming too. The guitar is lighting it up before 3 minutes.

"La Porte De Bag" is less than a minute of picked guitar and piano. "38 CM/S" has a funky groove to it throughout. The guitar rips it up a minute in. "Maldoror" features piano and bass that come and go in a relaxed way. Other sounds do the same starting at 1 1/2 minutes. A very laid back and cool tune. "Opus Progressif I" opens with acoustic guitar as piano joins in. Violin and bass follow around a minute. It blends into "Progressif II" where the drums kick in right away. The violin and guitar are incredible here. It settles with bass and drums after 4 1/2 minutes. Violin 5 minutes in. Piano before 7 minutes.

A fantastic album to say the least. Highly recommended.

"Priglacit" sounds really good when the sound gets fuller. It suddenly settles with piano though, before kicking back in before 2 minutes. The drums sound so crisp. "Drousia I" is drum led as piano then guitar joins in. The guitar is outstanding to end it. "Drousia II" has the same style as the previous tune with piano, drums and bass leading. It blends into "Contrat-Session" which is uptempo with those ever-present drums out front. "Planerie" is laid back with no drums (gasp) until they kick in after a minute. This sounds better. It ends as it began. "Bahar" features drums, piano, synths and some good guitar.

"Contradiction" is uptempo and drum led. "Ludion" is a great sounding song with some atmosphere. The guitar is killer. I like the electric piano as well. "Wanda" opens with acoustic guitar, bass and we get some atmosphere as well. It picks up before 2 minutes. The electric guitar before 2 1/2 minutes lights it up. "Vinitier" has some spacey synths to start followed by an uptempo soundscape as the spacey mood stays. "Connection" is relaxed yet drum led. It blends into "Flaure" where we get some clavinet. This blends into "Coexistence" where the tempo slows while the drummer and guitarist do their thing. Keys and bass a minute in. It picks up after 2 minutes and the guitar is on fire. "ILS" has this catchy beat that takes over. Guitar after a minute then that beat returns as contrasts continue.

A low 4 stars from me. Well worth checking out.

In some ways this album seems to head back towards the debut album and its Mahavishnu influence, partly because of David Rose's violin is reminiscent of Goodman's violin (more that than of Ponty's), thus enforcing the comparison. Strangely enough, this album is more written by Perathoner, the rest of the quintet sharing the equivalent of one good. If I mentioned that Rose's violin reminded me more of Jerry Goodman (rather than Ponty), it's overall effect on the group's sound (and the fact that we are now well into the second half of the 70's) is a shift from first era Mahavishnu and Iceberg towards the second-era Mahavishnu and late 70's Ponty (the Armstrong and Struemer years). Are you sure you're following me? In other words, I'm saying that Rose sounds like Goodman but his effect on the band is that they sound more like bands in which Ponty have been in. There is still a slight Zeuhl slant that could be likened to Potemkine.

This was to be the last album of TE, their third in little more than 18 months and released early 77, but by that time, most likely the group had said everything that they'd had to say, even though I imagine they kept on backing up French singer Yves Simon, and only Perathoner will commit more works to discs. It's pretty hard to tell you which of the three albums is the best, or tell you which one to start with, as they're all good. But you might want to attack this band's oeuvres chronologically

Being subjected to Thibault's influence, the group's usual jazz-rock sound (ala Mahavishnu) takes on a few Zeuhlian accent, most notably the throbbing bass on the opening track, but this valid a bit everywhere else on the album as is the Mahavishnu ambiances that were still percolating from Prolacit, but overall we're more between Moerlen's Gong and RTF (No Fantasy-era), although virtuosity-wise, I think the Corea's cohorts would win hands down the virtuoso contest, but this is not where TE is headed, either. Sometimes moodier, certainly more sombre at others, more sophisticated and yet more energetic, OP proposes us some wild imaginary trips beyond the realm of your living room.

The two part epic title track closing the album is the centrepiece and this is obvious from the first notes o the first movements, where the acoustic bass, piano and guitar all together feast like kings and once they go electric, they're pure genius with amazing interplay and Rose's superb violin and the fantastic groove they found.

Although you shouldn't be fooled by the album's name (the music remains resolutely jazz-rock and not symphonic), Opus Progressif is taking TE's music from where it had left off at the end of their debut Priglacit, and then bettering its formula, then by adding a violinist, they shift yet another gear and soar up even higher.

The artwork might induce you to think the group is very percussive, but the sound is very much balanced. 14 relatively short tracks (max 3'40") that meddle into one giant number. In some ways, you'd guess that the tracks written by drummer Bouvier are more rhythmic, but then once they morph into bassist Guselli- written ditties, they don't necessarily become funky. As the short tracks keep speeding by, the listener is never bored, because they (tracks) are all very different and never repeat themselves. Their jazz-rock is still fairly academic, but complex, melodious and subtle finesse.

An excellent but short debut album that did not go unnoticed in the French jazz scene, Priglacit (no idea as to what the title means) is probably the best introduction to Transit Express' music, but you can't go wrong by choosing anyone of their three opus. And when this is the case, it's best to start chronologically.