THE FOWLER BROTHERS (AIR POCKET)

The music style falls somewhere in between fusion and big band jazz, and producer Oliver Nelson (you jazz fans should know his name) keeps the sound smooth and clean. The songs are designed to let the Fowlers loose on solos. Bruce, to my ears, has always been the best of the brothers, and his trombone solos are my favorites on the album.

The Zappa influences are allowed to seep through at times as well, especially in Ho-Lo Redic, where the odd timings and riffs just have to be a nod to Uncle Frank. Another highlight is Easy To Say, a funky tune that gets very frenetic toward the end.

Although the sound is sometimes a bit dated, this is still a pretty good album.

With all but two of the tracks written by Steve, the music on this album is primarily fusion, unlike the more big band oriented released under brother Bruce's and The Fowler Brothers monnikers. And the fusion is quite good. While using the flute as the primary instrument can often cause a bit too much lightness, Steve manages to curtail this by having quite a few interesting twists and turns to his music.

However good his compositions are, the best songs on the album were written by other brothers. Ed contributed In The Drums, a song that seems like it's going to be a simple samba, except it kepps veering into Zappa-like interludes. And Bruce wrote, May I See Your Cotangent Bundle, Please, which features Ed Mann on percussion.

Zappaphiles should note that aside from Fowlers Bruce, Walt and Tom, the album also features Chester Thompson on drums and Albert Wing on tenor sax. Mike Miller, who played with many Zappa alumni in Banned From Utopia, is also on this album.

This album, under Bruce's name, has essentially the same musicians as most of the Fowler's albums: four of the five brothers, Bruce (of course), Tom, Walt, and Steve (Ed must have been busy), along with fellow Zappa alumni Albert Wing, Kurt McGettrick and Chester Thompson, plus a few other guests.

The music, while mostly big band be-bop, does have some hints fusion as well. While using acoustic instruments, the music is innovative enough to please this fusion fanatic. The opener, Canon De Chelly has a sound that reminds me of some of Michael Mantler or Carla Bley's pieces. The Rat, with some funny vocals spoken by Bruce, is a quirky lumbering piece, driven by brother Tom's cool acoustic bass. Bullin' is another high point, a rousing large ensemble piece. All the songs have fantastic solos, mostly Bruce's trombone, but Walt's trumpet adds some highlights as well.

Special mention needs to be made for a cover of Miles Davis' Seven Steps To Heaven, where Bruce replaces Miles' trumpet with some burning trombone licks.