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Jan Akkerman - Tabernakel CD (album) cover

TABERNAKEL

Jan Akkerman

 

Jazz Rock/Fusion

3.79 | 78 ratings

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Finnforest
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
3 stars Soundtrack for a Renaissance Festival

Half of this album is a real renaissance treat. There were moments like this on "Profile" but on "Tabernakel" Jan really indulges us with time travel. A good chunk of Tabernakel consists of period music with Jan playing lute and acoustic guitars. This stuff is phenomenally beautiful, well done, and an absolute must for people who love acoustic music of any kind. The only low point in this first part of the album is the unfortunate "House of the King" which seems oddly out of place compared to the material around it.

And then there is the 14 minute "Lammy" following the layout on Profile where you get one long track amongst the many shorter ones. Does it work? I used to think so though in my recent pre-review spins I'm not so sure. There are some nice moments but there's also quite a bit of pointless noodling in this track. Things begin with a dramatic chorus of voices and spacey meditative section before the drums kick in around the 3 minute mark. Jan has some guests on this track including George Flynn, Tim Bogert, and Carmine Appice who just smokes in places. At 4 plus minutes the bass finally joins the fray followed by Jan's lead guitar. Now things begin to cook for a bit until the chorus ushers in a gorgeous mellow section around 8 minutes complete with strings. From this point forward is the strongest part of the song. Things build quite nicely with electric leads coming back over the strings. At 12 minutes the strum of a classical guitar shifts things again as Daniel Waitzman's flutes come in. Around 13 minutes the heavenly sounding choir vocals return to close the piece with Amen. A better second half than first half.

Jan and Focus fans likely have this album already but I would also recommend it to fans of old period music and acoustic music fans. For the rest of the prog base it's a toss-up. Good, but closer to 3 stars than 4.

Finnforest | 3/5 |

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