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Chase - Pure Music CD (album) cover

PURE MUSIC

Chase

 

Jazz Rock/Fusion

3.95 | 27 ratings

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Gatot
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
4 stars Less rock, more jazz and r&b. But it's still interesting ..!

I was surprised knowing that the opening track "Weird Music No. 1"(5:38) has more keyboard work than previously dominated trumpet work albums - but it's still great CHASE that I have known so far. The song opens with a very nice (and smooth!) bass guitar work that brings the music in its fluent form augmented wonderfully with jazzy drum and keyboards. The trumpet quartets fill their contribution in crescendo. Drum provides nice accentuation during transition pieces. What follows is a stream of brass section work that brings the music in its peak and it suddenly stops - ... then it's continued with nice drum beats and bass guitar work. WOW man! It's a great adventure of music presented by this brass rock band. Compared to previous albums, this song tries to give more contribution in keyboard. It does not mean that the trumpets - which has characterized the identity of CHASE - has less work to do. It's still a lot and interesting. The keyboard solo is presented nicely during interlude and guitar provides rhythm section, brass provides accentuation. It's really a nice arrangement, musically.

"Run Back To Mama" (3:11) starts with trumpet quartets and acoustic guitar in the vein of Blood Sweat & Tears style. While the opening track is fully instrumental, this second track is with vocal - but not in high register notes like previous album (self titled and "Ennea"). Again, keyboard is given more chance to give its solo augmented with excellent stream of trumpet blows from four players. Bass guitar is quite dominant as well as beat keeper. The music is in a way has some R&B flavor.

"Twinkles" (7:12) starts mellow with bass guitar solo and some keyboard effects. What follows is a trumpet solo, played nicely and softly and it produces a flugelhorn-like sound. Any of you know CHUCK MANGIONE - one of the best flugelhorn players in the world? If you know him, this trumpet solo is very similar with his music style. It's a stunning solo. This is an instrumental track, delivered in jazz style - no rock element at all.

"Bochawa" (5:47) is a big band-like music in a combination of R&B, jazz and a bit of rock exploring the keyboard work infused with trumpet quartets and tight basslines. Trumpet solo performed by multi instruments in the middle is stunning. You would love this track for sure. Oh by the way .. I love the sounds of Hammond organ in the middle of this track, augmented with multi trumpets sound that accompany the Hammond. It's really a GREAT instrumental track. Guitar is also given its chance to fill the solo part.

The other two tracks " Love Is On The Way" (3:45) and "Close Up Tight" (7:36) are also excellent. My favorite is the last track which resembles great arrangements in terms of how rhythms section (bass, guitar and drums) provides jazzy style to the soloists, i.e. trumpets, and keyboards. The song structure is also excellent - it brings our emotion along with the music where all ups and downs of the music are presented in excellent way.

This album is different in style than its two predecessors. However, Bill Chase is brilliant that the change of style does not impact on the main characyeristic of CHASE music, overall. It does deliver the jazz rock fusion using brass section with more emphasize on jazz than rock - but it still paints the picture of CHASE music. Unfortunately, this band was short-lived because most of band members (including Bill Chase) died on plane crash. So tragic. But CHASE has left excellent legacy of great music everyone should emulate. I urge you to have this album in your collection. EXCELLENT. Keep on proggin ' ...!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

Gatot | 4/5 |

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