QUATEBRIGA VOL. 1

"Quatebriga Vol. 1" is title of a CD collection of previously unreleased archival recordings of this Slovene avant-jazz group. Tracks were taken from three recording events: 1984 studio takes produced by Borut Cinc (long-time keyboardist of BULDOZER); Studio Top Ten recordings from 1985 (produced by Dare Novak); and live recordings from 1985 Jazz Festival in Ljubljana at "Krizanke".

The band line-up is the same as that on the debut LP "Revolution in the Zoo" (opening announcement runs in a reversed vocal sounding almost as eerie as Dwarf character from David Lynch's "Twin Peaks"), so in a way we can witness here some of the early stage of the development of their style. It is clear that they already pursued a progression from an unorthodox RIO-Avant experimentation in song structures (inherited from the time of BEGNAGRAD) toward jazz and fusion ambient leanings. "To Be Or Not To Be", "African Girl Is Coming Home" and "I Remember Quatebriga" would also, in slightly different version, appear on the studio debut album, with the latter re-named as "I Remember Begnagrad" and included in the closing "Uvertur". Amazing lengthy composition "Ta rjav", perhaps one their best 3 compositions ever recorded and which was to be later included in the second album "The Choice of the New Generation", is presented here in even three versions! Of these perhaps the live 12-minutes rendition is the best. Not many rock bands (and QUATEBRIGA is still closer to a rock than to a jazz group) contain "melodica" instrument and this immediately associates me to the contemporary TUXEDOMOON, from "Holy Wars" onwards. Of course, not only this ? a prominent bass parts and diverse reeds and horns also invoke this avant-garde San Franciscan group of freaks who found refuge in Europe.

That said, three times listening to the same composition, no matter how good it is, might be a bit too much. Especially if these bookend a live extended version of a quite boring percussive jam "African Girl...", which is not much better in its studio album version either. In addition, unprepared listeners will probably have difficulty to swallow some more eccentric parts like "Zene na biciklima" (Eng. "Women Riding Bicycles" with Buldozerian-style recitals) or "Sparnzi mit Strom", so this collection is definitely not for novices. I would certainly recommend you to go first for two studio albums mentioned here before you dig the dirt off their archival recordings.

PERSONAL RATING: 3,75/5

P.A. RATING: 3/5