JAZZ ROCK/FUSION

"Bon Voyage" is the second and final release from 1974 and it has a different rhythm section than what was on the first record from 1973. The new drummer and bassist were from other bands and play more in the rock mode. They brought in a more professional sound and this record does groove at times. Rob was stressed big time at this event as he was having issues with their management, and also knowing this show was going to be recorded and he wasn't happy with the first one, and so on. It turned out to be one of their more milder concerts. They were known for being over the top with the shredding, putting on an entertaining show. The vibe wasn't right this night.

MacKenzie would end up leaving the country after this. I guess everyone wants a piece of you when you have this kind of talent, and Rob wanted none of that anymore. Like the first album I have trouble enjoying this at all, it leaves me cold. I really don't like MacKenzie's style. Peter Jones is a guest here playing electric piano and bringing some class to the rough proceedings.

The highlight would be parts of the longest track "Clouds" which over 15 1/2 minutes, while the long drum solo on "The C Thing" is my low point. 3 stars.

A four piece of drums, bass, keys and guitar. There are no horn players in this band? Well this recording has plenty of them as they get some help from this trio who call themselves TROMBONES FROM HELL. They are blasting all over this record which is not my thing at all. It would actually be nice to check out some of their other records that have no horns on them. A lot of people say they play this type of southern jazz fusion and usually name check the DIXIE DREGS. When listening to this in the past I kept thinking, man this band must have played at Mardi Gras every year it was on, playing on the street or in a bar, especially with the added horns here I got that feeling.

Surprisingly my favourite tracks are right in the middle, with my top two being tracks five and six while my next two favs are tracks four and seven. Go figure. Close to an hour of music over ten tracks. The music is challenging yet melodic, and on the jazzy side.

I read somewhere that the band refer to themselves as this "Massive eclectic rock jazz funk band that is all instrumental with original compositions" Good album despite the horns. Where's Mangelsdorff?

Yoshihisa Shimizu the guitarist and second keyboardist composed all the music here, well except for "Four Holes In The Ground" a bonus track and PFM cover done live. I don't usually comment on bonus tracks but this is faithful to the original and it's just too much fun and almost 8 minutes long. They are a five piece with guitar, keyboards, bass, drums and flute. Some guest vocals and woodwinds as well.

And when I say Symphonic you need to check out the opener "Shining In The Sky" which is the best example of that. A beautiful sounding piece with the synths and majestic melodies. The best Fusion reference is "Brand Shiko" which is a nod to BRAND X, and I mean you would think it was really them playing. The closer is called "Goodbye Prog" and remember this is 1982, and when bands or people said that back then they were actually watching it happen.

A relatively short record at 38 minutes that just draws me in. There's something uplifting about this recording, it's always a pleasure spinning it. A mood changer this one.

Some of the songs sound improvised, others with more of an underlying structure, and with the basslines being added later when the rest have already been recorded it has allowed Levin and Jones to listen to the arrangements ahead of time, knowing what was happening and what they needed to do to take the track to the next level. This is jazz rock fusion being taken into new levels from musicians who are used to working with others to create new sounds every night. Husband has worked with the likes of John McLaughlin, Allan Holdsworth, Markus Reuter and so many other cutting-edge musicians while Sirkis also has an extensive CV, and of course is currently drummer in Soft Machine, while Wingfield has also worked with Reuter, Kevin Kastning and many others. It is these experiences which allows the musicians to let the music flow, to go where it leads them, to not be afraid to go out on a limb and to listen to what is happening and tap into the energy in the room.

This is jazz rock fusion being taken in different directions, where nothing is off limits, and keyboards can provide a backdrop for a stunning bass lead which wasn't even there when the music was originally recorded. This is music which needs to be played on headphones when the listener as the time to do just that and allow the mind to go wherever it will as the sounds take us on an incredible journey.

I don't seem to "get" this band in a live setting. Now the second disc here is the toughest listen for me as I'm not into their later period with Pastorius at all, or the music beyond that. But the first disc does have it's moments, but clearly this is not a 4 star recording for me given my lack of love of most of their music from "Heavy Weather" on.

The opener and closer from disc one are easily my two favourite tracks. Surprisingly both are from "Tale Spinnin'" not exactly a favourite of mine but "Freezing Fire" and "Man In The Green Shirt" stand out above the rest. If your a fanboy of this band you'll probably love this recording, if your just into specific periods of this band you may want to sample this first before buying.

Virgil Donati known as the "thunder from down under" is joined by fellow Ozzie Ric Fierrabracci on bass, and from Florida guitarist Scott Henderson who probably is best known for being a part of TRIBAL TECH. There are a lot of solos on here and while this isn't all about showing off, there seems to be plenty of that and I'm grateful. A musician's album you could say.

Recorded in '96 the rumour is that Scott told Virgil he didn't want it released, to which Donati agreed but then he changed his mind and released it, bringing legal action. Scott is pretty funny in interviews, not shy about his opinions like on the church of scientology where he was very unrespectful having worked with some of Hubbard's followers. Funny though.

I have been playing this on and off all week even though I have spent plenty of time with this in the past. It's incredible to hear this kind of skill. And how about Donati's cartoon album cover he agreed to, funny stuff. If the rumour is true I get where Donati would be conflicted, changing his mind, wanting the world to hear this.

Shawn's first record was called "Powers Of Ten" released in the early 90's and he did it all. He spent 2 years in his home studio creating that record playing everything but the fake drums sadly. He composed it all except for the one cover song. Eventually Lane wanted to re-record it with a band but Warner Brothers who owned the rights said no. So Shawn decided to play that album live as a way around the road block created by the label. It doesn't have every track from his debut plus he adds some other songs on this over 70 minute recording. One of the songs is shown as a bonus track, maybe it was an encore track.

I've heard his debut is a mixed bag and I feel this is too with this live release but man there are some real highs on here. Shawn is that guitarist that the best guitarists in the world would talk to each other about. He might have been the fastest. A five piece here with drums, bass, guitar, keys and sax. The intro is so rock and roll as the announcer just says "Alright gang, I think you know why your here" and then the crowd roars and the drums kick in and away we go.

It's so sad Lane passed at 40 years of age, two years after this was released. Favourite track might be "Drum & Guitar Solo" where we get some jaw dropping guitar. Same with "Hardcase" and others. "Tri-Heaven" is getting close to symphonic and one thing I don't like on this record is the synth- guitar but then who does? Insert smiley face. The drummer is incredible too by the way, in fact we get two songs that are drum solos besides that duo with Shawn I already mentioned.

It would be interesting to hear someone's opinions who has the studio album and this live record to hear what the differences are etc. Impressive but long and uneven in my opinion.

At about 78 minutes in length, you might think this would be a difficult monster to get through, but with the amount of talent present on this album, you will never feel a moment of "this is an absolute bore," but instead you will find a lot of catchy hooks, and some great messages. The album opens proper with Jethro Tull legend Ian Anderson's flute playing, and it doesn't let go. You will hear all manner of instruments and vocal tricks here, and it will hit you, this is pure analog audio. In most modern music, the idea will be to just run things through a computer and let it take care of the rest. Leslie Mandoki doesn't do that, and instead says "[%*!#] it, we'll do it live," and the end result is audio candy. There is no album today that sounds as cleanly mixed as this, and if you're going to listen to this album, you best get it on vinyl if you want the greatest experience out there.

Some of my choice favorites on here are Blood In The Water, The Big Quit, and A Memory Of My Future. I already talked about how Blood In The Water opens with Ian Anderson's flute playing, but The Big Quit is the most upbeat song with a very catchy hook that could easily lure in a casual listener, and A Memory Of My Future is a much more understated song that shows off Leslie Mandoki's ability to weave a poetic song about the emotional uncertainty of what lies ahead. It's fantastic stuff.

I normally wouldn't be this quick to judge and say "let other albums come out first," but I'm making the call. This is my personal Best Album of 2024. From the talent on display, to the songwriting, A Memory Of Our Future is a brilliant album that strips away all the digital dressing of today's music, and brings it back to basics in a way I can only describe as timeless. If there is absolutely one album you need to listen to in 2024, Mandoki Soulmates' A Memory Of Our Future is it.

This is yet another great work where creativity, improvisation and a wide experience gather.

Mark Wingfield is an artist I've been following for the past 5 years or so, due to his link to Moonjune Records (thanks Leo for introducing me to his work), and everytime I approach one of his albums, I keep feeling surprised.

The surprise comes in a positive way, of course, because he and his colleagues always manage to use creativity with no boundaries and deliver a strong musical connection between them, so the sounds are normally attractive, despite their abstract essence. This time is 'The Gathering' the album we are talking about, a long 72-minute record divided in 10 tracks, where Wingfield gathered some monsters from the jazz, rock prog and experimental scene to delight our senses with high quality music.

Of course, it is Wingfield who takes the baton and leads the ship, we can notice it since the very first note of 'The Cockscrew Tower', but it is amazing to witness the experience and creativity of such delicious musicians like Gary Husband (piano, synths), Asaf Sirkis (drums), Tony Levin (bass) and Percy Jones (bass), all together have created a sensorial combo which takes us from one place to another, using a rich palette of colors and sounds.

Each track has a diversity of emotions and it is important to mention the role of soundscapes, because they are guilty of modifying the tracks' mood with their colorful background, and that's also part of Wingfield's sensational creativity. Of course, we will be delighted by each of the musician's personal skills during the tracks, for instance the great fretless work Jones does on 'Stormlight', the delicious drums Sirkis provide on 'Apparition in The Vaults', which also has a sort of Crimson-esque essence, including those great Levin's bass notes. There is a constant feeling of tension in different passages of the tracks, like in 'A Fleeting Glance', which also has a great fretless bass sound, by the way. But there are moments of light and brightness, like the exquisite piano work made by Husband in The Lost Room.

What this bunch of extraordinary musicians do is sharing freedom of speech and creativity, the music is never linear, it's a constant change of shapes and emotions, touching jazz and prog grounds, with the inherent experimental element that runs through the whole album. It's quite an interesting journey, and, why not, a 'Journey Home', because music is a realm where we all (musicians, producers, fans, listeners) belong.

So yeah, albums like these are always received with our arms and senses wide open, so I hope this Gathering continues to surprise us in the future. A fabulous record!

Coryell needs no introduction but Urbaniak from Poland was a child prodigy with the violin and has put out some incredible Jazz/Fusion albums between 1971 and 1974. Oh this is 1983 that the "Facts Of Life" was released? Ten years on and Larry is playing his acoustic guitar and Michel just seems to be going with the flow. I was so disappointed with this, especially the acoustic guitar. Now these two, to be fair, played on a few albums together during the early eighties so maybe they were looking for a specific sound here. As in not heavy.

The WEATHER REPORT rhythm section is on here! Okay again this is 1983 so they released their "Procession" album that year and Victor Bailey is our bassist and Omar Hakim the drummer. The only track that did anything for me was the closer "Kasia" because at least we get some energy and depth here, and it's the closest song to a Fusion track. 3 stars is all I got.