KAWANA

With this line-up of musicians such as this you really shouldn't go wrong. The addition of Didier Lockwood there seems to be yet another step further into the fold of true Jazz-Rock Fusion--I'm even hearing the funky stank entering into Gérard Prévost's bass style and sounds.

1. "Natura" (7:03) sounds so much like a modern Pat Metheny Group epic--but it pre-dates all that! Piano, chunky and jazzy bass, and nasal soprano (sopranino?) sax all sound good together. Jean-My is, for my tastes, a little quiet in the mix. (13.6875/15) 1.3125

2. "Tserouf" (8:59) a very tight funky jazz fusion song that could have come off of any of the American masters of the era--Miles, Chick, Stanley, Zawinal, even Jean-Luc Ponty, Area or Bob James! Great song. Very melodic. I particularly enjoy François Cahen's use of synthesizers in the middle section: he sounds so at home, so masterful (and so melodic--all the while pounding away on the piano beneath it all!) The third motif for the final third of the song sees Yochok'o and Didier trading solos like something straight out of Jean-Luc Ponty's greatest songs from the same period (especially from the Stéphane Grappelli, Aurora and Imaginary Voyage albums). (18.75/20)

3. "F.F.F. (Fleurs for Faton)" (2:34) ("Faton" is Fançois' nickname) A very nice little musical étude performed by piano, acoustic violin and bowed double bass--like a gift from Débussy or Fauré. (9.5/10)

4. "Kabal" (4:14) very tightly performed, fast-paced opening before stepping down to a slower tempo at 0:50 for some synth work--but then things ramp up again with EVERYBODY getting into the act, MAHAVISHNU style. The bass and drum work remain super tight and focused at the bottom throughout this display of whole-band virtuosity. Weird that I like Yochok'o's kazoo-like nasal horn (that sounds like a Middle Eastern surnai) much more than I do the soprano saxophone. There is, however, a little monotony with the hard repetition of the melodies in each motif that I find a bit irritating (not unlike some of the work in the songs of the Mahavishnu Orchestra). (9/10)

5. "Sadie" (3:43) opens rather loosely, as if the listener were walking by Jean-Luc Ponty performing as a street musician. The sopranino sax, bass, and electric violin melodies and harmonic support from the keys throughout this oft-shifting-tempo-ed song are gorgeous. At 2:40 we are even treated to an overdubbed solo track for a second and third violin. Nice. A creative, inventive song. (9.375/10)

6. "Free Folk" (10:44) there's a very relaxed vibe throughout this song--like a WEATHER REPORT song. As a matter of fact, there's very little here--or on this album--that harkens to Zeuhl music. It Feels and sounds like the Zao crew has shaken loose from the Vander clutches and moved fully into the jazz fusion fold. Nicely done. Probably the weakest song on the album--almost anti-climactic fill--but still good--and, weirdly interesting that I just commented on how much I enjoy Yochok'o's surnai-sounding nasal clarinet more than a soprano saxophone and yet on this song I find it almost cloyingly annoying. And then, right in the middle of the song, the band speeds up in a very Zeuhlish fashion (again, right after I'd pronounced the umbilicus severed!) Luckily this ends and is replaced by a vocal-only section for a minute or so before the whole band bursts out of the gate again for a frenetically celebratory final two minutes. Amazing construct and performances that seem a little mysteriously disjointed and haphazardly pieced together for my puny little brain to comprehend (much less accommodate). (17.625/20)

I like the direction the band is taking with this album: more fully into the fold of the Jazz-Rock Fusion movement, less entrenched in the roots of the world of Zeuhl. My biggest question is: why is Jean-My Truong so sedated and/or mixed so low in the soundscape (especially when compared to how awesomely forward he was mixed into the Shekina tracks)?

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of complex and highly-skilled Jazz-Rock Fusion.

Social review comments

Review related links

• Send comments to BrufordFreak
• Report this review (#1711537)
• Buy ZAO music online with PA partners
• Show all ZAO MP3/Stream
• Go to ZAO page for videos, full discography with ratings, reviews and much more
• Go to Kawana page for more details, where to buy and ratings/reviews
• Search the Forum for ZAO related discussions