JERRY GOODMAN & JAN HAMMER: LIKE CHILDREN

Finally, a CD version to replace my tired vinyl copy !!! Since getting it when it was originally released, I have been humming the catchy bars of "Country and Eastern Music" (nifty title, no?) ever since. This rather playful recording (which is probably why the titled it "Like Children") was the aftershock of leaving the demanding MacLaughlin-led gig, arguably one hell of a tough act to follow and not exactly remembered as pop music!!! I still remember the debate between 70s rockers about who was the fastest six stringer- no contast. So supremo violinist Jerry Goodman and his equally innovative Moogist Jan Hammer erected this often original, extremely unpretentious & very quirky set of tunes , influenced by a variety of moods and experiences. In fact, the interplay between Hammer's keyboard driven "lead guitar" excursions (reprised with subsequent Jeff Beck and Neil Schon albums) and the violent thunderbolts from the violin, make for some inspired music.Nevertheless, this recording serves as a special signpost in the rather eccentric and elitist jazz-rock history, clearly proving that unending technique (hello, Stanley Clarke!!) and the insufferable ego that goes with it , is not what music is about. Above all, it should be, at the very least entertaining, hopefully memorable and at best, awe inspiring. This album certainly doesn't fall in the last category but certainly earns the first two . Oh yeah, before I forget, "Country & Eastern Music" is a real gem that will stick in your mind forever.

4 childish oberheims