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Ozone Quartet - Nocturne CD (album) cover

NOCTURNE

Ozone Quartet

Jazz Rock/Fusion


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Greger
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars The American band OZONE QUARTET released their first CD, "Fresh Blood", in 1997. This is the second album from this quite unusual band that is playing unusual music on unusual instruments. The set-up consists of Chapman Stick, Drums and many different percussion instruments, Electric Violin and Guitars. Hollis Brown are playing the Electric Violin, and he's perhaps the most important musician in the band, as the violin is the main lead instrument most of the time. OZONE QUARTET's music is an all-instrumental mix between funky jazz-fusion and progressive rock, with reminiscent to APOCALYTICA, BOUD DEUN, DIXIE DREGS, FLESHQUARTET, KING CRIMSON, KROUMATA, LIQUID TENSION EXPERIMENT and MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA. Although there's a lot of time changes and odd-time signatures, the music is quite easy-listened considering the complexity. The highlights are "Flood", "Backbone Of Night" and "Diamond Eye" which contains a wonderful show-off on the Chapman Stick. This is a very exciting CD to explore and you won't get tired when listening to it. Recommended!
Report this review (#5375)
Posted Saturday, February 21, 2004 | Review Permalink
Steve Hegede
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars "Nocturne" is the second album by North Carolina's OZONE QUARTET. The band's instrumental music features atmospheric, and playful, interplay between Chapman Stick, violin, and guitar. These guys tend to be compared to BOUD DEUN quite alot, but the music here never gets that complex. The strongest influence seems to be Tony Levin-era KING CRIMSON, if you can imagine that they also had a violin player at the time.

Yet OZONE QUARTET's guitarist doesn't seem influenced by Robert FRIPP. One noticeable difference on this album compared to the first album is the inclusion of vintage-sounding keyboards on some of the tracks. These include Moog-like bubbling, and Hammond B3 chords. Nothing dramatically different, but fans of the first album will take notice. Some of my favorite tracks include "Backbone Of Night" which features Middle-Eastern percussion, and scales. And "Diamond Eye" which has a section featuring some quick flurries of notes from the Chapman Stick.

Report this review (#5376)
Posted Monday, March 22, 2004 | Review Permalink
Mellotron Storm
PROG REVIEWER
3 stars Not a bad Jazz/ Fusion album from this quartet out of Raleigh, North Carolina. Violin, Chapman Stick, drums and guitar create a little bit different sound but to be honest this is very much violin driven all the way and kind of samey. The lack of electric bass takes away some depth here as it does come across a bit lightweight overall. No keyboards either that could provide some atmosphere. Produced by the band but this was mastered by Bob Katz at least. A far cry though from "Red" era KING CRIMSON or MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA as advertised and I mean far. Worth checking out only if your a huge violin fan in my opinion.
Report this review (#2041609)
Posted Saturday, October 6, 2018 | Review Permalink
4 stars Jack in, tune up, and get yourself lost in smokin' fusion ecstasy. Here's jazz rock violin comin' at you in electrified, preorgasmic shudders, Chapman Stick in exotic overdrive mode, kickin'drums sounding like '70's era, Billy Cobham and guitars in that Ray Gomez fusiony-rock, blues whirl and punch. This is tight but loose, serious yet fun, noir-inspired grooves that no one else but the Ozone Quartet can deliver. This approaches world fusion with funky backbeat yet Middle Eastern flair, and at times you may want to dance. The soul of the mad dervish dancer weaves among the swaying shadows of hypnotic percussion. This is a music of enchantment, a tapestry of colors and hues of sound woven intricately by fingers charged with the need to break the boundaried curse of the mundane -- reaching for the hidden chords, the occultic strains of notes, drifting up from long lost kingdoms of forgotten peoples.

This is an unusual mix of complex rhythms, fiddle flourishes, Stick magic, and guitar pleasures. If you like rock in your fusion, they satisfy. If you prefer more jazzy violin leaning in that soulful Urbaniak, mellow Goodman, or Tesseract mode -- it is here. If you need a bit of that world percussive, tribal thing with a bit of funked groove too, you'll find it. But most of all if you need something a bit different in your fusion that both soothes and excites, Ozone Quartet can cover a wide range of territory. A certain passion to deliver their best comes through. Listen for all the things you like about fusion and I guarantee you won't come away unimpressed nor unmoved by this second release from the OQ gang. Strongly recommended.

Report this review (#2582220)
Posted Thursday, July 29, 2021 | Review Permalink

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