THE WAY THINGS WERE

Examples Of Twelves is one of the ad hoc bands, thriving under the auspices of Impossible Ark, which is a cross between a purpose-designed record label and a loose collective of young and talented, London-based jazz musicians. Two gentlemen, a bassist/composer Riaan Vosloo and a producer/engineer Benedic Lamdin serve as the center of gravity of Impossible Ark.

The Examples Of Twelves team have made what appears to be a trilogy about "things", The Way Things Were being its most prominent component.

The album consists of four fairly long and beautifully flowing compositions. Style-wise, The Way Things Were is a highly intellectual, complex (without being abstruse or indigestible) and emotionally safe fusion album that could be described as a contemporary development of the modal improvisational jazz of the 1960s.

The overall sound of The Way Things Were is quite distinctive; I couldn't describe what it is like, but I would state that it would be a worthy addition to anyone's contemporary jazz fusion collection.

A note for vinyl lovers: the album is, or at least was, available on vinyl (although not exactly cheaply), and, from what I understand, analog sound engineering was used to produce it, which is never a bad thing.