DISTANT ECHOES

This album, much like Breathing The Storm, is good with a small "g". They attempted to duplicate the Island period sound fairly successfully, although I was put off by the obvious drum machine percussion parts in places, just as on the aforementioned Breathing. If you had heard only this album by Jade Warrior, you'd think it was fantastic, but......

Album released in 1993 "Distant Echoes". The sound is unique. It is variegated also in music. It makes to the groove and there is a clean feeling. It is a sound it is sensual and with the depth. I feel the gramary one. The throb feeling and the performance surpass the former work. The power of expression of the flute is still wonderful. It is play with the music that was able to fly. It is a wonderful work. By the way, David Cross participates as a guest.

After RELEASED, I knew Jade Warrior had a lot of albums with a different touch to their first two albums, more folk and new age oriented than psychedelic. Yesterday, I had the fortune to listen to different albums and one of them was this DISTANT ECHOES. The cover made me think that probably I was going to hear a lot of prehispanic sounds of Mexico or South America, then I was surprised to see the names "Theo Travis" and "David Cross" in the guest musicians lineup, that grew my interest. While listening to it, I notice that it has beautiful musical passages, and yes, there were some new age sounds but also I heard folk rock and space prog sounds. The album is a perfect variation on musical arrangements. To tell you the truth, I really liked it because it is not boring, it is interesting, it is varied, it is relaxing, and you get to hear the whole album. Now, I'm very interested in following the process of change after RELEASED.

This album is my favourite Jade Warrior album, out of several other ones that are absolute masterpieces. Although this one features no lyrics, but some ooh and aahs, possibly chanted by some female angel, on some of the tracks. I am crazy (also literally) with the structure of these tracks, very often amounting to virtuosic solos of various instruments. Highlighted track of the album, i would say, is the track "Village Dance" which holds a solid groove, whilst beautiful solos are played on acoustic instruments, through a flowing drive of amazing harmony and unisonic direction. I rate this album 93%, and definitely a must-have for any symphonical or indo- prog fans.

After the creative nadir of "At Peace", Jon Field and Tony Duhig took a break in the late 1980s. As they were about to begin recording of a new album in 1990, Duhig suffered a fatal heart attack. After a period of uncertainty, Field regrouped with two recruits and issued the far superior "Breathing the Storm", which, while clearly steadying the ship, lacked the oomph of any self respecting JADE WARRIOR release. A couple of years later the same trio emerged with a chorus line of distinguished guests including ex KING CRIMSON violinist David Cross and accomplished saxophonist Theo Travers for "Distant Echoes". To date, it's the post-Island era JADE WARRIOR album that most closely approximates the all instrumental approach that persistently considered threatening to make them almost famous in the mid to late 1970s.

Chief among the improvements is the more spirited percussion and the added prominence of electric guitar courtesy of Colin Henson. From the outset, with "Evocation" and "Into the Sunlight", you can almost see Tony Duhig smiling with a glass raised, hopefully where landscape, seascape and soundscape meet in the beyond. Apart from the classic sound, Field and company have integrated reputable influences like CAMEL and PAT METHENY. And, though Island had originally signed them rather unfairly to be their rival to "Tubular Bells", it's on the ethereal "Standing Stones" that we finally hear what WARRIOR and OLDFIELD might have sounded like the morning after waking up together, both minimalizing the experience.

By Jon Field's own admission, JADE WARRIOR never quite made the album they had in them, a species of "Lonely Planet" travelogue between one's dreams, where the journey is all, but they tried, how they tried. "Distant Echoes" is arguably one of their most authentic, but it too falls short of illuminating their intrinsic brilliance consistently enough to ascend to the heights afforded so relatively few. That's a flaw I can live with.