BOSQUE

It took five years and some significant line up changes for Serbian fusion band Bosque to release their second album,"Escape from Urumchi". Initially a sextet, here they come as guitar-less quartet with only two original members, bassist Milo? Bosnić (band's leader), and sax player Du?an Petrović. Two newcomers are keyboardist Stevan Milijanović and drummer Aleksa Milijanović.

The new album's opener is actually a short operatic intro of excellent soprano Jovana Čurović with minimalist accompaniment of flutist Jelena Vujnović. But right from the second song, "Welcome to Urumchi", the listener is involved in absolutely unique parallel world - well played and perfectly recorded electro-acoustic song recalling best early fusion examples coming from 70s. Bassist Milo? Bosnić sounds very much as NHØ Pedersen on archival recordings from that time playing with Archie Shepp - anchoring the sound with strong bopish groove.

Other album's songs are more muscular, less jazzy, but the combination of analog keyboards and groovy bass with very well executed songs build a very authentic atmosphere of creative spirit which gave us the best fusion masterpieces almost a half-a-century ago.

Influences varies from Corea's RTF excellent debut to the band's more rock-oriented recordings with Clarke on bass, but most important that Bosque here sounds very honest. During all these decades we evidenced myriads of RTF clones of different quality, Bosque fortunately doesn't sound as one of them. Much more, they sound as rare golden grail from vaults, recorded in 1972 and by chance found right now, or the band from parallel reality, where the year of 1972 isn't over yet.

Anyway, for fans of early 70s quality fusion this album is a real discovery. Surprisingly enough, it is not an example of nostalgia, but a piece of good music, maybe just got lost in time.