MARTIN KRATOCHVIL AND JAZZ Q

Falling in love with Modry Efekt, I stumbled across Jazz Q aswell. I found it hard getting my hands on any of their albums in Sweden, so I bided my time. When I finally found this box set for sale in my favorite record store I could not help myself and bought it on a whim, not really sure what I was purchasing. My only experience with the group was by way of Coniunctio, the album made alongside Modry Efekt. What did I find? Not all that I was prepared for.

As with their fellow country men in Modry Efekt the band changes direction throughout their recording career. Maybe not to the same extent as Modry Efekt but they do progress.

The first two albums are the best. The music displays a great fusion between rock, prog and jazz. The first album, Pozorovatelna, is quite something. Great jazz-rock with a slight free form feeling. The second album follows in the jazz-rock vein, though less free in it's form. I guess that is the album I prefer the most.

After the first two albums they ride straight into the land of Fusion and the further they ride the more slick and fusionish they become. Now, I don't mind fusion but I find that the genre at times get too meandering and pointless. Well executed but there's not much going on. Maybe that is a harsh judgement. Still, I think it is true, at least as far as Jazz Q is concerned. Elegie is a great album in many ways but the later ones are just a bit too clean and fusion-y for my taste.

Is this a relevant box? Well, I don't know. The Modry Efekt box is essential, I think. I will never give that up. I like the Jazz Q box, for sure. It is interesting and the progress is worth a listen. I would not, however, recommend someone to buy this box unless you are seriously into fusion. The first two or three albums are well worth having but on a personal level I would not have bought the fusion-ridden later ones. That is not to say that they are bad. Thet are, in fact, extremely well played and executed, just not that exciting.

All in all, an interesting box but not essential in the least.