snobb Korean-born, Amsterdam-based young female drummer, Sun-Mi Hong, undoubtedly belongs to the cohort of virtuosic jazz drummers/band leaders who concentrate on the compositional part of their music (much like John Hollenbeck, Tyshawn Sorey, and Ches Smith among others). "Meaning Of A Nest" is Hong's fourth album, the three previous are all recorded in a similar key. Trumpeter Alistair Payne is the only member who played on all four recordings.

The album's music is a mid-tempo mix of quite precise and a bit formal compositions with regular inclusions of freer improvisations from each member. There are some sentimental moods, and a few fireworks in the music as well. The quintet works well together, and in general the music is well balanced, without being too dry, but still always under control. Possibly, that feeling of successful proportion between composed and improvised is the album's main musical attractiveness. Interplay between the young musicians is great, still, the compositions are always particularly interesting or memorable.

A good example of today's jazz, with possible growth potential.

js Is there any jazz subgenre that is more uniquely and purely jazz than bebop, the answer is no. Any other jazz subgenre seems to have an outside comparative, (free jazz - avant-garde composers), (post bop - French composers), (hard bop - blues and RnB), (fusion - rock and funk) etc. When played correctly, bebop stands alone as one of the most singular contributions to the musical world, but very few really play it right anymore. Since bebop got reduced to college classes taught to budding young musicians, there has been a lot of mediocre bop out there, both at the universities and at the clubs. But there are still those that can play bop with the requisite crazy abandon and flippant attitude as created by Charlie Parker and then furthered by Ornette Coleman and Eric Dolphy. This leads us to Portuguese drummer Joao Lencastre and his new album “Free Celebration”, one of the hottest avant-garde neo-bop albums to come out since the last outing by Walking Distance or Anthony Braxton’s superb Parker tribute.

Frantic and crazy bop in the style of Ornette and Dolphy are the backbone of this album, but not in a retro way at all. There are plenty of current modernisms in the mix too, such as jagged Mary Halvorson type guitar from Pedro Branco and plenty of noisy analog electronics from keyboardist Joao Bernardo. Through the course of the album the band veers off into many directions from free fusion to noisy chaos and then into something sentimental such as the track “Kathelyn Gray” or grooving hard bop on “The Third World”. For the correct bebop flavor you need a high flying alto sax player, and that comes from Ricardo Toscano, easily one of the best altoists happening today.

There is an eclectic mix of musical ingredients at work here, but this album never becomes one of those John Zorn style clumsy pastiche things in which incongruent elements are slammed together just for effect. Nope, all of this music grows and changes in very organic ways and with solid musical integrity. The track “Giggin” is a great representation for this band as it opens with blazing fast bop that grows more intense with shifting tempos pushing things towards chaos as a hornet’s nest of electronics enters and multiple soloists push things to the edge. “Free Celebration” is one of the best jazz records to come out this year.

FunkFreak75 Markus Pajakkala is back (finally!) with an album of music inspired by his explorations of African music and rhythms. He has even employed a bunch of Temperi, Senegalese, and Mauritanian musicians as collaborators to go along with his usual rhythm section of Anssi Solismaa, Jaakko Luoma, and newcomer Ville Hatanpää on drums!

1. "Greenwash" (4:48) with the odd combinations of sounds--squishy, spacey synths, weird organ, African percussion, et al. --I'm not even sure what I'm listening to! In the end it's really a fairly typical West African jazz-rock cake that happens to have frostings from the crazy imaginings of a crazy Finn covering the top and filling the layers in-between. It's fun and entertaining, at times reminding me of the spirit in DON PULLEN's "Kele mou bana." (8.875/10)

2. "All Whale Panel" (4:06) a song that is trying to project the feeling of a being a live song from an outdoor all-night rave or dance party from some celebrated Tiesto-like DJ. Definitely a top three song. (9.125/10)

3. "Yegaa Intro" (1:35) 4. "Yegaa Nu Betaa" (4:33) expressing an easy joy that is not only infectious but danceable. A top three song for me based solely on the spirit invoked by Ismaila Sané's vocal calls. (8.875/10)

5. "Cleptocrats" (4:24) nice, infectious grooving instrumental music that feels like the musical soundtrack to a travel montage. More of the horn section interplay with Markus' weird organ. Could've been a top three. (8.875/10)

6. "Jaa Di Burung" (5:35) slowed down grooviness with enough space to really hear and focus on individual instruments--all of them! Really well constructed and rendered. Markus' baritone sax play really shines here. My other top three song. (9.125/10)

7. "Hit It With The Pinky." (4:05) starts out sounding like a Mario Brothers video game soundtrack stuck in some kind of pause mode, but then the "big" band jumps on board (8.75/10)

8. "No Culture, No Soul" (8:26) a near-Jamaican groove stuck on repeat while Ozrics-like "space jungle" noises flit in and out of the sonic field. Coordinated horns step in from time to time to take over the lead but then disappear for longer spans of time allowing the baseline groove to continue to pacify and hypnotize us into a ganja-like stupor. Impressive musicianship and sound engineering throughout. (17.5/20)

9. "Kakistocrats" (5:08) aside from the farfisa organ, this one taking us back into a more traditional (or just old) sounding Afro-jazz-rock fusion. Nice trumpet soloing in the second and third minute from Olli Helin which is then followed by Inari Ruonamaa's delicate alto sax and Ismaila Sané's percussion work in the fourth. Is Makus trying to reproduce Ray Manzarek's organ sound from the earliest days of The Doors? (8.75/10)

10. "Le Nuit Des Morts-Vivants" (9:50) a percussion-based tune that sounds like something familiar despite also traipsing into the territory of old-fashioned spy-detective movie soundtracks. It's laid back, and the foundational groove is definitely (surprisingly) simple, allowing for the solos to shine a little brighter--of which guitarist Matti Solo gets a nice one to fill the fourth minute before Olli's effected trumpet takes a turn. IN the end, the song is really a vehicle in which to display Markus' inventive engineering of a song around Ismaila Sané's surprisingly sneakily- polyrhythmic percussion play. With almost every band member getting a turn in the spotlight this is really a more traditional jazz song. And the solos are pretty good! (17.5/10)

Total Time: 52:34

The music, though definitely fun and entertaining, seems often more simplistic and slowed down (for the benefit of the musicians?) than I was expecting. (Markus Pajakkala music is usually anything but slow and simple!) This allows for a surprisingly easy listen. Also, it seems at times that Markus is creating this music more for the display of the talents of his bevy of international musicians. I'd love to hear these guys really break out: play at top notch, breakneck speeds (as I suppose they're capable). Maybe that will come with a future album release. B/four stars; an excellent collection of African-infused jazz-rock.

FunkFreak75 I have resisted listening to any Hiromi studio album releases since she abandoned her Sonicbloom format (for the trios). Isn't that crazy?! What the heck was I thinking?!!! This is Hiromi's second studio release with her new quartet. All of the same collaborators return from the 2023 eponymously-titled album. 1. "XYZ" (6:56) this opener certainly does a great job announcing the serious skills and chemistry of Hiromi's new band. This very complex and least-melody-friendly song on the album still manages to impress because of the display of talent necessary to play these sophisticated and fast-shifting chord, rhythm, and melody changes. Impressive--though not my favorite. (13.625/15)

2. "Yes! Ramen!!" (8:14) so much fun, quirk, stylistic soup (kind of like the ramen itself!): more from Hiromi's incredibly free-flowing playfulness. (14.5/15)

3. "Pendulum" (5:57) the spirit of my late beloved Ryuichi Sakamoto seems to be flowing through Hiromi's fingers and piano on this but more, the stunningly exquisite vocal performance of Michelle Willis is somehow perfectly matched to Hiromi's beautiful music. Even the poetic lyrics are a welcome, fitting, and, again, perfect enhancement--precisely because of the musical quality of the poetry. Hadrien, Gene, and, later, Adam's contributions in the second half are equally respectful of Hiromi's Sakamoto-like gift to the cosmos. (10/10)

4. "Out There: Takin' Off" (6:33) too much fun, too much joy gushing from these performers to not love this song! (9.125/10)

5. "Out There: Strollin'" (6:43) a little more grounded in a blend of both traditional, "classic" melodic jazz as well as the Pat Metheny approach to music-making, this song has again so many nostalgic references: from all three of Hiromi's collaborators as well as the bandleader herself. This feels to me like a walk through New York City circa 1965. I love it. Adam O'Farrill's trumpet play is so fun and playful! How could someone not just fall in love with this music. Makes me want to go watch old Woody Allen movies. (9.25/10) 6. "Out There: Orion" (8:10) on this song it feels as if we are stepping down another floor into more traditional jazz sounds and styles--especially in the melody-making department: I feel as if the main melodies and variations on the main melodies are more akin to that which supported Frank Sinatra and Nancy Wilson in the 1950s. Don't get me wrong: I LOVE it, but it's just a feeling I get. Especially when each of the four "Out There" suite members is compared to each other. (13.75/15) 7. "Out There: The Quest" (8:11) the spirit of Weather Report/Manahattan Transfer "Birdland" comes through quite strongly here, that is, the 1980s. Man! I sure love the sounds and playing styles of both trumpeter Adam O'Farrill and bassist Hadrien Feraud! The way Gene's drums are presented in the mix (separation and sound spectrum) bug me a little. Not as big of a fan of this song as the others. (I've never been much of a Weather Report or "Birdland" fan.) (8.875/10)

8. "Pendulum" (6:19) the instrumental, all-piano version of song #3. It's just as beautiful without the great vocal performance and lyrics of the other version: mostly because Hiromi's music is so damned perfect. I love the different liberties Hiromi takes with the main melody in the fourth and fifth minutes--just before she begins gently working some low end bass notes into the background (from 3:44 to the song's end). (9.75/10)

9. "Balloon Pop" (6:18) a lot of fun syncopated staccato interplay between Hiromi (more her left hand), Gene and Hadrien. Adam gets a few passages to inject his own ten cents--and they're lovely (if mixed a little too far back into the sonicsphere)--but it's Hadrien's Anthony Jackson-like solo in fourth minute that really blows me away! I'm an absolute sucker for this kind of disciplined staccato syncopation--especially when it's performed at such a high precision level as this is. Fun whistle-like synth solo around the five minute mark with nice background trumpet accents, then it's off to the land of duelling anjos for the final minute: everybody trading barbs and challenges around the circle, one after the other until the finish. (9.125/10)

Total Time 63:21

I am so surprised (and overwhelmed) to find my inner being exuding such joy and elation as I listen to and review this album. I feel so very privileged to be able to know and have this kind of joyful music in my life. If I have any complaints/criticisms of this album, they are very minor--and they have nothing to do with the compositions or performances. I find myself ever so slightly put off by the way Gene Coye's drums are recorded. At times all of the four instruments feel rather subtly separated, that is, the tracks devoted to Gene, Hadrien, Adam and even (sometimes) Hiromi feel as if they have plexiglass walls between them: as if they were recorded in separate rooms, separate cities, at separate times and then the engineers tried to make them feel together. I've been quite resistant to listening to much of Hiromi's discography since she fell into my life with her first Sonicbloom album back in 2007: I just was afraid that nothing else could ever be better much less compare to that. A few live performance videos with Anthony Jackson have recently softened my stubborn stance, and then, today, this album popped into my awareness! Am SO GLAD it did! Also, I've been so focused on "Classic Era" Jazz-Rock Fusion and 1960s Jazz that I'd completely ignored (like a righteous little snob) any modern Jazz-Rock Fusion. Okay: I now see the error of my ways. I'm going to open myself back up to 21st Century Jazz-Rock Fusion. Hiromi, Antoine Fafard, Kamasi Washington, Meshell Ngegeocello: watch out: I'm comin' for y'all!

P.S. I ADORE the album art of this album! Now that's what I'm talkin' about! A/five stars; a certifiable masterpiece of joy-filled upbeat Jazz-Rock Fusion. All hail the Queen! Highly, highly recommended. For anyone who professes to love music.

js “Nitty Gritty” is guitarist Russ Spiegel’s seventh album, and although most of his earlier albums contain mostly originals, for this album Russ wrote only four compositions with everything else being covers done in ways that are different than the usual versions of the songs he selected. It is an eclectic album and in Russ’s own words, “ I chose tunes that feature my guitar playing in different genres and styles of jazz - from swinging, earthy blues to folk and Latin rhythms to groovy and outright rocky tunes”. Russ mentions some favorite influences on the guitar, including Pat Metheny, John Scofield, Ed Bickert and Bola Sete. Accompanying Russ on this adventure is his usual trio with Jim Gasior on organ and piano, and Lucas Apostoleris. Guests, Tim Armacost on tenor sax and Kurt Hengstebek on bass, play on about half the tracks.

So lets take a look at the variety that Russ has bestowed on us here. “Soul Station” is classic Hammond B3 driven soul jazz originally composed by Hank Mobley. On Ellington’s “Prelude to a Kiss”, Russ eschews the tune’s usual ballad treatment and instead gives it an upbeat samba drive. Hearing ‘Prelude’ in upbeat mode gives the well known song a different flavor altogether. Whereas the Beatles, “Norwegian Wood”, is usually given an up tempo 6/8 modal vamp, Spiegel instead keeps it in a relaxed folk style workout for the acoustic guitar. Original, “Nitty Gritty”, uses distorted guitar in a heavy funk jazz style similar to Medeski, Scofield, Martin & Wood.

For the second half of the CD Spiegel settles into more of a fusion style which supplies a little more cohesion after the ‘all over the place’ nature of the first half. “Deep Brooklyn” is one of the best tracks on the album with it’s melancholy melody and Gasior’s post bop ride on the acoustic piano. “Epic” is another ‘big’ sounding fusion number with a rocky 5/4 groove and plenty of heavy guitar soloing from Spiegel. “26-2”, another jazz rock number, gives plenty of room for Armacost’s tenor sax solo. There are more tracks but let’s avoid an exhausting grocery list here, but the real surprise is lounge classic, “A Man and a Woman”, which Russ plays without a trace of irony or kitsch.

FunkFreak75 Here we find Dr. Eddie teaming up with several of his previous collaborators from both the Mwandishi days but even a Headhunter or two--including the one and only Herbie Hancock.

1. "Butterfly" [Herbie Hancock] (8:05) a remake of the Herbie Hancock "classic" (even though it's only four years old) with its creator taking part in the modernized version (as well as several Mwandishi alumni and Bennie Maupin who was one of the original Headhunters, too!) I love all of the innovative sounds Herbie, synth specialist John Bowen, and guitarist Ray Obiedo are employing to funk-up and "modernize" the song. So funny to have these songs re-covered A) so soon after their initial entry into pop consciousness and B) by members of the original lineup now four years "older"! LOL! It's even been discofied a bit! Though it is definitely different than the original, it's still a great song. (Perhaps its just one of those songs that you can never ruin no matter how you choose to approach it.) (14/15)

2. "Cyclops" [James Mtume] (5:18) Eddie and his record company felt good enough about this song to have released it as a 45-single! It's definitely catchy--like the instrumental ear candy that many jazz fusion artists were turning toward at this time--before Jazz-Rock Fusion was being spilled over into Smooth Jazz, Disco Funk, Adult Contemporary, Yacht Rock, 80s R&B and Hip-Hop, and even New Age. It feels as if the piano chords in this song were lifted directly off of the master tapes for the 1984 Soul/R&B hit song "Hey DJ" by The World Famous Supreme Team. It is a great, fun, highly enjoyable listen. (9.333/10)

3. "Emotions" [Eddie Henderson] (4:59) gentle yet sophisticated with Paul Jackson's bass notes and bass harmonics forming much of the foundation with percussive drum play turning to full kit use in the second minute. Eddie's flugelhorn lead is quite melodic--quite like hearing a human voice pronounce its words quite intentionally. The involvement of the rest of the band seems minimal, other than Herbie's Fender Rhodes. (9/10)

4. "Prance On" [James Mtume] (5:16) another Mtume song that falls right into the Disco world that James would stick with throughout the 80s, there are CHIC-like clavinet, rhythm guitar strains, and background synth "strings" accents and flourishes that would become absorbed and exploited fully by Michael Jackson's songwriting/production crew from here (Off the Wall) through Thriller, but the bass is all disco and novelty Funk-Soul/R&B. Overall, it's a little too drawn out and monotonous. (8.875/10)

5. "Amoroso" [Bennie Maupin] (5:38) interesting funk R&B with some novelty sounds covered by some great percussion and trumpet play. Using a fairly dull, straightforward drum "program" the syncopation comes complete from the horns and bass teaming up to carry the melodic rhythm track while Herbie and muted Eddie solo among the flurries of other contributors sneaking in their inputs. (8.875/10)

6. "Mahal" [Eddie Henderson] (4:27) I'm not sure where Eddie was at this time in his life but I find it interesting that the three compositions credited to him on this album are all rather slow, gentle, and tender. Love? Loss? Sadness? Transition? How does the doctor use his music for therapy? There are wonderfully tender inputs from Herbie (muted clavinet), John Bowen (Oberheim strings), Julian Priester, and Paul Jackson on this lovely little tune. (9/10)

7. "Ecstasy" [Eddie Henderson] (3:25) dreamy Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood-like fairy dust coming from Herbie's JOHNNY COSTA-like Fender Rhodes is the only support Eddie uses to express his ruminative mood--like something from FRANK SINATRA's masterpiece of late-night regret, In the Wee Small Hours, or Freddie Hubbard on several of his song remakes on next year's The Love Connection. I really like contemplative songs like this: makes me think that some humans (without the aide of alcohol) are really thinking about their lives. A rather beautiful duet but not really anything contributing to the expansion of the Jazz-Rock Fusion idiom. (8.75/10)

Total Time: 37:08

A-/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of Third-entering-upon-Fourth Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion that illustrates that Eddie (and Herbie) are still committed to continuing to push the boundaries of that which is possible for the movement.

Matti P SUSANNA ALEKSANDRA (b. 1989) is an Estonian jazz vocalist. Her debut album Miracles (2015) was made with her countrymen, but the later albums are Finnish products; she has studied in the Sibelius Academy, Helsinki. Her third and latest album The Siren is actually an updated, internationally distributed version of Souls of the Night (2020), featuring co-producer Joonas Haavisto on piano and synths, Joonas Tuuri on double bass and Ville Pynssi on drums. Percussionist Abdissa "Mamba" Assefa guests on one track. Apart from the standard 'Blame It on My Youth' and the Finnish folk tune 'Ruusu laaksossa', the songs are originals, with all the lyrics -- and mostly also compositions (1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9) -- by Aleksandra herself. Tracks 2 and 7 are composed by Haavisto, and the final, eleventh song is their mutual composition.

Not downright light, nor melancholic 'The Siren' flows beautifully. Immediately the listener is won over by the excellent, airy arrangement and crystal-clear production where each instrument is a star, and by Aleksandra's sensual, effortless vocals. The moodier but equally elegant 'Your Path' perhaps slightly centres more on the piano. 'Clumsy' is in a faster tempo and features skilful scat vocals. The band is really fantastic in creating a lively groove.

'Blame It...' is interpreted as a sensitive, slow, late night jazz ballad. I'm not fascinated by 'Summer Came Early' where the percussion is very central in the soundscape. 'Love Song' feels charmingly sincere with its Katie Melua -like romantic approach.

'Souls of the Night' is another excellent evidence of Aleksandra's compositional skills as it meanders dynamically. The balance between sensitivity and energy maintains harmonically throughout the album. As a Finn, it's of course interesting to hear how well an Estonian sings the Finnish traditional. You can easily tell it's not her mother tongue but that only makes it more charming, in a way. All in all, an excellent and enjoyable vocal jazz album with a fantastic musicianship and production.

FunkFreak75 The infectious popularity of Alain Mion's first CORTEX album obviously called for a follow up. The problem was in keeping his original band mates interested (and, I suppose, paid). Aside from drummer Alain Gandolfi (who, with Mion, would remain the core-constant throughout the Cortex career), an entire cast of newcomers has had to have been recruited in order to record an publish (and tour) with Alain's new songs.

A1. "Devil's Dance" (2:30) a great upbeat, piano & guitar-based Disco tune to open the album. Nice! New bassist Nicolas Mirkov and guitarist Philippe Vautin prove their worth from the opening minute. Even though it's short, it could easily (and happily) have been extended as a long jam (with perhaps some saxes or more solo work from Alain or Nicolas). (9.3333/10)

A2. "Funk Around The Punk" (3:18) definitely funk with the whole band--bass, drums, keys, and rhythm guitar--all participating in the wholeness of a 70s funk song. Guitarist Philippe Vautrin does some pretty cool things with his guitar: partly rhythmic, partly lead (small chords and both plucked and strummed strings). Alain Mion is active on several keyboard tracks indicating multiple over dubs. No horns or winds (that I can detect) on this one. Cute and peppy--very much like a BOB JAMES song. (8.875/10)

A3. "Hurluberlu" (5:10) two chord blues-based funk-rock/R&B with a rolling bass line and driving drum beat so that Alain and Philippe can play around on top. Nice, interesting work from Philippe's fuzzy-flanged lead guitar over this awesome cruisin' song. Excellent work from bassist Nicolas Mirkov (who, by the way, is the sole composer credited for this song) as well as from drummer Gandolfi. (9/10)

A4. "Soul" (2:50) three-chord keyboard entry leads into a funky Disco song with cool clavinet, rhythm guitar, and K.C. & The Sunshine Band "Get Down Tonight" lead guitar work, plus saxophone solos in the second half. Actually a pretty cool and creative song! (9/10)

A5. "Datura" (2:30) bass and guitar provide the most important inputs on this song. Though it has two motifs, it is another song that feels simple, one-dimensional, like a warm-up song or étude/practice/audition tune. One of the few songs not totally credited to Alain Mion, the guitar work of Philippe Vautrin is purely rhythm guitar but co-composer Nicolas Mirkov's bass (and sax) are plenty funky. (4.625/5)

B1. "Poxa" (3:25) this one sounds sappy enough to be a cover--like something that would likely end up as elevator music--but when the female background singers enter and start their "la-la-la-la-las" it kind of eliminates it from elevator heaven and renders it more of a soundtrack to some low-budget film. It's not bad--the musicians' performances are all fine--it's just a bit hokey. (8.75/10)

B2. "Mister J." (3:36) funky and perky little composition by drummer Alain Gandolfi that sounds like an American advertizing song. Female background vocalists enter in the second minute intermittently injecting the word some word that sounds perhaps more like "raina" than "régina." (8.875/10)

B3. "Régina" (5:00) the lone composition of guitarist Philippe Vautrin opens with guitar setting the chord progression, key, and pace. Funky bass, straightforward drums, keys, and clavinet "horns" plus real horns join in (the real horns gaining more traction the further into the song we go). (8.875/10)

B4. "Efficace Swing" (2:58) a nice little flute-led dittie that feels unfinished, more like an étude or practice song that never received the attention needed to finish it. Why is there no credit given to the flutist? (8.875/10)

B5. "Oh. Lord" (6:20) I love the etheric female vocalese singing like an angel over the church-like Hammond organ chords throughout the first half of this song. The little Hammond flurries in-between the two rounds of Alice Prévost's vocals is a little corny, but overall it's very cool. And then it ends. There is a rather long pause as if there is a whole new song starting, but I do recognize the same chords/key in the opening Fender Rhodes display. And then the bass, drums, and rhythm guitar-like chord play of Alain's left hand join in and provide a lovely funk-lite love song. (9.5/10)

Total Time: 37:52

The overall impression I have of this album is that it is a collection of interesting and fun ideas that the two Alains and their band mates were using for practice/workout sessions, most of which never really got fully developed or "polished." There are plenty of nice melodies and pleasant funk-lite grooves throughout, just nothing as amazing as the first album.

91.27 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; though I really would not consider this a true masterpiece of top tier Jazz-Rock Fusion (like the first one was), the album is filled with brilliant, sometimes innovative ideas, excellent performances by all musicians involved and some great earworm-like ditties and hooks--and, of course, a core of silky-smooth funk!

FunkFreak75 Employing pretty much the same lineup as the previous album, Freddie decided to try his luck with a new record company (Columbia)--even going so far as taking his band to the West Coast to record the next album.

Line-up / Musicians: - Freddie Hubbard / trumpet, flugelhorn - Kent Brinkley / bass - Joe Sample / clavinet, organ - Dale Oehler / conductor, arranged by - King Errisson / congas - Ralph Penland / drums - George Cables / electric piano - Junior Cook / flute, tenor saxophone - Dean Parks / guitar - Victor Feldman / percussion - Ian Underwood / synthesizer [Arp] - Carmello Garcia / timbales - Harvey Mason / drums (A2, B1) - Ernie Watts / flutes (A1, B3), soprano sax (B2) - Dick Hyde / trombone solo (B1) - Pete Christleib / sax solo (B3) Trombones: Dick Hyde, George Bohanon

A1. "Camel Rise" (6:23) long sustained notes issued from Freddie and his horn section open this before a SANTANA-like wide assortment of collaborators jump into the fray. The expanded lineup and sound palette on this George Cables song sounds great: again, very SANTANA-like--even allowing for some funky wah-wah guitar and keyboard soloing over the percussion-rich rhythm section. Kent Brinkley does a fine job handling the bass duties on his own (on the previous album he was supported/doubled up by veteran Ron Carter--who was expressing more and more his distaste for the electric bass, his preference for the good old stand-up double bass) and the multiple keyboards and multiple horns playing a little more loosely than in standard big band formation. Nice Latin flavors like a Herb Alpert, Eumir Deodato, or Burt Bacharach easy listening tune even though the palette is so busy and full. (9.125/10) A2. "Black Maybe" (4:58) a late night contemplative tune (originally penned by Steve Wonder for his then-wife's 1972 album, Syreeta) that presents minimal support from bass, synth, and percussion and beautiful melodic flugelhorn play from Freddie. One of his most deeply connecting performances. With George Cables' Fender Rhodes play this could very well have been the template Vanegelis was using when creating "Blade Runner Blues" for the Blade Runner original soundtrack--and certainly the palette that Jack Elliott and The "New American Orchestra" (called "The Big 'O'" for its existence as the music producer for The Academy Awards ceremonies for 30 years) used for their Warner Brothers Studios-sanctioned version of the same song that they covered in order to produce the first public release of Blade Runner soundtrack-inspired music, which was published in 1982. (Vangelis did not release his own "official" OST until 1994 and his preferred "Final Cut" version in 2007.) Nice orchestration by David Oehler. (9.33333/10)

A3. "Baraka Sasa" (10:29) an awesome theatric opening on this Freddie Hubbard original leads into a funky DEODATO-like mid-speed motif that fully-displayed the multiple keyboards (clavinet, synths, Fender Rhodes), complex arrangements for the professional horn section, and fully-stocked percussion section. This awesome groove provides the support for some cool experimental trumpet soloing in which Freddie and his engineers play with some long delay, echo, and slow-fade effects--all the while a outer-spacey synth oscillates its tone like someone searching the radio for stations using their old hand dial. Big kudos to bassist Kent Brinkley, conga player King Errisson, Joe Sample's clavinet work, and Ralph Penland's drumming as well as Ian Underwood's spacey ARP play and Freddie's trumpeting. A very tight and well-performed high-quality composition even if the chorus comes up short in terms of hooking the listener. (18.25/20)

B1. "Crisis" (5:44) this song--which is another Freddie Hubbard original--is funky and sassy with Kent Brinkley's bass, Joe Sample's clavinet, Ralph Penland's drumming, and Dean Parks' amazing rhythm guitar work. Dale Oehler's orchestra contribution is also significant (though I think the song would be better off without the orchestral strings) (the horns are great), and Freddie and Junior Cook take full advantage of the mood and encouragement to produce some great solos. (9/10)

B2. "Ebony Moonbeams" (6:55) the album's second George Cables composition proves to be a sophisticated Latin-jazz tune with several tempo, stylistic, and motif changes throughout its seven minute length. The flow and suite-like feel are interesting and admirable but, like a lot of the George Cables melody making that I've heard, his gift for creating major melodic hooks is in the middling range. It's pleasant enough but it's nothing special enough to write home about. (13.333/15)

B3. "Too High" (6:37) another cover of a Stevie Wonder song (from Innervisions). It's funky, and jazzy with its horn arrangements, but the bass line, drum, percussion, and horn hits, for me, completely loose the staccato "punch" power that Stevie's original had. I like Freddie's solo work--both the experimental sound effect use and the straightforward play--but the rest is, for me, just missing the mark--and the only other soloists are sax players Junior Cook and Pete Christleib, in the middle. (8.75/10)

Total time: 41:06

Freddie is definitely on board with a full and serious commitment to sophisticated Jazz-Rock Fusion--and he's definitely got the funk working on all ofthise songs.

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of peak era Jazz-Rock Fusion.

FunkFreak75 Creed Taylor and his production crew are on a roll: showing that they know how to make money (and gain radio airplay) with the new "jazz-rock" instrumental musics--and Freddie Hubbard is open to trying--and his band up to the task!

A1. "Brigitte" (9:07) a song that Freddie would protect and promote in future concerts and albums (absolutely perfected on 1979's Love Connection), that here incorporates Ron Carter's bass as the central focal point of the song--with electric piano, percussion, and, later, drums very much revolving around the bass. Freddie's lead trumpet exists as if standing on top of or outside of the thin and lush bass-cored sonosphere playing beneath him. Still, this is a finely-crafted, beautifully-painted version of a great song. No wonder it became such a standard for him. Nice performances by the bass players as well as George Cables on Fender Rhodes. (18.25/20)

A2. "Keep Your Soul Together" (9:52) on this song Freddie tries to express his own perspective/interpretation/vision for the potential of the Jazz-Rock Fusion movement. The song's instrumental/sound palette is without a doubt reflective of the influence the recent popularity of Deodato's "Also Sprach Zarathustra -2001" and Prelude--both of which came out earlier in they 1973 and which were recorded and produced by the very same production team that Keep Your Soul Together is being produced. I think that the jazz world--and especially the money-conscious record companies like Creed Taylor's unit here--had become quite enamored of the idea of making money--making a living--at creating and promoting the music they loved. The sound Freddie (and engineer Rudy Van Gelder) pulled out of these sessions is, therefore, in my opinion, no mistake. And, since it is a sound that I love, it is no mistake that I really like this song. (18.5/20)

B1. "Spirits Of Trane" (9:07) a fast-cruisin' song that reminds me of the sounds and pacings of some of the songs on MILES DAVIS' landmark Jazz-Fusion albums--particularly Bitches Brew and Jack Johnson. Freddie produces a great, spirited solo in the second and third minutes and is then followed by an equally energetic performance from tenor saxophone player Junior Cook--all the while the rhythm section providing more than enough fuel to keep everyone flowing. But then, at the 4:30 mark there is a slow down and clear out to make way for George Cables to solo on the Fender Rhodes--while the band switches to a cool walking-bass blues motif for a bit, but then switches back to the rapid cruise pace--all while George is soloing over the top! Great stuff! At 6:30 then we hear another clear out so that drummer Ralph Penland can have some spotlight: a nice solo that ends with some rudimentary play before the full band rejoins to finish at the fast-cruisin' speed--but, no! After the band dissintegrates, Freddie continues playing, tout seul, before the band rejoin to pull off a "big finish." (17.5/20)

B2. "Destiny's Children" (10:19) anchored with some cool, laid back R&B bass play and some LENNY WHITE-sounding drum play, the band leader is freed up to explore lots of melody ideas up top (because the bass 'n' drums have such a solid offering down below). The song might even exist without anyone else's contributions but Ralph, Kent, Ron, and Freddie, but George Cables does provide some nice textural "filler" as well as an okay solo in the seventh minute (using some unusual warble effects on his electric piano). This is my favorite song in terms of the playing of the core rhythmatists--especially Ralph Penland. It's also got some nice harmonizing play from Junior Cook's tenor sax in the final few minutes. A great rhythm track like this makes ten minutes fly right by--even when the solos aren't quite mind-blowingly great. (18/20)

Total time: 38:27

Keep Your Soul Together displays Freddie's deepening commitment to the electronic enhancements available at this time (and being explored much more aggressively by other jazz musicians) while not fully or crazily moving into that "psychedelic" world. Drummer Ralph Penland almost seems to be more of a follower than hard-line leader of the rhythm section: his play seems to respond/react to the play of the others more than set the pace and terms--yet he's completely solid. It seems that the basses are the motivators, George Cables the glue that holds them all together, and Freddie the driver up top. I really like the way Freddie has bought into the Jazz-Rock Fusion scene. Four songs, four great contributions to the peaking era of Second Wave J-R Fusion.

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of Jazz-Rock Fusion and one of Freddie Hubbard's finest contributions to the new musical movement.