MIKE OSBORNE — Border Crossing (review)

MIKE OSBORNE — Border Crossing album cover Live album · 1974 · Avant-Garde Jazz Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
Sean Trane
Second Osborne album (and certainly an easier one than the previous Shapes) on the Ogun label, in which he was a partaker, with the returning South Africans Harry Miller (cb) and Louis Moholo (drums). Yup, we’re down to the basic sax-led trio, but Osborne chose to play it more or less melodically (everything staying relative with Osborne) throughout the duration of the album. So we’re left with some kind of hard-boppy meets post-bop album that might have seemed a bit rear-guard as the mid-70’s were approaching fast.

On the more adventurous side of the album, we’ve got the Awakening Spirit, where Miller bows his CB over gentle sax wails, before the trio gets carried away in a first burst of energy, then cooling back down to the bowed-bass. The following 10-mins 1st is first opening as a moody ballad, before veering some kind of raga-bop. Opening the flipside Animation is a hard-bop piece that overstays its welcome by half its length, even if Osborne pulls some of his better chops. The short 100 MPH Riff piece could almost qualify as improvised hardcore-bop, and is easily the least accessible track of the album, while the closing 8-mins title track opens of sultry slow sax and bowed-bass, but turns again hard-boppy.

Still a bit surprisingly, like much of its catalogue, the Ogun label reissued this album as a CD, coupled with 77’s Marcel’s Muse as a 2on1 mini-Lp format, and the package is well worth investigated (and invested in) by all fans of the Swinging London-jazz scene. One of Osborne’s most accessible 70’s album, along with the SOS release of the ext year with Skidmore and Surman, but still to be approached with caution for those allergic with the slightest hint of dissonance.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Jazz Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

JMA TOP 5 Jazz ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
A Love Supreme Post Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
Kind of Blue Cool Jazz
MILES DAVIS
Buy this album from our partners
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady Progressive Big Band
CHARLES MINGUS
Buy this album from our partners
Blue Train Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
My Favorite Things Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners

New Jazz Artists

New Jazz Releases

Love Songs Live Avant-Garde Jazz
JOHN ZORN
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Data Avant-Garde Jazz
MATTHEW SHIPP
Buy this album from MMA partners
Peace Post Bop
SADAO WATANABE
Buy this album from MMA partners
Remy Le Boeuf’s Assembly Of Shadows : Heartland Radio Pop/Art Song/Folk
REMY LE BOEUF
Buy this album from MMA partners
Hummingbird and Four Flowers : Turntable and Harmonium Solo Live Jazz Related Improv/Composition
OTOMO YOSHIHIDE
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Jazz Online Videos

??·??·?·???·?·????
SADAO WATANABE
snobb· 2 hours ago
"Miles Between" // by Shawn Schlogel & Nancy Erickson Lamont
NANCY ERICKSON LAMONT
js· 17 hours ago
Mature Hybird Talking
FRANK GRATKOWSKI
js· 2 days ago
Perspective (Peace & Love)
ISAIAH COLLIER
js· 2 days ago
T-SQUARE 45th Anniversary Celebration Concert & Tour 2023 @Zepp Nagoya ?CLIMAX?
T-SQUARE
js· 3 days ago
More videos

New JMA Jazz Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Jazz News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed