snobb Quite rare percussionist Airto Moreira's second album is a real heaven for every fan of early fusion/Latin jazz. Airto is in transition from his work in Weather Report towards Chick Corea's RTF and it's extremely interesting to hear how both his former and future bands's influences are presented here on his solo album.

Music of "Seeds..." contains three main elements (almost in equal proportions): psychedelic fusion of Weather Report, strong Latin folk and jazz influence and Latin jazz-based fusion of early Return To Forever.Future RTF vocalist Flora Purim sings on this album with her easily recognizable voice(it sounds more raw and even screaming here)and in seconds listener can be mistaken like he listen to unknown early RTF composition. But just a moment after the difference becomes obvious - instead of Chick Corea's keyboards you can hear Brazilian star Hermeto Pascoal and their playing manner is quite different.All but one collaborated musicians are Brazilians (the only American is bassist Ron Carter)and all music has strong Latin taste. In fact, this album represents quite rare collaborative work of Brazilian jazz dream team (add percussionist Dom Um Romao,accordionist Sivuca and organist/violinist Severino de Oliveira to already mentioned Airto,Flora and Hermeto)plus bassist Ron Carter, and as it would be not enough all material is recorded in very early 70s, most adventurous time for fusion.

Songs could be divided in three categories according to dominating influence - psychedelic fusion, Latin jazz/fusion and world fusion, without strict borders though.Psychedelic songs are probably most interesting since they sound as hardly imaginable mix between Weather Report debut's music and Brazil jazz. Latin jazz/fusion compositions, mostly with Purim vocals are great and easily recall her vocals on RFT debut just one year later. On world fusion compositions dominates Hermeto and Sivuca (Airto sings on one song)and this music sounds closer to them both solo works.

In all,unique release presenting brief transitional period in Airto career,soon he (together with Flora) will become Corea's RTF founding line-up members and then will continue solo careers as well. For Airto solo works,this Buddah release is way different from his later more polished albums on CTI.

Sean Trane Apparently, Airto’s tenure with CTI didn’t last all that long, since 74’s Virgin Land album was released on the CTI-subsidiary Kudu-Salvation label, but this included a fairly different set of supporting guest musicians, with only wife Flora and bassist Stanley Clarke present from the CTI days. But other well-known guest include George Duke, David Amaro, and Billy Cobham behind the production desk in Hendrix’ old Electric Lady studios.

Opening on the ultra-funk of the Clarke-penned 100 MPH Stanley’s Tune, Virgin Land is off to a flying start, only to be confirmed with the DeLorme–written Musikana that seems to be written for (unannounced) didgeridoo. Closing the A-side is the Santana-inspired title track (just after a rather free-dissonant intro), where Airto’s bass vocals provide some cool sonic effects, and we’re crossing the desert on a Caravanserai trip.

On the flipside, there are four (relatively) shorter tracks, the first of which is a Klezmer-infected fast funk (almost disco) groove Peasant Dance from Milcho Leviev (on keyboards) with some clarinet to boot. The gentler slightly mid-eastern infected Lydian Riff follows, but the track s too long for its own good, despite some far-tripping light Egyptian ambiances. Things pick up with the upbeat Hot Sand, a funky Arp-synth-dominated (courtesy of Duke) piece, where Airto’s percussions and vocals are all over the place. The closing and rockier Don’t Have To Do sounds a bit like a Peter Frampton tune, with a vocoder-guitar coming alive throughout the track, sometimes underlined by a mellotron. Weird stuff.

A rather strange album, definitely more even than the schizophrenic Free album, Virgin Land can’t really be called JR/F, but it doesn’t fit the funk-soul-jazz mould either, but it’s probably Airto’s finer solo album discography moment.

Sean Trane Having left Weather Report and now being a member of Return To Forever, Airto didn’t stop making his own solo album, and this one is contemporary of his RTF days, and just in case you didn’t catch it the first time around, he included the opening track to remind you of it. Actually, you’ll find the whole of RTF guesting at one point or another in the course of the album, even if wife Flora is the more discreet of the quintet. Among the better-known other guests are Jarrett, Carter, Laws, Benson and Berliner. As was the case with some fellow Brazilians (Deodato comes to mind), Airto found refuge on Creed Taylor’s CTI label, for better or worse.

Opening on the superb and epic Corea-penned RTF, the album promises to be a superb fusion album, the cover having more spunk than the original eponymous tune on the debut album as the whole group delves deeper in themselves. Well the ECM production might have also something to do with that as well. The following Flora’s self-penned Song has a definite Latin sound, partly due to Berliner’s near-flamenco guitar, but it develops into an enjoyable but gentler fusion piece, where Laws’ flute contrasts with Farrell’s winds and the brass section in the background providing great depth.

The flipside opens with another lengthy title track that opens rather free and dissonant, as if we were in the jungle at dawn either in Africa or in the Amazon and later develops in a lengthy African-raga-jam, but nothing dissonant. Definitely not my fave, but interesting enough if not played repetitively. The short Jarrett-penned Lucky Southern (featuring Keith himself) sticks out a bit from the rest of the album, but it’s more a production thing (loudness) than a non-Latin feel, which it has. The closing Creek is again gentle Brazilian bossa that is rather pleasant, but it fails to match the energy of the fusion of the A-side or the transe set in the title track.

Two bonus tracks have been tagged on the original album for the first CD reissue, the Jarrett-penned first So Tender being some kind of fast-paced little sister to the Lucky one, while the latter is more linked with the bossa of Creek. As is often the case with the CTI label, Free is relatively soft-sounding, but in this case, the music is not always safe semi-elevator jazz. Definitely worth the investigation for the first side, the flipside might have you pondering on the investment. A schizophrenic album.

dreadpirateroberts Sadly, this is the only set I have with Airto as leader. As I've always been interested in his work, especially after hearing his many fine contributions to dozens of other artists, 'Free' hardly seemed a risk.

Where to begin? 'Free' has a clear Fusion feel to its Latin-Jazz, not simply due to the beats and percussion either. While the line-up is expanded here, it is basically that of Chick Corea's first 'Return to Forever' album, with Corea, Clarke, Purim, Farrell and Airto all working on 'Free.'

The results are fantastic, opening with the same sinister electric piano/voice duet with Purim and Corea, before breaking into those familiar passages with voice and flute that were first revealed on Corea's version. This take of 'Return to Forever' is actually a little faster and maybe even a little better in my opinion, and serves as a great opener.

The longer pieces are stacked early in the album and we have 'Flora's Song' next, followed by the the title track. 'Flora's Song' has an almost Spanish feel to the acoustic guitar and brooding horns. Punctuated by passages of jangly percussion and wordless vocals from Airto, along with moments of beguiling flute, it has an effective 'loud/soft' dynamic that gives most instruments a chance to solo but also makes room for thematic ensemble playing, bringing the sea to mind with its restless swells. 'Free' itself is more experimental in nature, exploring a host of percussive sounds but ultimately having less of a pay off for all of its wandering.

A Jarret composition, 'Lucky Southern' with its brevity and brightness, makes a great follow-up to the title track. It's almost jaunty and changes the mood perfectly, just in time for the wild 'Creek' with its insistent, shuffling drum beat and bebop-sounding soprano solo. The piece charges forward for the whole five minutes and closes the album on a snappy note with on some acoustic piano from Corea.

As a CTI release, this album is stamped with familiar faces. Produced by Taylor, featuring arrangements by Sebesky and guests such as Hubert Laws, George Benson and Jay Berliner, it is clear that most of these players, along with the rest of the line-up, would have played with each other many times before. For instance, aside from 'Return to Forever,' Airto also played on Benson's 'White Rabbit' as did Laws and Berliner, along with Laws' 'In the Beginning' all in the same couple of years. So many of the players had already crossed paths multiple times that the music almost couldn't help but click together in a most satisfying manner. Four stars easy.

Bonus tracks include a distinctive Jarret piece 'So Tender' and the mid-tempo flute showcase 'Jequié.'