AMALGAM — Samanna (review)

AMALGAM — Samanna album cover Album · 1977 · Fusion Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
Sean Trane
Second-last album (I think) before Amalgam would loose its name and become Trevor Watts’ personal vehicle (not that it wasn’t before), and Samana sees the returnof Peter “Mars” Cowling (of Gnidrolog and Pat Travers Band fame) on bass (thus giving Amalgam a double bass-guitar attack, each on its own L or R channel) and Dave Cole on guitar. Recorded in the very early part of 77, Samanna is graced by a purple & orange geometric artwork that doesn’t speak well for its musical contents.

The opening sidelong title track is a wild fusion piece with some slightly dissonant passages, but the wild double bass-guitar attack is quite impressively funky (ala Stanley Clarke) and drives effortlessly the track throughout its 21-mins duration. Cole’s guitar shines occasionally (notably in the 2/3 to3/4 of the track. but mostly remains discrete, leaving clear the 8-lane freeway open to Watt’s wild sax meanderings.

Over the flipside, the 5-mins Mass features a cooler funky fusion, still double-bassed, where the twins take turn in playing lead bass over a “simple” descending sax riff. The B-side’s highlight is the almost 15-mins Unity, despite a slow start, where Watts lets it all hang out, but the bass twins slowly and gradually clutch in the overdrive gear, letting Cole’s guitar get a wide chunk of funk in the mix as well. As the track climaxed around its 2/3, it slowly dies down to nought. The 7-mins Berlin Wall closes the album in a pronounced dissonant sax spree, which was not a wise choice to close Samanna.

Well, Amalgam’s musical directions vary much from album to album, but Samanna is firmly entrenched in the funky jazz-fusion and this is no doubt due to the two bass players complimenting each other marvellously as if they were twins from birth onwards. Watts’ sax adventures are indeed still the driving force of the album, but here, the twin bass-cylinder unleash plenty of energy and power to the aural expansions on this slice of wax
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

Hummingbird and Four Flowers : Turntable and Harmonium Solo Live Jazz Related Improv/Composition
OTOMO YOSHIHIDE
Buy this album from MMA partners
Water Music Avant-Garde Jazz
IVO PERELMAN
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Lost Chord Jazz Related Improv/Composition
HENRY KAISER
Buy this album from MMA partners
Hackensack West Post-Fusion Contemporary
ANTHONY WILSON
Buy this album from MMA partners
Golem & Other Tales World Fusion
SAM REIDER
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Jazz Online Videos

"Miles Between" // by Shawn Schlogel & Nancy Erickson Lamont
NANCY ERICKSON LAMONT
js· 4 hours ago
Mature Hybird Talking
FRANK GRATKOWSKI
js· 1 day ago
Perspective (Peace & Love)
ISAIAH COLLIER
js· 2 days ago
T-SQUARE 45th Anniversary Celebration Concert & Tour 2023 @Zepp Nagoya ?CLIMAX?
T-SQUARE
js· 2 days ago
Cravo E Canela (Cloves & Cinnamon)
LEE RITENOUR
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