DAVID SANCIOUS — Transformation (The Speed Of Love) (review)

DAVID SANCIOUS — Transformation (The Speed Of Love) album cover Album · 1976 · Fusion Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
js
This album came out during a short period in music when the worlds of jazz-rock fusion and progressive rock were moving closer to each other. Return to Forever's prog-rock leaning 'Romatic Warrior' and Yes' addition of fusionist Patrick Moraz to their lineup and their subsequent albums with him epitomized this tendency. Meanwhile rock and RnB artists from EW&F to Frank Zappa were freely mixing elements from both genres. With its mix of grandiose synthesizer constructions, hyper funk-fusion workouts and virtuoso synth and guitar leads, David Sancious' 'Transformation (Speed of Love)' had all the right elements together at the right time.

This album opens with 'Piktor's Metamorphisis', a jazz-rock processional tune with lots of great synth soloing that is equal parts Jan Hammer and ELP. This is followed by a Jimi Hendrix tribute called 'Sky Church Hymn #9' in which David shows that he isn't too bad on the guitar too. This song shows what The Experience could have sounded like if they had a bass player as good as Sancious' bassist Gerald Crosby, who along with drummer Earnest Carter is one of the best rhythm sections in a genre full of great rhythm sections. Sancious plays this song with the expected Hendrixisms, but David turns it up to eleven by adding some nice McLaughlin and Jeff Beck licks too.

Side two is a long jazz fusion suite that features many high powered synth workouts plus a beautiful choir section with Gayle Moran and others on vocals. Unfortunately this album slipped through the cracks at the time of its release, which is a shame because at that time 'Transformation' was exactly what a lot of people were looking for.
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

Hackensack West Pop/Art Song/Folk
ANTHONY WILSON
Buy this album from MMA partners
Golem & Other Tales World Fusion
SAM REIDER
Buy this album from MMA partners
Room for Dancing Latin Jazz
JOHN CRAWFORD
Buy this album from MMA partners
Through the Passages Vocal Jazz
NANCY ERICKSON LAMONT
Buy this album from MMA partners
Frank Gratkowski & Ensemble Modern : Mature Hybird Talking Third Stream
FRANK GRATKOWSKI
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· 25 minutes 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