Roberto Colombo – Botte de Orbi. 1977. 11=11. Big band prog rock in the spirit of Zappa’s “Grand Wazooâ€. Not sure why I can’t remember what this sounds like after putting it away, as it’s pretty engaging stuff. Not really “Italian prog†sounding, not that it should matter anyway. About as solid an 11 as I can think of.Â
Xaal – Second Ere. 1993. 11+12. It’s been close to 10 years since I last heard “Second Ere”. I had forgotten just how great this album is! Not only is there the Zeuhl that made “On the Way” so good, but I also hear some Coltrane, Embryo and Mahavishnu that I didn’t remember from my initial listens. Two albums and off into the ether they went… Â
Alain Eckert Quartet – s/t. 1981. LP. D: 10. When I think of the Cuneiform label and terms like “avant progressiveâ€, the music of the Alain Eckert Quartet is exactly what I expect. Like an earlier version of Forgas Band Phenomena, or a more playful and less serious Univers Zero. Compositionally strong, with a penchant for jazz, though a bit academic, without a strong sense for the groove. A good one for the brain, but lacking a bit in excitement. Needs a CD reissue all the same as this one is tough to find and many will love.
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Cortex – Volume 2. 1977. D:11. And from the polar opposite of The Alain Eckert Quartet, comes
Cortex. Many, many years ago I heard Cortex’s 3rd album “Pourquoi?†and trashed it off as disco, never bothering to return to the band name again. Now I’m wondering if there wasn’t more there, as “Volume 2†could just as easily be considered “discoâ€. But on close inspection there is so much more happening here, it would be a tragedy for fans of the French fusion sound to ignore. Sure there are the fat beats, especially on the opening track, and the requisite white-boy funk track to follow. But as the album continues, the beats become more subtle, with plenty of jazz fills, while the bass player introduces some Top/Paganotti moves. Horn charts, tortured electric guitar solos and piano/Rhodes leads began to dominate. And when the flute takes over… oh, those melodies will be forever etched. This is a really good one and you can boogie on down with it too. I can go for another helping of this.
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