| Third fabulous studio release of this pioneering British improv trio featuring the incredible John Stevens (SME founder) on drums, Trevor Watts (SME cohort, Amalgam leader) and Barry Guy (LJCO leader) on contrabass. This is a studio date from May of 1977, all I can say is whoa, these cats are cooking up a storm! Stevens' "No Fear" leaps open with power and finesse. The dynamics need a bit to tweaking to hear Barry's expansive bass, but the clarity and power is still there. All three of these players are brimming with energy and ideas, playing this great, swinging, repeating theme with passion. So tight and in your face. Stevens' "Ah!" is incredibly intense and sounds rather harmelodic, which should come as no surprise since both Stevens and Watts, seem to wear their love of Ornette's music on the sleeves and went on to work with Bobby Bradford, an early Ornette collaborator. There is so much intricate interplay going on, the shifting of roles as the pieces organically evolve, through mountains and valleys. I can see how this band evolved into Amalgam, since they are already aiming their sights on that quick, ultra-tight free/fusion thing. The two takes of "Speed from the Light" are taken at a furious pace, with all three players pushing each other higher and higher, until all the ideas become one stream of activity. Sounds like someone's been drinking too much coffee or listening to too many Mahavishnu records in a row. When Barry Guy whips out that bow on the first take, all hell breaks loose and Trevor answers right back in tandem, squealing and twisting those notes inside-out. Watch out! - Bruce Lee Gallanter of Downtown Music Gallery |