Really great album. Worth the money.
I just got this album last month and I'm still really pleased with it. If you are a fan of Jazz Fusion, or just a fan of Billy Cobham, give "Spectrum" a listen. Billy Cobham has some great drum parts, as well as a few tasteful solos which really do a lot to showcase his genius when it comes to drumming. Whats most impressive about this is that even when playing his really intracate drum solos, it doesn't seem like he is showing off. Everything he does seems to work together with the rest of the music, which says alot.
The other instruments are great on this album two. Guitarist Tom Bollin really surprised me, and Jan Hammer delivered an excellent preformance on Electric Piano and Synth in typical "Hammer" fashion. The Bassist, Lee Sklar, does alot to complement the band, but I felt he was holding back, and was dissapointed. Luckily, there are some tracks where he is replaced by the Ledgendary Ron Carter on Double Bass.
All in all, songs are well constructed and memorable, the Musicians featured on the album are great, and all the songs on the album work together as a whole and create consistency. The music is full of change, dynamics, and contrast. It's nothing quite like Mahavishnu Orchestra's older music, but it's still a great album in it's own right.
Pure Jazz Rock Fusion!
I have loved this album for years. What makes it my favorite Jazz-Rock-Fusion album is it's line-up. With the exception of two tracks featuring Ron Carter and Joe Farrell (two great Jazz musicians), the four piece group is made of two Jazz players, and two from the Rock scene. Billy and Jan are Jazz players at the core, Tommy is a Blues based Rock player, and Lee Sklar on bass is one of the great Pop-Rock studio sideman (James Taylor, Phil Collins, etc). They all come together to produce a great JRF funky sound. A lot of great JRF music is mostly played by Jazz musicians exercising their music with Rock Muscle (amplfiers, pick-ups, etc). This album gives us a fusion of different musical backgrounds. Tommy Bolin fans know that in his early days, he was in a Blues-Rock band called "Zephyr." Some of their early stuff does have tinges of Jazz and Swing, so it didn't surprise me how well he fit with Billy and Jan. It's too bad that the core group on this album wasn't really a band. It was a one time project. I saw Billy Cobham in concert soon after Spectrum was released, and he was already on to the Crosswinds-Total Eclispe group. That outfit wasn't too shabby either.
SPECTRUM review
cool CD...haven't heard it in probably 15 to 20 years...It was fun to hear it again....Funny though, it's a bit different than the way I remember it.
|
