Chris Connor & Maynard Ferguson - Double Exposure (1961)

I've been waiting awhile to share this album due to the tracks I really wanted to explicate. I think that certain albums imply a season whether it be the album title or the tracks within. Double Exposure is one of two albums that vocalist Chris Connor and trumpeter Maynard Ferguson and his orchestra collaborated on in the early 1960s. What is unusual is that Connor was signed to Atlantic at the time, where Maynard was signed to Roulette at the time. In a rare move, the record companies agreed to the collaboration with the stipulation that one record would be released on Atlantic and one on Roulette. Double Exposure is the Atlantic release, where Two's Company is the Roulette release. In retrospect, I think Connor was one of the finest vocalists of her time. She didn't simply sing the song as written; she often takes interpretive and rhythmic liberties that really add a lot to the music. The album begins with the often recorded "Summertime." Even from the first track of the album, the listener can appreciate the aforementioned rhythmic liberties that Connor takes as she sings very lyrically in vast contrast to the punctuated accompaniment of the jazz orchestra. This track also shows how well Maynard can add energy to a piece with his high register trumpet playing. The following track, "I Only Have Eyes for You," is a great example of the quality of arrangers had in his ensemble. The ensemble playing in the space that vocalist Connor leaves is well executed, and the stylistic transitions throughout the track make it a real joy to answer. "It Never Entered My Mind" is a relaxed ballad notable for its atypical instrumentation of having the woodwinds double of flutes and clarinets. This addition combined with the muted trumpets and the closely-voiced trombones create a great texture for the vocalist. The following two tracks are interesting in that both have lyrics penned by poets. "Two Ladies in De Shade of De Banana Tree" has lyrics penned by Truman Capote and is an uptempo number with a lot of energy and more of Maynard strutting his stuff in the upper register joined often by his trumpet section. The rhythmic precision of the band throughout the track is quite remarkable. The next track "Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most" is the main reason why I waited to share this until April. My favorite track on the album, the lyrics were penned by poet Fran Landesman and the title is actually a "jazz rendition" of T.S. Eliot's "April is the Cruellest Month" from The Wasteland. This track is fantastic for a number of reasons. First and foremost, Connor's interpretation of the rhythms and the inflections in her voice really display a feeling for the lyrics. Secondly, the arranging is phenomenal. The generally unknown Willie Maiden uses clarinets, flutes, and a vibraphone to create a lot of distinct colors and textures that only make a great tune sound ever richer. "The Lonesome Road" is an interesting blues number, with a slow tempo beginning transitioning into the faster section with a prominent baritone sax bass line. My favorite part of this track are the few examples of word painting such as when Maynard delivers a high note foray after the lyric "Before Gabriel blows his horn." The tempo changes in this track are really what makes it great to listen to. The following track, a version of Jerome Kern's "All the Things You Are" is another testament to the arranging genius of Willie Maiden. Maiden manages to quote the Kenton tune "Maynard Ferguson" in the arrangement after the double time section. The melodic precision in the double time section make this track one of the best on the album for showcasing the instrumental talent on the album. The track even ends with Maynard playing the French horn "Black Coffee" is a favorite blues standard of mine, and Connor does a great interpretation of the lyric. The sliding doits and powerful sections in the brass are testament to the other notable arranger in the Ferguson orchestra at the time, Don Sebesky, most known for his later work for CTI. "Happy New Year" is a strange tune that begins with a quote of "Auld Lang Syne," but ends the quote on a minor chord indicating a dualistic tune whose subject addresses sads individuals who are not enjoying the reverie of the New Year celebration. The album closes with "That's How It Went, All Right," which is a great medium tempo closer to an album. The contrast of the bands' punctuated rhythms and Connor's relaxed vocal style, in addition the building sections present a lot of the musical ideas that are present on the rest of album.

Jean-Jacques Perrey - The Amazing New Electronic Pop Sound of Jean Jacques Perrey (1968)

Electronic music in the late 1960s generally seems to fall into two categories: reinterpretation of classical pieces or space-age pop material. The former could be represented by Switched-On Bach (1968), while this album is a great example of the latter. Jean-Jacques Perrey was known mostly for his tenure as a ondioline (an early electronic keyboard instrument capable of vibrato) salesman and his collaborations with Gershon Kingsley (famous for "Popcorn") before the release of his own material in the late 60s. Many may be most familiar with the sound of his music from the Main Street Electric Parade at Walt Disney World, which is actually a cover of he and Gershon Kingsley's tune "Baroque Hoedown. What's amazing is that this album is entirely Perrey's playing with the help of a sound engineer (who I believe added in the drum tracks). Perrey uses the ondioline and the newly-invented Moog synthesizer to create the wide range of colors and textures that make up his electronic music palette. Perrey shows a willingness to absorb a variety of styles from the operatic "Mary France" to the latin sounds of "The Mexican Cactus" and "Brazilian Flower." Despite having no formal training, Perrey's technique is quite impeccable as the fast runs in "Brazilian Flower" or on other tracks would attest too. While I would typically review each track, this is simply an album you have to listen to the whole way through as it's more like a book than separate tracks (an exploration of the capabilities of electronic instruments of the time, if you will). Perrey's music has gained some notoriety in the current world for the tracks on this album being used for original videos on YouTube. The nyan-cat-alternative "Rainbow Bunchie"(4 million views) uses "Brazilian Flower" and its primary theme and the strange "Going to the Store" (12 million views) uses "The Little Ships" as a CGI mannequin flails around for no particular reason. I know this album won't appeal to every listener, but I like that my blog has a variety and doesn't necessarily concentrate on one specific genre. Still, if you enjoy electronic music or are curious of what the possibilities of layered synthesizers and other electronic keyboard instruments may sound like, then it's worth a listen.

Don Ellis - The New Don Ellis Band Goes Underground (1969)

While this album may be one of Don's more commercial efforts, it also shows a willingness to absorb a variety of styles and reinterpret them in the jazz idiom. This album has Ellis covering songs from the counterculture (which some may say Ellis is part of anyhow), the singer-songwriter movement, and R&B, but Ellis also writes his own material in these styles. The album opens with "House in the Country" an Al Kooper (who consequently produced the album) composition from the Blood, Sweat & Tears album Child is Father to the Man (1968), which albeit true to the original has the Ellis eccentricity of using his electronic sounds at the beginning and close of the track and during breaks in the melody. The following track is a cover of Harry Nilsson's "Don't Leave Me" originally on Aerial Ballet (1968). This tune is essentially an expanded transcription of the original with Ellis liberally interpreting the melody and "jazzing" up the rhythmic accompaniment in the ensemble sections. While Ellis does not change much, his solo over the chorus adds a lot to the song and proves that while this may not be "high jazz material," it is worthy of interpretation of a jazz artist. "Higher" is the first of four tracks to feature the vocals of Patti Austin, an addition to the band during this period of Elli's band. This is one of the weaker tracks on the album in my opinion, with Ellis's ring modulator trumpet one of the only notable sections of the track. The following track "Bulgarian Bulge" is based on a transcription of a Bulgarian folk melody (a music known for its odd time signatures) and was recorded later on Tears of Joy. The latter recording is superior to this one in my opinion, due to the fact that the band was probably more familiar with the tune and consequently able to be more rhythmically free in their solos rather than conforming to how the beats were broken up (it's in 33/16 (2+2+2+2+3+2+2; 2+2+2+3+2+3+2+2)). "Eli's Comin'," a Laura Nyro composition, is in the same modus operandi as Nilsson's in that the track is an expanded transcription. This is probably the strongest cover tune, because while it is a transcription Ellis does a lot with the transitions from section to section and explores a variety of rhythmic feels. This tune was in the repertoire of a few bands at the time, with Maynard Ferguson having recorded it on M.F. Horn in 1967. The following track "Acoustical Lass" is one of the more interesting tunes as it seems that Ellis tried to write a pseudo-psychedelic pop tune that featured his trumpet. The tune is very sparse with only the leader on trumpet and electric piano and guitar as accompaniment, which gives the track a spacey, surreal sound. "Goood Feelin'" is Ellis' attempt to write a quasi-R&B tune, which in my opinion succeeds. The ostinato in the low brass sets the foundation in which all the other grooves are layered on top of. There is a sort of baroque pop section after an energetic solo featuring oboes and flutes, which is then developed until it the mood changes to a cheesy 20s "sweet" jazz feel. "Goood Feelin'" is notable if only for the variety of styles Ellis uses and the transitions which don't seem at all unnatural. "Send My Baby Back" is probably the strongest vocal on the album, but it shouldn't be remembered for its lyrics which consist of too many "yeahs" towards the close track. The strength in the song is the contrast in the vocal line for the verse and chorus, as well as the ensemble parts (the trumpet section entrances always give me chills). "Love for Rent," a Fred Selden contribution, is a sort of work-in-progress in my opinion, as the tune is later used as a section to his "Euphoric Acid" track on Tears of Joy. However, the tune has a great section featuring an Ellis solo on trumpet with an echoplex effect. "It's Your Thing" is mostly a straight-ahead cover, however, it's a bit humorous when you listen to the quarter-tones in some of the ensemble backgrounds of the song. "Ferris Wheel" is a great blues solo vehicle for trombonist Glenn Ferris. More than most of Ellis' band, Ferris uses quarter-tones to great effect and the backgrounds incorporate this same tonal effect. This track is also notable for the octavizers used in the sax section that make the section sound an octave lower in addition to the note they are playing. "Black Baby" was a late addition to the album and was an idea of Patti Austin's. While I don't find it one of the more memorable tracks on the album, it is a great track for listening to Ellis' conception of unaccompanied soloing in a blues style (especially the blue notes he hits using his quarter-tonal valve).

Minoru Muraoka - Bamboo (1970)

Minoru Muraoka's little known 1970 masterpiece Bamboo is primarily searched out due to it's use by DJs (as are the majority of Japanese releases in this vein), but it's really a fascinating album if viewed through a post-colonial lens. Jazz in Japan has had an interesting history and in its early days (and even later) players were typically viewed by the familiarities in their sound such as Nanri Fumio ("Japan's Louis Armstrong). If jazz was brought to Japan by the American "colonizer" even before the post-War Occupation, it was artists like Muraoka who combined it with an indigenous sound. It was jazz artists like Sonny Rollins who suggested that Japanese artists combine jazz with their native music albeit in a way that may have been offensive. Bamboo, however, does just that. What's most interesting is that through the post-colonial lens, Muraoka is not creating an entirely native music, but rather a post-colonial brand of jazz infusing native instrumentations and songs with musical elements of the American colonizer. The album opens with a track that exemplifies this view with a cover of Paul Desmond's "Take Five," only with a slight twist. In lieu of an alto saxophone and a piano, Muraoka plays shakuhachi, a traditional bamboo Japanese flute, with his band members playing the koto (a stringed instrument) and tsu-tsumi (pitched drums). The version is true to the original only with a decidedly different palette of musical colors. The second track "Mogamigawa Funauta" is a traditional song which translates to "The Mogamigawa Boatman," which originates in the Tohoku region in northeast Japan. The song has a very traditional sound, however, the addition of the electric bass adds a definite Western quality to the song, however the sections with only koto and shakuhachi sound like what may have a been a traditional way to perform the song. One of the most fascinating tracks on the entire album is "The Positive and the Negative," which combines so many different stylistic elements that it would be hard to confine it to one genre. The shakuhachi and koto create a texture that sounds much like the latter track and very songlike, yet the bass and drum set create a texture reminiscent of funk. While this form of jazz may be much more "Japanese" than most, it's hard not to notice the effect of American popular music on this album. Even in trying create a decidedly Japanese brand of jazz, there are still elements of the "colonizer" in the music. However, that's not to say I'm trying to lessen the  accomplishments of the album's innovativeness in introducing Japanese elements to a style of music that originated in the West. It's the insight that the album gives to the musical cultural exchange and relationship of Japan with the West, that makes the post-colonial lens such a tempting frame of examination to use. The next track is a cover of the Beatles tune "And I Love Her," furthering the connection between Japanese and Western popular music. This tune also introduces another traditional instrument, the biwa (a plucked string instrument, which engages in a sort of call-and-response with Muraoka's shakuhachi. "House of the Rising Sun" begins with an unaccompanied shakuhachi intro that gives way to the organ outlining chords that give way to the tune and the melody in the shakuhachi. While "House of the Rising Sun" is a very old American sun, it's difficult to see the connection The Animals version with the presence of the organ and electric guitar. "Do You Know the Way to San Jose" is also a cover, but a very lighthearted one sounding almost Latin with the rhythmic accompaniment in the bass and snare. The organ in the beginning of "Soul Bamboo" is practically transcribed directly from "Blues, Pt. 2" from the Blood, Sweat & Tears self-titled album released only a year previously. However, once the whole band comes the similarity entirely ends. While remaining in the jazz-rock style so popular during these years, Muraoka creates a great original tune utilizing some of his virtuosic technical skills on the shakuhachi. The following track is "Call Me," a song originally a Petula Clark song, but made famous by Chris Montez. However, while the Montez version is in a pop style, Muraoka's version is in a bossa nova style made obviously by the samba rhythm in the drums and the pronounced articulation in the shakuhachi. "Scarborough Fair" is the final track, and while it isn't one of the stronger tracks it further highlights the album's mixture of East and West. While the music Muraoka is covering may not be entirely American, it's probably not wrong to assume that his original exposure to this music came from Japanese relations with America. This album is a great introduction to this style of Japanese jazz that incorporates traditional elements with jazz and popular elements. I highly recommend this highly sought-after album for both its musical and cultural significance.

Gino Vannelli - The Gist of the Gemini (1976)

The Gist of the Gemini, Gino Vannelli's fourth studio album starts showing the promise that would eventually lead to his financial success with Brother to Brother. While the album doesn't have the chart-toppers or entirely consistent material like his later albums would have, tracks like "Love of My Life" and "Fly into This Night" embrace an electronic sound that is both tasteful and catchy. "Love of My Life" opens the album and is probably the strongest pop track on the album. The rhythmic "comping" of Joe Vannelli on electric piano gives a lot of energy to a rather flowing vocal line. The following track, "Ugly Man," is a very introspective ballad that seems to have been composed around the words and sounds sort of like a sketch of a song until the rest of the band comes in about halfway through the song. It is the latter half of the song with the polyphonic synth parts that is the most interesting as the track does not seem to have much direction in the earlier moments. "A New Fix for '76" is unabashed uptempo song without really any substance. The vocals in the verses don't seem to really match with what is happening the song and are sung so quickly that they lose their effect. Still, the instrumental parts of the song are what is really interesting, as the polyphonic synth delivered by Gino's brother Joe has an almost 8-bit sound that is still a bit unusual today for a pop song. "Omens of Love" is very reminiscent of "Ugly Man" in structure and feel, but it succeeds where the other track seems to fail. The sparse accompaniment in the beginning is layered very well with the vocals that create a sort of ambient mood until the drums come in and add a more evident rhythmic pulse. The tension of release of the vocal line in relation to the drums and synthesizer create a well-crafted song. "Fly into This Night" is another strong track that has a sort of Latin feel with the presence of maracas and cuiça. This feel blends well with the electric piano and the faster tempo of the song. This track is on par with the opener of the album "Love of My Life." Most of the remainder of the album is devoted to the "War Suite," a sort of classical meets progressive rock with an electronic bent. The opening of the suite might be able to be compared to the Renaissance track "Song of Scheherazade" with the chorus and very epic opening, but eventually goes into an electronic retreat with an almost swing rhythm on the hi-hat. This exchange between classical and electronic continues through the rest of the suite. While I won't go into detail about every track in the suite, it is a great addition to the album while it may not be for every listener as it is much more explorative than the pop contributions to the album. The album closes with "Summers of my Life," a medium tempo ballad that highlights a lot of the ideas present on the rest of the album such as flowing vocal lines and electronic elements. While Gino is undoubtedly a pop figure, his music does have a harmonic sophistication that you wouldn't expect from material of this genre. It may be hard for some listeners to get past the sounds of the time such as the rather cheesy background singers and things of that nature, but overall the album is relatively unknown despite its exploration of concurrent styles that might not otherwise be combined.

Bill Watrous - The Tiger of San Pedro (1975)

The second and final big band album that Watrous recorded for Columbia is very similar to the first in style and quality. Tiger of San Pedro opens with "Dirty Dan" a rock chart that is one of the weaker on the album but still showcases Watrous' ability to solo within a variety of styles. "Quiet Lady," is a personal favorite and is a medium tempo bossa nova. This track exemplifies the sensitivity with which Watrous plays in the upper register of his instrument. The band accompaniment is scarce throughout a lot of the track. The accompaniment is mostly chordal building to suspensions. The title track "The Tiger of San Pedro" is an uptempo Latin chart showcasing the tightness of the ensemble. Danny Stiles, Watrous' long time lead trumpet gives a dazzling scale based solo into the upper register and Watrous himself shows off another one of his strengths, fast tonguing. "Somewhere Along the Way" is a gorgeous ballad and definitely one of the highlights of the album. Watrous can play fast, but it is on ballads where his tone is really brought to the fore. "T.S., T.S." is another rock chart. It's not that the rock charts are terrible, they just aren't as strong as a lot of the other material on the album. "Passion at Three O'Clock" is a good example of how a soprano sax (played here by Ed Xiques) can really add a lot to a big band, not only in sax solis but as a solo instrument. This track is probably one of the most nuanced tracks on the album and the one that develops the most. The album closes with "Sweet Georgia Upside Down," is a sort of "reworked" version of "Sweet Georgia Brown," and is a great uptempo close to the album. It's a shame that this album can be so hard to find as it wasn't released in a digital format until 2007 and then only stayed in print for a short period of time.

Stan Kenton - A Merry Christmas! (2003)

The original release of the material found on this album

This may have been released in 2003, but it is actually a composite album of a 1970 album Kenton's Christmas and a Roulette 45 of Maynard Ferguson's Birdland Dream Band playing "Christmas for Moderns." Changing the packaging for essentially one bonus track is a bit strange, but it is a welcome addition as the only other digital version that has been released is in the Mosaic The Complete Roulette Recording of the Maynard Ferguson Orchestra, which with prices now exceeding $1,500, it is a bit pricey. The conception of the Kenton part of the album is unusual for a big band, but not so much for Kenton. The instrumentation does not include saxophones, but rather adds mellophones for a brass band with rhythm section. Kenton wanted to only cover traditional Christmas songs, so there is no Kenton version of "Frosty the Snowman" or anything like that. Most all of the songs are well-conceived and have a chorale-like sound my favorites being "The Holly and the Ivy" and "Once in Royal David's City." There are sparse jazz elements interspersed with the chorale sound on tracks like "God Rest Ye Gentleman," but this is an album that shouldn't be evaluated on the terms of the standard big band, as it is more of a Third Stream effort. The bonus track, "Christmas for Moderns" is in stark contrast to the rest of the album. While, it has some of the same chorale style writing, the Willie Maiden chart has popular Christmas songs of the day mixed with traditional numbers, as well as having much more of a driving swing feeling. This is a great album for its classical sensibilities and its showcasing of the warm brass sonorities that remind many of us of past holiday seasons.

Maynard Ferguson - Conquistador (1977)

Definitely Maynard's most successful album even if critically it falls short. Maynard was not immune to Columbia's wishes to relinquish quite a bit of artistic control and "cross over" in order to sell more records. Conquistador has quite the star-studded cast from the studio players from people like George Benson and Bob James. Conquistador has a sound that was pretty synonymous with CTI Records in the early 70s and then duplicated by nearly every label by the middle of the decade. The album opens with Maynard's #28 hit "Gonna Fly Now," a high note excursion into the Rocky theme. The track showcases Maynard's command of the upper register, but in this reviewer's opinion it's not really tasteful. "Mister Mellow" is a track that showcases George Benson and is one of the stronger tracks on the album. Once you get past the background vocals, the track is a great solo vehicle for Benson and Maynard within a laidback funk groove. Interestingly enough, Maynard's solo utilizes much more of the lower register than most of the other album and consequently while it is on of the most "studio" tracks on the album, it's definitely one of the more genuine tracks. "Theme from Star Trek," is another attempt by Maynard to capitalize on the pop culture on his time. That being said, this track showcases Maynard's control of his instrument much more so than "Gonna Fly Now," due to the fact that he plays the entirely melody not just a solo. This is especially apparent when he plays "whistle tones" at the close of the song when the track is fading out. "Conquistador," the title track of the album is a collaboration between Maynard and Jay Chattaway. This track is not as Spanish sounding as Sketches of Spain or even some tracks on Maynard's Carnival album, but it is an interesting mixing of the aria style of trumpet playing Maynard is associated with at this point in his career and funk elements. It's hard not to get past the period sound of this particular track, maybe even more so than some of the novelty material on the album. "Soar Like an Eagle" is a Bob James tune that features the author and Maynard. I have similar opinions on this track as I did "Mister Mellow." It may have elements indicative of the period such as heavy electronics and studio orchestra accompaniment, but it is one of the more jazz oriented tracks. I for one think that the color of the synthesizer mixed with the flute is very interesting. James takes a memorable solo on the Fender Rhodes after Maynard's foray into the high register, which breaks up the solos on the track. "The Fly" is really the only uptempo track on the whole album and is a great close the album. The accented unison sax melody over the funky bass groove is picked up by the ensemble and then leads into an "aria-like" solo by Maynard. This track gets its name most likely from the "fly-like" synthesizer sound which was most likely the work of Bob James. This album is interesting for its melding of the big band with some of the electronic and studio sounds of the day, but I wouldn't say it was the highlight of Maynard's career. Sure, it was his most financially successful period, but critically speaking his Roulette material from the 1950s is far superior as jazz music.

Various Artists - The Atlantic Family Live at Montreux (1978)

This album is a real oddity, but that's part of what makes the session really interesting and worthwhile. Originally released as a double LP, this album was never rereleased, so consequently this is an album rip. Recorded at the 1977 Montreux Jazz Festival, this album is a session of all the artists at the festival that were signed to Atlantic Records at the time. It's essentially a funk jam session with the horn players playing backgrounds and contributing extended solos over classic and original charts. The album notes refer to this idea as "the universal rhythm section," an idea that ascribes the rhythm section as the foundation of the band in jazz and blues. The album opens with "Bahia (Na Baixa Do Sapateiro)" (credited on other albums as Baía), a tune penned by Brazilian composer Ary Barroso in the 1930s famous for other tunes like "Brazil." "Bahia" is a great showcase for the horns, which present a very rhythmic interpretation of the melody, and for the guitars, which interject soloistic lines at the ends of phrases. Randy and Michael Brecker currently signed to Atlantic with their funk outfit The Brecker Brother play extended solos over the heavily funky interpretation of a Brazilian classic. "Jadoo" is an original penned by German saxophonist Klaus Doldinger, who at the time was leader of Passport, a German fusion group. "Jadoo" relies on heavily accented unison lines in the woodwinds with the Doldinger showing off his command of the altissimo range of his horn. Herbie Mann delivers a memorable solo on flute as does guitarist Jim Mullen. My personal favorite on the album is "Everything Must Change," the only vocal track on the album. The track is a slow ballad with lead vocals being traded between Average White Band vocalist Hamish Stuart and Ben E. King. "Everything Must Change" is a great example of how suspensions and extended harmony can create the perfect balance of tension and release in a song. This track captures the conception of the album most of any track, as the rhythm section is really the driving rhythmic, harmonic force upon which everything is based exemplified by the rock solid bass line and the sweeping lines on the Fender Rhodes. "McEwan's Export" is a track written by Average White Band guitarist Alan Gorrie and recalls the aesthetic quality of their album Soul Searching released the previous year in 1976. This track is the kind of jam tune that made Average White Band famous. "One to One" is a very slimmed-down track with Average White Band only accompanied with a few soloists. The tune is a solo vehicle for tune author David Newman and fellow saxophonist Klaus Doldinger. "Pick Up the Pieces" closes the album and is probably the biggest highlight of the album showcasing not only the conception of the album, but also giving the horn players a great vehicle for some incredible solos. While the tune is well-known by most people, the arranged horn sections that are inserted between solos give the tune a new vitality and a sense of identity. "Pick Up the Pieces" has the most strictly "jazz" solos presented by Don Ellis, Herbie Mann, and the Breckers. This album is a testament to the stark contrast of records released in the late 70s to the current times. The environment of that time period ripe for jazz-funk crossovers and artists willing to take the leap create an interesting albeit odd product that should be rereleased in a digital format.

Chase - Pure Music (1974)

The last album before his death in a tragic plane accident, Pure Music shows the band moving in a very different direction than previous albums with an emphasis on instrumental rather than vocal material. The only two vocals on the album are "Run Back to Mama" and "Love is on the Way," and frankly this is some of the weaker material on the album. While Chase had used a lot of outside writers on past albums, the instrumental material on Pure Music is penned entirely by its leader. The album opens with "Weird Song #1," a tune based on a groove in 9/4 with various superimpositions. By 1974 Chase had more fully embraced electronic aspects in his music, which "Weird Song #1" is a great example. In addition to featuring a Chase "electric trumpet" solo (that's how it's credited on the album), the track also has an other-wordly synth solo by new band member Wally Yohn. "Run Back to Mama" was written by Chase and Jim Peterik, the vocalist of Ides of March fame ("Vehicle") brought in by the label who was never a full-time member of the group. This track is a very straight-ahead tune with a driving bass line and the cascading trumpet lines Chase was known for. "Twinkles" is an unusual track on the album, as it was not common that Chase had ballads on his albums, let alone those that were acoustic. "Twinkles" shows Chase's ability on the flugelhorn and the sensitivity to lyricism that the listener wouldn't get from his typical forays in the stratosphere of the upper register of the trumpet. What's interesting about this track compared to the rest of his repertoire is that the opening of the tune features a bass ostinato upon which everything is layered; this is not so different as having a groove be the basis for a tune. "Bochawa" is a great full energy tune that is named for the soloists it features. "Bo stands for "BoReebie," a nickname for Jerry Van Blair, one of the strongest jazz soloists in the band. "Cha" stands for Chase, and "Wa" stands for Wally Yohn. What's interesting is that while this tune was used in tour before the recording of this album, its new band trumpeter Jay Sollenberger that is featured, not Jerry Van Blair. "Bochawa" has a great 12/8 funk groove that is a perfect showcase for Chase's lead playing and high note work as well as Wally Yohn's virtuosity on the organ. At the close of the tune, the listener will also hear a short solo by John Emma, a young guitarist from Illinois that showed a lot of promise as a jazz player before his life was tragically cut short by the plane crash that also killed Bill Chase, Wally Yohn, and Walter Clark. "Love Is on the Way" is another one of the commercially-oriented tunes on the band, but is the stronger one compared to "Run Back to Mama." The track starts out with a groove in the electric piano and a rhythmic accompaniment on guiro that builds to include the harmonized vocals and the famous Chase horn lines. "Close Up Tight," my personal favorite, closes the album and is a tour de force of the Chase sound and concept. This track begins with a motif that is stated in the synth and is transferred to the trumpets as it climbs two octaves to rest on Chase's high G (Concert F). However, after this motif the drums enter playing a swing rhythm on the hi-hat. This beat is slower than what might be present in a bebop tune, but what's important is that this is not a rock beat. Chase always sought to play music that was both the best of jazz and the best of rock, and "Close Up Tight" is a perfect example of this conception. In the original liner notes it reads, "'This is 1974. The music I make must be today. . . . It's got to be a reflection of the times and the world we live in, or to me it just doesn't make it.'" While it's no longer 1974, Chase's music is still in my opinion a pinnacle of the genre of jazz-rock.