John Abercrombie – Characters
Style: ECM-Jazz, Solo Guitar
Vibes: Ethereal, Mysterious, Airy, Mellow, Soothing, Contemplative, Suspenseful
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1970s
Dave Holland Quartet – Conference of the Birds
While living in London I had an apartment with a small garden. During he summer around 4 or 5 o’clock in the morning, just as the day began, Birds would gather here one by one and sing together, each declaring its freedom in song. It is my wish to share the same spirit with other musicians and communicate it to the people. -Dave Holland
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Eno, Roedelius, Moebius – After the Heat
Brian Eno and German kosmiche duo Cluster collaborate on a spacey synthesizer album with diverse moods, including peaceful ambient swells, sinister sequencers, industrial drum machine grooves, and suspenseful piano motifs. The release is mostly instrumental but Eno songs sparingly on a couple tracks. The last track features Can’s Holger Czukay playing some pulsing, harmonic bass grooves
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Neil Young – Comes a Time
Country-tinged love songs that feel like a continuation of Harvest
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Miroslav Vitous – Magical Shepherd
Czech bassist Miroslav crafts some flashy jazz funk with Herbie Hancock, percussionist Airto Moreira, vocalists Cheryl Grainger & Onike, and rotating drummers James Gadson and Jack DeJohnette (Gadson for the funkier/disco oriented tracks and DeJohnette on the fewer more psychedelic cuts). Thanks to generous synth overdubbing by Miroslav and Herbie, each track is incredibly spacey and great for a headphone listen.
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McCoy Tyner – Sahara
Album Information: Released on Milestone Records in 1972
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Shakti – Shakti with John McLaughlin
Shakti means “Creative Intelligence, Beauty & Power” and trust me, these are all in abundance on these devotional jazz ragas. Featuring John McLaughlin joined by a quartet of Indian master musicians, this album is a blissfully uplifting and meditative release.
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Shakti – Natural Elements
In this energizing exploration of Hindustani classical music from a jazz perspective, John McLaughlin joins a virtuosic trio of Indian musicians who inspire some of the most impassioned and impressive playing of his career. His acoustic guitar shredding veers close to the bendy sounds of the sitar and fits nicely with the dense web of percussion created by Vikku Vinayakram and Zakir Hussain. Violinist Lakshiminarayana Shankar’s emotive themes and fiery solos make him a perfect foil to McLaughlin.
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Joni Mitchell – The Hissing of Summer Lawns
Jazz Fusion-inflected Folk Rock with poetic lyricism, ethereal atmospheres, spacey synths, and a lot of fretless bass.
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David Bowie – Low
Style: Art Rock, Ambient (Side B)
Moods: Manic, Cryptic, Surreal, Alienation, Anxious, Abstract, Lonely, Futuristic
Musical Qualities: Studio-as-an-Instrument, Groovy, Atmospheric
Marvin Gaye – What’s Going On
Style: Soul, Singer/Songwriter
Moods: Conscious, Spiritual, Passionate, Uplifting, Bittersweet, Christian, Peaceful, Political, Sentimental, Warm
Musical Qualities: Lush, Groovy, Lyrical, Suite, Melodic
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J.J. Cale – Naturally
The debut LP from this unpretentious songwriters’ songwriter offers a quality collection of warm & uplifting songwriting with economic guitar genius and top-notch rootsy arrangements, featuring the heavenly, dreamy reflections of “Magnolia”.
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