Cemenntry Of Scream,Canterbury Scene, Caamora, Cafine og Cast

Born in Rome in 1959. Studied piano at the Rome conservatory. Private composition studies with several teachers, the most important being Gino Marinuzzi. Got interested in jazz and played with groups and big bands in Italy and abroad.

From 1982 to 1986 worked mainly in theatre productions with some of Italy's leading companies as composer, arranger and pianist. Wrote two short musicals, staged by the MTM company.

In 1985-86 as leader of the modern jazz group "Relapse" writes and arranges the whole of its repertoire.

In 1988 is pianist and stage director for the concert/stage play "Satierik", based on Erik Satie's music and writings.
In 1989 studied with jazz pianist Mike Melillo, formerly of the Phil Woods quartet.

In 1991 is a founding member of the contemporary music group "Diacronic Ensemble". Wrote several pieces for it and won 1st prize at the Stresa International Competition and 2nd prize at the Lamezia National Competition. The repertory goes from Stockhausen and Cage to original material.

In 1992 studied contemporary music with Vinko Globokar at the Fiesole Music Academy.

In 1993 formed the electric jazz group "Syntaxis"; again, writes and arranges all the music for the group, which has recorded the CDs "Visibile" (1997), "Cieli Diversi" (2000), and "La Linea" (2006). A fourth CD is in the works. To be called “Lighter”, it features guitar great Frank Gambale, soprano sax virtuoso Javier Girotto, and other guests.

In 1994 was composer and performer in "Il ritorno alla ragione", a performance of electronic music based on the surrealistic short films of Man Ray.

With the etno-rock group "Indaco" toured extensively on keyboards/programming from 1996 to 2005. The group recorded four successful CDs, "Vento del deserto" (1997), "Amorgos" (1999), the live "Spezie" (2000), and "Terra Maris" (2003), plus the compilation "Porte D'Oriente" (2006).

In May 1996 performed at Rome's Teatro Argentina in a series of evenings produced by the Italian National Theater as electronic music improviser (on synthesizers) over readings and dance by some of Italy's leading performers. The experience is repeated in May '97.

In 1997 a short film by director Mauro Paracini, "Al(L)ways Night", for which he wrote and recorded the score, won the National Film and TV Critics' Award.

In November 1999 is called to compose and perform (live on synthesizers) the soundtrack for the Italian premiere of "South", an extraordinary documentary about Robert Shackelton's Antartic expedition of 1914, recently restored by the British Film Institute.

In 1999 recorded "Bach to the Future", a CD of Baroque music plus original compositions, played on both piano and synthesizers.

In recent years (2003-2008), in addition to pursuing the Syntaxis project, gave birth to several acoustic jazz projects: “Jazz Tales” (quartet) which recently resumed activity after a change of lineup; “Piano Possibile” (trio), which has an album due out on November 2008; a series of concerts about Cole Porter’s songs in re-elaborated versions; duo concerts with singer Marina De Santis; and even piano solo concerts.

In 2005, in the live album “Midsummer Night in Sardinia”, the great guitarist Al DiMeola recorded the song “Amargura”, written originally for the Indaco album “Terra Maris”. DiMeola also used the song as the opening of his live concerts in the tour he did with singer Andrea Parodi, who sadly died the following year.

Played in New York (Lincoln Center), Buenos Aires and Argentina, Tokyo, London, Rotterdam and in all the important Italian cities. Appeared in all of Italy's principal public and private TV networks.

Wrote music for all kinds of classical and jazz ensembles.
Among the most recent first performances: "Rewind" for saxophone quartet and electronic music; performed at the 12th World Saxophone Congress, Montreal, Canada, July 2000

"Introduzione e Danza" for clarinet and piano; performed at the Discoteca di Stato in Rome, December 1999

Canada

HVORFRA? Serien har nå kommer frem til et av verdens arealmessig størsteland, nemlig Canada. Vi antar at mengden av prog og progrelaterte artister vil overraske mange. Her er det virkelig snakk om mye kvalitet, og skolerte musikere i hopetall. Det siste er p.g.a. at den fransktalende delen av Canada hadde et program hvor kulturen skulle prioriteres for en del år siden. Resultatet ble blant annet at temmelig mange ble rimelig skolert musikalsk. Det er grenser for hvor mange som får plass i klassiske settinger naturligvis. Derfor var det ganske så naturlig at mange av disse havnet i proggen, og derfor er mange av de Canadiske ensemblene velsignet med musikere med lang musikalsk utdannelse.

Canada, offisielt The Dominion of Canada (engelsk) eller Le Dominion du Canada (fransk), er et land i Nord-Amerika som grenser til De forente stater (USA), Grønland (Danmark) og St. Pierre et Miquelon (Frankrike). Canada har verdens nest største landmasse (nesten 10 million km²) etter Russland og er verdens nordligste land. Canada er en føderasjon bestående av ti provinser og tre territorier.

Navnet «Canada» kommer fra ordet kanata som er et indiansk ord for «landsby» og ble brukt om Stadacona, en landsby der dagens Ville de Québec / Quebec City ligger. Kart laget av franske og engelske oppdagelsesreisende viser at navnet Canada var brukt om elven Ottawa. En teori er at elven fikk navnet sitt etter landsbyen og at området deretter fikk samme navn.Man mener at urbefolkningen kom fra Asia for 30 000 år siden ved hjelp av en landbro mellom Sibir og Alaska. Noen av dem slo seg ned i Canada mens andre valgte å fortsette sydover. Da de europeiske oppdagelsesreisende kom til Canada var landet befolket av forskjellige urbefolkningsgrupper som, avhengig av miljøet, levde som nomader eller i faste bosetninger, var jegere, fiskere eller bønder.

Den første kontakten mellom urbefolkningen og europeerne fant trolig sted for omkring 1000 år siden da nordmenn fra Island slo seg ned på Newfoundland for en kort periode. Men det tok enda 600 år før den europeiske utforskning av Canada begynte for alvor.

Franske og engelske oppdagelsesreisende som lette etter en bedre sjøvei til de rike markedene i det Fjerne Østen brukte de nord-amerikanske elver og sjøer flittig. De etablerte mange utposter, franskmennene særlig langs St. Lawrence elven, Great Lakes og Mississippi elven, og de engelske omkring Hudson Bay og langs Atlanterhavskysten. Selvom oppdagelsesreisende som Cabot, Cartier og Champlain aldri fant veien til Kina og India, fant de noe som var like verdifullt: rike fiskebanker og myldrende stammer av bever, rev og bjørn som alle hadde verdifull pels.

Permanent fransk og engelsk bosetting startet tidlig på 1600 tallet og økte utover hele århundret. Med bosettingen fulgte økonomisk aktivitet men New France- og New England-koloniene forble økonomisk avhengig av pelshandelen og politisk og militært avhengig av sine moderland.

Det var uunngåelig at Nord-Amerika ble brennpunktet for en bitter rivalisering mellom England og Frankrike. Etter Quebec Citys fall i 1759, tildelte Paris-traktaten alle franske landområder øst for Mississippi til England, unntagen øyene St. Pierre og Miquelon utenfor Newfoundland.

De 65 000 fransktalende innbyggerne i Canada som nå kom under britisk styre, hadde et eneste mål: å holde på sine tradisjoner, språk og kultur. I 1774 vedtok England Quebec Act som innrømmet offisiell anerkjennelse av fransk sivilrett og garanterte språk- og religions-frihet.

Et stort antall engelsktalende kolonister, som ble kalt Loyalists fordi de ønsket å forbli tro mot det britisk imperium, søkte tilflukt i Canada etter at USA vant sin uavhengighet i 1776. De slo seg for det meste ned i Nova Scotia og New Brunswick og langs Great Lakes.

Økningen i folketallet førte til dannelsen av Upper Canada (nå Ontario) og Lower Canada (Quebec) i 1791. Begge koloniene fikk sin egen styrings-institusjon med valgte representanter. Opprør i Upper og Lower Canada i 1837 og 1838 drev engelskmennene til å forene de to kolonier og den forenede kanadiske provins ble dannet. I 1848 ble det innført parlamentarisme i denne forenete koloni, utenrikssaker kom utenom. Canada vant enda mer selvstendighet men forble en del av det britiske imperium.

Storbritannia's nord-amerikanske kolonier,- Canada, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island og Newfoundland-, vokste og blomstret uavhengig av sitt moderland. Men da USA fikk mer makt, etter den amerikanske borgerkrig, følte en del politikere at en union av de britiske kolonier var den eneste utvei for å stå imot en eventuell anektering. 1. juli 1867, ble Canada East, Canada West, Nova Scotia og New Brunswick forenet ved British North America Act, og ble Dominion of Canada.

Det nye lands regjering var basert på det britiske parlamentariske system med en generalguvernør (Kronens representant) og et parlament som bestod av Underhuset og Senatet. Parlamentet hadde den lovgivende makt i saker av nasjonal interesse (som strafferett, handel og nasjonalt forsvar) mens provinsene ble gitt lovgivende makt i saker av «spesiell» interesse (som eiendom, borgerrett, sykehus og utdanning).

Straks etter konføderasjonen, ble Canada utvidet i nord-vest, Rupert's Land,- et område som strakte seg syd og vest i tusenvis av kilometer fra Hudson Bay-, ble kjøpt av Canada fra Hudson's Bay Company som var blitt gitt det veldige område av Kong Charles av England i 1670.

Utvidelsen vestover fant ikke sted uten motstand. I 1869, ledet Louis Riel et Métis opprør i et forsøk på å forsvare sine forfedres land-rettigheter. Det ble oppnådd et kompromiss i 1870 og en ny provins, Manitoba, ble skapt fra Rupert's Land.

British Columbia som hadde vært en kronkoloni helt fra 1858, bestemte seg for å gå inn i Dominion i 1871 etter løfte om å få jerbaneforbindelse med resten av landet; så fulgte Prince Edward Island i 1873. I 1898 ble det nordlige territorium av Yukon etablert for å sikre kanadisk jurisdiksjon over området under gullrushet i Klondike. I 1905 ble to nye provinser skapt fra Rupert's Land: Alberta og Saskatchewan, og resten av landet ble Northwest Territories. Newfoundland foretrakk å forbli en britisk koloni men i 1949 ble den Canadas tiende provins.

Etableringen av nye provinser falt sammen med den økende immigrasjon til Canada, særlig til den vestlige del. Immigrasjonen var på sitt høyeste i 1913 med 400 000 mennesker som kom til Canada. I førkrigsperioden nøt Canada godt av den blomstrende verdensøkonomien og etablerte seg som en industri og jordbruksmakt.

Canadas betydelige rolle under den 1. verdenskrig ble belønnet med egen representasjon, adskilt fra England, i League of Nations etter krigen. Landets uavhengige stemme gjorde seg mer og mer gjeldende og i 1931 ble Canadas konstitusjonelle uavhengighet fra England bekreftet ved at Statute of Westminster ble vedtatt.

Også i Canada, som andre steder, føltes depresjonen i 1929 hardt. Så mange som en av fire arbeidere var uten arbeid og Alberta, Saskatchewan og Manitoba ble hjemsøkt av tørke. Ironisk nok var det behovet for soldater til de allierte under den 2. verdenskrig som fikk Canada ut av depresjonen og etter krigen fremstod landet som den fjerde-største industrimakt.

Siden den 2. verdenskrig har Canadas økonomi fortsatt å ekspandere. Denne vekst, kombinert med statlige sosiale program som barnetrygd, alderspensjon, almenn helseomsorg og arbeidsledighetstrygd har gitt kanadiere en høy levestandard og den ønskelige livskvalitet.

Merkbare forandringer har skjedd i Canadas immigrasjons-mønster. Før den 2. verdenskrig kom de fleste immigranter fra de britiske øyer eller øst-Europa. Siden 1945, har stadig flere syd-europeere, asiater, syd-amerikanere og folk fra de Karibiske Øyer beriket Canadas flerkulturelle mosaikk.

Ettersom nasjonen har utviklet seg og modnet, har den også vunnet anerkjennelse og innflytelse på den internasjonale arena. Canada har vært med i FN siden starten og er den eneste nasjon som har deltatt i alle FNs større fredsbevarende operasjoner. Landet er også medlem av Commonwealth, Francophonie (de fransktalende land) G7 gruppen (av industrialiserte land) og NATO.

I løpet av de siste 25 år har kanadierne igjen kjempet med fundamentale spørsmål om nasjonal identitet. Misnøye blant de mange fransktalende quebeckere resulterte i en folkeavstemning i provinsen i 1980 om hvorvidt Quebec burde bli mer politisk uavhengig i forhold til Canada, men flertallet stemte for den nåværende ordning.

I 1982, kulminerte prosessen mot en større konstitusjonell reform i undertegningen av Constitution Act hvor British North America Act av 1867 med forskjellige lovendriger ble til: Constitution Acts, 1867-1982. Constitution (grunnloven), dens Charter of Rights and Freedoms og dens generelle lovendringer redefinerer funksjonene og fullmaktene til den føderale regjering og provins-regjeringene og stadfester individets og etniske gruppers rettigheter.

Det er gjort to kraftanstrengelser for å forbedre det konstitusjonelle system: i 1987 med Meech Lake avtalen, som ikke ble gjennomført fordi den ikke ble rettslig godkjent av alle provinsene, og i 1991 med Charlottetown avtalen. Sistnevnte avtale ville ha gjennomført reformer i Senatet og foretatt større endringer i grunnloven. Den ble, imidlertid forkastet av kanadierne i en folkeavstemning 26. oktober, 1992.

Senere, 2. februar 1996, har det kanadiske parlament vedtatt et lovforslag som garanterer Canadas 5 største regioner at ingen grunnlovsendring som berører dem vil bli foretatt uten deres enstemmige samtykke. Mindre enn en måned etter folkeavstemningen om Quebecs suverenitet 30. oktober, 1995, vedtok også parlamentet en resolusjon som anerkjenner Quebec som et særskilt samfunn i Canada.

Etablert av to folkeslag som historisk sett står skarpt mot hverandre, beriket av mange kulturer, språk og religioner, og karakterisert av en topografi som er svæ rt variert, er og blir Canada et kompromissets land. Samhold i mangfoldighet kunne være Canadas motto. En bærende kraft av moderasjon og toleranse karakteriserer den kanadiske føderasjon og sikrer dens eksistens.

Canada er et konstitusjonelt monarki, en føderal stat og et parlamentarisk demokrati med to offisielle språk og to lovsystemer: Civil law og common law. I 1982 ble Charter of Rights and Freedoms befestet i Canadian Constitution (den kanadiske grunnlov).

Canadas grunnlov var opprinnelig en britisk lov, British North America Act, 1867, og helt frem til 1982 måtte en endring av denne foretas i det britiske parlament. Siden 1982, da grunnloven ble «patriert», dvs. da kanadierne fikk rett til å forandre den i Canada, er denne grunnleggende lov blitt kjent som Constitution Act, 1867-1982.

Fra tiden med fransk kolonisering og britisk styre til det nåværende selvstyre har kanadierne levd under et monarki. Selv om Canada har vært en selvstyrt «dominion» i det britiske imperium siden 1867, ble full uavhengighet for Canada først etablert i 1931 ved Statute of Westminster.

Elizabeth II, Dronningen av England, er derfor Canadas dronning og overhode for mange land. I egenskap av Dronning av Canada delegerer hun sine fullmakter til en kanadisk generalguvernør. Canada er derfor et konstitusjonelt monarki: Dronningen er overhode men styrer ikke.

«Konføderasjonens 33 fedre» vedtok et føderalt styre i 1867. En føderal stat er en stat som samler mange forskjellige politiske samfunn under et felles styre for felles formål, og separate lokale eller regionale regjeringer for de spesielle behov til hver enkelt region.

I Canada ligger ansvaret til den sentrale, eller føderale, regjering innenfor følgende områder: nasjonalt forsvar, mellomprovinsiell og internasjonal handel, immigrasjon, bank- og pengesystem, straffelov og fiskeri. Domstolene har også gitt de føderale myndigheter fullmakter når det gjelder luftfart, shipping, jernbane, telekommunikasjon og atomenergi.

Den regionale eller provinsielle lovgivende myndighet er ansvarlig for utdanning, eiendoms- og borgerlige rettigheter, rettspleien, sykehussystemet, naturressurser innen sine grenser, folketrygd, helse og kommunale institusjoner.

Det kanadiske parlamentariske system har sine røtter i England. Det kanadiske parlament holder på tradisjonene fra det britiske parlament og består av Dronningen (som i Canada er representert ved generalguvernøren), senatet og underhuset.

Senatet, også kalt Overhuset (Upper House), har mønster etter det britiske Overhuset (House of Lords). Det har 104 medlemmer som blir utnevnt, ikke valgt, stort sett blant Canadas fire hovedregioner: Ontario, Quebec, provinsene i vest og Atlanterhavsprovinsene. Senatet har de samme fullmakter som Underhuset (House of Commons), med noen få unntak.

Underhuset er det viktigste lovgivende organ med 301 medlemmer, ett fra hvert av de 301 valgdistriktene. Den kanadiske grunnlov sier at det må velges et nytt Underhus minst hvert femte år. Som i Storbritannia og andre land i Samveldet av nasjoner, stemmer velgerne i Canada på ett medlem fra sitt valgdistrikt i en valgomgang.

I hvert valgdistrikt blir den kandidat valgt som har flest stemmer selvom han eller hun har fått mindre enn halvparten av stemmene. Kandidatene representerer som regel et anerkjent politisk parti, selvom noen stiller som uavhengige, og det parti som vinner flest representanter danner i alminnelighet regjering. Partiets leder blir så spurt av Generalguvernøren om å bli statsminister.

Den virkelige utøvende makt ligger hos regjeringen under ledelse av statsministeren. Som regel er statsministeren leder for det største partiet i Underhuset og har utstrakte fullmakter. Statsministeren pleier å velge sine ministre blant parlamentsmedlemmene som er medlem av regjeringspartiet.

Strengt tatt er statsministeren og regjeringen monarkens rådgivere. Men den reelle myndighet ligger hos regjeringen, og statsoverhodet (generalguvernøren) handler etter regjeringens råd. Regjeringen former landets politikk og er ansvarlig overfor Underhuset. Den kanadiske stat med 25 ministre i spissen utfører sine plikter gjennom mellommenn i de føderale departement, spesielle utvalg, komiteer og statseide bedrifter.

Canada var en selvstyrende koloni i 1867, og fikk status som en selvstendig stat etter sin deltagelse i den første verdenskrig og oppnådde rettslig uavhengighet med Statute of Westminster i 1931. Grunnloven av 1867 hadde en alvorlig mangel: den inneholdt ingen generelle prosedyrer for grunnlovsmessige endringer. Det var nødvendig å henvende seg til det britiske parlament i London hver gang det var behov for å forandre den grunnleggende lov.

En prosedyre for lovendringer burde ha vært inkludert i Grunnloven da den trådte i kraft ved Statute of Westminster i 1931, men først i november 1981, etter mange forsøk, ble den føderale regjering og provinsene (unntatt Quebec) enige om endringsprosedyrene som nå er en del av Constitution Act av 1982. Siden da har Grunnloven bare kunnet forandres i Canada.

Det kanadiske konstitusjonelle system er blitt forandret gjennom årene, noen ganger ganske omfattende, men alltid fredelig og gradvis. I 1980- og 1990-årene er det gjort to store løft for å forandre grunnloven. Meech Lake-avtalen i 1987 søkte å bringe Quebec tilbake til Canadas konstitusjonelle familie ved å imøtekomme fem konstitusjonelle betingelser fra Quebec. Betingelsene dreiet seg om provinsiell deltagelse når det gjelder utnevnelse av høyesterettsdommere og senatorer, grunnlovens endringsprosedyre, økte fullmakter for provinsene i immigrasjonssaker, en viss reduksjon i den føderale kjøpekraft og en grunnlovserklæring at Quebec er et «særskilt samfunn».

Imidlertid ble ikke Meech Lake-avtalen gjennomført fordi den ikke oppnådde rettslig godkjennelse fra alle provinser og den føderale regjering som lovendringsregelen av 1982 forlanger.

I 1991-92 ble en ny runde innledet for å få til grunnlovsreformer og den resulterte i Charlottetown-avtalen. Avtalen, som ble støttet av statsministeren, de 20 provinsregjeringssjefene, lederne for de to territoriene og fire nasjonale ledere for urbefolkningen, dreiet seg om reformer i Senatet og endringer i delingen av de rettslige fullmakter mellom den føderale og de provinsielle regjeringer. Den støttet også selvbestemmelsesretten til Canadas urbefolkning og anerkjente Quebec som et særskilt samfunn. Imidlertid ble avtalen forkastet av kanadierne i en nasjonal folkeavstemning 26. oktober 1992.

Senere, 2.februar, 1996, vedtok parlamentet et lovforslag som garanterer Canadas fem største regioner at ingen grunnlovsendring som berører dem vil finne sted uten deres enstemmige samtykke. Mindre enn en måned etter folkeavstemningen om Quebecs suverenitet, 30. oktober 1995, vedtok også parlamentet en resolusjon som anerkjenner Quebec som et særskilt samfunn.

Den kanadiske regjering overfører også mer ansvar til provinsene for noen oppgaver og tjenester, f.eks. når det gjelder arbeidsmarkedstrening og utvikling av gruvedrift og skogsdrift.

Idag er det parlamentariske system stadig den styringsform som kanadierne har valgt. Den føderale struktur, med den maktfordeling som den innebærer, er den eneste ordning som kan ta hensyn til Canadas geografi og landets dobbelte rettslige og språklige arv.

Cloudscape

Another day of another week of another year and yet another band appears from the never-ending production line that is the Swedish metal scene. And whilst many of the bands that have emerged from the factory floor of late have done little but add to the quality-not-quantity debate, the latest newcomer, Cloudscape does at least fall into the good value for money category.

Metal Heaven did quite well last year with the Finnish power metal outfit Altaria and if you liked that release, then it'd be well worth spending some time with this self-titled debut.

Cloudscape has evolved from the appallingly monikered Doctor Weird, who did make enough of a name for themselves to warrant an appearance at the Sweden Rock Festival in 2000. Fairly honestly describing their music as melodic, semi-progressive, symphonic heavy metal, if you think of a mixture of Kansas, Deep Purple, mid-period Rush, Symphony X, Toto and Masterplan in fairly equal quantities, then you won't be too disappointed. Opener As The Light Leads The Way certainly sets off with a bang, giving the impression of a straightforward melodic metal band. But as you work your way through the 12 tracks on offer, you begin to appreciate that they cover all these bases fairly well.

For me, the best results come when they mix the eighties hard rock feel of tracks like Under Fire, Everyday Is Up To You and The Presence Of Spirits with a direct, melodic metal approach that often brings to mind the superb Magnitude Nine. Elsewhere Dawn of Victory has Symphony X stamped all over it, while the more in-yer-face metal of In These Walls could be lifted off Savatage's Crown of Thorns sessions. Meanwhile, the most commonly used style is typified by the more symphonic Scandie metal of Witching Hour which stands up well in comparison to recent releases from Time Requiem or Morifade.

Vocalist Micael Andersson isn't quite in the same league as those he aims to follow (Jorn Lande and Russell Allen amongst them) but he certainly carries the songs well, with a good range of styles. Where Cloudscape hasn't quite come up with the goods is in the plain quality of the songwriting. Apart from a couple of fillers, all the tracks have the right ingredients but the hooks and riffs just don't press that button which gives me the yearning to give this repeated plays.

Tracklist: As the Light Leads the Way (4.44), Under Fire (5.29), Aqua 275 (4.14), Witching Hour (5.02), In These Walls (5.37), Out of the Shadows (5.10), Everyday is Up to You (4.02), Dawn of Fury (4.40), Slave (5.35), The Presence of Spirits (4.33), Scream (4.18), Losing Faith (4.56)

Complete Beginner's Guide to Jazz

At den musikken vi snakker om på disse sidene henter inspirasjon fra mange stilarter er rimelig klart. Det er heller ingen tvil om at utviklingen av jazz er et viktig element og en inspirasjonskilde for temmelig mange av dagens musikere. At vi neppe hadde vært der vi er i dag uten denne perioden synes også å være åpenbart. Det er derfor ”naturlig å skru tiden” en 50 til 70 år tilbake, og se hva som rørte seg den gangen.

As intimidating as jazz can seem to the uninitiated, it stands to reason that every music fan can find at least one element of this genre to his liking if properly introduced to the music. Spanning over 100 years and with countless legendary performers, a complete overview of jazz would be too much for one staff writer to conquer. What I've attempted to do here instead, is to focus on the primary question of "what is jazz" and limit myself to exploring 3 major jazz fields which may be discussed or reviewed on this site most frequently, namely: bop, hard bop, and avant/free jazz. What is jazz ?- The most basic definition would be that it's music that puts an emphasis on improvisation and retains a feeling of the blues. It can be as diverse as a big band swinging in unison or a soulful saxophonist wailing alone. It can be a singer crooning a standard or a quartet letting loose on a long improvised instrumental. It may at times borrow from other music but so long as it allows the musicians to express themselves freely and take the music to new and exciting directions if inspired to do so, it is jazz.

Where did it originate? - The true beginnings of jazz are nebulous and can be debated endlessly. One popular school of thought is that it originated from the New Orleans brass bands of the late 19th century. Untrained musicians, marching in long parades where they endlessly played the same melodies, would start to improvise with different variations of the musical themes as a way of relieving the boredom.

It grew slowly at first but started to really take off with the advent of recordings in the mid-20s. For a 50 year period thereafter (roughly 1925 to 1975) it evolved from New Orleans jazz and Dixieland, to swing, to bop, to hard bop, to avant-garde, while creating subgenres (Cool, West Coast, Soul jazz, to name a few) along the way. During its most creative period the music quickly discarded one style for another in a constant growth and exploration of new avenues of expression. Today, revivalists have returned to all of these styles and it can be said that virtually all forms of jazz are alive and being performed somewhere around the world.

Where is jazz going ?- The future of jazz is as unpredictable as the music itself. In the late 50s many connoisseurs argued that jazz would somehow merge with classical music. Terms like 'free jazz' and 'fusion' (as we know it today) were not in anybody's vernacular. Although some purists would like to see the music return to its roots and Golden Age, there will always be a fringe movement pushing the boundaries. Today's technology and plethora of instruments and electronics may give rise to completely new and exciting forms of jazz.

Where do I start exploring jazz ?- There are some excellent books on the subject( such as the AMG –All Music Guide To Jazz), which contains an overwhelming amount of information and reviews of all genres. Hopefully, this extremely condensed history of jazz and the subsequent exploration of 3 of the most exciting genres will open your mind and your ears to the exciting world that is jazz.

AMG-All Music Guide to Jazz

In the early 40's swing was king. If you played jazz, you belonged to a swing orchestra. Primarily a vehicle for dancing, swing jazz didn't always offer up enough challenges to many aspiring young musicians. The bandleader primarilycalled all of the musical shots so young talents who wanted to push their chops and their musical visions further needed an outlet. Tired of the clichéd riffing and predictable solos of swing, progressive-minded young musicians would gather together after gigs in small combos and bounce ideas of each other (Minton's Playhouse and Monroe's Uptown House in New York City were 2 of the most notable locations). In these cozy confines, the musicians experimented with various chord changes, and more demanding and challenging soloing. This went on, almost in secret, for the first half of the 40s, until in 1945, bop seem to suddenly emerge from out of nowhere. A recording strike, which lasted between 1942 and 1944, kept most musicians off records so the average listener did not have a chance to hear the birth and early development of bop. Thus, the music seemed to spring up all of a sudden, bringing jazz in a new direction. The music seemed a radical departure from the almost predictable patterns of swing. This new music was filled with fast tempos, eccentric rhythms and advanced harmonies.

Although it seemed completely outside of the jazz being heard around America, it was in reality merely a logical step beyond swing. It did differ from swing in certain and important ways. The piano was used in an entirely different manner. Instead of keeping beat with striding from their left hand (alternating between bass notes and chords) while the right hand played variations, bop pianists (with Bud Powell leading the charge) emphasized the left hand less, usually just playing the odd chords while the right hand played almost horn-fast solos (an approach used by nearly all modern jazz pianists to this day). Drumming was also altered as drummers did not always keep the beat with their bass drums and became more involved by accenting the music with more colorful and unpredictable fills. Horn players started soloing more by using the chord structures of the songs and not just the melodies. This form of chordal improvisation allowed them to get rid of the melodies and create their own within the structure of the songs' chords.

Dizzy Gillespie

Three names jump out of the pack of talented bop musicians and stand at the forefront of the genre: Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, and Bud Powell. Parker in particular, whose then unique phrasing, really gave bop the voice it required. Cutting his teeth in Kansas City with pianist Jay McShann's big band, Parker basically wrote the language which countless admirers and contemporaries then imitated around the world in subsequent years. Deeply entrenched in a blues sound, "Bird" was able to play lightning fast, coherent solos filled with highly exploratory improvisations. Gillespie (born John Birks) first gained fame and notoriety while playing for Cab Calloway. He had a knack for purposefully playing a 'wrong' note and making it seem logical. Ideological differences with Mr. Calloway (who accused him of playing "Chinese music") saw Dizzy go his own route where he quickly established himself as one of the most harmonically advanced soloists of his time. Powell's story is one of tragedy. He was beaten on the head by a racist policeman in 1944 and suffered mental illness for the remainder of his life. His contributions to jazz piano are immeasurable despite his brief career.

Aside from these 3 musicians, other exceptional visionaries emerged during the Monroe and Minton late night sessions. Thelonious Monk's idiosyncratic approach, Kenny Clarke's radical innovations (such as keeping time with the cymbals instead of the bass drum) and countless others moved the music through the decade.

Charlie Parker

The early Parker/Gillespie recordings from 1945 brought the genre into prominence. By 1948-1949, major record label executives tried to turn bop into a fad. However, the much more popular 'crooners' took over the market and bop never really took off as it should have. Part of the blame can be shifted onto the musicians themselves, who discouraged their audiences from dancing during their performances. Up until this time, jazz had been a very danceable form of music. Bop did manage to survive the 40's and became the precursor for such subgenres as cool jazz and, of course, hard bop. In a last little bit of irony, when free jazz started to get noticed and it's main practitioners were being condemned, bop; once the bastard child of swing, was considered a traditional, and even conservative form of jazz.

Thelonius Monk's Complete Blue Note Recordings

Bop introduced complex chordal structures, rhythms and improvisations, and was not an easy form to grasp.It was founded by giants in the world of jazz who left huge shoes to fill. The 50's jazz musicians tended to want to play faster and solo more often. They sacrificed emotion and precision for speed. Although cool jazz was making itself known at this time, certain musicians wanted to step outside the limitations of that subgenre. Many wanted to introduce gospel and soul music to jazz. This new hybrid came to be known as hard bop. It flourished in the mid to late 50s. The basic formula was to use bop as a template but the tempos were usually much faster and the melodies were much simpler. Rhythm and blues influences were heard through the soloists while the bass players were given more room to roam and even allowed to solo on occasion. The 60's saw the genre start using modal music (which is basically staying in one chord for longer periods of time) and avant-garde influences began to appear.

The hard bop sound took a while to separate itself from bop so it would be difficult to point to a certain recording as the true origin of the genre. Between 1952 and 1954, Miles Davis recorded for Blue Note (which became the premiere hard bop label) a series of albums that may be viewed as the first truly hard bop records. As the West Coast jazz sound started to die in the mid to late 50's, hard bop became the heir apparent to the jazz crown. Many young jazz players, who had cut their teeth listening to, and imitating, Parker and Gillespie, wanted to show off their chops. The LP, still in its infancy at the time, became hard bop's perfect vehicle as it allowed for 20 minutes of music per side, thus pieces of music of this length could be recorded and sold unedited. As stated earlier, Blue Note (then run by Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff) became the predominate hard bop label. Bands were actually paid to rehearse and encouraged to bring new material to the recording studio for inclusion on albums.

Many musicians answered the call of hard bop. Probably the most important for promoting the genre was drummer Art Blakey. His Jazz Messengers (which he co-formed with Horace Silver) became a revolving door of great musicians. It could be regarded as a sort of hard bop school where young talent was encouraged to express itself in order to gain the necessary chops and confidence to pursue solo careers. The list of Messengers alumni reads as a who's who of hard bop and includes notables such as: Hank Mobley, Johnnie Griffin, Wayne Shorter, Jackie MacLean, Branford and Wynton Marsalis, Keith Jarrett, and Freddie Hubbard.

Between 1955 and 1968, hard bop was the most dominant form of jazz, at least so far as to the quantity of records being recorded. It started to run out of steam by the mid 60s however. The most telling blow came with the sale of Blue Note records to Liberty, and then later to United Artists. Hard bop had lost its most important label. It managed to stay alive though and was resuscitated in the early 1980s when certain second generation jazz musicians (baptized the Young Lions by some) used hard bop as a major inspiration. Art Blakey and his Messengers were still alive and so a new generation of musicians (most notably the Marsalis brothers) made a new generation discover this genre.

Art Blakey's Moanin'

Free jazz is easily the most controversial and misunderstood genre that jazz has ever produced during its evolution. Free jazz is the severing of the ties of jazz as a popular form of music, and the casting of jazz as an alternative, experimental, artsy form of music. Free jazz musicians were obsessed with moving the music forward, even at the expense of having the audience understand it and appreciate it. The very foundation of jazz, namely its rhythms and harmonies, were all but tossed aside. The introduction of unfamiliar musical values left many fans and many old school musicians perplexed and angry.

Free jazz does have roots in bop and hard bop. The first recordings date back as far as 1949, made by pianist Lennie Tristano (one of jazz's unsung visionaries). His band was possibly the first to use counterpoint in both the compositional and the improvisational aspects of jazz. The genre remained dormant until 1958 when the most famous (or infamous) free jazz musician burst onto the scene. I am referring to Ornette Coleman and his first album entitled Something Else!. A year later, he released the first of his monumental recordings for Atlantic records, The Shape Of Jazz To Come, which introduced to a wider audience his band mates Don Cherry (trumpet), Charlie Haden (bass) and Billy Higgins (drums). Coleman released stellar discs for Atlantic as well as for Blue Note. Recordings such as Change Of The Century and Free Jazz would forever alter the jazz landscape. What made his music so different than any other's at the time was the way in which he handled jazz's most basic elements, particularly tonality. His songs were fairly simple (some in 4/4), but Coleman utilized chromatic phrasings. By keeping the harmonies simple, he allowed himself maximum freedom to improvise. Not needing to make the changes of more complex melodies left him free to be as creative as required, based on the performance and not on the compositional exigencies of the music.

Ornette Coleman's Free Jazz

Although controversial, Ornette did have followers as other musical visionaries saw the unlimited potential of his approach and how they could adapt it to the development of their own styles. Pianist Cecil Taylor developed an approach that basically did away with both the tempo and the operative harmony. His unique and unbelievable technique produced some of the most dynamic atonal improvisations ever recorded.

While free players like Coleman and Taylor worked primarily in obscurity, one of free jazz's greatest innovators was an already established figure in the world of contemporary jazz. John Coltrane had already made a name for himself in the world of hard bop, most notably as the tenor saxophonist for Miles Davis' quintet (baptized The Quintet) during the mid 50s. Coltrane constantly innovated during his career and contributed a lot to the vocabulary of jazz by continually pushing his harmonic, rhythmic, and melodic techniques during his improvisations. He seemed to be the antithesis of Coleman, as he kept creating more complex harmonies while Coleman was simplifying his. This striving for complexity probably reached it's apogee in 1960 with the landmark Giants Steps album. Coltrane then wanted to simplify his approach in order to gain more freedom to release his spirituality through his improvisations. He returned to modal jazz, which he'd explored briefly with Miles Davis in the 50s. He then proceeded to release a series of landmark modally inclined records in the early 60s with his quartet featuring McCoy Tyner (piano), Jimmy Garrison (bass) and Elvin Jones (drums), which culminated with A Love Supreme, viewed by many jazz enthusiasts as a masterpiece. 1965 saw him veer towards an even freer period and resulted in more landmark recordings such as Transition, Kulu se Ma, and Meditations. Coltrane continued to explore and advance jazz music until his untimely death in 1967 at the age of 40. Throughout his career, Coltrane's manner of improvising never varied greatly. It was always built upon his intensity and superlative chops. What did change later in his career are his musical surroundings. He experimented with various instrumentations and structures. His band went through personnel changes, which saw the inclusion of his wife Alice on piano and Pharaoh Sanders on tenor sax. The music he produced at the end of his career was very asymmetrical and built almost solely upon emotion.

Both Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane were vital parts of free jazz, but weren't the entire movement onto themselves. Another prolific multi-reeds player was LA-born Eric Dolphy. Proficient on alto sax, flute, and bass clarinet, Dolphy began his career by playing within the framework of more traditional jazz. He even played with Coltrane for a brief period and the 4-disc Coltrane release Live At The Village Vanguard remains an eternal testimony to the melding of sounds and ideas of these two musical icons. Dolphy then struck out on his own and released some superb modal/free records that saw him peak with 1964's Out To Lunch. He died just a few months after that release so the true measure of his greatness will never be known.

John Coltrane's A Love Supreme

While the Coleman/Coltrane axis of musicians was primarily based in New York, free jazz was also being heard in Chicago. The Association for the Advancement of creative Musicians (AACM), born from pianist Muhal Richard Abram's Experimental Band was also pushing the boundaries of jazz composition and performance. The band saw notables such as Anthony Braxton and Jack Dejohnette come through its ranks. Its alumni also formed groups such as the Art Ensemble of Chicago, which became one of free jazz's better-known bands. Free jazz also started to appear all over the world. Musicians such as English saxophonist Evan Parker, Norway's Jan Garbarek, and Germany's Peter Brotzman all gained a certain notoriety in the 70s and beyond.

Radically different from the mainstream jazz from which it was born, free jazz has always been a vital, albeit controversial form of music. It will always remain on the fringes of mainstream jazz where it will continue to flourish and push the boundaries of music like few genres have or can.

 John Coltrane: Ascension/The Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings/ Live In Japan

Eric Dolphy's Out to Lunch

In writing this essay I tried to remain as concise as I could. For the sake of brevity, I skimmed over and even ignored many genres and notable musicians. Some of my favorite musicians were left out of the loop so these closing thoughts are primarily to get their names out so that those of you who've yet to dive into the unfathomable depths of jazz will not overlook them.

Charles Mingus was a brilliant composer, bass player, and equal rights activist. His career produced some of the finest jazz recordings ever and we owe standards like "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" to his vision and talent. He was seen as being belligerent by both fans and fellow musicians. Equally at ease on piano as he was on bass, he was an enormous (in all senses of the word) talent and no study of jazz through the 50s and 60s would be complete without mentioning his name.

Many of the sidemen for the brilliant visionaries mentioned were also very capable front men in their own right. Miles Davis' 2nd quintet introduced the world to great musicians such as pianist Herbie Hancock, whose music seemed all over the map as he constantly experimented with acoustic and electric bands throughout his career. Trumpeter Freddie Hubbard should also be mentioned here. He has played with many of the giants of jazz and can be heard on seminal recordings such as Coltrane's Ascension, Dolphy's Out To Lunch, and was also a part of Coleman's octet on Free Jazz. He too has recorded some memorable discs as a front man. McToy Tyner can be seen as one of jazz's best pianists, alongside such notables as Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk. Having been an intrical part of John Coltrane's quartet from the early 60s, his career remained fairly prolific after being replaced as Coltrane's keys man.

I hope my brief introduction into the world of jazz will prompt some of you to take a chance on at least one recording or one artist mentioned herein. Of course, only purchasing one recording is not enough to make up one's mind on a genre as vast as jazz, but the journey of a thousand miles always begins by taking that first step.

Crooked Mouth

Crooked Mouth is one of those bands that are truly hard to forget, mainly when we listen their music for the first time. Musically, Crooked Mouth has a unique and amazing sound, a musical style lifted from the old bands around 70's Progressive Rock, adding a touch from a melodic hard rock, as also of symphonic movement. Their music is much more diverse, the compositions are much more symphonic and melodic. Some parts have amazing guitar solos and, all keyboards often have a rich sound with a very impressive way, and others like pompous hard and heavy, followed by thunderous drums and solid bass works. I have to say that, Crooked Mouth has a strong sense of melody, great musicianship, with stunning instrumental arrangements, that makes a difference in relation to other excellent bands with the same musical style. Sounding like a hybrid of "Yes", "Saga", "Pink Floyd", "Karnataka", "Jethro Tull", "Mostly Autumn", "Mike Oldfield" and "Steve Hackett", Crooked Mouth is a fascinating super group and, quite hypnotic musical project. Brilliant, fantastic, incredible and an amazing band, highly recommendable...

Tony Hodge - Drums & Programming
Ali Mitchell - Keyboards & Flute
Ken Campbell - Guitars & Backing Vocals
Lynne Campbell - Backing Vocals
Mike McCann - Bass Guitar & Chapman Stick
Leen - Bass Guitar
Eilidh Maclean - Backing Vocals
Kenny Haig - Lead Vocals
Mike Warren – Cello

Crooked Mouth is the studio project of Edinburgh-based guitarist /songwriter Ken Campbell. When this sad old strummer gets together with a select & talented bunch of musos & warblers strange sounds can be heard. Sometime around 2003 (AD) these sounds were captured on an All-Electrical SEE-DEE, 'Crooked Mouth'.

A potent blend of new blood and fresh underwear has prompted the development of a follow-up collection of air-sculpture - some of which was even planned. 'Hold in the Sun' is available now.

Gods Monkey could, indeed, be 'crashingly loud'. They could also be delicate and melancholy. Whatever the sound, they were never anything less than determined to write and play the sort of music they wanted to hear.

Formed in the early nineties as a recording project, founder members Ken Campbell, Fraser Wood and Stuart Kennedy (all guitars with Campbell on vox) recruited drummer Jaff and bassist Peter Johnstone to put together A Burning Ambition, their six-track debut EP. Influences were many and varied - "David Sylvian", "Al Stewart", "Dire Straits", "Rush" & "Steve Hackett" to name a few.

With a favourable response to the recording it was decided to put the band on a permanent - and live - footing, playing gigs to raise funds for future recordings. This increased commitment didn't work for Stuart, who left around '96. The choice was made to enhance the sound and Lynne Mitchell (later Campbell) was recruited on vocals, keyboards and flute.

The following album - Holding Court - was a leap forward in songwriting and production. In terms of sales, this would be the band's most successful output. Refused column inches for being 'too much like Jethro Tull' they took such criticism in the spirit it wasn't intended and continued their grueling live schedule.

The third and final album, Milton's Angel was published in 1999 and shows a tighter writing style as the band sought to simplify and deliver a more accessable sound. About this time they would play their most successful shows, supporting Eat Rice (at The Bongo Club) and Spear of Destiny (at The Venue). They would also provide the music for the sell out Edinburgh Fringe show The Brothers Angelo.

The annals of Gods Monkey come to a close in 2000 as changing family commitments began to tell. However, in its short, but productive, lifespan the band proudly stayed true to their own musical ideals; they were never 'fashionable' and they didn't care. 'Nuff sed.

01) How do we survive?
02) David & Goliath
03) Iron Wonders
04) Stand
05) (In here) the sun
......never sets...
06) Delta
07) Two Worlds
08) Idiotsublime
09) Ether Street
10) We Are
11) Touching the
......Heliospheretry this

Cast

Mosaïque

Amazingly Mosaïque is the nineteenth Cast album to be released since 1994, although admittedly the total does include live albums and collections of songs written and recorded in the first 16 years of their existence before they hit on the novel idea of actually selling their music! This latest album is a mixture of previously unreleased older material mixed in with the latest compositions by this interesting and varied musical collective. Never having been troubled by a constant line-up, keyboard player and main composer Alfonso Vidales remains the only musician to have been involved throughout the 28-year history of the band with an ever increasing number of other players coming and going over that period (there is an interesting and informative graphic demonstrating the flexible nature of the band on the group's homepage. For the record the five other current members of Cast are Pepe Torres (flute, saxophone, clarinet), Kiko King (drums and percussion), Flavio Miranda (bass), Lupita Acuña (vocals and backing vocals) and newest member Claudio Cordero (guitar).

I have always found Cast to one of those bands where the mood of the listener plays a big part in the perception of the music. Wrong mood and things appear awkward, right mood and everything flows beautifully. However, with Mosaïque, things seemed to gel from the start. The healthy and diverse mixture spread over 100+ minutes of music provides the listener with everything from brief solo instrumentals to extended progressive workouts. The first four tracks on Disc One are firmly in the latter vein. Azteca Imperial opens proceedings with a tribal drumbeat soon eclipsed by the band in full flight dishing out a very impressive and dramatic instrumental piece with keyboards and guitar prominent throughout. Signs Of Love, one of two songs sung in English, stems from 1995 and the recording sessions for the Endless Signs album while Suenos Collectivos brings us up to date with a Spanish sung song from recent times. Comparatively, these two songs demonstrate the advances the band have made. Although Signs Of Love is by no means a bad song, the more adventurous composition of the latter gives it the edge, particularly as the Annie Haslam-esque vocalisation of Lupita Acuña add a lot and the male lead vocals of Dino Brassea are more to my taste. Jupiter is a bit of an oddity, a lazy, meandering clarinet opens over what like a collection of teacups being stirred. Flute takes over from clarinet driving the melody before clarinet and saxophone drive the music through an adventurous journey of twists and turns.

Cruces En El Mar, dedicated to the victims of the December 2004 tsunami, is an emotional duet that segues neatly into the plaintive yet optimistic Hay Un Lugar with its vaguely medieval structure and recorders never sounding better. Princesa Celestial dates to 1990 and is in a much more poppier vein, so much so that it sounds like a totally different band - good song though! The brief Flaupepe is exactly as the title suggests, Pepe Torres and a flute! Side two opens strongly with instrumental Zona De Ilusiones with its delightful piano and flute introduction followed by an impressive all-round performance from the rest of the band, it would not be too far off the mark to suggest that elements of this piece bear vague resemblance to Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Niños De Cristal takes a while to get going and is marred slightly by a too predictable rhythmic structure which doesn't really take the song anywhere. Fortunately things pick up a bit on Niños De Cristal II which, although not the most adventurous of compositions, lets fly with riffs aplenty and an almost constantly soloing flute. Cuerda Floja is from "the era when Cast entered into Cool Jazz" with this piece being one of the most "representative interpretations". Jolly, jazzy and jaunty although not too heavy on the jazz to alienate those who have no time for this particular type of music.

Flapepo is another medieval-type instrumental so more recorders combined with a great organ sound - works really well as a piece and I'd love to hear something like this developed into a whole suite of related instrumentals. Second English song, Adapted To Your Eyes, follows and once again stems from circa 1994. For some reason this song reminds me of Kowtow period Pendragon. Another couple of instrumentals draw the album to a close. Nueva Luz is the most bombastic the band get on the album and will be a treat for anyone who like a whole variety of keyboards mixed together while, as at the end of Disc One, Disc two closes with a brief instrumental solo, Ara Imp, a very Arabic sounding ditty.

Overall, Mosaïque is a decent collection of songs and instrumentals that will certainly please fans of the band. For the more casual listener the mixture of music, although not exceptionally diverse, may be a bit much and one of the other eighteen Cast albums would probably serve as better introduction to the group, particularly for the more progressive rock afficiado.

Disc 1: Azteca Imperial (8:49), Signs Of Love (11:03), Suenos Collectivos (10:02), Jupiter (7:49), Cruces En El Mar (3:32), Hay Un Lugar (7:15), Princesa Celestial (3:55), Flaupepe (0:18)

Disc 2: Zona De Ilusiones (13:05), Niños De Cristal (5:18), Niños De Cristal II (4:23), Cuerda Floja (8:23), Flapepo (3:00), Adapted For Your Eyes (5:48), Nueva Luz (8:39), Ara Imp (1:13)

The history of the Dutch group Coda dates back to the beginning of 1980, when Erik de Vroomen and Ton Strik, who both lived in the small Dutch town of Wijchen, first came into contact with each other. This was the start of a partnership, which would last for 16 years and would produce two legendary rock albums for the lovers of symphonic- and progressive rock music.

The most spectacular achievement of this period was, without doubt, the LP "Sounds Of Passion", released by Boni Records in 1986 and still a much sought after album amongst sympho fans in the Netherlands and abroad. Before the LP first saw the light of day the group had, in 1983, made a demo-cassette with a different line-up than on the LP.

The name Coda didn’t yet exist though; they called themselves "Sequoia", but shortly afterwards they settled on Coda. You’ll find this interesting demo-performance of "Sounds Of Passion" in Chapter 2 of this deluxe 21st Anniversary Edition, so you can hear the growth and development, which the music has undergone. Even though the 31 minute epic on the demo-cassette gave a good impression of Erik de Vroomen’s artistic qualities they decided, to re-record the tape in a professional 24 track studio.

After just seven rehearsals in a classroom at the music school in Wijchen – where Erik worked as a piano teacher – the group, consisting of Jacky van Tongeren - bass guitar, Mark Eshuis - drums and percussion, Jack Witjes - guitar and vocals and Erik, went onto the MMP studio to record the LP "Sounds Of Passion" plus a number of extra tracks. You can find these extra tracks in Chapter 2 as well.

In June 1985 Ton Strik had the opportunity to play the studio recordings on Wim van Putten’s LP and CD show on the national pop music station, Radio 3. Ton is a great admirer of symphonic and progressive rock music and had offered to finance the expensive studio recordings.

Van Putten’s radio program, with music and interview, produced scores of positive and favorable reactions, which didn’t go unnoticed by two Dutch record companies: Dureco and Boni Records. In September 1986 Boni Records released the LP "Sounds Of Passion", and the first pressing sold out within one week. The second pressing sold out within two weeks. Meanwhile the group made preparations for live performances, rehearsed with a second keyboard player (Frank Bieker), and gave the requisite radio interviews to promote the LP and the single, "Sounds Of Passion" (4th Movement - Final), taken from the LP.

They even had plans to work live with projection screens, film, slides and ballet, directed by choreographer Chiquita Zonneveld. This didn’t, alas, get further than the planning stage, because this kind of show is too expensive without the financial backing and support of a major record company.

After about five year’s silence Ton Strik was approached by SI Music Records to release "Sounds Of Passion" on CD. The release, in 1991, was followed a year later by the CD-single Crazy Fool And Dreamer. Shortly after that, they inked a licensing deal in South Korea and in 1993 the Korean company Si-Wan Records released a CD and LP version (with gatefold sleeve) of "Sounds Of Passion" on the Asian market. Many copies of "Sounds Of Passion" were sold in Japan and South Korea and for quite a while Coda was one of the best selling European symphonic bands.

The worldwide demand for new Coda material was satisfied in 1996 with the release of a follow-up album for "Sounds Of Passion" with the title "What A Symphony", a release on the well-known Dutch high-quality label Transmission. This impressive second album effectively concluded Coda’s career.

Although Erik de Vroomen made one fruitless attempt to record new material, it is highly unlikely that we will ever hear any new music by Coda. So enjoy this atmospheric deluxe 2-CD document with previously unreleased bonus material and the original master recording of "Sounds Of Passion".

"Sounds Of Passion" - The Album - The Demos - DeLuxe 2CD Compilation, extensive 20 Page Booklet, 18 Re-mastered Tracks, incl. Unreleased Rarities, Demos & Non-Album Tracks! - over 2 hours of music. Remastered in the 24-bit domain from the original master tapes

1. Sounds Of Passion
    a. Prologue
    b. 1st movement
    c. 2nd movement
    d. 3rd movement
    e. 4th movement-final
2. Crazy Fool And
....Dreamer
....- Album Version
3. Defended

Bonus Tracks
4. Sounds Of Passion
....4th 4.43
....- Single Version
5. Sounds Of Passion
....3rd 2.28
....- Single Version
6. Crazy Fool And
....Dreamer 4.24
....- Single Remix
7. Central Station 2.06
8. Reverberating
....Sounds 4.03
Tracks 1-5: p 1986
Tracks 6-8: p 1992
Track 4: p 1986
....previously unreleased
....Single Version

Chapter 2 - Sounds Of Passion: The Demos
1. Sounds Of Passion
....Demo Version
    a. Prologue
    b. 1st movement
    c. 2nd movement
    d. 3rd movement
    e. 4th movement
2. Nevermore
....(The Proud Tower I)
....4.25 - Demo Version
3. Dance In The Mirror
....(Defended) 6.53
....- Demo Version
4. True Melody
....(The Proud Tower II)
....3.19 - Demo Version
5. Crazy Fool And
....Dreamer 4.31
....- Demo Version
6. What A Symphony
....(Part 1) 4.48
....- Demo Version
7. What A Symphony
....(Part 2) 5.16
....- Demo Version
8. Reverberating Sounds
....2.52 - Demo Version
Track 1: p 1983
....previously unreleased
....Demo Version,
....recorded under the
....band name:
...."Sequoia"
Tracks 2 - 8: p 1984
....previously unreleased
....Demo Versions
Tracks 1 - 8: Rough
....Mixes / Demo
....Sound Quality

Classic symphonic Progressive Rock fans will find tremendous delight in the Coda's rich sound full of memorable sensitive melodies with extended and furious instrumental sections. The musicians, on the band, don't hesitate to adventure themselves into long instrumental music, creating a perfect balance of orchestral-driven symphonic progressive instrumentals and wonderful vocal layers are evident in many of the songs. The music of Coda is not so "pop" or artificial, but fully inspired by dreams and numerous emotions that, are essential to satisfy lovers of varied and well performed instrumental Symphonic Progressive Rock. "Sounds Of Passion: The Album - The Demos
21st Anniversary Edition" is a double concept album that, from beginning to end, reproduce a wide variety of the wonderful musical moments, captured by the band in different aspects and forms, that, involve the listener through an atmospheric and symphonic voyage, whose symphonic keyboards dominate, completely, all compositions. You must definitely listen the two different versions of the "Sounds Of Passion" and, you realize how many different passages of music they play both of the tracks on the album. If you like Symphonic Progressive Rock you will enjoy this double album by Coda. Brilliant, amazing, perfect and a fantastic work, highly recommendable for all progressive rock fans around the world...

Erik de Vroomen - Grand Piano, Assorted Synthesizers, Hammond Organ, Pipe Organ, Mellotron, Clavinet, Emulator, Emax, Gongs, Moog Taurus Bass Pedals, Assorted Percussion and Baking Vocals

Curved Air was formed in 1970 by Sonja Kristina (vocals), Darryl Way (violin), Francis Monkman (keyboards), Florian Pilkington-Miksa (drums). The group decided the name using a shortened version of Terry Riley’s composition “A rainbow in curved air”. In their first album “Air Conditioning”, a prominent role was given to vocals and violin; the album reached number 8 in the British charts. Then, in 1971, they released “Second Album”, highly recommended example of CURVED AIR sound (a mix of acoustic folk and progressive rock).

1972 was the year of “Phantasmagoria”, with Mike Wedgwood as bass guitarist. After a long tourney the band fell apart and Way formed the WOLF, while CURVED AIR showed a new line-up with Eddy Jobson as violinist, but they will never reach the performance level of the early two albums. In 1973, after “Air Cut” (with a sound hard oriented), Wedgwood joined with CARAVAN and Jobson with ROXY MUSIC. The four members of the original project made the first reunion in 1975 for a tourney (album “Curved Air Live”). Afterwards Kristina and Way carried on with drummer Stewart Copeland, bassist Tony Reeves, guitarist Mick Jacques and released “Midnight Wire”. Their last album was “Airborne”, published in 1976. The second reunion of the four former members was in 1990 for a concert in London (album “Alive 1990”). In the same year was released an album of previously unissued tracks recorded in 1973 (“Lovechild”). Finally, in 1995, an album of BBC sessions, called “Live at BBC”.

Throughout their lifespan the band experienced frequent personnel changes. To name but a few of the better-known:

The band's groundbreaking 1970 debut, Airconditioning, reached no. 8 in the UK Albums Chart, and was the second picture disc ever released - the first being by the band Saturnalia in the previous year. In 1976 the band recorded their last studio album and then eventually split . Intermittently since then, the group, particularly in its original line-up, has re-joined for periodic concerts, one of which in 1990 gave rise to another live album.

Camel

Camel er et britisk band som ble stiftet 1971 i Surrey. Bandet hører sjangermessig til innen progressiv rock. Camel ble aldri like populær som andre britiske progrock-band, som Alan Parsons Project, Genesis, Pink Floyd, The Who, Yes eller King Crimson, men de kultiverte en påfølgende dedisert kult gjennom mange episke, dramatiske og lidenskapelige verk. Gjennom hele deres lange karriere ble det gjennomgått mange forandringer, og Andrew Latimer forble lederen av bandet.

I august 1972 signerte Camel platekontrakt med MCA Records og utga debutalbumet kalt «Camel». Utgivelsen ble ingen suksess, mye fordi den var preget av forskjellige stilarter. Bandet gikk så over til Decca Records der de i 1974 utga sitt andre album Mirage. Dette albumet fikk et omslag som lignet meget på sigarettmerket Camel. Dette førte videre til at de måtte endre coveret før utgivelsen av den amerikanske versjonen. Det var på dette albumet Camel begynte å utvikle sitt distinktive lydbilde, markert med gruppens flytende innviklede rytmer og en uforutsigbar instrumental veksling mellom Peter Bardens og Andrew Latimer. Melodien «The White Rider» som er på denne utgivelsen, ble skrevet av Andrew Latimer. Han hentet sin inspirasjon fra J.R.R. Tolkiens Ringenes herre. I 1975 kom deres instrumentale konseptalbum The Snow Goose ut, inspirert av Paul Gallicos novelle med samme navn. Det uvanlige ved dette albumet var at det ikke hadde noen vokal, og musikken fulgte den emosjonelle sirkelen til historien i novellen. Albumet solgte meget godt og klatret opp på

Den 17. oktober 1975 fremførte Camel «The Snow Goose» i en fullsatt Royal Albert Hall akkompagnert av London Symphony Orchestra.

I 1976 ga de ut albumet Moonmadness basert på sanger skrevet av de fire bandmedlemmene. Dette albumet hadde et annerledes lybilde enn den forrige utgivelsen, men dette ble ikke like godt tatt imot av den engelske fanskaren. Albumet ble riktignok mer suksessfullt i USA, hvor det nådde nummer 118 på Billboard 200-listen, den høyeste listeplasseringen bandet skulle komme til å få i USA.

Camels besetning endret seg flere ganger i bandets historie, dette startet i 1976 når Mel Collins (saksofon) ble med som et femte medlem. Doug Ferguson sluttet i 1977 på grunn av at Andy Ward hevdet at sin store utvikling som trommeslager, med eksperimentering innen jazz, ble hemmet av Ferguson. Dette skulle senere vise seg å være et uheldig feilgrep for bandet, fordi Doug Ferguson med sin fortid i militæret hadde en god disiplin og var en person som hindret feider innad i bandet. Dette gjaldt da spesielt låtskriverfeidene mellom Andrew Latimer og Peter Bardens.

Senere i 1977 ble Doug Ferguson erstattet av Richard Sinclair (fra Caravan, bass og vokal). Med denne besetningen ga Camel ut albumene Rain Dances og Breathless, som begge fjernet seg fra de forrige utgivelsene rent stilmessig. Dette skjedde mye på grunn av de nye medlemmene som var med på å fremheve det nye musikalske aspektet. Disse utgivelsene var jazzpregede og og mer eller mindre designet for å få spilletid på radio. Dette radikale skiftet fikk variert mottagelse blant fansen. Den 30. juli 1978, rett før bandet skulle ut på turné forlot Peter Bardens bandet etter at det hadde vært mye spenning mellom han og Andrew Latimer. Inn kom Dave Sinclair (fetter av Richard, keyboards) og Jan Schelhaas (fra Caravan, keyboards). Sinclair-fetterne forlot bandet rett etter turneen og ble erstattet av Kit Watkins fra Happy the Man på keyboards og Colin Bass (bass).

Denne besetningen (Andrew Latimer, Andy Ward, Colin Bass, Jan Schelhaas og Kit Watkins) utga i 1979 I Can See Your House From Here, et album som skapte promoteringsproblemer fordi det hadde et uærbødig «cover» som viste en korsfestet astronaut som så ned på jorda. Albumet led også av at rocken ble forandret da punkrocken gjorde sitt inntog, noe som gjorde at progressiv rock fikk mindre presseoppslag og dermed erfarte lavere salg av plater. Camel led under dette plutselige skiftet og albumet fikk det dårligste salget siden debuten. Kit Watkins forlot bandet på slutten av verdensturneen dette året.

Camel utga deretter konseptalbumet Nude i 1981, som omhandler en sann historie om en japansk soldat funnet på en forlatt stillehavsøy flere år etter annen verdenskrig, uten å vite at krigen var slutt. Albumet, som ble mest solgte av bandets album i Norge, har et distinkt 80-talls-preg og fremhever også tyngre improvisasjoner og orkestrering. Kit Watkins returnerte for å bidra til turneen, men forlot bandet like etter igjen.

Sommeren 1981 fikk Andy Ward et problem med alkohol- og narkotikamisbruk og Camel ble oppløst en kort periode. Han deltok blant annet en kort periode i Marillion i forsøk på å erstatte Mick Pointer på trommer, men hans misbruk gjorde at han raskt ble kastet ut igjen.

Etter at Decca Records viste til kontrakten og dermed presset bandet til å utgi en «hit», ble en motvillig Andrew Latimer tvunget til å starte bandet opp igjen senere samme året. Men fordi Andy Ward i tillegg til personlige problemer, hadde påført seg selv en alvorlig håndskade, ble han erstattet av Stuart Tosh (trommer, vokal). Camel fikk denne gangen hjelp av musikernomader som Kit Watkins (keyboards), Andy Dalby (gitar), Chris Rainbow (vokal), og David Paton (bass, vokal). Det resulterte i 1982-albumet med den ironiske tittelen The Single Factor. Albumet var et stort brudd med gruppens progressive røtter og kan minne om Alan Parsons Project, noe som muligens kan forklares med at David Paton og Chris Rainbow på denne tiden også var medlemmer av dette bandet. På senhøsten 1983 forlot Kit Watkins bandet for tredje gang, dessuten begynner rettslige krangler med bandets tidligere manager Geoff Jukes . Disse kranglene tok det fem år å løse.

I mellomtiden hadde Ton Scherpenzeel (keyboardspiller fra det nederlandske prog-rock bandet Kayak) inntatt Kit Watkins' plass. Sammen med Colin Bass og Paul Burgess (trommer) utga gruppen i 1984 albumet Stationary Traveller. Dette brøt ned grensene lagt av den forrige utgivelsen, og åpnet opp bandets relativt konsise melodier med lange atmosfæriske instrumentale avsnitt, dog med et klart og bastant 80-talls lydbilde. Konseptet til albumet var basert på det delte Berlin og dets politiske, emosjonelle og fysiske skiller. Richie Close (keyboard) kom i 1984 inn som «backup» da turneen begynte. Close døde i 1987 av legionærsyken. I 1985 avsluttet Decca Records samarbeidet med Camel fordi bandet ikke lenger arbeidet aktivt med å produsere nye låter i henhold til kontrakten, noe som gjorde at Camel ble oppløst i en femårsperiode.

I 1990, etter at søksmålene til den tidligere «manageren» var avsluttet, flyttet Andrew Latimer til USA og startet opp Camel på nytt med Mickey Simmonds (keyboards), Colin Bass og Paul Burgess. Denne besetningen spilte i 1991 inn og ga ut albumet Dust and Dreams. Dette var en musikalsk levendegjøring av John Steinbecks Vredens druer som ble utgitt på Andrew Latimers eget nystartede plateselskap Camel Productions. Utgivelsen kan på mange måter sies å ligne på Nude-utgivelsen fra 1981 idet den har et distinkt 80-tallspreg, dog med utypiske innslag av instrumenter som obo, harmonica og horn.

I 1993 ble liveutgivelsen og samlealbumet Never Let Go (oppkalt etter en populær Camel-melodi) utgitt.

Andrew Latimer jobbet nå alene og preget av hans fars død spilte han inn albumet Harbour of Tears. Denne tittelen henspiller på en havn i Irland som var det siste utvandrerne så før de seilte over til USA rundt 1845. Albumet har et følsomt, folkelig, tradisjonelt og irsk-orientert lydbilde, hvor Latimer spiller mye fløyte og plystrer, noe som gjør verket gripende, mer stemningsskapende og avslappende enn bandets forrige studioutgivelse.

I 1997 turnerte Camel igjen. Denne gangen med Andrew Latimer (gitar, vokal), Colin Bass (bass, vokal), Foss Patterson (keyboards) og Dave Stewart (trommer). Denne turneen resulterte i et livealbum som het Coming of Age som ikke ble utgitt før i 1999.

I 1999 spilte bandet inn og ga ut albumet Rajaz. Albumets komposisjon var inspirert av rytmen til en kamels fotsteg, noe som skulle hjelpe den gående reisende til å nå sin destinasjon. Denne idéen påvirket Latimer og han viser her et bredere spekter av engasjement og utvider sitt gitarspill med eksperimentale jazzinnflytelser. Han synger også på alle albumets sanger, og gir dermed tekstene et mer personlig følelsesmessig preg. Tekstene reflekterer også hans livslange artistiske valg og personlige erfaringer med bandet.

Før den påfølgende turneen forlot Dave Stewart Camel for å drive sin musikkforetning i Glasgow (Skottland). Han ble erstattet av trommeslageren Denis Clement. Turnéen i 2000 ble også akkompagnert av Guy Le Blanc på keyboards.

Andrew Latimer, Colin Bass, Guy Le Blanc og Denis Clement dro i 2001 på en turné til Sør-Amerika. I 2002 utga bandet albumet A Nod and a Wink, et album som på mange måter kan sies å være det første «bandprosjektet» på mange år. Albumet henspiller på Camels røtter og de ulike bandene innen sjangeren progressiv rock i 1970-årene. I motsetning til den forrige utgivelsen Rajaz (1999), som var sterkt gitarorientert, byr denne utgivelsen på mye tradisjonelt fløyte- og keyboardspill. Mens noen melodier er opplagt humoristiske og muntre, er albumets siste låt, den ti minutter lange melodien «For Today» knyttet til terrorangrepet 11. september 2001. Dette nummeret avslutter albumet med et sensitivt og emosjonellt klimaks.

Denne studioutgivelsen er også Camels foreløpig siste utgivelse. På grunn av finansielle og personlige byrder, valgte Andrew Latimer å avse fra fremtidige verdensturnéer, så turnéen i 2003 ble derfor annonsert som en «farvel-turné». Guy Le Blanc ble av medisinske årsaker tvunget til å slutte like etter turnéen var i gang. Han ble erstattet av Tom Brislin i USA og Ton Scherpenzeel i Europa. I 2005 la forøvrig Andrew Latimer plateselskapet Camel Productions på is og flyttet tilbake til England hvor han i følge sine egne nyhetsoppdateringer planlegger å starte opp igjen i nærmeste fremtid. I 2007 ble konserten fra Hammersmith Odeon i London, 1984, lagt ut på DVD under navnet Total Pressure. Denne inneholder i tillegg til to timer med konsert også tidligere ukjente klipp og et intervju gjort med Andrew Latimer i 1985.

Da Camel startet sin musikalske karriere var de inspirert av tidlige britiske band som for eksempel The Beatles, The Moody Blues og King Crimson i en tid hvor progrocken for alvor begynte å få innfall i den tradisjonelle britiske popmusikken. I begynnelsen, da bandet var kjent som The Brew, hadde originalbesetningen en vinkling mot tradisjonell engelsk blues, samtidig som de eksperimenterte med komposisjoner og en tilnærming mot den kreative popmusikken som blant andre The Beatles sto for med sin populære utgivelse White Album. Til tross for at bandet startet opp i en periode hvor psykedelisk musikk hadde befestet sin posisjon tok ingen av The Brews musikere idéer derfra, hverken i forbindelse med musikk eller livsstil. Dette kan muligens forklares med at bandet tidlig valgte en tradisjonell musikalsk vinkling, samtidig som de alle var oppvokst i mindre engelske byer hvor psykedelisk musikk ikke hadde samme innflytelse. For Camel ble det viktig å fokusere på talentet de hadde rent musikalsk, og dette er med på å prege gruppen gjennom hele dens karriere.

Fra begynnelsen av 1970-tallet frem til de ga ut sin første utgivelse var Camel et band som kombinerte flere stilarter. Blant annet kombinerte de tradisjonell blues og tidlig progressiv rock med typiske instrumenter som gitar, bass, trommer og hammondorgel. Her var spesielt gitar og orgel i hurtig samspill hovedstammen i de ulike instrumentale komposisjonene, ikke ulikt hva Pink Floyd drev med på samme tid. Denne gruppen var ifølge gitaristen Andrew Latimer deres forbilde i flere år fremover, noe som førte til at Camel i tillegg til å fortsette med en uforutsigbar instrumental veksling også eksperimenterte med komposisjoner preget av både flytende innviklede rytmer og utradisjonelle instrumenter som tverrfløyte. Noen av låtene fra denne perioden kan sammenlignes både med Pink Floyd og King Crimson, men også med Jethro Tull.

Under progrockens storhetstid var det å arbeide med det som nå kalles konseptalbum et vanlig fenomen blant bandene. Dette gjorde Camel med The Snow Goose som er et rent instrumentalt album basert på en novelle av forfatteren Paul Gallico. Denne vendingen, fra å basere seg på individuelle melodier gjerne skrevet av enkelte bandmusikere, til å arbeide sammen som gruppe i et prosjektarbeid hvor målet var å sette musikk til en historie ble vendepunktet for Camel. De høstet god kritikk fra flere hold, og ble et populært og yndet konsertmål for en stadig voksende målgruppe.

Etter vendepunktet på midten av 1970-tallet fikk gruppen både en tilnærming mot elektroniske instrumenter som synthesizer og mot jazz i det som nå kalles jazz-fusion. En kombinasjon av hyppige medlemsutskiftninger med tilhørende nye innflytelser og press fra plateselskapet om å produsere korte kommersielle låter, gjorde at Camel fikk både et radikalt stilskifte mot jazz-fusion og et helt nytt musikalsk aspekt. Dette overrasket bandets fans. Under denne perioden ble Camel sammenlignet med blant andre Genesis, Marillion, Steve Hackett, Tangerine Dream og Pendragon. Melodiene var fortsatt forankret i progrocken, men ble ved hjelp av nye bandmedlemmer og deres innflytelse vinklet mot jazz, samtidig som plateselskapet og bransjen for øvrig ville ha kortere låter for å kunne gi ut singler og dermed også få spilletid på radio og TV.

Bandet var i begynnelsen av 1980-tallet preget av utskiftninger, som bidro med nye innflytelser stilmessig. Dette forårsaket at Andrew Latimer stod igjen som det eneste kreative sentrum av orginalbesetningen da trommeslageren Andy Ward måtte forlate bandet av personlige grunner. Camel gikk som de fleste andre band på denne tiden i retning av popmusikken da punkrocken gjorde sitt inntog. Denne kursendringen var en av grunnene til at progrock fikk mindre presseoppslag og dermed erfarte lavere salg. Camel eksperimenterte først med atmosfæriske instrumentaler, men på grunn av press fra plateselskapet ble bandet tvunget til å arbeide med korte poplåter som kan minne om Alan Parsons Project. Dette bandet hadde på sin side flere listetopper i Storbritannia under samme periode, ved siden av at to av Camels medlemmer kom fra det bandet.

Camel ga likevel ikke opp ideene om tidkrevende konseptalbum, og dette kombinert med eksperimentering med stadig nye instrumenter som panfløyte, obo og munnspill samt utenommusikalske begivenheter, som oppstart av nytt plateselskap, gjorde at Camel fikk en ny giv på 1990-tallet. Fra denne perioden av blir lydbildet til Camel preget spesielt av Andrew Latimers gitar og hans rolle i bandet. Musikken og tekstene kan sees som personlige og dype, og som ofte avspeiler Latimers livslange artistiske valg og personlige erfaringer med bandet.

Camels konserter hadde ikke samme karakter som for eksempel The Rolling Stones' eller Pink Floyds. Camel brukte ikke store scener og spektakulære virkemidler i form av lys og røyk for å skape en ekstra dimmensjon, men heller små rigger og minimalt med lysprojektorer og eksterne virkemidler. Dette kan forklares med at bandet ikke var like populært som de nevnte gruppene og dermed ikke spilte for et like stort publikum på like store arenaer. En annen grunn var muligens at musikerne innad i gruppen likte å spille i mindre konsertlokaler hvor de kunne ha et fokus på musikken og da spesielt kunstrock. Camel har holdt konserter i Storbritannia og ellers i Europa, blant annet hadde de konsert under sin Nude–turné på den 1. februar 1981 ^[1] og under sin Single Factor–turné den 9. juni 1982 ^[2] samt under sin Stationary Traveller-turné den 29. mai 1984 ^[3]. Alle de tre konsertene ble avholdt på Chateau Neuf i Oslo. Camel har for øvrig også hatt omfattende turnéer både i Nord- og Sør-Amerika samt i Japan.

Camel var et av de mer markante bandene på midten av 1970-tallet da progrocken hadde sin storhetstid. Det tapte terreng da henholdvis punkrocken og poprocken gjorde sitt inntog. Gruppen fikk et oppsving etter den nye oppstarten i begynnelsen av 1990-tallet og tidligere fans vendte tilbake sammen med yngre fans. De nye fansene fikk et innblikk i Camels musikk gjennom nedlasting fra internett eller innkjøp av nyutgitte tidligere album. Før denne perioden var Camel inspirert av band som Roxy Music, Pink Floyd, The Moody Blues, King Crimson, Genesis og ikke minst The Beatles. Senere inspirasjonskilder for bandet var blant andre Yes og Alan Parsons Project.

Cemetery Of Scream

Please don’t let the rather unfortunate name of this band put you off or give you a false impression of the kind of music they play. This is not death metal or black metal or any of that stuff. Yes, it is metal, but it’s that equivocal subgenre that’s come to be known as atmospheric metal – “atmospheric dark metal,” to be as precise as the press release wants to be – but with this important proviso: Cemetery Of Scream dates back to 1992 – before Anneke joined The Gathering! So, while I tend (for better or worse) to measure most so-called atmospheric metal bands whose albums I review against The Gathering – because, let’s face it, most of them are inspired or influenced by that majestic outfit – I can dispense with those comparisons here and describe the impressive achievements of Cemetery of Scream very much on their own terms.

I think what I like most about this band, and there’s a lot to choose from, are the vocals, by Pawel Kluczewski and guest singer Kasia Molenda. And what I like about the vocals is that they are strong but imperfect – and accented. The lyrics are all in English, but the singing is free of the rawk-star intonations too often heard in the vocals of both native and non-native English speakers; the enunciation of the words, especially by Kluczewski, is precise, and his voice, while powerful when it has to be, is often appealingly vulnerable, too (check out the quiet bits of The Secret Window, for example, or the spoken part of In His Room). This isn’t typical metal singing by a long shot; it’s clear and unmannered, and Molenda’s background contributions are reedy rather than ethereal (“ethereal” of course being the gold standard in atmospheric metal!) and yet all the more welcome for being so.

The music is perhaps a bit heavier than fans of atmospheric metal are accustomed to. Guitars are front and centre on this album, for sure, and the drums play a big part, too. The songs are mostly compact and melodic, the music nicely underscoring the vocals, keyboards mostly acting in a supporting role. I also very much like the tasteful (and infrequent) use of electronic percussion and samples – always only what suits the song, never intrusive. Cemetery Of Scream, that is, is essentially a rock band working successfully in this genre – not a band (or so it seems to me) conceived to play a certain kind of music and conforming to the genre. That’s probably because the original incarnation of this band predates the whole atmospheric metal genre as we’ve come to know it – they’ve sort of written their own rules.

A word about the lyrics wouldn’t be amiss here, even though (or perhaps because) they’re written and sung in English despite the band’s being Polish. Well, I think they’re very good indeed, and I mean in no way to be patronizing when I say that. Most of the songs are lyrically dark indeed – the titles alone portend their darkness! – but they’re neither clichéd nor melodramatic. Burial Ground and Komatrance seem to me especially heartfelt, but the lyrics are uniformly good.

I’ve saved for the end the sole real problem with this album: its production. I’m happy to recommend the album just as it is, but my rating would be even higher were the production not so thin and midrangey – this fine music deserved depth and power. I mentioned earlier that the guitars and drums really drive the songs, and unfortunately it’s with those instruments that the production really fails to do its job. The power chords grate and the drums go tunk-tunk-tunk where they should hammer; and the arpeggiated plucked chords on steel-string that underlie the final track, Where Next?, are annoying rather than pleasing. I’ll be blunt: though I expect to listen to this CD a lot in the months to come, I know for a fact that I’d play it a lot more if it had anything like the kind of production such an otherwise musically excellent CD ought to have.

But there you have it: despite that one flaw, this is a fine album, pleasing in its song-writing and execution, a nice example of – what? – alternative atmospheric metal from a band that, at least in Poland, may well have invented the genre.

Tracklist: Prophet (6:11), Ganges (6:20), Komatrance (3:44), On The Border (3:49), Cold Obsession In My Eyes (6:39), Absinthe (4:16), The Secret Window (3:50), Burial Ground (5:10), In His Room (3:59), Where Next? (1:16)

Canterbury Scene

A fraternal collective of musicians clustered around the Kentish tourist town that is home to the Church of England's Archbishop, the Canterbury Scene provided the cradle for a half-dozen of the most freewheeling British bands of the post-psychedelic era. Though the direct musical similarities between Canterbury's major bands — the Soft Machine, Caravan, Gong, Robert Wyatt, Kevin Ayers, Hatfield & the North, Egg, National Health — aren't overwhelming, each featured a clever synthesis of jazz improvisation and rock rhythms with clever, intellectual songwriting tied to psychedelia.

It's no wonder the Canterbury bands became so close, since many of its major figures began their musical careers in a beat group called the Wilde Flowers. Together from 1963 to 1969, the Wilde Flowers included most of the figures who later formed Canterbury's two best bands, the Soft Machine (Robert Wyatt, Kevin Ayers) and Caravan (Pye Hastings, David Sinclair, Richard Sinclair, Richard Coughlan). After both the Soft Machine and Caravan released their debut albums in 1968, they became popular in England's psychedelic underground. By the early '70s however, a series of fragmenting lineup changes and the subsequent formation of new bands soon multiplied the force of the Canterbury scene.

Early Soft Machine member Daevid Allen formed Gong, and both Kevin Ayers and Robert Wyatt eventually left the Softs to begin their own solo careers. The musicians that led the new incarnation of the Soft Machine, including Elton Dean and Hugh Hopper, began pushing the band in the direction of instrumental jazz-rock. By the mid-'70s, many of the remaining Canterbury bands had progressed from psychedelic and prog-rock to embrace extended fusion jams with few lyrics. Many of Britain's better avant-garde or fusion musicians of the 1970s and '80s — including Fred Frith, Allan Holdsworth, and Peter Blegvad — also began their career playing in Canterbury bands.

CARAVAN In The Land Of Grey And Pink (1971)	CARAVAN If I Could Do It All Over Again, I'd Do It All Over You (1970)	WYATT, ROBERT Rock Bottom (1974)	HATFIELD AND THE NORTH The Rotters' Club (1975)
SOFT MACHINE Third (1970)	HATFIELD AND THE NORTH Hatfield and the North (1973)	GONG Radio Gnome Invisible Vol. 2 - Angel's Egg (1973)	GONG Radio Gnome Invisible Vol. 3 - You (1974)
PICCHIO DAL POZZO Picchio Dal Pozzo (1976)	SOFT MACHINE The Soft Machine (1968)	KHAN Space Shanty (1972)	CARAVAN For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night (1973)
HILLAGE, STEVE Fish Rising (1975)	SUPERSISTER Present From Nancy (1970)	PICCHIO DAL POZZO Camere Zimmer Rooms (2001)	MATCHING MOLE Matching Mole (1971)
EGG The Polite Force (1971)	GONG Radio Gnome Invisible Vol. 1 - Flying Teapot (1973)	NATIONAL HEALTH National Health (1977)	SUPERSISTER To The Highest Bidder (1971)

Caamora

Caamora is the name of the latest Clive Nolan project. It is a collaboration between Clive and Agneiszka Swita, a lady from Poland of whom all information seems classified up till now (the official Caamora homepage http://www.caamora.net/Home.html lists a big '?' as her biography).

The musical version of She is based on the classic novel of the same name by Victorian adventure writer H. Rider Haggard. Spearheaded by Clive and Agneiszka, this epic production will feature guest vocalists, instrumentalists, orchestra and choir, forming a two-hour musical journey. An album will be recorded in the summer of 2007, with a partly staged performance to be filmed in a theatre for DVD in September 2007. The album and DVD box set is planned for release in October 2007.

Two explorers travel to Africa and stumble into a world of mystery and intrigue. They discover lost tribes living in vast underground caverns and worshipping a living Goddess... 'She who must be obeyed'... Ayesha, the queen who is believed to be a woman of vast age. She welcomes the explorers, but her true motives soon become apparent. Ayesha has been waiting for the return of the man she loves... a man she murdered over 2000 years ago!

The two are currently looking for guest vocalists and musicians for their project. Bob Catley of Magnum has already been muted for one of the two male roles.

As a taster Nolan and Swita will be doing some performances as support act of Galahad. They will also be releasing a special EP which will be available at these gigs and through the website.

Cafine

Nouveaux Mondes

Noveaux Mondes (New Worlds) is the second release from this French group following their 1994 debut, La Citadelle. What is indeed heartening is that the group have capitalized on all the criticism that they received for their debut in that their music lacked a certain amount of maturity and that the vocals where beyond any shadow of doubt the group's weakest point. This time round they enlisted the help of various well known artists to assist on the vocals and it seems that the years gone by since the debut have served to further mature their musicianship resulting in this most excellent album.

So who are Cafeïne? Essentially they are four French musicians with a vast musical background and they are Christophe Houssin (keyboards), Patrick Jobard (guitars), Jean Christophe Lamoureux (bass) and Régis Bravi (drums). Guests vocalists involved on this epic concept album are Christian Decamps (Ange), Sonia Nédélec and Jean-Baptiste Ferracci (both of Minimum Vital), Cyril Grimaud (Hauteville), Pierre-Yves Theurillat (Galaad) and Julie Vander (Magma), together with other guest musicians.

As I have already remarked, this album is a concept album dealing with man's drive to explore and possess all that surrounds him with people such as Alexander The Great, Don Juan and Icarus referred to throughout. Onto the first track of the album, Hubble which has already been presented on the Musea Records compilation, Un Voyage En Progressif 5. A pure instrumental, this track showcases the original members of this group allowing them space without relying on the intervention of a guest vocalist. Immediately one is struck by the musical capability of this quartet as they execute a track that is well within the classical progressive rock sphere with some interesting complex time changes with the occasional leaning towards the jazz-rock style of music.

L'Or Des Indes (The Gold Of The Indies) features the vocals of Philippe Ladousse and verges onto the neo-progressive style of rock in its initial sector with some nice interchanges between keyboards and guitar to move into a more relaxed setting in its mid-section assuming a more classical approach as keyboard sound is traded for that of a piano. Voler En Éclats retains that neo-progressive touch assuming more of a rock sound, possibly due to more power chords being played as well the structure being more melodic and ear-friendly. This coupled with the last two instrumental minutes of the track make it one of the standouts of the album.

At just over three minutes Les Conquérants (The Conquerors) is the shortest track on the album and is more of a laid back affair, even when a beat kicks in towards the end of the track. It involves mainly a duet between voice and piano with the other instruments acting as fillers for the track. Don Juan on the other hand opens immediately with an almost jazz-rock touch merging into a classically influenced progressive rock. The backing band is almost orchestral sounding while the offbeats are excellently punctuated by some great harmonies.

Atomik is musically the most complex of the tracks on the album with a regular structural rhythmic backbone maintained throughout the track interrupted at intervals by various alternative musical events such as some great female vocal harmonies as well as the occasional discordant piano chord. An excellent instrumental which once again shows the musical prowess of this group. Alexandre opens with a Renaissance meets The Enid style merging classical piano with orchestral sounds, sounding like Aerie Faerie Nonsense (The Enid). Vocals on this track are provided by Cyril Grimaud (Hauteville) and should prove to be a hit to those who like progressive rock filled with a lush orchestral overtone.

My Only Quest, the only English-titled track on the album, features vocals from Julie Vander (Magma) and once again shows how well this group fuse the classical with rock. What is strange is to hear a vocalist from Magma, singing in a language that can be understood (French), other than Zeul! This track together with Cathédral possesses some beautiful harmonies which fill the track creating an impressive almost haunting atmosphere. Cathédral has Sonia Nédélec and Jean-Baptiste Ferracci (both of Minimum Vital) providing the vocals, on a track which till just past the midway mark shows nothing of a notable mention apart from a nice instrumental section. However the track takes a twist and suddenly changes to an acoustic mode with the music becoming almost folkish with the introduction of wind instruments and some lovely vocal harmonies, including Gregorian chants. This coupled with the upbeat feel that it conveys makes this track an excellent way to close the album.

The possible drawback that this album seems to possess is that the vocals are in their entirety in French and this could pose a drawback to those who are intent on listening to and understanding lyrics. On the other hand French is lovely language to sing in, and the music presented makes up for this problem. If you like classically influenced progressive rock, then this is sure to be a hit with you.

Tracklist: Hubble (7:04), L' Or Des Indes (8:45), Voler En Éclats (8:09), Les Conquérants (3:11), Don Juan (8:17), Atomik (5:52), Alexandre (9:49), My Only Quest (4:33), Cathédral (10:44)

Cast

Al-bandaluz

Despite having been in existence since the late 1970s, Cast could only afford to release the debut album in 1994. Since that time there has been a consistent stream of band and solo releases culminating in Al-bandaluz, the 19th Cast-related album. For this latest album, long-time members Alfonso Vidales and Francisco Hernández (keyboards and vocals, respectively) have been joined by new members Kiko King (drums), Carlos Humarán (guitars) and Flavio Jimenéz (bass) to produce a ten-track double album, clocking in at a fraction short of 100 minutes. Despite being familiar with the name, I had not heard any of the previous releases so I was very curious to hear just what the highly regarded Mexican prog stalwarts sounded like.

Five of the ten tracks feature vocals, sung in Spanish, although in general the vocal sections are fairly short leaving plenty of room for the expansive instrumental swathes of what must be the finest symphonic progressive music to emanate from the southern hemisphere. Primarily centred around the highly impressive keyboard skills of Alfonso Vidales which neatly integrate complex piano and synthesiser lines in with the rest of the instrumentation. This is none more evident that on the opening track Viajero Inmóvil, which harks back to the early days of Emerson, Lake and Palmer. Indeed, the Emerson influence is readily found all over this album.

Each of the CDs contains an epic track: on the first disc it is the three-part instrumental, Encrucijada. Opening with an insistent piano riff, powerful guitar and sax (played by guest musician Pepe Torres) lines intrude helping the piece to evolve into an epic of grand proportions. Melody lines recur throughout the track taking the listener through an initially relatively calm journey before reaching an exciting climax full of chugging guitars and double bass drum attacks. Fine stuff! On the second disc we are treated to the 22 minute El Puente which slowly builds through the rather loosely arranged Vida Real, before the vocal section, El Puente pulls things together. The final two sections give the band the opportunity to demonstrate how well they gel together producing totally engaging soundscapes. The only criticism I have is that the female backing vocals, provided by Lupita Vidales, need a bit more force (possibly by double tracking or adding extra vocalists) and are rather too far down in the mix. But it is a very minor gripe!

Of the remaining tracks Damajuana is stylistically reminiscent of Camel, particularly the way the flute (again, played by Pepe Torres) is woven around Humarán's impeccable guitar work while La Balesta has gentle piano and acoustic guitar passages which bring back memories of Banks and Hackett in all their glory. Ensamble Al-Mayá is the only track with a more Latinate feel to it, although not in the more traditional manner one would expect from a South American band. Oddly enough, it reminds me of Ozric Tentacles! Final track Ansia, Augustia, Desesperación has some determined riffing by Humarán and closes the album with a steady instrumental romp.

All-in-all Al-bandaluz is a fine album of very good songs played by excellent musicians. That they have been able to maintain the quality of their releases considering their prodigious output over the last nine years is nothing less than remarkable.

Tracklist:
CD 1: Viajero Inmóvil (7:09), Jerezcali (Pueblo de Dos Mundos) (8:52), Encrucijada (a: Ascención, b: Retorno, c: Conversión) (17:52), Lamento del Gato (9:55), Damajuana (4:17)
CD 2: Viento (5:01), El Puente (a: Vida Real, b: El Puente, c: Luz al Final del Túnel, d: Valle de los Sueños) (22:01), La Balesta (8:46), Ensamble Al-Mayá (5:26), Ansia, Augustia, Desesperación (7:10)

Cryptic Vision

In A World

I’ve been eagerly awaiting this release ever since I reviewed the bands Live at ROSFest 2005 back in April. I was impressed by the bands performance and the quality of their material, highlighted by the sets center-piece In A World. The band line-up remains virtually unchanged here with Rick Duncan on drums, guitar and keys, Todd Plant lead vocals and guitar, Sam Conable bass and vocals, Timothy Keese lead guitar and vocals, and Howard Helm providing keyboards and vocals. Helm replaces live keyboardist John Zahner who crops up as a guest along with David Ragsdale of Kansas fame on violin and Alan Morse from Spock’s Beard on guitar amongst others. This is Cryptic Vision’s second only studio recording and they make good use of the environment with the vocals in particular benefiting from Rick Duncan’s rich production. Duncan is also responsible for writing all the music with lyrical contributions from Plant and Conable. The band produces a bold and confident American prog sound with bombastic keys, sharp rhythms, heavy weight lead guitar and massed AOR style vocals.

If I had to be a tad critical then I would say that the vocal/instrumental balance the band maintained so well on ROSFest is occasionally lost here. This is most obvious on All Along where the wall-to-wall vocals almost take the song into power ballad territory. No such problems however with the expansive title track that opens the album. When I first heard the live version of In A World I was completely won over. The studio makeover enhances its epic qualities, from the powerful Yes like staccato rhythm opening to the majestic vocal ending. In between, the stately piano melody is stunning and the soaring chorus is complimented by waves of orchestral keys and stirring guitar. The reflective This Dream Part I is a brief but memorable acoustic song that comes and goes all too quickly. Common Ground has a strong choral melody underpinned by a pounding riff and prominent and precise bass line. The striking instrumental Merkaba features tricky time signatures that has a touch of the Trevor Rabin’s about it with lightning fast guitar and synth interplay, and classical style violin. In contrast, the aforementioned All Along allows Plant to give full reign to his vocal emotions and despite my earlier reservations he does a fine job aided by some superb harmonies and a simple piano chord intro.

Following an urgent guitar and organ introduction, The Space In Between settles into a bright acoustic guitar driven sound offset by a solid riff with strident guitar and synth soloing. The aptly titled I Am The Energy opens with menacing bass setting the scene for the hard rock style vocals, power metal guitar chops and a gutsy organ sound. The tempo relaxes for Point Of View with its memorable light rock (almost pop) chorus and soaring violin. Power To Mend is divided into three short movements and contains some of the albums best and most varied moments. Powerful riffing sets the tone for the dramatic vocals and strong chorus, which gives way to a meditative instrumental section, distinguished by a lyrical synth solo and blues style guitar. Piano leads to a mid tempo song bridge before more synth and phased vocals signal the return of the opening melody this time with excellent counterpoint harmonies. Powerhouse bass and drums introduce Find, dominated by an inspired repeated keys pattern with another fine chorus, a crisp guitar solo and Wakeman style synth noodlings.

In an album chock full of strong hooks and melodies The Balance contains some of the finest. An atmospheric synth soundscape lays the foundation for the main theme with reflective vocals and a standout choral section. The instrumental moments come thick and fast with dynamic bass doubling the Emerson inspired organ playing, which is joined by spirited guitar, synth soloing and rapid-fire drum punctuations. A synth fanfare heralds the vocal conclusion delivered with gusto and energy by Plant. This song would have made a fitting ending to the album but the band has one more card up its sleeve. This Dream Part II / In A World (Reprise) opens with strident synth and percussion building to a grandiose climax which fades to make way for an acoustic version of the title song. A surge of drums, guitar and organ ushers a sweeping and majestic reprise of the songs vocal coda providing an exhilarating finale.

Interestingly for an album with 73 minutes playing time each track flows directly into the next making for one continuous listen. I wouldn’t be surprised if the next release is a concept album, as that seems to be the feel they’re aiming for here. As I commented in my previous review, it would be fair to say that Cryptic Vision are not a band that are treading new ground. It’s just that what they do, they do so very well. I would have preferred fewer vocals, giving the instruments more space to breathe, but that’s a personal preference. In the bands favour, the vocal style and strong melodies should appeal to American mainstream rock fans in much the way as Asia did. Rick Duncan certainly knows how to write a good tune, and there’s no denying the excellent musicianship. The bands sound is assured and impressively executed, aided by the high-powered production. If Yes, ELP, Kansas, Rush, Dream Theater, Spock’s Beard and Transatlantic have a place in your heart and your CD rack then you should make room for Cryptic Vision.

Tracklist: In A World (16:22), This Dream Part I (1:06), Common Ground (4:37), Merkaba (3:14), All Along (5:09), The Space In Between (4:58), I Am The Energy (4:10), Point Of View (4:49), Power To Mend (10:03), Find (4:09), The Balance (8:42), This Dream Part II / In A World (Reprise) (5:03)

Crematorium

The Process Of Endtime

Crematorium fra California har gjennom karrieren beveget seg fra å være et pur deathmetal band til å pr dags dato ha ganske sterke undertoner av hardcore - både på de vokale og musikalske sidene.

Crematorium har valgt å åpne sin femte utgivelse med en ganske groovy låt, Bloodwake. Refrenget er tungt og godt, men den slutter dessverre så alt for brått etter litt over to minutter.

Ellers beveger skiva seg gjennom 10 låter i løpet av sine 32 minutters spilletid, og det som utmerker seg mest i løpet av tiden er vokalen - den skifter mellom klassiske deathmetal growl og en mer hardcore type skriking/synging. ”Turn A Blind Eye” er et godt eksempel på dette.

Noe særlig originalt album er det ikke, men det funker da til en viss grad likevel. Det jeg liker mest med ”The Process Of Endtime” er at enkelte låter har enten driv og/eller et snev av groove. Jeg digger det groovy refrenget på Bloodwake, skrikene mot slutten på ”Infinitesimal Acculturation”, de rocka linjene på ”Perils Of The Disillusioned”, de litt svenske vibbene på ”Dying Under A Binery Star”, og sist men ikke minst så burde de hatt flere låter som ”Testicular”. Den er en mye mer kraftfull en de andre låtene. Tempoet er raskere og intensiteten er en helt annen en hos noen av de andre på skiva. De andre låtene dundrer forbi uten å gjøre merkbar skade.

Carlo Mezzanotte

Canada

Cloudscape

Cloudscape

Complete Beginner's Guide to Jazz

AMG-All Music Guide to Jazz

Dizzy Gillespie

Charlie Parker

Thelonius Monk's Complete Blue Note Recordings

Art Blakey's Moanin'

Ornette Coleman's Free Jazz

John Coltrane's A Love Supreme

Eric Dolphy's Out to Lunch

Crooked Mouth

Cast

Mosaïque

Camel

Cemetery Of Scream

Canterbury Scene

Caamora

Cafine

Nouveaux Mondes

Cast

Al-bandaluz

Cryptic Vision

In A World

Crematorium

The Process Of Endtime

Murdercore