Record Reviews

LOCKWOOD / TOP / VANDER / WIDEMANN ~ FUSION JMS 015 (Barcode: 3760145920157) ~ FRANCE ~ Jazz-Ambient Fusion Recorded: 1981 Released: 1981 This is a little known album by four celebrated French musicians: violinist Didier LockwoodFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Benoit WidemannFind albums by this artist, bassist Jannick TopFind albums by this artist and drummer Christian VanderFind albums by this artist, all associated at one time or another as members of the legendary French group MagmaFind albums by this artist, founded by Vander in 1969, but also active on the Rock, Jazz and Fusion European scene. The album presents four tracks, all co-credited to the four musicians. The first track lasts for twenty-four minutes. Although the album is entitled “Fusion”, by the time this album was recorded the genre was already quite redundant and lost its initial impact. As a result, this music has in fact very little to do with “classic” Fusion, and is rather a set of improvised pieces, which combine Jazz, Ambient and Rock elements, creating an eclectic atmosphere, which sounds somewhat like Fusion, but goes beyond it in many aspects. Overall, the album presents many interesting ideas, and of course brilliant instrumental performances, but is somewhere in-between genres, obviously searching for a new direction. Perhaps not an essential addition to every music collection, but certainly an interesting snapshot of the European / French electric Jazz scene in the early 1980s.

Updated: 09/09/2026Posted: 09/09/2026

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

BENOIT WIDEMANN ~ STRESS! SVART / MONDO 391 (Barcode: 6430065589259) ~ FRANCE ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1977 Released: 2020 By the late 1970s the synthesizer was undoubtedly the King of Pop / Rock. There was hardly any music making unit at the time that did not feature the synthesizer in its arsenal, and the electronically generated sounds were rapidly and consistently dominating the popular music scene, achieving total dominance a decade later. It all started really promising with the introduction of the Hammond Organ in the mid-1930s, which was warmly embraced by the Jazz community and expanded the instrumental range by another warm and funky sounding instrument. By the mid-1960s the Hammond Organ became also a much beloved member of the young Rock family, especially by the more ambitious early Progressive Rock pioneers, soon to be joined by the new kid on the block, the Moog synthesizer. The 1970s brought an avalanche of rapidly developing new synthesizers, which were able to produce a growing range of unearthly soundscapes and capable of imitating every existing musical instrument on earth, including the drums, and beyond. By the 1980s popular music became one gigantic synthesized buzz of undistinguishable source, as if the earth was invaded by an alien race that was terrorizing the humans and dissolving their brains using synthesizers. It often seems that this situation did not improve much since, and the only desert islands of relative sanity survived thanks to Classical Music and Jazz. Therefore one could speculate that it was the synthesizer, which brought upon us the downfall of Popular Music and destroyed the magnificent achievements of the Golden Era of Rock (1965-1975) down to a pulp. Of course other might think differently, especially those who still play guitars, basses, drums or (God forbid) a flute ;) "Stress!Find albums with this title" is a classic example of a synthesizer dominated music, although it makes some use of non-synthesized sounds, like the acoustic piano or drums. The composer and chief performer, Benoit WidemannFind albums by this artist, plays an array of synthesizers, as appropriate for the occasion and is accompanied, although only occasionally, by other musicians, all representatives of the French Progressive Rock camaraderie around the legendary group MagmaFind albums by this artist, firmly led by drummer / composer Christian VanderFind albums by this artist with an ever changing lineup, which more or less included the entire French Prog / Zeuhl scene over time. The music is all over the place, with touches of early Techno, Funk, Prog of course and traces of Jazz, hardly a consistent flow of musical ideas, but an excellent demonstration of Widemann´s abilities as a composer and player. Well recorded and offering a god example of the diversity of sounds that the synthesizers were able to produce at the time, with a touch of the obvious nostalgic tinge, this album is still a very enjoyable listening experience today and certainly has more to offer than most music produced at present. The French Progressive Rock, similarly to French Classical Music, has a distinctive ambience, which this album reflects very well. Less focused on melody and rhythmic complexity, this music is more about the atmospheric statement, the moods and the colors of the music and its influence on the listener´s psyche. Although previously reissued, soon do disappear again, this music certainly deserves to be available to listeners looking for non-trivial music that the past has to offer. Enjoy! Side Note The above are my liner notes included on this album's artwork. I am honored when asked by the Artists to write liner notes for their albums, always hoping that my words reflect the true spirit of the music. This is also a symbol of our mutual respect and friendship developed over the years. The same is also true when Record Labels ask me to write liner notes for their releases, mostly in the case of reissues of archival albums, which is a symbol of their appreciation of my knowledge and historical perspective and my recognition of their dedication to the preservation of the history of recorded music and the effort to keep human Culture and Aesthetics alive.

Updated: 23/05/2020Posted: 23/05/2020

CD 1 Digisleeve Remastered Recommend To A Friend