Record Reviews

FLASH ~ FLASH ESOTERIC 2166 (Barcode: 5013929726628) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1971 Released: 2009 1st album by the brilliant British Prog band FlashFind albums by this artist, formed by founding member of YesFind albums by this artist, guitarist Peter BanksFind albums by this artist, after he left the band following the recording of their first two albums. The band also included another ex-Yes member keyboardist Tony KayeFind albums by this artist, lead singer Colin CarterFind albums by this artist, bassist Ray BennettFind albums by this artist and drummer Mike HoughFind albums by this artist. In many respects Flash was what Yes should have become, at least in my opinion. Banks didn´t like the change of direction Yes were following, which although brought them fame and fortune, was for many of the early fans of the band (myself included) a huge disappointment. The pomposity and pretentiousness that Yes displayed in the years to follow was often pretty sickening and Banks was able somehow to predict that. Therefore the forming of Flash was a great joy at the time, as it truly followed in the footsteps of the two first Yes albums ("YesFind albums with this title" and "Time And A WordFind albums with this title"), which to this day are my favorite albums by the band. What makes Flash such a great band? Well, it certainly had all the right ingredients, both in its personnel, as far as musicianship is concerned and musical approach, following the development of the Prog movement in the right direction. Great melodies, brilliant performances, a balance of influences ranging from Jazz to Pop, all incorporated just at the perfect measure. This album has no weak moments, no unnecessary fillings, in short no bullshit whatsoever. Everything is just perfect as far as Prog is concerned. Over the years I enjoyed listening to this album countless times, never ever being disappointed and in time it actually grew stronger on me, surely in view of the realization, that they don´t make them any more. Essential music for body and soul!

CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Essential Recommend To A Friend

FLASH ~ FLASH (FEATURING RAY BENNETT & COLIN CARTER) PURPLE PYRAMID 0339 (Barcode: 741157033922) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 2010 - 2012 Released: 2013 Of all the Progressive Rock bands that flourished in the early 1970s, British legends FlashFind albums by this artist were always among my favorites and the forty years that passed since basically changed nothing in that respect. I always claimed that Flash was what YesFind albums by this artist should have become: a gutsy, focused and multifaceted outfit which was able to write great music and cross genres elegantly rather than indulge in endless doodling and ego trips. No wander that Peter BanksFind albums by this artist left Yes after a couple of albums and formed Flash with vocalist Colin CarterFind albums by this artist, bassist Ray BennettFind albums by this artist and drummer Mike HoughFind albums by this artist (with another ex-Yes member, keyboardist Tony KayeFind albums by this artist featured on their first album). The band managed to record three classic Prog albums, which to this day sound absolutely brilliant and are prime examples of the genre. I´ve been aware of the effort to re-form Flash in the recent years, following the developments on the net, and finally the process that took several years came to fruition with this album being released almost exactly forty years after the original band folded. The band, which recorded this album, includes two founding Flesh members: vocalist Colin Carter and ex-bassist now guitarist Ray Bennett. They are supported by keyboardist Rick DaughertyFind albums by this artist, bassist Wayne CarverFind albums by this artist and drummers Mark PardyFind albums by this artist and Paul PaceFind albums by this artist. The album consists of nine tracks, eight of which are originals by Colin and Ray and one is a cover of a song by Nine Inch NailsFind albums by this artist. The original songs include two instrumentals and a new version of a song that was included on the original band´s last album. In the last years we have witnessed numerous attempts to re-unite and re-vitalize bands with a glorious past, most of which sadly ended up as miserable, at least artistically speaking, failures. This album is a classic example how such process can work and be successful. Most importantly the album presents almost entirely new material, written recently, rather that re-worked versions of old material, which makes little sense. The material in this case sounds really great, losing nothing of the original Flash vitality and preserving the original sound and ambience on one hand but being completely contemporary on the other. Therefore this album sounds as good to a die-hard Flash fan, who is familiar with the band´s recorded legacy, as to a new listener, for whom this is the first encounter with the group, hopefully leading to digging up the past as well. Time seems to have been merciful with Colin and Ray; Colin´s vocals are still confident, vigorous and energetic and he obviously has no trouble moving up and down the scales and Ray´s guitar work sounds really impressive and creative, cleverly eschewing needless fireworks. The entire album sounds superbly and is an ideal mixture of that nostalgic / retro ambience and modern sound possibilities. This is therefore a most proper addition to the legendary band´s legacy, which should satisfy old fans and bring new listeners into the enchanted phenomenon called Flash. Well done indeed gentlemen!

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

MAD SHIP ~ FLASH YEARS KOLD 0003 (Barcode: 5706274010480) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2019 Released: 2020 This is the debut album by the Polish Jazz ensemble Mad ShipFind albums by this artist, which comprises of saxophonist Tomasz LicakFind albums by this artist, guitarist Kuba WojcikFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Grzegorz TarwidFind albums by this artist and drummer Krzysztof SzmandaFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine original compositions, all by Wojcik. The music presents a highly charged, soaked in synthesizer and electronic effects sound, with an eerie ambiance and very atypical overall approach, surely as far as Jazz is concerned. The pieces range between atmospheric, slow developing vistas a la New Age and energetic up-tempo dense explorations, almost Heavy Metal in nature, surely not something one would expect from a Jazz album, but on the other hand a reflection of a steady trend in contemporary Polish Jazz to increasingly involve electronics within the genre. But pushing these convoluted descriptions aside, this album definitely offers an interesting listening experience, which keeps surprising and keeps the listener at his toes. All four players are experienced and talented musicians and therefore the performances are highly effective. Licak, in spite of his harsh tone, plays highly lyrically and melodically for the duration, spicing the proceeding with some superb Free Form improvisations. Wojcik concentrates on electronics and his guitar contributions are mostly riffs and background chords, with occasional soloing, Tarwid, nor surprisingly, steals the show completely with his brilliant synthesizer parts, which provide most of the content and finally Szmanda keeps the entire havoc together with his excellent versatile and solid drumming. Overall this is a superb debut effort, perhaps still not completely focused but offering a lot of very interesting music, with a strong emotional impact resulting in a dense, demanding listening experience. As usual, the most important factor is the effort to leave conventional approach behind and keep exploring, which this music surely represents. I am already waiting for the next album, but in the meantime this one is certainly worth investigating!

Updated: 15/07/2020Posted: 15/07/2020

CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend

DARIUSZ PETERA ~ FLASHOVER REQUIEM / LYDIAN 2019/4 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2018 Released: 2019 This is the debut album as a leader by Polish Jazz pianist / composer Dariusz PeteraFind albums by this artist recorded in a sextet setting with some of the top Polish Jazz musicians: trumpeter Emil MiszkFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Maciej KocinskiFind albums by this artist, cellist Krzysztof LenczowskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Andrzej SwiesFind albums by this artist and drummer Krzysztof SzmandaFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten original compositions, all by Petra. The music was recorded at the excellent RecPublica Studios and offers a superb sound quality. It also offers a highly aesthetic packaging. The music is a wonderful example of contemporary Polish / European Jazz, which combines melodic themes with open structures, which enable the music to spread freely in many different directions not being limited by traditional Jazz pre-conceptions, resulting in many unexpected manifestations of the compositional palette. Petera certainly arises as a new talent on the local Jazz scene and the fact that the last time he took part in recording an album happened six years ago is very intriguing. But the long wait was certainly worthwhile, as the compositions on this album are all perfectly rounded and coherent, mature and most importantly present unique personal stylistic idiosyncrasies, characterized by the dominant role of the rhythmic pulse, which stands on the same level as the melodic and harmonic contents. The performances are all absolutely stellar, which of course is hardly surprising. Kocinski, Swies and Szmanda, who together with Krzysztof DysFind albums by this artist at the piano played together for many years as the sublime SoundcheckFind albums by this artist quartet, one of my favorite Polish Jazz ensembles which sadly dropped off the horizon, are of course Masters of the trade. Lenczowski, who made a spectacular career with the Atom String QuartetFind albums by this artist and recorded superb solo albums, is a Superstar. And finally Miszk, who is the most in demand young generation upcoming Polish Jazz trumpeter. In short Petera might have as well called this ensemble All Stars. Of course Petera also plays excellently, but respectfully shares the spotlight more or less evenly with the rest of the sextet members. Overall this album is undoubtedly a notable event on the Polish Jazz scene, especially in view of the incredibly high competition that scene generates. It is also a splendid debut effort, which hopefully will be followed by many similar achievements of the same significance and Artistic scale. Well done indeed!

Updated: 30/05/2019Posted: 30/05/2019

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

STEVE SMITH ~ FLASHPOINT MASCOT 7175 (Barcode: 8712725717522) ~ USA ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2005 Released: 2005 Veteran Fusion drummer Steve SmithFind albums by this artist combines forces with three other extraordinary musicians to form one the best Fusion ensembles ever. Legendary saxophonist Dave LiebmanFind albums by this artist needs no introduction and his exceptional work since his days with the Miles DavisFind albums by this artist group has always been a beacon of innovation and excellence in the jazz world. The same can be said about the legendary bassist Anthony JacksonFind albums by this artist, whose illustrious career includes playing with Chick CoreaFind albums by this artist, Michel PetruccianiFind albums by this artist and countless other jazz stars. The fourth member of the band, Turkish keyboards player Aydin EsenFind albums by this artist, is the only relatively unknown musician in the group, but his performances and compositions prove beyond any shadow of a doubt that he belongs to the same class of musicianship with his three companions. The music is simply breathtaking and overwhelming from the very first moment this record starts playing to the very last note. The music (written mostly by Liebman and Esen) is rich in textures and incredibly intense. The performances are stellar, with one solo chasing another. The entire session just flows beautifully, simultaneously filling the listener with energy and stimulating his intellect. Definitely one of the strongest, cleverest and most fulfilling Fusion albums recorded in the 21st Century. Wholeheartedly recommended!

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

TUBIS TRIO ~ FLASHBACK AUDIO CAVE 2018/010 (Barcode: 5905669566612) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2018 Released: 2018 This is the third album by Polish Jazz piano trio called Tubis TrioFind albums by this artist led by pianist / composer Maciej TubisFind albums by this artist with bassist Pawel PuszczaloFind albums by this artist and drummer Przemyslaw PacanFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight original compositions, all by the leader. The music is deeply melodic and often melancholic, strongly related to the typical Polish harmonics, soaked in Polish musical heritage, but also touching upon serial music and minimalism. It floats somewhere between popular instrumental music, contemporary Classical Music and Jazz, but escapes clear stylistic or genre classification. However the music does have a coherent compositional language and approach, definitely more precisely defined than on the earlier albums by Tubis, which means that he reached herein his maturity as a composer. This album also marks the position of the trio as a close musical unit, way more prominently than on the earlier recordings, which were dominated by the piano parts. On this album the music features the piano and the rhythm section side by side as equal partners. Although the melodic content is obviously stated by the piano, the bass and the drums are clearly present all along the way, recorded on the same level and being inseparable from the piano parts. Although the music is only somewhat related to Jazz, being intrinsically quite distant from the mainstream Jazz idiom, the Jazz listeners are probably the most immediate audience, to which this music should speak straightforwardly. But of course any open-minded and sensitive music lover should be able to enjoy it to the max. In spite of its seemingly easy nature, this music requires serious and attentive listening and a lot of patience, as it utilizes nontrivial harmonic structures and odd meters, quirky tempo alterations and other compositional tricks of the trade. Overall this is by far the most interesting offering by Tubis to date, a mature, coherent piece of music, which clearly presents him and his cohorts as a slick musical unit and offers his compositional vision in full bloom. Warmly recommended!

Updated: 20/10/2018Posted: 16/10/2018

CD 1 Digipak Slipcase Recommend To A Friend