Sean Trane
Chronologically second Cuneiform label BoB album (but first released), Travelling Somewhere dates from Jan 73 and was recorded in Bremen for a Radio broadcast, so it is predated by the Eclipse At Dawn release. Again with a relatively stable line-up (only Evan Parker replacing Alan Skidmore), the BoB played a three-set gig. As time wore on, BoB was getting more experimental or extreme and the dissonant and free passages were taking the lion’s share of the sets, as can be heard between the EaD set and the present
As you can imagine with three normal sets, choices had to be made due to time restrictions of a single CD, so some tracks had to be faded out to be fitted on the album, most notably the closing Do It, which you can hear on other live BoB albums. From their two studio album released before the present broadcast, only MRA, The Bride, Think Of Something and Do It are present, the rest being concert faves, and not necessarily the obvious crowd pleasers. Even the more gentle numbers like Bride are given a fairly rough treatment with some sceachy saxes. If McGregor’s adventures on the London jazz scene are unavoidable, I wouldn’t certify you that his works is really essential to traditional or casual jazz fans, but avant-garde heads will certainly think so. Choosing between EaD and the present TS might prove difficult, but if you’re more trad than avant, the former might please you better.