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In the mid 70s, as the genres of jazz fusion and progressive rock peaked in popularity, bands within the two styles seemed to seek a merger, with instrumental rock artists reaching for more jazz in their music, while the fusion crowd borrowed from rock’s heavier side. This sort of fusion of fusions continues with many artists till today, with a good example being Dean Watson and his recent album, “Fantasizer’. If you can imagine a jazzier Camel mixed with Alan Holdsworth, and early Bill Bruford all played with a modern precision and sound, then you might have something similar to Watson’s latest creation. Apparently Dean played every instrument on here and he is quite capable on both guitar and keyboards. I will guess that he programmed the drums, but they sound very real and human, and possibly some of that was played live as well.
All of these songs are well composed and feature complex arrangements that twist and turn through multiple styles and change-ups. Aside from all the business, there are some moments of pure fun on “Freak” where Watson becomes a one-man Deep Purple with an aggressive guitar solo over a fast Ian Paice beat pushed by a rhythm Hammond B3. Overall, “Fantasizer” is a great album for fans of instrumental progressive rock, or the rockier side of fusion. Watson is a very good guitar player with a very precise and clean technique, his keyboard chops aren’t bad either.
