Sean Trane
Probably Herbie’s rockiest release, with the late great Duane Allman’s guitars splattered all over the album, this is the ideal entry point to rockheads to enter the jazzy realm. Indeed the album is even more jazz-rock than his more experimental Stone Flute album. Some might have a problem with the artwork, but please disregard it as a era-infection, because in no way is this representative of the album’s musical content, which is a steaming jazz-rock, that often borders on the irresistible.
Indeed the album opens of the fantastic 10-mins+ title track and is soon followed (after a shorter and cooler interlude of What’s Going On) by the 9-mins+ Sprits in The Dark, both lengthy instrumentals where Duane’s guitars roars along with Herbie’s flute and Tee’s Rhodes. Fantastic stuff. The flipside is made of shorter tracks (where DWayne is NOT there ;o)))) that are still going from enthralling to calmer stuff, but there are no weaker spots either.
If you’re coming from the rock realm, no doubt this is the album to start with. Sometimes stunning, often enthralling, this album is a must-have
