FunkFreak75 Recorded in The Netherlands on March 16 & 17, 1974 (in between the two recording dates of Charlie Mariano's Cascade!!) Six of the songs here are attributed to band leader van't Hof, three to bassist John Lee.

Line-up / Musicians: - Jasper Van't Hof / acoustic piano, keyboards - Zbigniew Seifert / violin - Wim Overgaauw / electric guitar, banjo - John Lee / electric bass - Gerry Brown / drums, percussion

A1. "Bax" (7:50) a truly obnoxious syncopated two-note bass anchoring this otherwise interesting song into hell spoils, for me, the wonderful performances of Gerry Brown (amazing!), Jasper van't Hof, and violinist Zbigniew Seifert. I think Jasper thought he was Herbie Hancock or something. I feel sorry for John Lee (to be held hostage like that). (13.25/15)

A2. "Viber Snake" (5:12) opening with some loose and very sparse piano and bass support to some absolutely wonderful "flamenco jazz" guitar work from Wim Overgaauw. At the very end of the third minute Wim stops and the plaintive notes of Zbigneiw's violin are doubled and backed by Jasper's piano chords and Wim's guitar chords and other frivolous flourishes. Interesting composition. (8.875/10) A3. "Eye-ball 1 (Piano Solo)" (3:37) a jazzified classical piece in the Keith Emerson tradition? Sounds an awful lot like something Keith would do. It sounds a lot like a jazzy rendition of an Aaron Copeland song. (8.75/10)

A4. "Hyrax" (5:55) the first of John Lee's contributions is, unfortunately, another song in which John finds himself trapped into a endless syncopated two-note cycle while everyone around him gets to play, explore, and, hopefully, have fun. There is a bit of a dour, "hard-work" feel to the performances. Some weird, wah-wah-ed synth work from Jasper is the highlight of this otherwise one-dimensional song (at least, one dimensional during the solo-support passages). Luckily, Gerry is allowed enough freedom to display his prodigious talent. Turns out that Zbigniew's violin is also being fed through a distorting wah-effects pedal, as his solo is quite reflective of Jasper's. Wim's syncopated rhythm guitar chord hits provide a distracting accent (almost negatively so), but the main melody is pretty good--and performed in an interesting way. Fade out. (8.875/10)

B1. "Schwester Johanna" (6:15) this fast-paced display of instrumental virtuosity sounds like Jean-Luc Ponty playing with the Pat Metheny Group, but it's not. It's Zbigniew Seifert and Jasper van't Hof. But, man! John Lee, Gerry Brown, and Wim Overgaauw's rhythm guitar are sure smokin' up the joint! This six-minute sprint would be a test of anyone's stamina and concentration! (9.5/10)

B2. "Laur" (4:17) moody volume-controlled bass chords open this with spacey synth single notes notes and whistles and exotic percussion sounds. Then Zbigniew and Jasper enter with violin and Vangelis-like Fender Rhodes. This beautiful little dreamy jazz tune is a John Lee composition! But it's so very mature, multi-dimensional, and polished! Take me to this person (or place), please! (9/10)

B3. "One Leg Missing" (3:06) opens with what sounds like some East Asian percussion and instruments (banjo, violin, and spaced-out plucked eighth notes on the bass) providing what sounds like the cacophony of a small third world village celebration (for a big meal). Gerry's play soon turns to his drum kit, where he puts on quite a display of drum mastery. (8.875/10)

B4. "Eye-ball 2 (Piano Solo)" (4:57) solo Jasper. It's very smooth and melodic, flowing beautifully on top as the left hand chord hits provide some referent points. Nice work from a confident and thoughtful player. I'm not usually much of a fan of solo piano work, but this is the kind of stuff I can enjoy. (8.875/10)

B5. "The Rev" (4:20) the final John Lee composition is another surprisingly loose and more-than-two-dimensionally-constructed tune. Zbigniew and Jasper (on synth) open things up by introducing the kind of loosey-goosey, happy-go-lucky melody before backing off for Wim to take a turn in the lead with an odd-sounding guitar (like it's an elephant being muted inside a milk bottle) mixed very quietly into the near background. Zbigniew gets the next solo before Jasper's electric piano takes a turn. Then the song is faded out. A solid song that presents nothing really great or innovative. (8.75/10)

B/four stars; an excellent acquisition for any lover of jazz-rock fusion.