Sean Trane Third and last album (for the 70’s anyway) from the ex-Weather report bassist Alphonso Johnson, this time helped out by from what it looks like a set-group (this might have been a regular band, maybe they even toured) and in the reduced guest list, only Pat Thrall (future Pat Travers Band and Glen Hughes) rings a bell to yours truly. A rather boring photo, but showing the Chapman graces the album’s cover.

If Johnson appears with that now-famous Chapman stickon the cover, the least we can say is that it is all over this album as well >> it can even serve as a demo for the instrument makers.. The first half has three sung tunes, which is generally not good news in jazz-rock, but then again, most of the tracks on that album don’t really qualify as such (funky jazz-funk at most ;o))). Nothing really transcendental or even remotely interesting on this side. Musically, this album is all over the map, a bit like the other two, but again there are four sung tracks, even if the sidelong suite Earthtales only gets a couple lines, twice. Don’t get your hopes up to high about it though…. The first half is downright boring (nothing exciting happening), but around the 2/3 mark, it does get more exciting as they all crank up the volume and passed on the third gear… there are good moments in there, but unfortunately a bit tempered by disputable synth sounds of the late-70’s. Just like his other two 70’s albums, this is hardly essential (except for the Chapman stick), and if you want to discover his works, I suggest you start with Yesterday’s Dream.

Sean Trane Second album from the (not yet) ex-Weather Report bassist, released the same year as his debut solo effort, but this time, the guest list is a little less stellar, where only Lee Ritenour and Ian Underwood return and an appearance from Chester Thompson (the drummer). Graced with an interesting artwork (pre-figuring the future Journey album artworks in a few years) released on Epic, the album contains 8 songs all written by Alphonso himself, except for the album opening and closing tracks, which are collective efforts. This a typical mid-70’s musical industry made in LA, so don’t get your hopes up to high is the best advice I can give you.

A bit like the previous album, the musical direction point to every corner of the map. There are some soul-funk tracks (the opening The Way I Feel and Show Us The Way). There are some technical/complex and generally instrumental funk tracks with jazz overtones (As Little As You, Scapegoat, Balls To The Wall) that are actually fairly impressive (and generally better appreciated by yours truly), but I find that Chic did those a whole lot better, but there is again some cool developments in these, especially from Grover Washington’s sax.

Alphonso’s ultra-funky bass of course dictates the style of music, to the point that those non-funk ones lose a little credibility. Balls To The Wall is probably the album’s most “most” moment of the album (no surprises if you look at the best possible combination from the invited participants), sounding close to a good Return To Forever. Tales Of Barcelona has a slightly proggy Santana sound (circa Illuminations or Borboletta)and serves of an intro to Flight To Hampstead, which is also in a jazz-rock template, gradually growing to Zappa-like music towards its end, courtesy of a Underwood-iam xylophone. The closing funk-jazz One To One is worthy of a mention as well.

A bit better than Moonshadows, but certainly not more essential. Good musicianship and professional recording & production make this a good album, especially the B-side), but not much more. I’m glad I have my library system to listen to such albums, should I ever feel like re-listening to them. Actually by taking all three of his 70’s albums, you could probably cook up a solid compilation.

Sean Trane First solo album from the ex-Weather Report bassist, group he left to work with Cobham, but he started recording his own solo albums, and Moonshadows is his first. Released in 76 on the Epic label, the album might have switched front and back cover illustrations (nit-picking, here), but Alphonso chose some mighty friends for his debut solo: Leon Chancler, Narada Walden, Alphonse Mouzon, Flora Purim, and hubby Airto Moreira, Bennie Maupin, Ian Underwood, just to name a few. Johnson was first a stand-up or contrabass player, but switched to electric bass and became one of the Chapman stick explorer and there is all three on this album.

Despite the many Latin-American players, this album is not as ethnic as you’d fear it to be, especially knowing that Johnson was still in WR’s Black Market. You can’t really label this album as jazz-funk either. It’s probably best to describe it as fusion or jazz-fusion and in that regards, it’s fairly typical of mid-70’s album of that microcosm. Starting on a typical jazz-funk of Stump, the album moves quickly to a slow-starting Involuntarily Bliss and the music gradually picks up, only to return to the smooth gliding layers of the start of the track with Flora Purim’s aerial scats. Not fascinating, but soothing. Cosmoba Place starts on a descending guitar riff, but it soon dissolves to make space for a piano ostinato, before the guitar returns in rock-fashion histrionics with excellent drumming (Walden I gather) before moving on to other delightful passages. Excellent stuff. Maupin’s typical bass clarinet opens Pandora’s Box over cymbal scratches, but there is little happening, besides a slow pedestrian bass.

Another funk-jazz track, Up From The Cellar, opens the flipside (which unlike the other is not all Johnson-penned) and you’d believe you’re on a Mysterious Traveller album, if it wasn’t for Purim’s soft singing, Alphonso’s ultra funk and technical bass being the centre of attention. Certainly the weak track on this album, IMHO. Amarteifio is a quiet and slow soft jazz that oozes boredom over sea waves. On The Case is the more essential track on this side, with a strong rock-like guitar over a Rhodes-led funk-rock with lots of bravura. The closing track is an ambitious (but flawed) uptempo jazz-rock piece that moves into different passages (some convincing, others less), but the pompous vocals ruin it partially.

An interesting album that shows Alphonso's greatest strengths AND weaknesses at the same time and has certainly not revolutionize the JR/F genre, but to those interested in WR–related works, Alphonso’s first solo album is certainly worth putting an ear on it and even own it if he wants to consolidate his JR/F. Not essential or groundbreaking, but good enough to draw your attention, despite a few flaws, but personally I’ll pass on it.