FunkFreak75 A band from Czechoslovakia that I'd not heard of before this album. How such wonderful and creative music was coming out of Communist countries is a bit of a mystery to me--as well as how they were gaining access behind the "Iron Curtain" to the "Western" music that was obviously inspiring is equally curious. I might need to bone up on my 20th Century history a little.

1. "Ze tmy do světla (From Dark to Light)" (6:05) plodding, cinematic music that is suddenly disrupted by an androgenous, at-times almost Janis Joplin ("Pearl")-like vocal from Joan Duggan: singing Portia's famous "The quality of mercy is not strained, …" from William Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice. while employing a little of John McLaughlin's "Resolution" beneath parts of it. (8.75/10)

2. "Ztracená láska (Lost Soul)" (6:05) a much-more-blues-rock song with raspy Pearl-like vocals singing what sounds like more famous poetry over some Jeff Beck like heavy blues-rock music. Joan Duggan's voice is strong, powerful, confident, and definitely the best part of these songs, but it's raw, bluesy style is not usually one of my favorites. Maybe the excellent musicianship beneath her helps elevate her performances. (8.875/10)

3. "Hvězdný pták (Starbird)" (7:25) opens as a beautiful, heavily emotional song to support the gorgeous vocal (in English) from Joan Duggan. Though slow and sometimes simple (and plodding) the music of the first three and a half minutes is filled with so many wonderfully interesting and engaging nuances and flourishes, and then there is an all-instrumental period in the fifth and sixth minutes in which electric guitar and electric piano get the chance to solo--and then the shift to Latin rhythms and scatting for the final 0:45 is totally wonderful. Not your usual prog lover's jazz-rock fusion song, but an excellent song anyway: great melodies (14/15)

4. "Čaroděj (The Wizard)" (16:25) opens with 75 seconds of gentle electric piano play before bass line, rhythm guitar line, and drums and percussion line up to set up the Latinized rock foundation over which Joan Duggan again sings. She is quite a talent! After a couple of minutes supporting the vocal, the rhythm section continues on in the same SANTANA-like vein in support of a nice Martin Kratochvíl electric piano solo. In the seventh minute we see the return of Joan Duggan in the spotlight. I really like her vocal style: it reminds me a bit of Annette Peacock. Guitarist Frantiek Francl gets a little shine in the eighth minute before the music completely stops to allow some spacious electric piano chords to support electric bassist Vladimr Padrůněk's solo over the next two minutes. I really enjoy the dynamic range exhibited in this one: the upbeat happy-go-lucky parts supporting Joan's fun vocal contrasted with the heavier, more serious passage given to the bass solo and beyond. The musicians fall a little into more rudimentary blues-rock toward the end, but it's still a great listen. (27.5/30)

5. "Epilogue" (3:25) dreamy electric piano, electric bass, and "distant" horns and percussion populate this instrumental's sonic field as we bring the album to a close. It's a cross between Rainer Brüninghaus and "Auld Lang Syne." (8.75/10)

Total Time 39:25

To my mind (and ears), this is album's music is a step backwards for this band--or, at least, as step away from Jazz-Rock Fusion (which is, I have to admit, what I'm always hoping to find) and more into heavy blues-rock.

A-/4.5 stars; a minor-masterpiece of interesting and unusual vocal jazz-rock music.

FunkFreak75 Martin Kratochvíl and company are experimenting with new sounds and simpler, more melody-oriented styles.

1. "Klekánice" (6:20) some interesting multi-scenic cinematic music opens this with guitarist Lubos Andrst getting some extended solo time in the second and third minutes on his acoustic guitar. At 2:40, then, the band suddenly bursts forward into fourth gear, racing smoothly down a country highway, occasionally slowing down with an oft-repeated bridge in order to negotiate turns on the road. Then, at 4:20, the band stops with a really weird change in motif which turns out only to be a different bridge (maybe a covered bridge), but then it launches right back into the fourth gear motif for some proficient electric guitar work. An okay and interesting start to the album. At least this one's true Jazz- Rock Fusion.(8.875/10)

2. "Vzkřísení" (5:15) opens with a little BOB JAMES-like feel and sound before Lubos' bluesy electric guitar steers us into an unexpected direction. But it's Martin Kratochvíl's synth (MiniMoog D) that takes the real first lead: eschewing melody for the selected sound's ghostly effect while the rest of the band maintains the rock-solid three-chord foundation. At 3:38 Lubos bursts in again, trying to re-assert the fact that this is really supposed to be a blues-rock song. But then Martin takes the next solo on his Fender Rhodes. Some very interesting elements to this song but, in the end, it's just not anything very memorable. (8.75/10)

3. "Slépěj" (5:30) guitar leading straightaway over Fender Rhodes and the rest of the band, here they are obviously trying to deliver a "pop" like melody--one with memorable hooks in it--and they are pretty successful. I love Premysl Faukner's free and undisciplined bass play throughout. And Martin gois into some of the most jazzy keyboard play he uses on the whole album. Lubos' electric guitar play is wonderfully nuanced: He even goes through some fiery John McLaughlin and melodic Santana imitations before he stops. Definitely a top three song for me. (9.125/10)

4. "Jinotaj" (4:30) Martin's piano (electric but on its most "acoustic" setting) is joined by his MiniMoog, setting forth a slow-paced motif with long, sustained note play from the synth lead. Synth strings join in the second minute as the MiniMoog continues its explorations. Jazzy chord progression from the piano in the third minute leads to a temporary key change, and then back down to something lower for the fourth minute. Interesting. Almost a lullaby. Almost a nocturne or ballad. (8.75/10)

5. "Třísť" (4:30) two melody lines coming from guitar and Fender Rhodes create a dreamy weave that is then joined by the rest of the band with Martin adding the MiniMoog to the slow-and-steady rock and roll palette. Lubos takes the first extended solo. (8.75/10)

6. "Korouhvička" (4:30) high registers of two synthesizers playing fast arpeggios give the opening the sound of a flock of birds chirpping around. Guitar, bass, cymbals begin to add their slow melodic notes to the mix, then one of Martin's keyboards peels off to try to lead, but the big reveal of structured music comes at 2:27 with a surprising blues-based motif--which lasts less than a minute before the musicians back off, returning to the roosting birds motif of the first two minutes. Weird. (8.666667/10)

7. "Krůpěj" (4:50) more shlock and surprisingly simplistic music and syrupy melodies. I do like the weird effect given the bass. (8.75/10)

8. "Větroplach" (7:25) bass and MiniMoog open this one, as in "Tríst", making a two-melody weave. ARP strings join in support of Premusl and then chorused Fender Rhodes before the drums and full keyboard complement join in during the second minute. Again Martin and the leads are trying to create melodies that are pretty and memorable, but they err a bit too much on the side of pretty, sounding often like Spyro Gyra smooth jazz. A Steely Dan-like tangent is taken in the third minute as Jan Martinec's soprano sax returns for the second appearance on the album. Still, the chord progressions and support melodies are just too melodic: they've sacrificed rhythmic creativity (even Jirí Helsic's nuanced drum play) for "prettiness." (13/15)

Total Time 42:50

The sound choices and musical style choices made by the band do not work for me: the former is too experimental and rushed into, the latter too simplistic and easy--and the melodies are just too simple. Plus, there's just something weird about the overall sound engineering. The band's exploration of the possibilities of Jazz-Rock Fusion has only resulted in some middle-of-the road Smooth Jazz.

B-/3.5 stars; while exploring a lot of interesting ideas with a lot of interesting sounds, the songs on this album are very inconsistent in style, complexity, and sound quality. The shift over to Smooth Jazz is in process. Not the best Jazz Q album to start with.

FunkFreak75 Pretty unusual and, at times, awesome jazz-rock, jazz-fusion, and sometimes even proggy music from the Czechoslovakian scene in the early 1970s.

A1. "Pori 72" (13:00) a four-part suite of mostly slow, spacious, tension-filled KING CRIMSON-like bass and drum interplay with pensive electric piano and electric guitar intermittently adding some chords or notes. I really love the creativity of bass player Vladimír Padrunek. Just after the start of the third movement, one that is much more active and dynamic, if rock-oriented--around the five minute mark--Lubos Andrst begins a guitar solo that is right in league with any of the wildest eruptions that John McLaughlin ever did in the previous three years! Martin Krtochvíl even gets into the frenzy with his Fender Rhodes while the rhythm section creates a kind of SANTANA "Waves Within" (from Caravanserai)-like foundation beneath. And then in the second half of the fourth movement he does it again, this time with some more latest-greatest effects on his electric guitar--this time the sound that Robert Fripp on "Book of Saturdays." Outstanding: both of Lubos' solos. Overall, this is a very unusual, intriguing, and definitely interesting song--one that I like very much. (24.5/25)

A2. "Pozorovatelna (The Watch-Tower)" (6:45) the first half is jazz-fusion of the bluesy type, Martin Kratochvíl's Fender Rhodes often bending the sound toward the contemporary J-RF direction but then riffing off some bluesy runs to make one question that commitment. Guitarist Lubos Andrst's guitar play (and tone) on this one is definitely all blues-rock/blues. I like the chunky bass: it reminds me of someone playing underwater. (13.125/15)

B1. "Trifid" (9:20) an intriguing start that seems to offer tons of potential, but then the bluesy solos begin and with it the rather simple foundational play continues, making me sad for the missed opportunity. The long electric guitar solo sixth and seventh minutes sounds a lot like the work BUDDY GUY (which is not a bad thing, just not your usual J-R Fuse finding). Then, out of the blue, at the 7:11 mark, the singing voice of a woman comes into the picture telling us that she loves [somebody] so in a very polished, seasoned alto voice. Wow! Weird! Especially when she starts to go into her own Clare Torey "Great Gig in the Sky" vocalese. Not a bad song just an odd mish-mash of seemingly disparate parts and missed opportunities. (17.5/20)

B2. "Klobásové Hody (Sausage Feast)" (5:38) opens as a slow, plodding MILES/HERBIE-like spacious adventure into space with chunky bass and spacey reverb-treated Fender Rhodes being the most conspicuous instruments in the field. Midway through the song (at 2:35) the music turns raunchy raw R&Blues rock just like JEFF BECK's with rolling bass line, two-step drum beat, and loud, in-your-face blues-rock guitar play--sounding like a reworking of "Freeway Jam" (a song that wouldn't be coming out to the public for another couple of years. (8.75/10)

B3. "Kartágo (Carthage)" (4:28) the presence of plaintive violin in the background of this slow, background cinematic music is pretty cool as I keep expecting the appearance of a Max Schrek-like vampire from behind the shadows. Martin's Fender Rhodes takes over the lead in the second half of the song, feeling as if channeling his own improvisational internal world, playing as if almost introspectively. Very cool song. My second favorite song on the album. (9.25/10)

Total Time 39:11

Very nice rendering of the individual instruments (though, admittedly, the field is rather sparse with usually only four or five tracks being occupied) though I am not always a fan of the sounds the band and its musicians (and producer and engineers) have chosen for the instruments. The first and last songs are huge winners (I am choosing, as usual, to review only the songs that were released on the 1973 vinyl album release

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of what amounts, at times, to creative, adventurous Jazz-Rock Fusion, at others more Blues-Rock or R&Blues-Rock music. Definitely a wonderfully intriguing listening experience!