MAGMA — 2 (aka 1001° Centigrades) (review)

MAGMA — 2 (aka 1001° Centigrades) album cover Album · 1971 · Jazz Related Rock Buy this album from MMA partners
5/5 ·
siLLy puPPy
The Kobaian zeuhl rhythms that came bursting forth on the debut album seem to have wrested control from the other jazz-fusion tendencies of Christian Vander and his strange new musical entity MAGMA. On their second album 1001 DEGREES CENTIGRADES, that zeuhl bursts onto the scene right away indicating that a transition was taking place from the all encompassing type of a fusion to a more focused one that was quickly establishing itself as an entirely separate subgenre within the progressive rock world. However despite the ongoing battle between the newly formed zeuhl sound and jazz, it is the jazz-fusion aspect of the music that ultimately dominates the soundscape as it still retains a horn dominated arrangement. The operatic Orff inspired female vocals haven't come to be yet and the band began the continued decline in band members due to disagreement in musical direction. On this album Claude Engel took off leaving one less guitarist two other band members left and were replaced.

I love this album a lot. It takes a lot of the zaniness of the debut but it is clearly more refined and focused. The zeuhl developments seem to add a stabilizing effect to the whole thing. The midway point between the full-on frenzy of anything goes jazz-fusion to the total loss of it is a successful formula that finds zeuhl rhythms accompanied by beautiful jazz tinged melodies that have beautiful horn passages, lovely flute and clarinet parts and of course, frantic and frenzied Kobaian language skills finding itself shouted, screeched, screamed and uttered in startling ways. This album like the debut is one of my favorite MAGMA albums and although I love their entire output it is these first two that I find the most exotic and adventurous and unpredictable. As Christian Vander kept pushing the band towards the fully fledged zeuhl that would come to be on “MDK” it caused a rift in the band and ultimately saxophonist Jeff Seffer and keyboardist Francois Cahen would leave to form Zao which would continue the musical style of the first two MAGMA releases.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Jazz Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

JMA TOP 5 Jazz ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
A Love Supreme Post Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
Kind of Blue Cool Jazz
MILES DAVIS
Buy this album from our partners
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady Progressive Big Band
CHARLES MINGUS
Buy this album from our partners
Blue Train Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
My Favorite Things Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners

New Jazz Artists

New Jazz Releases

Henry House Jazz Related Improv/Composition
NATE WOOLEY
Buy this album from MMA partners
Joëlle Léandre / Lotte Anker / Kresten Osgood Trio : Worlds Avant-Garde Jazz
JOËLLE LÉANDRE
Buy this album from MMA partners
Schlippenbach / Narvesen Duo : Kairos Avant-Garde Jazz
ALEXANDER VON SCHLIPPENBACH
Buy this album from MMA partners
Antiworld I Avant-Garde Jazz
LOTTE ANKER
Buy this album from MMA partners
Prismes à l'eau 21st Century Modern
DANIEL HUMAIR
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Jazz Online Videos

Symphonic Blues Nº 6 (Movement 3)
CORKY SIEGEL
js· 5 hours ago
SOLSTICE album release • Duo Russo - Holst
PAOLO RUSSO
js· 16 hours ago
Akiko Yano & Hiromi - Kawarushi (Official Audio)
HIROMI
js· 2 days ago
All I Want For Christmas Is You
DAVID HAZELTINE
js· 2 days ago
Chicken
QUATUOR EBÈNE
js· 3 days ago
More videos

New JMA Jazz Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Jazz News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed