GALAPAGOS DUCK — Ebony Quill (review)

GALAPAGOS DUCK — Ebony Quill album cover Album · 1974 · RnB Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
dreadpirateroberts
Galapagos Duck are one of Australia’s best known jazz groups, having recorded or toured with varying consistency since just before the 1970s, right up until much more recently, and in a variety of incarnations.

Perhaps best known for their jazz-funk soundtrack ‘The Removalists’ their debut ‘Ebony Quill’ was released around the same time and may have been overshadowed a little, but it’s a great record too – not amazing, but enjoyable without a doubt.

Opening with an atmospheric, extended percussion and reverb-heavy flute exploration, summoning visions of deep jungles, it’s a restless piece hampered a little by the short bass and wordless-vocal duet in the middle, but which is otherwise a fine if misleading opener – as the rest of ‘Ebony Quill’ is less experimental. Except for the brief, mysterious pair ‘And Then Out’ & ‘Out and Then In’ that work as interludes, the album is a little more funk and perhaps pop influenced at times, throwing in a few covers, like the partially convincing ‘The Look of Love.’ It's a shame that it sounds a little too cheesy with sax playing the vocal melody (it works better with trumpet halfway through) but the bouncing joy of ‘Tennessee Waltz’ is a great contrast. ‘Grazing in the Grass’ however, (a Hugh Masekela hit some years before) is the best-realised piece on the album. Drummer Qua throws in a playful nod to the cowbell at the beginning, before switching to the ride. Keeping the distinctive trumpet part, the band don’t try and tinker with the arrangement, instead simply stretching the song out to incorporate solos and simultaneously seeming to evoke the Australian clichés of 'chilled out' people hanging out in summer.

Willie Qua’s flute tends to dominate a lot of Galapagos Duck’s sound, and though everyone else gets solo space somewhere in the eight pieces, the focus toward the latter half switches to the saxophone. After the fantastic version of ‘Grazing in the Grass’ the band slow things down with the dramatic but still effective ‘Rivera Mountain’ where the saxes again lead, and close the record with a clear homage to Herbie Hancock, whose ‘Head Hunters’ had been released just the year before ‘Ebony Quill.’ It's an influence that would be felt even more clearly on ‘The Removalists.’ Not to say that ‘Mr Natural’ is unpleasant, but it won’t offer up any surprises, even if the solos are energetic and the rhythm section certainly know what to do. It is a fitting end to the set.

While not as consistently enjoyable as their follow up, this is still mostly enjoyable R&B influenced jazz, with some welcome variety on the originals and a growing funk influence.
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

Mikolaj Trzaska, Ingebrigt Haker Flaten, Paal Nilssen-Love : The Last Temple vol.3 Avant-Garde Jazz
MIKOŁAJ TRZASKA
Buy this album from MMA partners
Mikolaj Trzaska, Ingebrigt Haker Flaten, Paal Nilssen-Love : The Last Temple, Vol.1 Avant-Garde Jazz
MIKOŁAJ TRZASKA
Buy this album from MMA partners
Mikołaj Trzaska / Ingebrigt Håker Flaten / Paal Nilssen-Love : The Last Temple Vol.2 Avant-Garde Jazz
MIKOŁAJ TRZASKA
Buy this album from MMA partners
Sustain Avant-Garde Jazz
AALY TRIO
Buy this album from MMA partners
Sunset Park Post Bop
TOBIAS MEINHART
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Jazz Online Videos

FASCINATING RHYTHM - The Amazing Keystone Big Band feat. Neima Naouri
THE AMAZING KEYSTONE BIG BAND
snobb· 1 day ago
Alicante
RENAUD GARCIA-FONS
js· 1 day ago
She's Forty with Me
WILTON CRAWLEY
js· 1 day ago
Tall Tillie's Too Tight
WILTON CRAWLEY
js· 1 day ago
Rhoda Scott Ladies and Gentlemen - special guest : David Linx
RHODA SCOTT
snobb· 1 day 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