FERMÁTA — Pieseň z hôľ ( Song From Ridges) (review)

FERMÁTA — Pieseň z hôľ ( Song From Ridges) album cover

Album · 1976 · Fusion

5/5 · 2024-10-11
FunkFreak75

The Slovakian band's sophomore album disspells any worry about a "slump": instead, the band shows how serious they are--and how hard they've been working since their debut.

1. "Pieseň z hôľ (Song From Ridges)" (11:07) the use of a wide sonic field with this bass and guitar opening catches the listener a little off guard but quickly flows into quite an awesome display of music with breathtaking performances from all four of the musicians (though especially guitarist Frantisek Griglák: the virtuoso has arrived!)Anton Jaro's nuanced bass play is brilliant, drummer Cyril Zeleňák's play quite solid and in the pocket, while maestro Tomás Berka's play on Fender Rhodes and synth are as extraordinary and inventive as ever. But really, giving Frantisek Griglák's guitar playing two (or more) tracks to show off his new, near-Jan Akkerman skills is almost unfair to the others. At the end of the sixth minute Cyril is given an additional track for some interesting "background" conga play. Then the band moves slightly into a different Al Di Meola-like lane with new guitar sounds and new synth sounds--all the while with Anton and Cyril holding down the blistering pace from below with astonishing ease. Now this is some powerful Jazz-Rock Fusion on the level of RETURN TO FOREVER. Probably the best--and my favorite--song on the album. (19.5/20)

2. "Svadba na medvedej lúke (Marriage On A Bears Meadow)" (4:15) the band puts on display how closely they've been keeping up with the Anglo-American Jazz-Rock Fusion scene with some Billy Cobham-like drumming, smooth-yet-funky Stanley Clarke like bass playing, and dreamy, experimental synth and Fender Rhodes play. Excellent, excellent song. Love the Cobham-like drum intro! Probably the best--and my favorite--song on the album. (9.75/10)

3. "Posledný jarmok v Radvani (The Last Fair In Radvaň)" (4:31) simple drums and wildly inventive-yet-melodic bass play from Anton Jaro (the guy is a metronomic miracle!) The band gets their funk out! Listen to guitarist Frantisek Griglák's funky guitar plucking! Plus, there are some amazing whole-band riffs, bridges, and weaves. Definitely a very intricately constructed composition that required a lot of practice to perform as well as some extraordinary skill to pull off. Probably the best--and my favorite--song on the album. (9.75/10)

4. "Priadky (Spinning)" (7:37) a slow, spacious opening with Fender Rhodes chords and percussion sounds gradually start building up tension and speed until Tomás chord play establish a rhythmic pattern upon which the rest of the band jump on board around the 90-second mark, forming one of the most engaging, melodic and yet funky jazz-rock themes I've ever heard. Amazing! Tomás work has never been better! So creative! And, with a little maturity he's figured out how the use of space within his playing can be advantageous. Frantisek's guitar only sneaks in during the fourth minute, eventually taking the lead in the sixth minute with more of a rock-blues-rock staccato style. (not my favorite.) Then, in the sixth minute, things slow down for a Fender and synth reset before Anton and Cyril re-establish an amazing groove over which percussion and Frantisek's rhythm and background lead work contribute. The real stars of the show here, for me, are Anton and Tomás. Probably the best--and my favorite--song on the album. (14.25/15)

5. "Dolu Váhom (Downstream Váh)" (2:20) one-man band Tomás Berka presents a theme that funksters Anton and Cyril join. It turns out that Frantisek's absence is only due to the fact that he's also playing a synth, duelling with Tomás. It's nice, made great by the rhythm section, but nothing to write home about. (8.875/10)

6. "Vo Zvolene zvony zvonia (Bells Are Ringing In Zvolen)" (10:10) with a kind of DEODATO "Also Sprach Zarathustra"-like display of smooth melody-making the band here express their future goals of creating more accessible progressive rock/jazz-rock fusion. The addition of Milan Tedla's violin to the mix is quite nice--here taking the first solo in the third and fourth minutes. Next is one of Tomás' synths as well as some additional percussion sounds. The whole groove is just a little too laid back--even at 5:10 when the rhythm section shifts into a cutesy stop-and-go motif over which Tomás switches to a different synth sound for a solo. A minute later they switch back to the original smooth groove for another violin solo--this one turning into a bit of a duel between Tomás' array of synth (and Fender Rhodes) sounds and Milan's violin (as well as himself). (Who does he think he is? Jan Hammer?) Another thing that irritates me about this song is the slight/subtle shifts in tempo--are they trying to be cute or just showing off their astute skills? Plus, I'm not really a fan of the rapid and frequent keyboard sound shifts--as if purely to show off the number of sounds he's found. The skills on display are undeniable; it's the effect that bothers me: as if entertainment is the only end worth working toward, not the skill of comaraderie and working out intricate weaves as a whole band. (17.5/20)

Total Time: 40:00

I don't know why I'd never been steered toward this album before (due to the super-high acclaim given to the sublime Huascaran, obviously) but from a purely jazz-rock fusion perspective THIS is my favorite Fermáta album! It's so perfect! And so funky!

A/five stars; a veritable masterpiece of Jazz-Rock Fusion! Were it not for the disappointing weaknesses of the final two songs, this might be among my top five J-R Fuse albums of all-time!