AMALGAM — Prayer for Peace (review)

AMALGAM — Prayer for Peace album cover Album · 1969 · Avant-Garde Jazz Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
Sean Trane
An amazing first album for this Amalgamated quartet (well a trio really, since the second bassist only plays on the closing title track), a project lead by saxman Trevor Watts, PFP might seem a tad psychedelic due to the strongly artistic late-60’s artwork, but it’s quite misleading, because the music is firmly entrenched in the jazz realm, somewhere between free-form and traditional jazz. It might be a little misleading to label the present album as avant-garde, but we’re not that far away from Impulse!’s New Thing.

What can be said of a sax-lead trio, as the possibilities are rather limited and everything that could be done has been said in the sidelong Tales Of Sadness opening the FPF album. Watts’ sax does go sometimes beyond the dissonance barrier, but it’s nothing shocking to open trad-jazzheads. The soundscapes are a tad more extreme or free in the three-part Judy’s Smile (actually three improvisations on the original theme) that fills most of the flipside, but again nothing too screechy or dissonant, as all three remain gentle both rhythmically and harmonically. The closing title has Barry Guy on the bowed-contrabass, but while I generally like this, in this case, I find it a miss. So, while PFP is certainly worthy of a listen (or five), I wouldn’t say that it is haunting or fascinating and certainly won’t rivet you to the edge of your seat.
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

6 Eclectic Fusion
KROKOFANT
Buy this album from MMA partners
Spring In Stockholm Live At Konserthuset, 1959 Cool Jazz
GERRY MULLIGAN
Buy this album from MMA partners
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
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