CYMANDE — Second Time Round (review)

CYMANDE — Second Time Round album cover Album · 1973 · World Fusion Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
Sean Trane
Second album from the London-based octet follows the same blueprint as they had for their debut album of the previous year. With a largely un-changed setting (line-up + technicians), the same label, the album came with another impressive artwork from the same painter.

The album starts on the very strong Anthracite (a very black coal, burning very well), which ignites the fire in your veins with its upbeat funky track gliding over distant brass lines, occasionally letting sax and flute getting personal with the listener. Excellent stuff. Willy’s Headache is an aerial flute-laden soft jazzy track that last only two seconds longer than you wish it to and is soon followed by Genevieve, which is another excellent track where the insistent brass ostinato create a special tension that the vocals is only too happy to deal with.

The album is not quite as “perfect” as its predecessor, since there are a few tracks of lesser interest, including the more trad-African drum track For Baby Woh and… Fug is an up-tempo ethnic track (this sounds like Zulu rhythms) where the brass section attack both in the front ranks, but also in the background.

While Second Time around is another very worthy album, it doesn’t have the amount of excellent tracks its predecessor had and furthermore, it lacks the surprise the first album had given us.

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

LP on LP 06 : "Simple" / "Blaze On" 8/6/21 Jazz Related Rock
PHISH
Buy this album from MMA partners
LP On LP 05 : "Twist" / "Stash" 4/2/98 Jazz Related Rock
PHISH
Buy this album from MMA partners
Ballads Post Bop
NOAH PREMINGER
Buy this album from MMA partners
Heavy Drops Nu Jazz
ADAM BEN EZRA
Buy this album from MMA partners
Remembering Now RnB
VAN MORRISON
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Jazz Online Videos

Van Morrison - Down To Joy (Official Video)
VAN MORRISON
snobb· 9 hours ago
Free Palestine
DANIEL FERRUZ
js· 18 hours ago
Yasorey
LAWRENCE FIELDS
js· 18 hours ago
Dub Syndicate - Intercommunications (Official Audio)
DUB SYNDICATE
js· 1 day ago
Merkurie
JUNGLE PILOTS
js· 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
Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed