LLOYD MCNEILL — Washington Suite (review)

LLOYD MCNEILL — Washington Suite album cover Live album · 1970 · Fusion Buy this album from MMA partners
4.5/5 ·
Sean Trane
LMcN’s third album, Washington Suite is also known (AKA) as Asha 3 (a reference to his debut album), but we’re dealing more with a gentle JR/F album than before, despite featuring same quintet, mainly due to Gene Rush’s use of the Fender Rhodes. A bunch of extra wind players (oboe, bassoon, French horn, etc..) were added, but it’s not like they are a determinant aural factor.

Much to my enjoyment, many of the modal/psychedelic ambiances of the Asha debut are still to be found on WS, but the extended presence of Rhodes gives it an edge over its predecessor. At times, it gets “fusionny” enough to be slightly reminiscent of Mwandishi, but don’t let that scare you, because it is more the exception than the rule. If the A-side has three separate tracks that hover between JR/F (Home Rule and 71%) and standardier jazz (Cliffbourne Place), the flipside features a sidelong suite that features a classical interlude (Fountain In The Circle) as an intro than the full body 3-movement splendid City Triptych follows (Rush’s Rhodes rules) that is definitely McNeil’s apex. The closing Fountain In The Circle) outro is indeed much jazzier than the intro, but is it “classical” anymore? Not IMHO.

I take it that the album’s only “classical” composition is the reason why the album is often tagged as Third Stream, but to these ears, there is no fusion between the two genres LmN is dealing with. As a matter of fact, that “Fountain” intro piece sounds more like it’s a track from a different artiste that got lost on this one… Totally out of context to my ears, though I’m sure McN would beg to differ. As far as I can see/hear from this album, the Third Stream label/category would be much better suited to Deodato or Alice Coltrane than McNeill, because the mix of jazz and classical is effective, while here, they simply co-exist.

Somewhat like LmN’s Asha debut, the CD reissue Washington Suite comes in a bizarre digipak format, which will make it difficult to store it normally in your shelves, but unlike its predecssor, it doesn’t features any booklet and extra liner notes. Outside that UFO track, I tend to prefer Asha 3 to Asha, because Lloyd dropped the somewhat annoying piccolo to concentrate on the “normal” flute. For what it’s worth and what I’m aware of McNeil’s work, this is IMHO his better effort.
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