Record Reviews
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  | ISOTOPE ~ ILLUSION
ESOTERIC 2273 (Barcode: 5013929737327) ~ UK ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion
Recorded: 1974 Released: 2011
After playing with Brian AugerFind albums by this artist, Stomu Yamash`taFind albums by this artist and many leading Jazz ensembles, guitarist / composer Gary BoyleFind albums by this artist, one of the most innovative and technically brilliant players on the British scene, eventually founded his own quartet, called IsotopeFind albums by this artist. In retrospect, Isotope was one of the finest early British Jazz-Rock ensembles, which played ambitious music and included some of the best players on the scene at the time. But as usual, playing fine music made it difficult to keep the group going for a long time, so after recording three excellent albums and sticking together for a few years, Isotope disappeared into oblivion. This was their 2nd album and the quartet included keyboardist Laurence ScottFind albums by this artist, great bassist Hugh HopperFind albums by this artist (Soft MachineFind albums by this artist) and drummer Nigel MorrisFind albums by this artist (Hopper and Morris played with Boyle in Yamash`ta’s group). The music is brilliant from start to finish, slightly resembling Mahavishnu OrchestraFind albums by this artist, but of course completely original. This is an absolute must to all early British Jazz-Rock connoisseurs!
| | | CD 1 Oversampling Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
  | EERO KOIVISTOINEN ~ ILLUSION
SVART 124 (Barcode: 6430065582939) ~ FINLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 2012 - 2015 Released: 2017
This is the second album by a quartet led by Finnish Jazz Giant, saxophonist / composer Eero KoivistoinenFind albums by this artist with three representatives of the younger generation of the Finnish Jazz scene: pianist Alexi TuomarilaFind albums by this artist, bassist Jori HuhtalaFind albums by this artist and drummer Jussi LehtonenFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven tunes, six of which are original compositions by Koivistoinen and one is a standard, which originates from an earlier recording session from 2012 that produced the debut album "Hati HatiFind albums with this title". The six new recordings were the last ones recorded at the legendary M1 Studio of the YLE (Finnish Broadcasting Company) which witnessed numerous Jazz albums being recorded there during its existence.
The music, as expected, is a wonderful collection of sublimely melodic tunes, which Koivistoinen manages to weave times and time again with his usual natural heartfelt elegance. As a composer Koivistoinen is absolutely untouched by the tides of time and his compositions are as vigorous, full of joy, energy and harmony as they were through his entire career.
The quartet performs also every bit as expected, with Koivistoinen saxophone soaring over the background supplied by the rhythm section, in a typical barrage of notes which characterizes the Modern Jazz post-Coltrane school, which he always represented faithfully. Tuomarila displays his incredible fluency and technique, which spark the quartet´s overall sound significantly. Huhtala and Lehtonen solidly provide the rhythmic pulsations and since this album features more up-tempo numbers that the debut, they are heard much more prominently. Overall this quartet´s performances are the epitome of what modern mainstream Jazz is all about – great tunes perfectly executed by talented and highly professional musicians, who have to ability to state something personal and original rather than imitating the past.
For mainstream Jazz lovers this album is an instant classic, which should satisfy even the most experienced connoisseurs. Just grab a copy ASAP and enjoy – satisfaction guaranteed!
| | Updated: 19/12/2022Posted: 28/11/2017 | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
  | DAVID KOLLAR / ARVE HENRIKSEN ~ ILLUSION OF A SEPARATE WORLD
HEVHETIA 0178 (Barcode: 8588005258456) ~ SLOVAKIA ~ Electronic & Ambient
Recorded: 2018 Released: 2018
This is the debut album by a duo comprising of Slovak guitarist / composer David KollarFind albums by this artist and Norwegian trumpeter / composer Arve HenriksenFind albums by this artist. It was recorded "virtually" over the Net, by exchanging files between the two musicians, and presents twelve original pieces co-composed by them.
The music is quite difficult to categorize, as it flows freely between styles and genres. Since it also lacks a clear melodic content, it is ambient in nature and presents more moods and emotions rather than what most listeners consider as music in the straightforward sense of the idiom.
Henriksen´s trumpet playing is the epitome of Nordic music, with lyrical and melancholic themes, while Kollar´s guitar, with extensive usage of electronics, is mostly incidental, ambient and cinematic in nature. However, when combined together, these two directions amalgamate splendidly, creating surprisingly evocative statements. Although music of such nature can be quite tedious and lethargic, this album manages to avoid that trap with elegance and a continuous listening, although requiring some effort, is eventually rewarding and even inviting. It is a good example of ambient music, which one can listen to more than once, revealing new layers of musical depth with each listening session.
Kollar and Henriksen are both established musical phenomena and this album confirms their individual talents and cooperative skills, but does not offer any surprising new vistas, being more or less something the followers of these two musicians would expect to hear on the album. Nevertheless it is an elegant, highly aesthetic piece of sound-weaving, which has its faithful followers.
| | Updated: 17/08/2018Posted: 17/08/2018 | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
  | KRZYSZTOF PUMA PIASECKI ~ ILLUSION
NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion
Recorded: 2014 Released: 2014
This is the fifth album by veteran Polish guitarist / composer Krzysztof Puma PiaseckiFind albums by this artist, recorded in a quartet format with keyboardist Wojciech KonikiewiczFind albums by this artist, bassist Adam SkrzypekFind albums by this artist and drummer Sebastian SkrzypekFind albums by this artist. Katarzyna Puma PiaseckaFind albums by this artist adds some improvised vocals on one track. The album presents ten original compositions, six of which were composed by Piasecki and four were co-composed by Piasecki and Konikiewicz.
The material on this album presents two quite separate musical universes:
The music composed by Piasecki moves between Blues-Rock and Jazz-Rock Fusion and is based on strong melodic motifs, which serve as vehicles for extended improvisations by the guitar and the keyboards. Both the lyrical / melancholic ballads and the bluesy rockers are nicely and intelligently crafted. The entire sound of the ensemble is somewhat retro oriented and quite reminiscent of many late 1960s / early 1970s Blues based electric instrumental albums. Piasecki plays some great guitar licks, which still send a shiver down the listener´s spine, at least in the case of those of us who grew up when this type of music ruled the world. Konikiewicz plays a variety of keyboards, from acoustic piano, on the mellow acoustic tunes on which the acoustic guitar is also used, to mean synthesizers on the more rocky tunes. The rhythm section (with acoustic bass) is supportive and tight, exactly as needed, and produces an unobtrusive background, which carries the solos with grace.
In contrast, the music co-composed by Piasecki and Konikiewicz is less conventional, mostly ambient / improvised, performed by guitar and keyboards only, except for one track, which also uses vocals. This music is obviously more complex and adventurous, and as a result more difficult to be absorbed by an average listener. It is also much more interesting as far as more experienced and daring listeners are concerned.
In spite of the obvious differences, the two musical universes work well together, balancing the overall effect both aesthetically and emotionally, creating a multifaceted musical experience.
Although this album does not break any new ground musically, it contains excellent musical content, which is based on creative compositions and superb execution by high class instrumentalists, which is already more than most album released today. Listeners who still listen to Blues-Rock and Jazz-Rock Fusion have a great opportunity here to get an injection of fresh music, which is right up their alley. This is definitely an album worth investigating by all guitar fans and just anybody with any musical taste left in them. Well done!
| | Updated: 23/09/2017Posted: | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
  | RENAISSANCE ~ ILLUSION
REPERTOIRE 4513 ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock
2nd album from 1971, which is quite similar to the debut with more enchanting compositions. After this one Jane Relf and her brother left to form the group `Illusion` (see under this name).
| | | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
  | KAROLINA SMIETANA ~ ILLUSION
RECART 0021 (Barcode: 5908285287206) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 2015 - 2016 Released: 2017
This is the debut album by the Polish (resident in Denmark) singer / songwriter Karolina SmietanaFind albums by this artist recorded with an excellent Polish / Danish quartet comprising of Polish guitarist Rafal SarneckiFind albums by this artist and drummer Radek WoskoFind albums by this artist and Danish pianist Soren GemmerFind albums by this artist and bassist Anders FjeldstedFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine tracks, six of which are original compositions by Smietana, one is co-composed by her and Wosko and the remaining two are standards. Smietana also wrote the English lyrics to five of the songs, one is a poem by the Polish poetess Wislawa SzymborskaFind albums by this artist (and is the only case of Polish lyrics on the album) and the remaining three texts originate from other sources. The album was recorded (mostly) at the excellent RecPublica Studios and engineered by Lukasz OlejarczykFind albums by this artist with great sonic results, as expected.
Smetana´s music is quite typical of the Polish Jazz vocal idiom, with solid melodies and coherent structures, which are pleasant and easy on the ear, without being trivial or boring. The songs are diverse enough to show her compositional palette and the lyrics are not an insult to the intelligence, which in today´s musical world is a success by itself. On the other hand, however, not everything is perfect; Smietana has a nice mellow voice, which she uses wisely, but her vocal range is limited and there are no virtuosic vocal performances herein. The usual problem with singing in English, when it is not the singer´s native tongue, produces the common pronunciation and accent problems.
What gives the album a great boost are the great instrumental performances by the quartet, which does a superb job accompanying her. Sarnecki plays superbly and manages to create a few brilliant solos. Gemmer also proves to be a great accompanist, with a great feel for melody and excellent technique. The rhythm section does an amicable job all along and plays along with the vocals and the lead instruments with elegance and flair. In short the instrumental parts are top notch.
Overall this is a nice vocal Jazz album, which exposes Smietana as an able vocalist and solid composer, marking a positive kickstart of her career. I am already looking forward to her next project!
| | Updated: 05/05/2017Posted: 05/05/2017 | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
  | JULIE TIPPETTS & MARTIN ARCHER ~ ILLUSION
DISCUS 131 (Barcode: 5051078993720) ~ UK ~ Avant-Garde Jazz
Recorded: 2014 - 2021 Released: 2022
This is the fifth album by the British Jazz duo comprising of iconic vocalist / songwriter Julie TippettsFind albums by this artist and multi-instrumentalist / composer / DiscusFind albums on this label label owner Martin ArcherFind albums by this artist. The music was created over a period of six years since the release of the duo’s previous album, materializing two CDs worth of musical magic.
The first CD, subtitled “Circle Of Whispers” presents thirteen songs performed by Tippetts and accompanied mostly by small ensembles between a duet and a quartet and in some cases including additionally a string trio. A long list of musicians take part in these recordings.
The second CD, subtitled “Illusion Suite”, is a seven-part continuous suite, performed by the duo, a sextet of instrumentalist, a quintet of electronicists and a string trio.
The music is quite different on these two CDs, which is a wonderful surprise. All the music is of course original and co-created by Tippetts and Arches (except in two cases).
“Circle Of Whispers” is almost completely “well behaved”, presenting Tippetts singing lyrics (sometimes with overdubs) and rarely using vocalese. The songs have clearly defined melody lines, often bordering on Rock, some with a subtle and sublime Jazzy arrangements and others with an ambient / electronics background, brilliantly supported by Archer on keyboards, B. J. ColeFind albums by this artist on guitar, Laura ColeFind albums by this artist on piano and other excellent instrumentalists. Listeners familiar with Tippetts extensive recording career will be fondly reminded of her early (post Pop) solo career, with albums like “Sunset GlowFind albums with this title”. The entire album is absolutely fascinating from start to finish, and IMHO it is her strongest album in many years. Her vocal abilities are completely untouched by time and the creativity and imagination encapsulated in these songs are staggering. Hearing this music made me think that perhaps not all is lost in music yet.
“Illusion Suite” is closer to the Avant-Garde side of the duo’s work in the past, with Tippetts still singing lyrics, but also using her voice (often overdubbed) in an instrumental capacity, singing extensive and not surprisingly breathtaking vocalese parts. The music is based on melodic themes, but is more open and improvised. One might define the suite as a concerto for multiple voices (sung by the same person) and an electro-acoustic ensemble.
The excellent rhythm section of bassist Seth BennettFind albums by this artist and drummer Peter FaircloughFind albums by this artist manages to give the music a steady pulsating continuity, which helps the listen to follow the complex vocal and instrumental parts. Guitarist Anton HunterFind albums by this artist, trombonist George MurrayFind albums by this artist, vibraphonist Corey MwambaFind albums by this artist and trumpeter Charlotte KeeffeFind albums by this artist are in charge of the instrumental ornamentation, with Archer omnipresent keyboards, woodwinds and electronics creating the “wall of sound” background. This is, what I call, quite a journey…
Overall, this is a brilliant piece of composing, performing, songwriting and everything else involved in creating a true “magic carpet ride”, which takes the listener places he probably never dreamt of. A most welcome comeback from Tippetts, which always leaves me waiting for more… Bless you and thanks for this gift of music!
| | Updated: 09/04/2022Posted: 09/04/2022 | CD 2 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend |
  | TRIUMVIRAT ~ ILLUSIONS ON A DOUBLE DIMPLE (EXPANDED EDITION)
HARVEST 535162 (Barcode: 724353516222) ~ GERMANY ~ Progressive Rock
Recorded: 1973 - 1974 Released: 2002
2nd album by the German band TriumviratFind albums by this artist, considered by many as one of the best instrumental Prog albums ever. With rich orchestral arrangements the music gets a greater scope and reminds similar Prog efforts in that vein. The musicians perform brilliantly and the entire album sound fresh and interesting all way through. A true classic!
| | | CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend |
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