| Band
Members: |
Jerry Cook - Drums, percussion,
Gong, Bells, Tympani, Voice, E-Drums |
Greg Sherman - Hammond Organ, Mellotron,
Korg 01W Keyboard, Roland A-90 Digital Piano, Tape Loop Samples,
Piano Strings, Grand Piano, Arp Odyssey Synthesizer |
| The
Review |
This is a totally weird and wonderful album from a band
that really knows how to take their time releasing their music.
This US band recorded a studio album and some live in-studio
material between 1973 and 1975 and got it released in 2000.
It only took four years for Musea to pick up on it and reissue
it in 2004 and luckily, it only took one more year to get
their sophomore release Illuminations recorded and out to
the prog community.
This disc is special in a number of ways and worthy of
your time and your full attention. There are three types of
music being presented for your consideration by Glass. They
offer the smoky minimalist performance art rock that has everyone
in lather. Then there is the Glass that writes and performs
lean and very hip piano music, some as a jazzy trio with bass
and drums, and some as unaccompanied solo pieces. This is
the Glass that will remind you of Dave Brubek and George Winston.
Finally, there is the Glass that sounds like what I imagine
(oh, what an imagination I have) Niacin might have sounded
like had they existed in 1971 or 1972. The Glass that sounds
like a proggy, ever so slightly twisted Brian Auger And The
Oblivion Express. The Glass that, in their youth, relocated
to England hoping to jump start their career and clearly spent
a lot of time listening to Dave Stewart, Mike Ratledge and
probably laughing at the term "fuzz organ". This is the Glass
that every keyboard aficionado should be aware of.
It's not that keyboardist Greg Sherman is going to dazzle
every jaded proghole, uh, like me for instance. There are
many more technically adept players. Glass, any version that
you like, is not a band of virtuosos. It is a band of individualist
players, each good enough to start deciding when to start
bending or breaking the rules. Greg's playing is good and
solidly grounded, he is occasionally brilliant, but it is
his willingness to work outside the box that makes him a "great"
musician. The same can be said of bassist (and brother) Jeff
Sherman and drummer Jerry Cook. This willingness to take risks,
to fail and succeed puts them, in my opinion, in the class
with, and makes them peers of, Le Orme, early Soft Machine
and Dave Stewart. Greg Sherman seems to emulate Stewart's
distorted organ playing in Hatfield And The North and track
five, "Crossing" has a clear reference to Stewart's part in
"The Yes No Interlude" Further ties to Hatfield are evidenced
by the performance of both Richard Sinclair and Phil Miller
on the discs final cut "Gaia".
Glass's fondness for old Soft Machine can be demonstrated
by the addition of bassist Hugh Hopper and his signature fuzz
bass to "Isle Of Dyslexia". In addition to the guest appearance
of Hopper, the song cycle "Alchemy Of The Word" makes several
melodic references to Soft Machine's "Hazard Profile" from
the 1975 release Bundles.
It's time to explain something about Illuminations, I
think. It is made up of three individual tracks and three
long song cycles, "The Secret Life Of Aqua J. Long" (get it?
Aqua Long, a Jethro Tull reference), "Electronic Synaesthasia"
and "Alchemy Of The Word". The first two are made up of three
pieces from three to seven minutes each, while the last, "Alchemy
Of The Word", has six parts, most under three minutes. In
most cases, these tracks all segue from one to the next.
"The Secret Life…" is tre chic indeed, full of imaginative
sounds, unique song ideas and fearless execution. One song
features nothing more than drums, percussion and spoken words.
And it is a song, and it works well.
"Electronic Synaesthasia" is a jazzier and more groove
oriented group of tunes and it features some of Glass's best
playing and most inspired song craftsmanship. "Alchemy Of
The Word" with its six parts and its direct themes that are
stated and reprised in this cycle is the high point of this
disc in my ears and in my eyes. It features non stop Hammond
organ, Mellotron and a real concert grand piano. This music
sounds so analog to me that it seems it must have been recorded
thirty years ago. This is just like old Le Orme and my imaginary
Niacin. Just the sheer pleasure of hearing well played Hammond
organ for an extended period of time makes this a must have
for every keyboard fanatic. This group of six little songs
just zips by and I listened to it a couple of times to try
and fully appreciate just how well it's motifs and variations
develop, to hear the restrained, relaxed and classic style
that Greg displays when soloing over this work, to try and
understand the organic ease which Jerry Cook brings to the
deceptively difficult yet "laid back" sounding drumming that
is so much a part of "Alchemy Of The Word".
This is a very special disc, an album out of its time,
a timeless package perhaps. I can't predict, but I can certainly
hope. In hindsight it seems clear that this was one of the
best albums of 2005, but will it be considered a prog classic
ten years from now? I hope it will be, and to spur that along
I'll do my tiny bit and give this album my highest recommendation.
RATING - 5/5
©Thomas Karr April 21, 2006
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