On The Mountain - Elvin Jones

Jul

5

On The Mountain - Elvin Jones

≡ Category: 1970s, Essential, Fusion, Post Bop, Reviews |
≅ Written by: Michael Kydonieus

JAZZBO NOTES ESSENTIAL RECORDING

Rating:

First of all, let me caution any Elvin fans — this is not REALLY an Elvin Jones album. Half of the tunes are written by Jan Hammer and half of them are written by Gene Perla, the bassist. And pretty much all the solos are taken by Hammer.

The style is not jazz, but rather jazz fusion. Not the ridiculous variety that consists of everybody playing as fast and as loud as possible, but rather thoughtful, understated and sophisticated. Jan Hammer and Gene Perla compose in a modern style, often using modes as a basis for composition rather than more traditional bebop oriented chord changes.

That said, the tunes are gorgeous, the solos are lovely, and the rhythm section rocks. The sound of the recording is beautiful too.

Considering that it’s a trio recording, On the Mountain sounds very full. Part of the reason for that is Gene Perla’s warm round bass tone. There’s also Elvin’s vibrant, propulsive style. But probably the main reason is that Jan Hammer utilizes a variety of electronic keyboards and synthesizers in addition to acoustic piano, sometimes overdubbing. Depending on which keyboard he’s using to solo or comp, he adopts a different style, so it seems almost like there’s an additional musician or two in the band.

Basically, On The Mountain is a flawless recording. If you care at all about Jan Hammer’s playing in the jazz style, you MUST own this album.