Great proggy jazz/fusion album
936145
Debut album from Dan Briggs' (Between the Buried and Me) side project.  It is a great instrumental jazz/prog fusion type instrumental record.  Drums, bass, and sax are all executed brilliantly.  The arrangements are really interesting and have a bit of heaviness to them, which is a good thing to me.  I'm not a huge jazz guy, but I really like this album.  I don't think you'll be disappointed if you are a fan of Dan,and it's great music.
1753270
This is a stellar album with great musicianship and great production values. Fantastic blending of symphonic and neo-prog sounds with hard rock undertones. Never a dull or wasted moment over the course of the album and there are even some quirky prog moments here and there to round it all out. Truly magnificent music here that should be getting much more recognition than it does. I thought the previous album was great, but this follow up is even better.
3998697
This 1976 release is just fantastic and shows PFM starting to head in the direction of jazz rock that would come to full fruition on Jet Lag (1977). Chocolate Kings is still very much a progressive rock album however, with fantastic playing all around and featuring ex-Acqua Fragile lead singer Bernado Lanzetti for the first time. Although all PFM albums had a high standard of playing, this album seems to pull out all of the stops and as such, ranks among some of my favorite albums by the band.

The lineup on Chocolate Kings includes Franz Di Cioccio (drums, percussion and backing vocals); Patrick Djivas (Gibson "ripper" bass); Franco Mussida (electric and acoustic guitars, backing vocals); Mauro Pagani (flute, violin); Flavio Premoli (Hammond organ, piano, electric piano, synthesizers); and Bernado Lanzetti (lead vocals in English). The individual and ensemble virtuosity on this album is simply stunning - these guys are all incredible players (I love the aggressive, trebly tone that Patrick gets out of his Gibson). Bernado Lanzetti has a very unusual vocal style that is definitely an acquired taste - there is a great deal of vibrato in his singing and the quality of his voice is somewhat hoarse (it sounds like he sings from his throat rather than his diaphragm). Still, his voice does not bother me too much - the playing is just incredible and more than makes up for it.

The five tunes on Chocolate Kings range in length from 4'39 to 8'30 with four of the five tracks in the 7-8 minute range. In large part, this album is comprised of very high energy progressive rock with enough jaw-dropping playing to keep all prog fans very entertained. There are some nice dynamic contrasts too and the arrangements are simply top notch. I think that of all the tunes, the title track is the closest the album comes to even vaguely resembling a pop track (it actually reminds me somewhat of Celebration from Photos of Ghosts, 1973) although it too is still over-the top prog with breathtaking soloing.

All in all, this album is very highly recommended along with Storia di un Minuto (1972), Photos of Ghosts, The World became the World (1974), and Jet Lag.
4934847
Very good modern prog from a high-tech internet collective led by Carl Kirkendell, with players zen-pooling their talents while recording in different places around the globe.  The tracks are roughly divided between full band pieces and atmospheric synth soundscapes, the latter recalling Larry Fast / Synergy around Cords or Audion (think On Presuming To Be Modern or Shibboleth).  The band tracks are mostly tight, moody instrumentals with that same Synergy flavor but with more epic touches creeping in on Majiker or Earthbound, which in places recall Yes around Tormato or Keystudio, especially as the occasional vocals sound like a subdued Jon Anderson.  Steve Hall's excellent guitar parts lend a fiery edge on Majiker and the opening Scirocco but still stay controlled and glossy, with some nice acoustic flourishes thrown in as well.  One track, This Lonely Corner, shows a whole different side and recalls the Laurie Anderson contribution on Eno's Drawn From Life, and is all the more beautiful for it.  An original discovery.
768493
This may be a fusion album but it is a great example of how to do it the right way. Played with the passion of some of the best mainstream,classic jazz.
Musicianship is first rate without being overdone. I agree with the other reviewer regarding Buzz Feiten's guitar work - absolutely first rate.
As the Duke once said - There are basically only two kinds of music..Good Music and the other kind.
This is some of the good stuff.
3732518
The most successful of all Lee Morgan's albums. The funky title track "Sidewinder" is alone worth the cost of the CD.
Combines a four/four rock drum beat, soul/funk/boogaloo bass line with rapid-fire, close harmony mirror-image Jazz trumpet and tenor sax parts on top. This fusion effort was called a Rock sell-out when it originally was released but it is one of the most consistently listenable Fusion type albums to this day.
Other tracks are strong, less funky, more Jazzy. Especially Totem Pole. Lee Morgan spent most of his subsequent life trying to duplicate the success of this album following the same formula, usually with lesser results; a few good tracks and a lot of more forgetable stuff. No, he doesn't have the beautiful lost-in-a-crowd melancholy sound of early Miles Davis and his harmon mute, but Lee Morgan is as good in a different direction: intense, happy and upbeat.
Great bestseller album from the sixties. Burrows into your head and you hear it in your memory. A great album for Rocker's who think they don't like Jazz. Or those new to Jazz.
1999396
One of my all-time favorite albums.  Featuring Rod Argent, Arthur Brown, Clarence Clemons, Dave Cousins, Annie Haslam, Percy Jones, Ben E King, Wil Malone, Meatloaf, Larry Fast (of Synergy) and many many more.  I transferred the album to CD about a dozen years ago.  I made a copy for Larry Fast.  Funny he didn't remember the recording sessions, but enjoyed the CD copy.  Enjoy this album...play for others.  And don't forget the Vibracon Globes.  Worth the Drimes.
143381
It's a little hard to define this album. Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter are two of the world's great jazz musicians, establishing themselves in the 1960s, both of them deviating from acoustic 'true' jazz and moved into Funk and Fusion in the 70s/80s. They have resurfaced in recent years with a return to jazz that their earlier fans love, so one would expect this collaboration to be the jazz album of the decade.

I would have loved to hear these two collaborate on a body of work, perhaps Modal in nature, with touches of Funk and Fusion if they could have done so without sounding dated. This is not the sound I heard when I put this disc in rotation, but after I got over my initial expectations I found that this is an intriging album to have in my collection.

This is quite a moving album, and yes it is jazz; but it is not the free expression jazz, or even modal jazz that I anticipated, but rather a body of material that is almost baroque in nature at times, having more than a passing nod to Classical music.

I come away with an intersting mood after investing myself in this album, one of isolation yet intimacy. Needless to say, casual listeners may find this album tedious at times, but the astute listeners will find this material very interesting and absorbing.

I recommend this album for those who fall into the second group, as no doubt this album will end up being a little treasure in your collection.
3892571
One of the best collaborative album by the two best Jazz musicians... You will enjoy the album for any occasion, either driving, working etc.
3889561
This is a great Steve Coleman album. After some years of interest CD he come back to a sound more near of pure  jazz. He forgot some experiment with african-cuban-bazilian music and regret to his particular sense of jazz. Coleman probably is one of the most influential figure in jazz in the last 20 years, and with this album you can understand why. Elusive and constantly shifting rhythms in a incredible orgie of sounds. Coleman in alto sax is super, Jonathan  Finlayson in trumpet is fine and great. The bas and drums are play with old companions Anthony Tidd and Sean Rickman and one surprise, the guitar man Miles Okazaki . Everything is fine and no very complicate to hear. Coleman is a great jazz man , and hear play better than anybody in this moment. Imagination, rhythm,  and a incredible sound, this is this CD.
1126034
This is a great album--cool, fluid jamming, funky rhythms, excellent conversation between the players. If you like jam bands, and/or groove-oriented Jazz you'll love this.
212399
This album was my first experience with Herbie Hancock's solo work.  I knew his work with the Davis quintet well; albums like "Miles Smiles" showcase his acoustic piano genius at full throttle.  I had no clue what I was getting into when I found this gem at a used record store (in the bargain bin?!?!?!).

The album opens with one of the greatest bass lines ever conceived, and instantly the listener is thrown head-first into the funky head-bobbing grandeur of "Chameleon".  For me, this was one of those rare musical moments in which I instantly fell deeply in love with everything I was hearing.  The rhythm section of drummer Harvey Mason and bassist Paul Jackson lay down the fat, dense jazz-funk that would become the standard for 70's fusion and beyond.  Mason's drums sound a little dated with that punchy, muffled 70's tone, but in a good way; it's oh so characteristic and wonderful to the ears, and the man is a beast of a drummer.  "Chameleon" transitions from a danceable hard funk piece with some mighty playing from Herbie and saxophonist Bennie Maupin into a more ethereal fusion-jazz mode featuring one of the most subtle and irresistable bass licks I've ever heard.  It then transitions back to the funk after a glorious climax, and the track fades out with Maupin once again soloing like a madman.

"Watermelon Man" begins with what I suppose could be called a beer bottle, flute, and yelping ensemble.  If this sounds odd, just give it a listen and hear for yourself.  Pure genius.  It's probably the best known track from the album, and for good reason.  Jackson throws down the groove towards the end of the intro (best bass line ever?), and from there the listener is undoubtedly grinning from ear to ear.  This song was created solely for the listener to feel like the coolest person that ever lived.  It is a slower, more laid-back groove than "Chameleon", and Bill Summers' auxiliary percussion is impeccable.  If the first track doesn't hook you, this one will.

"Sly" may be slightly more difficult to casual listeners.  It is the spaciest track on the album, and is much faster and more raucous than the rest.  Herbie goes all out with the synths for some really wild effects, and Mason careens out of control in a maelstrom of polyrhythms.  The structure is slightly similar to "Chameleon" in that there is an introductory section, an altered middle, and a return, but the music here is entirely different.  The mid-tempo space-jazz introduction abruptly kicks into a Latin fusion section with some powerful jamming between the group.  Not a note by any player is overlooked by any other player, and the organic development of the jam section in this song is magic to the ears.  There are a lot of overdubbed parts, both subtle and apparent, on much of this album, but the majority of "Sly" focuses more on the group's uncanny ability to improvise.

The album's closer, "Vein Melter", is a truly beautiful piece.  Herbie showcases his knack for texture with some gorgeous synth arrangements, and Jackson's bass is downright comforting.  The track fades out exactly as it begins, with little more than a sneaky bass drum, and in between lies quite a romantic, dreamy song.  Maupin is also in top form, playing only what he needs to.  The song serves as the perfect closer to the record, capping off the jammed-out enthusiasm of the first three tracks with a peaceful goodnight of sorts.

If you're already a fan of Herbie's stuff, this record should be proudly displayed in your collection.  If you're new, it's the perfect place to start.  The grooves on this album are classic and unmistakably Herbie, and if you've got any musical sense at all, this one likely won't leave your stereo for some time.
867212
I saw the 'Arun Ramamurthy Trio' perform the "Jazz Carnatica" songs live and I was blown away. I wasn't that familiar with Indian Carnatica previously, but what I witnessed was amazing. The 3 piece set along with 2 guest musicians during the performance was a fusion of traditional Carnatica music, with the musician skills of seasoned jazz players and integrated with a lively funky drum track and bass lines. It's got a great groove, it's like JBs/Parliment meets traditional jazz and Carnatica music all into one great album to listen to.
1723862
A highly underrated Italian prog album - some obscure Italian albums are obscure for a reason but this album is worth checking out. Reminds me somewhat of Il Balleto di Bronzo.
2157446
So very impressive....fusion/acid jazz of the highest caliber, set of tracks and so on. You'd want to re listen it for sure
4118123
This is a fantastic instrumental album with modern jazz grooves and upbeat New Age electronic melodies.  Reminds me somewhat of both David Arkenstone and Mehdi (without Mehdi's annoying handclaps and overdone programmed percussion).  There is not a bad track on Tibetan Groove.....I sincerely hope that Karl Maddison will produce more of the same!
2178163
LOOK IM A JAZZ FUSION FREAK LETs SAY 3 YEARS AGO ME AND MY DAD WAS HAVING A LITTLE BUYING CDS OUTING AND I CAME ACROSS HERBIE hancock and i asked my dad is there any  herbie hancock cds i aint got thats good he thought about it a little bit then he said OH yea (MIKEY I SAID WAT? DAD HEY SEE IF THEY GOT THIS HERBIE HANCOCK ALBUM CALLED MR.HANDS) I SAID OKAY DADDY AND GUESS WAT?THEY DID LATER THAT DAY WE GOT HOME, OUT OF ALL THE DAMN CDS WE BOUGHT THE FIRSTS CD HE PUT WAS MR.HANDS AND HE WAS VERY ANXIOUS FOR ONE PARTCULAR SONG HE WAS HUMMING IN THE CAR THAT SONG WAS (4A.M.) WHEN HE PUT THAT JAM IN I WAS JAMMING WITH HIM AND PLUS THE SONG 4A.M. STARTS OFF GOOD SO YOU WILL KNOW IT JACO PASTORIUOS PLAYS GOOD BASS ON THIS SONG TOO ALSO HERBIE SCORES VERY GOOD ON THE FENDER RHODES WHICH IS MY FAVORITE KEYBOARD THAT I ALSO HAVE IN MY HOUSE ANYWAY.. DONT BE FOOLED BY THE MADE IN 1980 CUZ HE WENT SOUL FUSION SERCHING ON THIS ONE THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS ALBUM IS 4a.m.,and a few others heres are my jazz fusion ratings....

herbie hancocks... fender rhodes playing 9 out of 10

herbie synth work is average 7out of 10

jaco pastorious guest stars for 4a.m.

harvey mason is back and funkin real good

paul is doing his thing

the works

this is a must have album for you fusion fans out there who wants to do some reminicing going to work or just crusing you dig.

seeyaaa............