Militair 1996 03

Portraits (So Long Ago, So Clear) is a set of 15 pieces covering approximately 20 years of Vangelis' career. He is, undoubtedly, the most commercial electronic musician ever. He has recorded dozens of major motion picture soundtracks and dozens of delightful albums. This CD is an accurate cross section of those efforts. Contains two unreleased tracks.

This album of originals and covers shows Paul at the top of his game, whether that game be blues or baseball. Paul's amazing slide guitar work and nuanced electric guitar styling will enchant and excite the casual listener and the blues aficionado alike. The sideman chores are masterfully handled by "west side" Andy Linderman (an equal contributor to the heart and soul of this recording) and Brian Howard on drums. The bass player is excellent too.

Named after Marillion's Number Two U.K. Chart hit "Kayleigh," this set offers a haphazard track listing (identical to '96's Essential Collection) culled from the neo-prog giants' Fish-fronted period. As such, bona fide hits like the title track, "Lavender" and "Punch & Judy" are combined with less well-known (but usually still top-notch) fare such as "Jigsaw," "Lady Nina," and the monstrously overblown epic "Grendel."

As the title suggests, Japanese music explorer Osamu Kitajima takes the listener beyond the known on a musical voyage into new territory where his compositions are a synthesis of Western electronics and ambient dance rhythms, tempered by the wisdom of ancient Japanese traditions. "Beyond The Circle" is music that is as energizing as it is spiritual and melodic.

A huge improvement over 1994's I've Known Rivers, on which pianist Billy Childs seemed like a sideman on his own album, 1996's The Child Within is a dandy collection of bop-influenced originals and some well-chosen standards, all of them done in a tight small-combo setting featuring an all-star cast: Terence Blanchard on trumpet, Dave Holland on bass, Jeff "Tain" Watts on drums, and second-generation pioneer Ravi Coltrane on tenor sax. The combo, not surprisingly, cooks throughout, but Childs himself remains at the music's forefront. His playing has always been heavily influenced by Thelonious Monk, to whom he pays tribute twice, first with the swinging original "The Loneliest Monk" and then with a playful, lighthearted solo version of Monk's "Pannonica," one of the late pianist's most charming compositions…

The second album by Dracma contains an excellent collection of modern Progressive rock music, between MarIllion, Genesis and especially IQ. This Spanish band knows how to recreate in its climates and lyrics the tumultuous and meditative feeling of Peter Nicholls' band. The alternation of very quiet acoustic tracks and heavier or floating sequences allows the band to show its full talent.

The 1996 release Mississippi Kid sounds like it could have been released a quarter-century or more before, which is a compliment. Bracingly free of the rockist clichés that bog down so many latter-day blues albums, Mississippi Kid is solid Chicago-style blues, with Smith's guitar and vocals supported by two organists and a full horn section. Presented as a sort of musical autobiography, with the personal title track ending the album as a kind of summation, the album dusts off a couple of Smith's earlier hits, most notably a slow, gripping version of his signature song, "Give Me My White Robe," and the playful shaggy-dog story "Blues on the Moon," given a suitably light-hearted and sly treatment. Smith is in excellent voice throughout and his playing is as fine as always, making Mississippi Kid a late highlight in his long and sometimes underappreciated career.