CD-Reissue of German/English/Dutch outfit Odin. Their one and only album on famous German label Vertigo, originally released in 1972, is a truly gem of the golden age of Progressive Rock. Four excellent musicians show their great talent, especially organ player Jeff Beer and guitarist Rob Terstall, driven by great rhythm section Ray Brown on bass and drummer Stuart Fordham. The album's highlight is opening track 'Life is only'. This is an absolutely great 12-minutes number with raging, dissonant Hammond B-3 work, refined song constructions and very good guitar and vocal work. Another highlight is a 8-minutes version of Quartermass classic 'Gemini' with features also a long and impressive B-3 organ solo. 'Clown' closes the original album out with some heavy instrumental firepower from Jeff Beer keyboards and strong vocals…
After the release of there one and only album on the famous Vertigo label in 1972, Odin were invited by German radio SWF to produce 4 titles for a radio show in February 1973. A 12-minutes version of 'Live is only' and a 11-minutes version of the Zappa composition 'King Kong' are fine examples for Odin's terrific musicianship. 'Oh no' and the Terstall composition 'Turnpike lane' make the radio recording session complete. In addition to the radio recordings there is a bonustrack from a concert in autumn 1971 titled 'Make up your mind' which is an impressive example of the bands early works. All titles are digitally remastered. The booklet contains a comprehensive band history with a lot of rare photos.
Tamma (which means talking drum in Gambian) is a percussion and horn jazz group founded by Gambian master drummer Miki N'Doye and brought to Norway where he enlisted the aid of that country's musicians in forming an open-ended music that would engage European cultures in the music of the African Diaspora. A quintet, they feature a proper trap kit drummer, saxophonist, trumpet, an electric bassist, and N'Doye. All members play some percussion and sing (more like chant). They make an ethereal, moody, high-lonesome kind of rhythm-based Afro-jazz. Performing live at the Mode International Jazz Festival, they were joined for two days by the late trumpeter and douzongouni player (African guitar), and the late drummer Ed Blackwell both men at that time were members of Old and New Dreams and former bandmates in the Ornette Coleman Quartet.
An international affair from the get-go, Honest Truth, boasting a British rhythm section and a Dutch guitarist, lit up German stages in the late '60s before calling it a day. Drummer Stuart Fordham and bassist Ray Brown promptly returned to their island home, but were coaxed back across the North Sea in 1971 by guitarist Rob Terstall and his new musical companion, German keyboardist Jeff Beer. Dubbing themselves Odin, the group's ferocious shows quickly caught the attention of the Vertigo label, which released the band's sole album, this 1972 self-titled set. From the opening track, the quartet's breathtaking musical skills are on display, with Terstall and the teenaged Beer trying to one-up each other's consummate solos.