There is a Dream

There Is A Tide is the new album from Chris Potter and ONLY Chris Potter. Recorded during lockdown, Chris performed ALL instruments including drums, guitar, bass, percussion, woodwinds and, of course, saxophones.

Whoever knows Germany, knows that Bavarians (like me) are a little different from the other Germans. One one side very traditional, on the other hand forward looking, always trying to combine modern times with the good ol'times. Josef Vilsmeier - like every Bavarian - loves his homeland, and so he just wants to depict his homeland in a cinematic way. He spent dozens of hours in a helicopter over Bavaria, only shortly interrupted by short pauses in which he shows images of a few larger cities or certain points of interest or to show images of typical Bavarian tradition, and watching the beautiful images, they are simply great and show the beauty of our homeland.

This Swedish band is named after Fuchsia’s 1971 underrated classic song of the same name, and that’s a great point of reference on this LP, and it would also sit along nicely with Kevin Ayers “Joy of a Toy”. The songs are mostly acoustic based, with flutes and piano contributing lovely melodies, and mellotrons adding a darker atmosphere to the mostly breezy elements. Overall, there is a very loose and dreamy feel here, and this is seemingly something that could be the soundtrack to your summer, perfect for those lazy days outside in the open.

This is an obscure Alphonse Mouzon recording, which, along with Mind Transplant, accounts for Mouzon's best work as a solo artist. The presence of former Weather Report band mate Miroslav Vituous provides for much of the session's excitement ("The Light" being a standout). Fusion vets Philip Catherine, Stu Goldberg, and Joachim Kuhn also turn in fine performances, as does the relatively unknown Bob Malik. There is a great deal of integrity on this session, a quality that was often missing from Mouzon sessions both before and after this. Highly recommended.