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.

The great Grover Washington, Jr. Discovered, nurtured and produced Pieces of a Dream while they were teenage phenoms still in high school. Since then they have toured the world, sold over two million albums, scored both smooth jazz and R&B radio hits while garnering legions of dedicated fans! On Another Note is a funky, joyful musical celebration, filled with melodic grooves that have made Pieces of a Dream fan favorites. The 10 brilliant originals that run the gamut from 'in the pocket' R&B to sensuous smooth jazz jams are proof that Pieces of a Dream are at the top of their game!! Lead producer and founding member James Lloyd, who has been a go-to hit maker and accompanist for Mary J. Blige, Najee and others, shines here with such highlights as the funky "Kickin' And Screamin'" and the romantic ballad "Smooth Dreams." Additionally, co-founder Curtis Harmon's composition, the hard grooving "Real To Me," demonstrates why the "Pieces" sound is a unique crowd pleaser!

With Tangerine Dream's recorded output spread across close to 40 years of work, and a variety of record labels as well, a comprehensive overview of their output would be a behemoth of a box set. This two-disc collection of odds and rarities cannot even begin to approach those proportions, but still its journey hits many of the high points that one would hope to find, as it traces band mainstay Edgar Froese at least into the early 1990s. The set opens with a pair of cuts recorded by Froese's pre-Tangs band the Ones in 1967, a couple of darkly atmospheric psych rockers that are far removed from anything he would go on to create. These are followed by brutal live takes on the two-part "Ultima Thule" that marked the Tangs' debut single, but which highlight the new band's personal direction by borrowing much from period Pink Floyd…

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 the fifth and final part of the "Five Atomic Seasons" cycle by Tangerine Dream.
Even after the worst scenario which happened to the two Japanese cities Nagasaki and Hiroshima, there is a life after so much suffering from grief and pain. The fifth sequel of "The Five Atomic Seasons" - The Endless Season - shows the couple moving back to their monastery in order to receive a very special instruction how to cope with life these days. The music reflects the mixture of feelings during this conversation and also the slightly positive change of consciousness towards a "life-after-death" situation.

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.