Free jazz, acid jazz. The debut album from
Flatland, a trio of electric jazzers from the West Coast, is laden with thick electric guitar riffs and solos worthy of
John McLaughlin, a thumping bass groove, and frenzied drumming throughout. It's a very busy album. As with other works by the trio, there are elements of free jazz and acid jazz as one would expect (including a couple of
Don Cherry compositions here), as well as elements of fusion à la
Mahavishnu Orchestra (though less here than in
Origin of Species) and the
Zawinul days of the
Miles Davis band. Electricity is made ethereal through the use of effects, alternating with groove-heavy sections.
Origin of Species may be a more accessible album for new recruits, but
Satellite is a fine pick as well. ~ Adam Greenberg