Every now and then, the stars of
musical genius align and pure creativity glows platinum white hot. Sounds are created
that will be imitated for decades. This is one of those albums. Not only that,
it’s a double album. The next step in musical innovation after bebop, fusion,
free jazz and smooth jazz starts right here.
Listening is like hearing a time
machine go whirring into the future, right in front of your ears. In the hands
of this quintet led by guitarist John McLaughlin and pianist Chick Corea the fidgety chaos of bebop has been smoothed out, the
sharp-edged angularity of fusion rounded off. The mindless mumbling of smooth
jazz even begins to make sense. Splashes of free jazz atonality add urgency to
an excitement that’s well deserved.
Vinnie Colaiuta’s
drums have the power to give such an elaborate ensemble the supple muscularity
of a formula one race car. Christian McBride’s bass work contributes the
stability of high performance tires at the corners, adding snap to the swing
through every unexpected turn. Kenny Garrett’s sax work shows the most smooth jazz influence, but in this setting contains a
welcome note of familiarity without compromising the brilliance of his solos.
Though the harmonic structure of
each piece is complex, the lines are accessible. Basically, this is the sound
jazz needs to enter the 21st century, connecting the rich heritage
of its past with its richly promising future.