kiyoshi sugimoto's babylonia wind album cover

Kiyoshi Sugimoto: Babylonia Wind (1972)

Would you look at that? Japanese jazz that’s NOT on Three Blind Mice or East West Records. Earlier this year saw the vinyl release of Babylonia Wind, the 1972 record from guitarist Kiyoshi Sugimoto and his quintet. Beautifully packaged as part of the Deep Jazz Reality series from Universounds, the Tokyo record shop and reissue label run by Yusuke Ogawa, it’s another hidden gem in the early 70s jazz rock revolution. I don’t know if I’m equipped to compare how this fares with a lot of what was on the rise at the time: this isn’t Miles Davis levels of fusion and jazz rock, but Sugimoto’s guitar is definitely wailing with a rock god fervor over the course of the album’s five tracks.

ChrisNovember 26, 2025Leave a comment

Vinyl

The Bridge: Overdrive – Jazz/Rock Party (1972)

Sometimes an album just speaks to you. It’s a combination of everything: the cover, the production, the “vibe” if you will. One component might pull you in; the rest tether you for eternity. Such was the case when I first laid eyes on The Bridge, a one-off project from Kristian Schultze, the keyboard/organ whiz who would later go on to join Passport and then with Michael Holm go on to form the new age band Cusco. None of that is important to know, though: just take a look at that cover and that album title. The whole project screams jazz funk rock grooves for a party, and indeed, Overdrive – Jazz/Rock Party is exactly as advertised. Not a lot going on thematically, just some good time funky jams that make your day a little more fun, and just a little brighter.

ChrisNovember 17, 2025Leave a comment

PSI: Horizonte (1977)

One look at that cover art and I know I was going to pick this title up. Horizonte is the sole album from German fusion band PSI, released in the heyday of the explosion of jazz rock in Germany in the mid to late 70s. Tight, complex rhythms with a lead focus on keyboards and guitars, the album hits a broad, sunny tone throughout most of its seven tracks, never getting overly dark or serious. That’s not to say the music isn’t serious: this is fusion, after all, and everyone takes their job seriously. But like the Web Web I reviewed the other day, for my ears it’s effervescent, clean and clean and leaving soon after arriving.

ChrisJune 24, 2025Leave a comment

Jeff Beck: Wired (1976)

If my admiration for Blow By Blow was tempered at best, I wasn’t sure if Wired was going to be any better. A few more days spent watching ton of live videos showed me exactly what it is about Jeff Beck that was so influential: the guy was an absolute master when it came to dynamics, phrasing, and no one used the volume knob and whammy bar better than he did. Would that translate to a better studio album, especially one with a change of guard that now included some of the very same players that was inspiring him in the fusion world? I like Wired more: there are a few small issues here and there, but to my ears this sounds like the fulfillment of what Beck was shooting for on his previous album.

ChrisMay 16, 2025May 16, 2025Leave a comment

Jeff Beck: Blow By Blow (1975)

I know a consistent refrain here is that it’s never too late to discover an artist or band. And that’s true, for the most part. But time and distance can sometimes blur or fade the response to a legend, and I’m not going to lie here: Jeff Beck is most certainly a fantastic guitarist, but if I’m going by my first thorough impressions of Beck’s first “proper” solo album, the instrumental multi-genre hyphenate Blow By Blow I’m a little underwhelmed. There are a few moments where the tracks really soar, and Beck’s playing is always fine, but the songs themselves often feel rote and shallow. Yeah, I’m as surprised as you, and happy to return my cool cred card but on the whole not sure this is one I’ll revisit often.

ChrisMay 13, 20251 Comment

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Tag: jazz rock