Reviews roundup – Swung vs. Billy Dee Williams vs. District 97 with John Wetton vs. Odin’s Court

Reviews roundup – Swung vs. Billy Dee Williams vs. District 97 with John Wetton vs. Odin’s Court

SWUNG
Vol 1 and 2
In And Out Of Focus Records

Gird yerselves people. It’s improv time.  Oh lordy mama.  On the plus side, Swung is an improvisational trio featuring past and present members of Dutch proggers Focus.  So they can play.  But when producer and bassist Bobby Jacobs describes the project as giving an outlet for their noodling at soundchecks, you really do have to take a deepbreath.

And, just as a bonus, it’s a 2 CD set.  Volume 1 features the aforementioned Bobby Jacobs, classic era drummer Pierre Van Der Linden and former guitarist Niels Van Der Steenhoven, and sees a whole lot of jazzy goings on, across nine ‘Adventures’, with a few diversions into funk rock.  It’s quite listenable.

Over on Volume 2, Jacobs and Van Der LInden team up with current guitarist Menno Gootjes for eight ‘Raga References’.  Even though this one has some overdubs, it’s still largely improvised, but is less melodic than the first disc.  It’s certainly interesting, but it’s really only for the real Focus Fanatics.

PS – digging the record company name!

BUY AT AMAZON

BILLY DEE WILLIAMS
Let’s Misbehave
Gonzo

It’s Lando Calrissian off of Star Wars singing show tunes!  Yes, really. Now I’m a bit of a jazzhands buff, so this is really up my street.

It dates back to 1961, and sees Williams taking on a fairly obscure set of songs, from long forgotten shows and films like “Paris”, “Arms And The Girl” and “House Of Flowers”.  And on the evidence of this, if the acting hadn’t worked out, there is no reason why he couldn’t have made it as a jazz singer.

He has a very listenable, smooth voice, and on songs like ‘Let’s Misbehave’ and ‘Life’s a Holiday’, you get a real flavour of what could have been, bringing a taste of the twenties and thirties to the table.  Spooky, when you consider he ehnded up portraying Billie Holiday’s boyfriend in “Lady Sings the Blues”.

Buried for over 50 years, it just goes to show you that there is still some undiscovered treasure out there.

BUY AT AMAZON

DISTRICT 97 with JOHN WETTON
One More Red Night: Live in Chicago
Primary Purpose

Now here, this is a good one.  It sees American prog band, District 97, teaming up with former Asia, Uriah Heep and King Crimson bassist / vocalist John Wetton.  Sadly, there is nothing from “Return To Fantasy”, but there are three songs from the King Crimson album “Red”, hence the title, and an assortment of numbers from “Larks’ Tongues in Aspic” and “Starless and Bible Black”.*

And it really is good to hear them rattling through the likes of ‘Book of Saturday’, ‘The Great Deceiver’ and ‘Starless’.  Hopefully, this will point people to the original music that District 97 have put out, and will remind people of the quality that John Wetton brings to most of his many projects.

It’s a period of King Crimson music that is in danger of being lost to people outside the inner circle, so give this a listen and marvel at what used to get in the album charts.

*Hon. exception ’21st Century Schizoid Man’.

BUY AT AMAZON

ODIN’S COURT
Turtles All The Way Down
ProgRock

I presume the title is an in joke for Terry Pratchett fans, but this is a welcome return from a prog metal outfit I’d forgotten about.  I vaguely remember enjoying “Human Life In Motion”, and the in jokes for sci fi and fantasy fans continue with the album being dived into three parts – Universe, Life, and Everything.  As before, it’s the brainchild of Matt Brookins who takes care of the songs, electric & acoustic guitars, keyboards, bass, drums and percussion.  The show off.

Now, Odin’s Court fall on the prog side of the fence dividing prog and metal, but they’ve always had a spine of steel running through their music (although probably not on their acoustic album).  And that’s the case here as they work their way through the Pink Floyd, Dream Theater influences to come up with their own unique sound.

A special mention goes to new singer, the splendidly name Dimetrius LaFavors who hits some notes that only dogs can hear, and is definitely a singer going places.  Song wise, it’s hard to pick a winner, as there isn’t a bum track on the record, but I’d proably go for the epic that is ‘Box of Dice (Does God Play?)’.   The twin guitar work, which sees Brookins team up with Rick Pierpont is also a real feature, and this is an album that prog fans should be hunting down.

BUY AT AMAZON