Chrome Hoof

An increible band I was just introduced to by a friend on Facebook...Chrome Hoof. Heavy psyche prog 1970's space rock jazz fusion . Brilliant. They remind me of a cross between Hawkwind, Magma, King Crimson, and Chrome. Check them out. I'm going to be tracking down more of their stuff...Thanks Jeremy!

MAGMA: DE FUTURA

Magma. Seriously warped, science fiction/jazz fusion/prog rock from the 1970's. Their drummer and band leader Chrstian Vander invented his own language and his own world for his music to take place in. This is the heaviest fusion/prog rock I have ever heard next to King Crimson. Some of Magma's material I almost prefer over King Crimson. Magma's music is pure insanity...horrifying, heavy music with odd time signatures. Unpredictable yet relentless A band led by one who is truly warped on psychedelics and has created his own language...all in all just terrifying futuristic music from another universe you can strangely enough almost dance to, with plenty of evil grooves. Check it out.

I have a few audio cassette tapes of Magma in my collection. That is all. Trying to share with you what I have heard of these guys so far. I may break in later with more Magma madness.

SUSPIRIA

Dario Argento's "Suspiria"(1977) is an extremely stylistic horror/suspense film, one of the best ever made in the genre. It is the first part of The Three Mothers trilogy, the second being "Inferno" and the third being "Mother of Tears". "Suspiria" is about Suzy Banyon (played by Jessica Harper) a student at a ballot school that happens to be run by a coven of witches. One by one, the students begin to mysteriously disappear. Suzy is determined to find out what is going on...and this is where the fun begins. This movie is an audio-visual roller coaster ride filled with bizarre, candy colored, LSD drenched lighting and highly unique and effective camera angles. The soundtrack by the jazz-fusion band Goblin is superb, frightening, disturbing, and highly innovative. It is the best horror movie soundtrack I have ever heard, and Goblin's best work in my opinion. The pace of the movie builds suspense in a Hitchcockian manner, with several edge of your seat moments leading to the fitting climactic ending. The acting is not the best, but this movie is all about atmosphere and conveying suspense and terror through color, images, and sound. The gore scenes are only used when needed and are highly effective. Don't take "Suspiria" too seriously. Just sit back and enjoy this terrifying roller coaster ride of a movie. If you haven't seen this one yet, drop everything and go rent or buy it now.

Here's the International trailer:



A scene from the movie..



and here's part of the soundtrack, the eerie title theme.

MILES DAVIS: "AGHARTA"

"Agharta" is the first part of a two part concert performed by Miles Davis and his band in Osaka, Japan in 1975. "Agharta" is the daytime portion of the show, and "Pangaea" is the night time portion. Both are equally impressive 90 minute plus epics that are each available as double disc sets. Today I would like to focus on "Agharta", the daytime, sun-drenched part of the show. This is jazz fusion at it's best...there is a deep sense of blues combined with psychedelic distorted guitar and the wide open free space of jazz . Almost every every instrument is hooked up with a wah-wah pedal, even the saxophone and flute, and especially the masterful trumpet playing of Miles Davis. His trumpet playing on "Agharta" is the most out there yet beautiful and disturbing work of his career. At times his trumpet becomes so distorted it is hard to distinguish between it and the guitar. At others it is so beautiful and serene it is devastating. The bass playing of Michael Henderson is magnificent, more like Black Sabbath than jazz, with very hip shaking earth moving grooves. There are two percussionists, Mtume and Al Foster, one playing a traditional drum set and the other playing various exotic percussion. The twin guitar playing of Pete Cosie and Reggie Lucas is heavy on the wah-wah, psychedelic as all get out, and dead on with it's delivery. The keyboard playing of Pete Cosey is mind-blowing, with subtle, lysergic, brain melting sounds emanating throughout the performance. The woodwind playing of Sonny Fortune really adds volatility to the mix, perfectly playing off of Mile Davis trumpet work.

"Agharta" is a downright earth moving, sun drenched jazz fusion masterpiece. After these dual exhaustive performances, Miles Davis crashed and burned, not to return until the early 1980's with more straight laced material. Start out with "Agharta", then pick up the darker "Pangaea" if you like what you hear.

Here's an excerpt from the very laid back "Maiysha". My favorite track from "Agharta". Click here to listen.