This 1980 release suggest what fusion jazz would sound like if all the musicians were in the thralls of an encroaching dope sleep.Fred Simon and Michael Bard, a pianist and multiple reedman respectively who' ve been around the jazz scene virtually unknown the past few years, here emerge from relative obscurity with their first record Musaic, an effort that strikes me as an example of playing-it-safe: the melodies are pleasant and draw on a number of recognizable sources, the rhythm section does its chores competently, and the solos display the requisite knowledge of technique. But, the music never takes chances. Admittedly the skill level is high, but Simon and Bard s insist on tilling styles that have been farmed too long to less bountiful yields: their sources sound like an over-familiar cross of Paul Winter, Oregon and Dave Bruebeck: with a dash of Ellington thrown in for good measure - makes the stuff on Musaic merely run of the mill. Even Larry Coryell's appearance on the funk jam "Fancy Frog" fails to liven things up. The usually idiosyncratic guitarist sounds more than happy cruise on the tepid flow of things, content to only dish out cliche blues licks and occasional fast runs instead of really pushing himself or anyone for that matter. Bear in mind, the music is not atrocious. It's nice and would make the ideal backdrop for when your mother was over for dinner. Otherwise, your time would be better spent catching up on your sleep, or staying up all night watching black and white movies highlighting big lizards devastating Japanese coastal cities.
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