Joan Bibiloni - Una Vida Llarga I Tranquila (1984)

Previously on OPIUM HUM:

Joan Bibiloni - Silencio Roto (1987)

Folk-infused, synth-y Spanish jazz-funk/lite fusion. My commute to work starts around 6:15-20 in the morning, which means that there are generally not a lot of cars on the road when I leave, and, for most of the year, the sun isn't even up yet. I have a couple of mixes specifically made for this dark, slightly eerie, but laid-back early morning commute, and this record's title track is the first song on one of them. (The next two songs, you ask? "Song for Sharon" by Joni Mitchell, and "Falling to Pieces" by Faith No More. I'm usually at work by the time "Falling to Pieces" fades out.) So take that as my overall assessment of the album. Also, please stick around till the end, things get pretty fucking weird and I wouldn't want you to miss it.

Track listing:

1. El Cumpleaños Se Jaimito

2. Unda Vida Llarga I Tranquila

3. El Aguacito

4. Lailala Lailala

5. Doble Volta

6. Sagitari

7. Jazmin 29

8. Una Vida Llarga I Tranqiula II

OK, Mr. Rich. With your fingers in the asses of the 4-star generals. This is your only chance to hear me, so listen up big. No more kissing toilet bowls. No more fingering the cold tits of bombs. Get out onto the street. There's better things to do. This is the Ralphie the Dog speaking to you. Life can be better than a pile of shit. Don't wipe us out now.

Also listen to:

Ian Carr's Nucleus - Out of the Long Dark (1978)

Steps Ahead - Steps Ahead (1983)

Percy Jones Ensemble - Propeller Music (1990)

Previously on OPIUM HUM:

Percy Jones - Cape Catastrophe (1990)

Percy Jones with Tunnels - Percy Jones with Tunnels (1993)

Vic Stevens' Mistaken Identities - No Curb Ahead (1997)

Tunnels - Painted Rock (1999)

Drum machine, noodling fretless bass, synthetic-ass-all-hell keyboards, fragmented guitars -- generally woozy, slightly unsettling, 100% nerdy fusion. Midway through, vocals enter the mix, and the album morphs into a mid-era Gary Numan record. I listen to this by myself on headphones, and I think, "damn, this is so fucking rad, I wish all music was this weird;" I put this on a stereo with someone else in the room, I feel like a degenerate and a pervert.

Track listing:

1. $10,000 Bookshelf

2. Heidelberg Switch

3. Barrio

4. Panic - Disorder

5. Count the Ways

6. Turn Around

7. Slick

8. Slack

9. All for a Better Way

10. Looking for a Sign of New Life

11. Razorville

12. K2

Soon you're looking down at creatures in the dark

If you like this, you should hear:

Scott McGill - The Hand Farm (1977)

Louis de Mieulle - Defense Mechanisms (2011)

Steve Khan • Rob Mounsey - Local Color (1987)

Great collaboration between guitarist Steve Khan, who I discovered years ago when I bought his album Arrows based solely on its artwork, and keyboardist/synth-guy Rob Mounsey, who I don't think I've listened to outside of this record. Khan's jazz background certainly shines through, but the dated synths and drum sequencers make Local Color feel predominantly like a new age record.

Track listing:

1. Tafiya

2. The Blue Rose

3. I See a Long Journey

4. Gondolas

5. Intruder

6. The Hunt

7. Mahana

Keep on loving while your love is strong

Keep on loving 'til your love is gone away

Also listen to:

Mark Isham - Vapor Drawings (1983)

Barry Cleveland - Voluntary Dreaming (1990)

Manfred Schoof - Meditation (1987)

Previously on OPIUM HUM:

Jasper van 't Hof - Eye-Ball (1974)

Manfred Schoof / Rainer Brüninghaus - Shadows & Smiles (1989)

A curious entry in Manfred Schoof's discography. Airy, synth-heavy, mid-tempo grooves and drifting, reverberating trumpet, at times receding into full, new age-y ambience. Meditation definitely veers very close to smooth jazz, especially on the pillow-y "Timecode". Elsewhere, the title track sounds like something that would have lurked on the back half of Moby's Play, and "Robot" pitches a soundtrack for a PG-13 cut of The Terminator. Strange that it was released as a Manfred Schoof solo album as it is quite clearly a collaborative effort with keyboardist Jasper van 't Hof, the only other musician credited.

Track listing:

1. Meditation

2. Clouds

3. Timecode

4. Robot

5. Silence

6. Zen

Speak to me, baby

In the middle of the night

More smooth sailing:

Carlo Maria Cordio - Shadows and Memories (1979)

Jack DeJohnette featuring Lester Bowie - Zebra (1985)

Louis de Mieulle - Defense Mechanisms (2011)

Super tasty debut solo record from French jazz bassist Louis de Mieulle. Nocturnal, woozy, groove-y jazz-rock/fusion featuring a lot of work with out-of-sync time signatures -- I'm guessing there's a more concise, nerdier way term for that but I don't know it -- and the casually virtuosic drumming of Animals as Leaders' Matt Garstka. If you're a regular reader of this blog, this should be way up your alley.

Track listing:

1. Scapegoat 1

2. Scapegoat 2

3. Electric Cell Mutations

4. Skuld

5. Soundfrieze

6. The Ladybug and the Cockchafer

7. The Taste of Filth

8. Portrait de Famille

9. Solitude

Birth of an idiot

Similar sounds:

Hermann Szobel - Szobel (1976)

Percy Jones - Cape Catastrophe (1990)

Steve Tibbetts - Exploded View (1986)

Previously on OPIUM HUM:

Steve Tibbetts - Steve Tibbetts (1977) + Yr (1980)

Steve Tibbetts - The Fall of Us All (1994)

Steve Tibbetts & Knut Hamre - Å (1999)

If you've noticed that I've been even less active than usual on here, it's because I'm putting the finishing touches on my degree, and have been buried alive in a digital grave of spreadsheets, financial reports, essays, and zoom meetings. And as I mentioned on last month's post about new shit I've been listening to, I listen pretty much exclusively to Steve Tibbetts while doing school work -- for real, I have a playlist titled "SCHOOL" that's just Tibbetts' discography in chronological order.

However, what's truly extraordinary about this man's music is that not only does it hold up extremely well to both casual and close listening, but I never seem to tire of it, regardless of the countless hours I've spent with it. So here's one of my favorites of his. It's second only to The Fall of Us All in his discography in terms of sheer volume levels and intensity of performance, which means you're in for propulsive tribal percussion, dramatic vocals, and Tibbett's inimitable guitar stylings/feedback manipulation.

(Pro-tip: For even more, check the comments section on the The Fall of Us All post.)

Track listing:

1. Name Everything

2. Another Year

3. A Clear Day and No Memories

4. Your Cat

5. Forget

6. Drawing Down the Moon

7. The X Festival

8. Metal Summer

9. Assembly Field

Mind dust

Somewhat similar listening:

Michael Shrieve & Steve Roach - The Leaving Time (1988)

David Torn - What Means Solid, Traveler? (1996)

Vic Stevens' Mistaken Identities - No Curb Ahead (1997)

Dark-tinted jazz-rock/fusion led by drummer Vic Stevens. Discordant guitars, fretless bass courtesy of Percy Jones -- for about half the album, anyway -- some saxophone here and there, surprisingly (given that the groups's formed around a drummer) restrained drumming, and a whole lotta tasty, dated keyboard voices.

Track listing:

1. Useless Humans

2. The Sun Rises in the East

3. No Curb Ahead

4. Do the Do That You Do

5. I Travel Alone

6. Would You Like to Dance

7. Answers

8. A Party of Five

9. Buy the Weigh

Peaceful anxiety

If you like this, try:

Nicky Skopelitis - Ekstasis (1993)

Scott McGill - The Hand Farm (1997)

Scott McGill - The Hand Farm (1997)

Dissonant, noodle-y fusion/jazz-rock by American guitarist Scott McGill. The Hand Farm is all knotty, herky-jerky time signatures and manic, fluid fretwork, but there's something woozy and atmospheric at work that helps to elevate it above your standard fusion wank-fest.

Track listing:

1. The Great Unwashed

2. The Secret Linen Service

3. Pools

4. Death by D.M.V.

5. 2000 Allen Called

6. Uncle Zippy

7. Luggage

8. Ignoramus Rex

9. Calvinist Pancakes

10. Labyrinth

11. Alaskan Brick

Don't just do something, stand there

If you like this, listen to:

Percy Jones - Cape Catastrophe (1990)

Bruford Levin Upper Extremities - Bruford Levin Upper Extremities (1998)

Miroslav Vitous - Purple (1970)

Previously on OPIUM HUM:

Miroslav Vitous - Infinite Search (1969)

Terje Rypdal, Miroslav Vitous, & Jack DeJohnette - S/T (1979)

Terje Rypdal, Miroslav Vitous, & Jack DeJohnette - To Be Continued (1981)

Low-key, simmering fusion helmed by bassist Miroslav Vitous. I had a truly massive buildup of spam comments that I never deleted, and lo and behold, on the other side of that pile were a grip of comments from almost 4 years ago. One of them was a request for a post on this album from July 7, 2019. Better late than never?

Track listing:

1. Purple

2. Mood

3. Water Lilie

4. Dolores

5. It Came from Knowhere

Emphatic period

Also listen to:

Jasper van t' Hoff - Eye-Ball (1974)

Karin Krog, Steve Kuhn, Steve Swallow, & Jon Christensen - We Could Be Flying (1975)

José Roberto Bertrami - Blue Wave (1983)

Extremely chill fusion led by Brazilian keyboardist José Roberto Bertrami of Azymuth fame. Makes me feel like I'm on a boat drinking wine.

Track listing:

1. Bye Bye Brasil

2. Chorodô

3. Partido Alto #2

4. Shot on Goal (Perigo de Gol)

5. Blue Wave

6. Parati

7. Sheds and Weeds (Barracos e Arbustos)

Somewhere totally else

Similar vibes:

Arthur Verocai - Arthur Verocai (1972)

Jarosław Śmietana - Talking Guitar (1984)

John Zorn - The Goddess: Music for the Ancient of Days (2010)

Related:

Painkiller - Execution Ground (1994)

The final installment of a trilogy of albums that found John Zorn at his most accessible by a very wide margin. (Actually, this man has about 4 thousand albums, of which I've heard maybe 20-25, so for all I know, he might have an album of vocal jazz standards sung by Norah Jones.) Ethereal but propulsive jazz fusion powered by a glimmering cloud of vibraphone, harp, piano, guitar, and more. Borders on easy listening at times. If, when you think John Zorn, you think chaotic jazz-grind or discordant avant-garde, this record might blow your mind a bit.

Track listing:

1. Enchantress

2. Ishtar

3. Heptameron

4. White Magick

5. Drawing Down the Moon

6. Beyond the Infinite

7. Ode to Delphi

The center has moved on and all that's left is free

You should also listen to:

Harold Budd - The Pavilion of Dreams (1978)

Midori Takada & Masahiko Satoh - Lunar Cruise (1990)

Arild Andersen - Sagn (1990)

Norwegian bassist/composer Arild Andersen's folk-jazz opus. Buoyed by an excellent band that includes the beautiful, dynamic vocals of Kirsten Bråten Berg and rock-leaning guitars of Frode Alnæs, Sagn succeeds where many others have failed: getting me to enjoy a fusion of jazz and Scandinavian folk.

Track listing:

1. Sagn

2. Gardsjenta

3. Eisemo

4. Toll

5. Draum

6. Laurdagskveld

7. Tjovane

8. Sorgmild

9. Svarm

10. Gamlestev

11. Reven

12. Nystev

13. Lussi

14. Rysen

15. Belare

16. Sagn

I want to see your face in every kind of light

In fields of gold and forests of the night

You might also like:

Bill Connors - Of Mist and Melting (1978)

Bill Frisell - In Line (1983)

Hermann Szobel - Szobel (1976)

The one and only album by the one and only Hermann Szobel. The short version of the story goes: Szobel waltzed into a Roberta Flack recording session and blew away everyone there with his piano-playing, landed (with the help of his famous promoter uncle) a deal with Arista, recorded and released this incredible debut record, had some sort of breakdown while recording the follow-up, and disappeared. And not just from the industry: his mother filed a missing persons report on his behalf in 2002, and information about his whereabouts has remained sketchy at best since. Supposedly, he's alive and living in SF.

Aside from all of this, though, is the album itself, which is a wondrous labyrinth of avant-fusion from top to bottom. Discordant, controlled chaos that jumps effortlessly from cinematic slow-burning to frantic, panic-driven frenzies, often resembling RIO more than fusion. Szobel had some serious musical and compositional chops, and it could have been a brilliant career, but I supposed the music biz just wan't for him. At least he gave us this one gift before going off-grid.

Track listing:

1. Mr. Softee

2. The Szuite

3. Between 7 & 11

4. Transcendental Floss

5. New York City, 6 AM

When you talk to me

When you're moanin' sweet and low

Also listen to:

Masmabumi Kikuchi - Poo-Sun (1970)

Miriodor - Miriodor (1988)

Last Exit - Last Exit (1986)

Related:

Sonny Sharrock - Black Woman (1969)

Divination - Ambient Dub Vol. II - Dead Slow (1993)

Arcana - The Last Wave (1995)

Arcana - Arc of the Testimony (1997)

The Blood of Heroes - The Waking Nightmare (2012)

Discordant free jazz-rock madness from an incredible lineup of musicians. Sometimes feels more like no-wave than jazz. Also, just gonna disclose that I've struggled with attention/focus issues for my entire life, and the past week or so has been particularly rough in that regard. And around here, this has taken the form of things getting extra sloppy -- my last two posts were published with spelling errors in their goddamn titles (check the URLs) -- so sorry 'bout that. Onwards and upwards.

Track listing:

1. Discharge

2. Backwater

3. Catch as Catch Can

4. Red Light

5. Enemy Within

6. Crackin

7. Pig Freedom

8. Voice of a Skin Hanger

9. Zulu Butter

The only emperor is the emperor of ice cream

You might also wanna hear:

Musica Transonic - Musica Transonic (1995)

Slobber Pup - Black Aces (2013)

Jack DeJohnette featuring Lester Bowie - Zebra (1985)

By request, here's Zebra by drummer Jack DeJohnette and trumpeter Lester Bowie. Atmospheric, synth-y slow-burners comprising tastefully wandering solos over laid-back, sparse, at times African-sounding grooves. Not counting this one, I've posted at least 10 albums featuring Jack DeJohnette, so it's really about time that I did one of his solo records.

Track listing:

1. Ntoro I

2. Jongo

3. Aho

4. Kpledzo

5. Ntoro II

Strange shapes

You might also enjoy:

Rainer Brüninghaus - Continuum (1983)

Mark Isham - Castalia (1988)

Gary Bartz - The Shadow Do! (1975)

Some of that sweet, that funky stuff from jazz saxophonist (and Baltimorean!) Gary Bartz. In addition to handling all vocals and playing synth, he brought in (among others) Michael Henderson, the Mizell brothers, and several members of Mtume, and the results are lush, smooth jazz-funk of the highest order.

Track listing:

1. Winding Roads

2. Mother Nature

3. Love Tones

4. Gentle Smiles (Saxy)

5. Make Me Feel Better

6. Sea Gypsy

7. For My Baby

8. Incident

I'm gonna get ya

More like this:

Dave Valentin - Land of the Third Eye (1980)

George Howard - Asphalt Gardens (1982)

Miriodor - Miriodor (1988)

I'm back! Had this post locked and ready to post while I was away, but vacation life took over and I temporarily forgot about the internet. Excellent sophomore album by these Canadian RIO purveyors. Disjointed, queasy, but propulsive instrumentals played on unsettlingly synthetic keyboards and decidedly un-synthetic saxophones and percussion. I'm including the bonus tracks because the first vinyl press of this record is the only version that doesn't include them so to me they feel like part of the proper album.

Track listing:

1. Regards / Regards

2. Spirale / Spiral

3. March Funèbre / Funeral March

4. Valence / Valence

5. Piège / Trap

6. Suspicion / Suspicion

7. Insomnie Prèmonitoire / Premonitory Insomnia

8. Réseau / Network

9. En Attendant Rémi / Waiting for Remi

10. Pleine Lune / Full Moon

11. Suspicion / Suspicion

12. Oriflamme / Oriflamme

13. Convoi Nocturne / Nocturnal Procession

14. Moyen Âge / Middle Ages

Langage de lézard

If you like this, you're a nerd, and you should also listen to:

Maneige - Les Porches (1975)

Art Zoyd - Berlin (1987)

Variable Unit - Handbook for the Apocalypse (2003)

Future jazz/hip-hop fusion for weirdos and freaks trying to survive in a world that's hell-bent on ending itself. The kind of truly excellent, utterly obscure album that makes me even more suspect of the inexplicably popular titans of our pop/hip-hop landscape.

(If anyone has a higher quality rip of this, please post a link in the comments.)

Track listing:

1. Towers Open Fire

2. Handbook for the Apocalypse

3. War Again

4. Not One of Us, All of Us!

5. I Am on a Journey to My Soul, But the Police Just Pulled Me Over

6. We Are at War

7. Hologram Network

8. Shake the Cosmic Dice

9. Gas and Violence

10. Walking with My Son

11. Transcending Terror

12. Killing Time

13. Beyond Babylon

Books and bullets don't go crazy

Men and trigger fingers do

You might also enjoy:

Justin Warfield - My Field Trip to Planet 9 (1993)

The Hive - Working with Sound (1997)

Steve Grossman - Terra Firma (1977)

Related:

Jerry Goodman & Jan Hammer - Like Children (1974)

Jan Hammer - The First Seven Days (1975)

Stone Alliance - Stone Alliance (1976)

Sweaty, hard-driving fusion led by saxophonist Steve Grossman. Everyone’s firing on all cylinders, particularly the great Don Alias, whose percussion gives every song a major ass lift.

Track listing:

1. Katonah

2. In It

3. 37 Willoughby Place

4. Enya

5. Inmate Man

6. Relentless Lady

7. This Way Out

Pressure point

Also listen to:

John Lee & Gerry Brown - Infinite Jones (1974)

Michel Herr, Bill Frisell, Vinton Johnson, Kermit Driscoll - Good Buddies (1978)

Masabumi Kikuchi - Poo-Sun (1970)

First solo outing by Japanese jazz pianist Masabumi Kikuchi. Mesmerizing pieces that generally feature two pianists (both usually on electric), two drummers, a saxophonist, and a bassist. You're welcome.

Track listing:

1. Dancing Mist

2. Thanatos

3. E.J.

4. Yellow Carcass in the Blue

5. Puzzle Ring

6. My Companion

Get magic again

Similar listening:

Elvin Jones - Genesis (1971)

Bennie Maupin - The Jewel in the Lotus (1974)