DEDALUS

An impressive debut from Italian avant-jazz rock band Dedalus. Released in 1973, this eponymous release perfectly captures their experimental jazz rock, not unlike Soft Machine around 1973 ish which sometimes drifts into avant sections.

There's excellent musicianship on display with a strong presence from electric piano, sax and electric guitar, complimented by a versatile rhythm section equally at home holding down a solid groove or more swinging jazz patterns. Being a consistently solid album highlights are hard to pick but I've a preference for the more conventional jazz rock over the avant sections which feature far more on the excellent BTF re-release as bonus material. Attention will no doubt be drawn to the 14 minute C.T.6 which takes up a large chunk of the, by today's standards at least, relatively short album. Moving from a fluent up-tempo electric guitar dominated opening it eventually locks into a repetitive mid paced groove with stabbing electric piano and the band taking turns to solo over the top. The more experimental close of Santiago features a cello not entirely dissimilar to the less bombastic parts of Jimmy Page's violin bow on electric guitar routine he used on Dazed and Confused. There the comparison ends. Conn is perhaps the most experimental track overall with an insistent and repetitive rimshot snare drum pattern laying the foundation for random ambient textures overlaid on top.

Some of the bonus more avant sections on the re-release are a little tedious but judging the album on the format of the original, Dedalus is worthy of a strong 4 stars.