FERMÁTA

The Slovakian band's sophomore album disspells any worry about a "slump": instead, the band shows how serious they are--and how hard they've been working since their debut.

1. "Pieseň z hôľ (Song From Ridges)" (11:07) the use of a wide sonic field with this bass and guitar opening catches the listener a little off guard but quickly flows into quite an awesome display of music with breathtaking performances from all four of the musicians (though especially guitarist Frantisek Griglák: the virtuoso has arrived!)Anton Jaro's nuanced bass play is brilliant, drummer Cyril Zeleňák's play quite solid and in the pocket, while maestro Tomás Berka's play on Fender Rhodes and synth are as extraordinary and inventive as ever. But really, giving Frantisek Griglák's guitar playing two (or more) tracks to show off his new, near-Jan Akkerman skills is almost unfair to the others. At the end of the sixth minute Cyril is given an additional track for some interesting "background" conga play. Then the band moves slightly into a different Al Di Meola-like lane with new guitar sounds and new synth sounds--all the while with Anton and Cyril holding down the blistering pace from below with astonishing ease. Now this is some powerful Jazz- Rock Fusion on the level of RETURN TO FOREVER. Probably the best--and my favorite--song on the album. (19.5/20)

2. "Svadba na medvedej lúke (Marriage On A Bears Meadow)" (4:15) the band puts on display how closely they've been keeping up with the Anglo-American Jazz-Rock Fusion scene with some Billy Cobham-like drumming, smooth-yet-funky Stanley Clarke like bass playing, and dreamy, experimental synth and Fender Rhodes play. Excellent, excellent song. Love the Cobham-like drum intro! Probably the best--and my favorite--song on the album. (9.75/10)

3. "Posledný jarmok v Radvani (The Last Fair In Radvaň)" (4:31) simple drums and wildly inventive-yet-melodic bass play from Anton Jaro (the guy is a metronomic miracle!) The band gets their funk out! Listen to guitarist Frantisek Griglák's funky guitar plucking! Plus, there are some amazing whole-band riffs, bridges, and weaves. Definitely a very intricately constructed composition that required a lot of practice to perform as well as some extraordinary skill to pull off. Probably the best--and my favorite--song on the album. (9.75/10)

4. "Priadky (Spinning)" (7:37) a slow, spacious opening with Fender Rhodes chords and percussion sounds gradually start building up tension and speed until Tomás chord play establish a rhythmic pattern upon which the rest of the band jump on board around the 90-second mark, forming one of the most engaging, melodic and yet funky jazz-rock themes I've ever heard. Amazing! Tomás work has never been better! So creative! And, with a little maturity he's figured out how the use of space within his playing can be advantageous. Frantisek's guitar only sneaks in during the fourth minute, eventually taking the lead in the sixth minute with more of a rock-blues-rock staccato style. (not my favorite.) Then, in the sixth minute, things slow down for a Fender and synth reset before Anton and Cyril re-establish an amazing groove over which percussion and Frantisek's rhythm and background lead work contribute. The real stars of the show here, for me, are Anton and Tomás. Probably the best--and my favorite--song on the album. (14.25/15)

5. "Dolu Váhom (Downstream Váh)" (2:20) one-man band Tomás Berka presents a theme that funksters Anton and Cyril join. It turns out that Frantisek's absence is only due to the fact that he's also playing a synth, duelling with Tomás. It's nice, made great by the rhythm section, but nothing to write home about. (8.875/10)

6. "Vo Zvolene zvony zvonia (Bells Are Ringing In Zvolen)" (10:10) with a kind of DEODATO "Also Sprach Zarathustra"- like display of smooth melody-making the band here express their future goals of creating more accessible progressive rock/jazz-rock fusion. The addition of Milan Tedla's violin to the mix is quite nice--here taking the first solo in the third and fourth minutes. Next is one of Tomás' synths as well as some additional percussion sounds. The whole groove is just a little too laid back--even at 5:10 when the rhythm section shifts into a cutesy stop-and-go motif over which Tomás switches to a different synth sound for a solo. A minute later they switch back to the original smooth groove for another violin solo--this one turning into a bit of a duel between Tomás' array of synth (and Fender Rhodes) sounds and Milan's violin (as well as himself). (Who does he think he is? Jan Hammer?) Another thing that irritates me about this song is the slight/subtle shifts in tempo--are they trying to be cute or just showing off their astute skills? Plus, I'm not really a fan of the rapid and frequent keyboard sound shifts--as if purely to show off the number of sounds he's found. The skills on display are undeniable; it's the effect that bothers me: as if entertainment is the only end worth working toward, not the skill of comaraderie and working out intricate weaves as a whole band. (17.5/20)

Total Time: 40:00

I don't know why I'd never been steered toward this album before (due to the super-high acclaim given to the sublime Huascaran, obviously) but from a purely jazz-rock fusion perspective THIS is my favorite Fermáta album! It's so perfect! And so funky!

A/five stars; a veritable masterpiece of Jazz-Rock Fusion! Were it not for the disappointing weaknesses of the final two songs, this might be among my top five J-R Fuse albums of all-time!

The debut album from this Slovakian proggy Jazz-Rock Fusion band from Bratislavsk´y kraj, Straight out of the gates they prove themselves to be not only extraordinary musicians but excellent composers as well.

1. "Rumunská rapsódia (Roumanian Rhapsody)" (5:52) opening the album with something that sounds very much like LED ZEPPELIN on prog rock steroids. Guitar noodling and organ virtuosity on full display as the two instruments wend and weave their way in and around one another for the first 1:45, then a quick change into a FOCUS-like motif allows everybody to show completely different skills: guitarist Frantisek Griglák sawing away on a lead while keyboard virtuoso Tomás Berka switches to Fender Rhodes electric piano in order to continue to impress. Another bridge at the end of the fourth minute leads into a URIAH HEEP-like motif with organ supporting some wild flurries from both Frantisek and himself while bass player Anton Jaro is on near-Percy Jones rapid speed. Impressive! (9.25/10)

2. "Perpetuum II" (10:27) a long and oddly television-like intro of effects and low-key instrumental play that feels quite portentous but not quite threatening. Drummer Peter Szapu's increasingly-aggressive cymbal play at the end of the second minute signals an emergence from the primordial soup into something more structured and formed as Tomás Berka's odd marimba-sounding keyboard steps into the lead while Frantisek Griglák's guitar chords start getting louder and more sinister. A prolonged drum bridge in the fifth minute leads into a DOORS-like motif in which Tomás' keyboard choice switches to something more Canterbury-like (though no Canterbury keyboard player ever played this sound with such demonic feeling). Then the motif comes to a head with some very aggressive guitar shredding before turning down a much quieter one-way street for some pleasant storefront window shopping. Tomás' keyboard choice turns to organ with some high, piccolo-like note playing while Anton Jaro's underwater bass gets a turn to shine. Then mid-eighth minute the band turns onto a different street: driving against the flow of traffic! Yes, Frantisek's searing guitar play tells us how hard the upstream swimming is while the rest of the band drudges along in a heavy SABBATH- like motif. The 30-second finale finds everybody joining together to play a complex melody in a THIN LIZZY-like Celtic weave. Wow! Goblin on steroids! (18.25/20)

3. "Postavím si vodu na čaj (I'll Put The Kettle On)" (4:20) opening with a rock weave before settling back into a bucolic or dream-like tuned-percussion-like motif, they eventually settle back into a nice CAMEL-like rhythm track while Frantisek impresses in a very Andy LATIMER way. At 3:15 the band turns down a more ELOY, STARCASTLE, or even ALLMAN BROTHERS path for the final minute. Interesting mix--impressive play but not the most fluid construct or melody making. (8.875/10)

4. "Valčík pre krstnú mamu (Waltz For Godmother)" (7:03) blending an R&B/funk vibe with an Allman Brothers type instrument palette is quite creative and fresh. There are many moments that could also be construed as Focus-like Prog as well as Mahavishnu-like power fusion (and even some "Gates of Delirium"-like Steve Howe chaos at the end). And it all works! Brilliant! (14/15)

5. "Perpetuum III" (11:47) poorly recorded beach and wave sounds with Frantisek Griglák's Mahavishnu Orchestra "Birds of Fire" imitation building within as the drums, bass, and keys slowly build beneath. By the third minute the band is continuing on its Birds of Fire tribute with a "Resolution"-like resolution berfore peaking and switching into a Allman Brothers'-like jazz and bluesed up "Sweet Georgia Brown"-like passage. At 5:48 Frantisek's searing guitar bursts forth seeming to lead the band into something new, but instead sticking with the blues-jazz mock up for another half minute before turning down a bit of a BILLY COBHAM-like trail of funk through the mountain woodlands. Again Frantisek is in the lead with some impressive rock and almost-Mahavishnu-level guitar shredding. The rhythm tracksters remain iunwaveringly faithful in their support of their guitar leader, but their portion of the music starts to get a little stale as Frantisek remains unstoppable in his lead capacity. Despite my kudos to the band for attempting such a challenging mountain, I do not think they give the Mahavishnu Orchestra any competition. (I do not think that guitarist Frantisek Griglák is [yet] in the same league as the Mahavishnu.) (21.875/25)

Total Time 39:29

I feel that this album expresses the band's appreciation for as well as mastery of its rock roots while only slightly verging into the Jazz-Rock Fusion and/or symphonic progressive rock lanes; this is a more a rock album by some very talented/skilled artists with Jazz-Rock Fusion aspirations. At this point in the band members' developments I feel that guitarist Frantisek Griglák is a bit behind that of his band mates--especially keyboard genius Tomás Berka. But just wait: he's coming along.

A-/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece or even a minor masterpiece of jazz-infused rock music.

Releasing already their third 80's album in 1981and what an inspired effort it is. Playing is enthusiastic, tracks are longer and yet not more complex. There are contemporary fusion traces with simplified drums and modern synths but also enough for the 70's fusion fans . Fermata pleases listeners with yet another Latin fusion workout "Vina del Mar" with excellent rhythm section and jazz-rock playing. What a dynamic track in the vein of Mahavishnu! "Kalamita" is no less dynamic although starting as a meditative piece. "Gastronomicke radosti" has a pleasant oldies and rock'n'roll twist with excellent jazzy guitar. Should be a live favourite to play. The last "K.O." with saxophone is a lengthy track, not well developed but well executed. Despite not being a concept album it has better and more inspired playing than "Biela planeta".

Released just one year after the very good "Dunajska legenda", the album starts deceivingly poorly - devoid of progressive rock and fusion, it could be classified as virtuoso rock with quite straightforward rhythm section. "Magellan" is a shadow of previous Fermata complexity and power with mainly Berka throwing one or two wood branches into the fire. With "Amundsen", things start to look better, not in terms of intensity but sound development where keyboards and bass play adventurous modern fusion. After half the song, Fermata returns to the fiery 70's fusion with guitar soloing and even some Brian May-like sequence. "Polo" is a fantastic Latin-fusion workout with all 4 players very busy including the drummer who finally rolling up the sleeves. Great Berka provides solo but also some bass synths. Clearly his composition. Pity it is the shortest track and ends abruptly. "Da Gama" continues in the more 70's territory as does Humbold in a more accessible manner. "Livingstone" mainly builds on the irregular and dynamic shifts, kudos to Freso and Olah.

I'm quite captivated by Berka's composing and playing on this album, more than by the three others. 3.5 stars.

With two frontmen in the band and Freso joining on the bass guitar, the band had all potential to keep producing a winning streak of fusion albums. In the meantime, fusion music in general absorbed funk/disco and pop influences, it became more polished. Fermata stayed immune to those trends except that music is more streamlined without becoming more sophisticated. Thankfully, playing remaining fluid and ferocious at times. In particular, I like playing by Berka who not only provides great synth solos but is the main mood contributor. The first two pieces are the best ones on the album, IMO. "Wlkina" has a typical minor/major switch in the melody and dynamic groove. Berka using pitch to augment his solo and Griglak one of his most aggressive solos on the album. "Chotemir" starts with acoustic guitar opening followed by mellow keyboards that hint at a ballad especially when hearing a reflective motive. After warming up and crescendo strings, we get a symphonic prog with a moog-like sounding textures and emotional guitar. I hear Slavic folk music inspiration during a recurring motive. The composition end is full of fire stemming out of guitar and drums. "Witemir" is a piece of acoustic accessible rock augmented with fitting keyboard lines. "Unzat" is the best fusion/prog cross on the album and rich with ideas. "Trebiz" is a showcase for keyboards/drums but also hints at possible 80's/new-wave around the 4-minute mark. Dunajska Legenda offers pleasant listening and a number of creative ideas especially in playing.

"Huascaran" is arguably the most balanced Fermata album. It's not their most ferocious one but their compositional skills improved and the same goes for tasty composition development. Dedicated to the deadly expedition by a Czechoslovak mountaineering group of whom nobody survived the avalanche in the mountains. You wouldn't judge this by listening to the music apart from the last two minutes of the last track with nature sound and a slow heartbeat that could correspond to an end. New bass player emerged in the line-up - Laco Lucenic - untypical choice for a progressive bass player - but his handling his duties well although leaving soloing to the keyboards/guitar and rhythm decorations to the drums.

The first track is quite symphonic with moderate upbeat tempo and perfect keyboard layers (moog, synths, piano during the great acoustic exchange with cello). We have an emotional vocal part not far away from Argentinian folk- inspired prog bands at that time. Around 10:30 comes the first storm - a Latin-driven Santana meets McLaughlin before settling in a more funky rhythm and guitar/keyboards working in tandem.

"80000" starts on a sombre reflective Moog note transferring from steady fusion-friendly beat to a hard-rock territory reminding me of a "Blue Effect" style but escalating to a cymbal-heavy fusion with actually Lucenic' bass being one of the lead instruments.

The third track, "Solidarity" has the catchiest motive starting from the beginning and interesting prog drum pattern with mainly keyboard solos. Not much happening on the development side of the track, it's about exploring keyboard/guitar alongside the same rhythm.

"Huascaran II" is pretty intensive from the beginning disclosing its main motive at the early beginning. Important to highlight the slap bass playing well seconded by the Hohner Clavinet groove.

Highly recommended to any fan of instrumental prog and fusion.

On the second Fermata album, a prog/fusion outfit from Slovakia, the band solidifies its sound. The music is less frantic and wild then on their debut (which I liked!) and the band also makes more uses of synthesizers. The production is more wide sounding and detailed. The eleven minute opening track has an up-tempo bass line and and some fierce playing on drums and guitar. Bass player Anton Jaro takes a step forward here in the mix with his thumping bass guitar sound. After that almost all pieces are rather pleasant but un-impressive fusion pieces. The first side is pleasant enough, but on the second side the dominance of the synth leads over the rather tame chords patterns and rhythms becomes a bit boring to be honest. The seven minute piece 'Priadky' is still quite versatile though, albeit without the much needed stand-out moments the album needs at this stage. Frantisek Griglák switches between guitar and synth and I don't think Fermata sounds that good without him spicing thinks up with his electric guitar. In contrast to their debut this album is mainly interesting for fans of fusion/jazz-rock, whereas the debut should appeal to eclectic prog fans as well.

Lately the Eastern European label 'Opus' has been re-releasing some fine vinyls of classic prog fusion albums from behind the Iron Curtain. Fermáta's debut album is a fully formed symphonic prog fusion record in the vein of Mahavishnu and Finch. In their own region (Tjecho Slovakia) it could be compared to Leb I Sol, SBB and Blue Effect. Fermáta's debut is a particularly fierce tour the force of rockin' fusion vibes, greatly enhance by the added mystery of being such an unknown group in the West for so long. The music is obviously influenced by American fusion, yet it has its own way of thinking. Their compositions are quite dense and fast and it takes some time before you can swallow it hole, but boy is it worth getting to known this gem. The electric guitar of Frantisek Griglák is an obvious eyecatcher with his fast and fierce licks. Yet the band as a whole performs as a tight unit and the drums sound massive as well. The recording sound is surprisingly fine, the band its spark it really caught on tape here. The final track 'Perpetuum III' combines both the fierceness and the melodic skills of the band best in my opinion. A strong four star rating for this one.

The Jazz Rock/Fusion band Fermata has quite the interesting past. They were formed in 1973 in Slovakia by Frantisek Griglak (guitar) and Thomas Berka (keyboards). Their music was somehow accepted by the USSR government as their music was released on the government owned label Opus. The released albums quite regularly until around 1984, went on hiatus, then released another album in 1991. After that, albums were released quite sporadically. Their 12th full length studio album, "Blumental Blues" was released in October of 2019, 14 years after their previous album.

"Blumental Blues" sees the return of both Griglak and Berka. They are joined by Maxo Miklos on keys, Tamas Belicza on bass and Igor Teo Skovay on drums. The album is available on digital download (Spotify), CD and vinyl. There are 10 tracks on this album and it has a run-time of almost 44 minutes.

The album begins with "Booze Night" which quickly establishes a nice rock groove and which soon goes into a pattern of interchanging guitar and synth solos. The music is very western sounding, plenty of blues-induced improvisation, but with a moderately fast beat. "Ladies of Avlon" has a much more mellow and jazz based feel to it mostly generated from a chord progression played by the keys, and then some improvised soloing is played by more keys. The guitar comes in later, bringing in another level of intensity, but the music stays smoothly textured. The synths even bring in a brassy sound. "Blumental Blues" returns to the blues grooves, with a moderately slow beat. The guitar and organ pretty much present a nice, but mostly standard blues jam. There is a nice acoustic solo that comes in the middle which is a nice change of pace.

"The Pigeons of St. Florian" begins with a rhapsodic piano solo. The piano then establishes a foundation and the drums and synths soon join in. The guitar establishes a theme and trades back and forth with the synths doing some improv based on the theme, and the piano gets to a chance to add some atmosphere along with other keys. The synths bring in orchestral effects along with tonal percussion. After a return to the theme, the piano comes back in to finish it off. "Last Dance at the Firsnal Place" is a straightforward beat and is mostly played by keys and synths with guitar soloing coming in later. "The Cooper Cock" comes in with heavy guitars and thick synths which play the main melody together. Then they go off on their separate soloing sections. Again, it's pretty basic jazz/rock fusion with a strut (probably has to do with the chicken from the title?). "Pocta Marianovi" is a nice, little piano solo, expressive and lovely.

"Stupid Morning" begins with a soft synth and distant chimes. A pattern starts to boil underneath it all as synths play along. At about 2 minutes, the band kicks into gear bringing in a call and answer from the synth and guitar as the song solidifies. "Thje Breakfast at Stein" continues with the basic synth/guitar fusion. "First Morning Tram" adds some interesting changes in texture throughout, but is mostly along the same lines as the rest of the album. There seems to be more passion in the melodies here.

This album is pretty much straightforward jazz/rock fusion. There isn't a whole lot of progressiveness here, and the best tracks are the first 3, after which the music continues along at a mostly even pace. The music is pretty good, the production is great and it flows along quite well, but, again, it's pretty straightforward. There are no real surprises here at all. But if you like the basic jazz/rock formula, then this will work for you. It tends to sound a little too much alike to me after a few tracks. 3 stars.

The Slovakian band's third album release--the universally acclaimed one. Could the difference maker be the dynamic bass play of Ladislav Lučenič? or the expanded keyboard array of Tomas Berka?

1. "Huascaran I" (13:41) beautiful four-part symphonic piece that at times has the feel of Todd Rundgren's Utopia, at times the beautiful melodic sensibilities of something by Return to Forever, THE ELOY, or some RPI band like PFM. (28.5/30)

2. "80 000" (7:30) opens with a 90-second keyboard chord play that is an obvious nod to the opening to RETURN TO FOREVER's song "The Duel of the Jester and the Tyrant" from their 1976 release, Romantic Warrior. But then it moves into a motif that feels all Mahavishnu Orchestra before switching back to RtF at 2:40. Guitarist Frantisek Griglák has definitely expanded his guitar repertoire to include some pretty direct imitation of some well-studied Al DiMeola pyrotechnics. (13.5/15)

3. "Solidarity" (6:34) a song that shows how well the band, and especially keyboard speicalist Tomás Berka had studied and perfected the emulation of RtF leader Chick Corea's music and style. this one like "The Magician" or "Majestic Dance." (9/10)

4. "Huascaran II" (11:13) another Return to Forever imitation on which drummer Karol Oháh and bassist Ladislav Lučenič get to show quite prominently their own mastery of the styles and sounds of Lenny White and Stanley Clarke, respectively. On the front end, Frantisek and Tomás do their part in closing the amazing circle of imitation (of "The Medieval Overture"). The extended outro (1:50) of synth-generated birdsong and kick drum-generated heartbeat is a bit over the top. Great imitation. Wish it had more originality to it. (17.75/20)

Total Time: 38:58

Though too often a pretty obvious imitation of Return to Forever's Romantic Warrior, this is quite an exceptional album for its musicality and musicianship. Imitation is, after all, the highest form of praise, n'est-ce pas?

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of Return To Forever Romantic Warrior worship.