CONTINUUM

CONTINUUM were a two-album British band led by the Hungarian multi-instrumentalist Yoel Schwarcz. Their music featured a unique combination of Progressive Rock, Classical and Jazz. Their first eponymously-titled album passed by virtually unnoticed at the time of its release in 1970, but their second album "Autumn Grass" (1971) is now gaining some well-deserved recognition in the modern Internet era. The album is split into three pieces of music on Side One and the whole of Side Two is occupied by the 26-minute-long suite and title track, "Autumn Grass". Continuum were discontinued shortly after the album's release, but their two amazing albums have now magically reappeared in a spacetime continuum known as the Internet.

The tremendous album opener "Byrd Pavan" is presumably a tribute to Jazz trumpeter Donald Byrd, although there's not a trumpet to be heard anywhere on this gorgeous 9-minute piece of music. It begins as a hauntingly-beautiful melody featuring a stately, processional church organist and a flirtatious flautist in accompaniment. The music has a sacred and ethereal ambience, conjuring up an image of some deeply religious and solemn occasion in church. It sounds like the kind of classical Baroque music you might have heard played back in Henry Purcell's time. First impressions can be deceptive though, because out of nowhere comes an animated harmonica player alongside the church organist who suddenly breaks out into a funky fugue of Jazz-Fusion in a dazzling display of keyboard wizardry. A sensational saxophonist joins the party too with some swinging and sophisticated soloing. The bass player and acoustic guitarist also have their moment of glory in the solo spotlight. Although the music is titled "Byrd Pavan", this is no slow processional dance - this is an upbeat, up-tempo and uplifting funky Jazz number that will have the church parishioners dancing down the aisles, although the vicar probably wouldn't approve.

The clue is in the title as to what you can expect with "Vivaldi Synthesis Two" because it's Vivaldi's Guitar Concerto given a modern twist with an acoustic guitar virtuoso bathed in soothing symphonic synth strings. This refined and romantic refrain is only 140 seconds long, but it's a marvellous 140 seconds of mellifluous musical magic. Vivaldi has never sounded so vibrant and vivacious.

The next piece of music is titled "Overdraft", and a bank overdraft is just what you might need to buy the original "Autumn Grass" LP album, as it's become a pretty rare collectors item these days. This 11 minute piece of music begins as a gentle piano and flute number before breaking out into a fabulous funky Jazz session. The music features a scintillating psychedelic guitar solo as well as an impressive display of keyboard dexterity from the lively organist. This sublime swinging sensation concludes with the gently tinkling sound of a solo piano to play out Side One. This is stirring and stimulating Jazz-Rock designed to light a fire in the soul.

And now we come to the magnum opus, the 26-minute-long title track, occupying the whole of Side Two. This is no "Moonlight Serenade". This music is as bright and bubbly as sparkling lemonade. As might be expected, this long piece is a veritable potpourri of musical instruments and styles. It's a stunning interplay, featuring Baroque piano pieces, classical cellos, pastoral flutes, haunting harmonica solos, gentle acoustic guitars and tympanic drum sequences. All in all, it's a magnificent display of musical virtuosity in which all of the assembled players are given their chance to shine and display their musical feathers in all of their magnificent plumage. The music on this album has been described as a "ritualistic invocation", which sums it up rather nicely I think.

"Autumn Grass" is an intoxicating concoction of Jazz and Classical music combined together into an intriguingly heady cocktail of masterful melodies and intricate improvisation, which could best be described as Baroque Jazz-Rock. If you're looking for something completely different, then step out into the "Autumn Grass" world of Continuum, because this is the album for you. "Autumn Grass" is playful and pastoral and this enchanting and emotionally elevating album sounds good at any time of the year.

This wholly instrumental album is very much a game of two halves. Side one contains some rather ambling and unfocussed jazz-rock improvisations mainly based on classical pieces. Track one is Byrd's Pavan which begins with a beautiful performance of Byrd's familiar pavan before launching into a jazzy jam session. Although it does contain some lovely moments. mostly it smacks too much of self indulgent noodling, something which can be said of the whole side, with the exception of track two a very straight forward rendition of a Vivaldi slow moment. The third and final track on this side, "Overdraft" is even more noodly. So far there is nothing that would interest the average Prog fan, being as this is pretty standard jazz rock fare. Side two is rather different. Here we have the title track, a 26 minute piece. If side one led you to believe this would be more long winded noodling, you'd be wrong. Despite its length this is a tightly argued piece with elements of avant garde classical writing (melancholy strings are featured memorably through out), jazz, medievalism, an unusually interesting drum solo, in fact almost everything that early 70s progressivism was about, apart from bluesy rock that is. Prog fans should try to hear this track, even if the album as a whole remains somewhat dated.

A different band formed in London in late-60's,CONTINUUM was an idea of guitarist/flutist Yoel Schwarz,a musician from Hungary,who performed around the same time at clubs in Amsterdam.His meeting with classical guitarist John Warren was the turning point for Yoel to form this experimental group.The first album is said to be recorded at Morgan Studios in London,featuring also Mike Hart on bass and Dick Wildman on drums.

Released finally in 1970 on RCA Label,''Continuum'' blends classical guitars with a baroque feeling and an improvisational jazzy mood.Side A consists of four tracks,all written by Schwarz,which are actually interpretations of works by Bach and Handel.While the tracks are structurally ok,the middle-parts of them contain improvisational flutes,harmonica soloing and some bluesy guitars also to support the delicate classical guitars and the deep double bass.The result is definitely way too experimental and different from anything I've heard by bands of the same period.Stepping to side B we find a 20 min. written by Richard Hartley,who appears as a pianist on the second album of the band (1971,''Autumn grass'',also on RCA).Entitled ''Legend of Childe Harold'',this suite is split in five parts and it is mainly based on classical strings,guitars and wind instruments.However, some good improvisational passages headed by flutes and bass are also present,while the overall atmosphere is closer to avant/prog and chamber music.For fans of dark instrumental music,this will be a very good listening.''Continuum'' won't be ever everybody's taste and ceretainly not mine.The album is highly experimental (especially its suite) and totally unique in its sound and atmosphere and I would recommend it mostly to fans of classical music and avant/prog.For the mass of progressive rock fans,this won't add anything charming in your collection.

This band is an Unidentified Flying Group, that is all too forgotten. This extremely eclectic debut is only partly in the rock realm, but its folk, classical, pre-classical, blues, jazz and avant-garde influences is making it one of the hardest album to classify. This international quartet founded by Hungarian wind and acoustic guitar player Yoel Schwarcz, but based in Netherlands and England, certainly took a rather bold turn in reworking the classics, like Ekseption and Trace and much later Sky would, but here the interpretation are bold, daring, dazzling and inventive, mostly because the group built on the piece (Bach and Handel mostly) instead of adapting and electrifying them. Continuum even takes the risk of re-working Bourée and as you would've guessed, it does not match Tull's, but does stand on its own.

If the first side is somewhat conventional and presents jazz, blues and folk workouts from Bach pieces and as said above is rather excellent, but stays partly conventional, the second side is much more adventurous and the group enters the atonal and dissonant realms, using scales and an advanced use string quintet that are rather unfamiliar to the mainstream crowds.

The side-long suite Legend Of Childe Harold (written by Richard Hartley) where the voyage of Childe Harold and its tribulations and misadventures are described musically. Ranging from a pedestrian blues with jazzy solos ala early-Tull (Release) to the almost medieval and dissonant intro (Revelate) to the almost-dronal semi-medieval and semi- contemporary Judgment Approach, with the finale's frankly dissonant intro, this suite was quite an achievement for the year of recording. I wouldn't be surprised if Art Zoyd and Univers Zero heard this album's finale.

Clearly this album is the resultant of hundreds of influences, but it is safe to bet many progressive musicians also heard and inspired themselves from this album. This album is much more than a curiosity, it is a must hear for classical-loving progheads.

Lie back and smell the daisies.

"Autumn grass" is a criminally underrated album from the early 1970's, featuring jazz influenced prog played by four highly proficient musicians. The feature (title) track was at the time of the album's release one of the longest single tracks to appear on one side of an LP (but by no means the longest), running to some 26 minutes.

The band was the brain-child of Yoel Schwarcz. Despite the fact that they only ever made two albums, he is the only person to be a band member for both (although the others who played on the first album appear as guests here) . The line up for "Autumn Grass" includes the highly proficient keyboard player Tim Rice (no relation to Andrew Lloyd-Webber's mate).

Side one consists of three tracks, all developed through live performances before being committed to vinyl. The opening "Byrd Pavan" is an improvisation on Byrd's "Earl of Salisbury pavan" combined with Purcell's "Air on a ground bass". The band add a jazz dimension to the Elizabethan flavoured "pavan", with the organ work of Rice being particularly dominant. "Vivaldi synthesis 2" is an adaptation of Vivaldi's "Guitar concerto", with synthesised strings backing. This pleasantly relaxing piece was later revived by Steve Howe on his "Steve Howe album". The final track on side one is "Overdraft", the only band composition on the album. This piece is the most jazz based of the four tracks, and also the weakest.

As mentioned previously, the inordinately long title track occupies side two. Composed by Patric Standford specifically for the band, the sleeve described the track as "a ritualistic invocation". Various guest musicians contribute to the suite, notably the Olympus Strings cello section. The highlight though is the wonderful flute of Yoel Schwarcz. About midway through the track, he picks out a baroque melody with sparse accompaniment. This theme is used as the basis for a developing improvisation with ever increasing backing driving the flute to a frantic crescendo, before the main theme restores order.

During my student years of the mid 70's, this track, and indeed the album was a regular feature of my turntable. Whilst the length of the piece had a lot to do with it (30 minutes between changing sides was most unusual), I found the music perfect to study to as it has that rare quality of supporting listening on many different levels.

"Autumn grass" stands as a truly remarkable work, criminally overlooked both at the time of its release, and indeed now. Recommended.

Bach to the future.

Released in 1970, Continuum's first album is a confident statement consisting of three pieces based on Bach compositions, one based on Handel's "Allegro", and a side long suite composed for the band by Richard Hartley. There are lengthy sleeve notes explaining the compositions further, and I shall borrow from these during the review (although they are at times complex, perhaps even pretentious). Quotes from the sleeve notes are shown thus ^quote ^.

The album opens with "Invention", a band composition based on Bach's "Invention no. 13 in A minor". The two classical guitar players in the band pick up the theme before multi-instrumentalist Yoel Scwarcz switches to recorder and then flute. The piece was ^originally written as a counterpoint exercise ^, the band increasingly improvising away from the main theme.

"Allemande and blues" is another Bach inspired band composition. Guitarist John Warren ^plays the solo Allemande, a running dance in 4/4 beginning with an upbeat before digging into an earthy blues ^. Double bassist Mike Hart (the band use an acoustic double bass in place of a bass guitar), switches to bowing the strings for part of the track here. The blues section offers something of a contrast to the rest of the album, the flute improvisation being similar to Steel Mill's "Green eyed god".

"Allegro" is the only non-Bach inspired piece on the first side, the track being based on Handel's "Harpsichord suite no. 7". The classical guitarists alternate solos before Schwarcz moves into a harmonica improvisation. This section has even more of a blues feel than the previous track, the descending bass line offering much more of rock beat.

Side one closes with Richard Hartley's "Bouree" taken from Bach's "Second English suite". The medieval atmosphere of the track emphasises the fact that Bach composed the suite ^ for the English ^. The sleeve notes state that ^the theme is stated on recorder and guitar, before the bass leads into a rhythmically intriguing prelude to a 24-bar improvisation in the relative minor ^.

^The excursions of the first side act as a preparation for the more intense explorations of the second ^. Side two of the album is occupied entirely by "Legend of Chile Harold" composed by Richard Hartley. The piece is based on the poetic works of Lord Byron, and is ^a thinly veiled indictment on the world of the time^.

The suite is in five named sections, each having a sub-title describing the part of Childe Harold's journey being depicted by the track. For example "Approach of Judgement" is described as ^Sure doom advances, half remembered dances haunt on^.

Musically, the piece opens with heavy cello, not unlike some of ELO's early work, with phased strings and a dramatic feel. The extra strings added to the suite offer a slightly more classical feel, although the piece is still largely improvisational, with a jazz rock basis. The "Dance of destruction" section reflects ^The subtlety of man's inhumanity passed off as glory^, It has ^an 8 bar theme broken by a solitary 7 bar passage, and swings into a baroque vein gypsy dance^. As the piece develops, Schwarcz adds one of his fine lengthy flute improvisations, something he would do to fine effect again on the following "Autumn grass" album. Towards the end of the suite, the band experiment with electronic sounds and effects, the structure almost disappearing completely before being brought back together for a brief symphonic conclusion.

Why Continuum never gained the recognition the deserved is a matter for conjecture. Perhaps it was because they took themselves just a little too seriously, or maybe they were simply ahead of their time. Whatever the reasons, their debut album shows them to be highly talented performers, who were not afraid to venture beyond the confines of traditional rock and classical music, resulting in a couple of fine but criminally ignored albums.