BONFIRE GOES BANANAS

Short-lived Dutch Prog band from Bergen op Zoom.They were set up in 1974 around the leading figure of keyboardist/flutist Frank Witte and featuring also brothers Eugene den Hoed (guitar, flute) and Kees den Hoed (bass) along with drummer Cees Meerman.Bonfire recorded their only album ''Bonfire goes bananas'' from November, 18th till December, 5th 1974 at Morgan Studios in Brussels, Belgium.It was released on EMI's Dutch sublabel Bovema EMI the following year.

Side A consists of five short instrumental tracks, heavily influenced by FOCUS and with strong FINCH connections concerning the style, based on a solid Jazz background with Post-Psych inspirations around and slight touches of Classical-driven themes.Musicianship is pretty great, albeit a bit unoriginal, with a very JAN AKKERMAN-style of guitar delivery and Frank Witte being another THIJS VAN LEER wannabee.They did it pretty nice with rapid time changes and unusual breaks combined with light, melodious textures in tracks that burst a fair amount of technique and virtuosity, injected with more laid-back textures.Keyboard work is a highlight with shifting performances on electric piano, organ and synthesizers.A more expanded version of Bonfire's repertoire appears on the flipside with the 5-part instrumental opus ''The sage of the running nose''.Here the style is closer to FINCH with a tight mix of superb instrumental energy and smooth jazzy Progressive Rock, offering dramatic sections with grandiose guitar, bass and keyboards and Prog-Fusion elements in the forefront, drawing influences both from Jazz and Classical Music, eventually creating a fine, long piece of instrumental pomposity.

It seems that the group disbanded after the release of the album (which was also supported by a single) with Kees Den Hoed becoming a stable member of Pop singer Rob de Nijs's backing band and Cees Meerman collaborating with Herman Brood's Wild Romance.However in 1980 Witte launched a second yet again short-lived version of Bonfire, which recorded a 2-track demo, with a new line-up: Harald Heynen on guitar, Michel Van Schie on bass) and Jaap De Weyer on drums.These were also the only tracks recorded by Bonfire to feature some vocals, both are enclosed in the CD reissue of the album by Pseudonym along with the tracks from the band's sole single.The music remains solid and fairly progressive with more evident Fusion vibes and an updated sound akin to the 80's era, yet with impressive jazzy underlines in the guitar parts and complex synthesizer moves.The vocals though are rather cheesy and far from a welcome addition.

Things are simple.You love FOCUS, you will certainly love Bonfire as well.Instrumental Progressive Rock with jazzy overtones, delivered with energy and passion.Not original, but still warmly recommended.