BIRDS OF FIRE

Right here we have one of those few, rare albums where all the musicians are absolute virtuosos, they all know they're absolute virtuosos, they all set out to convince you they're absolute virtuosos, and they do so without in anyway compromising the mood, integrity, or quality of the compositions. There's so much energy in the album I'm surprised it doesn't spit from the vinyl. It's amazing how heavy the band makes jazz sound, no doubt mostly thanks to John McLaughlin who plays a million-note solo style I usually hate but he makes it so tantalizing that I can't resist it on this album.

The album also has it mellower moments, which I tend to prefer as it brings Jerry Goodman to the forefront. Him and Jan Hammer really create an amazing world of melody together that sometimes fails to really show when the album kicks into it's heavier moments. I almost feel bad giving the album only 4 stars because it's a really beautiful and more than anything, impressive, album , but it does have some moments I feel are superfluous, namely the middle section of "One Word."

Regardless, it's really a landmark in the genre. Of all Fusion bands, they do the best job of bringing rock's energy into jazz, while still maintain the strict jazz identity.