GENERATION

Fermáta's sixth album largely follows in the footsteps of "The White Planet". The lineup remains unchanged, and there are few surprises here. The first suprise that strikes me, that the record actually sounds pretty good and natural. Probably the best sounding Fermáta album, if you ignore the heavy chorus on the last track that was typical of the time.

Another surprise is that Fedor Fre?o contributed two songs here - "Gastronomické radosti/Gastronomic Pleasures" and "Zadané/Reservé". Unfortunately, the first one is a silly boogie tune that would be more suitable for a diaper commercial. The second is a rather boring number in 7/4 and 5/4. Oh well, that's two out of seven tracks of wasted space. There are some very nice surprises as well, one of them is the uptempo latin/jamaican groove "Dubáky/Boleti", with probably the best drumming Oláh had contributed to the band. Griglák's solo is also good. Then of course there's the classic "Viña del Mar" which they still regularly play live in concert even today. As the title suggests it's another latin-tinged tune, similar to a lot of Al di Meola stuff. The last track "K.O." gets awfully close to smooth jazz with a soulful bluesy sax. Happily it's not that bad, it's more reminiscent of Weather Report stuff from the late 70's, with Fre?o playing fretless.

While not among Fermáta's best works, "Generation" is still is a pleasant listen if in the mood for some lighthearted, not-too-demanding jazz/fusion. For me it's a step up from the previous album, featuring at least one classic track.

Highlights: "Viña del Mar", "Dubáky/Boleti".