ZZEBRA

The jazz-fusion scene may have had its roots in the 60s with Frank Zappa, Soft Machine, Miles Davis and others racing pellmell into the opposite stream of the spectrum until jazz and rock became a veritable alloy of musical sounds but once John McLaughlin and the Mahavishnu Orchestra made the style a worldwide phenomenon, it wasn't long before a wide range of acts were exploding onto the scene with more complex compositions that were finding inspiration from the explosive progressive rock scene of the early 70s. The band ZZEBRA may not be famous even within jazz-fusion circles but this band found its way into the London scene with two seasoned members from other early 70s classics.

ZZEBRA consisted of guitarist Terry Smith and saxophonist Dave Quincy from the band If along with Lasisi Amao from Osibisa. Along for the ride were Gus Yeadon (vocals, piano, guitar) from The Love Affair and newbies John McCoy (bass) and Liam Genockey on drums. The band was a major powerhouse on the live circuit and played numerous gigs over a period during the mid-70s but only released two albums during its time together. The band released this self-titled debut in 1974 and followed up with "Panic" a year later. Two archival releases would also find the light of day around the turn of the millennium but it's this debut that holds the most interest in the blossoming years of progressive jazz-rock, Nigerian folk rhythms, funk, blues and even a touch of flamenco.

What's really cool about this siZZling debut that requires two ZZ's in ZZEBRA is that the 8 tracks that comprise this album are all completely different and showcases different aspects of the excellent musicians involved in this project. Of the many influences that come into play, the album starts off with the hybrid track "Cobra Woman" which immediately gives a vibe of Santana but sounds more like the African version, particularly Nigeria's highlife scene which also found prominence in the 70s due to Fela Kuti and in this case, Loughty Amao's African connections. However just when you think it's just all funk, African music and touches of progressive jazz-rock, Tommy Eyre delivers a mean flute solo which evokes a sense of Jethro Tull. The melodies are quite catchy as jazz-rock should be.

"Mr J" evokes an O'Jays bass line (think "For The Love Of Money") but also adds a much funkier Motown sort of guitar part including a sizzling solo. "Mah Jang" takes things into prog folk with the flute but also delivers a sizzling mix of brass attacks but evolves the rock aspects and the first tune to showcase the excellent guitar playing abilities of Terry Smith who had channeled his proper John McLaughlin soloing abilities however he doesn't steel the show and allows a mix of sax and flute accompaniments to grace the jazzy chord progressions which at times sound like pure jazz with a funk bass. "Ife" is perhaps the most African sounding of the album with not only Nigerian rhythms but ethnic folk melodies as well. "Spanish Fly" takes a completely different approach as it mixes English folk flute with jazzy chord progressions and Middle Eastern scales and a touch of flamenco percussion. One of the highlights on the album for sure.

"Amuso Fi" is yet another Nigerian influenced tune although the dominating saxophone reminds me of Edgar Winter's White Trash band in its sensual addicting qualities. The track constructs not only an interesting polyrhythm but the main sax melody has a weird "skip a beat" sort of approach which makes this a tad weird despite being really accessible. The only true throwaway track on this album is the lackluster "Rainbow Train." Despite sounding like a pride parade theme sung by the Village People, the track actually sounds a lot like the Allman Brothers at certain times and a Motown hit at others. Not a horrible track, just not up to the standards of the album's others. "Hungry Horse" is another fave with a jittery progressive rock time signature parade of off-kilter rhythms and another that delivers the dexterity of Smith's guitar virtuosity however this track also finds all the musicians at their peak as this is the highlight of the album with killer drums, frenetic sax attacks and overall coolness.

Some may think this ZZEBRA album is too unfocused for its own good but personally that's what i love about it. Yeah, the band didn't totally nail its own sound on this debut but when all these tracks are performed so stunningly well with such catchy melodies it must makes me not care. This is jazz-rock with progressive touches at its best. The tracks are utterly infectious and diverse enough to keep my attention throughout the entire playing time. No instrument steals the show and all are allowed to strut their swag at key moments. The compositions are professionally constructed and almost everything on this album hits me in the right way. True it sounds a bit like an African version of Santana at times especially during the stellar drum solos but that is not a bad thing. The following album is much mellower almost in a Weather Report tamped downness, so if you want an nice energetic slice of jazz-rock passion then this debut ZZEBRA album won't disappoint. Not sure why this is generally rated so low but i'm lovin' the heck outa this one.