GILGAMESH

GILGAMESH (named after a legendary Sumerian king of Mesopotamia) were a two-album Canterbury Scene band led by keyboard player Alan Gowen. Gilgamesh are closely associated with two other Canterbury Scene bands from the proggy 1970's era: Hatfield & the North and National Health, with various band members migrating from one band to another. Gilgamesh recorded two mostly instrumental albums of complex Jazz Fusion:- "Gilgamesh" (1975) and the comically- titled "Another Fine Tune You've Got Me Into" (1978), the album title no doubt inspired by the comic duo Laurel & Hardy. There was also a much later compilation album "Arriving Twice" which arrived once in the year 2000. It's time now to delve into the not-so-ancient musical legend of Gilgamesh and check out their first self-titled album.

The Gilgamesh album opens with the three-piece-suite: "One End More / Phil's Little Dance - For Phil Miller's Trousers / Worlds Of Zin". With a total running time of over ten minutes in this opening number, there's plenty of time for a wild excursion into typical experimental Canterbury Scene territory. It's mostly laid-back instrumental Jazzy music, focusing mainly on keyboards, electric guitar and delicate understated percussion, with occasional harmonising vocals courtesy of Amanda Parsons. This dynamic and ever-changing style of inventive Jazz Fusion will be instantly recognisable to fans of Hatfield & the North and National Health, so even if you've never heard this particular Gilgamesh album before, listening to this album on the record player will sound as comfortably familiar as wearing a comfy woolly sweater or donning a pair of fluffy carpet slippers that have been warmed-up by the fire. Having been introduced to the album, it's now time to meet "Lady and Friend", which opens as a tranquil keyboard piece to put one in a relaxed frame of mind, but be prepared for the occasional outburst of strident electric guitar when you least expect it. This is like the kind of cool Jazz you might hear played in a cocktail lounge, only this endlessly entertaining music comes shaken and stirred with a slice of lemon and a cherry on top. Notwithstanding the fact that the complex instrumental Jazz on this album has so far been as enigmatic as the mysterious legend of Gilgamesh, "Notwithstanding" takes us into even wilder exotic realms of musical experimentation, which will no doubt leave fans of the Canterbury Scene sound awestruck in amazement at the musical proficiency on display here. For the uninitiated though, this may be one step beyond what is enjoyable or even listenable.

Arriving at Side Two now comes "Arriving Twice", a short and sweet, pleasant stroll along the mellow Canterbury Scene trail. We come to the second of the three extended three-piece-suites on the album now with "Island Of Rhodes / Paper Boat - For Doris / As If Your Eyes Were Open". It's a seven-minute pleasure cruise opening in calm waters, but with occasional large waves in the shape of dynamic keyboard and guitar runs. This is music that should come supplied with a windbreaker and a sou'wester hat, as it's a constantly changing fusion of Jazz and Rock, charting an unpredictable course through some choppy windswept waters. It's time now to spare a thought "For Absent Friends", a gentle acoustic guitar diversion running at just over one minute long, and we're all at sea again with the final three-piece suite "We Are All / Someone Else's Food / Jamo And Other Boating Disasters - From The Holiday Of The Same Name." There are no real surprises in store here. It's a very familiar 8-minute-long pleasure trip aboard the good ship Canterbury for another weird and wonderful excursion into the outer reaches of complex Jazz Fusion. To play us out now comes "Just C", a 45-second-long gentle tinkling of the keyboards to put one in a relaxed and mellow frame of mind.

This Canterbury Scene album of experimental Jazz Fusion will almost certainly appeal to fans of Hatfield & the North and National Health, so even if you've never heard this album before, you'll know exactly what to expect from Gilgamesh if you're at all familiar with those two legendary bands of the Canterbury Scene. If you've already headed up the Great North Road to the sound of Hatfield & the North and picked up a prescription for National Health on the way, then Gilgamesh would make an ideal third stop-off point on the musical journey along the Canterbury Scene trail.