CONTINENT

Schleigho was an outstanding jazz rock / fusion outfit hailing from the NYC area. The band had self-released three albums before offering up their fourth, and final, studio record, Continent. This record was their greatest achievement and was their first album to be completely instrumental (minus a spoken word part leading into the bonus track on the CD).

What you have on Continent is a nice blend of 70's-inspired jazz rock / fusion, progressive rock, and funk - all given a 90's update. While all the musicians are excellent, it's drummer Erik Egol who steals the show here (in my opinion, anyway). His playing is simply phenomenal, and he and bassist Matt Rubano lock-in and groove nicely. Add in some tasty, jazzy guitar and flute work from Suke Cerulo, and killer keys by Jesse Gibbon, and you have one special musical stew. This a very progressive set, with perfectly placed time changes and odd time-signatures to keep most prog-heads happy and engaged.

The band did release one live record after this one as their swan song, but Continent is the band at their best. I'm so happy this band finally ended up here on PA, for they are an excellent example of progressive jazz rock / fusion of that era. I highly recommend this release for lovers of jazz rock / fusion and progressive rock alike. If you like this one, their previous album, In the Interest of Time, is also a stellar piece of music. I give Continent a solid 4 stars.