MORGUE O BERENICE

My late father was a butcher, but you don't need to be a butcher's boy to recognise mince. I don't mean to savage an album that professional musicians have invested with their blood, sweat and snotters, but by the same token I don't want to see other ProgArchives members spending their hard-earned on a pile of poop. ''Morgue O Berenice'' isn't that bad of course, but it is a serious candidate for a single star rating.

Maybe it's all just a bit too creative or cerebral for me to appreciate fully. I'm all for some improvisational spirit but way too much of this album lacks form and rhythmic structure for my liking. I don't know if this is what passes for free jazz but I find it irritating and tracks like the aptly named ''Esquizofrenia'' would have me on the verge of a nervous breakdown if I had to listen to them too often.

There are a few moments that elevate the album to the level of mediocrity, mainly the tracks that feature Danny Somoza's mellow guitar tones such as the cool vibe of ''Moyenne Girl''. Main man Jordi Sabates relies on his acoustic piano for the most part although he switches to Fender Rhodes on the impressionistic ''Occidente'' with good effect.

Overall though, this is a major disappointment in comparison to Jarka's first album ''Ortodoxia''. I mean, jeezo Jarka, what in tarnation is going on with ''Woody's Rag''? A banjo-led foot-tapper alongside avant-jazz, incongruous or what! The public has largely overlooked this album, but the truth is they're missing hee-haw.