MOOD SWINGS

Richard Addison is a bassist who first became known through his work with Mystery, so it is probably of little surprise that this album has been released through Michel St-Père's label, and that Michel is one of the musicians to feature on the album. This is an instrumental jazz album, and as the title suggests is designed to capture different types of moods. Richard may be a bassist but he has brought the musicians together as a whole, not as a place for his own instrument to shine. Take opener "Sleepwalker" ? the sax and keyboards combine together to provide something that is complex yet laid back at the same time. This can be contrasted against the sax-led "The Muffin" which in its' opening sequence has some extremely dynamic and rhythmic bass, but all in the background.

This is music that works well both when being listened to intently, but also as a background to create a feeling. It is not New Age, and there are some extremely dramatic pieces on here, but the title really does the album justice. There is some great musicianship, and any fan of jazz or prog will get something out of this. For more details on this and other albums go to the label site at www.unicornrecords.com.