LARRY CORYELL, VICTOR BAILEY & LENNY WHITE: ELECTRIC

With special guests, bassman Victor Bailey, who replaced Jaco Pastorious in Weather Report and Lenny White on drums, who played with a who`s who of jazz in the `70s, from Stan Kenton`s Big Band to Return To Forever, "Electric" could have been an all out no holds barred fusion reunion but instead it sounds like it was recorded on a Sunday afternoon in Coryell`s garage over a few beers. Thanks to the straight recording technique using a single mike with no overdubs this album does capture some of the magic of Coryell`s early recordings for Vanguard in the late `60s but in a much more laid back manner. Here we hear him on a solid body Fender Stratocaster rather than one of his preferred hollowbody guitars and this gives his sound somewhat more lush tone.

Along with several rock , jazz and funk staples everyone also takes a crack at writing and these pieces actually turn out to be the high points of this collection of tracks which are essentailly studio jams. Lenny White`s " Wolf`s Bane " get`s a little psychedelic and Coryell gets to relive his Hendrix phase utilizing some guitar effects but not overdoing it too much . Bailey`s contribution ," Low Blow " is another jamming number which also features some impromtu vocalizing ( I`m not sure who it is but I think it`s Bailey himself ) along with the melody which is kind of cool.The big mistake, unfortunately, is when the trio tries to rework Led Zeppelin`s Black Dog into a swinging jazz number which makes it sound like it was written for Glenn Miller`s Army Air Force Band. It picks up a little towards the end but it`s by far the most forgettable and weakest track on the disc. The other two obvious covers are a sort of abstract rendition of Miles Davis` "So What" and a psychedelic Booker T. Jones` " Born Under A Bad Sign ". I would have liked to have heard Coryell try out some vocals on this one like he did back on some of his early recordings which would have added to the spontaneous jam feeling to the overall groovy atmosphere on the whole disc. Coryell acquits himself well on the bluesy tracks "BB Blues" and "Rhapsody and Blues" and there`s plenty of time for him to develop some interesting solos. Interpretations of James Brown`s funky " Sex Machine" as well as Wayne Shorter`s "Footprints" are both done justice with subdued treatments.

The first thing I asked myself after the first listen was how these guys decided on what they wanted to play since the individual tracks cover such a broad cross section of styles from rock to jazz to funk, albeit all played in the same sort of relaxed and controlled manner which allows them to flow nicely despite their diversity. Electric grows more and pleasurable from listen to listen and the only caution I would offer is don`t be misled by the title into thinking that this is going to be a pedal to the metal firebreathing fusion blowout, but rather just a great electric jazz album by three veteran musicians who all have come full circle in terms of power wattage.

Having found yet another fusion superstar line-up, I think it's for the first time that Coryell plays together with Victor Bailey and Lenny White. Focus is on rhythmic tracks, not surprisingly. Bailey is an equal partner to Coryell, not afraid to play solos or ornately. White delivers pulsating rhythm, not overly fast but busy enough. Is it fusion or jazz-rock? I would say, a very accessible fusion.

There are some more straightforward almost rocking tracks like Coryell's "BB Blues" that have more groove and heaviness more than jazz elements. Notable covers include "So what" which is more sterile than the original naturally due to only 3 instruments and limited octave playing. "Black dog" by Led Zeppelin is less interesting being playing in a hard-rock style, the most notable difference being variable intensity and mildly interesting guitar solo in the middle part. "Born under a bad sign" is a bluesy cover with subdued jazz elements, the most interesting playing challenge is the bass solo. "Low Blow" is a highlight from a Bailey's solo album with great motive and fusion playing.

One of the heaviest solo efforts by Coryell from his 2000's output but not essential.