REGINA ASTRIS [AKA: CLIVAGE]

Clivage's debut album might have started as a solo album from André Fertier (sole composer and guitarist keyboardist since the album's psychedelic artwork features his name on the front cover. Yet when listening to the album, this is a full-group effort with two percussion players, a stand up bassist, a sax player and a violin player. We are not far from Aktualla or some of Oregon's best albums. Released on the small Gatte-Ciel label, I am not aware of Clivage albums having received a Cd re-issue.

It is fairly hard to classify Clivage's absolutely brilliant fusion of music, because it blends some Indian Classical music elements with excellent jazz/jazz-rock lines and some very inhabitual symphonic elements, even sounding like early Mike Olfield on the opening track. Only four instrumental tracks on the album, but three of them above the 10-min mark, and a superb album for more meditative moments (practicing yoga or kana-sutra alike). While by the mid-70's this type of album was not really breaking new grounds anymore, this is really one of the better album of its genre, partly because it took the decision of inspiring itself loosely from Indian music, rather than making a pale imitation by being as faithful as possible. As a matter of fact, the weaker (relative of course) track is Regina Astris and not surprisingly, it is the one sticking closest to its Indian roots. But Moving Waves and Mama Swat are both excellent, enchanting and mind-bending, De Barba's sax being particularly haunting. The closing (and shorter) Tabarkha is ending the album on mini-improv where Tabrizizadeh's violin gets the spotlight.

One of the better Indo fusion raga albums in the genre, this actually earns its fourth star easily as it might just be essential, even if historically the album is a bit of an anecdote in its genre.