FLANDERS FIELDS

This ensemble from Ghent, Belgium, formed in mid-90's, started as a Folk Rock band, originating from another act called Dearest Companion, with guitarist Humble Gabor (apparently of Hungarian origin) and Tom Theuns writing most of the material.The 2005 tribute to the music of legendary Hungarian Folk Rockers Kolinda was representative of what the band was proposing for about a decade.They slowly developed a more adventurous style, when they were discovered by Altrock label, on which they released the album ''Flanders fields'' in 2011.They were then a sextet, featuring Humble Gabor on guitar/vocals, Jouni Isoherranen on bass/vocals, Jonathan Callens on drums, Pedro Guridi on clarinet, Pol Mareen on sax and Pieter Claus on percussion/vibraphone, and a long list of guest musicians.

While Humble Grumble's music appears to be something between Jazz Rock and R.I.O., their new approach contains diverse sounds and sights, always with a serious instrumental depth, filling though their complicated instrumentals with laid-back tunes and lots of romantic vocals.I can hear echoes of SOFT MACHINE, MIRIODOR and later-day MANEIGE in their stylistical attitude, which is dominated by wind instruments and an impressive rhythm section, while Gabor provides some fine electric rhythms and jazzy fests on guitars.The folky leftovers of their past are now reduced to the sound of whistles and the new face of the band is based on complex interactions and jazzy solos, where the sax and clarinet battle the twists of the rhythm section.While all tracks are pretty short, the music is highly compressed to provide dense jazzy interplays, smooth sax and clarinet moves and some powerful ideas, when the guitars jump in.They even offer some trully vintage ideas, like coming from 50's movies and occasionally visiting the Canterbury scene, as the ethereal voices meet the soft jazzy interludes.There's no doubt that the instrumental ideas are intricate and captivating with a high deegree of technique, but somehow this band manages to offer tricky, playful tunes, which should appeal to a wider audience besides prog fans.

Fresh and inventive approach on an R.I.O./Fusion affair.Lovely tunes and vocal exercises are thrown in a monster instrumental jazziness, the result is an enjoyable and frenetic album, where the 50's meet the new millenium.Nice and strongly recommended stuff...3.5 stars.