TONTON MACOUTE

Warm sounds from this unassuming English foursome who played the earthy rock/jazz/pop alchemy so available to bands of the time. They do a lovely job, too, and show an earnest feel for the music. Familiarities as Brubeck, Van Morrison, and BS&T are here as well as peers like Raw Material or The Running Man. And I hear little problem with the production on the reissue-- it sounds as the original did, full and round.

There is, however, a good deal of musical derivation that distracts from a full embrace of the material, the band more than once imitating any number of jazz & pop standards, e.g. 'Fever', 'Moondance', and other hits. Perhaps in 1971 that was still cool. Bucolic notes and a taste of Zep circa '69 for 'Just Like Stone', a perfectly nice vocal number from keyboardist Paul French and windman Dave Knowles. Blues-jazz 'Don't Make Me Cry' has some surprises at nine minutes (these guys can play), and eastern chimes open 'Flying South in Winter' with strong flavors of Bo Hansson from French's wonderfully dusty organ. Some moody bluesdom and echoplex pop in 'Dreams', closing on parts 1 & 2 of 'Natural High', a masterful display of freeform progressive jazzrock at its most genuine. Very nice if flawed.