ZAPP!

Another entry from the traditional Avant-Prog scene from the Flemish lands, Cro Magnon were a five-piece group from Ghent, led by multi-instrumentalist Geert Waegeman.The line-up featured two violin players, Stefan Coltura and Rik Verstrepen, along with bassist Rudy Mollekens and sax player Koen van Roy.Often these bands had no drummer and Cro Magnon were no exception.Their debut ''Zapp!'' from 1992 was released on Carbon 7,a label led by Univers Zero members Guy Segers and Alan Ward.

The album consists of 13 mainly short instrumentals with the first tracks being a fantastic combination of dark Chamber/Classical music ala UNIVERS ZERO and the melodic often jazzy quirky style of MIRIODOR.Of course it all comes up to the huge sound of the violin string section and the beautiful approach of Van Roy on saxes, accompanied by the piano lines of Waegeman.After the middle the album tends a bit more towards Classical Music in the vein of JULVERNE with double violin sections on the forefront, still piano and saxes play a major role.The atmosphere changes radically from haunting themes to pleasant passages in a blink of an eye.However this group knew how to match the dissonance of Avant/R.I.O. musicianship with some delicate harmonies here and there to present a good, balanced and more appealing package.

The band stated playing ''Urban Chamber music'' and that is pretty much what's going on ''Zapp!''.But you can add the final optimistic feeling you get after listening to this release.A nice recommendation for all fans of Jazz, Classical and Chamber music and a must-have for fans of Avant-Prog...3.5 stars.