On paper, two British prog-rock musicians playing fully improvised live sets might have the makings of a dud. With no tricky melodies or riffs or heady chord changes to guide them, how could they possibly manage? As it turns out, keyboarist Alan Gowen (National Health, Gilgamesh) — who died of leukemia at age 33 in
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The five tracks from ‘79 are the superior, jazzier ones. They were recorded during an informal afternoon jam in a tiny village Inn in the small town of Bress-sur-Grosne, France. For starters, Hopper is far more audible in this setting. His sinewy bass tone doesn’t provide much bottom, but he flies around the frets and matches his mate’s focus. Gowen plays mostly Rhodes (or the equivalent), and a bit of synth, allowing him to drill down and develop themes and ideas. The best example of this is the 17-minute, “a L’ouest,” most of which strolls along on a breezy swing groove. “Winged Trilby” jacks up the tempo into bop, with Hopper contributing well-executed walking bass lines.
The hour-long album has its lulls, dead spots and ill-advised indulgences, but, taken as a whole, it’s a cool chronicle of two musicians not known for their jazz acumen. Feature photo of Alan Gowen courtesy muso.ai