Billy Cobham
Alivemutherforya

THE REVIEW

This live from '77 represents one of the most effective depictions of the crossover between jazz, rock, and funk that, three decades ago, was commonly labeled as "fusion". The genre had giants like the immense Weather Report of Zawinul, Shorter, Pastorius, the Mahavisnu Orchestra of John McLaughlin, the Return to Forever of Chick Corea, and another host of artists, all more or less proteges of the electric turn of Miles Davis, revisited with greater appeal and cunning, as well as with an eye and ear attentive to the prog rock fans who, indeed, constituted the choice audience for these aforementioned artists.

The quartet involved in the creation of 'Alivemutherforya' is, probably, among the most dynamic and effective of the era.

The album is indeed dominated by the drums of the acrobatic Billy Cobham, already on percussion with the Mahavisnu Orchestra and creator, on his own, of a masterpiece like Spectrum; interwoven with the bass of Alphonso Johnson, a jazz musician with a funk heart and – in my view – responsible for the best passages of the epochal 'Mysterious Traveller' by Weather Report; supported by the sax of Tom Scott, who made a name for himself with Steely Dan and later also with Pink Floyd, crafting the main melodic lines of the tracks; marked by the guitar textures of Steve Kahn, formerly with the Brecker brothers, who give each piece an atmospheric touch not found in many contemporary recordings; counterpointed by the keyboards of Mark Soskin, a session musician with an excellent resume alongside artists like Joe Henderson and Sonny Rollins.

All the tracks shine on their own and stand out for the calibrated intervention of each instrument, for the elegance of the arrangements, for the cohesion of the ensemble: “Anteres the Star” stands out for its compelling melodies, “Bahama Mama” for the rhythmic patterns of Cobham and Johnson, “Shadows” for the dreamlike atmosphere created by the weave of keyboards and guitars, “Some Punk Funk” for the almost orchestral crescendo of the group's funk jazz, “Spindrift” and “On a Magic Carpet Ride” for the technical virtuosity of the individual musicians involved in the project.

Not owning it would be a shame, and its purchase is recommended for those who, tired of the usual musical coordinates, wish to gradually draw closer to the world of jazz.