Hugh Hopper is probably best known as one of the founding members of Soft Machine. He did a lot of other things, too. This CD is the second in a new ten disc collection of Hugh Hopper oddities and rarities. It’s a live album recorded with Franglo Band. The music is more or loess fusion, but there’s a wide range within that. It’s quite a captivating and effective release, really. The full lineup here is: Patrice Meyer (guitar), Pierre-Olivier Govin (saxophones), Hugh Hopper (bass) and Francois Verly (drums and tablas) with special guest Didier Malherbe (flute and saxophone).

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2014  Volume 6 at lulu.com/strangesound.

This comes in tentatively and a little strange with mostly just a saxophone. Eventually some strange space elements start to emerge. Then around the two and a half minute mark it kicks into some more rocking sounds. It has a definite King Crimson like vibe as it moves forward. It careens this way and then the other. Around the four and a half minute mark there’s a switch to more fusion-like sounds. The cut continues to evolve on that concept. There is some pretty awesome instrumental work as this works through. Different instruments take command at different points in this section. Then it crescendos and we’re dropped down into a mellow tapestry before it rises back up into a more freeform kind of jam. It keeps shifting and changing as it works onward.

Coming in mellow, there is a lot of world music and folk built into this. It builds pretty organically, but it does work out more toward jazz as it continues along this road. It’s quite a straight line cut from there. It really has a lot of jazz built into it. It’s quite entertaining and compelling.