Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Gong
Label: Virgin Records
Released: 1976
Length: 39:46
Rating: 5/5
“Gazeuse!” is the first Gong album made under the command of the legendary French drummer Pierre Moerlen, who sadly is no longer with us. In the US it came out as “Expresso”, so the “simple” Americans wouldn’t be bothered by a French word for carbonated water, a.k.a. soda. “Gazeuse!” carried on with the spirited jazz fusion direction already hinted at on the excellent predecessor “Shamal” (1975), which was light-years away from the old psychedelic space rock under the eccentric Daevid Allen, even though the two eras shared a common history. The album was another step forward in Moerlen’s exploration of melodic and technically polished forms of jazz rock fusion, where he steered clear of excessive compositional fussiness and long-winded jams, which were usually par for the course with most similar bands. Unlike what came before, it’s completely instrumental and without a shred of psychedelic mantra-chanting.
The main trademark of Moerlen’s Gong and their take on jazz fusion, which you can feel throughout the whole album, was the extensive use of all sorts of percussion, led by xylophone, marimba and vibraphone. It gave the individual pieces an unusually warm and melodic sound the whole way through and added a slight touch of world music. By avoiding marathon improvisations, Moerlen’s Gong ranked among the most melodic jazz fusion outfits of their day.
Even before “Shamal” came out, Moerlen had to come to terms with the departure of the legendary guitar oddball Steve Hillage, but he didn’t mourn for long, because he managed to lure the jazz rock fusion guitar grandmaster Allan Holdsworth (ex-Igginbottom, Tempest, Nucleus, Soft Machine, The New Tony Williams Lifetime) into the ranks. With his unique playing style, Holdsworth fit Moerlen’s plans for shaping his own, instantly recognizable form of jazz fusion like a glove. Holdsworth’s distinctive guitar technique, which through frequent use of soft grips combined simultaneous switching between full chords and arpeggios, suited a wide palette of playing styles: from almost hard-rock manners and classic jazz improvisation to slipping into Latin melos on acoustic guitar. On this album, the guitar wizard and only Englishman among the Frenchmen also added violin and pedal steel to his repertoire, which was more of an exception than the rule for him. Historical continuity was provided by saxophonist and flutist Didier Malherbe, the only remaining member of the original, Allen-led Gong. The varied percussion section was built from future Miles Davis and Weather Report percussionist Mino Cinelu, Moerlen’s girlfriend at the time Mireille Bauer, and his younger brother Benoit, who became a regular in most future incarnations of the band.
Most of the compositions on the album were written by Moerlen and Holdsworth. The exception is the closing “Mireille”, penned by former Magma bassist Francis Moze. Right with the opening treat “Expresso”, Moerlen’s crew drops the listener into a wide-open plain of lively yet exquisitely woven percussion, where Holdsworth’s punchy guitar phrases and solos and the fiery bursts of Malherbe’s saxophone occasionally break through. The end result is an incredibly warm atmosphere, where technical instrumental perfection flirts with an enviable level of melody, along with just the right amount of fusion rhythmic unpredictability.
“Night Illusion” is Holdsworth’s compositional masterpiece, where the guitar grandmaster, through piercing solos and playful, witty guitar phrases, vividly demonstrates why he’s still counted among the most esteemed guitarists in jazz fusion. His spirited moves and Moerlen’s drum assaults in the background are calmed by delicate embellishments on vibraphone and marimba. The latter come into full expression on the epic, ten-minute adventure “Percolations, Pts. 1 & 2”, where percussion and the occasional sax contribution build a series of exotic and hypnotically seductive melodies, creating a first-rate oriental mood. With a sudden shift into a faster tempo, at Moerlen’s drumming prompt the whole percussion section slowly joins in with their instruments and weaves one of the most ambient and rhythmically accomplished compositions in the band’s story. All that percussive variety is nothing compared to Moerlen’s closing solo, which will have anyone who cares about drum gods drooling.
Holdsworth returns on his electric guitar in grand style on “Shadows Of”, where he sets the pace of this structurally top-notch composition, which also features some excellent improvisations on Malherbe’s flute. With his supersonic solo, where the arpeggios fly like there’s a bet on, the guitar grandmaster once again demonstrates a combination of incredible speed and a restrained ear for melody, without trying to overshadow the other instrumentalists. In its second half, this brilliant piece has an interesting twist: a short pause is followed by a dramatic section with a Latin flavor, for which Holdsworth’s guitar and the spirited use of percussion are to “blame”. “Esnuria” is yet another breathtaking percussion extravaganza under Moerlen’s dynamic drumming baton, while Holdsworth and Malherbe, with their fiery guitar and sax passages, once again demolish the competition. Witty ethnic embellishments calm it all down and keep the atmosphere magical.
The closing Moze creation “Mireille” is a gentle ballad dedicated to the percussionist and Moerlen’s partner, and for jazz fusion gourmands it’s undoubtedly the least interesting piece on the album. With melancholic chords on acoustic guitar and soft touches on piano, they create a pleasant and extremely fragile melody that could easily melt the heart of even the coldest lass. As a spicy detail, let me mention that Moze reportedly stole Malherbe’s girl not long after the album came out, and Malherbe didn’t fret about it much, which was somehow typical of the seventies, especially when Frenchmen were involved.
With “Gazeuse!”, Pierre Moerlen’s Gong created one of their finest works. This masterpiece of percussion-driven jazz fusion is brimming with melody and ambient warmth of the kind Moerlen’s crew could conjure up at their best, backed by Holdsworth’s breath-stealing guitar artistry. While “Shamal” was in many ways still a transitional album between two musical worlds, “Gazeuse!” became the yardstick for all later albums by Moerlen’s jazz fusion Gong, who over the following years kept luring in nothing but top-tier and already established names like there was a bet on.
Lineup
Pierre Moerlen – drums, vibraphone, marimba, timpani, glockenspiel
Allan Holdsworth – guitar, violin, pedal steel
Mireille Bauer – vibraphone, marimba, glockenspiel, tom-tom drum
Benoît Moerlen – vibraphone
Didier Malherbe – tenor saxophone, flute
Francis Moze – bass guitar, gong, piano
Mino Cinelu – percussion
Production
Dennis MacKay
Track list
1. Expresso
2. Night Illusion
3. Percolations (1 & 2)
4. Shadows Of
5. Esnuria
6. Mireille
