Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: David Cross & David Jackson
Label: Cross & Jackson Music
Release: 2018
Length: 56:19
Rating: 4.5/5
Former King Crimson violinist/keyboardist/flutist David Cross and former Van der Graaf Generator saxophonist/flutist David Jackson teamed up with bassist Mick Paul and drummer Craig Blundell, both of the David Cross Band, to record a joint album titled »Another Day«. It sounds like an instrumental mashup of some of the sonic elements that are pretty typical of both of those legendary prog rock bands, which won’t surprise anyone who knows their work.
Both Davids have an incredibly rich body of work behind them, and once again their instrumental chops mesh brilliantly with their songwriting and arranging imagination, so the end result is a wonderfully varied album whose spontaneous, refreshing feel grabs you from start to finish. Along the way you can also hear plenty of jazz rock fusion, ambient and world music elements, all of which have always been close to both Davids’ hearts. The opening »Predator«, after a short introductory improvisation, morphs into a dark instrumental teaser with a string of gloomy violin and wind arrangements.
»Bushido« recalls some of Cross’s past projects, like his brief collaboration with Jade Warrior, when he also dabbled in ambient and world music. Elements of the latter show up in »Last Ride« too, which swaggers under the weight of pentatonic scales that conjure up a fully Arabic ambient vibe. Blundell’s uncompromising drum fills, with an excellent technical approach that is noticeably cleaner than Bill Bruford’s or Guy Evans’s but is practically perfect for this kind of music, make for a superb rhythmic transition into the world of jazz rock fusion. On »Going Nowhere«, the interplay between the two Davids, with electric violin against a double saxophone attack, already sounds incredibly spontaneous, like a well-oiled machine.
»Millennium Toll« is one of the finest moments on »Another Day« thanks to its bright flute arrangements and a wild jump into a frantic rhythm section, where the mix of sax and violin passages sounds like a very tasty cross between »Larks’ Tongues in Aspic«-era King Crimson and »Godbluff«-era Van der Graaf Generator. Jackson’s sax improvising is so distinctive that you couldn’t mistake it for any other musician. Combined with the electric violin, it’s pure balm for the soul. The feel for epic melodrama that the Davids developed in their earlier bands comes through best on prog rock experiments like »Arrival«, where the solo warm-ups from both instrumental masters and the rhythmic improvisations are followed by a clever shift into a somewhat more romantic jazz rock fusion section.
Two music veterans with a thousand stories to tell have made an album with »Another Day« that will go down a treat with most King Crimson and Van der Graaf Generator fans, while reminding them which sonic elements they miss most in the new music of those two bands these days. Despite a few ‘homey’ arrangements, »Another Day« sounds fresh and innovative, and both masters get tons of room to show off their exceptional instrumental skills. Unlike Cross, who is on good terms with Robert Fripp again and even recorded a joint album with him in 2015, Jackson still hasn’t made peace with the rest of Van der Graaf Generator, with whom he once collaborated a lot on various solo and ‘outside’ projects, so his rare new musical ventures are all the more welcome.
Lineup
David Cross – violin, keyboards, flute
David Jackson – saxophone, flute
Mick Paul – bass guitar
Craig Blundell – drums
Production
Jake Jackson
Tracklist
1. Predator
2. Bushido
3. Last Ride
4. Going Nowhere
5. Trane to Kiew
6. Millennium Toll
7. Arrival
8. Come Again
9. Breaking Bad
10. Mr. Morose
11. Anthem For Another Day
12. Time Gentlemen, Please
