Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Jade Warrior
Label: WindWeaver Music
Release: 2008
Length: 53:58
Rating: 4.5/5
Out of the depths of time, after 15 years of silence, the legendary British prog rockers Jade Warrior have come back against all expectations. They hadn’t recorded any new material since the album “Distant Echoes” (1993), so plenty of people had already written them off. These masters of instrumental prog rock, with its heavy emphasis on lavish ambient washes and a habit of weaving world-music elements into generally sprawling compositions, have been missed by plenty of prog purists over the years. That’s even though their last few releases mostly stuck to the same stylistic formula, and at times they seemed to have gone a bit rusty over the years, at least when it came to fresh ideas. When word got out that they planned to release a new album, plenty of people were justifiably skeptical, since comebacks like this have rarely worked out.
The reanimated Jade Warriror have surprised in a more-than-positive way with “Now”, despite the meager expectations. It’s an eclectic and interesting album that revisits some of the band’s sonic roots. The record positively glows with musical freshness, without giving up their traditional, recognizable ambient finesse and use of ethnic percussion. The key move behind this turnaround was the return of vocals, which makes this their first album since the ancient “Last Autumn’s Dream” (1972) that isn’t fully instrumental. That’s thanks to returning member Glyn Havard on vocals and bass guitar (now on extra guitar since they got the excellent permanent bassist Dave Sturt in the lineup), who was last in the band on that very album.
The second move that helped drive the strong stylistic variety is the enrichment of the traditional ambient keyboard washes and percussive ethnic touches with elements of jazz and even hard rock. Thanks to the mostly bristling guitar lines of guest guitarist Tim Stone, Jade Warrior haven’t sounded this punchy in a long time. On the other side, saxophone legend Theo Travis (Soft Machine), together with the boss and only original member Jon Field on flute, added a good dose of woodwind wit. They topped it all off with retro analog production, so the album sometimes sounds like a relic of some lost romantic era of music, while at the same time opening the door to potential new fans and longtime devotees alike.
Across the lion’s share of the compositions, Jade Warrior convincingly move between calm ambient-jazz arrangements and dramatic, almost angry hard rock outbursts with Havard’s fired-up vocals. I’d say his voice has gained a lot of depth over the years, considering that for most of his career he was more or less an average singer. He feels especially at home now in the lower registers and with jazzy accompaniment, where his warmth occasionally recalls Gordon Haskell (ex-King Crimson). Anyone who knows that Jade Warrior had little to do with rock after 1974 will be seriously surprised by the freshly restored punch of these prog rock forefathers. Pieces like “3 am Meltdown” and “True Love” mix their traditional ambient elements with a whole bagful of hard rock salvos, while “Screaming Dreams”” has distorted guitar lines plus the odd burst of screaming.
Of course, the longtime fans will warm most to the more complex and longer pieces like the opening “Fool and his Bride”, “Lost Boys” and the closing “Everything Must Pass”. Those showcase their well-honed ability to interweave jazz, classical, ambient, ethnic and hard rock elements and to shift between calm and energetic moods. One of the peaks of ambient-meditative beauty can be found on the acoustic-leaning “Journey”. With its ethereal washes, ethnic percussion, gentle flute and vocal warmth, it suits a wide circle of listeners, since Glyn’s singing will surely please anyone who swears by the warm vocals of mature old-timers like Dave Gilmour (Pink Floyd), Andy Latimer (Camel) or Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits). “Tall Trees-Floating Moon”, with its oriental percussion backing, varied sound effects and ambient keyboard melody, is an almost stereotypical Jade Warrior piece, the kind they made in their golden years.
After years away, Jade Warrior have pulled off one of the most convincing comebacks on the music scene with “Now”. They made a fresh, varied album that mixes retro production with a return to their roots, without giving up the traditional ambient finesse that made them famous among prog rock connoisseurs. In many ways you could call it a kind of missing link between “Last Autumn’s Dream” and “Waves”, something longtime fans have waited far too long for all these years, but their wish has finally come true, which makes this one of the best releases in the story of these prog rock legends. For musicians of their venerable age, that’s no small achievement. It can serve as a shining example to plenty of their prog rock peers who ran out of ideas ages ago and don’t even dare release a new album (I’d rather not name names, there are simply too many), and also to the younger prog generations, who usually drown in general sonic sterility while impatiently and heartlessly rummaging through the legacy of the genre’s forefathers.
Lineup
Jon Field – flute, percussion, keyboards
Glyn Havard – vocals, additional guitar
Dave Sturt – bass guitar, percussion, keyboards
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Tim Stone – guitar
Jeff Davenport – drums
Theo Travis – saxophone
Chris Ingham – piano
Lottie Field – woodwinds
Sam Ryde – piano
Carol Bellingham – backing vocals
Gowan Turnbull – saxophone, contrabass clarinet
Brian Imig – Remiclud
Production
Jade Warrior
Tracklist
1. Fool and His Bride (7:36)
2. Journey (5:52)
3. Lost Boys (7:05)
4. Tall Trees (3:56)
5. Floating Moon (2:18)
6. 3am Meltdown (4:21)
7. True Love (5:47)
8. Talisman (3:05)
9. Screaming Dreams (4:54)
10. Everything Must Pass (6:04)
