On a Magic Carpet Ride - Billy Cobham, Cobham, Billy
Drummer Billy Cobham is heard on this 1977 live set heading an all-star quintet featuring Tom Scott on tenor, soprano & lyricon, keyboardist Mark Soskin, guitarist Steve Khan & electric bassist Alphonso Johnson. C... more »olumbia. 2002.« less
Drummer Billy Cobham is heard on this 1977 live set heading an all-star quintet featuring Tom Scott on tenor, soprano & lyricon, keyboardist Mark Soskin, guitarist Steve Khan & electric bassist Alphonso Johnson. Columbia. 2002.
CD Reviews
A True Fusion Classic
S. Guernsey | North Yarmouth, ME USA | 09/16/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Billy Cobham, Alfonso Johnson, Tom Scott, Steve Khan (and a young Mark Soskin on piano) - really, what more be said. These four artists all qualify as board members of the founding fathers of electric jazz. Together they meld seamlessly as though this band had been a long term project and not the "one time only" act it was. I own it on vinyl and the only slight downside was the live mix. All these players have gone on to grow artistically and produce brilliant works, arguably more profound then what's on this album - but the magic lies in the mix of wonderful creative responses to each other, a rare and spontaneous spark that was thankfully captured on tape. How many times have you been to a live performance and walked away saying, "Man, I wish I had a tape recorder for that one!" Well, think of this as a chance to go back in time and get that recording of a world class group, totally jamming it out, right during the time in musical history when fusion reigned king - and these warriors were riding at the head of the battalion."
Live Fusion at its Best
Marc Lombardi | Harleysville, PA | 02/22/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I saw this group on this tour, each promoting their own new album. They played "in the round" so we were very close and it was very intense. In fact Narada Michael Walden opened for them! Highlights here are Tom Scott's use of the electronic woodwind Lyricon, and Alphonso Johnson's island fusion Bahama Mama. This is not the usual all-star tour ego trip ... these guys play as a unit and support each other as a band. Having a recording of this unique gathering was a great bonus to owning all of their individual albums."
Some Great Stuff
Bill | NJ, USA | 01/12/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I'd been looking for this album on CD for years now (it was hard to find)-- it was an old favorite of mine from the 70's. It's got a group of extremely talented individual musicians. Together they created some really special stuff. It's a top-level version of that sort of jazz-rock, fusion stuff... they really cooked. I highly recommend it if you like this genre."
Not what I remembered
MilesColtrane | New York, NY USA | 07/22/2006
(2 out of 5 stars)
"i gotta say I used to love this album back in the late 70's . just purchased again thru amazon here and it really isn't as good as I remembered . . .they are quite loose, the songs don't stand the test of time, the playing not nearly as great as I remember it to be. . . surprisingly rough on groove. . . . not a true classic - i thought it was"
Track Listings (6) - Disc #1