Search - Horacee Arnold :: Tales of the Exonerated Flea

A Jazz Rock treasure is finally on Cd

We No Speak | San Francisco Bay Area | 11/09/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Horacee Arnold's legendary and highly coveted "Tales of the Exonerated Flea" has finally been released on Cd. The original vinyl album was released by Columbia Records #KC 32869, in 1974.

The amazing personnel on this Jazz Rock classic "must own" recording is: Horacee Arnold (Drums), Jan Hammer (Keyboards), Rick Laird (Bass), David Friedman (Vibes), Ralph Towner (Guitar), Dom Um Romao (Percussion), Art Webb (Flute), Sonny Fortune (Sax), John Abercrombie (Guitar), George Mraz (Bass), Clint Houston (Bass).

Having owned a copy of this record when it first came out, I was always puzzled by it's obscurity. This recording truly captures some of the finest Jazz Rock musicians of the day playing at a timeless peak of perfection in a genre that has been largely overlooked and forgotten about by most. The music on this recording is a complex, yet lush and sometimes dense jungle of classic Jazz Rock polyrhythms and melodies. Theres's never a dull moment on this recording, especially the outstanding soloing by Jan Hammer, John Abercrombie, Sonny Fortune, and Ralph Towner. Simply put, this one of the best Jazz Rock Fusion recordings ever made. I was a little disappointed by the fidelity, being able to hear the original album hiss, a slightly muddy midrange, and vague bass tones. But that is easily overlooked when compared to the incredible performances on this recording. Many thanks to the folks that got it together and released this precious recording on Cd. Rick C.Drums/KeyboardsWe No Speakwww.wenospeak.com"

The Flea has returned!

Greg Horn | waterford, wisconsin USA | 07/17/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Pretty hard to add to the excellent review already posted, but I must say I'm thrilled to find this finally on CD. I have the vinyl, had it for years and have waited patiently for the CD release. Happily the original LP liner notes are intact in the CD fold out inner sleeve. A must have for the fusion fan and certainly anyone who appreciates well done instrumentals. This CD manages to escape the pitfall so often found by "supergroups", although the album brings together several big names it does not suffer from the usual boring supergroup tripe but rather the focus is on the music as it should be.



Buy 2, one for yourself and one for a friend as this IS good music, very hard to come by in these dire days of a true musical skill void we seem to be living in.



Certainly destined to become a rare and sought after CD, get it while you can."

Excellent

William R. Nicholas | Mahwah, NJ USA | 11/03/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If you know Jan Hammer, you probably do as the man who did the Miami Vice theme in the 1980s. Know a little more, and he is the man who did the synth work on Jeff Beck's 1970s jazz experments.



But Hammer was an accomplished arranger and worked a lot in jazz. On this Horracee Arnold album, he provides the keybord nexus which Arnold works around with his purpulsive drumming.

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This album is not so much fussion in the sense we think of it, but jazz with complex rhythms that just happen to use synths as a backdrop. Arnolds drumming is both musical and propulsive, and this album features latan beats, complex time signatures, flutes, great bass work and all the uncompromising ability one expects from a far above average jazz disc.



Forget all you know about Jan Hammer or cheesy fussion. You won't find any cheese or jazz toying here. This album is dead serious and top notch."