Agonising, junky, old-school analogue, third world harsh noise from Brazil.

wow. no serious … wow.

blindsided.

The best surprise from last year by a Pacific gap.

I’m just here for the art & imagination.

Somebodies burnt their cylinders out over this one.

What a rapturous feast.

unrealistic survival prospects.

Guess who’s back? flush with post-infectionary zest & more real-time world-turmoil than the mind can manage – it is the wonderful Illusion of Safety.

sunken treasure.

almost missed this one, which only graced the vial very recently. a series of surprise disappointments with poor & immensely boring records from Lake at the prolusion of the 80s (The Prophet & Clevont Fitzhubert) – with shifting instrumentation & the heavy loss of Michael Gregory Jackson – has so far deterred further exploration into his eighties output (which hopefully improved?).

Lenny White was a Jazz Fusion drummer who emerged chiefly with the group Return To Forever in the 70s. he became associated with the “power drummers” of the era such as Billy Cobham, Narada Michael Walden, Aphonso Mouzon & Tony Williams. although it is generally observed that he did not quite have the chops of the aforementioned A-listers, he did, however, as a leader, produce two of the most emblematic & exemplary 70s Fusion albums of the era, Venusian Summer & Big City. the “conceptual” Fusion albums, where each track would often possess it’s own personnel, varying instrumentations & specific themes or ideation, was a strong feature of the genre in its prime. imagination & sonic costume was required, & Lenny White’s first two albums as a leader personify that precedent as some of the strongest examples of the genre.