Clive Stevens & Friends - Atmospheres (1974/2014)

A top-notch project from saxophonist Clive Stevens with a superstar line-up: a rhythm section from the great Mahavishnu Orchestra (Rick Laird on bass, Billy Cobham on drums), John Abercrombie and Steve Hahn on guitar, Ralph Towner on electric piano and ring modulator. Of course, this is not the same fierce progressive fusion as Mahavishnu, but it is still an interesting work, where the well-coordinated work of Laird and Cobham is still periodically felt. Stevens never pulls the blanket over himself and lets both the electric piano and guitar polish, although his own solos are more like Nucleus than Mahavishnu, but when Abercrombie and Towner are included, it's very much like McLaughlin and Hammer. Stevens switches from soprano to tenor saxophone, sometimes adding electricity in the style of Ian Underwood's crowing sax. 6 long instrumental pieces with incessant jazz-rock improvisations and sometimes even a pinch of free jazz for taste. Highly, highly recommended! For a long time, this gorgeous record remained without a CD reissue, until it was released by ESC Records. An undeservedly forgotten job.