Jeff Beck often gets credit for supercharging jazz-fusion when he released Blow By Blow in 1975. Granted, the exceptional guitar work and overall fluidity of the album produced by George Martin is indisputable. Two years before, however, drummer Billy Cobham, who’d already conquered the jazz-fusion world with Miles Davis and the Mahavishnu Orchestra, kickstarted his solo career with Spectrum. Considering its rapid-fire intensity and overall musicianship, it would be hard to believe that the ever-reticent Beck wasn’t somehow inspired by Spectrum and its game-changing contribution to instrumental jazz-fusion.
Now available from Rhino on Blu-ray Disc in three different audio formats — DTS-HD Quadio, DTS-HD 5.1 and DTS-HD Stereo — Spectrum holds a prominent place on the list of progressive jazz-fusion albums of the 1970s — from a technical, as well as an influential perspective. It’s difficult to pinpoint what Cobham’s intentions were when he booked Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Lady Studio for three days. Everyone in Mahavishnu Orchestra was going out on their own, and Cobham was up for the challenge. He hired engineer Ken Scott, who had worked with George Martin on a few Beatles sessions, and brought in guitarist Tommy Bolin (who’d recently joined James Gang), keyboardist and Mahavishnu Orchestra bandmate Jan Hammer, and highly regarded session bassist Lee Skylar to play on the bulk of the album’s six main tracks (four of which are two-song medleys). Horn players Joe Farrell and Jimmy Owens, guitarist John Tropea, bassist Ron Carter and percussionist Ray Barretto are featured on the other two.
Cobham wrote out the basic structure of the music, along with his solo breaks, leaving the other players to more or less improvise their parts in one, maybe two takes. Even Cobham’s manager was impressed with how efficient and on-budget the recording went. Even better was the attention the record received from peers, critics, and fans.
Bolin’s talents were under the radar at the time, so his showing on Spectrum helped raise his profile considerably as he treaded dangerously close to the mythic tribal ground of John McLaughlin. Bolin’s burning runs through “Taurian Matador” and “Stratus” complement his smooth turns on funky struts like “Quadrant 4” and “Red Baron.” No wonder Deep Purple scooped him up after Ritchie Blackmore left to form Rainbow.
Hammer sizes up nicely next to Bolin, often bouncing off the guitarist or taking the reins on his own. This is why Beck nabbed him for Wired, the 1976 follow-up to Blow By Blow. Hammer and Cobham start Spectrum off in the fast lane with “Quadrant 4” before Bolin joins in on the track’s infectious hook. Hammer’s work on “Stratus” is so enticing, Beck eventually added it to his live repertoire. The keyboardist also slows down a notch to lay down a few fluttering piano bars without accompaniment on “To The Women In My Life.”
There’s not much more you can say about Lee Skylar except his sublime basslines are integral to the mix, the vibe, and the nuances. Anyone else would have probably gotten in the way. Of course, Cobham’s drumming takes centerstage, especially on “Searching For The Right Door” and “Anxiety.” Elsewhere, he drives the funky rhythm of “Stratus” and “Red Baron” like a meticulous, multitasking timepiece.
Given the choice among DTS-HD Quadio, DTS-HD 5.1 and DTS-HD Stereo is an audiophile’s wet dream come true. If hearing guitar in your rear right speaker, keys in your rear left speaker, and drums and bass up front, is your thing, the DTS-HD Quadio mix will take you to the moon and back. For less emphasis on separation with a little more low-end and an extra shot of spacial immersiveness, the 5.1 surround pushes the soundscape across the…spectrum. Even the stereo mix offers up enough sumptuous ear candy to nudge low-fi listeners out of their comfort zone.
There is no question that Billy Cobham’s Spectrum is a classic forerunner of progressive jazz-fusion in the early 70s; a grand experiment where all the ingredients came together to create an explosive elixir of multi-dimensional fortitude. Indeed, as Cobham wrote: “What is life but a spectrum and what is music but life itself.” Truer words have rarely been spoken. They most certainly apply to this album.
~ Shawn Perry
