An excellent album from Eric Kloss -- maybe one of his last good ones, too! The record has him playing with a hip group of young players -- basically the Miles Davis rhythm section (Chick Corea, Dave Holland, and Jack DeJohnette) plus guitarist Pat Martino, who was really stretching out at this time. The resultant electric grooves are way different than Kloss' earlier work, yet still much tighter and more soulful than his later stuff -- with some slight bits of funk and soul jazz to keep things real. All tracks are fairly long, and the record features versions of "Sunshine Superman" and "Songs To Aging Children" -- plus the tunes "Consciousness" and "Outward Wisdom".
One of the true child prodigies of the ‘60s, saxophonist Eric Kloss holds the distinction of having a record contract with Prestige Records at the ripe young age of 15. Blind, smart as a whip, and technically proficient at even this early stage in his career, Kloss went on to make some remarkable albums up through the early ‘70s and then disappeared into academia.
Like a lot of other jazz cerca 1969-70, there's a definite rock influence both in the rhythms and in Corea's use of the electric piano (he also plays acoustic). Consciousness! (tracks 6-10) was recorded in January 1970, and sounds a lot more like the intense Fillmore recordings. Pat Martino, who joins the band on guitar, is an explosive presence.
This is highly recommended to any fan of Corea, Holland, or DeJohnette as well as to anyone who likes the sound of late 60s post-bop jazz. And besides, you will never hear a funkier version of "Sunshine Superman" in your life.
Eric Kloss was (and supposedly still is) an edgy post-bop altoist, obviously aware of Coltrane's innovations but with a very distinct, individual sound. On some of the tracks he plays tenor. Anyway, he definitely deserves mention alongside Jackie McLean and Gary Bartz.
Personnel:
Dave Holland (bass)
Jack DeJohnette (drums)
Pat Martino (guitar)
Chick Corea (piano)
Eric Kloss (saxophone)
Tracklist:
o1. Sunshine Superman (Leitch)10.37
02. Kay (Kloss) 10.24
03. Outward Wisdom (Martino) 6.05
04. Songs To Aging Children /Mitchell) 6.58
05. Consciousness (DePaolo/Kloss) 8.36
