The Eleventh House
during 1972-1975 was one of the stronger working groups in fusion, led by one of the unsung heroes of the idiom, guitarist
Larry Coryell
. This CD reissue brings back
the Eleventh House
's first recording and, in addition to
Coryell
's guitar, most heavily featured are trumpeter
Randy Brecker
(who would later be replaced by
Mike Lawrence
) and keyboardist
Mike Mandel
; bassist
Danny Trifan
and drummer
Alphonse Mouzon
are strong in backup roles. The influence of
Miles Davis
,
Weather Report
, and
Herbie Hancock
is apparent, but
also offered a sound of their own.
Brecker
's solos are often both fiery and lyrical (although his use of an occasional electric wah-wah device is less interesting).
and
Mandel
blend together quite well, and the original grooves on this set often have distinctive personalities. Pity that the reissue does not have any liner notes, otherwise it is easily recommended to fans of early fusion. ~ Scott Yanow