Put another way, there’s more of an advanced modern jazz sensibility prevailing that’s only hinted at on other Lorber songs. “Galaxian” even moves from one interesting idea to another one, liberally changing up time signatures and tempos along the way(I could easily take another shot at the sax player and suggest that he laid out on this song because he couldn’t handle it, but I’m not going to). it’s dense, unpredictable and less riff-heavy than what Lorber is known for.
The self-penned title track “Galaxian” starts off shaky with dated, space movie styled soaring synths accompanied with a amateurish robotic voiceover but thankfully, it quickly gives way to the actual song.įrom that point on. It was right at the end of this since-deleted title where Lorber reveals himself to capable of much more complex material than he’s let on. But the songs were so irresistibly catchy and in the pocket, even the future G-Man couldn’t mess ’em up. As in his prior release Wizard Island, Lorber’s emerging young sax/flute player Kenny Gorelick was featured on several tracks. Galaxian was already hinting at a bid for crossover r&b appeal, as evidenced by the appearance of two vocal tracks. The last in those string of old school funk-jazz albums came in 1981. Especially the stuff from his “Jeff Lorber Fusion” albums of the late seventies and early eighties. I mean, Lorber’s got chops to spare and his music makes me feel good most every time I listen to it, as long as it’s the uptempo, instrumental stuff.
Sometimes I wonder if that was justified giving him such a back-handed compliment. 7.91 7.9) 190 THE JEFF LORBER FUSION Wizard island 125 125 7 SOUNDTRACK 158 158 4 DOOBIE BROTHERS Roadie 15.91 15.9 15.91 Besl 01 The Doobie Brothers ).9>. Last year I put funk fusioneer Jeff Lorber on a short list of guilty pleasures of mine.