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Reviews

Jade Warrior — At Peace
(CDEASM 001, 1989, CD)

Jade Warrior — Breathing the Storm
(CDR 105, 1992, CD)

Jade Warrior — Distant Echoes
(CDR 106, 1993, CD)

Jade Warrior — Horizen
(PULSE 005, 1984, CD)

At Peace Cover artBreathing the Storm Cover artDistant Echoes Cover artHorizen Cover art

[Regarding all four 2001 reissues. — ed.]

The continuing travels of flautist, percussionist Jon Field and guitarist Tony Duhig are chronicled with these four releases in the last two decades. The last Jade Warrior LP to make the jump to digital recently was 1984's Horizen, which was the only album on which Field does not appear. This set of six tracks was a long-time must for transfer if only due to the opening cut, an ode to Frank Herbert's Dune series, "Images of Dune." Liner notes relate the debacle of including the piece as part of David Lynch's film, but no matter. The track contains all the essentials: ominous textural backdrop (enhanced by the voices of the chorus of the London Pro Musica) with synth guitar leads. Probably the brightest South Seas influenced track in the entire band catalogue is "Caribbean Wave," a dramatic contrast with the tone of the first twelve minutes. Led by unison lead guitar and the steel drums of Annise Hadeed Steel, the track romps with sax player Gowan Turnbull dropping in a few choice fills.

The duo re-united again for the subdued project from 1986, At Peace which is appropriately titled — three pieces of soothing wash and sway. The album is the closest thing to a full-on ambient New Age disc as the group ever approached before or since. Probably the best piece is the second track of three: "Quiet Stream" a soft track characterized by Field's flute in a backdrop of water and a subtle choir, touched by synth guitar.

The band's 90s output came in the form of two works, Breathing the Storm and Distant Echoes, which have both been remixed and remastered on the Blueprint label in the UK. These works can be viewed as a resurgence in the band's activities with Field hooking up with new bassist Dave Sturt and guitarist Colin Henson. Henson may lack the same edge as Duhig, but his passionate leads on "Evocation" and "Night of the Shamen" demonstrate empathy for the mood.

The title tracks on each of the 90s discs show slightly altered courses with a slower pulse embossed with lead bass lines and percussion. Although Tony Duhig died in November of 1990, the incarnation he helped shape lives on. There are still rumors for tentative plans for a Millennium Jade Warrior album, which could meet the light of day.

by Jeff Melton, Published 2001-12-01

[Regarding Distant Echoes. — ed.]

For the uninitiated, Jade Warrior's recorded history began around 1970 as a three-piece, integrating east Asian themes, introspective jazz-rock ideas, some elements of folk, and a lot more into a unique new sound based on flute, guitar, and ethnic percussion. Through the years, the band's sound evolved to encompass far more: after three albums they became a duo and esentially did away with vocals, and released another string of four albums for the Island label that are monuments of inventiveness, although seldom fully appreciated by those who cut their teeth on the first three. The 80s saw only two releases, the less than spectacular Horizen and the low key and highly introspective At Peace, released after the passing of guitarist Tony Duhig, leaving Jade Warrior as a one-man band. Flautist Jon Field then recruited two new band members, and started out all over again. With their 1991 release Breathing the Storm, they began to recapture the spirit of the Island period, albeit with a more laid-back approach, par for the post new-age era. Now comes Distant Echoes, perhaps their best release since 1974's stunning Floating World — or perhaps their best album to date. They have assembled all of their best inclinations here, given them new life, and embarked on a new forward looking journey. Unlike its moody predecessor, Distant Echoes rings with liveliness, forcefully encompassing all emotions. Once again, the lineup includes Colin Henson on guitars and Dave Sturt on fretless bass, plus a long list of session musicians on violins, saxes, bass clarinet, flugelhorn, drums, and choirs. The album opener, "Evocation," recals the gritty guitars and dissonance employed on their album Released, and then moves on to "Into the Sunlight," an eight minute piece recalling the Airto Moreira Brazilian percussive sound overlaid with the trademark wall of flutes and guitars; Henson does an admirable job at keeping Tony Duhig's guitar sound alive. The album continues to alternate low key and uptempo pieces: "Night of the Shamen" delves into an eerie melodic cycle on violin (vaguely reminiscent of the sound achieved by the Beatles on "Within You Without You") supported by guitar and pecussion, topped off with spicy guitar leads and scatting flutes. "Snake Goddess" uses choirs, piano, and saxes to cover some new ground, while "Timeless Journey" and the album closer "Spirits of the Water" recall the pastoral symphonics of Kites. All taken, this is a rejuvenated Jade Warrior fully realized, fresh with spirited ideas. For anyone not yet familiar with the JW sound, this is as good a place as any to tune in.

by Peter Thelen, Published 1994-02-01

Filed under: New releases, Issue 23, 1989 releases, 1992 releases, 1993 releases, 1984 releases

Related artist(s): Jade Warrior

 

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