Graham Collier Something British Made In Hong Kong CD - Import

You could easily term British composer and bassist Graham Collier the "stealth genius" of British jazz without being too far from the mark. Through the years, and particularly the decade of the 1970s, he wrote and arranged compositions that together form a fertile collection rarely rivaled, yet he has continued to remain a somewhat obscure figure. His work from the 1980s to the present is often not nearly as compelling as his earlier output. Recorded in Hong Kong during a tour of the Far East in 1985 with players familiar with his methods, Something British Made in Hong Kong does not stand up well over time. Although the sound quality on the CD reissue is adequate (evidently it was worse on the original LP issue on Mosaic), it does not compensate for the lack of focus, which is likely to disappoint Colliers's followers, particularly considering that the album was released after the composer's superb Day of the Dead, after a hiatus of several years The heavy use of synthesizers and electric guitar in the sextet coupled with sometimes mediocre improvisations and a generally open approach to composition leaves the listener's ears wandering, offset only by the sense that Collier is experimenting. Collier chucks his bass in favor of a Roland synthesizer, which makes little impression, and while there are some pleasant contributions from Geoff Warren on flute and sax and from longtime collaborator Ed Speight on rock guitar, there is little here that reflects the creative qualities that mark so many of Collier's earlier releases. ~ Steven Loewy

Something British Made in Hong Kong is a six-part suite composed for the Graham Collier Sextet's Far East tour in 1985. It was recorded there, and was his first recorded outing since 1976. If only the fates had been kinder, and his synthesizer didn't sound so cheesy. Used mainly as a palette-expanding device, Collier's own rudimentary playing of the instrument leaves much to be desired. In addition, pianist Roger Dean also uses a synth as a complement to his piano. With Ed Speight's electric guitar, the band sounds almost like a prog rock outfit playing jazz. Geoff Warren's saxophones lend weight, as does Paul Bridge's double bassing, but Ashley Brown's drumming comes out of "Fusion 101." Only on "Whirligig," do we get anything approaching Collier's masterful writing aplomb, or inspired improvising from Speight and Warren.This album is a mess, full of meandering twists and turns that reveal just how completely Collier had lost his way in the previous decade. Oh yes, and the sound is muddy, almost atrocious.~ Thom Jurek