Customer Reviews

Infinite Search

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have listening to this for 20+ years and I never get tired of it. The interplay between the players is wonderful and Vitous is front and center with them, dancing right along. It is definitely not bebop, but is hardly navel-gazing fusion junk either. Just timeless ...

One very odd complaint though - there are two versions of this out on Collectables - this one, which is missing the tune Cerecka. While it is short, it is quite good. You can find it on the other version of this album - Mountain in the Clouds, which is missing the tune When Face Gets Pale. The unfortunate solution if you want the whole thing - is to buy them both and burn your own (or look for the Mountain lp [good luck]).

Vitous then in his early 20's, (and before being a founding member of Weather Report) gathered for his first solo album:
John McLauglin (pre-Mahavishnu)
Herbie Hancock (pre-Headhunters)
Jack DeJohnette (pre-almost-every-good-fusion-record)
and (slightly) elder stateman Joe Henderson.
All are under the influence of Miles. The result SMOKES, starting with Vitous' playing unison on the (blisteringly fast) take on Eddie Harris' "Freedom Jazz Dance".! The instrumentation is electric, the music challenging without being completely free-form, and these players were at the top of their game.

If you love wild music you will love this. One of the greatest Lp's I have ever heard. Miroslav Vitous is only about 22 on this record, plus he composed the tunes. Top notch band including Herbie Hancock, John Mclauqhlin and the superb shimmering Jack Dejohnette amongst others. If you like Miles' In a Silent Way then this is taking that a million miles higher. A true Gem. Recording in 1969.

It is amazing that this recording sat on a shelf so long before someone decided to reissue it on CD. It is a group of incredibly talented jazz fusion players at the peak of their abilities. It features an all-star line-up, many of them fresh from the "Bitches Brew" sessions with Miles Davis. This is jazz fusion at its best (before people loused it up with synthesizers and new age fluff). Great playing; great compositions; great energy!

3 1/2

Inspired first generation fusion with an all-star cast does suffer seldomly from rambling formlessness with the highly exploratory material, though usually offers a surprising amount of synergistic subtly despite the scattershot compositional backbone.

"Infinite Search" is a wonderfully rich and ventilated piece of music. Many of the same musicians also appear on Wayne Shorter's "Super Nova" which was deeply influenced by his exposure to Milton Nascimento. An astonishing work.