There are certain things indelibly connected with the '70s: leisure suits; mounds of cocaine; gas shortages; and the combination of electric guitar and amplified violin. The latter was popularized by the Mahavishnu Orchestra, King Crimson, Jean-Luc Ponty, Dixie Dregs, Charlie Daniels, Kansas and other bands.
Three members of Japan's Adena Quartet, guitarist Kazuhisa Uchihashi (founder of Altered States), violinist/vocalist Keisuke Ohta (credits with Carlo Actis Dato, Itaru Oki, Satoko Fujii) and drummer Akira Sotoyama (longtime accompanist to Naoya Matsuoka and making a 2007 duo album with Uchihashi) likely grew up listening to some of the aforementioned bands, but have also worked in jazzier and noisier environs. Those various strains-plus younger bassist (and cover illustrator) Shinobu Kawai's work with Otomo Yoshihide among others-contribute to the nostalgic-yet-forward-looking free-prog feel of the band's eponymous debut, which will be of great interest to fans of Sonny Sharrock's late-period work.
The three tracks, 7, 26 and just over 22 minutes (each named for a primary sound of Japanese Hiragana, combining to translate as "Adena"), were recorded live in 2023 at Tokyo's Knuttel House. The opener is necessarily fleet and punchy, acting as an elevator pitch for the group. The next two pieces are what happens when the elevator gets stuck between floors and there is time for longer conversation.
Unlike typical fusion efforts, Adena is more about mood and energy than displays of technical virtuosity for their own sake. There are also tempo and dynamic shifts that keep things moving along nicely and distribute the focus among the players in democratic fashion. Further thickening the stew are Uchihashi's various effects, which enliven the proceedings as they come in unexpectedly and leave just as quickly.
Adena moves expertly, for what may be a first-time meeting, between spaciously cosmic to jittery and frenetic. The former feel opens the third track when Ohta offers Sprechstimme vocals, becoming denser and more conical as it progresses, coalescing into an aggressively eerie slow-burn climax at the 16-minute mark.
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