What a cover: In a field, among grasses and poppies, stands a bearded newt. Hardly distinguishable from a scarecrow. Further back, a lady. Her style would probably be called »kinky southern beauty« today. The name of the album, »Belladonna«, typed beautifully proggy, »overgrown« with roses. It takes a lot of imagination to assume that this is a golden nugget of jazz history. That’s probably why the word hasn’t yet got around that this fusion gem is a must-have. Let’s look back to the year of its creation, 1972: less than 24 months before its release, Miles Davis had first played himself into ecstasy with his Bitches Brew band at the Isle of Wight Festival and then played jazz into a new chapter. »Belladonna«, which the Scotsman Ian Carr recorded in London, not so far from the Isle of Wight, must definitely be considered in this light. Like a distant echo, the sound waves of the fusion Miles penetrate the grooves of the vinyl here. Ian Carr as bandleader and trumpeter sets the tone, but also proposes a pact to his fellow musicians: I go first, you follow – the destination remains uncertain. Thus the octet moves from piece to piece further into a fusion design that unites English serenity and jazz school with the great cinematic stages of the world. In the rear-view mirror, not only Chick Corea and Keith Jarret wave, but also Woodstock and – if you listen very closely – even Pink Floyd.
Miguel Atwood-Ferguson
Les Jardins Mystiques Vol.1
Brainfeeder