Horacee Arnold - 1974 [2011] "Tales Of The Exonerated Flea"

Reissue of this 1974 album from the Jazz drummer. Horacee Arnold has played with Charles Mingus, Roland Kirk and Bud Powell, just to name a few. His biggest notoriety came with the two Jazz-Fusion albums he cut for Columbia Records in the early 1970s. Tales of the Exonerated Flea features Jan Hammer, Rick Laird, Ralph Towner, John Abercrombie, Sonny Fortune and Art Webb.

In 1974, drummer and composer Horacee Arnold assembled a stellar cast of players for Tales of the Exonerated Flea, his second Columbia album. Following on the heels of 1973's acclaimed Tribe, Tales was recorded at the height of the jazz-rock fusion era. Arnold's vision was a wide-ranging one and he recruited players form all over the jazz world, from stalwarts like bassist George Mraz and flutist Art Webb, to vanguardists like Sonny Fortune, to hardcore fusion players like Weather Report's master percussionist Dom Um Romao, the Mahavishnu Orchestra's bassist Rick Laird, and keyboardist Jan Hammer. As if this weren't enough, Arnold even reached into ECM's roster and signed up their two iconoclastic guitarists Ralph Towner and John Abercrombie. 

The end result is one of the most fascinating, soulful and truly successful albums of the entire genre. What one hears in listening to Tales of the Exonerated Flea is a cast of players who are seeking to open up both rock and jazz to new modes of expression. There are no sterile chops or elongated knotty passages that serve neither rhythm nor harmony. What's happening here is real fusion, of style, language, color, rhythm, harmonic and melodic concepts as well as dynamics. An intense examples is "Sing Nightjar" with its intricate melody and fine, provocative solos by Towner on 12-string and Hammer. 

The initial funky Latin groove of "Benzele Windows" that is introduced to fiery effect by Romao is quickly underscored by Webb's brilliant flute work and added to by Abercormbie and Fortune playing in tandem. When Hammer's electric piano enters the fray, moving in counterpoint with Arnold's lightning rhythmnatism, the piece becomes a startling orgy of rhythm and complexity before the shimmering dark funk of Laird, Hammer, and Arnold creates a dark funky groove for Fortune's soprano solo. The title cut uses a striated, extended and tensely convoluted bop line to introduce a burning Latin flavored stomp undergirding a modal line in the head. 

The chugging rhythmic invention at the heart of "Chinnereth II" belies a rather delicate if involved melody line before the tune becomes a joyful song with many parts and choruses. In all, Tales of the Exonerated Flea is a fusion record of the very best kind, it's full of soul, restless adventure, high-wire soloing and dirty grooves. Reissued on CD by Rock and Groove in 2004, it should be explored by everyone interested in the development of jazz-rock.

A lost fusion classic from the early 70s – one of the only records cut under the leadership of drummer Horacee Arnold, but a heck of a great little set with a soaringly righteous sound! The style here is plenty full-on, but a bit less rock-leaning than some of the other Columbia fusion of the period – thanks to a spacious vision on Arnold's part, and the inclusion of a fair bit of sounds from world music. Players on the set include Art Webb on flute, Sonny Fortune on soprano sax, John Abercrombie on guitar, David Friedman on vibes and marimba, Dom Um Romao on percussion, and Jan Hammer on moog and electric piano – and although there's a fair bit of guitar in the mix, the other acoustic elements are kept nice and high too – for a blend that's almost like some of the best Brazilian fusion from later years, touched by a slightly funkier sound! Tracks really stretch out nicely, allowing for plenty of solo space as they roll on, in a way that's almost a cross between Strata East and some of the more familiar mainstream fusion modes of the time. Very hip stuff, with titles that include "Benzele Windows", "Tales Of The Exonerated Flea", "Euroaquilo Silence", "Puppet Of The Seasons", "Sing Night Jar", and "Delicate Evasions".

Track listing:

1 - Puppett of the Seasons 4:30

2 - Sing Nightjar 11:07

3 - Benzélé Windows - 6:53

4 - Tales of the Exonerated Flea 3:43

5 - Delicate Evasions 4:28

6 - Chinnereth II 8:05

7 - Euroaquilo Silence - 5:41

8 - Timios - 6:22 [Bonus track]

Personnel:

Horacee Arnold - Drums, Percussion, Timpani [Tymps]

Jan Hammer - Synthesizer [Moog], Electric Piano, Piano

John Abercrombie - Electric Guitar

Art Webb - Flute, Flute [Alto] 

Sonny Fortune - Soprano Saxophone, Flute 

Ralph Towner - Twelve-String Guitar 

David Friedman - Vibraphone, Marimba [Bass] 

Rick Laird, Clint Huston, George Mraz - Bass 

Dom Um Romao - Percussion 

Dave Johnson - Percussion, Congas