ProJazz.net

Some people might see the title Jazziz and assume that John Serry named his second LP as a leader after the well-known jazz monthly. But in fact, it’s the other way around — Michael Fagien, the founder/publisher of Jazziz magazine, named his publication after Serry’s second LP. It would have been impossible for Serry to name this 1980 release after Fagien’s publication, because in 1980 Fagien had yet to launch Jazziz magazine. In 1980, Downbeat was still the dominant jazz magazine in the U.S. and had yet to receive the healthy competition that Jazziz and JazzTimes would eventually provide. It isn’t hard to see why Fagien admired Jazziz; this self-produced LP lives up to the promise of Serry’s first album, Exhibition, and shows no signs of a sophomore slump. Jazziz, like Exhibition, is fusion-oriented, and the pianist/keyboardist’s topnotch composing reflects his interest in Return to Forever, Weather Report, and others who defined fusion in the 1970s. But when Serry solos, those who really know their jazz will also hear the influence of Bill Evans (the pianist, not the saxophonist) and Keith Jarrett. Serry originals like “Penumbra” and “Acrobat” do not divorce themselves from jazz’ long history any more than Corea quit being influenced by Evans when he led Return to Forever or Joe Zawinul forgot about his years with Cannonball Adderley when he co-founded Weather Report. Regrettably, neither Jazziz nor Serry’s previous album, Exhibition, received as much attention as deserved. But that is a reflection of theChrysalis promotions department rather than the quality of the albums — Chrysalis was triumphant when it came to marketing Blondie and Pat Benatar, but the label didn’t know how to market jazz. Regardless, Jazziz and Exhibition are fine albums that Serry can easily be proud of (Alex Henderson).

Track listing:

A1 Acrobat 5:37
A2 Jazziz 4:15
A3 Doc Holiday 4:52
A4 Penumbra 4:10
B1 Song For You 6:30
B2 Up Start 4:45
B3 Don Quixote’s Hustle: A Disco Nightmare 7:31

Personnel:

Bass – Gordon Johnson (tracks: A3, B1, B3), ‘Flim’ Johnson
Drums – Carlos Vega, Peter Erskine (tracks: B1, B2)
Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar – Mike Sembello
Producer, Composed By, Arranged By, Orchestrated By, Mixed By, Piano, Electric Piano, Synthesizer – John Serry
Soprano Saxophone, Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Flute, Piccolo Flute, Clarinet – Bob Sheppard
Vibraphone, Xylophone, Bells, Chimes, Timpani, Bass Drum, Cymbal, Congas, Percussion – Gordon Gottlieb

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Label: Chrysalis – CHR 1279
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1980