Raffaele Mazzei ‎– Dentro Edipo (1979, LP, Italy)

Tracklist:
A1. Viaggio Dentro Edipo (3:45)
A2. Icaro E Francesco (4:25)
A3. Il Millepiedi (2:10)
A4. Oasi (3:28)
A5. Vicolo Della Storta (5:15)
B1. I Magi (5:07)
B2. Canzone Del Prima E Del Dopo (4:39)
B3. Separazione (4:02)
B4. Il Pittore L'Ebreo La Primavera (5:42)

Musicians:
Arranged By, Piano, Synthesizer [Polymoog, Minimoog], Percussion – Roberto Bacchiocchi
Drums – Massimo Manzi
Electric Bass – Bob Clark
Flute – Gianni Bobbio
Lyrics By, Music By – Raffaele Mazzei
Semi-Acoustic Guitar, Classical Guitar, Electric Guitar, Twelve-String Guitar, Acoustic Bass – Riccardo Zappa

Splash ‎– Ut På Vischan (1972, LP, Sweden)

Tracklist:
A1. Jag Minns Min Gröna Dal (5:19)
A2. Jag Drömmer Om En Annan Värld (6:16)
A3. Stormen (4:34)
A4. Ut Pa Vischan (3:58)
B1. Frihet (3:01)
B2. Spelmannen Och Forskarlen (6:51)
B3. Var Dröm (3:47)
B4. Smutsig Jord (4:59)

Musicians:
Christer Holm - saxophone, clarinet, bassoon
Christer Jansson - guitar, violin, vocals
Gösta Rundqvist - organ, piano
Håkan Lewin - saxophone, flute
Jan Erik Westin - drums
Kaj Söderström - bass, vocals
Leif Halldén - trumpet
Lennart Löfgren - trombone

Splash was a band founded in Söderhamn 1969, initially with a strong influence from Blood Sweat &Tears and similar acts, but their music grew increasingly intreresting by each album. Their debut however was an unremarkable self-produced single in 1972, ”Gobby's Train” b/w ”Way Up North”. Their full length debut followed later the same year and they soon earned a dedicated following in Norway, Belgium and former Czechoslovakia.

Signing to Polydor, Splash benefitted from the higher production values after the relatively primitive debut single. ”Ut på vischan!” is competent in every regard. It has a few prog moves, but has vague hints at Kebnekajse styled folk harmonics on the best track ”Smutsig jord” (with some appealing guitar work). But there's no mistaking early Splash was a horn rock band at heart, with ”Ut på vischan!” sounding like a poor man's Solar Plexus. It ought to please genre fans but others should listen before paying the relatively high prices asked for the album, and better yet, look out for their later albums.

Splash ‎– Orangutang Boomerang / Sunday Ride (1974, 7" LP, Sweden)

Tracklist:
A1. Orangutang Boomerang (5:06)
B1. Sunday Ride (5:41)


1974 also saw the release of two Splash seven inches. The first of them featured more Uriah Heep heaviness on ”Orangutang Boomerang”, backed with the rather excellent ”Sunday Ride”, with lyrics by German born Swede Linus Kal X Blue (who made garage rock history with Something Wild's ”Trippin' Out” 45 in 1966). The second 1974 Splash single was recorded as a backing band to the incredibly annoying folk singer Maritza Horn.

Splash ‎– Splash (1974, LP, Sweden)

Tracklist:
A1. Karottorokokrockokrokorock (Elephant Nilson) (20:55)
B1. Tiokronorspolkan (6:48)
B2. Sambahmadu (13:45)

Musicians:
Baritone Saxophone, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Bassoon – Christer Holm
Bass Trombone, Flugelhorn – Lennart Löfgren
Bass, Vocals – Kaj Söderström
Drums – Henrik Hildén
Guitar, Violin, Vocals – Christer Jansson
Piano, Organ, Synthesizer [Mini-moog], Violin, Vocals – Thomas Jutterström
Piccolo Flute, Flute, Alto Flute, Soprano Saxophone, Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Torbjörn Carlsson
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Leif Halldén


Splash's self-titled second album from 1974, takes the band from their American horn rock styled debut, and stretches out into 3 lengthy tracks. It gives us the listener a what-if scenario as to what Chicago Transit Authority might have sounded like were they part of the European jazz underground rather than held hostage to commercial aspirations and AM/FM radio demands. Of the 3 aforementioned pieces, the highlight for me is the near 14 minute closer 'Sambahmadu', with its intriguing mix of Latin styled jazz rock and Asiatic themes. (ashratom)

Splash ‎– Splash (1978, LP, Sweden)

Tracklist:
A1. Variations On Polska & Hoppvals (8:02)
A2. Nina (8:58)
B1. Snusa (8:21)
B2. El Greco (7:48)
B3. Hueä (5:19)

Musicians:
Bass Trombone – Lennart Löfgren
Bass, Guitar – Kaj Söderström
Cover – Per Gunnarsson
Drums – Gus
Guitar, Violin – Christer Jansson
Keyboards – Thomas Jutterström
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Leif Halldén
Woodwind – Christer Holm, Torbjörn Carlsson


On "Splash 2", the group has moved from standard pop rock structures to an improvisational jazz rock unit. I hesitate to use the word "fusion" here, as they clearly weren't emulating the usual suspects like Return to Forever or Weather Report. And at times they have that college level stage band type tightness. There's also a little bit of silliness calling out their Zappa influence (not to mention some fine guitar soloing). And even a little dancing around the barn music to open the album. (ashratom)

Chalibaude ‎– Les Noces Du Papillon (1976, LP, France)

Tracklist:
A1 Là-Bas Dans Les Prairies  (2:48)
A2 Les Noces Du Papillon  (3:38)
A3 La Cuiller Et La Marmite  (1:50)
A4 La Messe À Poitiers  (4:20)
A5 Le Retour Dau Guaret  (2:40)
B1 L'Alouette Et Le Marlot  (4:02)
B2 La Fille Du Rochelais  (2:58)
B3 Arantelle  (2:22)
B4 La Maîtresse Du Voltigeur  (2:52)
B5 Jarni Perrot  (2:33)
B6 Là-Bas Dans Les Prairies  (1:25)

Musicians:
Acoustic Guitar, Bass, Dulcimer, Flute, Vocals – Michel Lefort
Crumhorn – Francis
Drums, Percussion, Flute – Jean "Popof" Chevalier
Guitars, Bass, Crumhorn, Banjo, Vocals – Christian Bonneault
Violin, Organ – Georges Felletin (Jojo)

Chalibaude were a French folk quartet of the mid-1970s. The band comprised half of the eight-piece Francis Guillon et Son Orchestre on the 1975 one-off Spécial Danse 8.

Drummer/ percussionist Jean Chevalier had been the most active on the local music scene, having played on the homonymous 1974 album by composer/ organist Laurence Vanay as well as two mid-’70s longplayers by theatrical French vocalist Alain Kan.

Signing to the nascent Cezame label, Chalibaude released its sole album, Les Noces du Papillon, in 1976. Evoking the contents therein, the album’s cover depicts grainy barnyard slumbers under yellowish sunlight.

Four tracks in, the mid-tempo “La Messe a Poitiers” establishes a diatonic, descending chordal strum rooted in A-minor, which propels the vocals along high thirds and fifths.

An A-minor tonality also encapsulates the instrumental “La-las Dans ces Prairies” on which a slow influx of acoustic guitar, dulcimer, and ultimately crumhorn are spread over an operative bassline.

A bass-drum/triangle figure guides the stately up-tempo “La Fille du Rochelais,” where persistent plucking and Felletin’s intermittent bowing fill the song’s two-chord structure rooted in D-minor. 

“L’noulette et le Marlot” starts out as a lyrical piece set to a slow, D-minor strum-along of rising/falling fifths. Halfway through, the cadence tightens as violin and twangy leads descend on the now-martialized proceedings.

On a more outre note, the brief mono-chordal drone “Le Retour dau Quaret” tests the sonic character of the crumhorn under layers of studio effects.

After Chalibaude split, Chevalier remained active on the French scene, appearing on albums by René Werneer, Jacques-Emile Deschamps, and Manu Lann Huel, among others. During the late 1980s, he cut a pair of jazz-rock albums with guitarist Jean-Luc Chevalier and bassist Marc Elliard.