Creatively,
Azymuth has had its ups and downs. Some of its albums are excellent (
Crazy Rhythm,
Flame), and some are uneven (
Curumim,
Telecommunication).
Azymuth fans agree that 1982's
Cascades and 1983's
Rapid Transit are among its stronger efforts, and in 2001,
Fantasy did a very good deed when it reissued those
Milestone dates back to back on this 71-minute CD. You won't find a sudden drop in creativity about halfway through the CD -- that can be a problem when you reissue an excellent LP and an uneven LP on the same disc, but it isn't a problem on the
Cascades/Rapid Transit CD because the albums are equally strong. On both
Cascades and
Rapid Transit,
Azymuth is creatively successful because it doesn't resort to a lot of gimmicks. The Brazilian combo simply lets the creativity flow, providing adventurous yet accessible fusion that combines
jazz with Brazilian rhythms, as well as
rock and
funk. Some of the material was soft enough to appeal to
quiet storm stations in the 1980s, and yet, there is a world of difference between
Cascades and
Rapid Transit and the type of bloodless, uncreative elevator Muzak that a lot of
NAC/
smooth jazz labels come out with.
Azymuth's more uneven and erratic albums are strictly for its most hardcore fans, but this rewarding CD is enthusiastically recommended to anyone who has even a casual interest in the group. ~ Alex Henderson
