JADE WARRIOR

[UK]

 

"Jade Warrior" (71)
"Released" (72)
"Last Autumn's Dream" (72)
"Floating World" (74)
"Waves" (75)
"Kites" (76)
"Way Of The Sun" (78)
"Reflection" (80)
"Horizen" (84)
"At Peace" (88)
"Breathing The Storm" (91)
"Distant Echo" (93)

 

Another British legend, Jade Warrior were a very unique trio that transcended the boundaries of progressive music with a string of LPs for Vertigo and later Island in the seventies. Their Vertigo albums Jade Warrior, Released and "Last Autumn's Dream" were all very Oriental sounding in a way (as were the covers) and combined this influence in a rock setting.
They don't really have any drums per se (except on the latter two) and instead put forth an interesting music full of flutes and fuzz guitars and a unique song style. The Island LPs, with the best two "Floating World" and "Waves" approach a more new-agey style, and are the ones that are the most common. Often approaching Oldfield (in fact Jade Warrior's flute player was on "Tubular Bells"), the music is very eclectic and unusual. Try any of them although "Released" (with drums) is my favorite, with an excellent long jam.
Jade Warrior had three very different phases. The first, which includes the first three albums (plus the "Reflections" compilation of early material), could be thought of as east-asian and jazz-influenced folk-rock, with some fiery guitar outbursts and strong presence of flute. JW is the most dynamic of the three, alternating between rougher fuzz-guitar based tracks and quiet spacy instrumental passages, reminiscent at times of very early Jethro Tull, but without drums. At that point the band was a trio of Jon Field (flute and percussion), Glyn Havard (bass and vocals) and Tony Duhig (guitar). Released is harder rocking and more psychedelic, with guest musicians on Drums and Saxes. By "Autumns Dream" they had essentially become a five piece with Alan Price (drums) and Dave Duhig (guitar), but unlike its predecessor, this album was more in the style of the first album, with some memorable tunes like "Winter's Tale", "Lady of the Lake" and "May Queen" - this may, in fact be the best of the first three. For the second period (the "Island" period) which began with "Floating World" in 74, and lasted through about 1980, the band was an instrumental duo of Jon Field and Tony Duhig, playing pretty much everything, with guest musicians filling in when necessary. FW is instrumentally close to "Last Autumn Dream", exploring further the possibilities of fusing eastern with western. "Waves" is a move in a slightly jazzier direction, while "Kites" invokes more eastern themes while moving into spacier regions. "Way of the Sun" is more upbeat than the previous three, adding latin percussives on several tracks, and some overt classical influence as well.
This or "Floating World" are pobably the two best of the second period, and "Floating World" is probably the best place to start. The third period from 83 to present is generally a quieter, more reflective period, carrying on again as a duo until Duhig's death around 89. At that point Field reformed a three piece lineup with two new musicians, for the album "Breathing The Storm".
Jade Warrior were the eclectic British duo of Tony Duhig and Jon Field, whose music combined elements of rock and classical music with Japanese motifs, realized through the use of flutes and native percussion, to result in music that was truly "progressive. "Floating World" is representative of mid-period Jade Warrior, and was recorded in 1974. As described, the music is a very imaginative blend of rock influences and Japanese musical sounds, that ranges from quiet passages built around guitar, flute and percussion, to full rock workouts, powered by electric guitars and drums. "Breathing The Storm" is a brand-new release, and features Jon Field with two other musicians, and is dedicated to the memory of Tony Duhig. The music is broadly defined as before, but is not as sparse, and has a broader sound realised through unobtrusive keyboard backing. The mood throughout the album is very low-key, almost to the point where it might be described as new-age, but there is a complexity and style to the compositions that rise above the categorization. The closest point of comparison would probably be to equal parts of Gandalf and Deuter.
A rather unique group based on the only CD I have, "Floating World". Not much info is included. The songs are usually fairly introspective, but often dynamic as they shift from a variety of woodwinds and exotic percussion to loud electric guitar riffing. I've been told that the band's output has been rather uneven over the many albums, but the Island releases (e.g., "Floating World", "Waves", "Way of the Sun") are all very good. The music isn't readily comparable to anyone else. This reason alone should make you want to check them out. "Floating World" is good stuff!
For the uninitiated, Jade Warrior's recorded history began around 1970 as a three-piece, integrating east asian themes, introspective jazz-rock ideas, some elements of folk, and a lot more into a unique new sound based on flute, guitar and ethnic percussion. Through the years, the band's sound evolved to encompass far more: After three albums they became a duo and esentially did away with vocals, and released another string of four albums for the Island label that are monuments of inventiveness, although seldom fully appreciated by those who cut their teeth on the first three. The eighties saw only two releases, the less than spectacular "Horizen" and the low key and highly introspective "At Peace", released after the passing of guitarist Tony Duhig, leaving Jade Warrior as a one-man band. Flautist Jon Field then recruited two new band members, and started out all over again. With their 1991 release "Breathing The Storm", they began to recapture the spirit of the Island period, albeit with a more laid-back approach, par for the post new-age era. Now comes "Distant Echoes", perhaps their best release since 1974's stunning "Floating World" - or perhaps their best album to date.
They have assembled all of their best inclinations here, given them new life, and embarked on a new forward looking journey. Unlike its moody predecessor, "Distant Echoes" rings with liveliness, forcefully encompassing all emotions. Once again, the lineup includes Colin Henson on guitars and Dave Sturt on fretless bass, plus a long list of session musicians on violins, saxes, bass clarinet, flugelhorn, drums and choirs. The album opener "Evocation" recals the gritty guitars and dissonance employed on their album "Released", and then moves on to "Into The Sunlight" an eight minute piece recalling the Airto Moreira Brazilian percussive sound overlaid with the trademark wall of flutes and guitars; Henson does an admirable job at keeping Tony Duhig's guitar sound alive. The album continues to alternate low key and uptempo pieces: "Night of The Shamen" delves into an eerie melodic cycle on violin (vaguely reminiscent of the sound achieved by the Beatles on "Within You Without You") supported by guitar and pecussion, topped off with spicy guitar leads and scatting flutes. "Snake Goddess" uses choirs piano, and saxes to cover some new ground, while "Timeless Journey" and the album closer "Spirits Of The Water" recall the pastoral symphonics of "Kites". All taken, this is a rejuvenated Jade Warrior fully realized, fresh with spirited ideas. For anyone not yet familiar with the JW sound, this is as good a place as any to tune in. The first album is good, Jethro Tull-like music with lots of flute, percussion (bongos and the like), and alternately gentle and savage electric guitars. A mix of Asian and (on "Masai Morning") African influences make for a creative sound. "Dragonfly Day" is quite beautiful. There are a few blues orientated songs on the B-side that don't do anything for me, but otherwise it's a pretty good album, worth your money. I've heard a couple of later albums: "Floating World" and "Way of the Sun". These are in a completely different style, totally instrumental using a kaleidoscopic array of different instruments. Hair-raising dynamics make these exciting to listen to.

Mike Ohman