Top Bar
Musique Machine Logo Home ButtonReviews ButtonArticles ButtonBand Specials ButtonAbout Us Button
SearchGo Down
Search for  
With search mode in section(s)
And sort the results by
show articles written by  
 Review archive:  # a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Samurai - Samurai [Esoteric Recordings/ Cherry Red - 2020]

Released back in 1971 Samurai's self-titled debut album is grooving-to- bounding, at times downbeat example of jazz-rock songcraft, which features a sprinkling of more prog & off-kilter moments. Here from Esoteric Recordings- Cherry Red’s more prog-centric focused sub-label is a recent CD release of this album.

The release is presented in a dull card digipak- this features on it’s outside the original groovy artwork- which finds a drawing of a topless Asian woman leaning on her joint licking & shades wearing boyfriend with a backdrop of big flower wallpaper. Inside we get a picture of the five-piece band walking into a large industrial unit. We also get a
twenty-page inlay booklet, featuring a recent interview with the band's key songwriter Dave Lawson.

The origins of Samurai date back to 1968, and the British blues  Jazz band The Web( later just Web)- who released three albums between 1968 and 1970- which saw their sound shifting from proto-prog to jazz-prog. So they decide to change their name to Samurai- though seemingly within a year or so the project had completely fizzled out as Keyboardist/ vocalist Dave Lawson departed for the more keyboard focused prog-rock group Greenslade.

The line-up with Samuria-  the bands one & only album was the five picec of:  Dave Lawson- Keyboards & Vocals, Tony Edwards- Electric & Acoustic bass, John Eaton- Bass, Kenny Beveridge- drums, Lennie Wright- vibes, drums & percussion. With supporting roles from Tony Roberts- Tenor sax, concert &  alto flutes, bass clarinet. Don Fay-  tenor Sax & Concert Flute.

The original album takes in seven tracks in all- and for sonic references, I’d say think the less quirky side of Zappa’s 1970’s jazz-rock band output, or maybe a more straight version of Second hand- the crazed London based jazz/ rock/ prog band-  though Samurai do certainly have their own take on the whole jazz-rock band thing. The seven tracks run between three & eight minutes- though largely fall between the three/four-minute mark. We go back from the mellow-if-glum "More Rain" with its blend of tight bass work, clear guitar strumming, lightly grooving horn work & clip-clopping percussion- having an almost acid jazz ballad vibe about it. Onto the bounding wow-wow rock riffing meets vibe edged thick & swinging horn grinding of “Give A Little Love.  Through to marching jazz, prog-rock start of   “Face In The Mirror” which later switches to a more pared tolling–to-jiving piano/organ, snaking vibe edged percussion, and harmonizing stagey vocals that very much brought to mind the Flo And Eddie front Zappa band- but with -none of the comedic elements. With the album leading out with the longest track here the eight minutes twenty of “As I Dried The Tears Away”- which moves between vibe, twanging guitar & organ bounce, signer-songwriter pop-rock showness, and moments of weird darting guitar phonics,off-kilter organ groove and jaunting vibe playing- all making for a very quirky end to proceedings.

The CD is finished off with three live tracks recorded in Sweden 1971- these are all album tracks, so no great revelation- but it’s great to hear the band in fine grooving & bounding live form.


It’s great to see Esoteric Recordings diging deeper into the lesser-known regions of 1970’s British jazz-rock/ prog with this release- and I’d say if you enjoy more horn-led  & grooving- through at times downbeat/ serious side of band focused Jazz-rock- you’ll be needing to pick this up.

Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5

Roger Batty
Latest Reviews

Samurai - Samurai
Released back in 1971 Samurai's self-titled debut album is grooving-to- bounding, at times downbeat example of jazz-rock songcraft, which features a spr...
290324   Piranha - Piranha(DVD)
280324   Typhoon Club - Typhoon Club(B...
270324   Jerzy Skolimowski Collection ...
260324   Latex Choker - Sealed
260324   Occlusion - 59: No Input Wall
260324   Nihil Impvlse - Anabasis
260324   Marta Forsberg - Sjunger För...
260324   The New Boy - The New Boy( Th...
250324   The Stargazer’s Assistant - ...
250324   Liza Lim - Annunciation Trip...
Latest Articles

The Music of Clay Ruby & Burial H...
Over the last couple of decades Wisconsin native, Clay Ruby has been creating some of the world’s finest dark electronic music under the Burial Hex mon...
280324   The Music of Clay Ruby & Buri...
290224   Sutcliffe No More - Normal Ev...
100124   Occlusion - The Operation Is...
181223   Best Of 2023 - Music, Sound &...
051223   Powerhouse Films - Of Magic, ...
181023   IO - Of Sound, Of Art, Of Exp...
210923   Lucky Cerruti - Of Not so Fri...
290823   The Residents - The Trouble W...
110723   Yotzeret Sheydim Interview - ...
250523   TenHornedBeast - Into The Dee...
Go Up
(c) Musique Machine 2001 -2023. Twenty two years of true independence!! Mail Us at questions=at=musiquemachine=dot=comBottom