Atmospheres

Mid-70s american jazz-rock fusion project led by British saxophonist and composer Clive Stevens.
ATMOSPHERES is a project by Clive Stevens, who plays mostly pedal-effect-altered woodwind instruments, but his co-musicians make it one of the most impressive and prestigious line-ups ever in the world of fusion music where he's probably the lesser-known individual. Indeed, not only is there Oregon's Ralph Towner (keyboards, acoustic guitar and devices) and Mahavishnu Orchestra's Billy Cobham and Rick Laird (drums & bass respectively), but also the guitar pair of John Abercrombie and Steve Khan, both the beginnings of their prestigious careers. The line-up is completed by percussionist Harry Wilkinson, and the first album was recorded in 73 and released in early 74 on Capitol with an uncommitting artwork sleeve. The result is a steaming jazz-rock that sometimes shifts from improvisation to dissonant free jazz, but this extreme is occasional. A second album "Voyage To Uranus" was released at the end of 74, but the awesome line-up couldn't be kept, so only Towner and Abercrombie remained in an otherwise fairly different ensemble. Musically however, this second album was equally comparable with the first album, still dishing the same red-hot fusion. Sadly that second album would signal the end of the group. Clive Stevens would not record another album as a leader until around the close of the century, when he would release two within a couple of years of each other.