ZAO - Z=7L

"For those not familiar with Zao, they were the first true Magma spin-off band, formed by reedsman Yochko Seffer and pianist Francois "Faton" Cahen, at a time when their creative role within that band was diminishing and all the writing duties were being taken over by Christian Vander... a long story for another day. While strongly rooted in the zeuhl tradition of Magma, Seffer and Cahen brought forth their unique musical vision in this 1973 release. They wanted to give the bands music an original color by integrating the most particular of instruments, the human voice. Mauricia Platons wordless vocals go beyond Magma and are a perfect accompaniment to Zaos singular form of jazz. Her voice, Jean-Yves Rigauds violin, and Seffers soprano sax intertwine through a complex matrix of rhythm and sound. At times the music and singing are dark and aggressive like Magma and later Shub Niggurath. At others it is light and airy. There is plenty of space in the music for improvisation at all levels, and Zao are the masters of that craft, as evidenced on spirited and energetic tracks like Ronach and Atart. It doesnt get much better than this, folks!" - Lysergic Sound Distributors.