As a pianist and composer, Mike Westbrook belongs to the group of British jazz musicians who put their own quintessentially British spin on modern jazz in the 1960s and 1970s. Born in 1936, Westbrook enjoyed working with large lineups, including his
Mike Westbrook Concert Band, which included such eminent colleagues as saxophonists
John Surman and
Mike Osborne. In 1972, he formed the jazz rock band
… Solid Gold Cadillac which included guitarist Chris Spedding and vocalist Phil Minton. Live 1972, which first appeared in 1973 on Westbrook's own label Cadillac Records, seems to foreshadow said band. Featuring the same rhythm section and saxophonist George Khan, a still unnamed jazz-rock band pulls a strong one here. At times this rubs up against their contemporaries from Soft Machine, but Westbrook and consorts are more rooted in jazz in the process. Opener Travelin' still features improvisation on a bluesy coda, while the second track Compassion consists of just under 15 minutes of electric free jazz. This remaster is a reissue of the 2012 CD, with additional tracks and a title sequence that differs from the original LP, released by the, like Westbrook, still sprightly Cadillac Records. (MR)more
