Between or Beyond – a fusion of rock, funk and jazz that spins from soulful grooves all the way to the outer edge. Kiwi Keyboardist Mike Nock had already worked with jazz giants Coleman Hawkins, Sam Rivers, and John Handy before co-founding the ground-breaking San Fran fusion group the Fourth Way. That extraordinary group’s rhythm section has come along for the ride on Nock’s 1970 MPS release. The title piece constructs an up-tempo experiment in sounds, time, and space – quite a trip! Funk with feeling drives The Squire, with a nod to fellow fusion pioneers Weather Report. Hobgoblin is a swinging classic example of Nock’s acoustic side, while on the slightly darker Outfall, he trades between acoustic and electric piano. Denim Dance offers up a funky blues that would get anyone born in the Age of Aquarius up and dancing to Nock’s polytonal riffs. Lady Love, a medium tempo piece in ¾, exposes Nock’s more pensive, romantic side. A classic by one of the contemporary keyboard masters.
