Association P.C.’s 3rd album in 18 months attested to the group’s popularity. This ‘free fusion’ quintet consisted of some of the top names in European jazz, including pianist Joachim Kühn. For Kühn, “it is essential to be open; I don’t want to be tied down by a particular style. This is what I admire so much about Association: it’s openness.” All but one of the pieces are freely improvised. The album begins with Dutch drummer Pierre Courbois with German guitarist Toto Blanke playing the Japanese nogoya harp in an explosive duo on Phenis. Polar Anna rocks wildly with breathtaking tenor and guitar solos whereas Mirrored Dimensions is a short multi-dimensional reflection on the ending of Stanley Kubrick’s masterwork, 2001 – A Space Odyssey. There’s a mid-Eastern flare to Shirocco, which features bassist Siggi Busch and tenor saxophonist Wiberny on a Chinese double-reed instrument, the suono. With its stop-and-start tempos, the musicians labelled Rock Around the Cock ‘busted-up rock’. There’s more than a touch of electric Miles here. Symbolizing the colorful richness of Autumn without its incipient dissolution, Autumn in March features Kühn’s positive romantic intro followed by exquisite guitar and keyboard solos, while Cap Carnival rockets off in a pyrotechnic free-for-all. Joachim Kühn said the album was “the result of our searching” – and what the listener will find is one exciting adventure.
