Ray Harris & The Fusion Experience At Juno Download

Review: After dropping an album of drop-dead classic jazz, rock and latin fusion with the self-titled The Fusion Experience, this single brings the remixes to the fore with some great versions of album tracks plus an edit too. Ray Harris' original of Scaramunga sounds like a long lost relic from an undiscovered vault of jazz and freakbeat classics, like a fusion between Charles Mingus, The Doors and Tito Puente. The basic piano pattern stays the same while the rest of the band vamp around it, with Harris laying down some sick organ sounds over the top combined with layers of percussion. Lack of Afro's remix however strips everything down to the essentials, making the guitar and bass carry the riffs while more robust beats are craftily laid on top. His mix of Freedom is even more drastic, as he incorporates a more 4/4 disco swing to the drums, adds a cool breakdown similar to Dennis Coffey's Scorpio and then takes the tune into a cover of SOUL's Burning Spear!

Unexpected, but thoroughly cool.

With a further tune from Harris's album included here, the breezy Rotary Connection-influenced Tokyo Blue, this whole release is a great fusion of influences coming together. See how many you can spot?