JAN HAMMER
''THE FIRST SEVEN DAYS''
1975
40:01
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1 Darkness - Earth In Search Of A Sun 04:31
2 Light - Sun 06:45
3 Oceans And Continents 06:16
4 Fourth Day - Plants And Trees 02:47
5 The Animals 06:14
6 Sixth Day - The People 07:14
7 The Seventh Day 06:11
All Tracks By Jan Hammer
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Jan Hammer - piano, Fender Rhodes, Moog, Oberheim synthesizer & digital sequencer, drums, percussion, Freeman string synth, mellotron
Steve Kindler - violin
David Earle Johnson - percussion
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REVIEW
Elias Granillo, dynamic88.securesites.net
Signs of intelligent life continue to emanate from Columbia’s Legacy imprint: the first official compact disc release of Jan Hammer’s landmark solo recording from 1975, The First Seven Days, is now available for mass consumption (four of the album’s seven tracks were issued on the 1986 compilation, The Early Years). The remastering process has restored all synth sounds to their rightful glory, brandishing the power of true analog—eardrum candy. As one-fifth of the legendary Mahavishnu Orchestra, the transplanted Czech rose to prominence as one of jazz-fusion’s brightest lights. In the space of just a few years afterward, Jan racked up a list of recording credits a mile long, playing with fellow Mahavishnu alumni Billy Cobham and Jerry Goodman, Return To Forever alumni Stanley Clarke and Lenny White, Jeff Beck, Al Di Meola, Carlos Santana, John Abercrombie, Glen Moore, Steve Grossman, and others. Jan was one-third of Elvin Jones’ trio on On The Mountain, and checked in on Deep Purple guitarist Tommy Bolin’s Teaser—both of which also appeared in 1975. While a whirlwind ace on Fender Rhodes and acoustic piano, Jan’s trademarks became his sensuous Minimoog solos, and the Probe portable-synth-controller that he developed for his own use.
A concept album concerning The First Seven Days of Creation, Jan enlisted two of his then-most frequent collaborators to help realize each cycle—violinist Steve Kindler and percussionist David Earle Johnson—while he helmed his Moog and Oberheim (presumably a 2-voice or straight-up mono), his Rhodes, Mellotron, Freeman string synth, and good ol’ acoustic piano & drumkit (while recognized as a keyboard player, Jan’s also a drummer). The music is nothing short of sublime, nongratuitous, lean yet meaty, and very, very real. To my knowledge, Jan never used the Mellotron as extensively on any other recording as he did here. Reality as we know it is born in “Darkness/Earth In Search Of A Sun,” the great cosmic Void characterized by the manipulation of the Oberheim’s lowpass filters, and grating Mellotron strings. A pulsating monosequence rises forth, followed by very deft drumming. Via a scorching Minimoog solo, cosmic fire takes shape and burns our world into being. And that is only the first track.
“Light/Sun” is a gentle piano piece padded by the rich warm sounds of the Big O; the sun is borne out of a spiralling sequence, righteous solar power envelops our lonesome, prepubescent mudball. “Oceans And Continents” converge and settle; a graceful, long, rather economical Minimoog lead skips atop upbeat piano chordings and a piano solo. “Fourth Day—Plants And Trees” is an eloquent two-minutes & forty-five seconds of solopiano (yes, sum ‘Tron lurks ‘neath, tho). The remaining three tracks feature Kindler, and Johnson is present, except for the closer; the tone set by DEJ’s congas and Jan’s hi-res, buzzy Moog riffing, “The Animals” come into being. “Sixth Day—The People” is pastoral and rich in Eastern European motifs. Splendid Rhodes work, and a quaint violin solo courtesy of Mr. Kindler.
The First Seven Days come full circle with “The Seventh Day,” a very famous track from the Hammer repertoire—the Minimoog melody must have resurfaced in some form during Jan’s Miami Vice stint! As with any good thing, it’s never enough; Jan’s classic solo outings on the Nemperor label have languished in semi-obscurity for quite some time, so this may be a sign that reissues of Like Children, Oh, Yeah? and Melodies may be forthcoming. The First Seven Days may have arrived just a little late to be a vanguard release of progressive fusion, but it rides that tide higher than many of its peers.
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REVIEW
Joe McGlinchey, dynamic88.securesites.net
After departing from the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Jan Hammer invested his money into a home studio in Kent, NY. With fellow departed M.O. bandmate Jerry Goodman, he made the transitional Like Children, and then this, his first purely solo effort. The First Seven Days is a monumental solo debut, capturing the keyboardist at the height of his power as a composer and arranger. With perhaps the exception of "The Animals," it's very easy to envision each and every song on here played by a full orchestra. Hammer executes these thoughtful pieces with an expected virtuosic precision, but is never self-indulgent. To sweeten the deal for prog rock fans, all the pieces are played exclusively on a set of classic analog keys.
The prog hallmark of flux between 'introverted' and 'extroverted' musical passages is clearly evident. One need look no further than the lone piano ballet of "Light" (which also cleverly references Hammer's beautiful "I Remember Me" from Like Children) offset by the galloping sequencer and kaleidoscopic Moog flare-ups of its complement piece, "Sun". Similarly, the broad piano strokes painting wide landscapes, contrasted with lightning piano and Moog arpeggios, on "Oceans and Continents." The lyricism to be found in the melodies of "Fourth Day - Plants and Trees" and "Sixth Day - The People," with Hammer drawing from his Eastern European roots, are subtle and affecting. "The Seventh Day," which Hammer describes as his personal "Ode to Joy," is a simply resplendent closer and by itself would make this album worth it.
The only bad thing I could say about this album is that it makes me ache that the first lineup of the Mahavishnu Orchestra was no longer together to record it. Hammer is a pretty impressive one man band, but at the end of the day, I have strong convictions that The First Seven Days would have been an unassailable classic had it been recorded with his previous bandmates. "The Seventh Day" is a prime example. I can hear in my head McLaughlin and Goodman playing the main melody in lieu of Hammer's Moog, bassist Rick Laird replacing the diluted Moog bass lines, and Cobham's surefooted drum bursts in the song's climax replacing Hammer's competent but not masterful drum work.
That aside, this is still an essential album for symph prog lovers, keyboardists, and Mahavishnu Orchestra fans. It provides clear evidence that Hammer's writing ability should have been more acknowledged by McLaughlin in the first edition of the Orchestra. Or, if you're more cynical, perhaps this will reinforce the belief that his writing contributions were indeed integrated, but not given proper accreditation.
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REVIEW/AMG
Robert Gabriel
Mahavishnu Orchestra keyboard ace Jan Hammer offers up quite a thorough study in synthesizer technology with his second solo release, titled The First Seven Days. With the liner notes declaring "for those concerned, that there is no guitar on this album," Hammer makes it a point to further blur the distinction between the genres of jazz, rock, and classical music. Wishing to portray the first seven "days" of earth's creation, Hammer states that "assuming that each of these days lasted anywhere from one day to 100 million years, the scientific and biblical views do meet in certain points. These points were the inspiration for this album." His incorporation of the piano, electric piano, Moog synthesizer, Oberheim synthesizer, Freeman string synthesizer, and Mellotron vividly evokes images of bubbling cesspools and budding birthrights as his inspired version of the physical world sonically takes shape. While The First Seven Days is atmospheric in nature, with no proper pop sensibilities, its thematic construction yields nothing short of a classic narrative.
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BIOGRAPHY/AMG
Steve Huey
To pop music fans, keyboardist Jan Hammer is best known for his work on the soundtrack of the stylish '80s cop series Miami Vice. But Hammer also achieved considerable success in the jazz fusion world, both on his own and as a charter member of John McLaughlin's legendary Mahavishnu Orchestra. Though jazz purists often decry major portions of his solo work, Hammer has undeniably left his mark, both musically and commercially.
A native of Prague, in what was then Czechoslovakia, Hammer was born into a musical family (on April 17, 1948) and began studying piano at age four. By age 14, he was working with a touring and recording jazz ensemble that also included future Weather Report member Miroslav Vitous. Hammer studied theory and composition at the Prague Academy of Muse Arts, but when the Soviet Union invaded Czechoslovakia in 1968, he emigrated to the U.S. After attending the Berklee School of Music, he landed a year-long touring engagement with Sarah Vaughan as both keyboardist and conductor. In 1970, Hammer settled in Manhattan and recorded as a sideman with Elvin Jones and Jeremy Steig. The following year, he joined the Mahavishnu Orchestra, appearing on landmark fusion albums like The Inner Mounting Flame and Birds of Fire. After the group disbanded at the end of 1973, Hammer reunited with Mahavishnu violinist Jerry Goodman for the album Like Children (1974). Hammer released The First Seven Days himself in 1975, and he assembled a backing unit called the Jan Hammer Group for the supporting tour. The Hammer Group recorded prolifically over the next two years, including collaborations with guitarist Jeff Beck, and their brand of fusion shifted towards R&B-styled grooves. After 1978's Melodies, Hammer disbanded the group and recorded a true solo album, Black Sheep, playing all the instruments himself. In short order, though, he formed another backing band, this one called simply Hammer.
The early '80s found Hammer working with, among others, Al DiMeola (Electric Rendezvous) and Journey guitarist Neal Schon (Untold Passions and Here to Stay), as well as supporting Jeff Beck in the studio. Hammer was becoming increasingly involved in pop/rock session collaborations, and by 1984, he had already moved into composition for television and film as well, debuting as a soundtrack composer with the film A Night in Heaven. His big break in this arena came when the producers of a new MTV-style police series called Miami Vice tapped him as weekly score composer. When a soundtrack album was released in 1985, including several Hammer compositions as well as rock songs featured in the series, Hammer's driving opening theme music hit number one on the pop singles charts, the first TV theme to do so since 1976. The album was a worldwide success, and "Miami Vice Theme" won Hammer two Grammys (Best Pop Instrumental Performance and Best Instrumental Composition).
Hammer remained involved with Miami Vice until 1988, when he retired to upstate New York to construct a home studio and return to solo recording. The first result was Snapshots, issued in 1989, another true solo album on which Hammer performed every note himself. Subsequently, Hammer rededicated himself to soundtrack composition, including 1992's acclaimed computer-animation project Beyond the Mind's Eye. 1994's Drive became Hammer's first non-soundtrack recording in five years; for the remainder of the decade, Hammer continued his profitable work for TV, film, commercials, and even video games.
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