Juzz are the latest band to reach the Lazland attention from notable record label, áMARXE. A band hailing from Galicia in Spain, their self-titled debut was released in 2018, and has now been given the expanded reissue treatment.
Pretty much defying traditional description, this is a heady mix created by musicians who as far as I am aware have not recorded anything since. You can pop along to the Bandcamp page at https://amarxe.bandcamp.com/album/juzz-expanded-edition to hear more. This edition has two more tracks than appeared on the original release. There are six pieces, the shortest of which is 7:23, so a great deal to get your teeth into.
We open with Rathenow Towers, Rathenow being the birthplace of the optical industry in Germany. From the off, you get screams and a crazy intro before the saxes and guitars start to build a foundation, and you realise this is not going to be a typical listen. I mean that in a positive way, incidentally. From the get-go, this is challenging and demanding album, and is all the better for it. Following the madness, there is a gorgeous melodic jazz segment, the saxes leading, but do note the textures created by the keyboards, some quite lovely guitars by the main writer, Virxilio da Silva, and a rhythm section which features some very complex percussion work by Iago Fernández and groove-laden bass work by Felix Barth. The track is embedded for you below to enjoy, a jazz-rock delight with some intricately beautiful vibes.
This is followed by Dead Water, something whose opening notes will appeal to fans of the more industrial Crimson era, sharp jazz-metal in an extended improvisation between all instruments, the saxes of Rosolino Marinelo and João Mortágua leading the way before a passage with a Rhodes leading, still pretty urgent, though, and more incredible rhythm section work underpinning everything, this being about the finest percussive performance I have heard in some time. Some four minutes in, a delicious melodic jazz vibe takes centre stage, with some very impressive fretwork by da Silva noticeable. The final seconds sees the frenetic reassert control, and it is dark at its core.
Lamento Fuzz follows, just over nine minutes long, and it does what it says on the tin, a lament for a lost love, or bad times, or running out of money. You get my drift. Contained within this are some stark saxophones, spartan keys, and an urgent percussive performance in a track which is very good, but extremely demanding of the listener, certainly not appropriate for that first date with a prospective lover, but to be played when said person has walked away from your life forever. The guitar solo is extremely good and very powerful, taking the track by the scruff of the neck and hurling the lament into the slough of anger and despair, with very strong classic rock leanings before chaos takes hold and leaves you shaken.
Plateau Grzegorz is up next and brings the listener down with a gorgeously delicate and sweet sax and guitar duet, underneath the bass and percussion providing a military backdrop, perhaps keeping time on a march. As it develops, there are some interesting effects and keys as the intensity builds nicely, the guitar solo fresh and demanding.
The penultimate track is Udrawoe Starship VI, a track with very strong classic psychedelic rock sensibilities. I hear the greats such as Peter Green or Hendrix, with more than a hint of Fireball from Purple or acid ridden Hawkwind as well, when I listen to the expressive guitar and the Hammond whirling above, a thumping rhythm section pushing matters along. If you hanker after classic space jazz blues infused heavy rock, you will love this, a superb piece of music.
The final track, Outro Tempo, is also the longest, and epic length just over ten minutes. It starts with a captivating repetitive key, some pretty guitar work, and then a sensitive sax washing over the listeners being. There are some extremely melodic passages of music in this amidst more free form jazz rock, a screaming guitar and sax trying to outdo each other particularly good, making you sit up and pay close attention to see who might win that particular duel, before the collective then produce a swirling, chaotic noise which can be compared to the earliest Floyd at the UFO Club as we move towards the close.
Juzz is a very talented band, and this album is another I can strongly recommend. A heady mix of jazz, psych, space, blues, heavy rock with some spellbinding noises and instrumentation.