Miroslav Vitous

One of the wildest, wooliest jazz-funk albums of the 1970s, hiding in a cover that features the Czechoslovakian bassist bandleader in a furry lambskin vest gazing out at Orion in deep space, before he pivoted towards the more tempered and meticulous ECM template.

Vitous doubles on electric bass and an array of synthesizers to match his cohort here, Herbie Hancock, all of it held down in the drummer’s throne by either Jack DeJohnette, Brazilian percussionist Airto, or by session player extraordinaire, James Gadson, and some combination of the three.

That means the funk is wicked and solid, while the synth lines are like dogfights, spiraling ever higher towards the cosmos. “Basic Laws” is as fun and grimy as a basement dance party while “New York City” is even more zooted and loose-limbed.

𝙉𝙤 𝙬𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝘿𝙖𝙫𝙞𝙙 𝙈𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙪𝙨𝙤’𝙨 𝙇𝙤𝙛𝙩 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨 (𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙨𝙤 𝙖 𝙘𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙤 𝘼𝙧𝙩𝙝𝙪𝙧 𝙍𝙪𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙡’𝙨 𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙙𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙛𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 “𝙂𝙤 𝘽𝙖𝙣𝙜 #𝟱”).