John Mayall-USA Union (1970)

In the late 1960s, John Mayall moved to the United States, settling in the idyllic Laurel Canyon, California. His album "Blues From Laurel Canyon" expressed his fascination with the place. Influenced by American music, he soon formed a new band composed entirely of American musicians. Among them were former members of the blues-rock band Canned Heat: Harvey Mandel (guitar) and Larry Taylor (bass). Taylor had previously made a brief guest appearance on Mayall's album "Empty Rooms". Also joining the band was violinist Don "Sugarcane" Harris, who had recently played with Frank Zappa. Earlier, on his live album "Turning Point" (1969), recorded at the legendary Fillmore East in New York, Mayall had dispensed with the drums, a decision that would mark a turning point in his career. This shift towards a low-volume blues style, devoid of the heavy guitars and drums that were so popular at the time, seemed like commercial suicide, to say the least. However, with this album and its predecessor, "Empty Rooms" (1970), Mayall created a clever fusion of Latin rhythms, blues, jazz, and boogie, featuring musicians like guitarist John Mark, saxophonist Johnny Almond, and bassist Stephen Thompson, who complemented Mayall's vocals and harmonies. "USA Union", recorded with the Mayall-Mandel-Taylor-Harris quartet, recaptured the solid sound of jazz-rock with freer, ensemble-driven compositions, where Taylor and Mandel made significant instrumental contributions. Mandel added a rich color to the music with his electric guitar solos, which had a more subtle sound than those played by the band's previous incarnations (Eric Clapton, Peter Green, and Mick Taylor). However, the formula of "Empty Rooms" isn't repeated here. Although the original idea is quite similar, the instruments are slightly different (the violin and the electric guitar taking a more prominent role, replaced by the saxophone and flute), significantly altering the character of the music. Another important point is that all the compositions are highly expressive and interwoven. The typically rhythmic blues track "Crying" is one of the album's most memorable songs, with the violin taking center stage and sounding unlike anything Mayall has ever composed. Meanwhile, the jazzy "The Jazz Off The Road", despite its short duration, is a pleasant, relaxed, and easygoing musical journey. In "Nature's Disappearing", Mayall showcases his harmonica skills, complemented by the equally talented performances of the other instrumentalists. The rest of the tracks maintain an acceptable level within this experiment, which, due to the atypical instrumentation of the lack of drums and wind instruments, created a unique and exciting version of the best blues that John Mayall has ever made, something that is very difficult to affirm after so many great works by the so-called father of white blues.