Tropea-Short Trip To Space (1977)

Largely unknown in Europe, John Tropea is one of the most important guitarists of 1970s American jazz fusion. His career has been marked both by his own solo work, with over a dozen albums released, and by his work as a session musician in some fifty collaborations with artists such as Van Morrison, Deodato, Michael Franks, and Eric Clapton. "Short Trip To Space" (1977), his second solo album, showcases his jazz fusion style with funk sounds influenced by psychedelia, resulting in a dazzling work of sophisticated, elegant, and dynamic jazz. Without reaching the complexities of progressive jazz, Tropea approaches jazz fusion with spacious atmospheres and expansive instrumental developments featuring piano, guitar, winds, and percussion, performed with an addictive, unpretentious style that appeals to both purists and fans of mainstream jazz. For this second album, Tropea would have several top collaborators such as Larry Fast, Michael Brecker, Lou Marini or Randy Brecker among other musicians from the nascent North American jazz scene of the time.