Numero D'Vol

Recorded at Delta Studio in Canterbury (date unspecified) and released in 2007 on the fusion/prog label Moonjune, Numero d'Vol is an inspired improv session between famous Soft Machine bassist Hugh Hopper, avant-garde jazz sax player Simon Picard, jazz keyboardist Steve Franklin, and drummer — and This Heat mastermind — Charles Hayward. The album's title is French for "Flight Number" and, yes, inspiration flies high in this music. However, please be aware that this is not an album of new Hopper compositions. Its's not a set of free improvisations, either, so don't get scared too quickly. Most of the 11 improvised pieces have set keys, contain developments, and feature sensible interaction in addition to solid chops. Yet, virtuosity is not as much pushed under the spotlight as used to find a group sound. And it works. Tracks like "Straight Away," "Get That Tap," and "Numero d'Vol" come close to Soft Machine Legacy's sound (in a looser mood), while other tracks fall closer to Hopper's freer endeavors. The interplay in "Free Bee" and "Bees Knees Man" will make you question the above assessment about the improvisational nature of the music (although a look at the compositional credits seems to confirm it). Hopper fans might feel that the bassist remains too discreet on this album — and this is not really the place for outbursts of fuzz bass, despite the prevailing ominous tone of the album — but once you accept the fact that this is more of a group project, Numero d'Vol goes down very nicely. There is one irritating factor, though: clearly, some of these tracks have been edited out of longer jams and, in a couple of cases, they fade out at extremely annoying points! ~ François Couture, Rovi