Two-fifths of the original Mahavishnu Orchestra and one-fourth of Return to Forever have their say on these releases from Nat Weiss's new Nemperor label, and it sounds as if the first real alternative to Columbia's jazz/rock juggernaut may be shaping up. Goodman and Hammer have chosen to work as a duo, achieving an orchestral sound with multiple overdubs, while Clarke has gathered an unusually distinguished and compatible crew of sidemen. The resulting albums differ from each other, but both albums are different enough from those of Columbia artists like Weather Report, Herbie Hancock and the current Mahavishnu Orchestra to suggest at least a minitrend.

"Country & Eastern music" is Jan Hammer's half-in-jest name for whatever it is that happens when he combines his keyboards and drums with Goodman's stringed instruments. By playing and overdubbing together in the studio the two musicians manage to avoid the artificial, static qualities of Mike Oldfield's work, and some of their textures and effects transcend the country and the Eastern, achieving the uniquely sublime. All the wrinkles aren't out of the idea yet. The occasional vocals, well intentioned though they may be, are a thin, piping, amateurish shock after the technologically beefed up instrumental sound of the duo. At least one attempt at heavy metal—"Full Moon Boogie" — sounds condescending rather than sincerely insubstantial. There are hulking, polymetric excursions that will inevitably draw accusations of cashing in on the old Mahavishnu sound. But there are also some devastatingly effective sonic landscapes, and as a whole the album is a surprisingly musical use of the easy-to-abuse multiple overdubbing technique.

Stanley Clarke serves notice that Chick Corea is not Return to Forever's only exceptional composer/instrumentalist. The ads for the album, which boast that side two is worth its price and side one is a bonus, are for once entirely accurate. The first side is in fact fairly routine, thunder-and-lightning variety jazz-rock, funkier and less fancy than the now classic Mahavishnu style but considerably harder edged than RTF. The second side begins with Michael Gibbs's "Spanish Phases for Strings and Bass," a slight, atmospheric bit of string writing which frames a phenomenal (and phenomenally well-recorded) stringbass solo by Clarke, who was playing similar music with Pharaoh Sanders and Gato Barbieri at age 19. The rest of the side, "Life Suite," has to cook with Clarke percussionist Airto and drummer Tony Williams (who started this post-Miles jazz-rock business with his Lifetime group featuring McLaughlin on guitar) pushing it. Jan Hammer handles the keyboards and Bill Connors, former RTF guitarist, contributes some assured solo work and biting rhythm. In all, Clarke has assembled a studio group that would give any band working a run for its money. A second LP with the same personnel is definitely in order. (RS 183)

BOB PALMER