Billy Cohbam - Total Eclipse (1974)

This is Billy Cobham's third solo recording under his own name and is a fine follow-up to Crosswinds. The mini-suite "Solarization" not only showcases the band's technical abilities, but also Cobham's strong compositional skills. It also features a schizophrenic piano solo ("Second Phase") from the underrated pianist Milcho Leviev, who sounds like a mutation of Cecil Taylor and Bill Evans. The funky "Moon Germs," on which John Abercrombie is pushed to inspiring new heights, became a Cobham classic. "The Moon Ain't Made of Green Cheese" is a beautiful flugelhorn solo by Randy Brecker backed by Cobham's debut on piano. The band stretches out on the lengthy "Sea of Tranquility," while "Last Frontier" is a gratuitous drum solo. This recording is highly recommended as Cobham still sounds inspired.

by Robert Taylor at All Music Guide

Styles:
Post Bop
Fusion

Tracks:
01 Solarization
02 Lunarputians
03 Total Eclipse
04 Bandits
05 Moon Germs
06 The Moon Ain't Made of Green Cheese
07 Sea of Tranquility
08 Last Frontier

Line-up:
Billy Cobham - drums / piano / tympani
Michael Brecker - flute / soprano and tenor saxophone
Randy Brecker - trumpet / flugelhorn
Glenn Ferris - tenor and bass trombone
Sue Evans - marimba
Milcho Leviev - keyboards
John Abercrombie - guitar
Cornell Dupree - guitar
Alex Blake - electric bass
David Earle Johnson - congas