Global Rhythm (Publication) (p.45) - "[A] '70s jazz-rock classic....There was a reason Harris was regularly referred to at the time as 'the Jimi Hendrix of the violin,' and from the moment he begins tearing up the solo section of his frenetic 10-minute jam 'Liz Pineapple Wonderful,' we get the idea like a jackhammer to the head."
Personnel: Don "Sugarcane" Harris (vocals, electric violin); Terje Rypdal, Volker Kriegel (electric guitar); Wolfgang Dauner (keyboards); Robert Wyatt (drums).
Recording information: Berlin Philharmonic Hall, Berlin, Germany (1971).
The jazz-rock violinist Don "Sugar Cane" Harris, who came to prominence in the late 1960s with his fiery performances on Frank Zappa's HOT RATS, is given often inspired support on this early-`70s live set by some of Europe's most noted free-jazz and avant-garde rock musicians, including the then-Soft Machine drummer Robert Wyatt and the bassist Neville Whitehead. Harris demonstrates how he put jazz-rock violin playing on the map with four extended pieces, including Horace Silver's "Song for My Father," that combine technical wizardry with surprising sensitivity.