review: David Ilic 'City Limits' 1985

'Continuum' Eddie Prévost Quartet: Larry Stabbins tenor and soprano saxophones Veryan Weston piano Marcio mattos double bass Eddie Prévost drums 1983/85 mrcd07

"A tumble of tom-toms and cymblas sets it in motiuon: Larry Stabbins' muscular tenor streaks wide arcs of colour around the edge of this tornado, coasting around the driving force of piano and bass which purrs like a revving engine. Prévost's thrumb of sticks-on-skin decorate and expands it further into an insistant pulse.

A degree more turbulent, and then it's airbourne. 'Continuum' charts the whole 39 miuntes of a very fine set delivered at Bracknell Festival in 1983 by the Eddie Prévost Quartet. A procession of solo staements ushers along the development of the improvisation: Stabbins cutting out to leave Veryan Weston's piano, the most startling ingredient of this stylish free jazz troupe, in the foreground. What develops is a rush of carefully collected detail: shades of Monk and Cecil Taylor contrasting with pitter-patter treble runs which sound like they are straight out of a 'Tom and Jerry' soundtrack. Ckusters of dark, echo-lined bass keys, and then Marcio Mattos' sometimes rhythmical, other times reflective string bass work. Not only Prévost's finest free jazz group, but perhaps the finest free jazz record in years."

David Ilic 'City Limits' 1985 ( review of original LP version)