by Stewart Mason
An early (1967) example of European free improvisation, Karel Velebney's SHQ on occasion feels a little tentative in comparison to full-on fearless explorations like the work of Peter Brötzmann or Fred Van Hove. Although there are several free passages, especially on the largely solo opener &The Uhu Sleeps Only During the Day,& the rhythm section of pianist Ludek Svabensky, bassist Karel Vejvoda, and drummer Josef Vejvoda largely sticks to basic post-bop rhythms that rein in Velebney's bass clarinet and tenor saxophone and Jirí Stivín's woodwinds. As exploratory post-bop goes, this is often very good stuff, particularly on the closing &Andulko Safarova,& which has the graceful, floating quality of one of Gil Evans' more exotic scores, and the swinging &Joachim Is Our Friend.& But given the label, time, and place involved, curious listeners might expect something more extreme, and such people might be disappointed.