GILGAMESH
Arriving Twice (Cuneiform)
Rating: 5 out of 7 
By Dave DiMartino

   Among the handful of interesting British fusion groups to surface in the mid-’70s, Gilgamesh played a music halfway between the jazzier antics of like-minded Brits Soft Machine and the more ordered, less freeform Hatfield & the North. Which also meant they were of interest—but not vastly so—to fans of both groups. Centered around late pianist Alan Gowen (who in the course of making two excellent albums with Gilgamesh would go on to co-found the more interesting National Health), the group disbanded in 1978 and hasn’t been heard from since. Indie label Cuneiform’s surprise issue of these previously unheard recordings—three separate sessions done between 1973-75—is welcome indeed, and a rewarding listen for the curious. 
   With a superb cast of players including guitarist Phil Lee and drummer Mike Travis, among others, the lengthy set captures all that was both good and bad about the combo: While both the playing and arrangements were top-notch, the band’s major limitation seemed to be the compositional skills of pianist Gowen. Since he lacked the melodic sophistication of Soft Machine’s Mike Ratledge and the conspicuous classical background of Hatfield’s superb Dave Stewart, the tunes simply never embedded themselves that deeply into the consciousness of the literate jazzbo types who like this sort of stuff in the first place. Though not entirely unique, Gilgamesh was better than most of its ‘70s contemporaries, and worth discovering once again.

All recordings courtesy of Cuneiform Records and MCPS (PRS). “With Lady And Friend” written by A. Gowen, J. Clyne; “Island Of Rhodes” and “Notwithstanding” written by A. Gowen, S. Cook, P. Lee.