David Sancious - The Bridge (1982)

Note: this release was originally purchased as a LP (twice), later replaced by a CD.

This album was first issued in the UK and Japan in 1981 with the following cover:

What if I told you a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer released an album in the early 1980s and it wasn't remastered and reissued on compact disc for more than four decades?!? Sounds unbelievable, but that's exactly what happened here. I first bought the album in 1982 and listened to it quite a bit even if I didn't fully understand it. In related news, the album was my introduction to the short-lived Elektra/Musician label. My first copy of the album was sold in the (not so) great LP selloff purge of 1994. I always thought this one would be reissued on CD in the 1990s because weren't all '80s albums reissued on CD in the 1990s? Never happened. Eventually I tracked down another LP copy, burned it to a CD-R, and uploaded it to YouTube as a public service. I had resigned myself to the fact this thing was permanently out of print (POP). Thank goodness for the "reissues done right" folks over at Iconoclassic Records. Sancious himself remastered his album and it was finally reissued on compact disc in 2025. So I'd like to call this a "grail CD" even though that's not exactly accurate. But lawdy I'm happy to finally have a digital copy and the remastering sounds fantastic.

Nice story. Anyway...

The music. What about the music? Well, here's what Sancious had to say about the album in his liner notes:

It's captivating new agey solo piano but with more blues licks and gospel harmonies than you'd get from, say, Keith Jarrett or Liz Story. The compositions stand up to both passive and active listening. The pieces are hypnotic in their repetition but somehow avoid aimless noodling. I really like it but, then again, it may admittedly be a case of "right album at the right time." In the end, I guess the why and when don't matter much if you like the thing.

Press of the time:

• Musician: "cerebral, sacred studies of silence and repetition."

Album as described in the above advertisement:

A very special album of spontaneous original compositions by one of the most brilliant young musicians in contemporary music. David plays acoustic piano, synthesizers and guitar in a stunning solo recital.

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: Did not chart
• Billboard Jazz: #36

Tracks: It's a lengthy album (9 tracks, 49:44 minutes), especially for a release that was originally on vinyl. The lead track, titled What If?, has always been my favorite. Other top cuts include Sunday, Invisible Dance (with percussion and synth overdubs), Sleight Of Hand, and Morning. The album ends with the title track, an atmospheric 16 minute prog jazz opus complete with piano, guitar, percussion, and synths. Certainly the most interesting and involved piece on the album. And it turns out Sancious is quite a guitar player as well as keyboardist.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: see above