Zephyr was a band that came out of Boulder, Colorado that was a progressive band with strong jazz, blues, and rock influences. The band was formed by a husband and wife team of Dave and Candy Givens. Dave had been a bass player in many bands in Detroit, but then he emigrated to Colorado in the late 1960's. There he met Candy, and they played in various bands together around the Boulder area. He also fell in love with Candy, and the two eventually married.
Since they liked all kinds of music, Dave and Candy decided to form a band that reflected what they liked.

First, they recruited two members from a band called Ethereal Zephyr, guitarist Tommy Bolin plus woodwind and keyboard player John Faris. Tommy had been well known in his native Sioux City and in Boulder as one of the best guitarists of his time, and John had been a formally trained keyboard and woodwind player who played primarily in jazz bands. The last person to be recruited into the band was drummer Robbie Chamberlin, who was also a jazz drummer that played with John in a few jazz bands.

The group played around the Boulder area throughout 1968, and then recorded a demo. The band's management shipped it around to different labels, and they got a deal with ABC Records, who placed them on one of their sister labels known as Probe. The band then went into the studio with producer Bill Halverson (who worked with Crosby, Stills, and Nash, among others), and they started working on their debut LP.

Originally released in 1969, Zephyr's debut LP was a mix of blues, jazz, and heavy metal that didn't cut, it bit! Some of the album was recorded live in the studio with no overdubs, so it has a raw, live feel to it. The highlights of the album are Tommy's brutal guitar work, and Candy's raspy voice, which sounds like a cross between Ann Wilson (of Heart) and Janis Joplin.

The first side starts out with "Sail On". Written by Tommy and Candy, this song is about somebody who has to go on after having shattered dreams. Candy really sings her butt off on this track, but the real showcase is the middle section, where they go off into jazz territory. John plays an excellent Hammond organ solo, and Tommy plays a mean guitar solo, where he sounds like Harvey Mandel on steroids.
He also does another vicious solo at the end, which could cause an avalanche! Now there's a song that rocks!

"Sun's A Rising" is a straight blues song. Written by Candy and Dave, it's a song about a woman trying to get a decent man after being treated badly by the previous one. Here she also plays some harmonica on this track, but she's an average player. Tommy also plays a great solo on this track, proving that he's capable of being a darn good blues player.

Next, the band covers the Dee Clark song, "Raindrops". It's good, but it lacks the drama of the original. They cover the song much like Deep Purple (Mark I-Era) would cover tunes, with a hard rock edge.

"Boom-Ba-Boom" is a jazz-metal instrumental. Written by Dave, it's featuring Robbie's swing drums, John's jazzy organ riffs, and Tommy's punchy riffs. Through this, Tommy also does a solo that sounds like a cross between Joe Pass and Ritchie Blackmore that slices like a switchblade. The song then gives way to the next track, "Somebody Listen".

"Somebody Listen" is another blues-metal track, much like Led Zeppelin's "Since I've Been Loving You", but much tougher and meatier. Written by Candy, Dave, Tommy, and John, this is a song about somebody who will listen to a lonely person. Candy does her best to be Etta James on this track, but she falls short due to her shouting instead of phrasing. However, John does some great organ soloing on this track (which is reminiscent of Jimmy Smith), and Tommy plays another bluesy solo with plenty of fire and passion.

Side two starts off with "Cross The River". Written by Candy and Dave, this is a song about a woman who's man is calling her across the river for love, but she doesn't want to be bothered with him. It's kind of corny, but what saves
this track from being mere filler is it's musical stance. It's starts out blues-based, and then the band goes into slight funk territory, with Tommy playing a raucous solo. Then the band goes into straight jazz territory (ala Spirit), with Tommy providing a Joe Walsh style solo. Then John does a bright flute solo, while the rest of the band scat sing over his solo (much like the vocal trio Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross). John then moves over to organ, and then he plays a powerful organ solo. The band goes back into it's bluesy mode, ending with Tommy's echo guitar. Now that's a powerful track if I ever heard one!

Next, the band covers the Bobby "Blue" Bland tune, "St. James Infirmary". The song is about a person who find their dead lover there, and how they'll miss them. Here the band is not as heavy, and the band alternates between blues and jazz. Through all this, Robbie plays some nice swing drums, and Tommy plays a solo that's reminiscent of George Benson. Now that's perhaps one of the best blues covers I heard.

"Huna Buna" is another blues-rock jam. Written by Candy and Tommy, this is a little ditty about Candy finding a good man. Whether or not it's a tribute to her husband, I don't know. Music wise, the band really does jam on this track, each taking a solo, proving how talented Robbie, Dave, John, and Tommy really are.

Closing out side two (and the album, for that matter) is "Hard Charging Woman". Written by the entire band, this song is about a woman who proclaims her strength and tough persona to men. Clocking in over 8 minutes, this is the heaviest song on here, with Tommy providing thunderous riffs and blistering solos. I like how at the middle of the song, it gets louder and faster, with John providing a tough, meaty organ solo that's reminiscent of Larry Young. Then it gets slow and bluesy, and then it becomes more louder and faster with Candy ad-libbing. With this track, it really showed the band's solidarity in its music!

Zephyr's debut album is a great album that showed Tommy Bolin at his best, and it also showed how talented Candy Givens and John Faris were too. They all proved that hard rock can be compatible with jazz, as well as its offshoot, blues.

Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Driving