has abstract
| - Pure Music was the third and final album by jazz-rock fusion band Chase. The failure to sell the Ennea LP on a mass market forced Bill Chase to re-group several times and come up with a new musical approach; the result was Pure Music. Though much of the music released on the album had been performed by the band over a span of a year and half, the new musical direction was a departure from vocal dominated songs and focusing more on jazz/rock instrumental tunes to showcase Bill's dynamic playing style. The over-all effect had a more "commercial" appeal and was highly popular among high school and college band students. Jim Peterik had co-written two vocal numbers for the album and to be performed live as well "Run Back To Mama" and "Love Is On The Way" a third vocal version of the song entitled 'Pure Music' was scrapped from the LP because it did not sound enough like 'Chase.' Versions of "Bochawa" and "Close Up Tight" were forever being altered on the road. There was also talk about Jim Peterik joining the band full-time. Work on a fourth LP was in the works and during 1974, Chase had been performing a melodic flugelhorn piece called "Ode To A New England Jellyfish" written by Bill; this tune was recorded during the summer of 1974 and was only missing Bill's solo section. A number of other charts were slated for potential inclusion, including "2001" a space odyssey theme (arranged by Bob Ojeda), "Naturals" by Art Lauer, and Bill's arrangement of "MacArthur Park." Other selections, such as Bill's version of "Tubular Bells," never made it beyond the sketch stage. On August 9, 1974, while en route to a scheduled performance at the Jackson County Fair, Bill Chase died in the crash of a chartered twin-engine Piper Twin Comanche in Jackson, Minnesota at the age of 39. Also killed, along with the pilot, Daniel Ludwig (41) of Chicago and Co-Pilot Linda Swisher (26) of Wheeling, Illinois, were keyboardist Wally Yohn, drummer Walter Clark and guitarist John Emma. (en)
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