Mondo Cane, No. 2 complements its best-selling predecessor by shifting from surf to soil. The Ondioline takes center stage driving the melody, while
Les Spann replaces
Kenny Burrell on guitar. (Enough Ondioline and
Kenny Burrell starts to be missed.) As fine as anything else by
Winding or
Ogerman in the mod idiom,
Winding's original "Simian Theme" is worth the price of admission alone.
Ogerman's "Python" weirdly sets a serpentine buzz and blues guitar against horns churning away in the background. Some tunes such as "Theme From Nowhere" combine an overt rock beat with a spacey electronic chorus of sorts. Les Baxter's "Blue Star" is a nice inclusion, particularly since, as the liners claim, Creed Taylor's formula was to push the melody, melody, melody. The eerie space theme, very appropriate for Ondioline, would have made an excellent alternate choice for this album. Is the sequel better than the original? Yes, if you prefer originality in composition and arrangement as well as plenty of Ondioline. No, if you want surf, standards, and
Kenny Burrell. ~ Tony Wilds