East of Eden

East of Eden demonstrated the obstacles Decca Records confronted when trying to foster progressive rock beyond the Moody Blues. A jazz-fusion group that earned critical praise for its pronounced Eastern influences, the band looked destined for major success in the late 1960s and might have quickly eclipsed the Mahavishnu Orchestra, yet it never progressed past cult status in England. The act maintained a loyal audience in London’s underground circles while drawing more substantial crowds across continental Europe.

The ensemble originated in Bristol during 1967, assembled by Dave Arbus on flute, sax, and trumpet, Ron Caines on alto sax, and Geoff Nicholson on guitar and vocals. Caines and Nicholson had earlier shared stages in an R&B-oriented outfit, and Caines had already performed with Arbus for several years. Geoff Britton, later of Wings, served as the first drummer, though the rhythm section never formed a core focus and the group cycled through many players. Trained on violin, Arbus recognized the amplified instrument’s possibilities after seeing Jean-Luc Ponty perform onstage in Paris; he adopted the electric violin, which greatly expanded the band’s sonic range, and the musicians relocated to London the next year.

Deram, Decca’s progressive imprint, signed them in 1968, yielding the albums Mercator Projected and Snafu. The latter reached the British Top 30, while the single “Ramadhan” climbed to number two in France. Their chief English success, “Jig-a-Jig,” entered the Top Ten yet became a stylistic burden because it bore little resemblance to the band’s customary sound. Caines and Nicholson departed at the start of the 1970s, after which Arbus sustained the group’s existence. A transfer to the Harvest label produced little impact, coinciding with a stylistic turn toward country elements and a retreat from Eastern music. Arbus exited in the early 1970s and was succeeded by Joe O’Donnell, who later collaborated with Rory Gallagher. The band continued through the mid-1970s almost exclusively as a European act, recording and releasing albums only on the continent. The three founding members reunited in 1999 to record and issue Kalipse, which was followed by Armadillo in 2001 and Graffito in 2004.