Biography
Following the acrimonious 1973 dissolution of the original Mahavishnu Orchestra, whose incomplete third studio album remained unreleased while the live set Between Nothingness & Eternity appeared instead, violinist Jerry Goodman and keyboardist Jan Hammer formed a duo that issued Like Children the next year. Hammer supplied the bulk of the material, notably the fusion centerpiece “Country & Eastern Music,” whereas Goodman contributed “Topeka” and the closing “I Wonder,” and fellow Mahavishnu alumnus bassist Rick Laird wrote “Steppings Tones.” Working entirely through overdubs, Goodman added viola plus electric and acoustic mandolin and guitar, while Hammer played bass, drums, and percussion alongside his array of keyboards and synthesizers; both musicians also handled vocals. The album moved from the aptly named blend of “Country & Eastern Music” through atmospheric new-age textures and electronics to pockets of funk, rock, and boogie.
For some listeners the record hinted at alternate paths John McLaughlin’s ensemble might have explored had Hammer received greater compositional latitude—the first two Mahavishnu albums, 1971’s The Inner Mounting Flame and 1972’s Birds of Fire, contained only McLaughlin’s writing. Between Nothingness & Eternity had already featured Hammer’s piece “Andrea,” and the long-shelved third album, finally released in 1999 as The Lost Trident Sessions, included the studio version of that track plus Goodman’s “I Wonder” and Laird’s “Steppings Tones.” Even so, the group was fracturing, and the later appearance of these collaborative traces could not alter that trajectory. Upon its 1974 release, Like Children stood as the clearest document of what Goodman and Hammer could achieve together and what they might have brought to Mahavishnu Orchestra had the band stayed intact; in the end the two musicians parted ways, leaving Like Children as their sole duo recording.
For some listeners the record hinted at alternate paths John McLaughlin’s ensemble might have explored had Hammer received greater compositional latitude—the first two Mahavishnu albums, 1971’s The Inner Mounting Flame and 1972’s Birds of Fire, contained only McLaughlin’s writing. Between Nothingness & Eternity had already featured Hammer’s piece “Andrea,” and the long-shelved third album, finally released in 1999 as The Lost Trident Sessions, included the studio version of that track plus Goodman’s “I Wonder” and Laird’s “Steppings Tones.” Even so, the group was fracturing, and the later appearance of these collaborative traces could not alter that trajectory. Upon its 1974 release, Like Children stood as the clearest document of what Goodman and Hammer could achieve together and what they might have brought to Mahavishnu Orchestra had the band stayed intact; in the end the two musicians parted ways, leaving Like Children as their sole duo recording.
Albums
