Pierre Moerlen's Gong

Artist:  Pierre Moerlen's Gong
Origin:  France
Genre:  Jazz Rock, Progressive Rock, Art Rock, Progressive Electronic, New Age, Jazz Fusion

Original line-up:

Pierre Moerlen:  Drums, Percussion, Synthesizers
Benoit Moerlen:  Percussion
Mireille Bauer:  Percussion
Didier Malherbe:  Saxophone, Flute
Francis Moze:  Bass, Piano, Percussion
Mino Cinelu:  Percussion
Allan Holdsworth:  Guitars, Violin

Pierre Moerlen's Gong was a French Jazz Rock and Progressive Rock Band led by French Drummer and Percussionist Pierre Moerlen, who developed as an offshoot of the Psychedelic Progressive Rock Band Gong, founded and led by Daevin Allen.  By the late 1970s Percussionist Pierre Moerlen had taken over the leadership of Gong and had steered the band away from Psychedelic Space Rock and took the band into Jazz Rock direction.  He formed a new line-up with his brother Benoit Moerlen on Mallet Percussion, Us-born Bassist Hansford Rowe and a rotating cast of session guitars, notably Allan Holdsworth, Mick Taylor (Guitar Ex The Rolling Stones), Mike Oldfield and Bon Lozaga.

Title:  Downwind  (2017)
Genre:  Jazz Rock, Progressive Rock, Art Rock, Progressive Electronic, New Age, Jazz Fusion
Label:  Esoteric Recordings
Rating:   *****

Tracks:

 1.  Aeroplane  (2:44)
 2.  Crosscurrents  (6:14)
 3.  Downwind  (12:33)
 4.  Jin-Go-Lo-Ba  (3:27)
 5.  What You Know  (3:43)
 6.  Emotions  (4:47)
 7.  Xtasea  (6:41)

Personnel:

Pierre Moerlen:  Drums, Vibraphone, Marimba, Concert Toms, Timpani, Organ, Synthesizer, Electric Piano, Assorted Percussion, Lead Vocals
Hansford Rowe:  Bass
Ross Record:  Guitar, Vocals
Benoit Moerlen:  Vibraphone
Francois Causse:  Percussion

Additional Musicians:

Didier Lockwood:  Violin on Tracks:  2, 6, 7
Didier Malherbe:  Saxophone on Track 3
Mike Oldfield:  Guitar, Solina Strings, Bass, Irish Drum on the track 3
Steve Winwood:  Synthesizer on Track 3
Terry Oldfield:  Flute on Track 3
Mick Taylor:   Guitar on Track 3

Downwind is an album by Pierre Moerlen's Gong, originally released on February 9, 1979 by Arista Recordings, remastered and reissued on June 2, 2017 by Esoteric Records, featuring Mike Oldfield (Guitar Ex Kevin Ayers, Robert Wyatt, Alex Harvey), Steve Winwood (Guitar, Keyboards Ex Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, Blind Faith) and Mick Taylor (Guitar Ex John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, The Rolling Stones, The Jack Bruce Band).