Focus 8.5

It is possible to get hold of some unofficial material by Focus on an album called Focus 8.5. Subtitled Old skin, it is a collection of five tracks from sessions completed before the departure of Jan Dumee. The same title has been used, but now with the subtitle New Horizon, for a fresh collection of some seven tracks, again from the Dumee era. The album perhaps answers the question of what might have happened if Focus had determinedly struck out in a jazz direction rather than a rock one.

Technically, none of these tracks is by Focus - that is by the four piece rock band as it existed in 2005. Rather what we have is van Leer and the others supplemented by other musicians, in and out of Focus. The opening track, for example, Focus Zero (a pastiche of Focus style tunes), features Thijs on flute and piano with Pierre on drums but with three Brazilians on bass, guitars and teclados. Track 6 (Talking rhythms) features Pierre with Marcio Bahia. On Track 3 (Rock 5) a very Focus sounding number, Bobby Jacobs on bass is the only Focus element, the other eight contributions (including the flute) coming from other (Brazilian) musicians.

Although very acoustic and World music in style, the album does have a Focus feel, with one vocal track (Hola, como estas?), the use of handclaps and voices, plenty of varied time signatures. The vocal track does actually feature a Focus foursome but supplemented by Brazilian voices and Marcio Bahia's drums. Perhaps this very good album should have come out under van Leer's name.