The folks at Cuneiform have unearthed yet another gem of early 70s prog-/jazz-rock, this time by the short-lived but nonetheless nifty Matching Mole. MM was the band drummer/singer/composer Robert Wyatt "fronted" after he left Soft Machine, and they continued along the path of conjoining electric jazz with whimsical progressive-minded rock, albeit in a slightly more loopy manner. March is a collection of previously unreleased European concert recordings from March of 1972, and - seeing as MM recorded only two studio discs (and Wyatt lost the use of his legs in a fall soon after) - fans of the band (and the Soft’s) ought to be all hopped up. Those expecting Wyatt’s wry, very British songcraft might be a tiny bit disappointed, though: this platter is mostly instrumental, highlighting MM’s zesty, free-wheeling jazz side. There’re plenty of shimmering and percolating solos to be heard, reflecting the inspiration of Weather Report’s early days, the Grateful Dead’s improv adventures (Phil Miller sounds Garcia-esque here ‘n’ there) and Miles Davis’ electric music. The sum total resembles a more melodious, somewhat less caustic version of the first and second editions of Tony Williams’ Lifetime. But make no mistake: the Mole wasn’t imitation or emulation, nor was it Fusion Lite - these UK cats learned from the aforementioned but played it their way, no attempts at funk but with rather a ‘very British’ approach.