The Flock -

The Flock was an American psychedelic jazz-rock band from Chicago that released the 1969–70 Columbia albums The Flock and Dinosaur Swamps. Violinist Jerry Goodman joined the original Mahavishnu Orchestra lineup. In 1975, a revived Flock released Inside Out on Mercury.

Members: Fred Glickstein (guitar, vocals), Ron Karpman (drums, vocals), Jerry Smith (bass, vocals), Rick Canoff (saxophone, vocals, 1966-70), Rick Mann (guitar, vocals, 1966-68), Frank Posa (trumpet, 1967-70), Tom Webb (saxophone, flute, harmonica, vocals, 1967-70), Jerry Goodman (guitar, violin, vocals, 1968-70), James L. Hirsen (keyboards, vocals, 1973), Michael Zydowsky (violin, 1973)

Early Singles

The Flock originated as a garage-rock band, formed in 1965 by guitarist–singer Fred Glickstein and saxist–singer Rick Canoff. With second guitarist–singer Rick Mann, they cut three singles in 1966–67 for the Chicago indie Destination Records.

Their first two 45s appeared on Destination: “Can’t You See (That I Really Love Her)” (b/w “Hold On to My Mind”) and “I Like You” (b/w “Are You the Kind”), both written by Glickstein and Canoff, with Mann co-writing the B-side of the debut. The third single, “Take Me Back” (b/w “Each Day Is a Lonely Night”), pairs an outside composition by Robert Stanley with a group-penned flip arranged by producer Bob Whiteside.

Their fourth and final pre-Columbia release, “What Would You Do If the Sun Died?” (b/w “Magical Wings”), appeared on U.S.A. Records in May 1968. Co-written by Glickstein and saxophonist–flutist Tom Webb, the single showed a growing sophistication in both writing and arrangement. By this point, trumpeter Frank Posa had joined the lineup, which was steadily evolving into a horn-laden, jazz-influenced septet. Jerry Goodman first served as their roadie but joined soon after the final single’s release.

The Flock

The Flock released their self-titled debut album in August 1969 on Columbia.

The album showcases the band’s mix of jazz-rock and psychedelic soul, distinguished by the presence of electric violinist Jerry Goodman, whose virtuosic playing frequently takes center stage. Guitarist–vocalist Fred Glickstein composed five tracks, each a showcase for the group’s dynamic horn section (Rick Canoff and Tom Webb on saxes, Frank Posa on trumpet) and its interplay with Goodman’s violin and Glickstein’s fuzz-toned guitar.

“Introduction” opens with a dramatic build of soaring violin and distorted guitar, setting a moody, jazz-laced tone that erupts into brass-driven funk. “Clown” adds shifting dynamics and quirky tempo changes, pairing Goodman’s violin flights with Glickstein’s guitar and gritty vocals. “I Am the Tall Tree” leans into hazy, West Coast-style psychedelia with layered harmonies and a steady drive.

The side closes with a brassy, offbeat take on the 1965 Kinks classic “Tired of Waiting,” reinterpreted with bold horn charts and wah-heavy guitar licks. Side B comprises two extended pieces: “Store Bought – Store Thought,” a Zappa-esque jam with group vocals, bluesy turns, and free-form bars, and the 15-minute “Truth,” a sprawling suite that alternates between bluesy vocal passages, violin–horn duels, tempo shifts, and a climactic finale.

A1. “Introduction” (4:50)
A2. “Clown” (7:42)
A3. “I Am the Tall Tree” (5:37)
A4. “Tired of Waiting” (4:35) – written by Ray Davies

B1. “Store Bought – Store Thought” (7:00)
B2. “Truth” (15:25)

The Flock recorded the album at Columbia Studios in New York with Grammy-winning jazz and classical producer John McClure. Engineering was handled by Arthur Kendy and Don Puluse. The cover photo was taken by Columbia staff photographer Don Hunstein, known for The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan. Liner notes came courtesy of blues legend John Mayall, who wrote them from the audience at the band’s July 9, 1969, performance at the Whisky a Go Go.

The Flock gained renown for its daring fusion of rock, jazz, and classical motifs, with Goodman’s violin setting the group apart from their Chicago peers.

Dinosaur Swamps

The Flock released their second album, Dinosaur Swamps, in September 1970 on Columbia.

Dinosaur Swamps takes a more eclectic and experimental route, blending jazz-rock with rustic, whimsical, and psychedelic textures. The album features the same seven-member lineup from their debut—Fred Glickstein (guitar, keys, vocals), Jerry Goodman (violin, guitar, vocals), Jerry Smith (bass), Ron Karpman (drums), Frank Posa (trumpet), and saxophonists Rick Canoff and Tom Webb—augmented by multi-reedist John Gerber, who also plays flute and banjo. As before, the group relied on the interplay between Glickstein’s electric guitar and Goodman’s kinetic violin, framed by layered horns and shifting time signatures.

The brief opener “Green Slice” introduces the album’s quirky tone with layered effects and a compact, organ-laced pattern. “Big Bird” merges country, fiddle-driven rock, and banjo inflections with vocal harmonies and brassy accents, detouring briefly into an uptempo jazz swing. “Hornschmeyer’s Island” is a standout: a whimsical, multisectional psych-jazz epic that contrasts dreamy verses with upbeat instrumental breaks and carousel-like vocal passages.

“Lighthouse” rides nautical sound effects into a brass-laced blues-rock jam driven by Glickstein’s biting guitar. On Side B, the raucous “Crabfoot” shifts from horn-heavy R&B to a Latin-fusion jam, pausing midway for a drum solo and electronic abstractions before launching back into a full-band frenzy. “Mermaid” offers a mellow interlude with childlike melodies under layers of acoustic strum and brass fanfare. The closer, “Uranian Sircus,” combines circus psychedelia, surreal lyrics, and studio trickery in a kaleidoscopic finale.

A1. “Green Slice” (2:00)
A2. “Big Bird” (5:52)
A3. “Hornschmeyer’s Island” (7:27)
A4. “Lighthouse” (5:20)

B1. “Crabfoot” (8:15)
B2. “Mermaid” (4:53)
B3. “Uranian Sircus” (7:11)

John McClure once again produced, and Columbia engineer Don Puluse captured the album’s intricate sonics.

The album’s vivid cover art—a mural of pterosaurs adapted from the American Museum of Natural History—was paired with a fantasy map inside the gatefold, from which most track titles were derived.

Dinosaur Swamps baffled some listeners with its stylistic leaps and production oddities but gained a cult following for its ambition and musicality.

The Flock disbanded in 1971 but reformed three years later without Jerry Goodman, who recorded three studio albums and one live disc with the Mahavishnu Orchestra.

Inside Out

The Flock released their third album, Inside Out, in 1975 on Mercury.

The Flock reassembled four years later with founding members Fred Glickstein (guitar, vocals), Jerry Smith (bass, vocals), and Ron Karpman (drums, vocals), joined by keyboardist James L. Hirsen and violinist Michael Zydowsky.

Inside Out marked a shift toward a more polished, keyboard-enhanced fusion sound, guided by producer Felix Pappalardi (Cream, Mountain). Hirsen contributed the bulk of the album’s material, including the reflective opener “Music for Our Friends” and the sprawling “Back to You.” Glickstein, Smith, and Karpman co-wrote the grooving Side B tracks “Hang On” and “My O.K. Today,” while Pappalardi added backing vocals on the closing cut, “Straight Home.” The album was engineered by Barry Mraz and mastered by Gilbert Kong.

A1. “Music for Our Friends” (4:26)
A2. “Back to You” (8:06)
A3. “Metamorphosis” (5:37)

B1. “Hang On” (3:15)
B2. “My O.K. Today” (7:23)
B3. “Straight Home” (6:00)

Later Years and Legacy

After Inside Out, Glickstein and Karpman formed a new group in late 1976, a power trio named FLOCK 3 with bassist and cellist Thom Blecka. The lineup performed updated arrangements of classic Flock material alongside new compositions by Glickstein and Karpman. FLOCK 3 played several gigs around Chicago, occasionally joined by T.S. Henry Webb (sax, vocals) and friends such as Dennis Tiger (harmonica, vocals) and Jeff Gates (keyboards). Despite the live activity, the project produced no recordings due to internal conflicts and was short-lived.

In 2004, the archival concert disc Live in Europe appeared, documenting a 1973 Flock performance featuring Zydowsky on violin alongside original members Glickstein, Smith, and Karpman.

A rare piece of footage exists of the Dinosaur Swamps lineup performing “Big Bird (Fly)” in the 1971 Dutch rock documentary Stamping Ground. The clip spotlights Goodman, whose violin work became integral to The Flock’s identity.

Following his departure, Jerry Goodman rose to prominence in jazz-rock circles, first appearing on John McLaughlin’s 1971 album My Goal’s Beyond and subsequently joining the first Mahavishnu Orchestra lineup alongside Jan Hammer and Billy Cobham. Their boundary-pushing output positioned Goodman as a leading electric violinist. In 1974, he recorded the collaborative album Like Children with Hammer, and from 1985 onward released three solo titles for Private Music—On the Future of Aviation, Ariel, and the live set It’s Alive—with collaborators including Fred Simon and Jim Hines. Goodman also toured with his own band and performed with Shadowfax and the Dixie Dregs.