Bill Snyder has a refreshing awareness of all the modern musical trends...and he uses them to embark on some perceptive trends of his own. ’Sound Ideas’ was the result of such stimulating innovations. The piano phrases flow in the facile and sophisticated Snyder fashion, but the tempo is upbeat in a dynamic interplay of instrumental combinations. In this session the Snyder keyboard is in sound surroundings, for The Sonic Seven is a lively, exuberant combo that generates an aura of melodic excitement. Here, then, are old favorites bearing an up-to-date Snyder retouching and a brace of freshly conceived tuneful impressions, which constitute an album of ’Sound Ideas’ in listening enjoyment. Mexican Sundae, a fiery Latin concoction, sends thoughts astir with its beautifully festive rapport between piano, rhythm and melody guitar. A cymbal ride then leads off some sounds in the round, with no square tones allowed, as each of The Sonic Seven displays his artistry in the fugue-like Kissamiss. Broken Melody is a Snyder showpiece, an ornate blend of modern and classical piano stylings that portrays heartbreak with a smile, through flowery flourishes and rippling chords. Bill’s keyboard flair returns the group to the below-the border beat in Tropico, next, accompanied by George Barnes’ Spanish guitar and the flute fills of Alberto Socarras. Afterthoughts, which follows, is a stream-of-consciousness musical meditation, in a supper club vein, that explores the possibilities of what might-have-been. For a closer, Bill’s Sonic Seven turns Roumanian Rock. The flip side opens on stage, in a vaudeville theater a few decades back, as Bill Snyder’s pit piano leads his nimble crew through an interpretation of a hoofer’s dream...Soft Shoe Fantasy. Then, The Whistler’s Mambo comes on fast with some vibrant piano-flute exchanges in a rhythm-inspiring, earcatchig melody. A riding guitar rhythm establishes the tempo, next, as Bill’s piano essays the Theme From Swan Lake, a charmingly poetic ballet excerpt that takes on a new intensity in this latter-day environment. Goodbye, but not forgotten, is the prevailing feeling that’s implied in the insistent, sensuous mood that follows, as piano and guitar fashion the enchanting tango strains of Arrivederci. Bill Snyder’s spirited keyboard treatment and the enthusiastic flute-guitar accompaniment, next, prove that the group lives up to their song titles, especially in the ardent selection that proclaims...This Is Love. ’Sound Ideas’ then concludes with a “soaring sixties” rendition of the “roaring twenties” favorite...Too Much Mustard.