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GALEN
WESTON |
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On
his 2016 debut solo album Plugged In, guitarist / composer
Galen Weston paid homage to his jazz-rock influences. On
his 2017 solo album The Space Between, Galen
knocks down the barriers and comes up with a truly solid album of
new music marked by its own vision. Back from Plugged In are
fellow Toronto-based players, Richard Underhill (alto sax),
David Woodhead and George Koller (bass), Matt Horner
(keys) and Al Cross (drums) and others. Producing the album
is Steve Rodby, noted for his work in Pat Methenys
band. Galen proves to be a true sonic multi-tasker on The Space
Between. All forms of 21st century instrumental jazz-rock merge
with a bluesy edge and in fact, theres hardly a form of rock
instrumental not covered here. For example, on the track Remembering,
Galen braves his way into progressive jazz-rock waters, combining
electrifying fusion with a movie music melody that is truly haunting.
A set-closing cover of the classic standard The Shadow Of Your
Smile is given an honorable jazz-rock dusting off while keeping
the songs low-key image in tact. Infusing the tracks with horn-based
electricity, Underhills sax backs Galen in the same way that
Clarence Clemons rock-based horn backed Springsteen. Rather
than a call and response type free-jazz context, the pair often play
unison lines, underscoring Galens haunting melodies, although
theres plenty of freewheeling, soaring soloing too. Todays
younger musicians who have the luxury of hindsight can really benefit
by combining all kinds of sounds and styles from the past and in that
way Galen Weston takes guitar-based instrumental jazz-rock genre into
some mighty interesting directions. www.galenweston.org
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