In previous reviews in both mwe3.com and in my twelve years as the
reviews editor with 20th Century Guitar magazine, I always singled
out great guitarists from Long Island for review. Although rock legends
like Lou Reed and Leslie West are noted Long Islanders who made it
big in the rock world, many great players are equally deserving of
some press. Case in point is Long Island guitarist Garry Katz. Garry
made waves with his 2007 album Straight On Till Morning, which
this writer featured in the February 2007 issue of 20th Century Guitar
magazine. You can see the interview on Garrys web site where
its been archived and now in 2010, mwe3.com is pleased to review
Garrys 12 cut all instrumental compilation CD, released on his
own Soundscope / Cottage Records label. 0 To 60 - Collected features
classic previously released Katz tracks, several newly remixed and
overdubbed tracks plus three brand new tracks. Garry describes the
guitar based collection as a mixture of fusion, rock, funk and acoustic
instrumental pieces. With Garry handling all the electric lead and
rhythm guitars, guitar synth, fretless bass guitar and more, 0
To 60 - Collected also features key contributions from several
other musicians including drummers Frank Pace and Leo Portuesi.
With its mix of cosmic, New Age-y style instrumental rock or straight
ahead, hard hitting instrumental rock fusion, 0 To 60 - Collected
has something for all types of guitar instrumental aficionados.
www.CottageMusicProductions.com
MUSIC
WEB EXPRESS 3000
presents GARRY KATZ
Guitars Center Stage
Guitarists making waves in the music world,
their new recordings and gear!
Musical Background
Over
the past twenty years, the guitar has given me a way to communicate
through notes and chords in a way nothing prior ever had. Playing
guitar afforded me an opportunity to perform, travel, record and produce
in a broad range of areas. Some high points along the way include
working with Dennis Willams of the O'Jays, touring with Badfinger,
and having the good fortune to work with many talented artists and
groups, both in recording studios and live onstage.
New CD
In early
2010 I laid down the final tracks to 0 To 60 in my New York
studio on a Roland 24-track digital hard drive. I played the guitars,
bass, guitar synthesizers, and programmed some drums on the album.
For the guitar synth parts, I used the GR30, another great piece of
Roland gear. I used this for various string sounds, pianos and piano
solos, and for fretless bass parts, among others. Drummer Frank Pace
was instrumental in adding to the live energy and feel of the record.
More so than my first instrumental album, which featured a bit more
of a variety of instruments, this CD evolved to be a more definitive
guitar album, with multiple guitar parts using many of my favorite
sounds and styles on many of the tracks of the new compositions. The
guitar tracks, especially the solos in these recordings, capture the
closest in the studio I've gotten to the live excitement and edge
of the stage intensity of a live performance. Like any journey, 0
To 60 is best experienced straight through from beginning to end.
Favorite
Guitars
My number
one guitar is and for the last twenty years has been my Sunburst Washburn
SB-8. Originally purchased as a backup for a Fender Strat, I soon
came to realize that no other guitar sounded as good to me as the
Washburn. A major factor in the Washburn's usability for me is it's
flexibility. The bridge pickup splits between a single coil and a
humbucker, which gives me a nice balance of tones. The single coil
setting lets me get great Strat-style sounds for funk, R&B, and
big tone colors, while the bridge pickup gives me big Les Paul type
lead sounds. A Roland MIDI pickup is set up next to the bridge to
access the GR30 guitar synthesizer. The Guitar Museum in New Hyde
Park, N.Y. does my guitar setups.
My rig is a customized Galien Kruger 250ML through Marshall bottoms.
Right after picking up the GK we tweaked the overdrive to give it
a warm, lyrical distortion. The clean channel also sounds very good,
as does the chorus effects and echo. This guitar/rig setup was used
exclusively on 0 To 60.
Musical
Influences
The music
I remember hearing, the earliest on that made an impression was Simon
& Garfunkel. I loved their sound, and later on remember being
blown away by the lyrics to the Sounds Of Silence. I also
remember hearing The Beatles a lot when I was young and loving their
unique and timeless song writing styles. Their Revolver album
remains my favorite, and also contains more recording innovations
than possibly any album ever made.
The earliest guitar influence when I was learning how to play was
Jimi Hendrix. He was the person who got me into electric guitar. What
he was doing seemed so far apart from anything else I'd heard I knew
that although I loved the acoustic that the electric guitar was going
to become a very important factor in my life. His song Drifting
is just unmatchable.

I was also listening to Jimmy Page's use of the guitar to build and
orchestrate tracks. Through adding different guitars, guitar sounds
and sometimes harmonized parts at key points in the songs, he would
bring out the best in the songs in a way no one has done before or
since. His choice of notes and edgy improvisational style was ahead
of his time. He is also very underrated as a producer, certainly one
of the first to bring out the depth and ambiance of the drums. The
live version of No Quarter from The Song Remains The
Same soundtrack remains my favorite Page and Zeppelin moment.
Steely Dan's mix of jazz, pop, and rock was also very original and
have had me listening for as long as I can remember. Katy Lied
is an essential album for me. Alex Lifeson of Rush was very influential
to me for creating large sonic landscapes within a trio format and
making one guitar sound like many more. The mid-period Rush albums,
especially Hemispheres and Permanent Waves spoke volumes
to me.
Other landmark albums for me include Yes-Close to The Edge,
Laura Nyro-Eli And The Thirteenth Confession, and lots of old
jazz and Motown and Philly albums, too many to name here.
Web
Site
www.cottagemusicproductions.com
www.myspace.com/garrykatz
rollerball9000@aol.com