MWE3.COM
MUSIC NEWS & NOTES
The
FALL 2016 RECORD LABEL SPOTLIGHT
POP
& ROCK
ANGEL AIR RECORDS - A
key founding member of the U.K. rock band Stackridge, Mutter Slater
made fans quite happy with his 2015 album Absobloodylutely
and in 2016 The Mutter Slater Band returns with The
Champ. A riveting listening experience, The Champ
is filled with memorable melodies, stunning lyrics and a rock
band that won’t quit. Although he’s best known for writing
quirky, Beatles inspired pop music and prog-rock instrumentals in
Stackridge, in Mutter Slater 
Band,
Mutter puts his rock boots on and the results more often than not
brings to mind the power of 1970’s name bands like Led Zeppelin
or Free. Giving Jimmy Page a run for his money, MSB guitarist Chris
Cleaver heads up Mutter’s band that also includes Clive
Astley (sax), Dan Wheeler (drums), Ian Oliver (bass)
and Tom Hughes (organ). Speaking to mwe3.com about The Champ,
Mutter adds, “The album is contemplative but hopefully not
too heavily serious. Humor is always lurking in the background. I’ve
come back into the game far too late for these image obsessed days
and my music doesn’t chime with modern tastes, but there’s
always another gig/album (i.e. fight). When all else fails I know
my wife Linda will be there for me and be the answer to a prayer.”
With Cleaver and Hughes producing and engineering, the nine tracks
on The Champ takes the listener through all kinds of bluesy
rock terrain and Mutter’s lyrics (printed here) are key to understanding
the life stories behind Mutter’s latest rock classics. Best listened
to several times to gain the full impact, with The Champ, The
Mutter Slater Band has produced a 21st century music classic. www.angelair.co.uk
/ www.mutterslater.co.uk
APOLLON
RECORDS – The Norwegian band known as Proffesor Tiptop
enters the space rock race with their 2106 album called Exobiology.
It’s true that Professor Tiptop owes a great deal of their
sound and vision to space rock pioneers like Gong and even Jimi Hendrix,
yet there’s some brave new directions on their ten track album.
Professor Tiptop features a solid crew of space rock devotees including
guitarist / composer Sam Fossbakk, with added sound shapers
Svein Magnar Hansen (vocals), Stein Høgseth (bass)
and David Sundby (drums). One can almost hear the spirit of
Steve Hillage in Fossbakk’s own adventurous guitar sound to which
he tastefully adds, EMS synths, Rhodes, mini-moog and mellotron. Perhaps
it’s the vocals that separates them from other space rock revivalists,
yet with Exobiology, Norway’s Professor Tiptop are well
on their way to a bright and very spacy future in sound. www.cdbaby.com/cd/professortiptop3
ATCO
RECORDS – Wow, a new Jeff Beck album, on ATCO Records
no less! Well it’s hardly a surprise for this long time fan.
When I was 11 I distinctly remember coming home with the Yardbird’s
smash 1966 single “Shapes Of Things” (in the standard Epic
Records yellow and black 45 slipcover, no picture sleeve), and after
being programmed by the majesty of that song, (with that indelible
guitar solo) I’ve been a fan of his for 50 years. After hearing
his 2016 album Loud Hailer one can only say Keith Relf
(may he rest in peace) would have liked Beck’s paradigm shift.
After all, with his insightful societal lyrics on songs like “Shapes
Of Things” and “Happening Ten Years Time Ago”, Relf’s
brilliant voice is the reason why any of us got to hear Beck in the
first place! So great a legacy is easily transferable on the rock
solid tabloid-rock vibe of Loud Hailer. For this shock rock
soiree, released on the long lost ATCO imprint, Beck is joined
by a pair of easy on the eyes London girls—singer Rosie Bones
and guitarist Carmen Vandererg. Cutting through the sonic
stratosphere like a human drone, Beck sounds nasty and bitter as he
attacks the world powers with his white-hot guitar antics which transfer
well to these lyrics of 21st century social diatribes, featuring Ms.
Bones in rare and beautiful form. How much of the lyrics are Beck
is open to speculation but with so much incredible guitar sounds running
the grooves, who cares! So what’s the best song? Answer is all
of them. “Live In The Dark” is startling and will rattle
your walls (if you let it), “The Ballad Of The Jersey Wives”
is a frightening expose on the 15 years of 9/11 cover ups, while “O.I.L.”
is blunt enough to send shivers up the spine of the most ardent OPEC
oil sheik. Two instrumentals are cool but clearly, with its tabloid-style
power-rockers, Loud Hailer finds Jeff Beck once again peering
into the abyss of society with a vengeance and introspection not heard
since the heyday of Keith Relf and The Yardbirds. www.rhino.com
BELLA UNION – As more and more younger bands discover
the joys of classic cosmic space music, there’s bound to be more
album releases coming out too and case in point is the 2016 CD release
of Total Time by the Canadian band Doomsquad.
There’s hardly a genre of music that isn’t touched upon
by Doomsquad, including mid 1970s era Gong and early Faust too, as
well as the instrumental, dubby On-U-Sound. Doomsquad is too much
in your face to be considered minimalist space music, although that’s
just another genre touched upon here. Recorded in Ontario Canada and
in New Mexico, Total Time features the collective works of
siblings Trevor Blumas (guitars, samplers), Jaclyn Blumas
(synths, keys) and Allie Blumas (drums) as well as a variety
of backing musicians, including singer / songwriter Mary Margaret
O’Hara and singer Huren. Vocals drift in and out of
the sound stage but for the most part, the music here might just qualify
under the instrumental space music banner. Some of the cosmic music
of the decade, Doomsquad takes their sound way out there on the leading
edge. Visit their website at your own risk. www.666hell.net
CLEOPATRA
RECORDS - Bass player and musicologist par excellence Michael
Clare is one of the unsung heroes of progressive music. Starting
out working with the fabled Caroline Records in the early 1980s, Clare
eventually found his way to working with Gong founder, the late great
Daevid Allen. In Gong, Allen had few peers and he single handedly
created some of the most cosmic, tuneful psychedelia ever made. He’s
also to thank for giving first breaks to U.K. prog scions like Steve
Hillage, Pierre Moerlin and synthesist Tim Blake. Allen passed away
in 2015 but not before recording some additional music including what
is now the 2016 CD release of Elevenses – by
Daevid Allen Weird Quartet. Featuring Daevid Allen, Michael
Clare and producer Don Marino Falcone along with other fine
musicians, the 13 track Elevenses album has the trademark Daevid
Allen sound and is filled with cosmic instrumentals and Allen’s
timeless vocals and lyrics. The booklet features some of the last
pictures of Allen along with lyrics and historic liner notes. In July
2016, mwe3.com spoke to Michael Clare who told us, “Glad you
like Elevenses. I am very pleased with the way it came out
considering the death of our leader. For your information, it is not
his last recordings as the CD sticker says. The title is pronounced
“Elevenziz” and it is an English word for a late-morning
teatime. The band was originally called Weird Biscuit Teatime and
the first album came out in 2005 and that was supposed to be the name
on this album but Cleopatra asked to include Daevid's name in the
band name so we changed it. We just got back the rights to the first
album and hope to get it reissued next year.” With Elevenses,
the founding spirit of Gong and the original Soft Machine lives
on. www.CleopatraRecords.com
CADET
CONCEPT - Going back to the late 1970s, Graham Parker &
The Rumour have made a number of memorable albums. On their own
as a band, The Rumour have made some great albums too. On the 2015
CD release of Mystery Glue, released on the fabled
Cadet Concept label, Parker is joined once again by his long
time bandmates—legendary bandleader Brinsley Schwarz (guitars),
Bob Andrews (keys), Martin Belmont (guitars), Andrew
Bodner (bass) and Steve Goulding (drums). Reuniting with
The Rumour on record for the first time since 1980, on Mystery
Glue Parker is truly in a class of his own, as he approaches 65
years in age. Without missing a beat, The Rumour weaves their magic
touch around Parker’s heartfelt, memorable tunes which reek with
pop-pathos and lyrical irony. The guitar work by Schwarz and Belmont
gives these songs a bounce that brings you right back to the spirit
of the heady days of that fabled 1977-1980 music era when anything
was possible. Looking back to his post-New Wave years, Parker is still
breaking new ground as a singer-songwriter and clearly Mystery
Glue is among his best albums. www.GrahamParker.net
CRAFT
POP / PIPE & HAT – England’s latest pop sensation,
The Moulettes have a real winner with the 2016 CD release of
Preternatural. The eleven cut CD is filled with
huge pop hooks dressed up with big sounding techno-pop beats. Influenced
by Bjork, Gentle Giant and Frank Zappa, the Moulettes are a democratic
process with the lyrics handled by group lyricist and singer Hannah
Miller, one of the three lead singers on the band. Ms. Miller
is joined by Raevennan Husbandes (guitars, vocals), Ruth
Skipper (bassoon, vocals), Oliver Austin (drums), and Jim
Mortimore (bass). The songs click and the studio production is
fabulous sounding, even breathtaking, but the best part are the songs
and the appealing three part female vocal harmonies. The Moulettes
stake out some quite uniquely composed pop terrain with their 2016
classic Preternatural. www.moulettes.co.uk
D2000
MUSIC – Dave Mason has never been shy about saying
his favorite soul singer is his fellow Traffic band mate Steve Winwood.
Back in early 1969, Traffic came to an abrupt halt and within a year
Mason retooled with the start of his prolific solo career. Leaving
England and moving to California, Dave never forgot the albums he
made as a member of Traffic—in fact, he’s built his career
around his powerful rock radio friendly anthems from the first three
Traffic albums, and he revisits the songs again on Dave Mason’s
Traffic Jam. That period of Mason’s early career
soon gives way to the reality of the 1970s and overall, the CD presents
a good balance of Mason’s best tracks, caught live in NYC at
City Winery in 2015. The 15 cut CD has a solid rock punch and is well
recorded, with Mason’s lead guitar work and strong vocals shining
throughout. Balancing out Mason’s vocals is co-lead vocalist
Johnne Sambataro (guitars) and the rhythm section of Alvino
Bennett (drums) and Tony Patler (keys, bass). Nearly half
a century after he played on those momentous early Traffic songs,
“Mr. Fantasy”, “40,000 Headmen” and “Medicated
Goo”, it’s clear that Dave Mason’s Traffic Jam continues
well into the 21st century. www.davemasonmusic.com
DAVID
FOSTER MUSIC – Guitarist David Foster plays in the
U.K. bands Panic Room and The Steve Rothery Band. On his 2016 CD,
Dreamless, he explores an album oriented rock
sound that pairs his band with singer-lyricist Dinet Poortman,
Stuart Brown (drums) and Yatim Halimi (bass). Other
artists appear on the CD including singer Anne-Marie Helder,
Stuart Brown (drums) and guitarist Steve Rothery
but for the most part, it’s Foster’s songs and Ms. Poortman
intriguing lyrics and vocals that take central focus although Dave
takes the lead vocals on the effective title track. Even though Foster
has been picked up by progressive rock fans, his sound on Dreamless
is much more hard rock based, in the spirit of Deep Purple or
even Heart, yet progressive music fans will enjoy the hard-hitting
rock palate of Dreamless. www.PanicRoom.org.uk/dave-foster.html
DRAG
CITY RECORDS / TURNSTILE – U.K. singer-songwriter
Cate Le Bon lives in Los Angeles and she released her 2016
album to great acclaim. The ten track Crab Day is quite
avant garde sounding and her music has been compared to Captain Beefheart
and German space rockers Faust. Cate has cited Super Furry Animals
front man Gruff Rhys as a major influence, and while not overtly sharing
the Super Furry Animals allegiance to power pop (at least on their
2007 masterpiece Hey Venus!), there’s still plenty of
toe-tapping sounds on Crab Day to make it an overall eventful
album. In addition to her offbeat songs and clear, confident vocals,
Crab Day is also a fine showcase for Cate’s “angular”
guitar playing, which is staccato sounding, helping carry the songs
to their ultimate conclusion. Also here are fine musicians including
Huw Evans (guitars, keys), Stella Mozgowa (drums) and
more including fine production work by Noah Georgson and Josiah
Steinbrick. Somewhere between avant garde and (not quite) mainstream
pop or rock, Cate Le Bon’s Crab Day is uniquely inventive
music that effortlessly transcends musical borders. www.dragcity.com
EL
TORO RECORDS – The country of Finland continues to amaze
music fans worldwide with the 2016 CD release of Jump, Sister,
Jump by Tina Bednoff And The Cocktailers. A colorful
figure on the 21st century music scene, Tina is one of the hottest
female blues-rock guitarists in Finland and in fact, all of Scandinavia.
A bandleader, songwriter and lead singer, Tina sounds very influenced
by blues giants like T-Bone Walker, Big Mama Thornton and Memphis
Minnie. Filled with rockin’ R&B, slow blues, rhumba blues
and couple haunting ballads, Jump, Sister, Jump features Tina
with first class 
backing
by her band mates—including Ville “Doc” Tolvanen
(piano), Long John Rantapuro (bass), Honey Aaltonen
(drums, vocals) and Jani Ahtiainen (percussion). Speaking
about the recording process during the making of Jump, Sister,
Jump, Tina tells mwe3.com, "We spent a few months writing
and finishing the songs but the recording was done practically in
a day. Everything was recorded live and mostly in one take. We did
not aim at a "perfect" mistake-free thing but rather a good
feel, like a nice small gig. Some vocal tracks, a guitar solo here
and there were done over but that's all." There’s a
few classic covers here, including “Aged And Mellow” by
Johnny Otis—and a smokin' cover of blues great Jesse Mae Robinson’s
“Gonna Catch Me A Rat”—but most of the music on Jump,
Sister, Jump is original. With a timeless affinity for Americana
music roots and a deep understanding of modern day rhythm & blues,
Tina Bednoff And The Cocktailers get their rocks off on Jump, Sister,
Jump. www.ElToroRecords.com
ENGLISH
ELECTRIC RECORDINGS – U.K. prog-rock heroes Big Big Train
are making music fans happy with their 2016 album Folklore.
Despite its title, this BBT CD has very little to do with folk
music—instead focusing on the band’s prog-rock songwriting
and performance style. Featuring nine tracks that clock in at 68 minutes,
Folklore is very reminiscent of Steve Hackett-era Genesis or
even some of Tull’s post ‘70s work. Featuring the flute,
words and music of lead vocalist David Longdon, Big Big Train
also features the work of guitarists Dave Gregory and Greg
Spawton, Rachel Hall (violin), Rikard Sjöblom
(guitars, keys), Andy Poole (guitars, keys) Danny Manners
(keys, bass), topped off by the excellent drumming of Spock’s
Beard legend Nick D’Virgilio (drums). Vocal and songwriting
comparisons between Peter Gabriel and BBT’s David Longdon notwithstanding,
there’s plenty of original sounding and highly inventive progressive
pop and rock swirling throughout the grooves of Folklore. www.bigbigtrain.com
EXEDRA
MUSIC – Guitarist Darrall Knight, singer Jeremy
Gluck and bass player Mark Elliot form the core of U.K.
rock band Exedra, who are making waves with their album Elemental.
Fusing a range of sounds and styles—from art-rock, goth,
dream-pop, prog-rock and rock ‘n’ roll—Exedra covers
all the sonic bases on a CD / DL that takes some time to get into,
but once you do it’s a rewarding experience. Jeremy’s vocals
are good but Knight’s guitar-centric instrumental tracks are
also very cool and show off the band’s interest in progressive
music sub-genres like Kraut-rock. For a self-produced, DIY kind of
album, Exedra’s Elemental takes the listener on quite
an appealing sonic joyride. One can only hope Exedra takes the seeds
of their sound and grows it into something even bigger and better.
www.facebook.com/exedrabook
FIRE
RECORDS – U.K. label Fire has a real strange album on their
hands with the 2016 release of Brothers And Sisters Of The Black
Lagoon by the New Zealand band known as Orchestra Of Spheres.
Mixing in elements of free jazz, ala Sun Ra and pop influences like
late 1970s era Yoko Ono and B-52’s, Orchestra Of Spheres is decidedly
rock but in an avant garde, way out kind of way. Very peculiar music
in a heartwarming kind of way, Orchestra Of Spheres features the music
of Baba Rossa (guitars, vocals), Mos Iocoss (synths,
vocals), EtonalE (bass, vocals) and Tooth (drums). Mixing
rock vocal music and mutant disco with several freeform instrumentals,
the eleven cut CD has great packaging and the sound is excellent.
Orchestra Of Spheres takes 21st century rock into strange and beautiful
waters with their album Brothers And Sisters Of The Black Lagoon.
www.OrchestraOfSpheres.com
FOLKWIT
RECORDS – It’s
hard to find totally original music these days but Louise Le May
comes close with her 2015 CD called A Tale Untold.
Ostensibly folk music, the eleven cut CD mixes folk-pop with a
very listenable kind of chamber pop with rock sensibilities and is
quite symphonic in a Beatle-esque kind of way. She’s already
being mentioned among fans of songwriters like Kate Bush and even
Robert Wyatt’s post ‘60s compositions. Speaking about A
Tale Untold, Louise tells mwe3.com, "Some
of the songs were written quite a few years ago, and then more recent
songs were added. I’d say the first songs were written in about
the late 1990s. The rest came about in 2009 and beyond. I do an intense
phase of songwriting and then I stop for a few years. There are two
elements to the process for me – songwriting and singing. Singing
continues in that I keep working on my voice and it keeps on developing.
I do songwriting so I have something to sing, bespoke to me."
A
Tale Untold is kind of like ear candy as it’s well worth
repeat listens. The album was superbly produced by Ken Brake,
while the album was arranged by Louis Philippe—with
the latter adding in guitars, bass keys, piano, backing vocals and
more. Brake adds in drums and synth programming, yet the real focus
of the album are Ms. Le May’s outstanding songs and vocals. Recorded
in London, the album was skillfully recorded and is well worth the
attention of music fans who enjoy high quality and completely original
melodic pop inventions. www.folkwit.com
GRIT
TWANG RECORDS – The spirit of raw and raunchy rock ‘n’
roll is alive and well on the 2016 CD self-titled release of Pop
Skull Rebels. The album moves and grooves through all
kinds of roots rock tracks that harks back to the spirit of the late
1950s and the sound of Buddy Holly and Bo Diddley, with an equal emphasis
on the sound and fretboard fury of Pop Skull Rebels’ lead guitarist
J Doyle. Aided and abetted by K.A. Browning (vocals),
Kenny Dupree (bass) and Brian Sifton (drums), the fast-paced
CD is a rock & roll party on CD! Fans of the early rockin’
“Grit Twang” sound of Elvis, Orbison and Bo Diddley will
totally enjoy the Kansas City-based Pop Skull Rebels. www.PopSkullRebels.com
INSIDE
OUT MUSIC – Forty five years ago, in 1971, coming up on this
November marked the first YES concerts at the fabled Academy Of Music
in NYC. Led by the sonic vision of band founder Jon Anderson,
YES was third on the bill that fabled night to King Crimson with headliners
Procol Harum. Compared to the way I felt earlier, I was completely
sold on YES after that show and the main thing I remembered, besides
the general pandemonium and everyone seeing YES play a concert for
the first time, was Anderson’s marionette like operatic vocals
and drummer Bill Bruford, who seemed to me to be a rock engine operating
the machine of YES all on his own! So forty five years later here
we are. Chris Squire has now left us, beyond and before, and mysteriously,
Anderson is not leading YES anymore but I think he appreciates that
the name is in able business hands. Better news is in 2016 Anderson
has released an album on Germany’s Inside Out label, Invention
Of Knowledge, surely one of his great YES side projects
- this time with Sweden’s progressive rock guitar maestro Roine
Stolt. Also playing on the sessions is YES keyboard icon Tom
Brislin, Sweden’s keyboard virtuoso Lalle Larson,
bassist Jonas Reingold and more. At times leaning towards abstract
rock neo-realism, the exquisitely packaged Invention Of Knowledge
is balanced by Anderson’s brilliant melodic inventions and
the superb recording sound quality captures it all. Roine Stolt is
surely one of Sweden’s best musicians, who made his solo break
through with his 1979 Fantasia album. All the players on Invention
Of Knowledge have extensive musical pedigrees and their in-depth
chemistry and ESP is put to the test and passes with flying colors
on Invention Of Knowledge. www.JonAnderson.com
INTI PRODUCTIONS – L.A. based guitarist Ciro Hurtado grew
up in Peru and his music brings that wild sense of elation to the
fore on his 2016 CD called Selva. The 13 cut
CD features a stellar mix of Spanish influenced music—both instrumentals
and vocal tracks—that serves as a great introduction to his music
and a confirmation of his talents for his many fans. Selva is
a fine follow up to Ciro’s last album, 2014’s Ayahuasca
Dreams. Guitar fans will marvel at the Spanish guitar influence
on the instrumentals while the Spanish language vocal tracks, sung
by a range of female vocals, are quite appealing in their own way.
Ciro plays a number of guitars—both acoustic and electric—
and the album also features a number of great musicians, including
Ciro’s wife Cindy Harding and notable players such as
New Age keyboardist Ricky Kej. As is typical for Ciro, the
CD packaging features all the Spanish language lyrics, liner notes
and colorful artwork. Commenting on the CD Ciro explains, ‘My
music is a reflection of the many people, cultures and musical styles
t hat have touched my life. I truly believe music knows no borders.’
www.cirohurtado.com
JUNE
BISANTZ MUSIC – Diving
deep into the songbook of American jazz trumpet and vocal legend Chet
Baker, singer June Bisantz released her album It’s
Always You: June Bisantz Sings Chet Baker Vol. 2 in 2015.
Backed up by a fine band and tasty string players, including Alex
Nakhimovsky (piano), Norman Johnson (guitar), Ben Belillo
(drums) and others, June uses her cool, well-paced jazz voice
in the spirit of Astrid Gilberto and in doing so, she’s been
called a modern day jazz chanteuse. Baker recorded much of his music
in the 1950s and 1960s and he was also acclaimed as a singer and songwriter
who covered music by legends like Mel Torme, Jimmy Van Heusen, Cole
Porter and more. Ms. Bisantz' second Baker tribute album, It’s
Always You also features a Baker original called "I
Know That I'll Lose You". Speaking to mwe3.com about her latest
Chet Baker tribute CD, June explains, 'When
I recorded the first Chet Baker Project CD, my goal was to learn something
new about singing. I found something of myself - as yet unexpressed
- in Chet's quiet, effortless singing style, and I studied him for
quite a while before going into the studio. I loved what I learned
from the process, and I just wasn’t finished,'
adding 'I’ve
been lucky with this project. Chet Baker fans have embraced both CDs,
and reviewers have said very nice things - for which I am extremely
grateful. People seem to understand what I’m trying to do, which
for an artist is a rare and wonderful thing!' Despite living a
hard and tragic life, having passed away in 1988, Chet Baker’s
musical legacy lives on with the June Bisantz album release of It’s
Always You. www.JuneBisantz.com
KARISMA
RECORDS – Norway’s Airbag carries the progressive
spirit forward on their 2016 CD called Disconnected.
The band cites influences like Porcupine Tree, Marillion and Pink
Floyd among their big musical heroes and true to form, there’s
plenty of spacy, hypnotic rock grooves on Disconnected. Airbag
are not a newcomers, having secured a solid reputation in the progressive
community going back to their 2009 debut album Identity. Even
so, their third band effort, Disconnected is well worth the
time for music lovers to connect with. One of the top prog-rock albums
of 2016, Disconnected is the best album yet by Oslo-based Airbag.
Airbag fans may also want to check out the 2016 solo CD by Airbag
guitarist / composer Bjørn Riis called Lullabies
In A Car Crash. www.airbagsound.com
LASER’S
EDGE - Back in 2013, mwe3.com spoke to Chris Herin, guitarist
/ composer with the Michigan-based progressive rock band Tiles.
That 2013 album, Off The Floor is now followed by a 2016 Tiles
album release on New Jersey-based Laser’s Edge called Pretending
2 Run. Featuring Herin and the classic Tiles lineup
with Mark Evans (drums), Jeff Whittle (bass) and Paul
Rarick (lead vocals), the all new P2R double CD studio
set has all the trademarks of a modern day prog-rock classic, including
contributions from a number of musicians, including the Tiles band
with key cameos by fabled prog pioneer Ian Anderson, 
drummer
Mike Portnoy, jazz fusion guitarist Mike Stern, Colin
Edwin and a host of others. Recorded in Ontario, with other contributions
sent via the internet, the double CD set was produced by Terry
Brown, a producer who has worked with Rush. Discussing the wide
sweeping concepts of P2R in the following interview, Chris
Herin tells mwe3.com, "Pretending 2 Run didn’t start
out as a double album, but we certainly had accumulated plenty of
songs. Eventually we realized we had nearly 75-minutes of music, but
didn’t want to make a single disc that long. So we could either
leave songs out or add a couple and expand the album to two CDs. From
an artistic standpoint going to two discs was a good decision. I was
able to add a bit more drama and depth to the story and musically
we could grab a couple more tunes from our backlog. Personally, I
like spreading the story over two discs; you can listen to one or
the other, or both in one sitting." Setting
the trend as one of America's finest 21st century progressive rock
bands , Tiles reaches even greater sonic heights with Pretending
2 Run. www.tiles-music.com
LEADY MUSIC – Guitar hero Don Leady made fans happy
with his 2014 CD Hillbilly Boogie Surfin’ Blues and in
2016 Don released Poppy Toppy Gone. Compared
with the all instrumental vibe of his 2014 CD, his new one owes more
to a live roots rock feel while also featuring Jack Montesinos
(guitar), Alberto Telo (drums, vocals) and Eric Przygocki
(bass). Poppy Toppy Gone is another kind of tribute to
a great Texas band Buddy Holly & The Crickets. There’s also
a definite early Elvis type of music here. There are still some instrumentals
here but the majority of tracks feature Don’s stinging Strat
guitars and vocals in a bluesy, Buddy meets Bo Diddley kind of boogie
beat rock. Among the instrumentals is a nostalgic Les Paul inspired
cover of Glenn Miller’s 1941 number one hit (“String Of
Pearls”), Cut live in at Wire Recording Studio in Austin, the
CD sound quality is crisp and clean while the action shot of Leady
and his young protégé Montesinos is also kind of cool.
While purists would love him too stretch out on another instrumental
long player, on Poppy Toppy Gone, Leady strikes a clarion call
for roots rock greatness. www.donleady.com
MADFISH
MUSIC – NYC based guitarist / singer-songwriter Jane Getter
released her 2016 CD, On through the Snapper Music
related Madfish label. Featuring Jane backed up by some hot musicians
including Adam Holzman (keys), Bryan Beller (bass),
Chad Wackerman (drums) and more, the album transverses a number
of musical genres—from hard rock and metal to a heavy prog-fusion
mix. Guest vocalist Corey Glover, Theo Travis (flute,
sax) and second guitarist Alex Skolnick add further fire to
the already smoldering sound on On. Jane’s guitar-centric
sound is making waves in the prog-rock community who have already
adopted her as one of their own. In addition to the excellent CD sound,
Madfish has done a great job, packaging the CD with unique artwork
and booklet with full credits and lyrics. As long as progressive rock
and fusion continues to morph and expand, there will always be a listening
space for high-caliber musicians such as guitarist Jane Getter. www.janegetter.com
MELLOTRONEN
– The
group from Sweden, Trettioåriga Kriget returns from the
ashes of 1981 with a 2015 / 2016 CD called Seaside Air.
Arriving during the heyday of the historic Euro-rock invasion
of the mid to late 1970s, Trettioåriga Kriget—translated
as 30 Years War in English—combined post-punk rock energy
with a more progressive, mellotron-flavored rock sung in their native
Swedish. With TK's latest music, featuring English lyrics and vocals,
group bassist / composer Stefan Fredin is joined by a great
sounding band including co-founder Dag Lundquist, long time
members Christer Åkerberg (lead guitar) and Robert
Zima (co-lead vocals), as well as Mats Lindberg (keys).
Speaking to 
mwe3.com
about this first album with English lyrics and English vocals, TK
co-founder Stefan Fredin explains, "We actually recorded a
pre-debut album in 1971, that was not released until 2004, called
Glorious War, which has English lyrics, although very amateurish.
But, of course, all the main Trettioåriga Kriget albums have
Swedish lyrics. One other reason apart from trying something new,
was that we know that we have fans in many countries all over the
world and it would be nice if they could also understand the lyrics."
With extended tracks flowing perfectly together, on Seaside Air
Fredin’s haunting melodies are truly memorable and the band blends
a dramatic rock-based progressive sound adding in all types of Swedish-flavored
progressive rock and even, dare I say, strong, pop-infused melodies
that would make ABBA smile. Trettioåriga Kriget are back
in a big way and clearly, Seaside Air is time well spent for
fans of classic, 20th and 21st century progressive rock. www.facebook.com
/ www.trettioarigakriget.com
MOSHI
MOSHI RECORDS / PIAS – Orchestral pop at its finest
is the heart of the matter on the 2016 CD release of 2013,
the 2016 CD by singer-songwriter Meilyr Jones (pronounced
May-lyr). Arranged and conducted by Joseph Davies, the 12 track
CD features a range of heavily orchestrated, Bowie-esque pop tracks
written and composed by Meilyr and the CD features numerous musicians
including an entire orchestra of strings and horns and even a choir.
Recorded in London, Meilyr’s songs can rock when needed but many
are mostly pastoral, orchestral based tunes that will leave you smiling.
If you’re a fan of glorious orchestrated pop, give a listen to
Meilyr Jones and his excellent 2013 CD. www.moshimoshimusic.com
NONE
OTHER MUSIC – Greek composer and progressive rock artist
Spyros Charmanis was born back in 1984 but he’s making
headway as a composer in his own right with the first album by his
group None Other, called Than The Common Plague.
The album features Spyros performing everything with backing by
a number of musicians and the premise is a concept album touching
on personal experiences, disease and isolation. Recorded in Greece
and mastered in New York, the CD is attractively packaged in a unique
45 page book-like presentation, complete with in depth liner notes
and complete lyrics. The album was nearly completely recorded by Spyros
with help from several female vocalists. Well-presented and well-recorded
progressive rock with a unique twist, Spyros Charmanis and None Other
takes his growing sound in a very unique direction with the cryptically
titled Than The Common Plague. www.spyros-charmanis.com
PETE
BRANDT MUSIC – Relatively unknown outside his native England,
singer-songwriter Pete Brandt came to the attention of mwe3.com
by way of Stackridge founder Andrew Creswell Davis. Pete played
on Andy’s 2016 Emergency Love CD. Hearing Pete’s
2015 double CD set, Songs From The Basement it’s
clear that the eclectic pop legacy of Stackridge was a big influence
on Brandt. Another influence is Ray Davies and while not quite in
that league, Pete’s sound will surely appeal to fans of The Kinks
and other theatrical English pop bands. In addition to singing and
writing all the 24 tracks here, Pete also adds in his own work on
guitar, bass, cuatro, lap steel, banjo and keys while getting more
back up from a wide range of musicians including Andy Davis on guitars,
piano and organ. Songs From The Basement follows the 2013 CD
release of Level Minus Zero which features many of the
same fine players. Pete Brandt’s Songs From The Basement is
eclectic U.K. pop at its finest. www.PeteBrandtSongs.com
PRESENCE
RECORDS – The Finnish band Jeavestone returns in early
2016 with Human Games. At the core of Jeavestone
are lyricist / vocalist Jim Goldworth, Mickey Maniac (guitars),
Tommy Glorioso (bass), Kingo (drums), Angelina Galactique
(backing vocals) and a number of fine players who enhance the
band with session strings, harps, and added percussion. Jeavestone
starts of Human Games with “Another”, which sounds
like a rare Kayak song with Moon Safari harmonies. The Euro-prog rock
influences are all over the album but like Kayak, Jeavestone depends
on melody and well-executed songs with intricate sounds. There’s
also a kind of eclectic, West Coast, Jellyfish influence from the
late ‘80s and early ‘90s pop resurgence with Kingo’s
drummer echoing Ringo especially on track 4 “Aurora Borealis
Man”. Following a number of albums include the 2008 album Spices,
Species & Poetry Petrol, Jeavestone steps forth with another
solid, upbeat prog-pop classic with 2016’s Human Games. www.runningmoose.fi
REAL
WORLD RECORDS – A rising band centered around the talents
of Stuart McCallum, (guitarist with The Cinematic Orchestra)
and singer Ríoghnach Connolly (pronounced REE-un-nah),
and McCallum’s Cinematic Orchestra mates, Luke Flowers (drums)
and John Ellis (keys), The Breath debut with Carry
Your Kin. Released on the esteemed Real World Records
label and mixed by the legendary Tchad Blake, Carry Your
Kin is filled with a range of spacey chill pop that mixes New
Age, Irish folk and ambient electronic soundscapes to great effect.
The mixture of Ríoghnach, and her Irish lyricist background,
is a fine match for McCallum’s rock-based and guitar-centric
production skills. The Breath make rock that’s not quite rock
but instead takes rock into intriguing a new ambient terrain that
deserves to be heard far and wide. Carry Your Kin is a fabulous
debut album from The Breath. The CD is superbly packaged and the booklet
features a poster and all the song lyrics. www.thebreathmusic.com
SANTANA
IV RECORDS – The first three albums by the band Santana
were like sonic ear candy and it culminated with Santana III,
their third Columbia Lp. It’s taken 45 years but Santana
reunite for Santana IV and the incredible thing is it sounds
just like you hoped it would. With Carlos Santana on guitar,
much of the early band lineup is complete again with Gregg Rolie
(keys, vocals), Michael Shrieve (drums), Neil Schon
(lead guitar) and Michael Carabello (conga, percussion,
backing vocals) who are joined by Benny Rietveld (bass) and
Karl Perazzo (timbales, percussion, vocals). Guest artist Ronald
Isley (of the original Isley Brothers band) appears on a couple
tracks. Different songs evoke kindred spirits from the early Santana
sound and there is a pair of great instrumental songs here entitled
“Fillmore East” and “You And I”, the latter written
by Gregg Rolie. The CD closes with another epic part-instrumental
7+ minute cut called “Forgiveness”, with vocals at the end
from Rolie, that superbly features the magical Santana band guitar
sound. Other bluesy tracks with Rolie on vocals bring to mind that
incredible “Black Magic Woman” era of early Santana sound.
Close your eyes and it’s 1971 again! www.santana.com
SONATA
– The artist known as Susanna continues to create
experimental vocal pop music with her 2016 CD, her 11th solo album
called Triangle. The CD filled with 20+ mystical,
sonically enhanced vocal musings that combine all types of progressive
pop sounds with a range of cutting-edge underground vibes. Playing
piano, autoharp, keyboards, effects, samples and programming, Susanna
receives musical aid from a range of players, all who are listed in
the CD booklet along with the song lyrics. Triangle was recorded
in Los Angeles and Oslo and kind of evokes the works of early gothic
singers such as Nico from Velvet Underground (for example) but there’s
also something mythologically appealing and also Scandinavian sounding
about Susanna’s deep dark pop secrets. The follow up to her Forester
album, Susanna’s Triangle takes its place in the repertoire
of this mysterious yet quite entertaining Norwegian singer-songwriter.
www.susannasonata.com
/ www.susannamagical.com
STRATHMERE
MUSIC – Coming to the attention of mwe3.com thanks to his
fine keyboard work on the 2016 CD by Boston-based rockers The Grand
Undoing, Chris Nole steps out on his own with the 2016 CD release
of his new album called It Be What It Be. Described
as “a rousing celebration of vintage blues, rock & roll,
and New Orleans-style piano and song”, the 12 track CD is great
example of Chris Nole’s piano and vocal skills. On It Be What
It Be, Chris is joined by top players like Pat Bergeson,
Pat Buchanon, Andy Reiss and Jack Pearson (guitars),
Dow Tomlim (bass), Chris Brown (drums) and more. The
album is a great exercise in roots-rock and blues piano. Further commenting
about the album in the album liner notes, Chris explains, ‘The
old school piano masters like Professor Longhair, Randy Newman, Ray
Charles, Dr. John, and others have had a profound influence on how
I’ve learned to perform and write music.’ Amid Nole’s
bluesy vocals and rock sounds are some cool-sounding piano-centric
instrumentals including an unusual instro cover here of the traditional
favorite “House Of The Rising Sun”. Featuring the songs,
vocals and piano magic of Chris Nole, It Be What It Be is a
one of the best vintage piano-based blues albums of 2016. www.chrisnole.com
SURFDOG
RECORDS / BUSHBRANCH MUSIC – Gary Hoey’s California
based Surfdog released I Still Do by guitar icon Eric
Clapton. The 2016 album was released on CD, vinyl LP and USB.
The CD sounds fine, having been produced by studio legend Glyn
Johns and there’s also a cameo by Glyn’s son Ethan
Johns on percussion. On I Still Do Eric sticks to the tried
and true post 1960s Clapton, reveling in the venerable music of the
pre-rock past with his legendary band featuring Chris Stainton
and Henry Spinetti (drums) and guitarist / vocalist Andy
Fairweather Low and company. Those looking for the Clapton who
wrote “Badge”, “Layla” and “Presence Of The
Lord” will pine for the old Eric but I Still Do will be
manna from the skies to his many fans. A tell tale sign is the number
of covers here, eschewing new music for the likes of JJ Cale, Skip
James, Robert Johnson, Dylan and Broadway flavored Tin Pan Alley classics
like “Little Man You’ve Had A Busy Day” (a hit in 1934)
and “I’ll Be Seeing You” from 1938. Clapton has been
through a world of pain throughout his legendary music career, yet
he’s also brought a boat load of excellence to the pop world
and that spirit continues with I Still Do. www.facebook.com/ericclapton
TUSCAN
SUN MUSIC – Even with all the troubles and hardships of the
21st century world, artists continue to make New Age music in an effort
to try to bring people up again. For the most part, that strategy
works quite well on In The Garden, the 2016 CD,
and fourth album, by the vocalist / composer known as Seay.
Released on her own Tuscan Sun label, the twelve song CD evokes the
musical grandeur of say New Age goddess of song Enya, amped up through
the magic of a more pure form of Americana-based New Age. A who’s
who of modern day New Age accompanies the Nashville-based Seay on
her latest album, including Leon Bisquera (piano), Jerry
Watts (bass), Pat Thomi (guitars), Wouter Kellerman
(flute), Hitoshi Yamaguchi (cello), Ricky Kej (keys)
and many others. With Seay’s soaring vocals and arrangements,
the album flows like a river of sound while calmly carrying the listener
to its source. New Age music fans looking for an album of sumptuous
vocal music that is also keenly orchestral in scope should give a
listen to Seay and her magical sounding album In The Garden. www.seayonline.com
VIBRO-PHONIC
/ PQF – A benefit CD for the foundation of the late,
great, ex-Kink Pete Quaife, the 2016 CD release of Terry
Reid + The Jigsaw Seen Live features 2 tracks only, including
a cover of Donovan’s “Young Girl Blues” and a cover
of a pair of Reid originals. Reid was a huge star in his time who,
like Donovan, was produced by the late, great Mickie Most. The Jigsaw
Seen is one of the great American pop bands of the past twenty years,
so this brief single only release is a most welcome return for Reid
and anything by the Jigsaw Seen is of interest to pop fans worldwide.
www.TerryReid.com
/ www.TheJigsawSeen.com
WALK
THE DOG MUSIC – Guitarist Paul Nelson came to the
attention of mwe3.com back in 2001 with his solo instrumental jazz-rock
album Look. 15 years later he’s making even more news
with Badass Generation with The Paul Nelson Band.
In the in between years, Nelson honed his guitar chops even more working
with the late great Johnny Winter and that same rip-roaring blues
rock sound can be heard on the 12 track Badass Generation. Nelson’s
4 piece band also features a fine lead singer (and sound engineer)
in Morton Fredheim, a fine singer in the Paul Rogers framework
or a fine blues-rock belter like Winter was in his prime. Borrowing
from the blues, rock, pop and country rock, these songs click and
Nelson’s guitar work is razor sharp throughout. Badass Generation
boasts excellent audio quality and creative CD packaging. www.thepaulnelsonband.com
WISE
OLD OWL RECORDS – Mixing New Age, World Music, folk music,
soft pop and Americana, singer-songwriter Kimberly Haynes is
making her presence felt with her 2016 CD, Awaken Me.
Kimberly is often called a Music Medicine Woman, and her album
is subtitled Songs From The Heart Of A Seeker with the artist
adding, “My songs are my prayers. It is a privilege to carry
those prayers into the world. It is my hope that they will be a blessing
to all who hear them.” Awaken Me was superbly recorded,
mixed and engineered by multi-instrumentalist David Vito Gregoli
in Glendale California. A number of musicians appear as guest artists
on the CD, including acclaimed keyboardist Peter Kater and
percussionist Byron Metcalf but the central focus is on Kimberly’s
glorious songs and stellar vocal performance. Clocking in at 65 minutes,
the eleven track Awaken Me is one of the finest New Age pop
albums of the year. www.MusicMedicineWoman.com
INSTRUMENTAL
3
VALVE MUSIC – Missouri native Mike Metheny is world
renowned for his flugelhorn playing but with the 2015 CD release of
Twelve For The Road he’s created an ambient fusion
masterpiece of instrumental music. On Twelve For The Road, Mike
handles all the keyboard work and the flugelhorn is only added to
one track. Speaking about the album title, Mike says, “I’ve
recorded / produced 12 albums since 1982, hence the title of the current
CD Twelve For the Road. 12 is 
enough.
The process has become too expensive and stressful, and the ratio
of downloads to sales of my CDs is literally 5 to one. “ In his
CD liner notes, Mike singles out his parents and younger brother Pat
Metheny for their inspirations. Speaking to mwe3.com about the experimental
nature of Twelve For The Road, Mike explains, “To say
this CD was experimental would be an understatement. In late 2013
I began dabbling with a program called “Garage Band” that
came with my computer but that I’d never opened. Next thing I
knew I had a bunch of different tracks that were all generated by
a MIDI keyboard but were too crude to ever put on a CD. That’s
when a friend told me about “Logic Pro X,” and fortunately
I was able to convert all of the “Garage Band” files to
“Logic” and improve things. I was also able to add that
one flugel track using an old AKG microphone I’ve had since 1978.
Talk about a homemade CD...” Much of the music here is quite
relaxed in the spirit of Ennio Morricone or even Erik Satie—and
yet there are a couple quite experimental numbers on the CD as well.
On Twelve For The Road, jazz legend Mike Metheny has crafted
an album that brings his inventive musical craft alive and well into
the 21st century. www.mikemetheny.com
AGELESS
RECORDS – Multi-instrumentalist and synth keyboard wiz Holland
Phillips returned in 2016 with his latest epic Circles Of
8. In the spirit of his earlier releases, Circles
Of 8 is filled with melodic and soaring instrumental music that
combines symphonic sounds within the context of New Age music. A good
example of Holland’s remarkable music can be heard on track four,
“The Journey” with its circular keyboard patterns and memorable
melodic approaches. In addition to his keys and synths, Holland also
adds in acoustic and electric guitars on several tracks here. Also
on board is the sax work of Paul Christensen. All in all, Circles
Of 8 is a fine follow up to Holland’s acclaimed album Daydream
Alley. www.musicbyholland.com
ALCHEMY
RECORDS – The music of Jon Durant needs no introduction
to progressive instrumental listeners. In 2013 Durant joined forces
with Colin Edwin for the first self-titled album by Burnt
Belief, and in 2016 they return for their third set, with Emergent.
In Burnt Belief, Durant and Edwin are joined by drummer Vinnie
Sabatino and the result is yet again 
an
amazing journey into the world of progressive guitar fusion music.
A master electric guitar technician who mixes in cloud guitars, synths
and sequencers, Durant was always influenced by the ECM style of Terje
Rydpal and, in Burnt Belief, joined with Edwin’s influential
post-70s King Crimson influenced, clockwork-style, fretless bass beat
to the sound, Emergent at times takes on a sonically pleasing
rhythmic context. Speaking to mwe3.com about Emergent, Durant
adds, "I want to make records that I actually would want to
listen to. My opinion is that it doesn’t make any sense to try
to fit into a formula, just to fit in at this point. We simply have
to be honest about the music we make, and that should shine through
loud and clear. So, when I am writing these pieces, my idea is to
create melodies that are memorable, but not obvious. Creative but
not so far out that you don’t want to hear it again. It’s
a balancing act, and I hope that it’s been achieved on Emergent."
Some tracks, like the title track, “Emergent” sounds influenced
by Carlos Santana’s purist tone and “Language Of Movement”
has an infectious rhythmic pulse. One of the top instrumental rock
fusion albums of 2016, Emergent should be played many times
to fully absorb its kaleidoscopic moods and sounds. www.AlchemyRecords.com
ARUN
SHENOY MUSIC – Singapore-based
composer-producer and guitarist Arun Shenoy
made his breakthrough in 2012 when his debut CD Rumbadoodle
was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Album,
a genre which was later renamed to Best Contemporary Instrumental
Album. In 2016, Arun is once again making news in the jazz-rock music
world
with his new concept album A Stagey Bank Affair by his
band Arun Shenoy & The Groove Project. As a guitarist,
Arun stakes out some unique sonic ground on A
Stagey Bank Affair,
leading
his band through a range of instrumental music that quite tastefully
combines jazz-rock, world groove fusion, funk, neoclassical chill,
soundtracks and more. Arun describes his music as being “Bansuri
Funk”, indicating a solid affiliation with his South Asian roots.
Speaking about his 2016 album album, Arun tells mwe3.com, “The
new album was written and recorded in 2015-
2016
and released in July 2016. Right from the onset, it was designed to
be a concept album. The album has multiple facets to it and the title
itself was derived from one of them – a metaphorical reference
to Stagey Bank, an agricultural fair in the North East of England
that over a period of time became notorious for drinking, gambling
and was eventually closed down in the 1920s. The phrase “Stagey
Bank Fair” passed into common parlance to indicate a mess in
general. Fact or folklore, we do not know, but it has given wings
to our imagination to create a concept album around fairgrounds. A
Stagey Bank Affair, is thus a metaphor for a place which used to be
a fun fair, and now means a messy affair, kind of like adulthood is.
Growing up just means we stop growing and stop having fun.” A
Stagey Bank Affair
is a collaboration between Arun and the group called The Groove Project
comprising of 13 artists, which include heavyweights like Jazz legend
Jeff Coffin, orchestral composer and arranger Don Hart, acclaimed
flautist Ravichandra Kulur among others. There is also a guest appearance
by keyboard player, Uziel on the opening track
For the most part, this is Arun Shenoy’s show and the entire
CD packaging is a sight to behold with two booklets providing intriguing
artwork espousing Arun’s philosophy. Arun Shenoy’s jazz-rock
opus A Stagey Bank Affair will surely be of interest to jazz-rock
fusion guitar fans. www.facebook.com
/ www.arunshenoy.com
ARTHUR
CIRCLE MUSIC – Based
in New York City, Ken Hatfield is one of the best guitarists
when it comes to combining jazz, Americana and neoclassical. The latest
chapter in the life of a great guitar legacy can be heard on Ken’s
2016 release—a book with all sheet music of the music within,
in-depth liner notes and an accompanying CD—entitled
12 Preludes For Solo Guitar. Commenting on his
unique approach towards composing, writing and recording his music,
Ken tells mwe3.com, “I already wrote of book of studies called
Etudes For Solo Guitar In 24 Keys, so the Preludes really are Preludes,
while the Etudes really are Etudes. But like Chopin, I intend them
to all have artistic as well as pedagogical value. It really depends
on how deeply a player gets into this music… there is a lot there,
but it’s not all on the surface. Some of the 
Preludes
are more technically challenging than others, but I intend them all
to be more about the music than calisthenics. And they are all designed
to be playable for most fingerstyle players that know the fingerboard
and can read traditional musical notation.” Guitarists will
note that this is very high quality classical guitar picking and strumming
but Ken is also quite hip to jazz geniuses like Charlie Byrd, and
even classical guitarists such as John Williams, for example. On 12
Preludes Ken delves into his deep standing affinity for both classical
and melodic pop melodies played from a jazzy Byrd / Jobim guitar perspective.
The amazing thing is that the 12 Preludes CD is combined with
the meticulously printed and packaged sheet music for all the songs
Ken plays here. Guitarists and fans have been admiring Ken's music
for decades and newcomers looking to check out one of New York’s
best kept guitar secrets, give a listen to Ken Hatfield’s 12
Preludes For Solo Guitar. www.KenHatfield.com
BELLA
UNION – Cosmic instrumental guitar music from a place like
Texas, or even NYC (Lou Reed’s Metal Machine Music notwithstanding)
for that matter, was just a dream in the late ‘70s and early
1980s but thankfully the internet kids have latched on to the greatness
of legendary cosmic instrumental guitar rock. Case in point is The
Wilderness, the 2016 CD by Austin instro kings Explosions
In The Sky. After a number of releases, EITS have sort of hit
their stride. Nothing exuberantly melodic here so this is much more
in the Teutonic mold of cosmic electric guitars ala Faust or Neu!
or Lou Reed’s experimental sounds, than say the psychedelia of
West Coast band of the ‘60s. The Wilderness is not as
immediately revealing as their earlier albums but there’s still
plenty of startling instro guitar cacophonies to blow your mind. As
is the case with EITS, the CD packaging is brilliant, complete with
a mini poster and beguiling artwork. www.explosionsinthesky.com
BIRDLAND
SOUNDS – Europe has a rich history of combining folk, jazz
and classical music all within the space of a single album. A good
example of that eclectic European approach to instrumental music can
be heard on Ison, the 2015 CD by the Italy-based
band known Démodé. Described as a mix of crossover
jazz and cinematic / avant gard music, the Démodé sound
can be heard in its full glory on their recent album Ison. Combining
clarinet, sax, piano, bass and drums, the album is kind of reminiscent
of mid ‘80s chamber music, ala Von Zamla or Holland’s Flairk,
that became known as the rock in opposition movement, yet in place
of harder edge rock, Démodé make a more peculiar kind
of chamber music in a rock-centric kind of setting. If it wasn’t
for the drums, you might be tempted to think, Démodé
was a throwback to the venerable age of classical music from the 1700’s.
Featuring a range of compositions composed by different band members,
the Ison CD is well packaged and the sound is first rate. Démodé’s
Ison a good choice for modern neoclassical fans and fans of
adventurous of exotic sounding, 21st century European music. www.WeAreDemode.com
BOOGIE
POST RECORDINGS – Swedish guitarist and composer Samuel
Hällkvist is a busy man. With a number of albums on the Boogie
Post label, Samuel released music by his group Orbit Stern and several
solo albums including 2013’s Return To Center, which was
influenced by both the free jazz fusion of King Crimson and Ornette
Coleman. Orbit Stern is more influenced by electronica masters such
as Jean Michel Jarre. In 2015 Samuel returned again with the first
of his trilogy of albums called Variety Of Live.
The CD features a number of musicians including King Crimson’s
percussionist Pat Mastelotto, Guy Pratt (bass), Qarin
Wikström (voice, keys), Stefan Pasborg (drums). Speaking
about his recent projects, Samuel says, “The Variety Of Live
CD is part 2 of the Variety of-trilogy: Variety Of Loud (2012) Variety
Of Live (2015) with Variety Of Rhythm coming this year. It's basically
my "solo" project, where I invite musicians that never played
together before from different musical- and geographical backgrounds.
Orbit Stern is Frederik Hauch and I, writing the material together.
We actually developed a slightly different approach after doing 3
Japan tours, sometimes working with improvising musicians and meeting
people from the punk- jazz- free improv- noise- prog scene. Since
this year we also work with Swedish vocalist Qarin Wikström,
who also writes material for the group.” Musically, Variety
Of Live blends wordless vocals, surf guitar, funk, rock, jazz
and more. Progressive rock fans looking for new and exciting avenues
of progressive 21st century music, should check out the electrifying
sounding Variety Of Live. www.samuelhallkvist.com
BUREAU
B – Based in Germany, Bureau B released a 2016 album from
Peter Baumann called Machines Of Desire. Baumann
of course was a member of electronic music legends Tangerine Dream
during their 1971 to 1977 heyday. In the mid 1980’s Baumann formed
the Private Music recording label in New York and went on to release
dozens of influential electronic music albums. With Baumann meeting
long time T. Dream founder Edgar Froese in Vienna early January 2015,
there was talk of a reunion but Froese’s untimely passing on
January 20th, 2015 made that impossible. Released in the aftermath,
Machines Of Desire is a fitting tribute to Baumann’s time
in T. Dream. With electronic synths and all sorts of sounds whirling
across the music spectrum, Machines Of Desire a great sonic
achievement and one of Baumann’s finest albums. www.bureau-b.com/peterbaumann.php
CENTURY
JAZZ – Produced by jazz piano virtuoso Dan Siegel,
the 2016 CD release of The American Dream introduces
American jazz ears to the sound of Damian Draghici. The Romanian
who left his homeland to get the full impact of the American dream,
is convincing jazz audiences world wide with his 13 track CD. Musically,
the album features Damian’s sprightly sounding pan flutes backed
up by some of the best jazzers on either coast including Stanley
Clarke, Alex Acuna, Charlie Bisharat and more. Damian’s
skills on the pan flutes are very cool and the music he features on
his CD covers a cross section of classics from the pens of Charlie
Parker, Jobim, Coltrane, Keith Jarrett, Pat Metheny and more. The
album also features a range of music arrangers including Tom Zink,
co-producer Dan Siegel, Michel Camilo and many others. One
of the breeziest, most listenable album smooth jazz and mainstream
jazz albums of the year, The American Dream is a splendid introduction
to Damian’s lush sounding pan flutes and from start to finish
serves as a solid wake up call for jazz lovers world wide. www.damiandraghici.com
COLORBURST
SOUNDFIELD – As the original drummer in the 1969 lineup of
Santana, Michael Shrieve took part in the 2016 Santana reunion
album and he’s also back big time with a new CD called Michael
Shrieve’s Spellbinder. Spellbinder is a great
word to describe Shrieve’s latest group project as it sounds
like a cross between smooth jazz and soundtrack music in the spirit
of the 1960s James Bond movies. Speaking about the name of his band,
Shrieve adds, ‘I named my group Spellbinder to constantly
remind myself that my job is spiritual in nature and my job is to
take people away, to create a spell with the rhythm, to create a space
for them to go to with the music. I want to transport people.’
With Shrieve on drums, the album features key contributions by
Joe Doria (keys), Danny Godinez (guitar), Farko Dosumov
(bass) and John Fricke (trumpet). Commenting on
the album, Shrieve explains, ‘I’m excited to get Spellbinder
out and playing in front of people. The whole idea of it was, what
kind of music would I like to listen to at two in the morning, made
by a drummer? And that’s what I came up with.’ Santana
fans and instrumental jazz-rock fusion fans will totally enjoy Michael
Shrieve’s Spellbinder. www.MichaelShrieve.com
CORRADO
RUSTICI MUSIC – Based
in the San Francisco Bay area of Northern California, Italian guitarist
Corrado Rustici is making waves with his solo album Aham,
released in mid 2016. Taking the electric guitar in a bold and
exciting direction, on Aham Corrado blends a range of instrumental
guitar styles—from
spatial New Age and atmospheric jazz to a more rock-centric instrumental
sound that will appeal to fans of guitar fusion and cutting edge,
cerebral rock metal guitar players. Featuring nine tracks, including
the CD-closing “Aham Suite”, the mostly instrumental album
also includes a pair of vocal tracks featuring Corrado and singer
Andrew Strong. Speaking to 
mwe3.com
about Aham, Corrado says, “My last album, Deconstruction
Of A Postmodern Musician was released ten years ago. Around six
years ago I started working on Aham. I really wanted to explore
new sounds and “voices” that the guitar could produce.”
A native of Naples Italy, Corrado was a member of the late 1970s Italian
jazz-rock fusion band Nova, who worked with Narada Michael Walden,
while recording a trio of album releases for Arista Records in the
late ‘70s. His guitar sound might have tempered a bit since the
intense, heady, jazz-rock fusion
of the
Nova Vimana days but there’s still plenty of scintillating
tracks on Aham to welcome back Corrado Rustici’s inventive,
instrumental guitar sound. www.corradorustici.com
DEKATRIA
RECORDS - Influenced by the great jazz guitar legends—from
Django Reinhardt to John McLaughlin—Greece-born
/ Canada-based guitarist Strat Andriotis is making waves in
the music world with his 2016 CD entitled Less Off Patient.
Less Off Patient is the follow up to Strat’s critically
acclaimed 2015 CD, Liars Incorporated. Featuring eleven original
tracks of enchanting instrumental guitar music, blending Gypsy Jazz
and Neoclassical music, on Less Off Patient, Strat is joined
by his trio mates Adrianna Lee (violin) and Jeff Vidov
(piano). Speaking to mwe3.com about working with the same musicians
on both Liars Incorporated and his 2016 CD, Less Off Patient,
Strat adds, "I gave Adrianna more of a featured role, I'm
writing her a lot more solos and passages. Because we had all
played
a few dates together, I think Less Off Patient has more of a freedom
to it. Jeff’s piano playing once again is terrific and soul-inspiring—this
album
came together rather quickly because of our familiarity from playing
with each other." Ripe with 
imaginative
guitar musings that make vintage sounds modern again, Less Off
Patient takes 21st century classical music and Gypsy jazz in a
bright and bold direction. With eleven tracks that fly by in just
over 36 minutes, Less Off Patient features Strat Andriotis
recording in Grant Avenue studio in Hamilton, Canada with production
by both Strat and Bob Doidge. Strat Andriotis has released
two albums over the past few years and, with Less Off Patient
he is breaking new ground for both instrumental Gypsy jazz guitar
and neoclassical music. Gypsy Jazz is one of the guitar world’s
most treasured art forms and fans and disciples of Django Reinhardt
& Stéphane Grappelli as well as modern day guitar heroes
like John Jorgenson and Biréli Lagrène will enjoy the
Euro-flavored guitar music of Strat Andriotis. With eye-catching cover
artwork of a hospital patient, Less Off Patient is dedicated
to Strat’s late friend Freddy Brown (1939-2016), yet Less
Of Patient is clearly a celebration of life and Strat’s guitar
music honors the illustrious past. www.stratmusic.net
ECM
– The initials ECM mean a lot of things to a lot of different
people. Since ECM joined forces with the huge multinationals, to some
it means excellent corporate music. Whatever your persuasion, ECM
and its leader Manfred Eicher have come a long way since the label
released Odyssey by Terje Rypdal in 1973 or even the famous
Pat Metheny Group album in 1977. David 
Bowie
passed away in 2016 and one guitarist who was working with the late
star around the time of his death, Ben Monder released a cool
but overlooked album in late 2015, a few months before Bowie died.
Ben’s ECM album is called Amorphae and true to
its title, the album is filled with highly atmospheric “free-jazz”
accentuated by the great players also playing on the CD including
Pete Rende (synths) and the late great jazz drummer Paul
Motian. Motian appears on several tracks here and a result of
his death in 2015 meant that Andrew Cyrille would replace him
on the other album tracks. Motian’s playing with Ben on the Rogers
& Hammerstein track “Oh, What A Beautiful Morning” is
the stuff of legend. If you like ECM style guitar playing in the finest
spirit of Metheny and Rypdal you will admire Ben Monder’s Amorphae.
www.benmonder.com
ECM
RECORDS - Also released in 2016 on ECM is Continuum by
Nik Bärtsch’s Mobile. Swiss born Bärtsch made
inroads on the ECM label with his band Ronin and with Continuum
he gets back to his acoustic jazz roots. In Mobile, Bärtsch
is accompanied by Sha (clarinet), Kaspar Rast (drums,
percussion) and Nicolas Stocker (drums, tuned percussion),
while receiving further backup from a five piece string section. A
great late night spin, Continuum flows with a hypnotic mix
of jazz, minimalist and all forms of new music. In the spirit of recent
Swiss jazz-fusion bands, such as Sonar (who were also influenced to
a degree by Philip Glass and Steve Reich), Nik Bärtsch’s
Mobile specializes in what they describe as an “acoustic picture
puzzle” and further investigation indicates that Bärtsch
was influenced by masters such as Stravinsky and György Ligeti.
With Continuum Nik Bärtsch’s Mobile has recorded
a dramatic classic album of modern day minimalism. www.ecmrecords.com
EXEDRA
MUSIC – Guitarist Darrall Knight, singer Jeremy
Gluck and bass player Mark Elliot form the core of U.K.
rock band Exedra, who are making waves with their album Elemental.
Fusing a range of sounds and styles—from art-rock, goth,
dream-pop, prog-rock and rock ‘n’ roll, Exedra cover all
the sonic bases on a CD / DL that takes some time to get into, but
once you do it’s a rewarding experience. Jeremy’s vocals
are good but Knight’s guitar-centric instrumental tracks are
also very cool and show off the band’s interest in progressive
music sub-genres like Kraut-rock. For a self-produced, DIY kind of
album, Exedra’s Elemental takes the listener on quite
an appealing sonic joyride. One can only hope Exedra takes the seeds
of their sound and grows it into something even bigger and better.
www.facebook.com/exedrabook
FIRST
ORBIT SOUNDS MUSIC – Having released his debut album in 2009,
Bulgarian born / California-based guitarist Hristo Vitchev returns
in 2016 with a most impressive double album called In Search
Of Wonders. Backed up by a gifted band of musicians,
including Weber Iago (piano), Dan Robbins (bass) and
Mike Shannon (drums), the music on In Search Of Wonders
is well produced and recorded. Borrowing from European modalities
and American jazz-guitar sensibilities, the double CD set clocks in
at over 100 minutes total. Interestingly, the album was recorded in
San Francisco and features Hristo’s paintings throughout the
cover art. Another insight here is that even though he’s guitar
through and through, Hristo writes much of his music on piano. The
blend of Weber’s acoustic piano and Hristo’s guitar sounds
kind of echoes the groundbreaking jazz of the late 1970s Pat Metheny
Group, yet there’s so much memorable music on In Search Of
Wonders, guitar fans and jazz fans alike will be impressed. www.HristoVitchev.com
GREYDISC
RECORDS – Referred
to by guitar enthusiasts as fretboard explorers and sonic experimentalists,
Kevin Kastning and Sándor Szabó return
in 2016 with Perspectives. In the years between
their 2013 CD, Becoming, Kevin Kastning has broken immense
ground in the guitar world in part thanks to his implementation of
the 30 string Contra-Alto guitar and his 36 string Double Contra guitar.
Coupled with Szabó’s performance on his 16 string guitar,
between the two, the sound of 52 guitar stings resonating at the same
time is par for the course. This vast array of guitar strings played
on futuristic guitars is made all the more signficant in light of
the mesmerizing improvisations caught live during the Perspectives
recording sessions in late 2015. Speaking about once again recording
with the Hungary-based Szabó, Kastning tells mwe3.com, “Sándor
was able to come to the US in October 2015, and we spent several days
in the studio. Perspectives is the first album release from those
sessions, with more to come in the near future.” A critically
acclaimed guitarist and composer and an expert mastering engineer—who
works on various Greydisc recording projects a half a world away—Sándor
was eager to once again record with Kastning in New England and
specifically on this first project 
featuring
his 16 string guitars paired with Kastning’s 30 and 36 string
guitars. Sándor explains, “When I first heard
Kevin’s 30-string carbon guitar I knew we entered to a new era
in the history of the acoustic guitar. Kevin’s guitars are perfect
instruments and they are an acoustically perfect fit to my wooden
guitars. Of course we were very curious how our guitars sound together
and bit by bit we managed to create a really never-before-heard soundscape
which will be the standard for us in the years to come. We both use
strange tunings and multiple strings because this is the only way
to extend the musical potential of the guitar. So we were at the threshold
of a new world and we just jumped into the unknown.” Featuring
nine tracks that clock in at 54 minutes, Perspectives is the
most impressive sounding album yet from these two innovative guitar
figures. Much like the CD cover art for Perspectives, featuring
two windows, Perspectives is the product of two guitarists
who, while maybe looking out / in different windows, see the same
views and arrive at a sonically similar vantage point. A true study
in fretboard logic, combining the ancient and the futuristic, on Perspectives,
Kevin Kastning & Sándor Szabó take the guitar
boldly to where no player has gone before. www.KevinKastning.com
/ www.SandorSzabo.com
GSI
RECORDS – Jazz is alive and well on Safe In Sound,
the 2016 CD by the group known as Songevity. Spearheaded by
bassist / composer Rob Duguay, the Songevity trio is balanced
out by Justin Kauflin (piano) and Nadav Snir-Zelniker (drums).
With Duguay handling the composition, the music just swings and with
Kauflin’s swinging piano at the fore, the CD will appeal to fans
of jazz piano giants like Oscar Peterson or even McCoy Tyner, although
Duguay’s music is quite harmonious as well. The Queens-based
Duguay is quite active in the NYC area jazz community and he brings
his seasoned jazz compositions into full bloom on the exciting acoustic
piano – bass – drums trio sound of Songevity. When it comes
to new and innovative 21st century instrumental jazz, it doesn’t
get a lot better than Songevity’s Safe In Sound. www.robduguay.com
HITCHHIKE
RECORDS / EONE MUSIC – Ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro
is taking the art of his stringed instrument to unbelievable heights.
Jake’s most recent studio album, 2015’s Travels is
a wonderful album of mostly instrumental ukulele songs backed up by
light yet effective backing. Among the musicians assisting Jake on
Travels are Dean Taba (bass), Noel Okimoto (drums,
marimba), Michael Grande (keys) Del Beazley (guitar,
vocal on “Everything Is Better With You”) and Asa Young
(12-string guitar). Overall, Travels sounds like an album
that Pat Metheny would make if he played ukulele instead of electric
guitar. It’s just that good and in fact, Travels might
be the best instrumental pop-jazz album ever made with a Uke! Jake’s
many fans will also want to check out his 15 track, 2016 double CD
set, called Live In Japan. The two CD set features
a live version of “Travels”, as well as other Jake
Shimabukuro covers including his take on the Beatles’ “While
My Guitar Gently Weeps” and the Queen classic “Bohemian
Rhapsody”, all getting the Shimabukuro instrumental uke-jazz
treatment. www.jakeshimabukuro.com
INTI
PRODUCTIONS – L.A. based guitarist Ciro Hurtado grew
up in Peru and his music brings that wild sense of elation to the
fore on his 2016 CD called Selva. The 13 cut
CD features a stellar mix of Spanish influenced music—both instrumentals
and vocal tracks—that serves as a great introduction to his music
and a confirmation of his talents for his many fans. Selva is
a fine follow up to Ciro’s last album, 2014’s Ayahuasca
Dreams. Guitar fans will marvel at the Spanish guitar influence
on the instrumentals while the Spanish language vocal tracks—sung
by a range of female vocals—are quite appealing in their own
way. Ciro plays a number of guitars—both acoustic and electric—
and the album also features a number of great musicians, including
Ciro’s wife Cindy Harding and notable players such as
New Age keyboardist Ricky Kej. As is typical for Ciro, the
CD packaging features all the Spanish language lyrics, liner notes
and colorful artwork. Commenting on the CD, Ciro explains, ‘My
music is a reflection of the many people, cultures and musical styles
t hat have touched my life. I truly believe music knows no borders.’
www.cirohurtado.com
JOYSPRING
MUSIC – Upbeat, piano-based music at its finest, In
The Garden: Piano Orchestrations is the perfect sonic vehicle
for Peggy Duquesnel—who is joined here by Billy Martin
(woodwinds, orchestrations) and Steve Hall (keyboards,
piano). The music on the 14 track In The Garden is serious
and sedate but mainly it’s good “calming down” music.
I put this CD on and I really felt the calmness, reflection and serenity
created by Ms. Duquesnal’s piano touches. This is not religious
music per se, yet it will bring you closer to God in some ways. With
tracks like “No More Tears”, “How Great Thou Art”
and covers of Chopin, and a version of “Canon In D”, there’s
plenty of sobering, reflective acoustic piano and light synth tracks
here to last a lifetime. You’d be hard-pressed to find another
album as peaceful and meditative as Peggy Duquesnal’s In The
Garden. www.PianoOrchestrations.com
JUST
MUSIC – Over in England, in 2016 the esteemed electronic
music label Just Music label released Ghost Stations,
from the humorously titled Marconi Union. Featuring a trio
of fine electronic musicians—Richard Talbot, Jamie
Crossley and Duncan Meadows, the Marconi Union sounds mixes
electronic music with a kind of experimental edge, not unlike Tangerine
Dream mixing elements of jazz into the spectrum. Adding to the hypnotic,
trance-inducing sound this time are added contributions by Giorgio
Li Calzi (trumpet) and Andy Dobson (clarinet) while keeping
the patented Marconi Union sound in place. Long time fans of the band’s
earlier album releases will not be disappointed in the sweeping, pulsing
vibe of Ghost Stations, which is suitably packaged with truly
ghostly looking artwork. Fourteen years after their 2003 debut,
Marconi Union takes their sound into stranger and deeper
waters with Ghost Stations. www.MarconiUnion.com
LUCKY
ME RECORDS – New and interesting electronic instrumental
music can be appreciated on the debut album of Parc en Ciel called
Path Integral. The music here is the brainchild
of Paris born / Scotland based composer and e-music recording artist
Mathieu Thomas. The sound has a connection back to the French
minimalist art-rock sound and some tracks are also steeped in the
ambient Americana guitar instrumentals of Tortoise and TransAm and
also Low era Bowie as well as all types of cutting edge soundtrack
music for that matter. The music was influenced by a range of instrumental
electronica too but there’s clearly an avant garde rock edge
to the music which helps to separate it. Meaning French for “Park
Sky”, whole album is quite well recorded. With the title track
dedicated to Dr. Richard, and after perusing their amazing web site,
it’s clear that these guys have interesting brains. With a staggering
range of futuristic electronic sounds here, the future universe is
open wide for Parc en Ciel. www.luckyme.net/parcenciel
MARTINIZING
MUSIC – The name of Swiss composer Martin Tillman might
not be very familiar to music fans yet his 2016 CD Superhuman might
very well change that. Featuring twelve tracks of instrumental music,
the sound of Superhuman sounds very much inspired by the works
of Mike Oldfield and Jean Michel Jarre. Like those composers, Tillman’s
music is equally evocative and is filled with chill out grooves and
trance and dance beats that glorify the sound of Tillman’s heavily
processed cello and string sounds, almost to the point of not even
recognizing it. Tillman has contributed to countless movie soundtracks
and released following a string of solo albums, Superhuman features
Martin’s music backed up in the studio by some of the best session
players, including guitarists Davey Johnstone, Michael Landau
and Graham Russell, along with other big names like Vinnie
Colaiuta (drums), Leland Sklar (bass), David Paich (keys)
and much more. Very much inspired by big screen soundtrack music,
Superhuman sounds larger than life. www.martintillman.com
MELODIC
REVOLUTION – Progressive rock graphic artist Leon Alvarado
returns in 2016 with his latest solo album called The Future
Left Behind. With an impressive pedigree in the rock
music world, on The Future Left Behind Leon joins forces with
a number of musicians who appear on his latest CD, including Rick
Wakeman and Billy Sherwood, while the album mastering is
handled by Andy Jackson. Commenting on his new album, Leon
explains, “It is the most ambitious album I have created so far.
The idea of making a concept album out of instrumental progressive
rock music had appealed to me ever since I first heard Rick Wakeman's’
Journey To The Centre Of The Earth. My goal was to create something
that would combine the artwork and the music into one cohesive vision.”
Featuring spoken word intros and instrumental music tracks, Leon Alvarado’s
The Future Left Behind is a major work worthy of the ears of
prog-rock fans worldwide. www.LeonPlaysMusic.com
MIG-MUSIC
/ SLEDGEHAMMER – In
1970, Finland’s late great Pekka Pohjola began to pave the way
for the unfolding popularity of symphonic instrumental jazz-rock fusion
in Finland. Although he tragically died at the end of 2008, Pohjola
would have appreciated Untold Stories, the 2016
CD by Finnish jazz-rock guitarist Jartse Tuominen. Released
by the 
Germany-based
Mig Music, Jartse’s CD is filled with scintillating instrumental
fusion that tastefully combines a distilled 21st century jazz-rock
with that Neoclassica,l symphonic Finnish classical instrumental rock
sound that made Pekka Pohjola such a vital, yet overlooked composer
/ innovator. Speaking about the international flavor of his latest
album, Jartse tells mwe3.com "I’ve always been huge fan
of Al Di Meola, Pat Metheny, Steve Morse, John McLaughlin, Joe Satriani
etc. Seems like rock-jazz is coming back finally, with a bunch of
great new bands all over the world playing rock-jazz, so I really
hope it will find its way for bigger audience." Untold
Stories is actually Jartse’s fifth solo album. On hand is
Pohjola’s late-period drummer Anssi Nykänen (sharing
percussion chores with Brannen Temple), Harri Rantanen and
Steve Bernal (both bass) and Pekka Siistonen (keys).
In the spirit of Pekka Pohjola, Jartse often sprinkles his symphonic
jazz-rock fusion sound with traces of musical humour—case in
point here
being
track six “Trouble Shuffle”. Recorded in both Finland and
Texas, Untold Stories is an all-around instrumental jazz-rock
fusion masterpiece by Finnish guitar wiz Jartse Tuominen. www.jartse.com
NONESUCH
RECORDS – Guitarist and composer Pat Metheny is having
a good year with the release of two unique yet different sounding
releases on the esteemed Nonesuch Records label. Culled from a filmed
DVD performance by The Pat Metheny Unity Group, the double
CD set of The Unity Sessions features the jazz legend
in the studio with fine players 
including
Chris Potter (sax, flute, guitar), Antonio Sanchez (drums,
cajon) and Ben Williams (bass). Also on hand is Giulio Carmassi
(piano, synth). Metheny’s Unity Group released Kin in
2014 and now, essentially the soundtrack to The Unity Sessions
DVD comes out as a 2 CD set. Metheny’s sound and vision is
quite explosive on The Unity Sessions CD. The sound has the
trademark Metheny guitar sound all over it and there’s plenty
of swinging, atmospheric instrumental sounds to make long time fans
sit up and notice. Highlights of the double CD include covers of Ornette
Coleman’s “Police People” and a cover of the Ray Noble-penned
jazz classic “Cherokee”, as well as the tuneful “Two
Folk Songs (#1)” while liner notes by Metheny takes the listener
inside his mindset during the making of this epic moment in jazz fusion
history. Also out on Nonesuch in 2016 is a single CD called Cuong
Vu Trio Meets Pat Metheny. With Metheny adding in his
patented guitar sounds and one Metheny original, The Cuong Vu Trio—Cuong
Vu (trumpet), Stomu Takeishi (bass) and Ted Poor—supplies
the solid foundation. Commenting on the album, Metheny adds, “Cuong
came up with a great set of tunes for the project, and we all met
in NYC for a few days and recorded this music quite quickly and spontaneously.
This project is something that Cuong and I have talked about doing
for years.” Both The Unity Sessions and Cuong Vu
Trio Meets Pat Metheny offers a stellar cross section of intense
instrumental jazz fusion sounds. www.patmetheny.com
/ www.cuongvu.com
PLAYGROUND
MUSIC SCANDINAVIA – Flying under the prog radar for way too
long, in 2016, Swedish drummer Magnus Östrom released
his third album Parachute to wide acclaim in the jazz
fusion community. On Parachute, Magnus is all over the
instrumental fusion map, and backing up his drumming and compositional
skills are fine musicians including Andreas Hourdakis (guitars),
Thobias Gabrielson (bass, keys) and Daniel Karlsson (piano,
keys). Long time drummer for the trio of the late Esbjörn Svensson
(e.s.t.), Magnus shines in this quartet setting, writing music that
combines European jazz with American smooth jazz influences as well.
It’s rare to find a band leading drummer that writes music but
you can really hear the propulsion and steady rhythms in the groove
based melodies. If comparisons be made, Magnus reminds of the great
Terry Bozzio who was comfortable in any kind of music, from prog instrumental
to experimental jazz and beyond. Fans of Bozzio and even Bill Bruford’s
solo album post-YES would enjoy Magnus Östrom’s Parachute.
www.magnusostrom.com
PRODUCT
OF IMAGINATION RECORDS – On his 2016 CD, Verde
NYC-based guitarist Francisco Pais is all over the musical
map. Credited to his band Francisco Pais’ Lotus Project,
the 14 track CD never wears out its welcome and is filled with a range
of instrumental jazz, rock and mixtures of all kinds of experimental
instrumental music. There’s even a few jazzier pop vocal numbers
for a change of pace. Commenting on the CD, Francisco explains, “When
I make an album I am always driven by the creative collaborations
I will have in order to give birth to any project. To be recording
with the people I admire and love, my friends, it’s truly a blessing.”
The album features Francisco in the studio with a range of players
including Myron Walden and Godwin Louis (sax), Ferenc
Nemeth (drums), Julian Shore (keys) and Connor Schultze
(bass). Although Francisco lists Hendrix, Clapton and Chuck Berry
among his big influences, the bulk of Verde is cutting edge
jazz that creates an exciting interplay between all the musicians
here. On Verde, Francisco Pais brings together and combines
a wealth of musical influences and styles. www.franciscopais.com
RED
RIVER ENTERTAINMENT – Georgia-based smooth jazz artist Bob
Baldwin is winning over fans with his 2016 double CD set called
The Brazilian-American Soundtrack. Americans have a
long standing interest in Brazilian music and Bob’s latest CD
is just the ticket to satisfy that interest. The double CD set features
two parts—“Movement 1: Rio-Ipanema” and Movment II:
New York”. Mixing NYC style funky jazz with Brazilian Samba /
Bossa Nova music makes for a good match and clearly Bob gets to satisfy
both of his long standing musical styles with this well-recorded double
album. A number of musical guests appear including Brazilian artists
Café Da Silva, Torcuato Mariano and more and
on the NYC half, guest artists include Marion Meadows, Freddy
V and other artists. Bob’s entire band is first rate throughout
the two CD set and the up-tempo, upbeat mix of smooth jazz and Brazilian
music is a great idea in theory and in practice. Featuring eye-popping
cover art and a fully detailed CD booklet, The Brazilian-American
Soundtrack is one of the best albums yet to successfully and tastefully
combine two favorite, long prized genres among music lovers. www.BobBaldwin.com
RETSO
RECORDS – A master of both the trumpet and flugel horn, Bay
Area based musician / composer Jeff Oster made music fans quite
happy with his recent albums, next and Surrender and
he will no doubt make those same fans happy again 
with
his 2016 CD Live! The seven track Live! was recorded
during Jeff's shows at The Fenix venue in San Rafael California in
late 2015 and early 2016. The CD was superbly recorded with just the
slightest audience noises and the recording sounds great. For his
first ever live CD, Jeff is joined by excellent musicians including
Michael Manring (bass), Todd Boston (guitar), Celso
Alberti (drums) and Frank Martin (keys). Playing before
a hometown crowd, Oster proves to be a truly versatile musician. Drawing
upon the best of his studio work, Live! (including tracks from
next and Surrender) captures one of America’s best
New Age / Ambient Jazz artists in rare form performing before a most
appreciative audience. www.JeffOsterLive.com
RUNE
GRAMMOFON – Norway’s Rune Grammofon label is on the
cutting edge of adventurous jazz and eclectic rock and it doesn’t
get any more eclectic than guitarist Hedvig Mollestad. The
five cut, 33 minute 2016 CD by Hedvig Mollestad Trio is called
Black Stabat Mater, which comes hot on the heels
of a highly charged and atmospheric, 69 minute live album recorded
in 2015 called Evil In Oslo. Superbly recorded,
the album sounds very influenced by Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi.
Both albums feature Ms. Mollestad’s guitar sounds in trio form
with Ellen Brekken (bass) and Ivar Loe Bjornstad (drums).
Her latest and heaviest sounding studio album, Black Stabat Mater
ranges from very hard rock instrumental instrumental ala Jimmy
Page and Robin Trower to a more atmospheric, cutting edge experimental
guitar sounds that sometimes hark back to late 1960s West Coast psychedelic
music. Each of these albums offers a stunning showcase for the Molldestad
Trio, and Hedvig is one of the premier 21st century female instrumental
rock guitarists in the Nordic regions. www.runegrammofon.com
SCRAMPION
RECORDS – Australian piano ace Casey Golden released
Miniature by The Casey Golden Trio on his label
and the results offer some truly ear-opening instrumental jazz. A
piano trio with Bill Williams (bass) and Ed Rodrigues (drums),
the sound of Miniature is quite appealing, adventurous and
abstract—and quite easy on the ears. Daniel Walsh guests
on guitars but the main attraction here is Casey Golden’s fluid
piano and compositions, which never seem to wear out their welcome.
The CD features 4 parts, or movements, including an “Interlude”,
that clocks in around 25 minutes. Golden is part of the new jazz movement
and with plenty of jazz to look back on, it’s still nice to know
the art of jazz piano composition is in good hands with Casey Golden.
www.caseygolden.com
STRATHMERE
MUSIC – Coming to the attention of mwe3.com thanks to his
fine keyboard work on the 2016 CD by Boston-based rockers The Grand
Undoing, Chris Nole steps out on his own with the 2016 CD release
of his album called It Be What It Be. Described
as “a rousing celebration of vintage blues, rock & roll,
and New Orleans-style piano and song”, the 12 track CD is fine
example of Chris Nole’s piano and vocal skills. On It Be What
It Be, Chris is joined by top players like Pat Bergeson,
Pat Buchanon, Andy Reiss and Jack Pearson (guitars),
Dow Tomlim (bass), Chris Brown (drums) and more. The
album is a great exercise in roots-rock and blues piano. Further commenting
about the album in the album liner notes, Chris explains, ‘The
old school piano masters like Professor Longhair, Randy Newman, Ray
Charles, Dr. John, and others have had a profound influence on how
I’ve learned to perform and write music.’ Amid Nole’s
bluesy vocals and rock sounds are some cool-sounding piano-centric
instrumentals including an unusual instro cover here of the traditional
favorite “House Of The Rising Sun”. Featuring the songs,
vocals and piano magic of Chris Nole, It Be What It Be is one
of the best vintage piano-based blues albums of 2016. www.chrisnole.com
SUNNYSIDE
COMMUNICATIONS – Brazilian guitarist Romero Lubambo lives
in NYC yet he continues on espousing the wonders of bossa nova jazz
on this 2016 CD Septembro: A Brazilian Under The Influence.
The music that Antonio Carlos Jobim left to his fans has stood
the test of time and more importantly, has inspired a whole new generation
of Brazilian jazz fans to follow suit and even contribute a whole
new canon of music of their own. From the album liner notes, Romero
states, “In these recordings I bring all the influences from
my childhood and play like a Brazilian, under the Jazz influence.”
Romero combines his nylon string classical guitar expertise with some
electric guitar as well as acoustic guitar and the results make for
a highly listenable and well-recorded album of instrumental, guitar-centric
bossa nova jazz melodies and arrangements. www.RomeroLubambo.com
SUSILA
MUSIC – Fusion jazz guitarist Prasanna is taking the
music world by storm with his 2015 CD, All Terrain Guitar.
The mainly instrumental album features Prasanna backed up by fine
horn players including Dave Douglas (trumpet), a pair of bass
players and a pair of drummers along with a pair of singers who add
wordless vocals to the jazz sound. There’s also some hot piano
on a couple tracks by Vijay Iyer. Coming from India, Prasanna’s
compositions occasionally dip into the Indian music scales yet his
electric and acoustic guitar work here takes center stage. Recorded
in NYC and Boston, All Terrain Guitar will impress jazz-rock
fans and world groove listeners with its eclectic palate of colorful
and hard hitting instrumental jazz-rock guitar sounds. www.GuitarPrasanna.com
ULTIMAE
– In June 2016, France based Ultimae released Unyt
by the musical entity known as Scann-Tec. The project
of Russian music composer and sound sculptor Vladislav Isaev,
the ten track Unyt CD may feature all Russian sounding titles,
but the all instrumental nature of the music means it will be played
and enjoyed the world over. A master synthesist and electronic composer,
Vladislav has worked with The Future Sound Of London in the past and
with its cinematic downtempo aesthetics, the Unyt project is
filled with a distinctive and dynamic approach to 21st century electronica.
The CD/DL release of Unyt follows the release of several projects
and solo albums by Scann-Tec. www.unyt.ru
/ www.ultimae.com
ULTIMATE
VIBE RECORDINGS – The art of smooth jazz really took off
in the early 1990s and it continues onwards today. A modern master
of the smooth jazz art form, guitarist Chris Strandring released
his album Ten in 2016. Chris says the album was
greatly inspired by his Benedetto Bambino archtop guitar. That guitar
gets a great workout on the all-instrumental jazz sound of Ten.
Jazz guitar purists will probably be the first to tell you that
jazz genius Wes Montgomery was the originator of the smooth jazz sound
back in the late 1960s when he cut all those great CTI albums and
fans of Wes and other modern guitar heroes would do well to pick up
Strandring’s jazz masterpiece Ten. Backing up Chris in
the studio are cool jazzers including the rhythm section of Andre
Berry (bass) and Chris Coleman (drums) and the CD features
many other fine musicians. The art of smooth jazz guitar instrumentals
rises to a higher level on Chris Strandring’s Ten. www.ChrisStrandring.com
YARDBIRD
ARTS – Over in the U.K. Gypsy Jazz guitarist Remi Harris
is making sound waves with his 2016 CD In On The Two.
The all instrumental CD kicks off with a rousing cover of “Can’t
Buy Me Love” and just goes on to better sounds with more covers
of Bill Evans, Irving Berlin, Buddy Montgomery, Neil Young, Thelonius
Monk and more. All played to Gyspy Jazz perfection, In On The Two
features Remi backed up by double bassist Mike Green but
he makes ample sounds on his high strung Gypsy Jazz guitar. Remi’s
dexterity on guitar is nothing to scoff at and the CD booklet features
track by track liner notes that take you into the guitarist’s
frames of mind. In On The Two is time well spent among guitar
aficionados. www.RemiHarris.com
REISSUES
& RETROSPECTIVES
ALUCA MUSIC – Dutch composer / musician Arjen Anthony
Lucassen released his first album back in 1996, except he didn’t
release it under his own name. That 22 track album, Strange
Hobby was a tribute to the spirit of the 1960s and featured
Arjen singing and playing everything. Pink Floyd, The Beatles, The
Kinks, The Beach Boys, Bob Dylan, Donovan, The Move and countless
others get the Arjen treatment on Strange Hobby, which will
appeal to fans of classic rock from the 1960s. Speaking about the
album, Arjen recalls, “Back in 1996 I had so much fun recording
Strange Hobby! It was great to take a break from recording
my complex, bombastic Ayreon prog-extravaganzas and blow off some
steam blasting out these rocky cover versions of my favorite songs
from the sixties.” Although he’s now a prog-rock legend
among fans of the genre, it’s nice to see how Arjen’s early
prog-rock and pop roots so greatly influenced his music. Well done
and worth a listen, Strange Hobby is a great tribute to the
power of the 1960s. www.ArjenLucassen.com
BUREAU
B – In 2011, Holland-based neoclassical / minimalist music
composer Michel Banabila released his album Migratons (see
mwe3.com February 2011) and although it’s not his new album per
se, Germany based Bureau B released Early Works: Things Popping
Up From The Past. The eleven track Early Works takes
a look at music Banabila composed over the years with some of it going
back to the 1980s. A renowned composer and sound artist, Banabila
has composed a variety of music for film and video art, and Early
Works offers a keen insight into his mindset as a younger composer.
He’s been compared to a number of historic composers, including
the master of classical minimalism Erik Satie, with whom he shares
a kindred affinity for intimate low key romantic vignettes but there’s
the experimental side that’s also been compared to some works
of Michael Nyman and even Philip Glass. Featuring low-key, haunting
piano musings to more expressive electronica, Early Works is
a glimpse into the mindset of Michel Banabila’s often overlooked,
yet quite fascinating experimental instrumental sound views. www.banabila.bandcamp.com
CREATIVE
MUSICAL ARTS – 1981 is a blur to me in 2016 but 35 years
later rock legend Greg Lake has repackaged his 1981 album Greg
Lake with his second solo album Manoeuvres from
1983, on a double CD set with 4 bonus tracks. Admittedly lost after
the break up of Emerson Lake & Palmer, Greg Lake went for a more
commercial AOR sound on these albums uniting with members of Toto
on the bonus cuts. Even so, uniting with guitar great Gary Moore
and Alex Harvey Band drummer Ted McKenna and keyboardist
Tommy Eyre makes sure the album keeps the sound at very high
levels. The album booklet takes the listener back to Lake’s mindset
after leaving ELP and the overall daze that permeated much of 1981.
Included on Lake’s self-titled debut is a track co-written with
Bob Dylan and there’s also a cover of “You Really
Got A Hold On Me” offered as a bonus cut. Center at all times
is Lake’s dramatic voice, indelibly stamped into the fans of
his legendary work in both King Crimson and ELP. www.greglake.com
EAGLE
ROCK ENTERTAINMENT – Eagle Rock continues releasing historically
valid music and video, case in point being Eagle’s 2016 DVD +
CD of What Happened, Miss Simone. Essentially
the story of the life and career of the late singer - composer Nina
Simone, who passed away in 2003, the movie retells her life story
through extensive live concert footage as well as interviews of family,
friends and musicians she worked with. Highlights of the movie include
her involvement in the 1960s civil rights movement and her relocating
to Africa and then Europe in the early 1970s. Directed by Liz Garbus
and produced by Amy Hobby, the 2 hour DVD and Blu-ray is
accompanied by a 15 track CD of live and studio songs Nina recorded
during the 1950s and ‘60s, including classics like “Don’t
Let Me Be Misunderstood”, “I Loves You, Porgy”, “Strange
Fruit”, “I Put A Spell On You” and many more. www.EagleRockEnt.com
GONZO
MULTIMEDIA – U.K. based Gonzo released Madison Park by
The RAZ Band in 2015 and in 2016, the label offers a best of,
appropriately called The Best Of RAZ. The 19
track Best Of RAZ features singer-songwriter Michael Raz
backed up by a number of musicians including album RAZ producer
Joey Molland (of Badfinger) and Joe Vitale, Stu Cook
(bassist from Creedence) and more. The 19 track Best Of RAZ
draws on a number of album releases going back to the late 1980s.
The Best Of RAZ gives listeners who turned on to Madison
Park, 19 more good reasons to listen to Michael Raz and The RAZ
Band. www.gonzomultimedia.co.uk
GONZO
MULTIMEDIA – Guitarist in the 1970s World Groove rock band
Osibisa, Gregg Kofi Brown is paid honors with the 2016
CD release of his 17 track / 69 minute anthology, Rock ‘n’
Roll And UFO’s, released on UK based Gonzo Multimedia.
Released at the same time as his book of the same name, Rock ‘n’
Roll And UFOs, the CD, features a driving mix of pop, rock, soul,
funky Afro-centric R&B and dance music that features Gregg in
the studio with music legends Dominic Miller (guitars), John
Rabbit Bundrick (keys) and many others, the album mixes unreleased
tracks, remixes and demos all in one concise album. The liner notes
are quite illuminating too, taking the reader on the amazing journey
of Gregg’s career with Osibisa and the myriad of connections
he made in the music world. A fine spotlight of a music legend on
the World Music scene, Gregg Kofi Brown’s Rock ‘n’
Roll And UFO’s is one of the funkiest CD compilations of
2016. www.greggkofibrown.co.uk
GUERSSEN
RECORDS – Spanish label Guerssen is making reissue fans with
their double CD reissue of San Francisco Earthquake by
the late 1960’s early ‘70s California-based band Uther
Pendragon. Musically, the sound of Uther Pendragon touches on
West Coast psychedelia, evoking the sounds of Quicksilver and Grateful
Dead and other late ‘60s bands like The Blues Magoos and Blue
Cheer. Guerssen’s double CD set comes with a 24 page booklet
and the album is also available as a 3Lp box set with an 8 page insert.
The band also sounds quite influenced by early Stones and Yardbirds
music. The band’s original manager Craig Pederson has
done a great job finally making sure the band’s music appeared
on CD and vinyl. Fans of ‘60s psychedelia and garage rock will
get a sonic jolt from the timeless psychedelic rock sound of Uther
Pendragon. www.guerssen.com
HOWE
SOUNDS – Some of my best memories of working with 20th century
guitar magazine and Real News magazine was seeing and meeting YES
guitarist Steve Howe live in concert. Steve was a key performer
at the 20th Century Guitar concert event Lilies Of The Field, co-produced
by Steve and Annie Haslam in November 1995 and I met him the night
of the show, just before the concert at the fabled Chinese vegan restaurant
Zen Palate. With the passing of YES founder and bass icon Chris Squire
in 2015, it now is truly up to Howe to figure out how the band’s
legacy will be viewed by 2050, when we will most likely, all finally
be gone. I wish him luck. As if to remind YES fans about his unsurpassed
guitar skills and composing skills as a solo recording artist, in
2016 Steve released the sixth chapter of his home demo recordings,
Homebrew 6 on his Howe Sounds label. A curator who clearly
enjoys trolling through the vaults, Howe is a true hoarder of not
only YES music but his own music and by dissecting all the various
elements of his demo recordings you can truly see the inside sound
story behind his numerous solo albums and YES music. For example,
Steve starts off the 18 track, 54 minute CD with two demos from the
YES album Heaven And Earth, which he admits was “fraught
with difficulties”. Much better is a great sounding alternate
version here of 1993’s title track, “The Grand Scheme Of
Things”, which is among his greatest moments as a solo artist.
Other album outtakes here reexamines Time, with Paul K.
Joyce and Paul Sutin, two of Howe’s long time collaborators.
The 1980 YES album Drama is represented with demos as well
as tracks from ABWH and GTR. A number of Howe solo albums are also
represented with a number of vocal and instrumental demos that range
from audiophile quality to Howe-approved “Homebrew” demo
quality. The CD is the way to go as the booklet features a number
of Howe’s photographs, cover art by Roger Dean and track-by-track
liner notes by Howe that gives a good indication of the history that
was made with these tunes. www.stevehowe.com
HUX
RECORDS – The late ‘60s early 1970’s prog-rock
band Quintessence was brought to the attention of mwe3.com
by the Colin Harper. Producer of the double CD Quintessence
set, Spirits From Another Time, Harper is not only a
fantastic musician—check his work on the Sunset Cavaliers album—but
he’s also an astute musicologist. Colin was also involved in
the Quintessence album production, which took place in Belfast, London,
New York and Leeds. Flying under the radar back in the day, Quintessence
released a number of studio albums during their tenure and they’ve
also been compared to better known early U.K. innovators like The
Incredible String Band and even Third Ear Band to name a couple. Harper’s
notations on Quintessence are truly mind-blowing and to his credit
he also writes about others who were involved the HUX double CD set
such as sound guru Cormac O’Kane and original Quintessence
producer John Barham. Spirits From Another Time is a
fascinating look into the history of Quintessence—one of the
last progressive great underground U.K. bands of the ‘60s. www.huxrecords.com
IN
AND OUT OF FOCUS RECORDS – The Dutch band Focus are
still considered one of Holland’s great instrumental classical
jazz-rock bands. Still kicking around in 2016, Focus released Focus
8.5 / Beyond The Horizon. The band recorded this album
back in 2005 and it’s finally seeing the light of day in 2016.
Recorded during the band’s South American tour, the seven track
CD has the trademark Focus sound but there’s also a definite
South American influence thanks to the appearance of producer Marvio
Ciribelli, as well as a range of South American musicians like
drummer Marcio Bahia. The core Focus band on 8.5 includes
long time keyboardist Thijs Van Leer, Pierre Van Der Linden
(drums), Bobby Jacobs (bass) and Jan Dumée (guitars).
The concept of pairing the neoclassical Focus sound with the free
sounding grooves of colorful South American and Brazilian music grows
on you and despite being recorded way back in 2005, the album still
feels fresh and exciting. The 2016 CD release of Focus 8.5 / Beyond
The Horizon is welcome news for long time fans of this Dutch musical
institution. www.focustheband.com
MANIFESTO
RECORDS – L.A. based Manifesto did a great job on their early
2016 Lee Michaels box set and they do an equally remarkable job on
their late 2016 six CD box set by The Turtles entitled The
Complete Original Album Collection. Coinciding with
the box set is a double Turtles CD set on Manifesto, called All
The Singles—pairing all the A and B sides of the monster
Turtles hits. One of the first bands to burst out of
the mid 1960's Los Angeles pop scene that gave us legends like The
Doors, Love and The Leaves, The Turtles were the brainchild of singers
Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan. Kaylan—from the
Bronx in NYC—and Los Angeles native Volman, hit upon a brilliant
formula with The Turtles, who quickly became a favorite among the
AM radio teenybopper fans who were just coming into their teens during
the age of Sgt. Pepper. Despite being pegged as a singles only
band, The Turtles actually released a number of studio albums. Rhino
reissued a double CD best of back in 2002 and Sundazed even took a
crack at the Turtles’ back catalog, yet seeing it all “under
one roof” in Manifesto's appealing box set, containing all the
mono / stereo mixes and a wealth of ear opening Turtles rarities—plus
an extensive booklet and liner notes by Andrew Sandoval—is
a timely reminder of the power of pop music in the 1960s. Like The
Mamas & The Papas, the Turtles’ albums were overlooked during
the age of mid ‘60s Beatlemania—that incredible 1965 period
when the teenyboppers were slowly graduating to buying Lps. Pressured
by their label White Whale into constantly recreating huge hits, like
“Happy Together”, the band’s identity and true potential
got lost in the power play shuffle of the music biz—as did so
many great bands of the era. Also remember that, so great was the
power of the Beatles that no one could encroach upon their domination
of the pop singles charts and the pop album charts. In many ways,
The Turtles were merely an opening act for Volman and Kaylan, who
evolved into Flo & Eddie due to record company control of their
names. Post-Turtles work with Frank Zappa and T. Rex is historic,
but the Turtles’ legacy keeps growing into the 21st century with
Manifesto’s tasty Turtles CD box set. www.manifesto.com
MANTICORE
/ BMG - What ever Steven Wilson did to the remix
of the first Emerson Lake & Palmer album—it’s
sheer magic. That first ELP album from the autumn of 1970 was powerful
enough to keep groups like YES at bay but not for long. Wilson remixed
both the first Emerson Lake & Palmer album and its follow
up Tarkus (1971) and Wilson’s remix is featured
as disc 2 on a pair of 2016 double CD sets that also features new
remasters of the of the original album by engineer Andy Pearce.
Both albums are truly a historic find for ELP fans and I sincerely
hope Keith Emerson got to hear Wilson’s remixes before
he left us earlier this year. That special chemistry between Keith
Emerson and Greg Lake and Carl Palmer was originally
glued together in the studio by fabled engineer Eddy Offord,
soon to be the engineer / producer svengali behind the YES sound of
1972. Eddy gave it that spectacular sound that now can be even more
fully realized thanks to the sonic genius of Steven Wilson. Some may
scoff at tampering with the tapes, but by fully adjusting the sound
spectrum to max out the CD to a perfect balance, Steven Wilson has
truly brought ELP into the 21st century. Also out is a double CD set
of the third ELP album Pictures At An Exhibition featuring
the original 1971 live album with an alternate mix on disc 2, along
with live tracks from the Mar Y Sol Festival in Puerto Rico on April
12, 1972. Choice tracks from the group’s many classic albums
can be sampled on the three CD set called The Anthology
with three and a half hours of music and pics galore with voluminous
liner notes by writer the "Raver" Chris Welch of
1970s era Melody Maker fame. Long time fans will want to hear the
remixes by Steven Wilson but of you’re just catching up in time,
the three CD set is a great way to meet Emerson Lake & Palmer.
www.bmg.com
MPL
/ CONCORD MUSIC GROUP - Famed record label executive Nancy
Jeffries is the head of NYC based MPL—the record company
and publishing branch owned by Paul McCartney. A legend of
the A&R world of the major label music biz—who also helped
sign the underrated Marti Jones to her first recording deal in the
mid 1980's—Jeffries did some quite impressive research and investigation,
while spearheading her team for the 67 track, 4 CD set released in
2016 called Pure McCartney, which was released
as a condensed 2 CD version as well. A compilation of various post-Beatles
McCartney music, Pure McCartney features most the Wings
era hits but it extends outward and upward to include more recent
music that he wrote and recorded following the passing of Wings' cofounder
Linda McCartney in 1997. The album liner notes features detailed
discography info, including key info on the musicians with a focus
on the engineers and producers and recording studio data. Yes, there
are well known Macca tracks like “Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey”
and even the underrated post-Lennon classic “Wanderlust”
but there’s enough rarities and singles versions, even on the
disc 2 condensed version—including Macca’s 2014 single “Hope
For The Future”, produced by Giles Martin—to make
of interest to hard core Macca “purists”. www.paulmccartney.com
PURPLE
PYRAMID – Recorded live at the famous Winterland concert
hall on New Year’s Eve 12/31/69, the 2016 CD release of More
Happy Trails 1969 features a classic gig from the original
lineup of Quicksilver Messenger Service. The gig featured the
triumphant return to the ranks of Dino Valenti joined here
by the classic Quicksilver lineup of Gary Duncan (guitar),
Nicky Hopkins (keys) and more. The band had just released Shady
Grove and was poised to carry on with the rest of the Quicksilver
albums soon to be coming. The late great Valenti was in fine form
that night and the CD sound isn’t bad for a 46 year old bootleg.
Valenti’s voice sounds great all these years later. Liner notes
by Dave Thompson puts the gig into perspective for 21st century
music fans. Maybe the most underrated of all the finest West Coast
psychedelic bands, Quicksilver may be a distant memory for old hippies
and the kids might never understand them but back then Quicksilver
was a beacon of sonic perfection and their music still amazes in a
whole new century. www.cleopatrarecords.com
REAL MUSIC – One
of the legendary artists on the California-based Real Music label,
Bernward Koch is back in 2016 with a compilation album called
Touched by Love. One of the Euro legends of the
New Age music scene, Bernward has over the years, released seven albums
on Real Music and his eighth, Touched by Love compiles some
of his favorite tracks with the kicker being that the CD features
two newly recorded tracks called “Memories of A Cherry Tree”
and “Hope.” Thanks to the 
expertise
of Real Music’s mastering, the music effortlessly flows from
one track to the next, regardless of what year the music is from.
Speaking with mwe3.com about his 2016 Real Music CD, Bernward says,
"Touched
by Love is my very first “Best of” record and I was actually
surprised how good that works—with
so many tracks we might produce another “Best of” album
on another topic. First I thought it would not be easy to put “Ever
Returning” from the 1989 Flowing album together with the two
new tracks from 2016 on one record, but it works fantastically!"
A
gifted multi-instrumentalists and composer, Bernward
plays a number of instruments on the CD including piano, synths and
electronic keys, guitar, bass guitar and all manner of percussion
while receiving some support from his brother Christoph Koch (12
string guitar, drums) and his wife Christiane Böhm (flute).
Perfect for meditation or sonic relaxation, Touched by Love is
a splendid introduction to the timeless New Age instrumental sound
of Bernward Koch. www.RealMusic.com
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