MWE3.COM
MUSIC NEWS & NOTES
The
SPRING 2017 RECORD LABEL SPOTLIGHT
POP
& ROCK
ANNA
FERMIN MUSIC - A cool little CD of contemporary Americana, You
Belong Here is a good introduction to the music of Anna
Fermin. Credited to Anna Fermin’s Trigger Gospel,
the ten track CD mixes in country rock and pop to great effect. Lead
singer Anna Fermin gets solid backing from her Trigger Gospel
band mates. Some tracks are slightly derivative (“I’ve Got
Friends” sounds a lot like “Makin’ Whoopee”) but
Anna’s voice carries the day on most of the tracks and the support
from her band is quite inventive and the songs are for the most part
toe-tapping and catchy. With five previous albums to their credit,
Anna Fermin’s Trigger Gospel is back in fine form with You
Belong Here. www.triggergospel.net
CARPARK
RECORDS – Hands down the best record company name I’ve
heard in a while, Carpark released Slugger, by
the artist known as SAD13. The moniker of singer-songwriter
Sadie Dupuis, the eleven cut CD is futuristic space age pop.
This kind of music was thought to be the music of the future and guess
what, it’s hear now. The CD is brilliantly packaged with unbelievable
looking artwork. Lead singer with the band Speedy Ortiz, on Slugger
Ms. Dupuis quite tastefully distills 50 years of rock like moves
into a time machine of an album. Influences seem to collide: 1960s
style melodies, combined with progressive elements and jettisoning
forward into the droll nature of 1990 retro-post Bangles girl group
sounds and all types of synth inspired dance music and even early
1980s post punk. In addition to her memorable songs and spot-on vocals,
Ms. Dupuis also proved her worth as an able bodied guitarist, coaxing
all manners of sounds from her guitars, including laptop keyboards
(lol) and fine drumming from Gabe Wax. Hear the future of rock
today on Slugger by Sadie Dupuis. www.carparkrecords.com
CHICKENCOOP
RECORDINGS – Back in 1968, the band Silver Apples released
what has now become a world renowned, self-titled debut album on the
Kapp Records label. Somewhere between Iron Butterfly and early ‘70s
Gong, the wildly eccentric electronic rock sound is revived again
on a 2016 CD by Silver Apples called appropriately Clinging
To A Dream. Had band leader, keyboardist and vocalist
Simeon not broken his neck in a tour bus crash this first album
in 20 years might have happened sooner. But for those who thrilled
to the original band ’68 classic, Clinging To A Dream will
be in for a treat as the studio sound is excellent and fully features
Simeon’s inventive keyboard sounds and spacy effects, songs and
vocal arrangements. Born in 1938, Simeon is a legend of the early
electronic scene of the mid ‘60s when American bands like The
Zodiac and Clear Light were making freak out psychedelia. Performing
as the last surviving member on Clinging To A Dream, Simeon
gets to bring his Silver Apples vision into the 21st century. www.silverapples.com
ECHO
XS RECORDS - With
NYC and Los Angeles still the central hot spots for the American rock
music scene, being a working musician in South Florida can be challenging.
Even so, Florida-based guitarist / songwriter Billy Livesay rises
to the occasion with Hold On… Life Is Calling,
his 2016 album with the Miami-based band The Livesays.
Billy cut his teeth working with Springsteen’s sax man, the late
Clarence Clemons as well as touring with Tone Stevens of Foghat and
Savoy Brown, and as 
this
CD proves, The Livesays really pull out the stops with the action-packed
sound of Hold On… Life Is Calling. As a singer-songwriter,
lead guitarist and front man, Billy takes the pop-rock music art form
to unexpected heights with the Livesays’ 2016 album release.
Speaking about this 2016 rock classic, Billly tells mwe3.com, “As
the group The Livesays, this is our fourth album. The first, Little
Bit Of Hurt was a bit more bluesy/country-rock. There was a different
line-up of musicians that influenced the direction at that time. Hold
On… Life Is Calling is an evolution of 2011’s Rose Colored
Glasses and 2014’s Faith, Hope And Love. I don’t consider
it the best because I love the last 2 albums. Again, it’s just
a musical evolution.” The music on Hold On… Life
Is Calling spans the range of human emotions, from lost and unrequited
love to parental loss and socially satirical diatribes about the chaos
of life in the 21st century. Showcasing Billy's Springsteen-influenced
songs, all tastefully backed up by the rock-steady band sound of Victor
“Cuqui” Berrios (keys, vocals), Jorge Laplume (bass)
and Eddie Zyne (drums), Hold On… Life Is Calling is
an action-packed, hook-heavy album of memorable pop-rock classics
by South Florida’s best rock group, The Livesays. www.thelivesaysmusic.com
GUNS
OF THE SENECA – The band known as Guns Of The Seneca are
a power rock trio from Louisiana. Featuring the guitars and vocals
of Plair - David Plair, the band is further fleshed out by
Olivier (Grant Olivier - bass) and Frost (Britton Frost
- drums). Of the nine tracks, six are instrumental rock and three
feature a more prog-metal type of rock sound. The instrumental tracks
are the best part with Plair’s guitar sound given free reign
to explore the sonic universe in the best spirit of 21st century instro
rockers such as Explosions In The Sky and also guitarist Andy Summers
comes to mind during Plair’s fretboard extrapolations. The CD
packaging is excellent with lyrics of the vocal tracks and mind-blowing
color artwork adorning all six digi-pack panels. Instrumental rock
fans who like their sound hard and heavy will get an action-packed
sonic jolt from Guns Of The Seneca. www.gunsoftheseneca.bandcamp.com
KARMA
FROG – Any record label called Karma Frog better be good
and so it is. Headed up by producer / musician Adam Marsland,
Karma Frog is making waves with their 2016 CD by Rob Martinez called
New Love Environment. The ten track CD clocks
in a little over a half hour yet it’s filled with a rock solid
dose of L.A. style pop-rock. Written by Marsland and performed in
the studio by Martinez and Marsland, New Love Environment was
mastered by Concrete Blond guitar hero Earle Mankey. 
Comparisons
to McCartney, The Raspberries and even The Left Banke notwithstanding,
there’s plenty of power-pop goodness in store on New Love
Environment. Another Karma Frog CD, headed up by pop producer
Adam Marsland that’s getting loads of attention is The
Dance Divine by Pacific Soul LTD. Like the name indicates,
the 12 track CD combines So-Cal pop with a dose of soulful R&B
that should find a home among fans of Prince, The Bee Gees and even
Sly & The Family Stone. There’s even a remake of “God
Only Knows”, given a kind of pop meets R&B remake in the
spirit of Al Green. www.karmafrog.com
LOST BOY RECORDS – Norway born / Sweden based singer-songwriter
Thom Hell is making inroads into the pop world with his 2016
CD called Happy Rabbit. Younger artists like
Hell, and Sweden’s own Citizen K are making strong inroads into
the upper reaches of the pop echelon with their latest works and as
such, Thom Hell’s CD is being pitched to fans of McCartney, Harry
Nilsson and even ELO. There’s plenty of convincing evidence that
is the case and fans won’t be disappointed with Happy Rabbit.
There’s even a sidesplitting good humor track here called
“Without You”, that is believe it or not, a tribute to the
beloved Cannabis Sativa plant. Several musicians appear in
supporting roles but, with his expertise including guitars, keyboards
and bass supporting his strong suit as a singer and pop auteur, music
fans will be in for a real treat with Thom Hell’s Happy Rabbit.
www.thomhell.com
MARINA
RECORDS – German-based Marina Records label are true aficionados
of American pop. America’s greatest pop composer of the 20th
century, Brian Wilson is just one of the myriad of pop influences
in play on the 2017 CD release of The New High by Athens,
Georgia based Brent Cash. In 2001, Marina released an album
by L.A. pop greats The Free Design and in 2000 The Free Design Contributed
a track to Marina’s Brian Wilson tribute CD called Caroline
Now! As of now, that full circle is finally complete with Brent’s
New High album. With Brent performing as an entire band, the
album is pure pop pandemonium and will leave you in a state of sonic
bliss. The vertigo cover means Brent continues to take pop to new
heights... just watch that vertigo! Not every track is a masterpiece
but there’s enough pop greatness here to make The New High
worthy enough to stack-it among the pop classics of the future. www.marinarecords.com
MUTE
RECORDS – Furthering his fascination with the music of French
music composer Serge Gainsbourg, Mike Harvey released his fourth
volume of Gainsbourg covers Intoxicated Women in 2017. Gainsbourg’s
dramatic music, sung in English on the album, works like magic in
Harvey’s hands. Kind of Bowie-esque in a uniquely, tasteful way,
on Intoxicated Women Harvey enlists the help of some great
female vocalists including Channthy Kak of the Cambodian Space
Project and German singer 
Andrea
Schroeder. Harvey has also recorded a number of instrumental movie
soundtracks in Australia. Recorded in Australia and Germany, Intoxicated
Women features Harvey’s band, including electric guitar ace
J.P. Shilo, who turns in a stellar performance along with Harvey
on rhythm guitar, keyboards and vocals. Fans of retro rock legends
like Velvet Underground and Roxy Music will get a buzz from Mick Harvey’s
Intoxicated Women. www.mickharvey.com
/ www.mute.com
PIXIES MUSIC / PIAS – Going back to their early
albums in the late 1980s, The Pixies have always been on the
cutting edge of post-punk rock and pop. Nothing changes with their
2016 CD called Head Carrier. The Pixies give
The Sex Pistols a run for their money on Head Carrier. Mixed
and produced by Tom Dalgety, the 12 track Head Carrier features
a classic Pixie lineup with singer-songwriter Black Francis leading
the charge while getting back up from guitarist Joey Santiago,
David Lovering (drums) and Paz Lenchantin(bass, vocals).
Some of the songs are truly stellar such as the title track and the
album highlight “Tenement Song”. The CD album is remarkably
packaged and the lyrics are neatly tucked away in the multifarious
packaging. The Pixies carry the spirit of Bowie and Lou forward into
the 21st century with the glorious post-punk pop-rock groove of Head
Carrier. www.pixiesmusic.com
PLASTIQUE
RECORDINGS – The artist known as HiFi Sean brings
his vision of 21st century house and dance music to life on his 2016
CD called Ft. I kid you not Ft. (featuring?)
but the album is quite a lot of fun, if you’re into thumping
disco inspired bass lines and sky high techno riffing. The electronic
music effect is in full flight here but uses pop to transport Sean’s
vision. A number of singers take the lead vocals layering their voices
on top of Sean’s pumping electronica grooves including Yoko
Ono, Fred Schneider, Bootsy Collins and Alan
Vega just to name several. In that way, the U.K. based HiFi Sean
(real name Sean Dickson) covers a number post punk and neo avant gard
rock sound ideas. One highlight, “In Love With Life” is
great and features Yoko Ono’s effective spoken word poem over
Sean’s powerful synth layers. Ft. features excellent CD
sound, further enhanced by impressive album packaging. www.facebook.com/hifisean
SEACREST
RECORDS – From Finland with love comes Paidarion and
their 2016 masterpiece called Two Worlds Encounter.
Joining forces with several U.K. music heroes, Paidarion founder
/ drummer Kimmo Pörstri and bassist Jan-Olaf Strandberg
are joined by singer Jenny Darren and guitarist / keyboardist
Robert Webb, guitarist Bogati-Bokor Akos and keyboardist
Otso Pakarinen and the results make for a first rate prog-rock
experience. The driving rock vocal sound of Ms. Darren, who has a
number of albums out under her own name, sounds super energized by
the enormity of the Paidarion sound, sounding very much in the Annie
Haslam mode of vocal prog. One highlight is a unique prog-country
version of “Ode To Billy Joe” that is truly brilliant. The
driving instrumental music parts show how Kimmo Pörstri
is such a fine composer and arranger as well as a drummer and his
post-production work layered with the overall design of the album
concept by noted graphics wizard Ed Unitsky is brilliant to
say the least. A Paidarion album is always an adventure—not only
musically, but also from an artwork inspired concept that catches
the eye. Out at the same time on Seacrest is another Pörstri
related project—a 2016 double CD set by his other band The
Samurai Of Prog called Lost And Found. Even
more elaborately packaged with Unitsky wonderment and a 32 page booklet,
the double CD set features Kimmo and a wide range of musicians, including
album cofounders and co-producers Steve Unruh (voice, violin,
flute) and Marco Bernard (bass, project coordinator). All in
all, both of these unique albums are time well spent for progressive
rock disciples. www.seacrestoy.com
STICKMAN
RECORDS – Germany based Stickman released The Mules
Of Nana, the sixth album from Norwegian
rockers Orango. Yet another hard-hitting blues-rock masterpiece
by Orango, the ten track CD features a solid set of tracks featuring
Orango guitarist / vocalist Helge Bredeli Kanck joined by his
band mates Hallvard Gaardiøs (bass / keys / vocals)
and Trond Slåke (drums / vocals). In 2013, Orango released
their classic rock album Colonial Militia Vol. 2 and in the
spirit of that album, The Mules Of Nana kicks up quite a sonic
storm and their classic vocal harmonies are also quite in tact. Describing
Orango back in 2013, Helge told mwe3.com “Orango sees itself
as a guerilla kind of rock ‘n’ roll band, a little bit on
the outside of the mainstream music business, doing what we want to
do when we want to do it.” Speaking about the new CD, Helge
more recently tells mwe3.com, "Mules Of Nana is performed
by Orango; Trond Slåke (drums, vocals), Hallvard Gaardløs
(bass, vocals), Helge Bredeli Kanck (guitars, vocals). The album was
engineered by Kai Christoffersen and was produced by Orango and Kai
Christoffersen. All tracks were recorded at Ocean Sound Recordings
and Calmeyer Studio. It's different from previous Orango albums in
the way that we tried to keep Nana very close to the sound created
by a classic rock trio live. It's not a lot of overdubs, and there
is almost nothing on that album that can't be performed live more
or less like it is on the record. And also, we think it's our best
album, so far!" Speaking about the Mules Of Nana album
track "Give Me A Hundred", Helge also tells mwe3.com, "The
track Give Me A Hundred was actually written 16 years ago, and was
recorded for our first album, but was never released. We have thought
about it for time and decided to give try during the Nana sessions.
It worked out very well, and captures the more mellow and acoustic
side of Orango, with West Coast-ish vocal harmonies and a touch of
country." Fans of classic rock bands like ZZ Top, Deep Purple
and Led Zeppelin are advised to hunt down and enjoy Orango’s
2017 album The Mules Of Nana. www.orangotheband.com
SUNDRIFT PRODUCTIONS – The age of the internet has ushered
in the era of world wide musical information heaven. One band recently
discovered online, The Simple Carnival released Smitten
in early 2017. The project of singer-songwriter Jeff Boller,
assisted by several guest musicians, including drummer Chris Belin,
the music does bring to mind one man band wonders like Todd Rundgren
and Emitt Rhodes, yet Boller brings it together nicely decades later.
There’s no messing with the 
formula
here, just tried and true McCartney-esque / Beach Boys style pop brought
up to date by The Simple Carnival. The packaging is first rate and
features 3-D artwork enhanced by the inclusion of cardboard 3-D glasses.
Perhaps a throwback to 1970, nevertheless, the Simple Carnival’s
Smitten will leave you in a state of pop euphoria. www.simplecarnival.com
TRUE
NORTH RECORDS – From the country of Canada, in 2016 singer
Lori Cullen joined forces with Kurt Swinghammer and
rock music icon Ron Sexsmith and the results can be heard on
the appropriately titled Sexsmith Swinghammer Songs.
Ms. Cullen is an excellent singer and sound wise, she alternatively
echoes the breathy vocals of bossa nova singer Astrid Gilberto and
progressive rock singer Barbara Gaskin, of Hatfield And The North.
Melodically, if not stylistically, these songs are also somewhat reminiscent
of the great California band Blue Shift, minus the jazz fusion arrangements
of course. Alternatively folk-rock and breezy pop, these are great
songs and the CD holds up nicely spin after spin. Sexsmith remains
in the background, mainly as the album lyricist while Swinghammer’s
melodies are elegantly embellished by his guitars, strings and synths
and the bass / production of Maury Lafoy. Above it all, is
the soaring voice of Lori Cullen, making Sexsmith Swinghammer Songs
among the finest of 2016. www.LoriCullen.com
/ www.truenorthrecords.com
INSTRUMENTAL
12
TON PRODUCTIONS – Washington State based composer / musician
Bryan Tewell Hughes is making waves in the New Age music world
his 2016 CD called When, released by his musical
artist name AeTopus. Hughes cites Ray Lynch and Kitaro
as being big influences. The fifth album from AeTopus, When is
filled with sweeping, synthesized, keyboard dominated soundscapes
that also combines a darker Tangerine Dream meets Popul Vuh teutonic
ambient with a tinge of unusual medieval sounding and gothic chamber
music edges. Several artists are credited as contributing field recordings,
and the mixing and mastering is quite good, but the central focus
is on the impressive electronic keyboard of Hughes. Clocking in at
64 minutes, the 12 track When takes the listener on a most
welcome sonic journey. www.aetopus.com
AL
MARCONI MUSIC – Based in the U.K. guitarist Al Marconi
gives a huge boost to instrumental Nuevo Flamenco guitar music
with his 2015 CD Alchemy. Al played on the excellent
Mandala album by fellow U.K. flamenco guitar ace Mark Barnwell
so clearly those who enjoyed Mark Barnwell’s CD will love Alchemy.
Following his two previous albums, Terra Nova (2007) and
Insomnia (2011), Al Marconi’s Alchemy takes his
impeccable instrumental flamenco guitar sound one step beyond. Although
Al Marconi is very much part of the 21st century Nuevo Flamenco sound,
the sonic guitar effects he achieves on Alchemy will appeal
to guitar fans of all persuasions and not only fans of Flamenco and
neoclassical instrumentals. Al Marconi’s Alchemy is very
much a dynamic and intriguing “outside the box” type of
Nuevo Flamenco album that stands up quite nicely even after numerous
spins. www.almarconimedia.com
ANGEL
AIR – U.K. guitarist Gordon Giltrap needs no introduction
to the multitude of music fans who’ve followed his prolific output
of music releases since the late 1970s. Giltrap is still releasing
impeccably produced and recorded albums and proof can be heard on
his 2016 CD The Last Of England. The title may
be sobering but the music is quite mellifluous sounding. Credited
to both Gordon Giltrap and Paul Ward, the 14 track CD balances
Giltap’s compositions and guitar work with the keyboards of Paul
Ward, with the latter employing a most impressive range of synth keyboards
– from Hammond and Mellotron to all forms of Roland keyboards.
The artwork of the CD is great and extensive liner notes by Giltrap
and Ward gives the album a most illuminating presentation. The
Last Of England is essential listening for fans of instrumental
prog, folk-rock and 21st century guitar-centric neoclassical sounds.
www.angelair.co.uk
APOLLON
RECORDS – Scandinavia is a center of jazz-rock fusion and
its reputation goes unblemished with Meeting Point by
the Norwegian band Pymlico. Released on Apollon Records, the
eight cut CD just sizzles its way through an array of fascinating
fusion moves. Produced by brothers, Arild Brøter (drums,
keys, guitars) and Øyvind Brøter (keyboards,
sythns) (note those wild Norwegian umlauts), the two are backed a
number of fine players, yet the accent is clearly on the remarkable
music these two talented brothers have brought forth on this serentipitous
jazz-rock album from 2016. In some ways, with their accent on Scandinavian
melodic structures, you can hear in Pymlico, subliminally or not,
wide sweeping elements and traces of Finland’s great classic
rock synthesist, the late great Pekka Pohjola right away on the lead
off track “Crab Key”. Clearly with the band echoing his
ground breaking style from forty years ago, Pekka Pohjola would have
appreciated this band. www.facebook.com/Pymlico
BETWEEN
THE LINES – Swiss guitars Christy Doran returned in
2016 with Belle Epoque by his group Christy Doran’s
Sound Fountain. The album is jarring, freeform guitar-centric
inspired by alt-jazz guitarists like Sonny Shamrock and other players
that border on the avant-garde including Fred Frith, founder of Henry
Cow and Massacre. Doran’s stinging and singing electric guitars
get suitable backup from Franco Fontanarrosa (electric bass)
and Lukas Mantel (drums, percussion). The sound occasionally
dips into less aggressive sonic terrain, including several techno-inspired
fusion tracks, but for the most part, the 8 track, 62 minute Belle
Epoque is hard-hitting, aggressive guitar excursions that takes
instrumental jazz into quite disturbing territory. www.challengerecords.com
BFM
MUSIC – Recorded and filmed live at the Eastman School of
Music in Rochester, NY on June 26th, 2015, Way Back Home is
an excellent 3 disc set by jazz-fusion drumming legend Steve Gadd.
The CD part of the package features eight cuts taken from the twelve
live performances featured on the DVD. On Way Back Home, Gadd
is backed up by an excellent band including Michael Landau (guitars),
Walt Fowler (trumpet, flugelhorn), Larry Goldings (
keys) and Jimmy Johnson (bass). Known as one of the finest
drummers in the world today, Gadd isn’t a composer in his own
right yet the songs he and his band covers here sound tailor made
for his sound. That said, his band members are also fine composers
and share many of the songwriting credits here alongside more prominent
covers by legends like Keith Jarrett, Jan Hammer and even the rock
classic “Them Changes”, written in 1970 by the late great
Buddy Miles. DVD one features the entire twelve cut concert, while
a second DVD features a series of interviews with Gadd and a range
of musicians. Musically, the Way Back Home CD is excellent
and offers a fitting concert retrospective of Gadd’s impeccable
skills both as a drummer and as a band leader. www.bfmjazz.com
BLUE
NOTE RECORDS – Renowned for years by guitar fans, L.A. based
guitarist Nels Cline returned with a new album and a new label
in 2016. Recorded in NYC, Lovers is a long planned double
album that combines a wealth of instrumental guitar music by a rock
guitarist with clear jazz and neoclassical inclinations. Nels’
2016 album, a double CD with 18 tracks, makes an auspicious Blue Note
Records debut by a guitarist long renowned by guitar watchers as well
as fans of Wilco, who feature Cline as lead guitarist. It’s interesting
that Cline is a huge fan of Hendrix, Coltrane and Neil Young and even
his choice of cover songs always combines rock and jazz influences.
Even though he is an instrumental rock aficionado, Cline really takes
his sound out there on a double instrumental album that is influenced
by all forms of guitar moods. Fans of guitarists from Marc Ribot to
Django and Steve Howe and eclectic Americana master Bill Frisell will
relate to Cline’s vision on Lovers. The CD is amazingly
produced by David Breskin with arranging and conducting by
Michael Leonhart while also featuring an impressive lineup
of backing musicians. The studio sound and mastering by the
legendary Joe Gastwirt is also impressive. The music on Lovers
is spread over two discs so there’s plenty of variety of originals
and cover songs given the Cline edge. Designed by Nels and Breskin,
the silver and red dagger through the heart motif is quite effective
as is the packaging listing all the players on hand here as well as
neat liners by Nels. Like a dagger through the heart, Nels Cline pierces
a wall of sound on Lovers. www.bluenote.com
/ www.nelscline.com
CANNONBALL
RECORDS – Italy is the ancestral homeland of Santo &
Johnny and Italy’s love of the guitar continues on in the 21st
century with Surfobia by surf-rockers known as Bad
Riders. Definitely more influenced by Dick Dale and Link Wray,
as well as late ‘60s instrumental Fleetwood Mac, the Bad Riders
plow through ten instrumental gems featuring the guitars of the group’s
main songwriter Massimo Di Beradino backed up by his quartet
including Berado Sciascia (drums), Daniele Colaneri (organ)
and Lorenzo Saverio Berardi (bass). The cover art and CD packaging
is excellent and the sound is clear and clean. It’s hard to do
a lot better than the classic surf-rock and instrumental rock sound
of the 1960s but Italy’s Bad Riders brings the instrumental guitar
rock tradition into the future with Surfobia. www.soundcloud.com/bad-riders
DEUTSCHE
GRAMMOPHON – One of the oldest classical music labels in
the world, Deutsche Grammophon is the latest label home of 21st century
Icelandic composer / musician Jóhann Jóhannsson,
who has released a couple recent albums on the label. Jóhannsson’s
recent 15 track, 47 minute solo album is called Orphée
and it’s quite a stark and depressing affair pitting
the artist’s keyboards against a four piece string section and
the Theatre Of Voice, featuring a mix of cameo vocalists. Written
and produced by Jóhannsson and recorded in London and Copenhagen,
Orphée has been compared to classical
composers such as Michael Nyman and even to some of Erik Satie’s
minimalist compositions. Also recent by Jóhannsson on Deutsche
Grammophon is the 20 track soundtrack to the film Arrival,
directed by Denis Villeneuve. Again, with this more recent
release, very somber neoclassical tones engulfs the listener. A number
of musicians assist Jóhannsson’s keyboards and tape loops
including The City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra conducted
by Anthony Weeden. The soundtrack to Arrival is a fine
companion work to Orphée as both are equally
stark and dark sounding, yet both are also filled with a deep Nordic
majesty that Jóhannsson brings to the 21st century classical
music world. www.johannjohannsson.com
DIMMA – Icelandic guitarist Andrés Thor
released his album Ypsilon in 2016. As far as instrumental
jazz-rock fusion goes, it’s a solid and entertaining album. More
jazz than rock style instrumental fusion, the nine cut CD is nevertheless
a welcome addition to the jazz world and especially the guitar world.
Combining jazz smarts with a more aggressive near Scandinavian approach
to 21st century fusion, Ypsilon features Thor’s full-bodied,
jazzy guitar sound receiving ample support from his band mates, Agnar
Már Magnússon (piano), Richard Anderson (bass)
and Ari Hoenig (drums). Ypsilon is actually the fourth
album to date from Thor and as far as modern day jazz-rock instrumentals
go, it’s a keeper. www.andresthor.com
DSI
MUSIC – California-based guitarist Dan Sistos is all
over the musical map with his 2016 CD called Ventura Blvd,
and as it turns out, that’s a good thing. Named after
that famous strip in Southern California, the all original, instrumental
ten track Ventura Blvd mixes smooth jazz, jazz-rock, flamenco
style acoustic guitar wizardry, soundtrack sounds and more. Backing
Dan is a top band including drummer Paul Alexander, plus a
full rhythm section and occasional horn section. Whatever guitar sound
Dan sets his sights on he breezes through it all with ease and the
tracks fly by. The acoustic numbers offer a cross between New Age
guitar instrumental and a Flamenco driven guitar sound. An all around
winner, Ventura Blvd is an upbeat trip into the guitar universe
and is time well spent by fretboard fans. www.dansistos.com
EARTHSIGN
RECORDS – One of the best instrumental guitar duos on the
planet today, Terra Guitarra returns in early 2017 with Of
Sea & Stars. The 13 track CD follows in the footsteps
of their last two albums—Firelight (2015) and Dragonfly
(2013). Commenting on the concept regarding Of Sea & Stars,
Terra Guitar composer / guitar ace and Bruce Hecksel explains
“There is a connectedness between the sea and the stars. A
thousand years ago humans were starting to venture out into the oceans
of the world in search of new land masses and now we are taking our
first tentative steps into space. The early ocean voyagers navigated
by using the stars at night.” The beauty of Terra Guitarra
is that they draw on the music from all over the planet. Bruce’s
partner in Terra Guitarra Julie Patchouli explains, “Our
music has always been Latin-based, with rhythms and sounds from either
the Mediterranean, or the Caribbean or Central and South America.”
That also includes music from Greece as one of the highlights
on Of Sea & Stars is clearly a cover of the famous title
them from the movie Zorba The Greek, composed by Mikis Theodorakis.
In addition to the exquisitely recorded all-instrumental guitar music,
Of Sea & Stars also features some truly eye-popping artwork
by Bruce Hecksel that sets the scene for the breathtaking music within.
Connecting musical imagery and sounds of the Old World meeting the
New World, Of Sea & Stars will surely be regarded as one
of the best Nuevo Flamenco meets World Groove guitar instrumental
albums of 2017. www.TerraGuitarra.com
GONZO
MULTIMEDIA – Back in that fabled 1970-1975 era, Clearlight
Symphony rose to fame as the preeminent space rock electronic
band from France. Signed to Virgin Records by Richard Branson and
Simon Draper, Clearlight fit in perfectly with that era and other
Virgin bands like Gong and even Henry Cow. Clearlight visionary Cyrille
Verdeaux went on to release a number of Clearlight Symphony albums
over the years and he returns as part of the Spirits Burning &
Clearlight album from 2016 called The Roadmap In Your Head.
American musician and producer and synthesist Don Falcone is
central to this album that features a number of musicians, including
a number from Gong as well as an appearance, including a quite eerie,
set-closing vocal by the late Daevid Allen, founder of Gong.
Overall, The Roadmap In Your Head covers a wealth of sonic
terrain and is an excellent example of 21st century Euro-style jazz
fusion. With Allen gone but not forgotten, and regardless of how the
album was actually made, featuring musicians from all over the world,
the sound is great and the credits read like a who’s who of space
rock legends from the 1970s up to today. Also consider the amazing
album mastering by avant guitarist Robert Rich. Gong and Clearlight
fans should not pass this album by. www.gonzomultimedia.co.uk
GUNS
OF THE SENECA – The band known as Guns Of The Seneca are
a power rock trio from Louisiana. Featuring the guitars and vocals
of Plair - David Plair, the band is further fleshed out by
Olivier (Grant Olivier - bass) and Frost (Britton Frost
- drums). Of the nine tracks, six are instrumental rock and three
feature a more prog-metal type of rock sound. The instrumental tracks
are the best part with Plair’s guitar sound given free reign
to explore the sonic universe in the best spirit of 21st century instro
rockers such as Explosions In The Sky and also guitarist Andy Summers
comes to mind during Plair’s fretboard extrapolations. The CD
packaging is excellent with lyrics of the vocal tracks and mind-blowing
color artwork adorning all six digi-pack panels. Instrumental rock
fans who like their sound hard and heavy will get an action-packed
sonic jolt from Guns Of The Seneca. www.gunsoftheseneca.bandcamp.com
HEART
DANCE MUSIC – Released in early 2017 on Sherry Finzer’s
Heart Dance label, Urban Metta Vol. 1 features the ambient
/ chill out instrumental New Age sound of Arizona-based Phil Strickland.
On this first album on Heart Dance, Strickland goes by the name Anaamaly.
Although
he became interested in trip hop and chill-out music, the passing
of his mother in 1987 prompted Phil to reach for a more introspective
type of instrumental sound. That celestial blend of meditative New
Age electronic music is explored by Anaamaly on Urban Metta Vol.
1. Phil's early interest in music for meditation and yoga is also
another influence on Urban Metta Vol. 1. In fact the 71 minute
CD is divided up into 11 distinct tracks with titles such as “I
Stand In My Own Power”, “I Am Grateful For…”,
“I Am Awakened”, “I Am Surrouded By Abundance”
and so on… The existential element on Urban Metta Vol. 1 is
further underscored by Strickland / Anaamaly’s message that there
is more to life than this physical experience and he intends to follow
that sonic reasoning on future album titles. Elements of healing and
enlightenment, empowering affirmations that focus on love, compassion
and self-knowledge are some of the concepts explored via instrumental
New Age music on the Urban Metta Vol. 1 album. Fans of sonically soothing
and uplifting meditation music will find much musical solace on Urban
Metta Vol. 1 by Anaamaly. www.anaamaly.com
HOLLAN
HOLMES MUSIC – Texas-based electronic music maestro Hollan
Holmes released Incandescent in 2015 and in 2016 he partnered
with Bill Olien and Gary Johnson for the first release by their electronica
ensemble Common Ground. Hollan revives his solo career in 2017 with
a two CD set of newly minted, synth driven instrumentals called Prayer
To The Energy. The double CD set features two distinct
sides of Hollan’s music. Hollan’s sixth full length solo
album, Prayer To The Energy features eight tracks of Hollan’s
sequence-driven, ultra melodic, Berlin-School style of electronics,
which Tangerine Dream helped to popularize, on the 62 minute disc
one. Disc two, at 59 minutes, features six tracks of drone-based,
long-form ‘soundworlds’, which are more ambient sounding,
compared to the more kinetic sounding electronics on disc one. The
sheer amount meticulous craft involved in Hollan’s new album
is reflected in his use of vintage and new hardware synths, which
adds an even more authentic aura to his latest recording. With the
double CD release of Prayer To The Energy, you can add Hollan
Holmes to the names of outstanding American ambient music composers
recording ground-breaking synth electronica in the 21st century. www.HollanHolmesMusic.com
INFINITA RECORDS – Long considered one of the finest Nuevo
Flamenco guitarists on the planet today, Lawson Rollins is
still gaining accolades for his many fine albums and his 2017 album
3 Minutes To Midnight won’t let his many fans down.
Lawson’s fretboard work has rarely sounded better then on his
latest album and he’s brought back the same crew that brought
him such excellent results in the past, including producer Dominic
Carmardella, Charlie Bisharat (violin), Randy Tico (bass)
Stephen Duros (drums programming) and other fine players. Like
all of Lawson’s music, the moods and music run hand in hand,
and without lyrics and vocals, Lawson’s music draws you inside
with powerful feelings and melodic vibes. Lawson adds, “I just
wanted to be as impactful and expressive as I could across a range
of emotions – from exciting, passionate and bursting with energy
to sad, contemplative and meditative.” Filled with 12 newly penned
Lawson 
Rollins’
originals 3 Minutes To Midnight will amaze guitar fans worldwide.
www.lawsonrollins.com
INFINITY
MUSIC – Backed up by a hot band of like-minded players,
guitarist Tatiana Pará sets the music world ablaze with
her 2016 CD called My Moods. A must for guitar
fans, My Moods features a range of blues-rock instrumentals
written by Ms. Pará that are most impressive to say the least.
Ms. Pará’s album is superbly produced and recorded and
the songs are quite enjoyable in a unique and slightly surprising
way. Although Jeff Beck and Stevie Ray Vaughan fans are well versed
in blues-rock guitar instrumentals, Ms. Pará approached the
album in totally unique way, adding in elements of jazz-rock to her
bluesy guitar instrumentals. The album also features a guest spot
from guitar icon Scott Henderson. Ms. Pará is pictured
on the front of the CD packaging with a Fender Strat and on the back
with a Les Paul so guitar enthusiasts are nicely represented on this
welcome instrumental blues rock album. Guitarist Tatiana Pará
spans continents and decades of guitar history with My Moods. www.tatianapara.com
JARRELL’S
COVE MUSIC – Based in Washington, pianist Elizabeth Naccarato
will make music fans very happy with her 2016 CD called Souvenir
d’Italia. On the twelve track CD Ms. Naccarato
is backed up by a sparse yet effective band of musicians including
Joel Trueblood (drums), David Lange (accordion) and
others. At the center is Ms. Naccarato’s superbly syncopated
solo piano style, which frames her elegant piano musings. As the title
states, the album sounds greatly influenced by Italian and other continental
European sights and sounds. Ms. Naccarato is hardly a newcomer to
the New Age piano scene having released music on various album releases
on famous labels like Miramar and 7th Wave Records. It’s all
very romantic sounding but clearly, Ms. Naccarato’s music and
piano skills are more than up to the challenge, making Souvenir
d’Italia one of the most memorable piano albums of
the year. facebook.com/elizabethnaccaratopianist
LELIO
PADAVANI MUSIC – Italian jazz-rock fusion guitar ace Lelio
Padovani returned in 2016 with a 20 minute CD/EP called Waves.
Filled with four solid tracks of fiery jazz-rock power, Waves
is the perfect showcase for Lelio and his wide-ranging, 
cinematic
guitar concepts. What’s also impressive is that Lelio is playing
all the instruments himself and it sounds like an entire band. Speaking
about Waves, Lelio tells mwe3.com, “I always thought
about music as architecture, so I guess the experience of writing
for movies just steered my music even more towards a compositional
point of view. I also love to work with sounds and I love recording
and the process of layering instruments and editing. I love to write
instrumental music and love electric guitars, all kinds of guitars
in fact so every time, I compose I try to balance these two elements.
Actually, the more guitars, the better!” All these fretboard
pyrotechnics and hi-tech recording gear would be meaningless without
well thought out compositional ideas and precise execution and there’s
plenty of that throughout the Waves CD to which the guitarist
adds, "The mission on this new CD, as with everything I release,
is to write good music, where you can find new details every time
and achieve the best sound quality I can... this is what I look for
in the music I listen to myself." A much welcome return to
form by a 21st century jazz-rock fretboard maestro, on Waves
Lelio Padovani takes the electric guitar in a crossection of bold
and exciting new directions. www.facebook.com
MAIDEN
VOYAGE RECORDING COMPANY – Steel Guitar is truly an art form.
Many players continue to espouse the wonders of the modern twangy
steel sound and Henry Senior Jr. gets it down to a science
on his 2016 CD humorously entitled Plates Of Meat.
Backed up by a hot band, including electric guitarist Paul
Lush, Henry steels his way through eight tracks that clock in
around a half hour. This is time well spent for music listeners. Fans
of modern masters like Paul Neer and Ville Leppänen of Finland’s
Southpaw Steel ‘n’ Twang will lap up Henry’s hard driving,
instro steel-rock. Although Henry is masterful on his Emmons and Williams
pedal steel guitars, this album is no Nashville love fest. Henry sounds
equally inspired by say, Duane Allman who was known for his great
electric slide work. Being all instrumental in nature, Plates Of
Meat is sonic food for thought while devouring Senior’s fantastic
steel guitar instrumental sounds. www.maidenvoyage.net
MIKE
NEER MUSIC – In late 2016, Lap steel guitar ace Mike Neer
released his tribute to jazz legend Thelonious Monk, Steelonious.
Playing lap steel guitar, ukulele, bass and percussion, Neer is
joined by a top flight band. On the 12 track Steelonious, Neer
sounds inspired by greats like Les Paul and beyond, well into the
legendary jazz / country music steel guitar 
pioneers
of the postwar era. There’s an almost Wes Montgomery-like depth
to Neer’s guitar-centric, noir-like approach to Monk’s linear
and lean melodic concepts. His band’s take of Monk's originals
sounds very jazzy at times but Neer is also a master of 21st century,
eclectic Americana and that Nashville twangy type sound that’s
so popular now and forever. Speaking about the genesis of his Monk
instrumental guitar album, Mike tells mwe3.com, “Truthfully,
the first time I became aware of Monk's music was on a record called
That's The Way I Feel Now, which was a collection of artists from
rock and jazz backgrounds playing Monk. It taught me early on that
Monk could be open to interpretation. In my case, I wanted to highlight
the steel guitar, so I brought Monk into my world.” Further
enabled by an excellent studio sound, Neer and company find the Monk
jazz groove, featuring Neer embellishing Monk’s acoustic piano
melodies with his incredible lap steel guitar wizardry. Jazz purists
and guitar fans even from the Surf-rock spectrum will be impressed
at how tastefully Neer and company turns Thelonious Monk’s patented
piano jazz sound into a veritable lap steel guitar revival. www.steelonious.com
MOONJUNE RECORDS – NYC based Moonjune release a 2016
solo album from Indonesian guitarist Tohpati called Mata
Hati. Credited to Tohpati Ethnomission, the
nine track CD rides the jazz-rock gauntlet and comes up with some
very scenic sounding results. The first track “Janger”,
sounds like a John Barry outtake as it does feature the Czeck Symphony
Orchestra. Tohpati’s band is first rate throughout and they
sound quite on the same wavelength. Some of the tracks featuring Flute
master Diki Suwarjiki sounds like Thijs Van Leer playing to
Tohpati’s Jan Akkerman style guitar sound and that’s a good
thing. With its Indonesian style of the melodic, blending well with
the universal language of jazz-rock fusion, Mata Hati is worthy
of jazz rock fusion ears world wide. Also out in very early 2017 is
The Stone House by the quartet known as Wingfield
Reuter Stavi & Sirkis. Wingfield of course is gifted UK guitarist
Mark Wingfield, who has a stellar solo career in his own right.
The Israeli born rhythm section of Asaf Sirkis (drums) and
Yaron Stavi (fretless bass) are also joined by the touch guitars
of Markus Reuter and the net result is a most engaging album
of music recorded live in the studio with no overdubs. The combination
of Reuter and Wingfield on guitars is amazing sounding. With a range
of gifted musos on their roster already, could it be that Moonjune
is the new ECM records of the 21st century? With albums as well done
as The Stone House, it’s hard to argue against that line
of reasoning. Either way, fans of Wingfield’s electrifying electric
guitar sounds will find much to applaud about The Stone House.
www.moonjune.com
MOTEMA
MUSIC – One of America’s feisty, upstart record labels
Motema released the 2016 CD by Donny MaCaslin. The nine cut
Beyond Now merges electronica with McCaslin’s sax,
flute and clarinet. In the liner notes McCaslin reflects on being
part of Bowie’s last band with whom he recorded * (Blackstar)
in 2015. There’s even a near nine minute cover here of Bowie’s
oppressive Heroes instrumental “Warszawa” from 1977.
One can see why Bowie, an excellent sax player in his own right, would
choose McCaslin with his forceful overpowering squonk. Another Bowie
cover of “A Small Plot Of Land” features guest vocalist
Jeff Taylor and the only appearance by any guitarist in Nate
Wood. There’s plenty of fine players driving the McCaslin
band’s big beat forward including * alumni Jason
Lindner (keys), Tim Lefebvre (bass) and Marc Guiliana
(drums) with David Binney adding in additional synths and
vocals. With Beyond Now, Danny McCaslin proves to be a vital
new force on the avant gard jazz scene of the 21st century. www.motema.com
MUTE
RECORDS – The art of solo piano is explored and conquered
on EUSA, the 2016 solo album by Yann Tiersen.
The first solo piano album by Yann, EUSA features ten solo
pieces, divided by improvisations (“Hent” 1 through 8) formatted
into album of 18 tracks that are all inspired by Yann’s home
island of Ushant, located in the Celtic sea between Brittany and Cornwall.
EUSA was originally created as a book of sheet music for ten
new piano tracks, which was so successful that it inspired the album.
EUSA sounds great no doubt as it was recorded in the famous
Abbey Road studios. The album also features a subtle drone of natural
sounds from his island which takes the concept even further. Partly
New Age and part neoclassical, Yann Tiersen’s EUSA is
a fascinating look at the art of solo piano performance and recording.
www.yanntiersen.com
NEW EARTH RECORDS – Colorado-based
New Earth does such excellent work when it comes to releasing CDs
by their celebrated roster of New Age musicians so it’s never
unexpected when one of their artists comes up with another winner.
Long celebrated as one of the finest piano virtuosos and one of the
most prolific recording artists in the world today, Peter Kater
released his first as a New Earth recording artist with his 2016
album Resonance. Playing piano, synths, gongs,
chimes and 
sampled
strings, Kater is in prime form on Resonance. Following Kater’s
involvement in over 50 albums as a solo artist and musical collaborator,
Resonance is long and flowing, with four of the eight tracks
running over nine minutes in length. The artist explains, “This
music emerged within a three-month period of deep inquiry and reflection.”
Kater explains his musical vision on Resonance adding,
“It was born of the fire and ashes of self-dissolution and self-discovery,
of a deep longing for connection and sustained intimacy, and a powerful
surrender into and acceptance of what ‘is’. There is love
and there is fear. There is light and there is darkness. And as we
learn to embrace all of our selves and all of each other, we nurture
the experience of grace and compassion, and a deep loving and passionate
peace. Throughout our life’s experience, within ourselves and
each other, we share a deep ‘resonance’ with all that exists.”
In the CD liner notes, RJ Lannan compares Peter Kater’s
music to the search for balance in a precarious world. Instrumental
New Age music has long been a refuge for sensitive souls seeking salvation
through music and as Lannan also states, through his music, Kater
allows people to withdraw from the craziness and channel
into feelings of beauty and compassion, which is really what Kater
and New Earth Records is all about. Peter Kater has come a long way
since his 1983 album debut and he takes his music and his audience
to new sonic heights with Resonance. www.newearthrecords.com
/ www.peterkater.com
NICK
DECESARE MUSIC – The world of New Age / ambient solo piano
has many great artists within its realms yet how about the ambient
jazz side of solo piano music? While many New Age pianists cite jazz
artists as inspirations, most are content to write and record within
their New Age and ambient keyboard styles. One pianist coming from
a slightly different perspective is Nick De Cesare, who released
his solo piano album Openings in 2016. Nick’s specialty
is piano music in the spirit of jazz giants like the late Vince Guaraldi,
best know for writing the “Peanuts” theme and his all time
classic “Cast Your Fate To The Wind”. Nick has carefully
listened to some of the great jazz pianists, including Oscar Peterson,
Chick Corea and even McCoy Tyner to which he adds, “My background
is split between playing solo piano and performing in jazz groups,
so I guess it makes sense that one of my greatest heroes and influences
is Keith Jarrett.” Fans of Jarrett, Corea and of course Guaraldi
will totally enjoy Openings, as will New Age fans looking for
a slightly jazzier take on 21st century solo piano music. www.nickdecesaremusic.com
ROCK
BEAT RECORDS– Best known as an electric guitar pioneer who
has worked with rock legends, from Dylan and Mayall, to Canned Heat,
the Stones and many others, Harvey “The Snake” Mandel
returns in early 2017 with the ten track Snake 
Attack.
A recent recording, recaptured and released from the vaults by
L.A. based Rock Beat Records, the ten track CD features brief biographical
liner notes and more notes by Harvey describing that he wrote all
the music, recorded all the instruments and mixed and mastered it
by himself. From the CD liner notes, Harvey explains, “This
is a project I did a few years ago. It’s a recording done entirely
in my home studio. Working in my own home studio allowed me to do
all sorts of great guitar overdubs.” The Snake Attack
album features Harvey’s impeccable guitar skills yet it also
transcends the blues and even rock with its electronica meets electric
guitar soundscapes. Some sonic influences that come to mind while
listening to the super-charged Snake Attack would be to recent
music by Jeff Beck and even going back to Jan Hammer’s mid 1980s
soundtrack work on Miami Vice, especially on melodic, Mandel
composed gems like “Exotic Predator” and “A Luscious
Life”. With Harvey armed to the teeth with a full wall of sound,
the overall approach on Snake Attack is hard-hitting and quite
potent. The jazz-rock beat and the occasional funk flourish is also
on fire here. Filled with a litany of dazzling guitar overdubs and
synth programming, the whole album is very futuristic, progressive
and even sci-fi sounding. An impressive spin from start to finish,
Snake Attack is totally mind-blowing and odd-sounding yet,
it's also a thoroughly engaging album of high-powered guitar-tronica
from one of America’s finest guitar treasures. www.smoreent.com
/ www.HarveyMandel.com
ROPEADOPE
RECORDS – Part old school, part new wave of 21st century
jazz, Kansas City based jazz keyboardist Eddie Moore strikes
a blow for modern instrumental jazz-centric music with his 2016 CD,
Kings And Queens. The 12 cut CD features the
three part “Kings And Queens”, presented here in three movements.
Credited to Eddie Harris And The Outer Circle, Kings And
Queens features Eddie’s impeccable piano sounds and Fender
Rhodes playing with Adam Scholzman (guitar) Pat Adams (drums)
and Deandre Manning (electric bass). Moore’s interaction
with Scholzman’s guitar is brilliant and the whole band gets
it on in style with a set of solid grooves. The sound achieved in
the studio and post-production is outstanding, also making it one
of the finest sounding jazz studio recordings of the decade. Looking
back at the great sounds of past jazz giants and also looking towards
the brave new world of jazz, Kings And Queens is a most impressive
sounding instrumental jazz work by rising jazz star Eddie Moore. www.EddieMooreMusic.com
RYAN CARRAHER MUSIC – Breaking
new ground in the world of 21st century modern jazz, guitarist Ryan
Carraher steps out on his own with his 2016 CD Vocturnal.
One look at his resume is most impressive. Graduating from Berklee
School of Music with the Berklee guitar achievement award, Ryan has
played with Allan Holdsworth, Leslie West, Pete Best, Sly Stone and
much more. All this and the guy is still 23 years young. On Vocturnal,
Ryan joins forcers with some like-minded musicians, including
Brandon Wilkins (sax) and the results make for a beguiling
album of instrumental, experimental guitar-based fusion. 
Speaking
about his CD, Ryan tells mwe3.com, "The name Vocturnal is
a combination of the words Voyage and Nocturnal. Most of these songs
were written at night and do have a dark vibe so it seemed to fit
the music appropriately but in an abstract way. It was a way for me
to express new ideas and explore new sounds I was inspired by. I am
very lucky to have such an amazing group of musicians playing with
me on this record." Described as an album of modern jazz
that pushes the boundaries of improvisation, Vocturnal also
combines influences from avant-garde classical masters like Schoenberg
and Stravinsky. Fans of Pat Metheny’s work with Ornette Coleman
will find much to like about Ryan Carraher and his intriguing Vocturnal
album. www.ryancarraher.com
SPACE
ROCK PRODUCTIONS – The sonic art-rock collective known as
Øresund Space Collective continues making waves in the
electronic music world with their 2016 CD called Visions Of…
The four part CD features the band, headed up by synthesist
Scott Heller, in prime form once again. Recorded in Denmark
with mainly Sweden-based musicians, the album once again proves that
ØSC are the premier space-rock jam band in Scandinavia today.
Sweden was always a forerunner of instrumental space rock, going back
to the late 1960s with Bo Hansson and ØSC takes that long-standing
tradition well into the 21st century. Even cooler than Visions
Of… is yet another album from Space Rock Productions called
Series Of Nested Universes by the group known as Sista
Maj. The double CD is even more spaced out than ØSC. Recorded
in Stockholm at the end of 2015 and mixed in mid 2016, the double
CD set features Jonathan Segel (from Camper Van Beethoven)
on guitars, violin, bass and synths along with Mikael Tuominen
(bass) and Andreas Axelsson (drums). The result is an action
packed, super-heady, four part space-rock jam that defies all sonic
expectations and yet, is very much in the Scandinavian instrumental
jam-band tradition with some 21st century twists and turns. Commenting
on working with Jonathan Segel on these latest Space Rock Productions
releases, Scott Heller tells mwe3.com, “I am really happy
to be making music with Jonathan. What a great person and musician.
We had known each other since the early 1990s when I used to go see
his band Hieronymous Firebrain. I went and recorded most of their
Bay Area shows when I was a student at UC Berkeley. We just made some
new studio recordings in November that will start to come out with
a split LP with Maat Lander in March and a double LP in the summer.”
www.oresundspacecollectiv.com
SPOTTED
PECCARY MUSIC – Back in the mid 1990’s, music producer
Howard Givens brought forth some great music on his then fledgling
Spotted Peccary label. Good news is that Howard is still at it and
proof is a fine, late 2016 CD called Where There Is Light
by the duo called Weingarten – Charlton. Of course, Bay
area guitarist Carl Weingarten needs no introduction among
progressive music fans, although lesser known, Steinway performing
artist Catherine Marie Charlton proves to be a valuable foil
for Carl’s ambient, textural electric guitar sounds. Recorded
in Pennsylvania and California, the eight track CD is described as
an “experience where guitar, electronic manipulations and acoustic
piano share a series of late night melodic conversations.” Ms.
Charlton’s piano is superbly backed up by Carl Weingarten’s
trance-inducing guitar scopes making the superbly recorded Where
There Is Light one of the New Age sleeper classics of 2016. Another
Spotted Peccary CD sure to cause interest among New Age electronic
music fans is A World Bathed In Sunlight, by
multi-instrumentalist Matthew Stewart. The ten cut CD is described
as being both cinematic and emotional. Stewart has appeared on a number
of SP CD titles over the past two decades yet, A World Bathed In
Sunlight is his solo debut on the label and it’s a wonderful
addition to Spotted Peccary’s venerable roster of fine artists
and album releases. www.spottedpeccary.com
SAULITO MUSIC – Texas-based Nuevo Flamenco guitarist Russ
Hewitt came to the attention of mwe3.com thanks to his two early
releases Bajo El Sol and his 2011 CD Alma Vieja. Russ
continues on with his 2016 CD Cielo Nocturno and the
results will make his early fans quite happy. Produced by long time
Hewitt associate Bob Parr and featuring many of the same musicians
from his early works, including drummer Walfredo Reyes Jr.,
on the eleven cut Cielo Nocturno, Russ is also joined by jazz
guitar legend Larry Carlton and guitar ace Ardeshir Farah
of Strunz & Farah. Cielo Nocturno features all original
tracks and is one of the great Nuevo Flamenco guitar albums of 2016.
Although early in his guitar career, Russ was influenced by hard rock
and metal bands like Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden, he soon turned
on to Gypsy Jazz and acoustic New Age guitar heroes like Ottmar Liebert.
Russ Hewitt's mastery of Nuevo Flamenco has led him on a wildly successful
career and Cielo Nocturno is a most welcome addition to his
growing catalog of guitar albums. www.russhewittmusic.com
VILLAGE
GREEN – The 21st century sound of Soft Error combines
a wealth of electronica in a comfortable Air meets Jean Michel Jarre
in the French space lounge on their 2017 album called Mechanism.
Some have also compared Soft Error to the Krautrock pioneers like
Faust and Neu! yet there’s also something softer and nostalgic
about the today sound of Soft Error (hence the softs inspired name).
Like those German bands, Soft Error combines heavy synth programming
with ambient guitar effects ala Robert Fripp meets Rick Wakeman. Two
guys who call themselves Tim and Rupert handle all the
playing and writing and the album was mysteriously recorded in Reykjavik
in Iceland. Soft Error take its leading edge New Age instrumental
electronic rock sound forward with Mechanism. www.softerrormusic.com
WESTERNMOST
RECORDS – Two of the finest North American guitarists—Ken
Emerson and Jim “Kimo” West—joined forces
for the 2016 CD release of Slackers In Paradise: Slack And Steel
Guitar Duets. Early in 2016, Kimo released Guitar
Stories: Slack Key & Beyond and in 2014 Ken Emerson released
Sacred Slack & Steel Guitar. Each of those previous CDs
were and are highly influential among fans of Hawaiian and Americana
instrumental music so it’s quite fulfilling to note that Slackers
In Paradise is also bound to be quite a hit album among their
fans. Slackers In Paradise fittingly includes 16 tracks of
Hawaiian folk, blues, jazz and 
ragtime—all
played with the finesse and expertise worthy of these modern day guitar
masters. Speaking about Slackers, Ken Emerson tells mwe3.com,
“We wrote and recorded in between my traveling and Kimo’s.
He was going out with Weird Al on tour, and I was traveling all over
the West Coast and Hawaii. Then my Dad had a stroke so things got
pretty heavy for me, and I can say working on the record with Kimo
was good for me as I spent a lot of time in Oregon under a lot of
stress and then would come down to LA and get a respite from it all
by jumping into the music production. It turned out to be very therapeutic.
Kimo has a nice home recording set up, as well as a road rig, he worked
on a lot of the editing and mixing while he was on the road with Al.”
Discussing the origins of the Slackers CD Jim “Kimo”
West tell mwe3.com, “We put this record together over the
last couple years, 2015 and 2016. We did it mostly at my studio but
Ken contributed a few basic guitar tracks that were recorded at Ron
Pendragon’s studio on Kauai and I actually did the basic track
for “Mango Season” in a hotel room when I was on tour with
Weird Al.” Both Ken and Kimo have busy lives so it’s
more than incredible that they not only had the time for an album
of Hawaiian instrumental guitar music that is superbly relaxing. Highlights
of Slackers are the many fine original instrumentals here but
there’s also a very cool cover of the Rolling Stones classic
“Ruby Tuesday” that almost sounds like a Hawaiian meets
Baroque instrumental of one of the most beloved pop songs of the late
1960s. With hardly a note out of place, Slackers In Paradise is
an instrumental guitar classic befitting the sound and vision of these
two superb musicians. www.jimkimowest.com
/ www.cordinternational.com
WHALING
CITY SOUND – On his 2017 CD for Whaling City Sound, entitled
Color Tones, composer / teacher / musician John
Stein reestablishes himself as one of America’s preeminent
jazz guitarists. The 11 track, 57 minute CD is packaged with exquisite
artwork and the music follows in the same bright sonic outlook. Once
again on Color Tones, John is joined by his excellent trio
with John Lockwood (acoustic bass) and Zé Eduardo
Nazario (drums) and he's also joined on the CD by the colorful
sounding horn / wind section of Phil Grenadier (trumpet, flugelhorn)
and Fernando Brandao (flutes). Yet another well-recorded and
well-composed instrumental jazz guitar album by Boston based John
Stein, Color Tones flows effortlessly and reveals new twists
with each fresh spin. Liner notes for Color Tones were written
by John Thomas, author of the book Kalamazoo Gals. www.JohnStein.com
WHALING
CITY SOUND – Led by musicologist / businessman Neal Weiss,
New England based Whaling City Sound continues on the front lines
of 21st century instrumental jazz with Night Music,
the 2016 CD by guitarist Rale Micic. The eleven track CD
features Rale’s electric guitar backed up by a full band including
jazz pianist Danny Grissett. The CD sounds full-bodied and
really swings. Grissett’s acoustic piano merges perfectly with
Rale’s jazz guitar and compositions. Recorded in NYC in 2015,
the 55 minute CD also features in depth liner notes that should create
more of a buzz around this Serbian-born, NYC based guitarist and his
music. With a range of Micic originals and three tracks composed by
fabled Hungarian composer Bela Bartok, Rale Micic’s Night
Music is a fine addition to the growing roster of outstanding
Whaling City Sound recording artists. www.whalingcitysound.com
REISSUES
& RETROSPECTIVES
ANGEL
AIR RECORDS – Angel Air have released several titles already
featuring rock legend Jim McCartey, cofounder and drummer with
British Rock legends The Yardbirds. Following The Yardbirds, Jim was
a driving force behind the original Renaissance yet, following the
first two Renaissance albums, they split with Relf’s accidental
death following in 1975 adding much to the disappointment of original
fans. Released by EMI in 1973, On The Frontier was the
first and only album by McCarty’s post-Renaissance band Shoot.
McCarty sang just like Keith did and on this sole Shoot album, he
takes on the role of keyboardist and vocalist backed by a solid rock
band including guitarist Dave Green with contributions by pedal
steel / dobro legend B.J. Cole. As the excellent CD liner notes
point out, bands like Tull, YES and Bowie were all the rage by 1972
and with its amalgamation of melodic rock and cosmic country rock
(mellotrons and all), the Shoot album went totally overlooked... that
bizarre cover art didn’t help, yet most Yardbirds fans finally
caught up with Shoot by the mid 1970s and have reveled in its grandeur
ever since. Surprisingly, this Angel Air CD of On The Frontier
is actually the first ever official CD reissue though I’m
sure the Japanese found a way to issue it before. Angel Air does Shoot
well on CD, complete with a discourse of historic liner notes and
full credits that also indicates the superb sounding album was recorded
at Abbey Road studios with engineering by Fab Four legend Geoff
Emerick. www.angelair.co.uk
BEAR
FAMILY RECORDS – In the wake of the awesome German CD blitzkrieg
of the mid 1980’s it was doomsday / sink or swim for the American
labels who for the most part were still pressing Lp and cassette.
The rise of the great German CDs labels of the 1980s is a remarkable
event of music history yet one label has kept going strong. Formed
in 1975 by Richard Weize, the Bear Family label has produced hundred
of Lps and CDs, most featuring the great American rock and roll pioneers
of the 1950s. The first Bear Family CD I ever owned was the first
pressing of their (1990s?) compilation, From A Jack To A King by
the great Ned Miller, who recently died in 2016. You name it, they’ve
been exhaustively researched and annotated by Bear Family Records.
Reaching out to American music critics and distributing through the
great MVD label in PA, one sees the Bear Family legend branching out
in 2017 and publicizing a superb sounding, 28 track CD retrospective
called Great Drums At Sun. Sun, of course being
Sun Records in Memphis and the CD accents the great drummers who backed
up many of the great singers at Sun, including Roy Orbison,
Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins and
dozens more. A number of drummers who propelled the big beat behind
these early R&R legends at Sun Records are highllighted here,
including Johnny Bernero, who added so much groove to the Elvis
track here “I Forgot To Remember To Forget You”, from 1956.
A superbly layed out sixty page CD booklet adds much info and insights
into Bear Family’s concept of their “great drums” album.
Bear Family’s Great Drums At Sun is a classic rock ‘n’
roll compilation—tailor-made for roots-rock fans who like their
classic oldies accented with spectacular drums. www.bear-family.com
BURGER
RECORDS – Fullerton, California based Burger flips their
lid with a very cool 12 track CD cover-view of The Jigsaw Seen.
Going back to the early 1990s, L.A. pop mavens – the Jigsaw Seen
- started turning up in the best scene places like their appearance
on Eggbert’s fabled Bee Gees ‘94 tribute album with their
version of “Melody Fair”, one of 12 TJS rarities found on
The Jigsaw Seen For The Discriminating Completist.
Disc? Criminating? Subtitled Rarities And Singles 1989 -
2015 this retrospective is littered with pop greatness including
a range of singles versions, EP versions and alternate versions, to
differentiate them from album versions. A recent track here is a version
of “Have A Wonderful Day”, the Jigsaw Seen’s 2015 single
cassette out on Burger too (I did say cassette right?). Like their
earlier releases, The Jigsaw Seen For The Discriminating Completist
is superbly packaged with unique artwork and outside concept.
Long time band members Jonathan Lea (guitars), Dennis Davison
(vocals, keys), Tom Currier (bass) and Teddy Freese
(drums) have been recording together since 1993 and one can hardly
wait for their next studio album. The CD follow up to their acclaimed
pop masterpiece Old Man Reverb, this retrospective, The
Jigsaw Seen For The Discriminating Completist will drop right
into the collections of those discriminating L.A. pop aficionados.
File under: Back To Monocle. www.thejigsawseen.com
CHRYSALIS
RECORDS – The world wide revolution of the Compact Disc in
1984 continues to reap strange sonic fruit 33 years later. In 1991,
Sony debuted their World Renowned ES series of CD players, made exclusively
in Japan—with the best one, the ES89 selling for well over $1000.oo
new. You could pick up lower end Sony ES and CDP players with slightly
similar features (they created dozens of models) starting about $450.oo.
If you take that ES89 player from '92, in mint condition today (it
is possible, trust me!) 25+ years later and insert the 2016 Steven
Wilson CD remix of Stand Up by Jethro 
Tull,
you will be in for a great sonic treat. Of course, in this economy,
spending big money on upgraded and “remixed” versions of
famous albums from nearly 50 years ago is kind of a real shame as
there’s hardly enough attention (or royalties) being paid to
today’s so many great young artists. Yet, after hearing the historic
2015 Steven Wilson remix of the first Emerson Lake & Palmer
and now this remix of Tull’s Stand Up, you will surely
have to admit that Wilson has truly done some incredibly historic
work—both for technology and for music. One has to realize, of
course, that most people don’t even know what a Sony ES89 CD
player is, let alone have one! Lol What the hell was I thinking? So
original Chrysalis producer Terry Ellis, who I used to visit
during during his years with Imago on Broadway and Spring Street,
must have been a true sonic visionary to sign and nurture Ian
Anderson as Tully moved so swiftly from relative obscurity to
the well deserved world wide fame that Stand Up brought to
the rock world in 1969. Much credit should also go to American record
company genius, president then of Reprise Records, Mo Ostin for doing
such great work on all the early Tull albums truly defining their
image for the early 1970 music scene. Wilson’s excellent 2016
remix of Stand Up puts the Mobile Fidelity gold CD of Stand
Up—before this the sonic standard—to the test and proves
that Wilson actually betters the MoFi gold CD. Audiophiles repeat
after me: wow. So now, is Wilson eager to take on the The Beatles
“White Album” or maybe Satanic Majesty’s Request
next? As Jack Gilford says in his skit called “The
Convicts” from the Lp You Don’t Have To Be Jewish:
“On my back, I want Wilson”. Jethro Tull fans: don’t
miss the historic 2016 Steven Wilson remix version of Stand Up,
available in a definitive, brilliantly packaged 2CD/1DVD version,
a single CD of the Wilson remix (plus several goodies) and on the
ancient, yet venerable Lp. www.jethrotull.com
HOWLING
WOOD RECORDS / DOYLE DYKES PRODUCTIONS – One of America’s
greatest, though underrated, guitarists is Doyle Dykes. Based
in Nashville for years, Doyle’s company Howling Wood Records
released two double CDs sets from Doyle back in 2014. Those two releases
are Quintessential Guitar Collection Volumes 1&2 as
well as Quintessential Guitar Collection Volumes 3&4.
Those two double CD sets present 55 classic Americana style guitar
instrumentals from Doyle. Musically, the sound is very much rooted
in the Chet Atkins and Tommy Emmanuel model of toe-tapping guitar
music that Doyle recorded and released between 1994 and 2004. A number
of musicians appear yet the main focal point is on Doyle’s steady,
melodic guitar sound. Some of the players who appear include rock
and roll guitar icon Duane Eddy. Though the music is much more
country instrumental than rock ‘n’ roll by any standard,
there’s so much guitar goodness on these four discs that any
self-respecting fan of guitar instrumental music will want to hear
them. Also of note from Doyle in recent years is an 18 track Christmas
album not surprisingly titled Christmas With Doyle Dykes,
featuring cameos by Eric Johnson, Johnny Tilloston and
Doyle’s daughter Haley ‘Dykes” Johnson. It’s
been a long time since Doyle released Bridging The Gap back
in 2008, yet these two double CD retrospectives and his recent Christmas
collection are reasons to give another listen to one of America’s
great guitar heroes. www.DoyleDykes.com
MUSICK
RECORDINGS – Headed up by label honcho Art Bourasseau,
the Musick imprint is back in action after too long off the scene
with Live Supernova, an archival CD by long time
surf-rock band The Space Cossacks. The 21 track CD features
a fine performance by guitarist Ivan Pongracic and company.
The CD cover art is great and the liner notes by John Blair of
Jon & The Nightriders gives a brief history of the fabled Summer
1998 Space Cossacks tour and this show in particular, which was recorded
on July 10th, 1998. With a mix of Space Cossacks originals, the album
is offset by several lesser known covers written by Herb Alpert and
Norrie Paramor to name a couple. The recording sounds great, Ivan
sounds on fire and the entire package will prove to be a hit among
fans of instrumental surf-rock guitar music. www.musickrecordings.com
SUNDAZED
– Bob Irwin and Sundazed Records kick off 2017 with their
trifecta of the Tower Records years by American psych-garage 1960s
band The Standells. The Tower label was also the Capitol Records-owned
label that released the first American Pink Floyd single "See
Emily Play" during the summer of love. If anything, L.A. legends
The Standells were a one hit wonder with their AM radio smash “Dirty
Water” in later 1965. A great singer, group founder, keyboardist
Larry Tamblyn was quite effective as a front person, alongside,
Italian guitarist Tony Valentino, Dick Dodd (drums)
and Gary Lane (bass). “Dirty Water” was a great moment
in the history of AM radio and it was one of the great garage rock
singles of that year. Composed by group producer Ed Cobb, the
song “Dirty Water” was of course featured on the Dirty
Water album—one of three detailed CD and Lp remasters
of the first three Standells albums on Tower. With all three CD titles
featuring hard hitting mono sound, the original Dirty Water album
is enhanced by five bonus tracks. Also out on Sundazed are the Standells
albums Try It (with five bonus tracks) and their final
Tower album Why Pick On Me / Sometimes Good Guys Don’t
Wear White. Fitting in perfectly with Bob Irwin’s
other work with classic bands like The Leaves and The Knickerbockers,
these Standells remasters are among the finest relics of that mind-blowing
mid 1965-67 era of American garage rock. www.sundazed.com
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