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| CD Reviews | Feature | Reviews & Features Archive | Photo Archive | Contact | MWE3 Home |
| Email: Info@mwe3.com |
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©2000-2009 MWE3.com, Inc. |
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429
RECORDS - Part of the Savoy Label Group run by music business
honcho Steve Vining, the 429 Records imprint has taken it’s place
in the big conglomerate with a bunch of new CDs. First up is Keep
The Faith by California songstress Toni Childs.Back
in action after several years recuperation from illness, Childs established
herself back in the early ‘90s and Keep The Faith is a
fine return to form. Supported by a fine band—including electric
guitar from Jeff Trott—the eleven track CD features a
cross section of pop and rock that draws on songstress influences
from Grace Slick and Yoko Ono to Laura Nyro. Several tracks feel like
Childs is channeling John Lennon. Childs weaves a sublime spell with
her music magic. 
Island Records music mentor Guy Stevens, that album introduced a new
rock sound from England that David Bowie would draw on to launch the
glam rock invasion of late 1971. On keyboards for Mott on the Mott
The Hoople album was Verden Allen. Recorded between January
and May 2009 and released in June 2009, My Masochistic Side
is the latest solo album from Allen. Recorded in South Wales,
the ten track CD features Allen performing all the instruments highlighted
by his trademark Hoople-esque organ sound.The sound is full bodied
and Allen’s vocals are reminiscent of founding Mott vocalist
Ian Hunter. In addition to this latest Allen CD, Angel Air also have
three other Allen CDs in their vast catalog of U.K. rock. Gearing
up for a 5 night stand at the HMV Apollo in London during the first
week of October 2009 are Allen and the original Mott The Hoople featuring
Ian Hunter, guitarist Mick Ralphs, Dale Griffin and
Overend Watts. That band, plus guitarist Ariel Bender and
keyboardist Morgan Fisher are well represented on Angel Air’s
release of Hoopling - Best Of Live. Drawing on
12 tracks, clocking in at 74 minutes, Hoopling covers the Hoople
heyday of 1971 to 1974. Meant as a sampler of the many live tracks
the band released, Hoopling features all the big MTH hits including
“Roll Away The Stone,” “All The Way From Memphis,”
“All The Young Dudes,” along with an early Mott version
of “Ready For Love,” a song that guitarist Mick Ralphs would
have a huge hit with in Bad Company. In addition, the CD sound is
high quality and the CD also features a 16 page booklet with liners
by Keith Smith of Two Miles From Heaven, a Mott The Hoople
fanzine. 
Following
in the footsteps of The Band, Jesse Winchester grew up around
Memphis but split to Canada when Vietnam was raging. Back in 1970,
Winchester took the FM airwaves by storm with his “Yankee Lady”—recorded
with Todd Rundgren and the Band’s Levon Helm—and subsequent
albums over the years. Following 25 years in Montreal—and even
though President Carter declared amnesty for those fleeing the draft—Winchester
moved back to live in Virginia in 2002. With the 2009 CD release of
Love Filling Station on Pennsylvania based Appleseed,
Winchester returns to his love of making records. With Winchester’s
singing and song writing, backed by various artists including guitarists
Jerry Douglas (lap steel guitar) and Russ Barenberg (guitar,
mandolin), his unique blend of Americana continues to find ways to
blend folk, country, bluegrass, blues and gospel music. With over
ten albums to his credit, Love Filling Station is a welcome
return after a nine year wait following 1999’s Gentleman Of
Leisure. Also released on Appleseed in 2009 is the first album
in 35 years from folk music legend Tom Rush. His first
album since 1974 and his Appleseed debut, What I Know features
five Rush originals. Among the nine covers is a version of “Casey
Jones” with guest vocalist Nanci Griffith and a reflective
take on the Mentor Williams classic “Drift Away.”
Also featuring key spotlights from Emmylou Harris and Bonnie
Bramlett on backing vocals, What I Know Rush reestablishes
the famous Rush knack for combining a golden ear, comforting voice,
supple guitar and a craftsman’s pen. 
CBS
RECORDS - The biggest challenge any artist has is following up
a good album with an even better one. In 2007 Will Dailey released
Back Flipping Forward. As good as that pop effort was, the
2009 CD release of Torrent Volumes 1 & 2 solidifies
Dailey’s reputation as a rising pop singer and songwriter. With
Dailey’s latest self-described torrential output of music, the
CD’s first 5 tracks are part of Fashions Of Distraction. By
the time part two, By The Blue Hills kicks in Dailey comes
alive with six uptempo pop rockers. The CD features Dailey’s
backing band, The Rivals, while a bunch of guest artists also
appear including Byrds’ founding guitarist Roger McGuinn,
Cars / New Cars guitar driver Elliott Easton and noted guitar
ace Duke Levine. Produced by Tom Polce, with further
input regarding the album’s studio sound from T Bone Burnett,
Torrent Volumes 1 & 2 has something for pop fans of all
stripes and colors. A good example that leads off By The Blues
Hills is “How Can I Make You Happy”—a driving pop-rocker
with some great Beatle-esque guitar work from Duke. A pair of bonus
tracks and excellent CD packaging adds to the excellence of the 13
track CD. Clearly influenced by all the great singers such as Dylan
and Van Morrison, Dailey’s specialty is merging that funky vocal
style with a solid power pop combo that should definitely appeal to
fans of the west coast edge of Tom Petty and even the urbane Rundgren-esque
sound of Mr. Easton’s band, Boston rockers The New Cars. 
CONCORD
RECORDS / MONSTER MUSIC - 40 years after releasing his
first recordings, the ever soulful George Benson returns in
fine form on his 2009 Concord Jazz release Songs And Stories.
A guitar superstar and all around nice guy too, Benson is as comfortable
skirting the edges of guitar fusion as he is as a soulful crooner,
a modern day R&B Bing Crosby if you like! That side of Benson
the singer is at the core of Songs And Stories. On Songs
And Stories, the singing guitarist is at his best performing the
music of a number of song writing legends including Smokey Robinson,
Lamont Dozier, Bill Withers, who came out of retirement for his song
and James Taylor, reworked here by Benson on a cover of the Taylor
classic “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight,” showcased
here with a Latin beat. Benson’s band—featuring drummer
John “JR” Robinson, bass ace Marcus Miller—is
smokin’ too with added support from top players such as singer
Lalah Hathaway and jazz fusion guitarist Lee Ritenour.
Interestingly, Benson closes his Songs And Stories CD with
a cover of the 1980 Christopher Cross hit “Sailing,” revived
here with the help of fellow guitarists Toninho Horta and Marcelo
Lima. Songs And Stories may be a superstar heavy session
but the spotlight is always on Benson’s soulful singing and guitar
work. 
CRANKTONE
ENTERTAINMENT - Whether offering up covers of rock classics, writing
his own rock tracks or laying down a range of mighty powerful instrumentals,
guitarist and singer-songwriter Carl Verheyen has it covered
on his 2009 CD, Trading 8s. With such a range
of vital guitar rock and fusion in play, there’s plenty of fine
tracks on what might very well be Verheyen’s finest release yet.
Guitar fans already aware of Verheyen’s legendary guitar prowess
and vocals will be even more impressed with the range of guitarists
appearing as guests here including Joe Bonamassa, Steve
Morse, Robben Ford, Albert Lee and Scott Henderson.
Verheyen’s core band here—bass ace Dave Marotta and
drum legend Walfredo Reyes Jr.—keeps the steady rhythm.
Also on board, keyboardist Jim Cox is a long time Verheyen
accomplice and Naomi Star provides an interesting sound while
sharing the vocal spotlight with Verheyen on several tracks here.
Much has been written about Verheyen’s chameleon like approach
to rock and fusion and he lives up to his legacy with Trading 8s.
A good example of Verheyen’s eclectic approach to rock can
be heard on the CD’s only cover, a new version of George Harrison’s
“Taxman” which features Verheyen’s vocals with a definite
Police / Sting influence while the two part “Henry’s Farm”
offers a candid snapshot of Verheyen’s virtuosity as an instrumental
composer. With so many great guitarists appearing as guest artists
on various tracks here, there’s an abundance of musical spotlights
but that’s what in part makes this album so appealing. A veritable
guitar diplomat, Verheyen’s track by track 2009 liner notes places
Trading 8s into perspective. 
EAGLE
VISION - Released by Eagle Vision on both DVD and Blu-ray, Diana
Krall Live In Rio finds the jazz-pop chanteuse in primo
form performing before a throng of devoted Brazilian music fans. Performing
cuts from her recent Verve release, Quiet Nights, the 135 minute
DVD features Krall on Steinway grand piano backed up by her quartet
including Anthony Wilson (guitar), John Clayton (bass)
and Jeff Hamilton (drums). Mixing in a number of jazz standards
with the samba and bossa nova fare from Quiet Nights, the DVD
also features a bonus track called “Conversations,” featuring
an intimate portrait of Krall and her band during their stay in Rio
de Janeiro as well as a new video—filled with captivating beach
scenes—of “The Boy From Ipanema.” The Blu-ray disc
adds in “The Rooftop Sessions,” with four additional tracks
filmed in Rio. Krall’s singing and piano work is excellent throughout
the DVD. Clearly Live In Rio is a fantastic choice for Krall
fans as well as pop / jazz fans and fans of the time-honored bossa
nova. Eagle Vision continues on with a number of key DVD releases
during the Summer of 2009 including Mr. Rock ‘n Roll -
The Alan Freed Story. For those who need a reminder,
Freed was the top DJ in the country when Rock & Roll first took
hold in the '50s and he was in tight with all the key artists and
record execs in the country. A modern take on the Freed story, Mr.
Rock ‘n Roll takes you right back to the dawn of the birth
of rock and roll. The movie tells the tale of Freed from a human perspective
set against the music of Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Jackie Wilson,
Bo Diddley, Buddy Holly and more, all played here by top actors and
unknown artists. With Freed played by Judd Nelson, the movie
also features key performances by Madchen Amick and Paula
Abdul. Although these aren’t the actual artists, the movie
makes you feel like you’re right there in NYC during the rock
and roll mania of the late ‘50s. 
EMARCY
/ DECCA- On his 2009 CD Piety Street,
jazz guitarist extraordinaireJohn Scofield returns with a rockin’
album of tried and true gospel covers. Revered in the jazz world for
his many fine solo albums—as well as his work with giants like
Charles Mingus, Chick Corea, Billy Cobham and more—Scofield makes
a rare and unusual move with Piety Street. Commenting on his
13 track CD for the Emarcy label—distributed by Decca Records
in the U.S.—Sco adds, ‘I launched a personal search for
musical inspiration beyond the standard 12 bar blues and found it
in “old time gospel” music. My search led to countless songs
that really move me. Of course, it will be Gospel done my way—all
the arrangements are mine.’ Accompanying Scofield’s burning
guitar leads are singers Jon Cleary and John Boutté,
drummer Ricky Fataar and George Porter, Jr. (bass).
Scofield squeezes a range of emotions out of his Ibanez guitars and
Vox amps. Produced by John Scofield and Mark Bingham, Piety
Street is the jazziest, bluesiest, funkiest guitar-based Gospel
album you’re ever going to hear! 
Celebrating 50 years of musical legacy, Island Records and sister
label Def Jam released the much anticipated return by soul and R&B
singing icon Lionel Richie. The 2009 CD release of Just
Go finds the superstar in the company of producers
like StarGate and Akon, the latter especially did a
great job writing and co-producing the title track. Richie may have
turned 60 recently yet he sounds totally in sync with today’s
current generation of slick, R&B dance music specialists. In light
of the BeeGee’s retirement from recording (at least for now)
and the sad passing of R&B pop great Michael Jackson, Richie’s
legacy as a modern R&B icon comes full circle and is well worth
investigating again on the appealing soul-pop friendly grooves of
Just Go. 
MEROKE
SKY RECORDS -
A new label based out in L.A., Meroke Sky released a great various
artists sampler CD called The United States Of Consciousness
in 2009. Encompassing blues, folk, pop and roots music, highlights
of the 20 track CD includes a new track called “Men Of Blood”
from rock and pop innovator Gerry Goffin and blues-rock icon
Barry Goldberg. Goldberg has a released a 2009 solo CD on Meroke
Sky as well. Hearing the song “Men Of Blood” from rock and
roll inventor Gerry Goffin is a true revelation and pairing with Goldberg
is a great turn of fortune for music fans. Goffin has been pretty
quiet since his amazing comeback Back Room Blood released in
1996 with both Bob Dylan and Barry Goldberg. Goldberg also teams with
singer Bonnie Parker on the CD’s rocking leadoff track
“I Believe.” Overall, the US of C CD features an
impressive bunch of up and coming rockers, poppers and bluesy folk
singers on a wide variety of different yet appealing songs. Singer-songwriter
Carla Olsson makes a splendid showing with her track and another
singer on the CD, Robin Q. Tayler turns in a modern folk-rock
protest classic called “Code Red, White And Blue.” In fact,
the theme throughout here is one of protesting war and the way Bush
II years polluted America’s karma with it’s preemptive war,
all leading to the economic collapse and near depression of 2009.
Early in 2009, America woke up again after a long dark slumber, but
the karmic road back is long and hollow. I hope we make it but the
future is very uncertain as we close out the decade of disaster and
disappointment. Meroke Sky founder and CD producer Mike Giangreco,
who did a great job assembling the tracks states, ‘This
album was born not only out of necessity to help voice the feelings
of many in the music community, but also to give validation to this
feeling beyond the live performance. On this album, you will hear
not only some musical greats with resumes one could only wish to aspire
to, but also those of the young and innocent.’ As long as there’s
been wars, there has also been brave singers and songwriters looking
to right the wrongs in society and a bunch of them make that vision
perfectly clear on The United States Of Consciousness. One
of the great various artists collections of the early 2000’s,
this CD captures the fleeting spirit of peace and love in the gift
of song. 
MOONJUNE
RECORDS - Back in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, I used
to love to watch Fred Frith perform on his guitars in Manhattan. Awe
struck by Fred’s work in avant rock pioneers Henry Cow, I used
to invite him down to my dad’s restaurant, the Chambers Deli
on 6th Avenue and 58th street, just to enjoy his presence. This was
especially true after Fred’s famous 1979 Gravity album
with Swedish RIO king Lasse Hollmer and Samla. Where was I....ah,
yes, the art of noise of the guitar—the sounds made famous from
rock in opposition guitarists like Fred, Hans Reichel and Zamla’s
Eino Haapala—continues on in the 21st century with NYC’s
downtown guitarist Elliott Sharp. In the spirit of Frith and
Haapala, Sharp has carved out quite a name for himself over the last
decade as a daring, experimental, electric 'avant' guitarist, and
he continues on in peak form on the 2009 Moonjune Records CD release
of Protoplasmic. Actually a duo release from
Sharp and Italian singer Boris Savoldelli, Protoplasmic
combines Savoldelli’s bizarre vocal loops and layerings and
overall sense of improvisational anarchy with Sharp’s extended
concepts of merging jazz, improvisation, electronica and a primitive
rock and roll into a sound that is best described as ‘downtown.’
The sound of the CD is excellent, and while this cup of tea might
not be for everyone, there’s a sense of musical integrity and
wide screen fascination to surely make it of interest among fans of
the musical avant garde. And yes, Fred Frith would approve. 
MOTÉMA
- Released in 2009, Painted On Water is a cool little
14 cut CD of wildly inventive World Beat style jazz from Turkish artists—singer
Sertab Erener and guitarist Demir Demirkan. The duo’s
World Beat Fusion groove owes a lot to mainstream American jazz-rock
groups such as latter day Return To Forever and combines a wealth
of jazz and pop sounds as well as influences from their native country
Turkey. Sertab’s vocals are reminiscent of jazz legends Gayle
Moran (from Music Magic era RTF) and Flora Purim, who also
appeared on the 1972 RTF classic Light As A Feather. Sertab’s
English sung lyrics receive excellent support from Demir’s solid
electric guitar work. With his solid grasp of fusion guitar styles,
Demir is something of a legend in Turkey having released six albums
in addition to various film scores. A number of key players back up
both Turkish musicians on their CD, including guitarist Al DiMeola,
drummer Dave Weckl and percussionist Trilok Gurtu. Sertab
and Demir should be given a lot of credit for bringing their exotic
Turkish jazz-rock sound over to the U.S. for American music fans to
open their ears and appreciate. 
With an incredible summer ‘69 album of their own out in the U.S.
on A&M, Free were amazing as the lead off act on the 1969 Blind
Faith tour while taking the stage right after as the center of the
bill was Delaney & Bonny with Dave Mason. Taking the FM radio
airwaves by storm, Blind Faith were set to release a brilliant first
album which stunned both the blues rock set and the newly established
progressive rock sound as spearheaded by Cream and Traffic. Missing
of course from the February 25, 26 and 28, 2008 reunion concerts at
Madison Square Garden featuring Steve Winwood and Eric Clapton,
were Ginger Baker, with the noted absence of the late, great Blind
Faith bass and violin player, Ric Grech. Just in time for the 
40th
anniversary of Blind Faith, Clapton and Winwood are once again on
tour Summer 2009, bolstered by the spring 2009 CD/DVD release of Live
From Madison Sq. Garden. The CD sound is first rate
with two discs combining 20 tracks. As expected, the anthem of summer
‘69 “Had To Cry Today” kicks off the CD, which goes
on to combine not only Blind Faith songs, but also Traffic and Winwood
/ Clapton catalog hits with covers of J.J. Cale, Hendrix, Buddy Miles,
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Ray Charles. A number of Winwood classics are
sprinkled throughout and it’s interesting to hear Clapton adding
in licks to the Traffic material. Sure it would have been nice to
have Ginger Baker behind the skins once again... but backed by drummer
Ian Thomas and rock session monsters Willie Weeks (bass)
and Chris Stainton (keyboards), Clapton and Winwood secure
their legacy with their classy 2008 Blind Faith CD and DVD reunion.
Revolving around her deep love for traditional C&W and pop, My
Turn features fresh and appealing covers of classics made
famous by giants like Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, Eddie
Arnold, George Jones and others. A fresh Tucker cover of a 1922 vaudeville
classic most associated with Hank Williams’ classic hit version,
“Lovesick Blues,” is fantastic and, by reversing the gender
of Hank’s original lyric, Tucker puts a new spin on one of Country
music's greatest standards. Produced and arranged by guitarist Pete
Anderson at his L.A. studios, and featuring a number of top sessioners,
the 12 track My Turn puts Tucker once again on the cutting
edge of country music. Commenting on the album Tanya claims, ‘I
picked the songs my daddy always wanted me to sing. This is really
a tribute to him because he was with me throughout my entire career.
He’s now with God above but I know he’s watching over me
still and loving these songs and this record.’ Anderson, whose
country picking guitar leads sound great here also states, ‘I
always knew Tanya was a great singer, but not until she went up against
the classic country songs and singers of all time did I realize that
she is one of the greatest alive...she made these songs her own.’
Only 13 when her “Delta Dawn” became a top ten hit, back
when she was fondly called “The Texas Tornado, Tucker brings
back the best of the classic Country & Western spirit on My
Turn. Interestingly, the Virginia based Saguaro Road Records has
done a great job reviving Tucker’s career with My Turn,
just as they did with their outstanding 2008 comeback CD/DVD from
rock & roll pioneer, Dion on his Heroes release. With classic
cover art, the CD is capped off by new liner notes by C&W legend
George Jones. 
Still that doesn’t take away too much of the fun factor here.
On their latest pop tribute extravaganza, Under The Covers Vol.
2, singer / guitarists Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs—calling
themselves Sid n’ Susie—team on a fresh, 16 track batch
of time proven pop standards, with each adding in their particular
pop traits that have endeared them to their respective fan bases.
Starting off with an unusual choice of the Grateful Dead classic “Sugar
Magnolia,” the CD proceeds onward with an eclectic choice of
pop tribute classics. Picking to cover an artists’ most popular
song might not have been the most creative way to approach this but
the L.A. based Shout! Factory has done a quite professional job on
their latest Sweet / Hoffs venture. Other favorites tackled by the
pair here include a couple Beatles related takes on the 1970 George
Harrison classic “Beware Of Darkness” and the recently re-ignited
John Lennon politico rock diatribe “Gimme Some Truth,”
complete with some blazing George Harrison inspired lead work. “Maggie
May” may be a less than optimum choice for a Hoffs lead vocal
while a Sweet / Hoffs cover of the Yes rock madrigal “Your Move
/ All Good People” is unusual and works thanks in part to this
cover featuring Yes guitarist Steve Howe on electric and acoustic
via the internet from England. Sweet takes the lead on the Todd classic
“Hello It’s Me” and with solid backing makes it work.
Other surprise guests include George Harrison’s son Dhani
Harrison, who adds guitar on “Beware Of Darkness.” With
the core band including drummer Ric Menck and lead electric
and pedal steel guitar from Greg Leisz, Under The Covers
2 features very cool digi-pak artwork and photo filled booklet
with track by track notes from both Sweet and Hoffs. Can’t wait
to hear what Vol. 3 holds in store. www.ShoutFactory.com
Without breaking either Stackridge or Bo Hansson here in the U.S.
of course Stein would eventually make it big much closer to home with
Talking Heads in the late ‘70s and then striking it even more
rich with Madonna in late 1983. I don’t know if old Seymour even
listens to music much these days but his label Sire did release the
2009 album from Soviet born / NYC bred Regina Spektor. Interestingly,
on the 13 track Far Spektor draws on both the progressive
influences of Stein’s (and many of his disciples’) youth,
while keeping alive a kind of Madonna-esque, or more likely Tori Amos
type image and element in her music. On Far, Spektor teams
with a number of producers including ‘71 era Move brain trust
/ turned ELO champ Jeff Lynne. Anyone who remembers (there’s
got to be a few!) Lynne’s amazing recording sound techniques
from Move-era Message From The Country or more likely, his
eclectic, quicksilver productions with ELO and George Harrison might
very well dig Spektor’s edgy, slightly claustrophobic pop mix.
Although somewhat uncharacteristic of his previous works in the past,
Lynne’s four Far productions feature him on both guitar
and bass with added orchestral programming from Lynne’s accomplice
Marc Mann. With Spektor’s main instrument being acoustic
grand piano, there’s not too much guitar here but her singing
is quite fabulous and her songs evoke a new classic pop sound for
the 2000’s. Now if only Phil Spector, who’s Spektor family
also became Spector here, was around to more carefully structure some
of Spektor’s next producer openings! She could use a little more
rock focus to her work though. Make her listen to Message From
The Country Jeff! Too bad about Phil though... 
Close nephew of founding Allman Brothers Band drummer Butch Trucks,
Derek Trucks is a bona fide new millennium cross of Clapton and King
while professing a legacy towards early Allman Brothers albums that
his uncle added and continues to add so much to. With a solid groove
all it’s own, Already Free is a suitable mix of well recorded
countrified Southern
blues
rock. With a fine band, including singer Mike Mattison (sounding
here a lot like Gregg Allman), the CD also features guest shots from
Doyle Bramhall II and Trucks’ wife, guitarist Susan
Tedeschi. Trucks was superb at Eric Clapton’s recent Crossroads
concerts and Already Free lives up to Clapton’s noteworthy
vision of Trucks as the second coming of Duane Allman. 
BD
/ LD MUSIC - Released by BIG DOG / LITTLE DOG MUSIC in
2008, The 5th Venture, from Ventures guitarist
Bob Spalding is a neat CD of tracks that are clearly inspired
by his work in the band but also offer insight into Spalding’s
unique guitar abilities. “Blue Dawn” is the lead off track
while “Walk Don’t Run” is low key but Spalding's solo
version does the track proud. If anything is askew here it might be
the low tech studio sound and programmed drums. That doesn’t
take away from Spalding’s amazing sense of timing and style but
the sound is definitely more DIY than say the bigger budget of Rocky!,
the 2008 CD from The Ventures that also featured Spalding’s
lead work on several tracks. Ventures’ founders Bob Bogle
and Don Wilson have their say and add in a page
of liner notes. Perhaps now with 2009’s sad passing of Bob Bogle,
Spalding becomes the 4th Venture! Either way, Spalding is a phenomenal
guitarist and The 5th Venture is a treat for Ventures and instrumental
fans. 
his 15th solo album on his self-owned Bolero Records imprint, guitar
wizard Armik continues to find new and inventive ways to express
his guitar talent and techniques. Recording with his special Maldonado
/ Armik flamenco guitars, Armik just burns through another set of
daredevil, cross-culture flamenco etched guitar-based instrumentals.
Recorded at his Bolero studios in California—with mixing and
engineering handled by Armik’s partner Annette Dashchi—Serenata
will impress long time fans of Armik’s incredible fretboard
wizardry while bringing in a whole new circle of guitar lovers lucky
enough to hear this great CD, as well as his 2008 CD also on Bolero—the
nuevo flamenco collection, Fuego Gitana. 
at the wide depth of the genre on his ten track 54 minute 2009 CD,
Old, New Borrowed And Blue. With fine backing
from guest artist Holly Hofmann (flute), Joe Bagg (organ)
and Steve Barnes (drums), Potenza serves double time as guitarist
and vocalist. The studio sound is great with very little distortion
and a live feel permeates the groove. In his astute liner notes, Potenza
goes into detail behind the significance of these new arrangements
of some venerable standards. On the mostly instrumental album, “Ode
To Billy Joe” gets a new treatment as a funky blues groove and
likewise Potenza and Co. stir up a faithful rendition of Wes Montgomery’s
‘60s hit “Road Song.” One of two tracks, featuring
Potenza’s vocals, “I’m Walkin” (a late ‘50s
hit written and performed by Fats Domino) displays a keen fusion edge
and the band plays the song quite uniquely. The set closing cover
of Carol King’s “You’ve Got Friend” sounds like
a visit with an old friend. The song works great as an instro and
Potenza’s keen sense of timing does the song justice. A protégé
of jazz guitar legend Joe Pass, Potenza sounds like a grad from the
same music school as singing jazz guitarists like John Pizzarelli
and even Birelli Lagrene—two famous guitarists, coming from different
parts of the world and each with a great love of guitar and the music
of singers like Frank Sinatra. With a unique guitar jazz sound and
a keen jazz insight into the workings of a great song, Potenza and
his cool jazz sound is just the ticket for today’s hip, mainstream
jazz audience. 
CONCORD
JAZZ - Known for his electric bass work with Chick Corea’s
Elektric Band and Akoustic Band, John Patitucci has also worked
with Wayne Shorter, Freddie Hubbard and Stan Getz to name a few. For
his eleventh solo album, Remembrance, Patitucci
puts together a jazz trio and here he teams with with sax master Joe
Lovano and drummer Brian Blade. A fresh sounding set of
vintage jazz vibes, the sound is purely swinging, and sometimes avant
gard jazz. The CD has that live jazz sound and if you close your eyes,
you could swear you were sitting at a table down at the Village Gate
on Bleecker Street in NYC. Patitucci weaves his sumptuous bass sound
in and around Lovano’s predominant sax leads with drummer Blade
sounding like a modern Art Blakeley. Overall, Remembrance is
a set of warm sounding jazz. Commenting on working with this trio
Patitucci adds, ‘I've been waiting for years to make a trio record
like this. I wanted it to sound organic and let the bass bleed into
other things Joe and Brian were doing. Plus, my bass sound was able
to be a little bigger, broader and warmer.’ Funky in all the
right places, mixing straight ahead uptown jazz with classical vibes
too, Patitucci’s Remembrance is a living, breathing tribute
to the origins of the classic jazz sound. 
CONCORD
JAZZ - I first heard vibe master Gary Burton play with
guitar ace Pat Metheny upon the 1975 Lp release of Dreams
So Real, a massively influential album that was a tribute to avant
garde composer Carla Bley. That groundbreaking album was followed
of course by the first Pat Metheny Group album on Manfred Eicher’s
German-basd ECM and the rest is history. Renewing their musical partnership
again, Burton and Metheny released Quartet Live on Concord
Jazz during the summer of 2009. Recorded at Yoshi’s in Oakland,
California on June 10-11, 2007, Quartet Live features Burton
and Metheny backed up by the rhythm section of Steve Swallow (electric
bass) and Antonia Sanchez (drums). The eleven track CD features
a number of fusion classics penned by Chick Corea, Duke Ellington,
Keith Jarrett in addition to originals from Burton, Metheny and Swallow.
These guys are so well seasoned and professional in their musical
interplay with each other that saying they share a musical ESP would
be an understatement. Psychedelic album artwork from ‘60s graphic
artist Peter Max is a real hoot. Just about the only thing
askew here are the prolific CD liner notes as written by each of the
players here. For us aging baby boomers—you know, the original
fans—they’re way to small to read! One or two point sizes
bigger on perhaps the addition of one or two more pages to accommodate
that request would have made a big difference in the legibility! But
then again, this music is so good and so well played fixing that quibble
would just be additional icing on the cake. 
preferable option indeed! It’s almost hard to capture all that
the Beck DVD has to offer on CD.
The CD came out last year and the Spring 2009 release of the CD on
DVD has been worth the wait. Beck of course was an architect of rock
guitar going back to '60s pop legends The Yardbirds. On Live At
Ronnie Scotts, Beck just dazzles, backed up by a band including
bass prodigy Tal Wikenfeld, drummer Vinnie Colaiuta and
the keys of Jason Rebello. Kicking off with his famous trademark
track “Beck’s Bolero,” the DVD sound and vision is
clearly state of the art. Guest artists include Eric Clapton and
singers Joss Stone and Imogen Heap. Mostly instrumental
jazz-rock played with power and pizzazz, the DVD—as well as the
aforementioned CD of the show—features Beck group covers of John
McLaughlin, Billy Cobham, Jan Hammer, Stevie Wonder, Charles Mingus
and, of course a fresh take on Beck’s historic Beatles cover
of “A Day In The Life.” The video quality is superb throughout
the DVD, which also features bonus video interviews with Beck and
the band members. Following their Jeff Beck DVD, Eagle Rock come back
strong with another jazz-rock DVD of 2009, from Chick Corea and
his ‘70s group, reincarnated in 2008, Return To Forever.
Like Jeff Beck, Corea and RTF basically defined instrumental fusion
back in the ‘70s and in honor of their 2008 reunion, Eagle follows
in 2009 with a DVD of Live At Montreux 2008. Earlier
in 2009 Eagle released a double CD of the 2008 RTF Montreux concert
and just like their Jeff Beck DVD, the Return To Forever concert captured
on Return To Forever Returns is a real boon for fans
of the original ‘70s lineup with Corea, Stanley Clarke (bass),
Al DiMeola (guitars) and Lenny White (drums). In depth
liner notes and a number of color pics from the show adds to the experience.
Even though it’s been 30+ years since the last RTF studio album,
all the major RTF hits are performed flawlessly on Return To Forever
Returns, including “Hymn Of The Seventh Galaxy,” “No
Mystery,” “The Romantic Warrior” and more, while further
video tracks from the band’s 2008 Clearwater Florida show include
solo spots from each of the players here. 
JOYOUS
SHOUT - Twelve Tones Of Love is the newly
recorded 2009 CD from jazz master and percussionist / drummer Chico
Hamilton. In the spirit of master drummers Art Blakey and Max Roach,
Hamilton works wonders in a large ensemble American jazz and Twelve
Tones Of Love takes it’s place in Hamilton’s prodigious
50+ discography. Twelve Tones Of Love features mostly instrumental
works, but the CD does feature several vocal spotlights. Now in his
‘80s, Hamilton worked with Tony Bennett recently and his Twelve
Tones album CD features a fresh version of Tony’s song “Lazy
Afternoon,” sung Jose James, while the 7+ minute Charlie
Parker Suite is a fitting homage to sax giant Bird. Musicians backing
Chico include guitar, bass and various horns. Of special note to jazz
fans here is Hamilton's acknowledgment of bop as an inspriation, while
capaturing Charlie Parker's melodic aspect of playing on the 7+ minute
highlight "The Charlie Parker Suite." In addition to this
new album, Chico is busy writing his autobiography while also planning
another album and teaching at the New School University jazz program.
geared up for nearly 50 years of guitar instrumental albums with
the 2007 CD release of Latin Breeze. Produced
by long time Los Jets drummer Eduardo Bartrina, the release
of Latin Breeze finds the group covering Latin music and Brazilian
music classics such as “Amapola,” “South Of The Border,”
“Desifinado,” in addition to covering Clapton, Benson and
a couple of Perez Prado tracks. In addition to Bartrina’s always
tasteful drumming, Latin Breeze benefits from some excellent
lead guitar work from Michael Martinez. In the spirit of the
band’s Spanish Blood album from 2004, Latin Breeze
is a great way to spend an hour of listening to some high quality
guitar instrumental music in the spirit of ‘60s music from The
Ventures and The Shadows. Other recent CD releases from the always
prolific Los Jets include their long awaited 2008 Los Jets 50th
Anniversary double CD set. Drawing on the heritage of their
Spanish music roots, 50th Anniversary features 19 guitar instrumentals
that almost seem timeless. It’s a blast to hear Los Jets rocking
out with covers of tracks like “Bang A Gong,” “Take
Five,” “Venus,” “Maggie May,” along with
lesser known yet equally thrilling instrumentals. Again, the double
CD 50th Anniversary features a great performance from Bartrina,
Martinez and the entire Los Jets band. While we’re on the subject,
fans may also want to hear 40 Degrees N - 3 Degrees W,
a 2006 CD release from Los Jets featuring a number of original
cuts as well as covers of instro classics from years past. Los
Jets: Live - 1st October 2005 was recorded in Germany
at a Cliff Richard And The Shadows tribute concert. The 17 track CD
fittingly features a number of Shadows covers, with a accent on the
Spanish music connection in the Shadows music. Last but not least,
Christmas In July features ten Christmas related songs
performed instrumentally by Los Jets, highlighted by the lead off
cover of John & Yoko’s “Happy Christmas, War Is Over.”
Although it’s been 50 years since brothers Jose Maria and
Santiago Gonzales founded Los Jets back in Spain back in the
‘50s, hat’s off to Eduardo Bartrina, who resurrected Los
Jets back in 1981, for continuing on
and releasing one great instrumental Los Jets album after the next.
HOWLING
WOOD RECORDS - He’s shared stages with guitarists like Les
Paul, Chet Atkins, Duane Eddy, Peter Frampton and Vince Gill and on
his 2008 CD Bridging The Gap, Nashville guitarist
Doyle Dykes sets a new standard of guitar excellence. Fans
of Chet and even Frampton’s recent instrumental CD will find
much to cheer about on Doyle’s CD. The CD is quite an eclectic
affair, filled with acoustic guitar masterpieces, finger picking ragtime
guitar and jazzy fusion workouts all capped off by guest appearances
by guitar legends Eric Johnson and Phil Keaggy. Doyle’s
son Caleb Dykes and several other players, including Johnson’s
drummer Tommy Taylor add further sparkle to the already impressive
fretboard wizardry of Bridging The Gap. Doyle and Keaggy work
instrumental guitar magic on track 12, “On The North Road,”
while the track here pairing Doyle with Eric Johnson will either leave
you in a sublime state of wonder or slack jawed wondering, ‘How
in the heck did did they do that?’ Recorded in Austin, Beverly
Hills, Nashville and Knebworth, England, the 15 track all instrumental
CD is packed with detailed track by track liners from Doyle with yet
another full page written by Bob Taylor of Taylor guitars who,
regarding Bridging The Gap, adds, ‘I have never heard
a better collection of guitar songs than I hear on this album.’
Fans of Chet and Keaggy take notice with an additional recommendations
for fans of legendary guitar multi-taskers like Tommy Emmanuel, Steve
Howe and John Jorgenson. 
LEFT
COAST CLAVE - A more relaxing completely instrumental album of
jazzy tropical sounds you’d be hard pressed to find! Performing
the music of Brazilian Composer Moacir Santos, the sound of
Mark Levine And The Latin Tinge, takes Brazilian music to a
unique musical head space. Levine is a master of the acoustic piano
and backed up by his ensemble, The Latin Tinge, he introduces the
music of an ingenious yet unheralded composer. Backing up Levine are
the rhythm section tandem of Paul van Wageningen on trap drums
and Michael Spiro on hand percussion, bassist John Wiitala
and Brazilian-jazz veteran Mary Fettig on flute. Commenting
on this audio expose on the music of the late, great Moacir Santos,
Levine adds, ‘This is something I've wanted to do for 35 years.
Moacir is the greatest Brazilian songwriter of the 20th century, and
he is emphatically not just about bossa and samba. In fact, the new
album is Brazilian music played with an Afro-Cuban slant. A lot of
the arrangements are pure rumba clave.' There is an exotic feel to
Levine's interpretations of Moacir's music and with the accent on
Brazilian bossa / samba, Afro-Cuban and jazz sounds, you feel like
you’re in some exotic local soaking up the sun. You can almost
hear the echoes of Rio and the bossa nova groove of A.C. Jobim in
Moacir’s music, much of which was also written in the 1960’s.
Recording the music in the studio between April 13-15, 2009, Levine
has done a wonderful job on the CD packaging, adding in lots of info
on Moacir’s music and history. Off & On is musical
history brought into the sound of now. 
Lion Music is quite a hard rock label, yet Coste—a guitarist
known for impeccable fusion credentials and even his acoustic guitar
wizardry—seems to fit right in with this CD. Combining his patented
daredevil fusion guitar techniques, pioneered with Samla with a new,
21st century approach to hard rock music as played by a jazz-rock
virtuoso, Coste comes up a winner with the wildly eclectic rock vibes
on Surprisingly Heavy. There’s even a couple vocal cuts
that display Coste’s love of rock music, echoing perhaps his
recordings with Jim Pembroke back in the mid ‘70s? A must
for fans of Coste’s work with Samla and Tolonen, Surprisingly
Heavy should also be a nice little wake up call for fans of the
hard rocking Lion Music imprint. Will the kids listen? Will they even
get it? Who knows, but long time Svenska fusion buffs will eat this
one up. 
SELECTONE
RECORDS - The late great Chet Atkins had an impact on all
guitarists and all forms of guitar playing—from early rock and
roll to country to surf style instrumentasl. In a word, Chet was the
ultimate C.G.P. That term, “Certified Guitar Player” was
a name Chet bestowed on four guitar players, including Steve Wariner
C.G.P.A disciple of Atkins and a Nashville guitar hero in his
own right, Wariner delivers the ultimate praise to his mentor with
the eleven track My Tribute To Chet Atkins. For
his Atkins tribute, Wariner has penned a batch of originals that each
touch on something special about Chet including “Producer’s
Medley”—a five part song that recalls the days when Wariner
toured with Chet. Track by track liner notes by Wariner really hone
in on the friendship and musical inspirations that flowed between
both guitarists. The mostly instrumental CD also adds in a few of
Wariner’s vocals. The studio sound is top and likewise for the
CD packaging and booklet, which adds in excellent guitar art and pics
of Wariner with Chet. 
SUBLIMINAL
SOUNDS - Back in the late ‘60s Swedish guitarist Kenny
Håkansson started recording andproducing albums with his
group Kebnekajse. In between recording a series of now classic
‘70s albums with Swedish psychedelic rock icon Bo Hansson, Håkansson
also broke new ground with the psychedelic World Beat, Svenska polska
sound of Kebnekajse. Recording on the Silence label back in the ‘70s,
Kebnekajse has amazingly reformed in time for a new 2009 studio album.
On the boards—just like on those classic albums form the ‘70s—is
expert Swedish sound man Anders Lind, who recorded the 2009
self-titled Kebnekajse comeback at his fabled Silence
studios deep in the woods of western Sweden. The perennial all around
cosmic guitarist—and a true guitar hero in his native Sweden—Håkansson
is in rare form on this fantastic album of electric Swedish instrumental
folk-jazz fusion. Featuring Håkansson backed up by his Kebnekajse
bandmates—all top players from the progressive Swedish music
scene—the recordings may say 2009 but the vintage sounds here
bring back memories of 1977! Thankfully, New England distributors
Forced Exposure have picked up the CD distribution for North America.
VOICEPRINT
- A well respected sax player who’s worked with a number
of top acts, Theo Travis is completely center stage on his
2008 Voiceprint Records CD Double Talk. On a
CD that’s quite well recorded, Travis makes instrumental jazz
fusion that draws on progressive rock as it’s original source
of information. Case in point is the CD cover of the Syd Barrett era
Pink Floyd chart topper “See Emily Play,” here given a quiet
storm, saxy jazz format. Syd would have loved it. Elsewhere Theo is
joined by lots of fine players including guitarist Mike Outram
and former King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp, who appears
on three tracks here. Ever the prog-rock experts, Voiceprint strikes
gold on a CD that sounds equally inspired by dark Nordic jazz to a
more upbeat, sonic groove that should appeal to crossover jazz fans
of Charles Lloyd and John Coltrane. Pink Floyd fans will surely catch
a buzz here, especially on “See Emily Play.” 
A&M
RECORDS / HIP-O SELECT - This joint venture between A&M
Records and Hip-O Select results in the long awaited CD reissue of the
1984 Difford & Tilbrook album, first released on A&M.
Following years of working together in the group Squeeze, singer-songwriters
/ guitarists, Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford reappeared
with their new duo project and the results are clearly as cool as anything
Squeeze ever made. 20 years out of print, (is that possible?) the ten
track Difford & Tilbrook features Tilbrook’s
usual McCartney-esque, blue-eyed soul approach and, track for track,
the album makes for a most memorable pop experience. Armed with a great
band, including Knopfler keyboardist Guy Fletcher, the CD is
even bettered thanks to the production of the legendary Tony Visconti,
who also adds in his patented string and brass arrangements. The booklet
misses the chance to include historical notes, but it does feature original
album art, complete lyrics and recording credits and reissue credits,
all backed up by the Hip-O seal of approval. Anyone who enjoyed Tilbrook’s
fantastic 2009 comeback album, Pandemonium Ensues will find much
to enjoy on this soon to be rare Hip-O catalog item. Try to find Difford
& Tilbrook soon before it goes out of a print for another 20
years! 
AUDIO
FIDELITY - Back in the ‘90s, Mobile Fidelity started by the
late, great Herb Belkin, pioneered the advent of the audio gold CD,
making sonic improvements to the standard aluminum silver disc. One
label that gave Belkin a run for his money was the DCC Compact Classics
label started by Marshall Blonstein. DCC was renamed Audio Fidelity
several years back in the early 2000's. Following the years of success
as DCC, the Audio Fidelity label is once again making inroads with
the gold CD. High of the list of Audio Fidelity's 2009 releases is
a gold disc reissue the 1984 album from Boston rockers The Cars
called Heartbeat City. Just like they did
back in the ‘90s as DCC, Audio Fidelity wisely enlists the talents
of expert remastering engineer Steve Hoffman. Brought to life
with Hoffman’s worthy hands, this remaster sounds amazing, with
just about every frequency sparkling and sounding clear as a bell.
This album classic, featuring the voice and music of Ric Ocasek
backed up by guitarist Elliot Easton and company, sounds
as good as new with Audio Fidelity’s 2009 gold disc remaster
of Heartbeat City. Audiophiles from the dawn of the CD era
as well as today’s sound concious crowd will have loads of sonic
enjoyment from Audio Fidelity's new gold CD classic. 
EXPRESSION
RECORDS - The founding guitarist in Roxy Music, Phil Manzanera
is also renowned for his excellent recordings—both solo and
with the group Quiet Sun. One of Manzanera’s most popular albums
was the famous 801 Live, featuring Phil backed
up by illustrious players such as his partner in Quiet Sun, Bill
MacCormick (bass/vocals), Eno (synth/vocals/guitar/tapes),
drummer Simon Phillips and more. In 2009 Manzanera’s Expression
label reissued the original 801 Live album as a double "Collector's
Edition" CD set featuring the original September 3, 1976 concert
in England along with a second CD of rehearsals for that concert recorded
at Shepperton studios on August 23, 1976. The rehearsal CD is actually
a mirror CD of the original concert album which featured various tracks
from the Quiet Sun album, Eno’s Another Green World along
with live in the studio versions from Phil’s mid ‘70s albums.
Still featuring that famous iconic cover art with MacCormick’s
bass, one of the most famous live albums from one of England’s
greatest electric guitarists just got a little better. Manzanera watchers
should also take note of other recent Expression Records releases
including 801 Live @ Hull (from 1977), 801 Latino (from
1999) and another 801 CD release entitled 801 Manchester (also
from the 1977 801 UK tour). 
of
this happened because he had some underage girl working for him as
a hat check girl in his St. Louis nightclub. Thankfully when Chuck
came out of jail on October 18, 1963 he did so with a bunch of new
songs written in jail, the best of which are part of the 2009 Hip-O
Select 4 CD box set entitled You Never Can Tell / The Complete
Chess Recordings 1960-1966. With Buddy Holly gone and
Elvis in the army en route to Vegas, Chuck Berry was (and still is,
knock on wood) the last vestige of pioneering American rock and rollers.
Funny enough, during his time in an American jail, across the sea
The Beatles were perfecting a number of Berry tracks and luckily had
a chance to record a number of them on their ground breaking pop albums.
Of course that list includes two of Chuck’s most famous compositions,
“Roll Over Beethoven” and “Rock And Roll Music.”
And who can forget John Lennon’s still ultra cool take (with
the Beatles, live on the BBC) of Chuck’s version of the Peter
Joe Clayton song “I Got To Find My Baby,” which is one of
the first tracks on disc one of Chuck’s 108 track, Geffen / Hip-O
box set. An essential rock primer on arguably the most significant
innovator of American rock and roll music back in the ‘50s and
early '60s, Hip-O’s second and most recent Chuck Berry box, You
Never Can Tell features 18 unreleased tracks, including a 45 minute
live concert from October 1963, original stereo versions, singles
mixes, alternate mixes, album cuts and numerous instrumentals including
20 minutes of way cool, instro guitar jams with Bo Diddley. Produced
by long time MCA / UMG musicologist Andy McKaie, You Never
Can Tell features a 24 page booklet authored by Chuck Berry biographer
/ discographer Fred Rothwell that is filled with an abundance
of historical data and discography information about Berry final ‘60s
recordings with Chess—a label he would return to after a three
year stint on Mercury Records by the early ‘70s. But that’s
another story for another box set. In the meantime, You Never Can
Tell is a compelling cross section detailing the genius of Chuck
Berry. 
PAST
& PRESENT - Leave it to the record label distributor Forced
Exposure to find this wild and zany tribute to the kitchy instrumental
music of the ‘60s. One of the coolest things about the ‘90s
was the re-emergence, after a long dark sabbatical, of Lounge music
and the exotica craze of ‘50s and early ‘60s geniuses like
Les Baxter and Martin Denny with Henry Mancini and Lalo Shiffrin too.
It was par for the course back then and of course, by 2010 it’s
a long lost art form. The colorful cosmic cats and kittens of the
U.K. based Past & Present Records label do justice to the instrumental
pop and psychedelic instrumental soundtrack of the ‘60s with
their Mindexpanders Vol.2. You mean there’s
another killer volume of this zany army of cosmic kitsch commanders!
Somewhere between Joe Meek rock instrumentals and the swinging London
of George Martin, the 17 cut CD features relatively unknown artists
performing a staggering range of soundtrack style instrumental rock
and pop music with some tracks bordering on soft porn soundtracks.
Acker Bilk steps into paisley psych territory with his “Acka
Raga” while The Soulful Strings cover the George Harrison
Sgt. Pepper classic “Within You Without You.” Brimming
with swirling sitars, strings, Hammond organ and fuzzed out guitars,
Mindexpanders is like a trip back into the psychedelic
‘60s. 
RAVEN
RECORDS - He penned the song classic “Sixteen Tons,”
but the great Merle Travis is mostly remembered for his excellentfinger-picking
country guitar. In 2009 Raven Records reissued two of Merle’s
most famous albums as a 2 on 1, 39 track CD remaster. Released in
1955 by Capitol Records, The Merle Travis Guitar features
12 guitar instrumentals written by Travis, along with a few covers,
while the 22 track Walkin’ The Strings features
more instrumentals and a few added vocals. Five bonus cuts from the
‘50s and early ‘60s round out the 39 track single disc set.
Merle’s unique mix of instrumental country and jazz guitar sounds
was a big influence on Chet Atkins and till today Merle’s Travis
picking guitar sound is carried forward by guitar icons like Tommy
Emmanuel and Yes guitar king Steve Howe. Packed with excellent liner
notes and complete track info, Raven’s 2009 Travis compilation
is must hear for fans of the most influential 20th century guitar
greats. That Merle Travis guitar sound provides signposts regarding
where it came from and Merle continues to provide inspiration for
guitarists today. 
RAVEN
RECORDS - Downunder, Australia’s Raven Records have a double
album 2 on 1 CD reissue of Indian Reservation (from
1971) / Collage (1972) from
‘60s pop innovators The Raiders. Starting out as Paul
Revere & The Raiders, the band had a slot of the daily TV show
“Where The Action Is” and a string of huge top 40 hits including
“Just Like Me” and “Kicks.” Kicking off with the
title track “Indian Reservation,” (written by the esteemed
John D. Loudermilk) the 23 track CD features the original two
albums along with two bonus tracks. Produced by long time Raiders
vocalist Mark Lindsay, with Paul Revere on keyboards
and Keith (of “98.6” fame) on bass, the albums represented
the height of their commercial success yet by 1975 they would call
it quits. Revere continues on the road with a revival band of the
Raiders music. Raven has done their typically excellent job with this
CD compilation, adding in two bonus cuts from the 1972 album Country
Wine, produced by Lindsey and arranged by John D’Andrea,
who also arranged the Indian Reservation album. This 2009 Raiders
set on Raven takes it’s place alongside the label’s excellent
Paul Revere & The Raiders compilation Kicks! 1963-1972. 
RENAISSANCE
RECORDS - One of the great American rock bands of the late ‘60s,
The Nazz featured Todd Rundgren on lead guitar. Writing
much of the material on the group’s only 3 known albums, Rundgren
built his solo career on the ashes of The Nazz. There have been several
Nazz collections over the past 5 years and lo and behold, just when
you think there would never be another, Arizona based Renaissance
releases a new Nazz retrospective entitled 13th & Pine.
The CD consists of out takes, newly unearthed masters and interesting
undubbed instrumental versions of classic tracks featured prominently
on the first two Nazz albums from 1968 and ‘69. With their strong
Yardbirds / Who influences, the Nazz never really caught on, yet as
this compelling collection points out, they were a force to be reckoned
with. Interesting that with Rundgren just wailing on guitars, the
group’s presence was truly cemented by the very Carl Wayne inspired
vocals of Nazz keyboardist Robert Antoni, who went by the group name
Stewkey. Newcomers would do better to hear the original Nazz
remasters, but for fans and the already converted this edition speaks
volumes about the band’s way gifted founding fathers. 
on
his 1975 album Russ Ballard he pretty much handles all the
drums, piano, bass and guitar work with just a touch of help from
sax and strings players. Ballard's drum sound on this album has an
amazing Ringo Starr like quality and is as impressive as his guitar
and piano work. Recorded during July and August of 1974 at CBS studios
in London, Ballard's first ever solo album offers some keen insight
into his special talent as a pop superstar and guitar hero. Out on
Renaissance are a number of Ballard CD reissues, from this first through
to and including his 1985 release The Fire Still Burns.
It's sad that no label in the U.S. has released Ballard’s most
recent Book Of Love CD, leaving one to think that America is
basically written off the map for all but the biggest U.K. acts or
superstar acts. That said, Ballard is still a rock force to be reckoned
with and picking up his Renaissance releases is a good move for rock
fans. Easily in a league with Ballard's amazing pop legacy, Dutch
rockers Kayak have an excellent Best Of compilation on Renaissance.
Entitled Phantom Of The Night, The Very
Best Of Kayak features tracks from the first Kayak release
See See The Sun from 1973 through till their late '80s singles.
As an introduction, by late 1974 Kayak were considered one of the
top Euro rock bands from the '70s and certainly the most ingenius
rock band to ever come out of Holland. Interestingly, there's never
been a release of Kayak leader Ton Scherpenzeel's famous late
'70s instrumental masterpiece, his instrumental classical rock tribute
to Carnival Of The Animals, which over the years has become
one of a number of mysteriously overlooked classic instrumental rock
albums that has never received proper recognition. 
SHOUT!
FACTORY / WIENERWORLD - With John Lennon’s headlining
performance at the 1969 Toronto Peace Festival paying tribute to his
roots, it’s more than a little coincidental that supporting Lennon's
Plastic Ono Band at Toronto were a number of his rock and roll
pioneer heroes. And one of them, Little Richard, is feted by
Shout! Factory and Wienerworld with the 2009 U.S. / U.K. DVD release
of Little Richard Live At The Toronto Peace Festival 1969
.
It must have been a hoot to see Lennon singing “Money,”
“Yer' Blues” and “Dizzy Miss Lizzy” in the company
of these rock and roll pioneers and on his own DVD from the Toronto
festival, Little Richard doesn’t disappoint. Richard’s surreal
set truly captures him in rare form, backed by a solid band, performing
huge hits such as “Lucille,” “Good Golly Miss Molly”
and more. Director D.A. Pennebaker is renowned for his filming
of Monterey Pop and Don’t Look Back and likewise
his filming of Lennon and here, Little Richard is both sublime and
shocking. With nine tracks, the DVD only runs 27 minutes yet it's
a brilliant expose of Little Richard in peak form on vocals and piano.
If in fact Pennebaker filmed the entire festival show, his Lennon
film is beyond brilliant, then can we also expect future Wienerworld
DVD’s featuring the other acts at Lennon’s rock and roll
revival at the Toronto Peace Festival? That list includes Bo Diddley,
Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Gene Vincent along with newer bands
such as Chicago, the Doors and Alice Cooper. Excellent DVD liner notes
fills in the blanks. Hats off to Shout! Factory in the U.S. and Wienerworld
in the U.K. for releasing this essential live DVD release of Little
Richard in action. 
Case in point is Vanguard’s music reissue series entitled Vanguard
Visionaries. Back in the 2001, Vanguard released a
3 CD set entitled The Out Sound From The Way In! from electronic
music pioneers Perrey & Kingsley. Honoring the dynamic
duo’s legacy, Vanguard released a Visionaries CD from
Perrey & Kingsley. The 1960’s was an amazingly inventive
period for pop music and Perrey & Kingsley’s unique instrumental
music was influenced by the inventive thoughts and themes of innovators
such as the late great Joe Meek and Bob Moog as well as the quirky
electronic sounds of Walter Carlos, who worked with Moog so closely
on the classic Switched On Bach from 1969. Of course, Perrey
& Kingsley were much more about pop art and intellectual commercialism
rather than the classical stance of the, then soon to be Ms. Carlos.
Just take a listen to P&K's hilarious, moogy send up cover medley
of “One Note Samba” with “Spanish Flea.” The Visionaries
inclusion of their song “Passport To The Future” is
a great way to look back and revel in the magic of the ‘60s.
Completists will want Vanguard’s 3 CD set but Visionaries
is a great sampling of P&K’s early electronic music magic.
Other artists recently given the Visionaries treatment by Vanguard
include folk singers Joan Baez, Odetta, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Doc Watson
and Eric Anderson, blues legends Skip James, Buddy Guy, James Cotton
and Big Mama Thornton along with jazz legends such as Sandy Bull and
Larry Coryell along with many many more on the way. Visionaries
is a great way to sample some of the magic contained in the vaults
of the legendary Vanguard Records. 
WINTERFOLD
RECORDS - While not quite as much of a sonic revelation as the
Winterfold remaster of The Bruford Tapes, the 2009 CD release
of In Tokyo features a rare Japanese performance
by Bill Bruford and Pat Moraz. Recorded in Tokyo Japan
on July 4, 1985, the ten cut CD is a fitting showcase for two of the
greatest musicians of the modern rock era. Although Bruford and Winterfold
has reissued the Moraz Bruford studio albums, the 63 minute In
Tokyo is the only legit CD remastering of their live work. 1985
was the turning point in the development of the CD and Bill and Pat
wasted no time capitalizing on the wide, pin drop audio scope the
CD offered. Looking back, Bruford and Moraz were two of the greatest
things that happened to the Yes group. Bruford of course was the backbone
of the original Yes sound while Moraz, joining the band late in 1974,
offered a jazzier, world beat spin to Rick Wakeman's more classical
rock based keyboard sound. In other words, Bruford and Moraz could
not only play rock but they were equally at home in the jazz and even
neoclassical progressive music worlds. What a thrill, more than 25
years later to hear just how in tune these two players were to each
other’s unique musical depth and perceptions. How many more CD
remaster and live music surprises will Bill Bruford unleash in the
future? Stay tuned but, for now Bruford, Yes and Moraz fans will find
the release of In Tokyo an essential, fascinating listening
experience.