MWE3.COM
MUSIC NEWS & NOTES
SUMMER 2014 RECORD LABEL SPOTLIGHT
POP
& ROCK
429 RECORDS
- The 2014 CD release of the self-titled debut CD by Circa Zero
is a totally rocking album by famed guitarist Andy Summers
and singing bass player / drummer Rob Giles. Apparently
things went well following a meeting of the two, and the result is
the first Circa Zero album. Thanks to his trademark guitar sound,
some might think of Summers’ work in The Police as a reference
point but clearly there’s a new kind of pop vibrancy in play
here and with a palate of dazzling fretboard moves, Summers’
guitar work sounds completely renewed. In a similar way that Mike
Oldfield, another English guitar hero, found a fresh vocal collaborator
in singer Luke Spiller, Andy Summer recharges his progressive rock
vision with vocalist / multi-instrumentalist Rob Giles. Guest drummer
Dan Epand appears on a few tracks but for the most part this
is all Andy’s and Rob’s baby. Commenting on the name of
the project, Summers points out, ‘It’s an edgy name that
literally means ‘about nothing’. Our music is all about
starting with a clean slate and seeing what happens.’ Pop-rock
fans looking for a vital and refreshing pop-rock album will be in
for a pleasant surprise upon hearing Circa Zero and their supercharged
debut album. www.CircaZero.com
/ www.429Records.com
A-MAZE
RECORDS - An independent release from Australian
pop-rockers, The April Maze, Two is filled with
harmonious alt-folk influenced pop with a definite country rock influence.
Featuring the duo of Sivan Agam (vocals and cello) and Todd
Mayhew (guitars, vocals), the 12 track Two is book ended
by a pair of Beatles tunes—“I’ve Just Seen A Face”
and “Two Of Us”—and those songs kind of set the table,
so to speak, for the rest of the album. The mix of male / female vocals
is appealing and the CD has a congenial air that will find a home
amid fans of unplugged country pop-rock tunes. The April Maze proudly
proclaims on their CD cover art: "An Independent Release - Made
by the People for the People". Nice to see indy artists taking
charge of their music by releasing such appealing folk-pop sounds
that are so attractively packaged. www.TheAprilMazeMusic.com
ANGEL
AIR RECORDS - In 2006 Angel Air reissued
many of the original classic albums by U.K. rockers Stackridge. In
fact, Angel Air also has a number of Stackridge related releases and
you can add in the 2014 CD by The Meanies. Appropriately entitled
The Meanies Cover Their Tracks, the 2014 Meanies’
CD features a number of musicians including James Warren—a
key member of the original Stackridge band as well as the Korgis,
another Stackridge related band. The subject matter on this first
Meanies CD is actually covers of classic pop songs that have just
about been forgotten in the manic heyday of the 21st century music
world. James Warren is an expert of classic Beatles era pop and rock
and he gets solid backup and support from his Meanies band mates including
John Baker (keys), Glenn Tommey (guitars), Andy Marsden
(drums) and more. The CD booklet is filled with history of all
the musicians taking part in this first ever Meanies CD. With Meanies’
covers of “Listen To The Music” (Doobie Brothers), “Surfin’
USA” (Beach Boys), “Reelin’ In The Years” (Steely
Dan), The Meanies Cover Their Tracks is basically a party album,
all about having fun and believe it or not, The Meanies makes you
happy again to be a fan of rock music. There's even a cover of the
Four Seasons “Oh, What A Night” but that song can also be
enjoyed in a stress free Meanies look back on love. Not to be compared
to the sublime, serious art-rock of Stackridge, The Meanies takes
classic rock back in time and the results are a lighthearted look
back at a kinder and gentler time in pop history. www.AngelAir.co.uk
ANGEL AIR RECORDS - Continuing onwards reviving
rock legends from the 1970’s, Angel Air has a 2014 live CD entitled
Live In Stockholm from rockers Tyla Gang. Formed
from the ashes of 1970’s rockers Ducks Deluxe, the original Tyla
Gang band broke up in 1979 but reformed in 2010 and, appearing in
Stockholm Sweden on March 13, 2013, they recorded this fine live CD.
Featuring lead singer Sean Tyla and company in rare
form, Live In Stockholm rocks up a storm and starts off in
style with a killer track called “Cannons Of The Boogie Night”,
a track that gives a good indication of what this legendary band are
still capable of. In addition, pretty extensive 2014 liner notes by
Joe Geesin places the Tyla Gang legacy into perspective. Commenting
on this live comeback CD from Tyla Gang, lead singer Sean Tyla adds,
“Live albums need two vital ingredients, a great audience and
a great engineer. This recording wasn’t dragged into the studio
and edited to death. It is what it is - gory and good as great rock
‘n’ roll should be’. Rock fans wondering what happened
to Tyla Gang will be in for a pleasant, rockin’ surprise with
Tyla Gang Live In Stockholm. www.AngelAir.co.uk
BEDROOM
SUCK RECORDS - Australian record label Bedroom
Suck remains on the cutting edge of 21st century pop with the 2013
release the self titled Peak Twins album by the band
Peak Twins. The Peak Twins CD is all original except
for a cover of the legendary Fred Neil song “The Dolphins”
which was actually written by Neil and first brought to the masses
thanks to the 1970 cover of the song by It’s A Beautiful Day.
The album was produced by Jack Farley with all the songs written
and performed by Joel Carey and Liam Kenny. Several
guests appear but overall, Peak Twins is a very intimate, pop-friendly
CD of 21st century post modern rock. www.BedroomSuckRecords.com
BGO
RECORDINGS - One part rock-opera, one part science fiction soundtrack,
the 2014 CD release of Beyond Time is the best album
yet from futuristic American rockers Bubble Gum Orchestra. If there’s
one type of music you like, you’d be hard pressed not to find
it on Beyond Time. Group founder Michael Laine Hildebrandt
and his trusty cohort and brother, Douglas 
Hildebrandt
once again delivers the goods on a full length CD extravaganza
that crosses musical borders with the ease of an interstellar space
ship zooming mach speed across the universe. If alien beings could,
perhaps tune into the power of Earth rock, then surely Bubble Gum
Orchestra would be high on their list. Although the multitalented
Michael Hildebrandt handles all the vocals here, there’s certainly
no shortage of fantastic musical ideas thanks, in no small part, to
his uncanny ability to pair memorable, melodic hooks together with
dazzling, progressive keyboard / guitar based rock arrangements with
ease. Some prog traditionalists may argue that BGO isn’t really
progressive rock and certainly not fusion. However, in the spirit
of The Beatles and ELO before them, BGO proves the best pop and rock
is music that features stay in the head melodies and—then if
that’s the criteria for a great album, (as it still is for so
many pop fans)—Beyond Time more than fits the bill. Commenting
on the 2014 July 2014 CD release of Beyond Time, Michael adds,
“I had always envisioned writing a concept album somewhere
and sometime in my lifetime and felt after doing the first three BGO
albums that now was the right time to do it. Beyond Time is different
from the first three BGO albums in regards to the music. It's heavier,
more synth oriented but still has that BGO "feel" to it.”
Several guest artists appear, including one time Wings horn man
Steve Howard, yet for the most part, Beyond Time is
the brainchild of Michael Hildebrandt and, together with his brother
/ guitarist Douglas, they’ve created yet another BGO CD masterpiece.
Rock fans with a penchant for both catchy pop and wide screen progressive
rock ideas that incorporate sci-fi concepts, should give Beyond
Time a good spin. Music fans looking for something new and exciting
in 2014, listen up: Beyond Time is the future of rock music
today.
www.BubbleGumOrchestra.com/beyond-time-2014
BUMPS
OF GOOSE - Recorded
deep in the woods in a cabin by a lake in central Sweden, Shine
Out is the 2014 CD by Jonathan Segel. Having played
violin, keyboards and guitar in the band Camper Van Beethoven for
the past 30 years, Segel decamps on this solo effort and the end result
sounds like a mix between Van Dyke Parks singing Brian Wilson originals
with 
Swedish
space music icons Bo Hansson and Kenny Håkansson added in. Is
he a fan of the late great Bo Hansson? Segel explains, "First
off, yes: Bo Hansson. I love it. The whole Swedish prog thing is incredible,
a lot of it is very political as well. I love Träd, Gras och
Stenar, they're one of my absolute favorites. One of the bands I have
sat in with here is Gösta Berlings Saga, who are an instrumental
prog... well, complicated music band. They are incredible, great players
and really cool music."
Coincidence or not, that classc Swedish instrumental
prog influence runs throught the heart of this amazing album. Although
Segel’s bass is prominent in the mix, often times adding in a
very vivid depth and sonic counterpoint, Shine Out is also
a prime showcase for Segel’s unique and intriguing electric guitar
work and vocals. Through the art of studio overdubbing, Segel has
created a 21st century space-rock music classic. Sanna Olsson
adds some appealing backing vocals but for the most part, the well
conceived Shine Out further establishes Jonathan Segel as a
bona fide, 21st century progressive pop-rock original. www.music.jsegel.com/album/shine-out
/ www.JonathanSegel.com
CHERRY
RED RECORDS / BRAIDE PRODUCTIONS
- U.K, based Cherry Red keeps pumping out the music with Fifty
Dollar Planets And Twenty Cent Stars, the 2014 CD by
L.A. based singer songwriter Chris Braide. The U.K. bred Braide’s
2014 release is actually his third solo album. Braide, who has written
and produced songs for artists such as Lana del Rey, Christina Aguilera
and Beyonce was formerly a member of the band Producers, which also
featured Trevor Horn and Stephen Lipson. The press release says Braide
was influenced quite a bit by Marc Bolan & T. Rex (the final track
“Agent Wilde & The Speedway Dancers” comes close) but
Fifty Dollar Planets And Twenty Cent Stars sounds, for the
most part, more like modern post 1980's era pop compared to the innovative,
chugging glam-rock sound of T. Rex. That said, the eleven track Fifty
Dollar Planets And Twenty Cent Stars maintains a solid
rock edge. The CD is well packaged and the studio sound and overall
production is first rate too. www.CherryRed.co.uk
CLEOPATRA
RECORDS - In
2012 guitarist Eli Cook released his CD, Ace, Jack &
King to great acclaim in both the rock world and the blues-rock
world. Highly rated among the new breed of American blues-rock guitarists
/ composers / vocalists making waves in the early 21st century, Eli
Cook carries the spirit of the blues forward with his 2014 album entitled
Primitive
Son. As excellent as Ace, Jack & King is,
Eli’s Primitive Son album is even more commercially accessible,
no doubt inspired by guest appearances from big name artists such
as fellow guitarists Leslie West, Sonny Landreth, Pat
Travers, Harvey Mandel and Tinsley Ellis as well
as drummer Vinny Appice and many other fine players. Even
with such a star-studded lineup of artists enhancing the festivities,
Eli also gets solid support from his core rhythm section of
Rob Richmond (bass) and Wade Warfield (drums). For a
younger musician, Cook raises the roof and gets excellent mileage
out of his guit-arsenal throughout the CD. With its wide ranging selection
of driving, electric blues-rock numbers, Primitive Son is Cook’s
first album on Cleopatra Records, a label well known for teaming up
artists on various albums, tributes and compilations. Eli’s implementation
of Cleopatra’s super-session logic puts a glossy shine on an
album that sonically blasts blues-rock deeper into the 21st century.
www.EliCook.com
/ www.CleopatraRecords.com
CLEOPATRA
RECORDS - Producer / guitarist Billy
Sherwood adds another feather in his cap with his fantastic production
of the 2014 CD release of the latest album from legendary L.A. rockers
Missing Persons. Key to the ten track Missing In Action
album is an excellent performance from the band’s original vocalist
Dale Bozzio. Ending with the album highlight, track 10, “Crises
In Overdrive”, Missing In Action closes out the festivities
with pair a couple of bonus cuts, including an acoustic version of
the early Missing Persons’ hit “Walking In L.A.” As
has been noted, the Missing Persons 1980’s era synth pop sound
helped pave the way for future artists including Madonna and later
Lady GaGa and others. Billy Sherwood’s deft production touch
in the studio adds a lot to Ms. Bozzio’s impeccable performance
on this first Missing Persons album in 25 years. The 1980’s will
never be the same but you can relive some of the greatness of that
incredible era with Missing In Action. www.CleopatraRecords.com
DAYLIGHTING
/ PIAS - Hailing from Newcastle Upon Tyne in the U.K., Maximo
Park are part of the new wave of younger glam rock bands. Even
the cover art of their 2014 CD, Too Much Information has
a cutting edge look. The band sounds a bit like The Rolling
Stones and even Tears For Fears and clearly they sing and play well.
There’s definitely a Bowie-esque kind of vibe here and clearly
all the great rock artists of the past have had an impact on today’s
rock bands, Maxiomo Park included. Guitarist / bass player Duncan
Lloyd wrote a number of tracks, along with lyricist / singer Paul
Smith, but what’s interesting is that the five piece band
all write the music so there’s a definite group effort underway
here. The music clicks making Maximo Park a solid choice for post
modern rock fans www.MaximoPark.com
FAT
POSSUM RECORDS - The record company called
Fat Possum, based in Oxford Mississippi, released the full length
debut CD called Sun Structures from the rising U.K.
progressive pop band Temples. Currently all the buzz in England,
the album is simply the 21st century version The Zombies and a touch
of McCartney circa 1968. The sound is first rate but you wonder if
the bar was set too high back in England in the late 1960s but have
no fear. These guys have their hearts and their heads in the right
place and the album is all the more better for it. Produced by group
member James Bagshaw, the album is pretty mysterious and the
CD packaging doesn’t say who’s playing what. But whatever
it is, the Temples’ Sun Structures is time well spent
for progressive pop fans with a bent for 1960s flair. www.TemplesTheBand.com
FISHBONE
MUSIC - The record label and publishing company may say Fishbone
Music but the group’s name is Bonefish and in 2014 they’ve
released an excellent album of pop and rock. The self-titled Bonefish
album features a fine performance by Bie Karlsson (guitar,
vocals) and his Bonefish band mates. The Bonefish sound ranges from
a more rural 
type
of pop-rock mix between The Band and Little Feat and a more electric
rock and blues rock sound that mixes in various Beatles / Stones /
Neil Young influences. Speaking about the 2014 Bonefish CD, group
leader Bie Karlsson tells mwe3.com, “We worked a lot with
the arrangements of the songs, bringing in horns and female backing
vocals as well as a lot of keyboards. Still maintaining a sound that’s
easy identifiable as Bonefish.” Even with powerhouse rockers
like track 2, “As Her Soul” showing the group in fine form,
the mellower stuff seems to win out but it’s all done so well
you’ll wonder where these guys have been before. The music on
the 12 track Bonefish CD was written by Bie Karlsson, who also skillfully
handles the production as well. The 2014 self-titled Bonefish CD
offers a fine mix of stomping rockers and more nuanced and introspective
Americana pop and folk-rock sounds. www.bonefishswe.com
GEP
- The timeless sounds of progressive rock are alive and well on the
2014 CD release by the U.K. based band known as Synaesthesia.
The self-titled Synaesthesia CD kicks off with an impressive
6 part, 22 minute opus called “Time, Tension & Intervention”
so you know these musicians mean business. Mellotron sounds and soaring
synth played by lead vocalist Adam Warne link forces with dueling
electric guitars and a taught rhythm section that brings this 5 piece
band to a whole new level of prog professionalism. Interestingly,
the album was released in the U.K. on the GEP (Giant Electric Pea)
label who have worked with prog-rockers such as IQ, Big Big Train
and the legendary Spock’s Beard. The sound is truly top notch,
and though perhaps the band should concentrate on creating even more
authentic melodies next time around, the sound and vision of this
album has the smarts to impress prog-rock fans the world over. Clearly,
the two part, CD closing “Life’s What You Make Of It”
is a definite highlight. Extra points for the excellent CD packaging,
featuring full lyrics, as well as the excellent studio sound of the
CD. Whatever your taste is in prog, clearly Synaesthesia are off to
a smashing start with their self-titled masterwork. www.SynaesthesiaMusic.com
KSCOPE
MUSIC -
Throughout his 46 year career with Jethro Tull, Ian Anderson has constantly
changed while pushing the sonic envelope. For some original fans,
Tull’s earliest albums like Stand Up and Benefit will
always be the most exciting, probably because the melodic invention
of the music was more important then even understanding the words.
Backed by a solid band of musicians, Ian’s chops and vision are
in full array on his 2014 solo album Homo Erraticus.
Anyone looking for an easy spin will be bowled over as the album
is quite involved lyrically and the CD booklet features flawlessly
written essays, anecdotes and libretto style lyrics by Anderson that
follows history from 7000 BC through W.W.II and the failed space race.
Dishing out flashes of brilliance in copious amounts, on Homo Erraticus
Anderson literally redefines the role of venerable rock musician
as poet. Ian Anderson has come a long way since his instrumental cover
of Rahsaan Roland Kirk’s “Serenade To Cuckoo” on Tull’s
1968 debut. If anything Homo Erraticus proves that Anderson’s
writing has really sharpened in his senior years. There’s no
shortage of valid lyrical and musical ideas or ideals on Homo Erracticus,
thus making his Kscope debut another welcome chapter Ian Anderson’s
long and winding career. www.KscopeMusic/artists/iananderson/
PARAPLY
RECORDS / HEMIFRÅN - Sweden was always a legendary hub of
pop, rock and jazz music. Although known to informed international
music fans for their amazing instrumental rock fusion and jazz-rock
artists, Sweden continues to be an epic source of 21st century pop
and rock. The best of Sweden’s current indy artists are compiled
on a 17 track, 70 minute 2014 
compilation
from the powerhouse label team of Hemifrån and Paraply Records.
Home Is Where The Heart Is features a wide range of
established as well as promising pop and rock artists. Kicking off
with a guitar instrumental by Pontus Swanberg, the CD moves
quickly onto the latest pop classic from renowned Swedish pop pundit
Klas Qvist, and his Citizen K outfit, called “Our
Town”. Also here is a fine new track entitled “Spiders”,
from an interesting band called A Sister Or Two. Home
Is Where The Heart Is
does a fine job representing a wide range of pop artists from Sweden
and obviously says a lot about the state of the art of 21st century
pop music from the Scandinavian stronghold. Home Is Where The Heart
Is closes out with another instrumental, this time by an artist
called Berra Karlsson, while Berra’s sister, singer Cina
Samuelson is also featured on this CD with a fine country-pop
track, “This Country Girl”, that sounds like it came straight
out of Nashville. The CD packaging of this compilation album is first
rate with its unconventional yet highly effective artwork and insert.
Scandinavian and international music fans, don’t miss the unique
and catchy pop-rock experience of Home Is Where The Heart Is. www.hemifran.com
PURPLE
PYRAMID / CLEOPATRA RECORDS - L.A
based Purple Pyramid are back in the spotlight with the 2014 release
of Time Machine, the 2013 album from progressive
rock legends Nektar. Staring out back in the early 1970s, Nektar
continues on in a similar vibe while staying true to their prog roots
on Time Machine. Still featuring the songs, vocals and
guitars of Nektar mainstay Roye Albrighton, the ten track,
67 minute Time Machine evokes the lush progressive pop-rock
sound of Alan Parsons yet clearly, Nektar have their own well established
rock sound. Time Machine features some fine production and
bass work by YES legend Billy Sherwood and the CD definitely
benefits from his studio expertise. Fans looking to find out more
about this English rock band who first made their name in Germany,
give a listen to Cleopatra’s 2011 Nektar box set entitled Retrospektive
1969 - 1980. The double disc, 30 track CD box features
a fine cross section of tracks from a number of Nektar albums, mostly
from the 1970s as well as rare tracks from Albrighton’s early
works. The double CD Retrospektive comes with a 50 page color
booklet, a Nektar poster and even a button. When you think Nektar,
think Cleopatra Records. www.CleoRecs.com
RPM
RECORDS - Since the passing of George Harrison
in November 2001, it’s been harder to find new classic albums
by rock legends. In 2014, Harrison’s buddy Dave Edmunds released
Dave Edmunds...Again on the legendary U.K. classic rock
label RPM. Several tracks date back to the early 1990’s, including
Dave’s rarely heard 1991 cover of the Elvis Presley favorite
“Return To Sender”, a pair of impressive instrumental tracks
and one hit after the next. The newer tracks reintroduce Edmunds as
an accomplished yet often overlooked singer-songwriter, sort of John
Fogerty producing a McCartney or Buddy Holly for that matter. The
eclectic nature of the album makes it kind of Beatles inspired in
some places. The CD sounds great and, playing every instrument and
vocal track, Dave Edmunds makes the art of pop sound easy. The 2013
recordings sound as cool as the classics, including a tear-jerker
instrumental cover of Elton John’s “Your Song” and
Dave tackling a Brian Wilson inspired “Georgia On My Mind”.
With 15 tracks of timeless rock and roll, Dave Edmunds covers all
the bases on Again. www.CherryRed.co.uk
RIGHT
HONOURABLE RECORDS / CHERRY RED RECORDS
- A founding member of prog-rock legends Curved Air, violinist Darryl
Way is back in the spotlight with his 2014 album, Children
Of The Cosmos. Released on the U.K. based Right Honourable
label, Children Of The Cosmos is being heralded as Darryl’s
first progressive rock album in over twenty years. Although best known
for his impeccable electric violin work, on Children Of The
Cosmos Darryl also acquits himself as a fine vocalist and
multi-instrumentalist on the 12 track CD. Commenting on the CD he
adds, ‘With Children Of The Cosmos I have tried to recreate
the spirit of experimentation that led to the progressive rock movement
of the late 1960’s and early ‘70s. As I did in the early
days of Curved Air, I have tried to integrate my classical background
with rock music to create soundscapes that are hopefully both exciting
and innovative.’ The 2014 CD release of Children Of The
Cosmos follows Darryl’s 2012 solo album Ultra Violins,
which features classical music adaptations and a re-recording
of the Curved Air hit “Vivaldi”. www.DarrylWay.com
ROCKADILLO
RECORDS - Finnish guitarist Jarmo Saari
rose to fame thanks to his being signed to the Pohjola Records
label owned by the late great rock fusion legend Pekka Pohjola. Back
in the late 1990’s and the first decade of the 2000's, Jarmo’s
band XL released a number of fine albums on Pohjola Records and in
2014 he released a new album by his latest band, Jarmo Saari Republic.
The music on this Jarmo Saari Republic album is quite different from
XL in that it incorporates a very eclectic mixture of fusion, yes
but also pop, funk, rap, African rhythms, and even avant garde jazz.
Track 3, “Planet Red” sounds like Ginger Baker jamming with
Hatfield & The North, while track track 5, “Soldiers Of Joy”
mixes in some hip-hop / rap vocals on top of a King Crimson type poly-rhythmic
backdrop. There’s a hidden pop element on the track that mixes
things up with some pretty daredevil fusion music. Jarmo’s band
here is first rate with a pair of drummers, including current Finnish
jazz-rock favorite Olavi Louhivuori. Many of the guitar parts
are buried in the mix in a Zappa like manner, while throughout the
album, Jarmo more than acquits himself on baritone guitar, mini-moog,
bass, percussion, theremin and even trombone. Although he’s not
Pekka Pohjola, (there will never be another) Jarmo Saari keeps the
spirit of Finnish progressive rock and jazz alive and well on this
first (but hopefully not the last) Jarmo Saari Republic album. www.JarmoSaari.com
SPACE
ELEVATOR - I
have seen the future of album oriented rock and it may very well be
in the hands of U.K. based Space Elevator. Releasing their
first full length debut CD, the self-titled Space Elevator,
the band proves masterful at coming up with catchy pop hooks,
expertly paired with driving, crunching guitars, soaring synths and
skillful group interplay. At the core 
of
the Space Elevator sound are the vocals of The Duchess and
the electric guitars of David Young. Also in the band are bass
ace Neil Murray, Brian Green (drums) and Elliot Ware
(keyboards). Owing to the splendid vocals of The Duchess, some
may draw comparisons to groups like Blondie and even ABBA, (did someone
say Queen?) but there’s also something uniquely appealing behind
the Space Elevator sound. Guitarist Young and Brian Greene have played
with Curved Air and others, while Neil Murray has played with some
of the great prog and rock bands bands of the 1970’s, and his
excellent bass work provides a solid anchor for the soaring vocals
and crunching electric guitar work here. Imagine the voice of Deborah
Harry fronting Queen and you can get some of the gist behind the Space
Elevator sound. With their self-titled CD debut, U.K. based Space
Elevator carries the spirit of anthemic stadium rock to a whole new
level of sonic expertise. www.SpaceElevatorBand.com
STRATOTESTER
RECORDS - U.K. based drummer / keyboardist
Paul Simon is making waves in the synth-rock world with the
latest CD, The Secret Door, released by his group AjantaMusic.
The band also features his brother Robin Simon (guitars) and
Gina Watson (vocals) along with several guest artists. The
Secret Door is an excellent spin and is filled with a very upbeat
synth-pop sound in the spirit of William Orbit’s early solo work
as well as his late 1990’s productions with 
Madonna.
Both brothers are credited with co-writing the tracks here and Ms.
Watson’s vocals are quite alluring to match the sound. A good
example where it all comes together is on track 3, called “T.V.
Sky”. Several guest artists appear on The Secret Door
including members of fabled synth rock bands such as Magazine, Visage
and Public Image Limited. Interesting to note that the first AjantaMusic
album from 2006, And Now We Dream was completely instrumental
and in 2007 the brothers joined forces with Ms. Watson, who clearly
brings a lot to the synth-rock edge. Fans of U.K. rock will also note
that Robin Simon was a member of both Ultravox and Magazine while
Paul Simon gained famed with artists such as John Foxx. Fans of William
Orbit, Kraftwerk and other cutting edge post punk synth rockers from
the U.K. will enjoy the solid synth-rock interplay on The Secret
Door. www.AjantaMusic.com
SUNNYSIDE
RECORDS - A low key yet atmospheric pop
album that redefines the “great American songbook”, Genevieve
& Ferdinand was released in early 2014 on the NYC based
Sunnyside Records. The album features the vocalist / guitarist duo
of Kate McGarry and Keith Ganz. Recorded live in a North
Carolina studio in front of an audience, the 11 track album finds
the the duo covering the music of Paul Simon, James Taylor, Todd Rundgren,
Irving Berlin, Oscar Hammerstein, Charlie Chaplin and more. Despite
the daunting challenges, these two musicians are more than up to the
task and the appreciative audience makes that clear. Combining folk
and pop influences in the context of a low-key, jazzy setting, Genevieve
& Ferdinand makes for a genre free album that might be low
key but nonetheless effective. Music fans in the know will note that
McGarry has five acclaimed solo albums to her credit while guitarist
Keith Ganz has worked with a number of artists, including Harry Connick
Jr. and Kurt Elling. Music fans into jazz and pop should give a listen
to the pleasant, upbeat groove of Kate McGarry and Keith Ganz. www.KateMcGarry.com
TIH
RECORDS - Over in the U.K. The Idle Hands are keeping the
blues-rock sound front and center on the 2014 CD release of Feeding
The Machine. When you first spin the 12 track Feeding
The Machine you may wonder if it’s really the summer of 
2014
and not the summer of 1969! Fans of vintage blues rock legends like
Free, Taste, Savoy Brown and even Ten Years After will get a charge
from the high powered retro rock sound of The Idle Hands. The group’s
front man, vocalist Phil Allen sounds positively supercharged
throughout the CD, almost like a younger Paul Rogers. The group keeps
the beat strong with the excellent guitar work of Dave Robinson,
who cuts loose with some fine electric guitar leads on a number of
tracks here along with the tight rhythm section of Paul Heydon
(drums) and Jamie Burns (bass). Commenting on the
tight-knit relationship the band has, Phil Allen told mwe3.com, "We
ve been together so long and seen each other grow and develop. We're
a proper band, mates, brothers, a team and we've been together almost
forever! There are no hired hands or prima donnas, we're all equal
and we do this as one for the same reason and end goal - the love
of music, belief in The Idle Hands music and to share it with as many
people as possible!" Feeding The Machine is well recorded
and the colorful album packaging is first rate. Boogie beats, rockin’
blues and hard hitting rock ‘n’ roll combines for an electrifying
sonic blast on Feeding The Machine by The Idle Hands. www.TheIdleHands.co.uk
UNCHAINED
RECORDS- Back
in 2012 mwe3.com featured a review of the Buford Pope album
Matching Numbers. Now in 2014, the acclaimed
Swedish rock and roll band is back in action with a fine new album
called Sticks In The Throat. Like its predecessor,
Sticks In The Throat is a solid, hard-hitting set filled with
catchy, anthemic pop-rock gems. The band’s 
singer
and songwriter Mikael Liljeborg, now officially going by his
stage name Buford Pope, continues on in fine form and Buford gets
solid support from his band mates, Pelle Jernryd (electric
guitar, slide and lap steel guitars), Jörgen Lindström
(bass), Mattias Pederson (drums, percussion) and Amir Aly
(piano, hammond, wurlitzer). Played with much verve and youthful
aggression, the new songs on Sticks In The Throat actually
evokes a kinder, gentler time in pop-rock history and to these ears
at least, one can imagine fans of Bad Company and even The Rolling
Stones getting into Buford Pope’s rock grooves. The title track
is a definite highlight on an album that gets better with each spin.
A fine follow up album to the critically acclaimed Matching Numbers,
Buford Pope’s Sticks In The Throat rocks up a storm.
www.BufordPope.com
VIBRO-PHONIC
RECORDINGS - L.A. pop mavens The Jigsaw Seen can always
be counted on for making a tasty pop album. Even with such a note-perfect
repertoire of releases in The Jigsaw Seen back catalog, no one was
expecting this much solid pop goodness on their 2014 album Old
Man Reverb. Reverb will never get old and to prove
the point, The Jigsaw 
Seen
cranks their amps to nine and delivers ten future pop classics. The
songs of group vocalist Dennis Davison really spring to life
on this album and Dennis gets solid support from his band mates Jonathan
Lea (guitars), Tom Currier (bass) and Teddy Freese (drums).
There's a number of potential hit singles here but every track has
something to offer on what will surely be looked upon as one of the
best pop albums of the decade. Both Davison and Lea chalk up some
impressive production work here and both are master instrumentalists,
with Lea handling all manners of electric guitars including vibrato
guitar, tremolo guitar, baritone guitar, leslie guitar and e-bow guitars,
while Davison adds even more color to his songs with all types of
keyboards including mellotron and chamberlin and clavinet. Another
amazing thing here is the Old Man Reverb album packaging, which
is far-out and unexpected and fits in quite well with the band’s
other CD package designs. One of the best 21st century pop albums
in the finest spirit of late 1960s psych-pop classics from Lee Michaels,
The Byrds and Love, Old Man Reverb is certain to be on every
music critic’s list of best pop albums of 2014. Somewhere in
heaven Arthur Lee is smiling down on The Jigsaw Seen. www.TheJigsawSeen.com
INSTRUMENTAL
AMERICAN SHOWPLACE MUSIC -
Based in NYC, guitarist Bob DeVos earned a stellar reputation
in the guitar world thanks to his work with the legendary Hammond
B3 based organ groups of Richard “Groove” Holmes, Charles
Earland and later with Dr. Lonnie Smith, Joey DeFrancesco and others.
An in demand guitarist, Bob has also appeared on guitar as a sideman
on over 100 studio recordings and he’s also played with both
“Screamin’” Jay Hawkins as well as Frank Sinatra. On
Bob’s 2014 album, Shadow Box, he’s
joined by his trio including Dan Kostelnik (Hammond B3) and
Steve Johns (drums), and, on this CD Ralph Bowen (sax).
The majority of Shadow Box tracks are originals but there are
a number of cover tracks here that work well as instrumental jazz
tracks including the album's standout—a
cover of the 1963 Burt Bacharach track “Wives And Lovers”.
Bob explains, ‘We’ve been playing “Wives And Lovers”
for a while. My arrangement has evolved, especially in terms of the
harmony. I love the interplay Steve and I have on tunes in 3/4.”
Also covered on Shadow Box are other tracks by Wes Montgomery,
Percy Mayfield, Mel Torme and Clare Fischer. The CD is well recorded
and features excellent packaging and design topped off by informed
liner notes by Bob. If jazz guitar and instrumental jazz is what you
enjoy, then give a listen to Bob DeVos and his excellent Shadow
Box CD. www.BobDevosJazzGuitar.com
BAFE'S FACTORY - For
those who’ve never been there before, Finland is a guitar lovers
paradise. With a small population that hovers around the 5 million
mark, the Finns have produced, per capita, finer musicians, especially
guitar players, than just about any other country in the civilized
world. A relative newcomer to the instrumental Finnish guitar 
scene
is Southpaw Steel ‘n’ Twang. Upon hearing SST’s
2014 debut CD entitled Hale’s Pleasure Railway,
the instrumental guitar noir genre comes to mind although, as
the band cites on their in English website, the SST instrumental sound
also combines Hawaiian guitar influences, blues, western swing, jazz
and even touches of progressive rock. Central to the band sound is
Ville Leppänen, who in addition to playing the electric,
lap and pedal steel guitars, also wrote much of the music here. Ville
gets ample backup from his SST band mates including JP Mönkkönen
(bass) and Tero Mikkonen (drums). Instead of focusing exclusively
on West Coast surf-rock and Hawaiian guitar sounds, Southpaw Steel
‘n’ Twang also adds in a whole lot of Nashville style instrumental
jazz-guitar sounds and combines influences from guitar greats like
Chet Atkins and Danny Gatton to modern steelers like Greg Leisz. Country
jazz, surf-noir and a wealth of other steel and lap steel guitar sounds
collide in a sonic paradise on this first Southpaw Steel ‘n’
Twang CD. www.BafesFactory.fi
CLEAN-FEED
RECORDS - Louisiana born / NYC based double
bassist and composer John Hébert is making waves in
the music world with his 2013 CD Floodstage. Featuring
The John Hebert Trio—with Benoit Delbecq (piano)
and Gerald Cleaver (drums)—the sound of the eleven track
album is atmospheric post modern jazz with a definite avant garde
edge. Pianist Delbecq not only exhibits and fine touch on piano but
he also adds in some otherworldly electronica on a couple tracks adding
to the diversity of the album. A master of the double bass and a fine
composer, Hébert was influenced by the late great bass ace
Jaco Pastorius, and like Jaco, Hébert seems to speak his mind
through the magic of instrumental music. In his own words Hébert
adds, ‘Jazz is a conversation. You always have to think about
how things are blending.’ Apparently on Floodstage, the
tone is king and Hébert displays a fine rapport with his trio
band mates. www.JohnHebert.com
CORD
INTERNATIONAL / HANA OLA RECORDS - More
like a sonic revelation rather just another instrumental guitar album,
Sacred Slack & Steel Guitar is a splendid return
to form by Hawaiian born / California based Ken Emerson. In
the appealing looking CD artwork and packaging is the story of Ken
and how he grew up in Hawaii and learned all about slack key and steel
guitar playing from the masters while also studying from rare 78 rpm
Hawaiian recordings. The real beauty of Ken’s Sacred Slack
& Steel Guitar CD is in his choice of music to cover here.
Included on the 15 track CD are Ken’s newly recorded instrumental
slack and steel flavored versions of vintage gospel classics like
“Joshua Fit The Battle Of Jericho”, “Just A Closer
Walk With Thee”, “Go Tell It On The Mountain” and “Amazing
Grace”, the perennial that closes the CD. The music is a fantastic
showcase for Ken’s one of a kind guitar skills and, being all
instrumental, Sacred Slack & Steel Guitar really allows
this timeless music to breathe in its own right. Track by track liner
notes fill the listeners in on the history of these timeless songs
and melodies. From the liner notes on the back cover of the Sacred
Slack & Steel Guitar Ken explains, ‘Many of the classic
American spirituals came out of the ‘Deep South’. I have
always wanted to record an album of old spiritual songs and feature
the distinct sound of my vintage National Resophonic guitars. I have
also desired to blend the Hawaiian slide and slack key styles back
with musical genres that are in many ways offshoots and heavily influenced
by the Hawaiian slide guitar, mainly country steel guitar, bluegrass
dobro and blues bottleneck slide guitar, particularly Delta blues.’
A highly diverse and sonically pleasurable CD of timeless guitar instrumentals,
Sacred Slack & Steel Guitar features Ken Emerson taking
the classic music of the past deep into the future with brilliant
results. www.CordInternational.com
EESTI
MUSIC - Estonian guitarist Toomas Vanem
has a winner on his hands with the 2014 CD release of his self-titled
album. The Toomas Vanem CD features eleven hard hitting
rock instrumentals that expertly combines both heavy metal 
rock
and electric jazz-rock fusion to great effect. Rockers with a penchant
for instro jazz-fusion will love this CD. To these ears anyway, there’s
also a slight influence from the late great Finnish fusion maestro
Pekka Pohjola on some of the more melodic tracks here. Clearly, Toomas
isn’t squeamish about being melodic and romantic while setting
his guitars on fire. With Toomas handling the guitars and music composition,
he gets excellent back up from his band including Henno Kelp (bass)
and Andrus Lillepea (drums). Bass legend Stu Hamm also
appears on a track here. Another neat thing here is the packaging
of the CD, which is first rate and features track by track stories
of each cut here, some of which are quite amusing. Words are meaningless
on this album that speaks a six string lingo that transcends borders
and nationalities. With guitars ablaze and a group of instrumental
tracks which flow seamlessly into each other, Toomas Vanem redefines
the essence of 21st century instrumental rock fusion. Hard rock fans
and fusioneers, give a good listen to Estonian guitarist Toomas Vanem.
www.ToomasVanem.com
FOCUS
MUSIC - You know you’re getting old
with the 1970’s fusion band Focus resorts to doing oldies.
(lol) Oh well, it’s not too bad and the results can be heard
on a new best of studio album reworking Focus classics called (wait
for it), Golden Oldies. Guitarist Jan Akkerman
is long gone but Focus cofounder Thijs Van Leer is firmly in
command along with a new guitarist called Menno Gootjes, who
ably reworks a number of classics from the Focus repertoire including
“Hocus Pocus” (co-written by Van Leer and Akkerman back
in 1972) and Van Leer’s most acclaimed composition “Sylvia”—a
timeless instrumental prog-rock classic that refuses to die. These
are all new studio recordings so, it’s certain to be a fun ride
for long time Focus fans and newcomers to the Focus legacy, which
is enormous, as is Van Leer’s highly prolific solo career. With
Les Paul guitar blazing, Menno breathes new life into Akkerman’s
searing electric guitar parts and the band also features long time
Focus drummer Pierre van der Linden and bassist Bobby Jacobs.
Some choice moments from the 1970’s catalog of Focus are given
a solid overhaul on Golden Oldies. www.FocusTheBand.com
HIDRIA
RECORDS - Hidria Records is the label known
for the Finnish rock fusion band known as Hidria Spacefolk.
A relatively recent ban, that started out in 1999, Hidria Spacefolk
are gaining accolades galore for their most recent album entitled
Astronautica. With references to the Argonauts
Odyssey in ancient Greek mythology, the album is totally fascinating
to listen to. There’s plenty of original ideas in play here but
astute music fans will compare Hidria Spacefolk to the 1970’s
band Gong, post Daevid Allen, and more recently to cosmic instrumental
music space rockers Ozric Tentacles. There’s even a touch of
Tubular Bells era Oldfield on track four here, “Endymion”.
At the core of the band is guitarist Mikko Happo, while the
CD was superbly produced by the band’s other guitarist Sami
Wirkkala. Yet, clearly the entire six piece band more than pulls
their own weight throughout the album. Best listened to as a complete
album experience, start to finnish, Astronautica is a fascinating
introduction to the cosmic instrumental rock fusion sound of Hidria
Spacefolk. www.HidriaSpacefolk.st
HOUSE
MASTER RECORDS - Who is Alan J. Bound and what kind of
music does he make? Well for one thing, in early 2014 the Germany
based guitarist has released Cosmology—a stunning
CD featuring twelve gigantic sounding, guitar-centric instrumental
tracks that, when taken as a complete musical experience, conjures
a dark, spellbinding, early 1970’s Pink 
Floyd
sort of prog rock sound, at least from back in the day when Floyd
used to record instrumentals. Adopting an English sounding stage name,
Bound coaxes some fine cosmic sounds from his electric guitars, while
keeping the beat strong and clear is the rock solid drumming of German
music legend Jaki Liebezeit. Also, on the CD closing "Aldara"
is the violin sound of Klaus der Geiger. Fans of classic 1970’s
era Teutonic rock will remember Jaki Liebezeit as the co-founding
drummer of the group Can and then drummer for Michael Rother. At 75
years young Jaki still gets a mighty powerful drum sound and those
sounds, together with Bound’s spacy Floydian influenced guitar
sound, makes Cosmology a most impressive sounding album. Adding
to the cosmic experience, Bound adds in some of his own cameo vocals
for an even more spine-chilling
effect on several tracks. The instrumental, guitar-centric sound of
Alan J. Bound's Cosmology makes for a most enjoyable sonic
joy ride into the heart of deep space. www.AlanJBound.com
HUBRO
- Brooklyn meets Iceland via Norway on Hindsight Bias,
the second instrumental album by the trio known as Bly de Blyant.
The band features three core members—Øyvind Skarbø
(drums), Iceland based Hilmar Jensson (guitars) and Brooklyn
based Shahzad Ismaily (bass, keys, programming). The sound
of Bly De Blyant is quite eclectic, just as we have come to expect
from the adventurous Norway based Hubro label. The sound Bly de Blyant
make on Hindsight Bias is jazz but with a rock edge, balanced
out with a sense of soundtracks and even traces of New Age / surf-jazz
kind of sentiments, not unlike Explosions In The Sky but with a more
avant garde edge. Commenting, drummer Skarbø adds, ‘With
Hindsight Bias, I wanted to create a more integrated album, with fewer
and more concise songs.’ The sheer eclectic nature of Hindsight
Bias will leave some scratching their heads while others will
marvel at the experimental diversity of an album that breathes new
life into the 21st century world of global instrumental rock based
music. As per the case with Hubro’s CD releases, the sound of
Bly De Blyant’s Hindsight Bias is fantastic and the artwork
is suitably bizarre, adding to the overall fun experience of the music.
www.BlyDeBlyant.com
KD
RECORDS - California
based guitarist Kay Das continues making excellent albums with
the 2014 CD release of Hawaiian Shadows. Issued
on Kay’s own KD Records label, the 18 track Hawaiian Shadows
CD is filled with wonderful instrumental tracks, all featuring Kay
on his renowned 8 string Steel-o-caster guitar which so tastefully
blends the sound of the steel string / lap steel guitar with a more
rock friendly Stratocaster guitar sound. Clearly, Kay is a huge fan
of both Hawaiian music and the guitar centered instrumental sound
of Hank Marvin and The Shadows and he splits his musical interests
in a very equitable manner on Hawaiian Shadows. Even the title
of the album makes it clear, Kay runs it 
right
down the middle between the two genres. The Hawaiian Shadows
CD features 18 tracks that are strategically assembled into six parts
of three songs each, as Kay describes in the CD booklet. Even though
there’s plenty of classic Hawaiian friendly music here, there’s
also a number of Steel-O-Caster cover versions of songs The Shadows
made famous in both the 1960s and the 1980s. These include songs such
as “Three Times A Lady” and “The Power Of Love”
(from the late 1980s), “A Place In The Sun” and “Chu
Chi” (both from the 1960s) only surpassed by a memorable Kay
Das cover of John Barry’s greatest composition, “You Only
Live Twice” (made even more historic by Hank Marvin in the year
2000 on Marvin At The Movies). Also of note here is a rarely
heard instrumental of The Beatles’ Rubber Soul favorite,
“Girl”, given a sublime Kay Das steel guitar treatment that
yields excellent results. On Hawaiian Shadows lesser known
tracks effortlessly merge and join forces with the better known tracks,
making for another fantastic guitar experience by Kay Das. Fans of
the greatest songs of the 1960's, and beautiful Hawaiian melodies
as played on steel guitars, will love this latest masterpiece from
guitar hero Kay Das. www.KayDas.me
KEITH
MEDLEY MUSIC - Guitarist and Kentucky native Keith Medley came
to the attention of mwe3.com thanks to his appearance on a fantastic
guitar collection simply called The
Guitar. That track “Father Red Tail” is one of the
tracks on Keith’s latest solo CD, Ride. Like
his track on The Guitar, all of the instrumentals on Ride
are fantastic, atmospheric, acoustic 
based
guitar guitar journeys that strongly feature his 27 string guitar
sound. Even though the CD was released a couple years ago, it has
an elegant, timeless sort of vibe to it that should appeal to guitar
fans the world over. Commenting on the musical inspiration behind
the Ride CD in the following interview, Keith told mwe3.com,
“Music isn't some far off mindset segregated from everything
else in my normal everyday life. It's all connected together which
provides me with plenty of creative emotional takeaways I can capture
and release it in a form of music that has some chance of being related
to.” Ride isn’t filled with a lot of synth wizardry
but Keith's guitars are tastefully accompanied by some electronic
backing. It’s Keith Medley’s guitars and the way his album
was recorded, mixed and mastered that will make Ride of interest
to guitar fans. www.KeithMedleyMusic.com
LIBRA RECORDS - Newly
released on Taiwan based Libra Records are a pair of CD titles by
the husband and wife team of pianist-composer Satoko Fujii
and trumpeter-composer Natsuki Tamura. The most recent title
is Shiki by Satoko Fujii Orchestra New York. The music
on Shiki features some of the finest jazz innovators on the
NYC music scene. The music is very intense free jazz and is highlighted
by the 37 minute title track. Satoko explains, ‘This New York
orchestra is like a miracle for me. These great musicians give me
such inspiration to compose and they contribute their own creativity
as well.’ It’s hard to compare the music as it has such
a unique originality, yet fans of free jazz experimentalism will enjoy
the daring sound of Shiki. Tamura’s album DuDu features
the fifth album by his Gato Libre outfit. Somewhat more mellifluous
sounding than Shiki, the Gato Libre album is a perfect showcase
for Natsuki and his excellent trumpet work. Natsuki is joined by a
lineup that features his trumpet backed by trombone, guitar and accordion,
making it also a completely unique sound. Both CDs are well recorded
and feature very appealing packaging and cover artwork. Instrumental
modern music fans will enjoy these challenging yet influential jazz
releases. www.LibraRecords.com
MACK
AVENUE - One of the best jazz instrumental
album of 2014, Evolve is a solid introduction to the
music of jazz sax ace Jackiem Joyner. Highly regarded as a
saxophonist, flutist, composer and producer, Jackiem is set to make
waves with the eleven cut CD which mixes classic instrumental jazz
with cool hip-hop beats and even cinematic sounding music that really
gives the CD a wide-screen sound, especially on the lush sounding
“See Through Me”. Amazingly, in addition to the sax work,
Jackiem also plays just about every other instrument here, although
in the album credits, Jackiem gives credit to a number of musicians,
engineers and other influences including Keiko Matsui, who
adds in some keys on a track. Of note are the impeccably multi-tracked
horn sounds which effortlessly combine an R&B effect to several
tracks. Although there’s several influences here, overall, Evolve
is a completely original and authentic sounding album of 21st
century contemporary
jazz. www.JackiemJoyner.com
MATTEO
PALMER MUSIC - Produced by guitar legend
Will Ackerman and featuring guest appearance from bass ace
Tony Levin, Out Of Nothing is a fine introduction
to the guitar sound of Vermont based Matteo Palmer. Matteo
may still be in his teens yet with Out Of Nothing he shows
great promise as a guitar instrumentalist and rising guitar hero.
Although the sound of Out Of Nothing is clearly in the New
Age realm, there’s plenty here for fans of the guitar and instrumental
music in general. Commenting on his protégé, Will Ackerman
adds, ‘Matteo Palmer possesses a broad range of technical
skills while having a profound and unique voice as an artist. He has
a great deal to say.’ With Out Of Nothing,
Matteo is well on his way with a promising solo career as a guitar
instrumentalist. Matteo's music is very influenced by the sound of
Windham Hill and and guitarists who came out of that scene, including
Ackerman, Alex DeGrassi and Michael Hedges to name a few. That said,
the CD sound is fantastic, as you’ve come to expect from a Will
Ackerman production and the CD packaging and artwork is first rate.
Clearly, Out Of Nothing is a most promising first album from
Matteo Palmer. www.MatteoPalmerMusic.com
MORPHIC
RESONANCE MUSIC - Southern
California guitarist David Pritchard is sometimes referred
to as the Phillip Glass of the acoustic guitar. Although he’s
played with jazz greats like Gary Burton, Pritchard was always most
at home on his stunning and hypnotic solo albums, which often blend
a linear tapestry of acoustic guitar sounds. Pritchard’s 2014
album
Among The Missing continues onwards in a similar realm
as his critically acclaimed 2009 album Vertical Eden. Although
complex musically, the sounds Pritchard makes with his guitars are
simultaneously
meditative and relaxing. Pritchard’s 2009 album, Vertical
Eden featured second guitarist Kevin Tiernan and on Among
The Missing, Tiernan returns along with yet another guitarist,
Ioannis Markoulakis, as well as Leif Woodward (cello,
viola da gamba), Steve Anderson (electric bass) and Christopher
Garcia (percussion). The sound of Among The Missing, is
brimming with interweaving guitars and the addition of strings adds
another quite intriguing layer to the sound. Although highly atmospheric,
Among The Missing is much too enchanting to be described as
being avant garde. Fans of Leo Kottke and Michael Hedges will also
enjoy the all instrumental nature of Pritchard’s unique mosaic
of guitar music while the album will also find a home among jazz fans
with a penchant for exotic sounding neoclassical and 21st century
experimental instrumental guitar music. Ethereal, hypnotic guitar
music at its finest, David Pritchard's Among The Missing takes
the listener to a magical place where words fail to describe the wonders
of sound. www.MorphicResonanceMusic.com
OKEH-RECORDS
- The recently revived OKeh Records label—now part of the Sony
Masterworks line of recordings—is still getting accolades for
their 2013 CD release of A Different Time, from
keyboardist / piano virtuoso John Medeski. If there’s
one meditative and contemplative solo piano album you should hear,
give this CD a spin. Medeski claims the album was meant to be listened
at night but clearly anytime you’re stressed or want to chill
out, this brilliantly recorded CD is the perfect sonic antidote. Although
Medeski is a Steinway piano recording artist, for A Different Time
he’s chosen to record on a 7 foot 1924 Gaveau piano, which
he claims feels different from any pianos being made today. It’s
simply amazing just how clean and clear the recording sound is and
to top it off, the album was recorded at Waterfront studios, the recording
studio of album producer Henry Hirsch that is actually built
within a 19th century church in the scenic Hudson Valley of Upstate
New York. In contrast to the freewheeling, jazzy, jam band sound of
his group Martin, Medeski & Wood, John Medeski’s solo piano
album, A Different Time is one of the most relaxing albums
of sublime solo piano music you’ll ever hear. Interestingly,
A Different Time also marked the return of the legendary OKeh
label. One can only wish the label much success as they revive a classic
record label with high quality releases such as John Medeski’s
A Different Time. www.okeh-records.com
ORANGE
MOUNTAIN MUSIC - Back in 1979, Mike Oldfield
put the music of Philip Glass on the map among prog-rock fans with
his rendition of “North Star”. Now in 2014, a new breed
of guitarists are covering the music of Philip Glass. The album is
simply called Perform Philip Glass and the artist is
the group known as The Dublin Guitar Quartet. Coming out of
the fair city of Dublin, Ireland, the DGQ have, in the past, performed
the music of other minimalist composers, including Steve Reich and
Arvo Part. Featuring a number of Glass string quartet transcriptions,
the DGQ’s 18 track Performs Philip Glass CD was superbly
produced by group member Brian Bolger, who also did the recording
and mix of the album. The music of Philip glass was always an intricate
amalgam of classical music and an unusual assortment of minimalist
and neo-electronic music that had a big impact on a whole generation
of avant garde artists and instrumental music makers and, so transcribing
his music for 4 classical guitars is a boldly fascinating move. Commenting
on the DGQ CD, Glass himself says, ‘This is a very special
arrangement. Arranging for guitars is a very tricky business and you
really have to know what you are doing, so I have never done it, but
Dave Flynn and Brian Bolger have made these arrangements and they’re
really quite beautiful.’ Interesting to note that following
their Philip Glass album, the DGQ also plans to use electric guitars
in their next project. One can only hope they one day tackle guitar
transcriptions of the music from the late great Finnish fusion pioneer
Pekka Pohjola, who is by far, the most important composer of post-modern
20th century instrumental rock music. www.DublinGuitarQuartet.com
PROSTHETIC
RECORDS - Music fans looking to rejoice
in the legendary B-3 organ based music of greats like The Nice and
ELP should give a listen to the 2013 CD by the group known as Niacin.
The band’s latest on the Prosthetic label, entitled Krush
is a tour-de-force of instrumental jazz-rock filled with sonic
twists and turns. At the core of Niacin is keyboardist John Novello,
bass ace Billy Sheehan and drumming great Dennis Chambers.
The Niacin sound kind of evokes that famous jazz-rock keyboard based
sound of Keith Emerson, but clearly Niacin takes the keyboard heavy
sound in a whole new direction bound to please jazz-rockers and jazz
fans with a penchant for hard hitting rock instrumentals. Even though
Niacin have a heavy sound, this is by no means a sonic slugfest. Niacin,
and specifically their sonic masterpiece Krush is a stunning
merger of jazz and rock that will blow your roof off. Heavy metal
jazzers don’t miss Niacin. Another recent all instrumental CD
sure to make waves with fans of the Prosthetic roster of artists is
The Migration by the band known as Scale The Summit.
Much heavier in sound, say compared to Niacin, Scale The Summit, co-produced
by Jamie King, features the dueling 7 and 8 string guitars
sound of Chris Letchford and Travis Levrier backed by
the rhythm section of Mark Michell (bass) and Pat Skeffington
(drums). Blending daredevil hard rock with a sure-footed jazz-rock
foundation, Scale The Summit is yet another good example of the powerful
combination of instrumental hard rock and jazz-rock. www.ProstheticRecords.com
RIP
CAT RECORDS - In 2014 sax master Ron
Dziubla returned with another instrumental masterpiece. A follow
up to his critically acclaimed, eleven track 2011 CD called Some
Strange Blues, the 2014 CD release of Ron Dziubla’s
Nasty Habit features Ron’s music and sax backed up by
notable players like guitarists R.J. Ronquillo and James
Intveld. Also on Ron Dziubla’s Nasty Habit is Pete
Curry, who plays drums and shares co-production chores. Musically,
Dziubla has his music positively set in the late 1950’s and early
1960's. Fans of guitar king Duane Eddy may remember Ron for his work
with the guitar great. Speaking about Ron from his second interview
with mwe3.com Duane recalls, ‘Ron knows all the old stuff
and does it just like the old records so we can recreate the old hits
on a show with no problem.’ The cool thing is that most of
the tracks on Ron Dziubla’s Nasty Habit are all originals,
the exceptions being new covers of “Harlem Nocturne” and
“Night Train”. Combining slick and sinewy guitar leads,
solid rock ‘n’ roll drumming and rave up sax solos, Ron
Dziubla’s Nasty Habit is a rare, hybrid treat for fans of
instrumental rock ‘n’ roll music. Start to finish, Ron
Dziubla’s Nasty Habit is a rockin’ stereophonic collection
indeed. www.RipCatRecords.com
RNA
MUSIC - For
an excellent
cross-section of state of the art acoustic New Age instrumental guitar
music, give a listen to The Guitar: The Best Of Reviews New
Age. The CD was compiled and produced by Seville, Spain
based musicologist Alejandro Clavijo, who is the proprietor
of the online music zine / record label Reviews New Age, which
features CD reviews and releases of the biggest names in the New Age
music world. The 17 track CD called The Guitar features some
of the most illustrious names in the New Age guitar instrumental world
including Will Ackerman, Alex De Grassi, Max 
Goldston,
Todd Boston and 13 other proponents of the guitar. The names
of some of these guitarists may be unknown to the masses but their
music will help spread the word! The mood of the CD is very contemplative
and woody, especially as all the guitars performed on the CD are acoustic.
Amazingly, despite sourcing the material from no less then 17 different
albums, some dating back to the 1990’s, the CD sound is balanced,
seamlessly sequenced and nearly perfectly engineered and mastered
with much attention to rich sonic detail. The CD is attractively packaged
with the booklet containing a wealth of information about each of
the musicians here. In addition to The Guitar, Alejandro has
also produced another album for his Reviews New Age label called The
Piano, which is essentially a companion release to
The Guitar CD. A number of lesser known, yet deserving artists
appear. Among the better known piano proponents on The Piano
are David Lanz, Peter Kater and Danny Wright.
The 17 track CD, The Piano is once again tastefully packaged,
looking very much like the companion CD to The Guitar, with
a wealth of information about each artist contained in the CD booklet.
Alejandro Clavijo
and his
Reviews New Age web site and record label offers further proof that
music, especially instrumental music is indeed the international language.
Both The Guitar and the Piano are stellar examples of
the power and the glory of instrumental New Age music. www.ReviewsNewAge.com
ROCKADILLO
RECORDS - Finnish guitarist Jarmo Saari
rose to fame thanks to his being signed to the Pohjola Records
label owned by the late great rock fusion legend Pekka Pohjola. Back
in the late 1990’s and the first decade of the 2000's, Jarmo’s
band XL released a number of fine albums on Pohjola Records and in
2014 he released a new album by his latest band, Jarmo Saari Republic.
The music on this Jarmo Saari Republic album is quite different from
XL in that it incorporates a very eclectic mixture of fusion, yes
but also pop, funk, rap, African rhythms, and even avant garde jazz.
Track 3, “Planet Red” sounds like Ginger Baker jamming with
Hatfield & The North, while track track 5, “Soldiers Of Joy”
mixes in some hip-hop / rap vocals on top of a King Crimson type poly-rhythmic
backdrop. There’s a hidden pop element on the track that mixes
things up with some pretty daredevil fusion music. Jarmo’s band
here is first rate with a pair of drummers, including current Finnish
jazz-rock favorite Olavi Louhivuori. Many of the guitar parts
are buried in the mix in a Zappa like manner, while throughout the
album, Jarmo more than acquits himself on baritone guitar, mini-moog,
bass, percussion, theremin and even trombone. Although he’s not
Pekka Pohjola, (there will never be another) Jarmo Saari keeps the
spirit of Finnish progressive rock and jazz alive and well on this
first (but hopefully not the last) Jarmo Saari Republic album. www.JarmoSaari.com
ROPEADOPE
RECORDS - Guitar jazz continues to bloom as a still growing musical
art form and for fans of the genre, Out Of The Blue is
a fine 2014 release from guitarist Adam Smale. On the nine
track Out Of The Blue, Adam pairs his 7 string guitar sound
with a fine crew of musicians and the results make for an upbeat album
of bop-friendly, guitar-centric instrumental 
music.
Adam cites fretboard heroes like Lenny Breau, Chet Atkins, Pat Martino
and Pat Metheny among his big influences and before he moved to NYC,
Adam even got to work with Lenny Breau sideman, bassist Don Thompson.
Some of the Out Of The Blue tracks, especially track five “Night
Drive”, are somewhat rock oriented while track three, “Yes
Or No”, by Wayne Shorter, is the only cover on the all original
track lineup here. Commenting on living in NYC, Adam tells mwe3.com,
"There is so much great talent funneled into the New York
scene, you can’t help but be inspired. Plus, there is something
about being here in NYC that changes your playing. I can’t explain
it. You absorb both the sounds and energy, and some music history
when you’re here long enough." In the CD packaging Adam
provides a track by track account of the album song list while extensive
liner notes by Bill Milkowski features interview quotes from
the guitarist that takes you on a guided tour of his guitar history.
If you enjoy modern instrumental jazz guitar with a number of diverse
influences and styles, give a listen to Adam Smale’s Out Of
The Blue. www.AdamSmale-Jazz.com
SONY
MASTERWORKS - A successful attempt to recreate
Stravinsky’s The Rite Of Spring for acoustic piano-based
jazz trio makes for a solid CD from the NYC based group called The
Bad Plus. Of course, that much dissonance makes this album sounds
like Rick Wakeman playing Vince Guaraldi in places but the album hangs
together like a Miro painting, a theory hinted at with the amazing
album artwork. An endless fascination with all kinds of sonic twists
and turns, make The Bad Plus sound like a 21st century version of
the late Dave Brubeck. At the core of The Bad Plus is pianist Ethan
Iverson, who is backed up by the rhythm section of Reid
Anderson (bass) and David King (drums). Despite having
played together 25 years ago, it wasn’t until 2000 that The Bad
Plus reformed and the result is this wonderful CD of free jazz meets
Igor Stravinsky. Stravinsky’s time-honored work has been described
as “A complex score fraught with revolutionary experiments in
rhythm and meter, tonality and dissonance.” Despite the inherent
sonic complexities of The Rite Of Spring, The Bad Plus brings
Stravinsky’s early 20th century masterpiece into the 21st century
with renewed vigor and a whole lot of sonic gumption. www.TheBadPlus.com
SOUTHERNMOST
RECORDS - The
best instrumental
jazz guitar
albums are the ones that take the most chances and cover the most
ground musically. Case in point is A New Dawn,
the 2014 CD release from the South Florida based group The Lindsey
Blair Quartet. Perhaps on this debut CD from his quartet, Lindsey
Blair takes some cues from the ever versatile Pat Metheny because
there’s so much guitar goodness here. On A New Dawn, Lindsey
Blair’s original compositions are alternatively upbeat and thought
provoking. A subdued cover of the Beatles’ White Album classic
“Julia” is a definite highlight on A New Dawn with
Lindsey bringing out all the haunting melodic nuances that made this
Beatles
song so memorable in the first place. There’s also a CD closing
instrumental cover of the traditional blues song “House Of The
Rising Sun” played in a funky West Coast jazz way ala Wes Montgomery
that is also a lot of fun. Speaking to mwe3.com about the eclectic
nature of his CD, Lindsey explains, “I wrote or arranged things
that I find interesting. That is the only criteria. I am an eclectic
musician, I honestly enjoy all kinds of music. I knew I was making
a jazz album, but I didn’t want to narrow my parameters to fit
a specific style. If it defies category, I think that is an honest
statement coming from me, because I don’t really fit neatly into
one box.” Throughout the album, Lindsey gets ace support
from his quartet including Nicky Orta (electric bass), Carlomagno
Araya (drums) and Clay Ostwald (keyboards). The interplay
and near sonic ESP among these fine players is also noteworthy. Jazz
guitar watchers, lend an ear to the Lindsey Blair Quartet. www.LindseyBlairMusic.com
STRIKEZONE
- Jazz fusion guitar ace Dave Stryker
returns in fine form with the 2014 CD release of Eight Track.
Yes, that’s 8 Track as in the now ill-fated late ‘60s
/ early 1970s form of recorded music product. But in his look back
on that era, Dave hits on some sonic signposts with jazzy covers of
Curtis Mayfield, Jimmy Webb, Galt McDermott, David Gates, Pink Floyd
and more—all performed instrumentally played with a most fitting
hindsight. Assisting Dave are jazz cats like Stefon Harris (vibes),
Jared Gold (organ) and McClenty Hunter (drums). If you
didn’t know better you’d swear this was made in the late
1970s. Commenting further, Dave adds, ‘In 1975, like many
people, I had an 8 Track player in my van, where I remember sneaking
out of class to listen to music. Now 8 Tracks didn’t last that
long... but to me they represented the ‘70s - a time where there
was a lot of great pop music going on as well as jazz.’
With Eight Track, Dave Stryker gives the pop classics of the
past a bright, jazzy future indeed. www.DaveStryker.com
VINTAGE
GROOVE - Japanese guitarist Kenny Sasaki
has a 2014 album out called Bird Island with his band
Kenny Sasaki & The Tiki Boys and it’s an excellent
follow up to his 2010 Island Slumber album. In tact are all
the sonic exotica and Hawaiian music touches Kenny’s become well
known for, but some of the tracks on this new album really swing.
Kenny's music is not quite jazz but it is very influenced by Exotica
music legends like Martin Denny and Les Baxter. Bird Island also
maintains a subdued yet definite surf music edge, particularly on
tracks like “Surfin’ With The Devil” and “Jet
Set Girl”, the latter being a John Barry flavored track that
closes out Bird Island. On Bird Island Kenny keeps his
cutting edge guitar sound front and center, while playing all the
instruments, making his album sound like a full band. Whether your
taste runs to 1950’s style exotica ala Martin Denny and Les Baxter
or whether you’re a 1960’s surf music fan, you can’t
go wrong with the eclectic, instrumental, guitar-centric sound of
Bird Island. www.KenSasaki.com
ZOHO
MUSIC - Any jazz guitar CD that starts off
with a cool instrumental version of “I Hear A Symphony”
(yes, the 1960’s Supremes hit) can’t be all bad. We’re
talking about Big Boss, the 2014 CD by Charlie
Apicella & Iron City. The eight track CD features guitarist
Charlie Apicella backed up by his Iron City group, including Dan
Kostelnik (organ) and Alan Korzin (drums). The guitar /
organ / drums trio sound is not new but in Apicella’s hands,
the timeless sound springs to life again on a CD that breathes new
fire into a revered jazz art form. In addition to the instrumental
jazz version of The Supremes hit, there’s also an instrumental
cover of Willie Dixon’s “Spoonful” and a pair of CD
closing covers written by jazz guitar great Grant Green. Also sure
to be of interest here are four new Apicella originals that underscores
his abilities as a jazz composer. The CD booklet features a number
of color and b&w pics along with informative notes by WBGO on-air
host Sheila Elaine Anderson. www.IronCityJazz.com
REISSUES
& RETROSPECTIVES
ANGEL
AIR RECORDS - Arriving on the scene with
their jazzy brand of rock in 1972, U.K. prog innovators Greenslade
might have been overlooked in the U.S. during the mid 1970’s
yet there’s no denying their influence and cred. Formed by Colosseum
founders Dave Greenslade (keyboards) and Tony Reeves
(bass), the two took in another keyboardist Dave Lawson,
who also sang and one time King Crimson drummer Andrew McCulloch.
After breaking up Greenslade back in the later 1970’s, the original
band reformed for a fine album in 2000 called Large Afternoon.
That album was pretty much overlooked in 2000 but thanks to a
2014 CD remaster by Angel Air, fans can check it out again. The music
on Large Afternoon is very cool mix of instrumental and prog-rock
flavored vocal tracks with a definite pomp-rock edge in place, thanks
to the incredible sounding keyboards of Greenslade. Fans of U.K. prog-pop
bands Camel and Stackridge will get a buzz from Greenslade’s
overlooked 2000 masterpiece. www.AngelAir.co.uk
BGO
RECORDS - Over in the U.K. BGO has a number
of great reissue CDs bound to please collectors. First off is a double
CD set from British invasion era legend Billy J. Kramer. Thanks
to the sheer onslaught of great music during that 1964 and 1965 era,
Beatles and Stones notwithstanding, Billy J. Kramer might have been
overlooked by music buyers. That said, Billy is probably best known
for having The Beatles write a number of his biggest hits, all of
which are featured on his BGO double. The 2 CD set features four original
albums—Listen..., I’ll Keep You Satisfied, Little
Children and Trains And Boats And Planes—and
has no less than 40 British invasion classics all played with that
classic beat group era sound pioneered by The Beatles. In depth March
2014 liner notes by writer Bob Solly puts the music into historic
perspective while the CD also features original album artwork and
original liner notes that appeared way back in 1964. Also on BGO is
a another classic British invasion reissue featuring four mid 1960’s
albums by the legendary Herman’s Hermits. Although best
known for “Mrs. Brown You’ve Got A 
Lovely
Daughter”, Herman’s Hermits went on to score numerous Top
40 hits, many of which are features on BGO’s 45 track double
CD set that combines four separate mid 1960’s Herman’s Hermits
albums—the self-titled Herman’s Hermits,
Both Sides Of Herman’s Hermits, There’s A Kind
Of Hush All Over The World and the Allen Klein produced soundtrack
to a Hermit's related film called (wait for it), Mrs. Brown
You've Got A Lovely Daughter. Once again, BGO’s Herman’s
Hermits reissue is packed with insightful liner notes by John Tobler
and original notes by Hermits producer, the late great Mickie
Most as well as an abundance of photos and original album art.
BGO will make smooth jazz guitar fans very happy with their latest
reissue by guitar great Earl Klugh. BGO has a number of Earl
Klugh remasters and their 2014 features three early 1980’S Klugh
albums on two CDs including—Late Night Guitar (1980),
Two Of A Kind (1982, recorded with Bob James),
and Nightsongs (1984). Once again, the sound is
first rate and 2013 liner notes by Charles Waring puts Klugh’s
legendary guitar recordings into a clear, concise perspective. BGO
also reissued a double CD set by San Francisco psychedelic soul rockers
Sons Of Champlin. Featured are three albums the band released
on Capitol Records between 1969 and 1971—including Loosen
Up Naturally, The Sons and Follow
Your Heart. With their distinctive horn section and funky
brand of psychedelia, Sons Of Champlin were more Chicago or Lighthouse
than Quicksilver or the Airplane, yet there’s some pretty heady
sounds on BGO’s double set from Sons Of Champlin, which as par
for the course with BGO, features in depth liner notes and excellent
design and sound quality. www.BGO-Records.com
EAGLE
VISION - The story of Alice Cooper—the
rock band and the man behind it—is retold in stunning clarity
on the 2014 DVD release of Super Duper Alice Cooper
Released on DVD and Blu-ray by Eagle and produced by Bangor Films,
the 2+ hour DVD takes the viewer way back to the 1960s and early years
with early band like the pre-Alice band called The Spiders. The original
Alice Cooper band, featured throughout the DVD, were signed by Frank
Zappa for his Straight Records roster. Run out of L.A. by Bill Graham
no less, ((lol)), the band found a home in Detroit where and when
Iggy Pop and the MC5 were breaking down the musical walls of the Motor
City. Alice triumphed and returned to L.A. as kings on the Warner
Bros. Records label. From start to finish Super Duper Alice Cooper
is a stunning work of documentary film making, editing and information,
although it strangely ends in the mid 1980’s when Alice finally
made his big come back, healthier than ever. Maybe there’ll be
a part II as there’s plenty of fine Alice albums that followed
the past thirty years. The rockumentary Super Duper Alice Cooper
is highly entertaining, not just musical but also from a human
interest perspective. I mean, how many people really know the inside
skinny on Vince Furnier, who morphed as a skillful rock star wannabe
in Phoenix, all the way to Alice Cooper, rock superstar? All the big
names appear, from The Beatles, to Zappa to Elton. Complete with an
excellent booklet filled with pictures of Alice and company and new
liner notes, Super Duper Alice Cooper makes for a fascinating
glimpse into the world of one of the most enigmatic rock stars of
the past 50 years. www.AliceCooper.com
MVD
VISUAL / EMPEROR MEDIA - In many
ways, the story of the blues is the story of the great B.B. King.
The life and times of B.B. King is well represented on a fascinating
2014 documentary called B.B. King: The Life Of Riley.
Of course, Riley is B.B.’s real first name name and the 2
hour movie takes the viewer back to the world of the American South
of the 1920’s when B.B. was born and raised in Mississippi. Despite
enduring hardships and racial strife during his early life, B.B. stuck
with it and overcame the pitfalls of those early times to become the
preeminent spokesman for the blues. What was always understood was
the enormous amount of respect B.B. had and continues to garner among
the giants of the U.K. rock scene and, included in the the film are
no small contributions by Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Mick Jagger,
Keith Richards, Bono of U2 and a whole lot more. With B.B. as the
central focus throughout the movie, this Jon Brewer directed
film is structured and directed in such a way as to make B.B. look
human, yet at the same time it also portrays him as the blues legend
he truly is. There’s also key contributions, including candid
interviews about B.B. with Joe Walsh, Bonnie Raitt, Buddy Guy, Leon
Russell, Carlos Santana, John Mayall, Dr. John and others including
actor Morgan Freeman, who supplies the narration. Also here are interviews
and insights with B.B.’s long time manager Sid Seidenberg. There’s
plenty of interview clips, old and new, from B.B. himself as well
as a lot of performance footage, but the film never sets out to become
just a collection of video clips. The two hour documentary also includes
bonus features with extended interviews from many of the artists listed
above as well as a recent live in concert set by B.B. singing songs
from his latest CD One Kind Favor at the fabled Royal Albert
Hall in London. The Life Of Riley is a fascinating documentary
about the man who invented electric blues rock, B.B. King.
www.BBKing.com
/ www.MVDb2b.com
MVD
VIDEO - His father was Richard L. Simon,
who founded Simon & Schuster publishing and his sister is rock
singer Carly Simon. We’re talking about Peter Simon, whose
amazing life as a photojournalist is well chronicled on the double
DVD set entitled Peter Simon’s Through The Lens,
subtitled Celebrating 50 Years Of Personalized Photojournalism.
Although he’s released a number of books to date, Through
The Lens is Simon’s first DVD and for pop culture fans it’s
a good one. The double DVD finds Simon going through his archives
with a fine tooth comb and a penchant for reliving his fond memories
complete with off the cuff banter that will make the staunchest rock
fan green with envy. Simon’s photography appeared numerous times
over the decades in Rolling Stone, the New York Times and numerous
other print venues and it’s pretty incredible to hear him discussing
the history behind many of his most famous photographs—from The
Beatles and Stones, The Doors and the Grateful Dead to historic photographs
he took of Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy. The double DVD
set runs about four hours and not only features Peter discussing his
photographs of the biggest names in the rock world, but overall the
DVD set serves as Simon’s personalized photo-pictorial video
/ movie encapsulating the coolest moments of the entire pop culture
world of the 1960s and 1970s. www.PeterSimon.com
/ www.MVDb2b.com
POHJOLA
RECORDS / ROCKADILLO - The 1980’s
was time of great upheaval in the music world and the world in general.
As if to usher in the brave new world of that decade, John Lennon
and The Beatles were simultaneously destroyed on the corner of 72nd
street and Central Park West. The compact disc was around the corner
and by 1985 would all but paralyze, albeit temporarily, the independent
American music scene due to the monopoly, early on, of this pioneering
technology by the Germans and Japanese. Sounds familiar? Even amid
all this technology turmoil, Finland’s greatest composer, master
musician
Pekka Pohjola released some of his greatest albums during
the first half of the heady 1980’s. In fact, following a brilliant
decade in the 1970’s that witnessed Pohjola defining the world
of fusion with his unique blend of instrumental jazz, rock and classical,
the 1980’s are still considered truly the heyday of Pohjola’s
one of a kind sound. Following his five 1980’s era solo albums,
Pekka ostensibly seemed to retreat from the instrumental rock world
with the 1986 album release of Yesterday’s Games—a
collaboration album between Pekka and The Espoo Big Band, conducted
by Martti Lappalainen. Arriving in the wake of the heavy jazz
sound of his 1986 album Flight Of The Angel, the original vinyl
release of Yesterday’s Games seemed to be a look back
at the big band sound of Pekka’s 1975 classic B The Magpie.
Yet, flashing back to 1986 in 2014, Yesterday’s Games
is not without its own unique sonic charms. The album can be once
again be completely enjoyed thanks to this superb sounding, first
ever 2014 reissue of the Yesterday’s Games album on Pekka’s
Pohjola Records label, distributed by Rockadillo. Featuring all new
music composed by Pekka, the CD features a solid performance by The
Espoo Big Band, joined by a number of musicians, including Pekka on
electric bass and soon to be Pohjola band member, guitarist Markku
Kanerva. Overall, the music on Yesterday’s Games is
extremely upbeat and even uplifting. Even though it was overlooked
by Pekka’s jazz-rock fans at the time, looking back, Yesterday’s
Games was clearly a masterpiece that is well worth revisiting
again. The now five part, 60 minute 2014 reissue of Yesterday’s
Games features the original album artwork, complete discography
information and a bonus cut featuring the Espoo Big Band performing
Pekka’s music live in Australia that also features guitarist
Jarmo Saari. Even though Pekka sadly died on November 27, 2008,
Yesterday’s Games has never sounded better and, thanks
to this first ever reissue, is a most welcome reexamination of his
overlooked big band jazz masterpiece. Even with so many wonderful
albums in his catalog, Pekka Pohjola’s many fans will want to
reexperience this rarely heard and under appreciated instrumental
classic. www.rockadillo.fi
REAL
MUSIC - Sausalito, California based Real
Music continues on in their Namasté series with the
2014 CD release of Namasté Yoga—an hour plus of
exotic sounding, distraction free instrumental music suitable for
yoga or any other stress free activity such as meditation or reading.
Some people may also find this genre of music helps them work as concentration
is actually enhanced by this cosmic type of New Age instrumental music.
The fantastic thing about Real Music is that they have such a wide
ranging selection of artists and releases in their catalog, dating
back to the 1990's that it’s almost impossible for them not to
come up with an astounding collection of celestial music to fit any
New Age kind of mood. Although the music on Namasté Yoga
is mainly instrumental, several artists here feature vocals that
combine a mixture of dream like Sanskrit-like words, as in the case
of track five here, “Bhakti Heenam” by Australia’s
trance music specialists Sacred Earth. Also appearing on Namasté
Yoga are other artists well known in Real Music’s New Age
music circles including Karunesh, Buedi Siebert, Kiran
Murti, Ben Leinbach and Rajendra Teredesai.
With their mix of instrumental and dreamlike vocals that combines
a unique language of ancient prayers and English, Sacred Earth actually
appears on three different Namasté Yoga tracks. Once
again, key to Namasté Yoga is the meditative, trance
inducing moods that flow together seamlessly to create one fantastic
mood. www.RealMusic.com
SHADOKS
RECORDS - The German music label Shadoks
Records specializes in reissuing rare collectible rock CDs, many of
which not even astute rock fans know of. Case in point is the 2014
CD reissue of the 1973 Lazarus album. New liner notes
by group guitarist Peter Glatzl, sheds some light on this 40+
year old masterpiece. Hailing from the country of Austria and featuring
their lyrics sung in English, the five piece Lazarus specialized in
a kind spacey psychedelic music like early Quicksilver or even Jefferson
Airplane with male vocals. The songs click and the CD mastering and
in depth liner notes make it an excellent choice for collectors of
rare European psychedelic rock albums. www.Shadoks-Music.com
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