MWE3.COM
MUSIC NEWS & NOTES
The
SUMMER 2019 RECORD LABEL SPOTLIGHT
POP
& ROCK
ANGEL AIR RECORDS – You have to love the English approach
to pop and rock. Even in this Godless era of the early 21st century,
U.K. rock musicians continue to find new and exciting ways to drape
their music in a cloak of mystery and intrigue. A good example of
this kitch-in-sync approach to 21st century music, is the 2019 CD
release by Deckchair Poets. Recorded in the U.K. and the U.S.,
A Bit Of Pottery may be a bit of a put-on title, but
poetry or pottery, there’s a whole lotta musical ideas bandying
about on this remarkable sounding four part CD. Hard to find a better
lineup of artists filling out the Deckchair Poets sound stage for
this third group album with this lineup including Nick D’Virgilio
(drums), Dave Meros (bass), Geoff Downes (keys),
Ollie Hannifan (guitars) and vocals by Lynden Williams.
With the songs co-written by Ollie and Lynden, the album is quite
intriguing yet the only drawback is that there a four lengthy tracks
and each combine a slew of musical tidbits that seem to merge into
each other, but there a no lyrics or other info that would seem to
shed essential light. One analogy would be to Jethro Tull’s Passion
Play, which originally combined two extended tracks that only
later would be reedited down to make for a 16 track CD. That said,
Lynden makes a most impressive vocalist and Ollie’s electric
guitar work is truly scintillating. If prog-rock is your thing, then
latest Deckchair Poets CD hits right up your street. www.angelair.co.uk
APOLLON
RECORDS – Norwegian prog-rockers Professor Tiptop are
back in the spotlight again with their early 2019 CD called Hybrid
Hymns. In the spirit of the band’s 2017 album,
Life Is No Matter, their 2019 album Hybrid Hymns contains
a well done mix of progressive rock that spans both vocal and instrumental
music genres. The four piece band features the music and guitars of
Sam Fossbakk, Svein Magnar Hansen (vocals), Stein Høgseth
(bass) and Charles Wise (drums). For the fifth Professor Tiptop
album, the winning formula of Sam’s electric guitars and melodic
ideas combine with Svein’s lyrics and vocals to create another
modern day progressive rock masterpiece by this acclaimed Norwegian
rock band. Speaking about the concept of Hybrid Hymns, Sam
tells mwe3.com "The title reflects an idea about how technology
and biology will melt together in the future. With AI, DNA-modification,
medical progress, nanotechnology and what not, a future hybrid mankind,
or robots will probably have some kind of free will in a Kantian sense;
“what shall I do”, ethics and self reflecting questions
which leads to existential and religious beliefs. What churches will
the robots go to? Which Gods do they believe in? If they shall be
like humans, spirituality and irrationality must be part of the gear."
Music
fans have compared Professor Tiptop to progressive music icons like
Camel and Alan Parsons Project with other influences from the early
1970s Canturbury, England school of music and even ‘70s Pink
Floyd. Professor Tiptop's finest album yet, Hybrid Hymns is
one of the most intriguing European prog-rock albums of 2019. www.facebook.com
/ www.apollonrecords.no
AYEMAYDAH
RECORDS – With his white-hot guitar chops, smooth vocals
and song writing craft down pat, Texas rocker Billy White Jr. is
a triple threat among artists and is certain to pick up a bunch of
new fans with his 2019 CD It’s About Time. In
addition to his singer-songwriter skills and guitar chops, Billy also
nails a solid horn arrangement (did I mention he also engineered the
album too?) on a track here plus there’s also a solid rock Allman
Brothers style rock instrumental called “Shenanigans” to
boot. A range of drummers, bassists and horn players add much sparkle
and sheen to the album’s slick rock veneer, including keyboard
ace Lewis Stephens and plus, the CD was expertly mastered by
world-renowned engineer Sean MaGee at the fabled Abbey Road
studios in London. With hardly a duff track on the ten-track CD, there’s
a whole lot of crisply recorded rockin’ sounds to like on It’s
About Time. www.billywhitejr.com
COAX
RECORDS – Canada is a hotbed of country rock these days and
fans of the genre should give a listen to Citizen Alien from
the Winnipeg duo known as Leaf Rapids. Featuring the sublime
female vocals and acoustic guitar of Keri Latimer and her husband
Devin Latimer (bass), the quartet are filled out by Joanna
Miller (drums) and Rusty Matyas (keys). Quite a low-key,
subdued country rock album, the ten-track, 35 minute album softly
and slowly but surely works its magic on the listener and pretty sound
you’ll find yourself spinning it again and again. Keri also adds
in the spooky vibe of the theremin, which gives some tracks on the
album a kind of eerie backdrop. Fans of the CD format will thrill
at the Citizen Alien album packaging, which features remarkable
artwork and complete lyrics. www.coaxrecords.com
CONCENTRIC
RECORDS – The 2019 release of Concentric is
an excellent album by the New Mexico-based, alt-rock group known as
Flagship Romance. The husband and wife duo of singer-songwriters
Jordyn Jackson and Shawn Fisher make a gifted team of
music makers that blend rock & roll rhythms with a tasty mix of
country-rock and folk-tinged pop sounds. From full-blown pop-rock
outings to more acoustic-based grooves with easy on the ears percussion
keeping the beat, the wide-ranging style and sound of Concentric
allows the listener to focus on the music and vocals as well as the
top-notch production of Lee Miles Buchanan, who also adds in
some fine electric guitar work, drums and other instruments. With
its timeless, upbeat message, the pick to click here is track 3, called
“California Mansion”. Guest artists on this new Flagship
Romance album include electric guitarist Rod Castro and lap steel
guitarist Chris Claridy, who gives Concentric a vintage country
steel guitar twang. Oh, and extra points for the eye-popping album
art and CD packaging. www.flagshipromance.com
DOONE
RECORDS – Tri-state NY/NJ based prog-rock band IZZ continues
breaking new ground for the genre with their ninth album, the 2019
CD release of Don’t Panic. Kicking off with
the title track, the 5-track, 44 minute Don’t Panic features
several extended play tracks, including the 18-minute album centerpiece
called “42” (dedicated to Brooklyn Dodgers baseball icon
Jackie Robinson). Also worth hearing is the orchestral flair of the
2-part title track which is brilliantlly connected to the CD-closer
“Age Of Stars”, and a surperbly executed, YES-inspired,
10-minute instrumental tour-de-force called “Moment Of Inertia”—the
latter a fiery track that all but 
establishes
IZZ as a formidable jazz-rock fusion band. Guitarist Paul Bremer
plays brilliantly on the entire album and even gets to shine on his
own with the solo acoustic guitar venture called “Six String
Theory”. Brothers Tom Galgano (keys, vocals) and
John Galgano (guitars, keys, vocals) produced and engineered
Don’t Panic while IZZ vocalists Laura Meade and
Anmarie Byrnes also sound in fine form here, with drums handled
by Brian Coralian and Greg Dimiceli. There’s plenty
of tastefully produced and executed music on Don’t Panic
to please long time fans as well as newcomers to the ongoing IZZ phenomenon.
www.izzmusic.com
DOUG
COLLINS MUSIC – Music can sometimes be like a flashback to
a kinder, gentler time in history. Case in point is Good Sad
News, the 2019 CD by Minnesota-based Doug Collins
& The Receptionists. The ten-track CD clocks in just under
a half an hour but it covers a wide range of music. Some of the signposts
here are country-rock favorites like Buck Owens, Gram Parsons era
Byrds and even later period 1950s rockers like Buddy Holly and Buddy
Knox. Doug’s vocals and twangy guitars get superb backup by a
range of players including the rhythm section of Charlie Varley
(bass) and Billy Dankert (drums). There’s a definite
1959-1963 vibe of innocence to Good Sad News. A fine bandleader,
guitarist and songwriter, Doug Collins will leave you all misty-eyed
with the retro sound of Good Sad News. A good choice for country-rock
music lovers of all stripes, Good Sad News is tastefully packaged
with memorable cover art. www.dougcollinsmusic.com
GENTLE
ART OF MUSIC – After eight studio albums, a best-of album
and a number of live albums, Germany’s acclaimed prog-rock band
RPWL returns in 2019 with a science fiction inspired album
called Tales From Outer Space. As lead singer
/ keyboardist Yogi Lang says, “This time it didn’t
turn out to be a concept album in the true sense but there are seven
short stories about science fiction.” For Tales From Outer
Space, Yogi receives excellent support from band mates Kalle
Wallner (guitars, bass), Markus Jehle (keys) and Marc
Turiaux (drums) with guest music Guy Pratt (bass). After
a few spins it’s clear that Tales From Outer Space is
the perfect vehicle for RPWL to explore their experimental sounds
and what they describe as “all imaginable stylistic devices”.
For years, RPWL have been compared to progressive rock legends including
Alan Parsons, yet Tales From Outer Space also contains a number
of original ideas that blends into a fantastic, 21st century, sci-fi
inspired progressive rock classic. The album cover art will catch
your eye right away and the music and production of Tales From
Outer Space is equally impressive and firmly reestablishes RPWL
as a prog-rock force to be reckoned with. www.rpwl.net
GONZO
MULTIMEDIA – Way back on the 1970 album release of No
Dice, guitarist / vocalist / composer Joey Molland became
a full-time member of U.K. pop-rockers Badfinger. Things went from
brilliant to nightmarish with Badfinger after the 1974 suicide of
Pete Ham. Little was heard from Joey Molland for many years, despite
several attempts to keep the Badfinger name afloat and besides , fans
still swear by the band’s Beatles-endorsed Apple Records albums.
So in the ungodly year of 2019 comes #9 by the band
called The Raz Band. There’s kind of a Badfinger style
sound here again, especially on the lead-off track “Breadline
Love”, which features Joey on lead vocals and he still sounds
great, despite being nearly half a century older! Other songs feature
the patented Raz Band sound of group visionary Michael “Raz”
Rescigno, who penned a lot of the tracks here. Jim Manzo (bass),
Jeff Hutchinson (drums) and a bunch of guest artists enhance
the musical feast here. Track seven, a Beatles / Badfinger style track
called “Let Me Tell You” features guest artists, the late
great Jack Bruce on acoustic guitar and Joe Vitale on
keys. No lyrics sheet is included but the #9 CD is accompanied
by a second CD called Live ‘N’ More. With
both albums produced, mixed and mastered by Joey Molland, the double
CD set was released by U.K. based Gonzo Multimedia, a company
that started releasing a number of progressive rock reissues and that
has branched out far and wide releasing music in multiple genres this
past decade. It’s great to hear Joey Molland’s stinging
Badfinger-esque lead guitars and vocals again. You can’t bring
back the past or even relive it, but The Raz Band gives it their best
shot on the sublime sounding #9.www.facebook.com
INSIDE
RECORDINGS – A mainstay on the SoCal music scene for decades,
multi-instrumentalist / composer / producer Jorge Calderón
returned in late 2018 with Blue Rhythm Highway. Released
on Jackson Browne’s Inside Recordings label, the 12-track CD
is very much rooted in the breezy, Jackson Browne style of singer-songwriter
rock / pop song writing. Jorge made his first album way back in the
1970s, and it’s great to see him back on the music scene with
Blue Rhythm Highway. Although he played in 1972 as a percussionist
with Buckingham / Nicks, on his new solo album the accent is purely
on his bluesy rock songs, vocals, percussion and guitars. Some top
players appear on Blue Rhythm Highway, including top name guitarists
Waddy Wachtel, David Lindley and Ry Cooder as
well as a number of other session musician heroes, including Van
Dyke Parks. The CD booklet for Blue Rhythm Highway features
all the info as well as the lyrics to Jorge Calderón’s
memorable West Coast flavored pop/rock tracks. www.jorgecalderon.net
MOTU
MUSIC – Falling into the Americana, country-rock and blues
genres, Suitcase Full Of Sorrow And Another Filled With Dreams
is the 19th album from Long Island NY based MOTU. The
stage name for Dr. Richard Michelson, MOTU also features a
number of fine musicians, including Dee Michelson (vocals),
Bob Rush (keys/harmonica), Mark Loebl (bass), Ed
Modzel (drums) and Rich Fry (guitar). Regarding his inventive
songwriting and vocals, some of the artists MOTU sounds influenced
by include Bob Dylan and Neil Young and on his 2019 album, MOTU proves
his own originality as a guitarist, singer-songwriter and bandleader.
The ten-track CD release of Suitcase Full Of Sorrow And Another
Filled With Dreams covers a lot of musical bases, including blues,
pop, rock with some folk flavors and country twang too. Speaking to
mwe3.com about the introspective scope of the new album, MOTU says,
“At 65, I’m still experimenting with my craft. And yes,
it is an introspective effort. The more years I live, and the more
experiences I have, the less I understand and the more questions that
present themselves to me.” One definite highlight on the
Suitcase album, track six, called “New World Order”
touches on modern day societal issues to which Motu adds,
“The song is dark because we are at a very dark point in our
country’s history. Our government is totally disconnected from
the problems most Americans face as these leaders only pass self-serving
legislation that benefit themselves and the very few extremely wealthy.
So this song digs deeper with direct criticism at those at the very
top who are the real cause of the current social and economic divides
that face us.” Several of the tracks are more inward-looking
lyrically while others, some featuring searing electric guitar leads,
are more detailed and rocked out. A rare and remarkable sonic treat,
highlighting the Long Island Sound of MOTU, Suitcase Full Of Sorrow
And Another Filled With Dreams is a very well-rounded album
of 21st century blues-rock. www.motu.net
RUTH
RECORDS – An interesting title that comes to us via Sweden’s
Paraply Records as well as their Swedish-based associates, Ruth Records,
Minus One introduces American ears to the music of Texas-based
Faris Nourallah. Semi-orchestral pop, semi-acousticana the
14-track CD also combines Americana and folk-music within the context
of a self-produced, self-performed pop-centric solo album. Faris was
born in Michigan in 1969, so he came out of the post-Beatles era.
Unknown to many, Faris has released 9 albums, starting in 2003 and
that also includes a 2005 album called King Of Sweden (the
Swedish connection again?) The songs on Minus One dates back
to 2005 and were recently rediscovered and thankfully finally released
in 2019 on Paraply Records via Ruth Records. Fans of former Paraply
recording artist Citizen K will enjoy the breadth and scope of Faris
and his colorful and underrated brand of pop music. Fans of Ray Davies,
Lou Reed, John Cale, Robert Wyatt and other prog-pop stars will also
enjoy this left field, sleeper of an album release from Faris Nourallah.
www.faris-nourallah.com
/ www.ruth-records.se
SCARLET
RECORDS – U.K. based singer-songwriter Liz Lenten returns
in 2019 with Game Of Faith, the sixth CD by her
band Auburn. The follow up album to the 2017 CD release of
Love & Promises, the 14 cut Game Of Faith
finds the gifted songwriter in the same company as the last Auburn
album, including guitarist / producer Thomm Jutz and she’s
once again backed up by a tight band including Mark Fain (bass),
Lynn Williams (drums) and Britt Savage (backing vocals).
Like Love & Promises, the 2019 release of Game Of Faith
was recorded in Nashville. Blending her own country-rock style
with influences from English pop icons Kate Bush and Dusty Springfield
to Americana influences from Janis Joplin and Pasty Cline, Liz Lenten
covers a lot of tasty musical ground on Game Of Faith. In addition
to the CD, the album Game Of Faith is accompanied by a board
game that will enhance the album and that has been created to enhance
the words and music so that ‘everyone can play their own game
of faith’. www.auburn.org.uk
SILKTONE
RECORDS – Upstate New York based Mike Brunacini has
released several albums and EP releases since 2012 and his 2018 –
2019 album Dreamstate is his boldest, brightest musical
statement yet. In the works for at least ten years, the two-part 15-track,
79 minute album is an entertaining mix of progressive music ideas
and power-pop hooks, complete with dashes of horns and strings. As
a keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist Mike covers all the bases
himself. As such, Dreamstate has a kind of do-it-yourself feel
to it yet, with its cinematic effect, it’s being hailed as a
concept album and true to form, as the online lyrics indicate, different
characters are called upon to sing their parts, all sung by Mike.
Prog music fans will like the album’s expansive and ambitious
approach although, Mike’s songs are very much rooted in the pop
domain. Guitarist Rob Hewitt adds in some additional fretboard
textures, yet for the most part, Mike handles all the instruments,
as well as all the song writing, lyrics and percussion. Sounding influenced
by singer-songwriters from Emitt Rhodes and Harry Nilsson to Jon Anderson,
Mike Brunacini will please music fans with the detailed pop-prog harmonics
and song writing concepts on Dreamstate. www.mikebrunacini.wixsite.com
SOUND
FIELD RECORDS – Florida-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist
Pamela Davis was a featured artist on the Escape The Mind
New Age CD sampler from Bongo Boy Records. In 2017 Pamela released
her album Escape To Tranzotica, which contained
her Bongo Boy track called “New Horizons”. Highly regarded
for its ambient, guitar-centric tracks, Pamela’s all-instrumental
New Age style album was followed in early 2019 by a completely different
album called Marlene Rides Again. A tribute to
World War II era singer / actress Marlene Dietrich, the 16 track Marlene
Rides Again shows off the vocalist side of Pamela’s muse.
Those under 50 probably never heard of Marlene Dietrich yet, after
viewing all the videos Pamela has up on her web site, interested music
fans may gain a whole new perspective on her life story, especially
the timeless music Dietrich recorded in her long and colorful life.
Assisting Pamela on Marlene Rides Again is multi-instrumentalist
Marty Gilman on clarinet and keyboards. The most famous songs
of Marlene Dietrich are given a whole new lease on life on Marlene
Rides Again by the versatile artistry of Pamela Davis. www.pameladavis.net
UNCHAINED
RECORDS – Swedish fascination for all things Americana continues
unabated with the 2019 CD release of The Waiting Game by
Buford Pope. Led by, and essentially the vision and music of
singer Buford Pope, the five piece rock band was featured on
mwe3.com for their 2012 album Matching Numbers and now…
several albums later, Buford Pope is back their sixth group album
of toe-tapping country style rock mixed with a solid dose of rock
style guitar intensity courtesy of Joakim Pettersson. On The
Waiting Game, Buford has penned a dozen new tracks and the band
clicks. For this 2019 release on the Unchained label, the CD is both
well produced and recorded and well presented in crisp digi-pak artwork
with lyrics and booklet. While Buford Pope himself wrote the music
and lyrics, on the highlight lead off track “America”, he
teams with lyricist Mark Drake for a truly moving musical experience
worthy of Brecht-Weill. Buford (real name: Mikael Liljeborg) cites
influences like Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen,
yet Buford’s own singer-songrwiter style and originality rises
to the top on The Waiting Game. www.bufordpope.com
WOODSTOCK
RECORDS – Keeping the spirit of the 1960s and early ‘70s
alive, Professor Louie (a/k/a Aaron Hurwitz) joins forces with
his bandmates in The Crowmatix and the result is the early
2019 CD release of Songs Of Inspiration. Following
the 2017 CD release of Crowin’ The Blues and the 2018
CD The Lost Band Tracks, the 2019 release of Songs Of Inspiration
leaves the blues (and The Band) behind and is actually a fitting foray
into the realm of Gospel music. With new versions of traditional music
favorites—like “I Shall Not Be Moved”, “Motherless
Children”, along with other torch song favorites like Rogers
& Hammerstein’s “You’ll Never Walk Alone”—Louie
and partner Miss Marie also feature some of their own choice originals
and the result is a stirring mix of classic favorites and new music.
Still featuring some of the best musicians in the NY/NJ area, including
Gary Burke (drums), Frank Campbell (bass), John Platania
(guitars), joined by guitarist Josh Colow, in 2019 the
Crowmatix sound remains red hot. Professor Louie was a long time member
/ co-producer of the post-Robbie Robertson era of The Band and anyone
missing the classic rock sound of The Band would do well to pick up
a CD of the like-minded Songs Of Inspiration. www.professorlouie.com
INSTRUMENTAL
ALCHEMY
RECORDS – Ambient-fusion
guitar composer Jon Durant continues to amaze the music world
with his 2019 solo CD called Alternate Landscapes.
The perfect follow-up to Jon’s 2017 Parting Is album,
the four-track Alternate Landscapes album features several
cuts that clock in over 15 and 20 minutes with track 2, “Aragon”
being the shortest, at nearly 7 minutes. As Jon has said, Alternate
Landscapes heavily accentuates his ‘Cloud Guitar’
technique and as a result, his usual lead guitar sound has been further
sublimated into the mix, replaced by ethereal, atmospheric ‘Cloud
Guitar’ patterns for which Jon is very well-known. Speaking about
the differences between his current solo albums, Jon tells mwe3.com,
"The two records are really very different from each other
as I hope all of my records are—I really don’t want to repeat
myself. If Parting Is was a representation of how I play on a daily
basis, Alternate Landscapes is a representation of how far I can stretch
the sonic possibilities of the guitar. I very consciously used a totally
different palate of sounds for Alternate Landscapes and included some
elements that I’d previously used in other contexts but now have
running sort of front and center. In particular, the use of synth
sequences that I play on the guitar synth. I’d done similar things
on the first couple tracks on Burnt Belief’s Emergent and also
on a track on the upcoming Edwin-Durant-Kovtun record." Compared
to Jon’s work as a member of the adventurous instrumental fusion
band Burnt Belief, Alternate Landscapes is yet another compelling
Jon Durant solo album filled with impressionistic soundscapes that
will surely appeal to listeners that favor ambient-flavored instrumental
guitar-centric music. www.jondurant.rocks
AMFI
RECORDS – Released on her own AmFi Records label, Road
To The Sun is a splendid showcase for Azerbaijan-born, NYC
based jazz pianist / composer Amina Figarova. Backed up by
a number of players, the eleven-track CD is actually a 20th celebration
of her big band. Ms. Figarova’s eclectic jazz band is made up
of some truly virtuoso musicians and the most incredible thing about
the sound of Road To The Sun is the way her music mixes her
acoustic piano with horns and strings. One clear comparison would
be to the some of the heavily arranged CTI albums by Don Sebesky during
the mid 1970s and also—with the piano at the central focus—some
of McCoy Tyner’s adventurous big band albums of the late 1970s.
An excellent sounding album of state-of-the-art recording of instrumental
jazz, Road To The Sun was expertly recorded at Samurai studio
in NYC during the summer of 2018, and features insightful liner notes
by Amina discussing the 1998 origins of her big band sound. www.aminafigarova.com
APOLLON
RECORDS – Norway’s great instrumental jazz-rock fusion
band Pymlico are back in action with their 2019 CD, Nightscape.
A fine follow up album to the band’s 2017 album Meeting
Point, and the band’s fifth album to date, the
seven-track Nightscape is highlighted by the music, production
and arrangements of brothers Arild Brøter (drums, keys,
guitars) and Øyvind Brøter (keyboards).
The seven-piece Pymlico on Nightscape features some excellent
musicians, including two fine fusion guitarists Stephan Hvinden
and Andreas Sjo Engen, while the CD also features several guest
artists. With its driving high tech sonic sheen, Pymlico music is
definitely Scandinavian influenced fusion, although it’s very
much of the 21st century variety. www.pymlico.no
/ www.apollonrecords.no
APOLLON
RECORDS - Norway-based label Apollon Records continues breaking
ground for electronic space music with the 5-track 48 minute, 2019
CD release of Fangarmer Gjennom Tid Og Rom from Norwegian
space-rockers Alwanzatar. It's quite a mouthful to pronounce
but the all-instrumental album continues the fascination of 1970's
era progressive instrumental rock ala mid-1970s Gong and Clearlight
Symphony. Alwanzatar is referred to as a one-man extraterrestrial
cosmic music force and spearheading the sound is flute and synthesizer
wizard Krizla of Tusmørke. In 2017 Alwanzatar released
an excellent instrumental space rock album called Heliotropiske
Reiser and the latest album, consisting of rearranged older material
and new music, Fangarmer Gjennom Tid Og Rom will go far to
please fans of this Norwegian musical wunderkind. Fans of Gong and
German space rock bands such as Faust and Can will get an equally
cosmic buzz from this latest Alwanzatar opus. Even so, during the
summer of 2019 music fans can expect yet another completely new Alwanzatar
album called Helsfyr Terminal Ekspress. www.apollonrecords.no
CHRISTOPHE
ASTOLFI MUSIC – Fans of the venerable Gyspy Jazz sound of
Django Reinhardt will be in for a musical thrill thanks to the 2018
CD release of a new album of very Django-oriented music by French
guitarist Christophe Astolfi. Music fans can’t
miss this album thanks to its memorable retro-flavored album cover
art, which kind of harks back to the 1960s, when the music on this
album was written, by the late Gypsy Jazz icon Baro Ferré.
Guitarist Astolfi located a cache of unreleased musical compositions
composed by Ferré and on his new album, he has recorded
new versions featuring his Christophe Astolfi & Son Quartet.
Perhaps the best part of this thirteen track CD is that it mixes the
classic Gypsy Jazz sound with wonderful coloration from the unusual
pairing of guitar with Hammond B-3 organ, string bass and drums, giving
the album a kind of post bebop jazz sound that also merges waltz times
and other intriguing flavors. Much like the colorful past and background
of Ferré, Christophe Astolfi’s tribute to the late guitar
icon is a splendid guitar treat that never fails to amaze and
enchant. The CD booklet is printed in French but since all the music
here is instrumental, listeners won’t have any trouble delving
into Christophe Astolfi’s modern day Gypsy Jazz classic. www.christopheastolfi.com
BREAK
OPEN RECORDS – A very unique artist working in the early
21st century jazz-fusion world, trombone player and composer Naomi
Siegel turned heads around with her 2016 debut album Shoebox
View and she’s back in 2019 with her second album called
Live At Earshot. Featuring reworked versions
of her 2016 studio album, the nine-track, 54 minute Live At Earshot
was recorded live in 2017 at Seattle’s Earshot Jazz Festival.
Always entertaining, Ms. Siegel’s trombone-based instrumental,
jazzy, folk-tinged, World-fusion sound is greatly enhanced in a live
setting with her fine band including Sean Woolstenhulme (electric
guitar), Eric Eagle (drums), Wayne Horvitz (piano) and
Geoff Harper (bass) along with guest artist Thione Diop
(percussion). Based in Montana, with her roots in the Seattle
music scene, Ms. Siegel is totally in her element on the highly entertaining
sound and vision of Live At Earshot. www.naomimoonsiegel.com
ROLAND
BÜHLMANN MUSIC – In 2018, Switzerland-based guitarist
/ composer Roland Bühlmann released his Bailenas album
to great acclaim and in 2019 he’s back with an even more impressive
album called Crucial. Roland’s sound on
Crucial is very electric guitar oriented and his arsenal of
guitars is quite impressive. Roland fills out the wide range of guitar
sounds with a number of accompanying instruments including electric
bass, guitalele, e-bow, mandola and a host of percussion instruments
yet, incredibly there are no drum samples on the album. With bands
like Sonar making waves on the international musical landscape, Roland’s
fantastic sounding and totally electrifying instrumental rock fusion
sounds will appeal to fans of Sonar, and erstwhile guitar legends
like Robert Fripp and Norwegian guitar hero Terje Rypdal. As on Bailenas,
the 2019 CD release of Crucial fits into Roland’s
description of his music, called “PRIM”, as in Progressive
– Rock - Instrumental – Minimal. Also on Crucial, the
cover art photos were taken by Roland through his pinhole lenses cameras
and that gives the art a kind of fractal look. After playing Crucial
several times, it’s clear that Roland Bühlmann well
deserves to have his guitar-centric musical vision heard and appreciated
well beyond the Swiss borders. www.rolandbuhlmann.bandcamp.com
CRS
– The sounds of rock-based guitar instrumentals are back
in style again with @Ventures In The Shadows, the 2019 CD by
Holland’s very cool guitar trio The Space Age Travellers.
According the band, the 15 track CD owes a lot to 1960s guitar legends
like The Ventures and The Shadows, yet other influences creep into
the mix, including the late great guitar pioneers Dick Dale and Link
Wray as well as modern day players like Jeff Beck and guitar-noir
mavens such as Ry Cooder, Marc Ribot, Jim Campilongo, John Blakeley
and Norway’s guitar ace Steinar Karlsen. To that mix of guitar
heroes you can now add in the name of guitar ace BJ Baartmans,
leader and main composer of this cool new guitar discovery that also
features key contributions from Gerco Aerts (bass) and Sjoerd
van Bommel (drums). Speaking about his many musical influences
in the following interview, BJ tells mwe3.com,
"I love American classic movies from the 1930's and 40's,
all the things Hitchcock did, Spaghetti Westerns, anything from Pixar
and I have seen a lot of “art house” films. Randy Newman's
scores are fantastic, Ry Cooder's work on Paris Texas, Ennio Morricone
comes to mind, the 60’s James Bond scores and Shaft and, of course
the Pulp Fiction soundtrack. Since there's no lyrics on Adventures
In The Shadows, there's a lot of room for imagination when you play
or hear the music. I often had movie scenes, paintings or images or
complete movie scripts in my head when I envisioned and named the
tunes." A most impressive album debut from The Space Age
Travellers, @Ventures In The Shadows is packed with 15 original
tracks and is an essential spin for fans of classic instrumental rock
guitar sounds. www.continental.nl
/ www.bjbaartmans.nl
DAYBROOK
RECORDS – The perfect album to unwind with after a hard day’s
night, Mystic Messages is a fine introduction to the
sound of the duo known as Brooks & Day. Pastoral sounding
and very relaxing instrumental music, Mystic Messages features
tasteful performances by Ben Brooks (flute, keys) and Peter
Day (guitar, keys), along with Rob Mullins (keys, percussion)
and Rich Mangicaro (percussion). Ben’s flute sounds soars
far above the heavens while the guitars and keyboard sounds synchronize
the sound perfectly. Very much New Age in scope, this album is perfect
for lowering your blood pressure while taking in the scenic, sonic
route to musical nirvana. What is also remarkable is that the tracks
on Mystic Messages were created as improvisations with orchestrations
added afterwards. Mystic Messages is a sublime album of instrumental
music magic. www.brooksandday.com
DESTINY
RECORDS – Brought to the attention of mwe3.com by Brooklyn-based
guitarist Cameron Mizell, the 2019 CD release of Sense
Of Place is a great introduction to the art and craft of vibes
master Tyler Blanton. Backed up by key players, including Drew
Gress (bass), Jon Cowherd (keys) and Johnathan Blake
(drums), the ten track CD is a mesmerizing sojourn into the depths
of 21st century jazz. Sans guitars, the album has a near acoustic
feel. Several notable covers include standards by jazz piano icon
Lenny Tristano, Jimmy Van Heusen and the late, great song writing
melodicist, Richard A. Whiting—the latter being the composer
of “On The Good Ship Lollipop”. The mix of these lesser-known
jazz standards, with a range of original compositions, gives the album
a kind of timeless and eternal vibe. Featuring excellent recorded
sound and eye-catching album artwork, on Sense Of Place, vibraphonist
/ composer Tyler Blanton proves his worth as both a recording artist,
band leader and 21st century jazz taste maker. www.tylerblanton.net
/ www.destinyrecordsmusic.com
DESTINY
RECORDS – The art of 21st Century jazz-rock fusion owes a
lot to the sonic breakthroughs of the 1970s and ‘80s yet it continues
to not only find new audiences but also continues to be refined and/or
reimagined with new and revealing developments. Case in point is the
2018 CD release called Presence by NYC based keyboardist
Brad Whiteley. The eleven cut all-instrumental CD was released
on Texas-based Destiny Records and features a range of great musicians
backing up Brad’s piano-centric melodies and arrangements. Some
of the arrangements remind me of the very first Pekka Pohjola album
from 1972, yet, with the white-hot electric guitar skills of Tom
Guarna in the mix on many of the tracks, there’s a definite
Holdsworth-style guitar sound going on. A good example of all the
above can be heard on track eight, “Demagogue”, which is
all over the musical map but well worth the time to explore. Also
on Presence are, Michael Eaton (sax), Matt Pavolka
(bass) and Kenneth Salters (drums). That these guys can
keep up with Brad’s turn-on-a-time melodies is a true testament
to their musicianship. Jazz-rock fans looking for new, exciting music
are advised to listen to Brad Whiteley’s Presence. www.destinyrecordsmusic.com
EARS
& EYES RECORDS – Back on the scene with his third solo
album, NYC-based guitarist Gregg Belisle-Chi returns in 2019
with Book Of Hours. Back in 2016, mwe3.com reviewed
Gregg’s then new album Tenebrae, and now a few years later
he’s back with what might be considered to be his definitive
album, Book Of Hours. Released on the Chicago-based Ears &
Eyes Records and produced by Grey Mcmurray and recorded in
Brooklyn, NY, the album features Gregg in the studio with top players
including Dov Manski (keys), Matt Aronoff (bass) and
Michael W. Davis (drums). Musically, the eight cut, fifty-minute,
all-instrumental album maintains a steady, 21st century instrumental
jazz tone, with influences from avant guitarists such as Bill Frisell
and even Pat Metheny’s more instrospective moments. Guitar ace
Ben Monder wrote some nice things about Gregg’s new album and
he perfectly describes it as a splendid balance between ‘lyricism
and dissonance’. After spending time with this excellent new
album, the word atmospheric comes to mind in describing the wide-ranging
guitar sounds created by Gregg Belisle-Chi. Fans of 21st century instrumental
guitar-centric jazz will enjoy hours of musical intrigue with the
prismatic, guitar-centric sound of Book Of Hours. www.greggbelislechi
FRAUD
PROPHETS MUSIC - An excellent example of where jazz-rock fusion
is heading in the early 21st century, the 2019 CD by L.A. based Fraud
Prophets, humorously entitled Poptosis, is a most electrifying
instrumental music experience. Essentially a collaboration between
multi-instrumentalist Sean Halley and drummer / percussionist
Nate Morton, on the 10-track, 63 minute CD, the duo are joined
by several guest artists including electric guitar ace Oz Noy
and B3 player Matt Rohde. A good example is track one, called
"I Think I Just Said That", featuring Sean Halley's well-rounded
electric guitar chops. Careening between jazz-rock and funky riffs,
held together by a decidedly 1970s instrumental fusion groove, Poptosis
is a wake-up call for anyone that might have prematurely written off
the power of instrumental jazz-rock in the early days of the millennium.
www.fraudprophets.com
FREE
WILL RECORDS – Guitar fans in the know have been hip to Upstate
NY guitarist Mark Doyle, and specifically his rock-based Guitar
Noir series of albums. Released in the summer of 2019 is Watching
The Detectives: Guitar Noir III, the third installment
of Mark’s acclaimed guitar-noir series. For this third Guitar
Noir album, Mark mixes up a fine batch of cover songs and new
originals and the results are sonically stunning. The 1960s and the
early ‘70s was clearly a great time to be into movie and TV soundtrack
music and Mark chooses a pair, including the themes from television
shows “Get Smart” and “The Untouchables”, merged
with an early track by Elvis Costello called “Watching The Detectives”,
to start things off on the opening “Detectives Medley” track.
Theme songs from “Kojak” and “Man From U.N.C.L.E.”
rub shoulders with other familiar themes, all done with Mark’s
guitar flair. Clocking in at 49 minutes the entire album is a timely
reminder of some great music composed by icons such as Nelson Riddle,
Elmer Bernstein, Dave Grusin, Andre Previn and even Frank Zappa. Mark
keeps the spotlight on track with two originals also included here
called “Noir Alley” and “Thirteen Crimes”. With
Mark handling the guitars, keys, bass and drum programming, Watching
The Detectives: Guitar Noir III also features performances
by Josh Dekaney (drums, percussion) and a real string section
that is featured throughout the ten track album. The guitar instrumental
genre, especially with the accent on 1960’s soundtracks is still
fertile ground for the composing guitarist world wide, and wrapped
up in effective CD cover art, Mark Doyle’s Watching The Detectives:
Guitar Noir III hits its target with a solid bullseye.
www.markdoyle.com
GREYDISC
– Guitar
innovator Kevin Kastning may be best known for his modern approach
to acoustic, ambient guitar instrumental music, yet he’s also
gaining acclaim for his mesmerizing piano albums. That piano side
of Kevin Kastning is best explored on Ethereal III,
the 2019 album by Kevin and fellow guitarist Sándor
Szabó. Compared to Piano I, the early 2019 album
of solo piano music by Kevin, the May 2019 release of Ethereal
III features Kevin’s acoustic piano enhanced by computerized
orchestrations by Sándor. The computerized orchestral sounds
by Sándor is a great way to frame Kevin’s experimental
acoustic piano music. Eschewing the popular orchestral software, on
Ethereal III, Sándor incorporates recorded samples from
real string instruments, which weren’t modified. Even though
these string sounds are sampled, the idea seems to get around the
idea of assembling various violins, cellos and double bass played
by live musicians in the same room. Commenting on the unique approach
of the entire Ethereal series, and especially this third installment,
Kevin explains, "When Sándor and I were discussing
and formulating the concepts for the Ethereal album series, one thing
upon which we both agreed was that each record in the series must
be different than the others in the series. We didn’t want to
repeat ourselves, and wanted the Ethereal series to be something apart
and perhaps even partitioned off from our acoustic guitar duo works.
This direction provided Sándor with the freedom to explore
our music using electric guitar and placing its environment within
the context of my acoustic environment. That alone set us off into
an entirely new direction." Classical music purists may rebuff
it at first, even though the modern day technology of editing samples
into recordings is expedient and the net result, in this case, sounds
quite excellent. Kevin and Sándor are true pioneers of the
guitar world and on the release of Ethereal III, they also
establish themselves as trendsetters in the world of 21st century
recording technology. www.kevinkastning.com
/ www.sandorszabo.com
IHO
RECORDS – The sound of instrumental jazz-rock fusion has
always been a big deal in the Northern European country of Finland.
It’s undergone a series of intriguing style changes since the
early to mid 1970s, yet keeping the progress alive is Intergalactic
Huso Orchestra. The creation of multi-instrumentalist Jari
Riitala (bass, keys, guitars, percussion) and Jimbo Mäkeläinen,
the 12 track, 63 minute CD features a bevy of guest artists, including
a realm of guest guitarists who add further zest and zeal to an already
explosive sonic setting. Jari adds in track by track liner notes in
the CD booklet, which is also quite detailed about listing all the
artists and what tracks they appear on. Building upon the foundations
of classic 1970’s Finnish fusion, Intergalactic Huso Orchestra
brings the genre up to date with style and passion. IHO boldly goes
where no Finnish fusion band gone before. www.iho.riitala.com
INCENDIO
MUSIC – One
of the finest Contemporary instrumental, flamenco-flavored, guitar-based
instrumental groups on the planet, Incendio returns in 2019
with their latest CD masterpiece appropriately entitled Summoning
The Muse. Looking for a way to make their new album
different or perhaps to move a step forward compared to their earlier
albums, Incendio
cofounder / guitarist / composer Jim Stubblefield tells mwe3.com
, “With
Summoning the Muse, I’d like to think we’ve moved away from
our rumba roots and into a broader contemporary instrumental sound
that includes acoustic and electric guitars, keyboards, violin, etc.
In fact, I think there is only one rumba out of 12 songs on the new
album. We have a full United States summer tour planned which will
run from June through the end of August - The Summoning The Muse Tour.
Lots of new stuff in terms of how we are presenting the music and
JP and I are playing electric guitars about forty percent of the show."
Combining with Jim's primarily acoustic guitars are the guitars, bass,
keys and horn arrangements of Incendio cofounders Jean-Pierre Durand
with Liza Carbe, adding in in her usual guitar, programming
and bass flair, while the drums are handled by Tim Curie. Speaking
about his work on this ninth Incendio album JP Durand explains, "We
decided to make the pop and dance influences a little more obvious
on this album. We have always been known as primarily an acoustic
guitar band, so we wanted to add a bit more electric guitar than usual
plus some keyboards."
A number of guest artists add in a range of instruments—from
horns and percussion to accordion, Hammond B3, strings and even ‘virtual’
orchestration. Featuring a wealth guitar-centric songwriting ideas
from Jim, Liza and Jean-Pierre, Summoning The Muse is a winner
on a number of musical levels and is the most dynamic and diverse-sounding
Incendio album yet. www.incendioband.com
JAZZTOKYO
- The place where jazz meets fusion is where you’ll
find the music of Racha Fora. Featuring the flute and EWI playing
of group leader Hiroaki Honshuka, the nine-track, 56 minute
Happy Fire also features the expert playing of Rika
Ikeda (violin), Andre Vasconcelos (guitar) and several
other musicians, including a couple Cajon players who provide a most
unique percussion sound. With its cosmopolitan mix of the jazz and
fusion elements, the music blends elements of Jean-Pierre Rampal’s
classical, flute-based albums, some Jobim flavored Brazilian bossa
rhythms and, thanks to the fiery electric guitar work of Andre Vascancelos,
the instro fusion vibe of Al DiMeola, for example. As heard on the
title track, “Happy Fire”, Hiroaki is an excellent composer,
yet for the most part the Happy Fire album features Racha Fora
covers of a range of jazz standards including tunes written by Miles
Davis, Jerome Kern, Duke Ellington, George Gershwin and other composers.
Sounding great after several rotations, the music on Happy Fire
is clearly well played and quite easy on the ears. All told, Happy
Fire is a splendid choice for fans of mainstream jazz and eclectic
instrumental fusion. www.rachafora.com
/ www.jazztokyo.org
KENT
JOHNANSSON MUSIC – Sweden continues its fascination with
all things Sixties—as in the fabled 1960s. Nearly 40 years after
the golden renaissance revival of guitar instrumental sounds in Sweden—following
that first 1981 album release by the band 1961—guitarist Kent
Johansson released his 2018 CD called Adventures In Cathyland.
A self-released album, the 18 track album kicks off with “Behind
A Shadow”, a tribute track, if there ever was one to Hank Marvin
and The Shadows. The album goes on to showcase a number of tracks
that feature Kent’s heavily reverbed Burns electric guitar sound,
backed up by his performances on bass, drum and keyboards. Fans of
1961, and other artists on the Nordic Guitars series of guitar instrumentals
will be in for a tasty guitar-based treat with fretboard ace Kent
Johansson and his Adventures In Cathyland album. mailto:koj2044@hotmail.com
MAGNATAR
MUSIC – The
2019 album debut by Florida-based Magnatar, Parallel
Worlds gives rise to a fantastic new sound in the world of
21st century progressive instrumental rock. It is interesting to note
that the music on Parallel Worlds was composed by Glenn
Smith, who adds in unique sounding textures on his electrified
1971 Harmony A Style mandolin. It’s quite special that a mandolinist
would compose an all-instrumental progressive rock-fusion band, but
for open-minded music fans, Parallel Worlds will clearly prove
to be an entertaining sonic experience. Speaking about the rare sound
of a mandolin framed by an instrumental rock band, Glenn tells mwe3.com,
"I
feel the compositions I write allows each player in Magnatar to rise
to another creative level and release something new from within them.
Great players sometimes just need a new or different avenue to take
them to a somewhat different feel and sound. It has been a very interesting
process to develop a prog song on the mandolin, which is quite a different
approach to say the least, and then turn the guys loose on it to put
the meat on the bone so to speak. It is also a lot of fun as well
as gratifying to watch the creative interaction of the band, as each
member feeds off of the others to come up with their specific contribution
to the song. The results have far exceeded anything I could have hoped
for".
Crafting
an elegant sonic backdrop for Glenn's mandolin and songwriting are
his very capable bandmates Joey Costa (bass), Reed Hayes
(drums), Ryan Rivas (guitars) and Dave Norton (keys).
Progressive instrumental
rock fans
looking for fresh musical terrain, should give Magnatar a good listen.
In
the CD booklet, the band cites YES as a major inspiration and one
can easily see fans of YES, and their long-standing guitarist Steve
Howe, enjoying Parallel Worlds. While Chris Squire’s ghost
can be heard hovering somewhere above this album, another accurate
influence would be Steve Morse in the Dixie Dregs. Magnatar brings
their unique musical vision to life on their superb sounding, all-instrumental,
9-cut debut album.
www.magnatarworld.com
ROB
MULLINS ENTERTAINMENT – In 2017, pianist and composer Rob
Mullins was a featured artist on the Escape The Mind, a
multi-artist New Age CD sampler on Bongo Boy Records. In 2018 Rob
released The Nearness Of You – a 40 minute, ten
track CD of a straight ahead jazz piano trio featuring Will Lyle
(upright bass) and Nikko Salvadore (drums). Rob’s
35th album, the musical fare on the ten track release of The Nearness
Of You is quite varied, ranging from Mullins originals to covers
of classics written by a wide range of jazz icons and, most of which
are considered jazz evergreens. One thing constant between this solo
album and his work on Escape The Mind is the high quality of
the recorded sound and, more specifically here, the way Rob records
his piano in the style of Dave Brubeck circa 1953. With its pure accent
on classic-sounding, instrumental piano-based sounds, The Nearness
Of You is quite essential jazz listening. www.planetmullins.com
MVD
AUDIO – The sounds of jazz-rock fusion is alive and well
on the 2019 CD release by drummer / composer Bob Holz. The
ten-track 60-minute Silverthorne captures the energized
sound of Bob Holz in primo form. Backed up by a range of legendary
jazz players, the album blazes a trail through the art of 21st century
instrumental jazz adding in elements of funky and smooth jazz as well.
A fine follow-up to his 2018 Visions album, the 2019 CD release
of Silverthorne features Bob in the studio backed up by some
of the very same players that appeared on Visions along with
a number of other music legends, including guitarist Mike Stern,
who adds his patented electric guitar skills to four tracks here.
Other electric guitarists appearing include Alex Machacek and
Jamie Glaser. Billy Steinway (keys) Alex Acuna (percussion),
Andrew Ford (bass), Ralphe Armstrong (bass), Randy
Brecker (trumpet) and Ada Rovatti (sax) round out the lineup
of jazz-fusion all-stars adding their talents to the Silverthorne
sessions. Featuring an entertaining array of originals,
composed by Bob and Billy Steinway, Silverthorne is a sonic
powerhouse, with ten tracks of electrifying jazz-fusion instrumentals,
certain to please the discerning 21st century jazz-rock listener.
www.bobholzband.com
NORDIC
TONE – Like their neighbors to the east, Sweden, the country
of Norway has been inspired by the big guitar beat brought to life
in the early 1960s by Hank Marvin and The Shadows. Celebrating nearly
60 years of Shadows-style instrumental guitar rock, and nearly 40
years since the resurgence of the Shadows' legacy in 1981, The
Pistoleros offer a new for 2019 CD called On The Right Track.
Kicking off with a great guitar rock version of “Begin The
Beguine”, the album combines Pistoleros versions of well known
Shadows covers, a couple group originals, some John Barry covers,
a cover of “The Munsters” TV theme song and some lesser
known tracks which serves the band’s sound quite well. Hard to
find, but overall a fine choice Hank Marvin and Shadows fans, with
On The Right Track, the 3 guitars and drums instro rock sound
of The Pistoleros makes for very fun times and inspired listening.
www.instro4u.nl
ORANGE
BAND RECORDS – Pianist / composer Ann Sweeten once
again teams with producers Will Ackerman and Tom Eaton and
the results will be music to the ears of solo piano fans. Will Ackerman
was the architect of the classic Windham Hill New Age music sound
back in the late 1980s and early ‘90s and he imbues his keen
production sensibilities to Ms. Sweeten’s 2019 CD Before
Today, Beyond Tomorrow. After fourteen solo albums
featuring her harmonious blend of instrumental piano magic, Ann Sweeten
is truly a piano heroine to take note of. A mix of meditative emotions,
superb piano technique and smart composition, Before Today, Beyond
Tomorrow features several esteemed artists backing up Ms. Sweeten’s
piano visions, including Nancy Rumbel (English horn), Eugene
Friesen (cello) and more. For those suffering or in pain due to
life’s many tribulations, Ann Sweeten’s latest piano masterpiece,
Before Today, Beyond Tomorrow is a worthy sonic elixir. www.annsweeten.com
ORIGIN
RECORDS – Although she’s often thought of primarily
as a jazz guitarist, Queens NYC native Mimi Fox delves into
a range of musical genres on her 2019 all-acoustic CD This Bird
Still Flies. Mimi claims she learned to play guitar
after years of studying the Beatles’ Rubber Soul album
and, aside from the “Norwegian Wood” references of the album
title, there’s also a stomping acoustic guitar rendition of “Day
Tripper”. Beatles fans will recall that song as the flip side
of the Soul sessions-era single “We Can Work It Out”.
Pictured on the CD cover art with her Taylor, Mimi presents a range
of original acoustic instrumentals on her 2019 CD although, there
are covers, as well, of the Beatles White Album era favorite
“Blackbird” as well as a CD-closing rendition of “America
The Beautiful”, along with versions of jazz standards “Blue
Bossa” and “You Don’t Know What Love Is”. An excellent
solo acoustic CD, This Bird Still Flies features a guest appearance
by guitar ace Andy Timmons on the title track. The Beatles’
connection on This Bird Still Flies brings to mind guitar influences
like Tommy Emmanuel. Mixing acoustic finger style guitar styles with
a solid jazz background and a fondness for covering pop standards
will certainly introduce the guitar artistry of Mimi Fox to a larger
audience. www.mimifoxguitar.com
ORIGIN
RECORDS – When you’re a vibes players and you have a
quote on your web site home page by Gary Burton, then suffice to say,
you must be good. Of course we’re talking here about the 2019
CD release of Epoch, the latest Origin Records
release by NYC-based, Canadian bred Dan McCarthy. Talk about
Gary Burton, a musical giant who has released dozens of classic albums
over the past 50 years so, just maybe it’s about time for vibraphone
aficionados to tune into a rising new talent like Burton-inspired
vibes ace Dan McCarthy. The key word on Dan’s new CD is atmosphere,
as the trance-inducing sound is quite lush and deep. To help him realize
the sonic grandeur on Epoch, Dan has enlisted the help of some
truly legendary jazz musicians, including the legendary Steve Swallow
(bass), Ben Monder (guitar) and Mark Feldman (violin).
Dan gave mwe3.com the inside story on how he put the album together:
"So I had been living in New York for many years, when my
wife and I decided that we would move back to Toronto so I could go
back to school for a masters in music. With time running out in the
greatest jazz city in the world, I decided that I would try and put
together one or two final projects, and to try and find my absolute
favorite improvisers to collaborate with. "Epoch" represents
a dream band for me. I first met Ben Monder when I was working at
the Cornelia Street Cafe, a little club in the village. I was a bartender
there, and he would play relatively often. His playing was so original
and incredible, and so when I was putting this together, he was the
first person I reached out to. I was thrilled that he agreed! Around
the same time that I was planning this project, I had been listening
to a lot of John Abercrombie Quartet records, and was blown away at
how much I adored Mark Feldman's playing. His artistry transcends
the instrument, and to this day I don't think I've ever had the pleasure
of performing with someone that plays as beautifully as Mark. And
then there's Steve Swallow. I am a HUGE Gary Burton fan, especially
his stuff on ECM from the 70s... Dreams So Real, Ring, Passengers,
etc... And Steve is on every one of those records. I've always been
a fan of his playing and composing, much like Carla Bley, and I figured
that it wouldn't hurt to reach out to him and see if you would want
to play. I didn't have my hopes up, but it was worth a shot! I didn't
hear back from him for months, and one WEEK before the recording date,
I got an email back from him. The email had gotten lost somehow, but
as luck would have it, he was actually free the day of the recording,
and so he drove down form his and Carla's place in upstate NY just
for the session. I was a little star struck when I walked in to the
studio and saw him there setting up. I am so honored to have a record
with the great Steve Swallow! Long time associate of Gary Burton,
Steve Swallow is 78 years young in early 2019, so he brings a depth
of musical experience to the Epoch sessions. Ben Monder is
one of the great electric jazz guitarists of the time, so you’ve
got quite a musical team in place. Even with so much musical expertise,
the spotlight is right on Dan McCarthy, who although born in 1980,
fits right into place among these more seasoned hands. Mark Feldman’s
soaring violin work often pairs melodic lines with Ben Monder and
Dan’s vibes playing provides a sonic roadmap to some of the most
relaxing and satisfying instrumental atmospheric jazz of the decade.
A sensational late night spin, Epoch is a masterpiece of lush,
New Age flavored instrumental jazz. www.vibraphonedan.com
SONIC
BEAR MUSIC – His most recent sonic trip into the realms of
deep space, Virginia-based Stephen Peppos returns in 2019 with
his seventh album called Deep Listen. Credited
as the artist’s second ambient instrumental album, the ten-track
Deep Listen clocks in at 78 minutes. Established as a soundtrack
artist, Peppos has produced over 2000 tracks in his vast catalog of
music, which in turn has been featured in a variety of television
productions and more. Deep Listen sounds very influenced by
the ambient music boon of the late 1970s yet there’s also a number
of original musical ideas in play that warrant serious listening among
fans of minimalist instrumental New Age electronic music. The album
cover art is also quite unique and unusual and it befits the sounds
within. A 21st century masterpiece of instrumental art, Deep Listen
is trance-inducing electronica at its best. www.StephenPeppos.com
SOUTHPORT
RECORDS / BLUJAZZ PRODUCTIONS – At 92, guitarist George
Freeman is hardly a newcomer to the jazz and blues music world,
yet on his 2019 album George The Bomb! the veteran musician
turns in a most remarkable performance. Born in 1927, George shared
the stage with Charlie Parker and countless other jazz legends including
his nephew Chico Freeman. Most of the album tracks are instrumental-based
bluesy jazz and others feature vocal conversations that borders on
scat jazz. Recorded in Chicago in December 2018, the eleven cut, 60
minute CD features George in the studio backed up by blues-harp master
Billy Branch, John Devlin (bass), Luis Ewerling (drums),
Joanie Pallatto (vocal) and Bradley Parker-Sparrow (piano).
In addition, the CD packaging is excellent and features very cool
liner notes from a range of artists and writers. Some of the tracks
on George The Bomb sound inspired by BB King and others have
a more adventurous, jazz appeal but either way, George Freeman’s
new album George The Bomb! is quite an entertaining album on
many levels and it will certainly bring a smile to the faces of jazz
and blues guitar fans. www.chicagosound.com
SPOTTED
PECCARY – Spotted Peccary founder Howard Givens keeps
the electronic music spirit high by releasing Fire Opal,
the debut CD by Chicago-born, Texas-based artist Massergy.
The brainchild of artist / producer Eric Jensen, the 7-track,
70-minute CD was inspired by the fire opal of Mexican folklore—a
stone said to have healing and protective powers. Mixing guitars,
synths and all kinds of electronics, the album was performed and recorded
by Jensen free of computer plug-ins, creating a magical, almost visceral
effect that makes it sound different from other more high-tech electronic
music albums. Eric Jensen created Massergy as a tribute to hone his
brother Adam, an electronic musician that was killed in a car accident
in 2002. The fact that Eric has chosen to carry on his brother’s
unfinished work speaks volumes of his devotion to the modern day electronic
music art form. The press release succinctly sums of the Fire Opal
album as creating a vivid sonic world that balances dynamic tranquility
with a delicate ambiance. www.spottedpeccary.com
SPOTTED
PECCARY – Oregon-based Spotted Peccary keeps the music flowing
with the 2019 CD release of Lotus Rising by the Oregon
based Chronotope Project. Featuring the musical genius of Jeffrey
Ericson Allen, this latest Chronotope Project release on Spotted
Peccary continues onward with the same New Age flavored sonic vibes
as their 2017 Ovum album although, in his album notes, Jeffrey
makes it clear that Lotus Rising was very much influenced by
his thirty-year study and practice of Zen Buddhism. The lotus flower
is one of the most recognizable symbols in Buddhism and this latest
electronic music masterpiece by Chronotope Project is the perfect
way to transport your mind and spirit into the unconscious depths
of the psyche. Featuring the compositions and performances of Jeffrey
Ericson Allen, Lotus Rising provides yet another welcome journey
into the realm of electronic New Age instrumental magic. www.spottedpeccary.com
SPOTTED
PECCARY – A world-renowned producer and engineer, New Age
electronic composer and recording artist Tom Eaton follows
the 2017 CD release of Indesterren with the 2019 album release
of How It Happened. Tom’s first album release
for the Oregon-based Spotted Peccary label, the eight cut 70+ minute
album follows very much in the footsteps of both indesterren and
his 2016 album abendrommen. Steeped in mysterious sounding
nocturnal electronica How It Happened is filled with a wealth
of relaxing sonic textures, making it a near perfect reflection of
Tom’s fascination with entire ambient New Age flavored music.
When it comes to self-produced recordings, Tom Eaton is a master multi-instrumentalist
and on How It Happened Tom works his magic on a range of instruments,
including piano, guitar and all forms of synth keyboards, all perfectly
linked together by way of his studio expertise. The perfect album
to slow down your life to stop and smell the roses so to speak, How
It Happened makes for a truly magical listening experience. www.spottedpeccary.com
ULTIMATE
VIBE RECORDINGS – Although U.K. born / California-based guitarist
Chris Standring has been releasing albums since the 1990s,
he’s never had a greatest hits album out. For the 2019 CD release
of Best Of Chris Standring Remixed, the guitarist
has reassembled eleven of his finest tracks. Although accurately dubbed
as one of the foremost smooth jazz guitarists on the music scene,
Standring’s mix of instrumental R&B, soul jazz and electronica
has often produced guitar albums that were easy on the ears while
pleasing fans of fusion-lite. Naming these remix tracks after planets
in the solar system, Standrings’s music has been reshaped by
U.K. techno DJ Matt Cooper and fellow musician Rodney Lee
who give his tracks a renewed vigor and urgency, simply by adding
imaginative bursts of electronic ingenuity and clubby trance vibes.
All this would be superfluous if the music itself couldn’t stand
up on its own, which it does nicely. In Chris’ own words, “My
hope is that everyone embraces the experimentation that took place
and simply loves it.” www.chrisstandring.com
WHALING
CITY SOUND – One of the top jazz record labels in the US
today, in 2019 Whaling City Sound released Bright Idea by
The Greg Murphy Trio. Featuring Greg’s acoustic piano
and occasional synth keyboards, backed up by Jeff “Tain”
Watts (drums) and Eric Wheeler (bass), the thirteen cut,
75+ minute CD features mostly originals composed by Greg, with several
covers including versions of music written by John Coltrane, Bruno
Mars and more. The album reflects Greg’s fondness for fast tempo
jazz piano fills in the spirit of giants like McCoy Tyner, while other
tracks reflect his affinity for classic jazz, pop-funk, Latin jazz
and more. Although he's still relatively unknown, Bright Idea is
Greg’s fifth album as a leader and his second for Whaling City.
Bright Idea is a testament to Greg’s jazz expertise as
well as his drive and determination to write and record the definitive
album that reflects his brilliant keyboard arrangements and compositional
creativity. www.whalingcitysound.com
WHIRLWIND
RECORDINGS – Drummer Jeff Williams recorded his latest
album Bloom in Astoria Queens NYC in August 2018 and
the outcome offers one of the best mainstream jazz improv albums of
2019. After several jam sessions, Williams recruited pianist Carmen
Staaf and bass player Michael Formanek and the 11 track,
60 minute Bloom album captures the best of these gifted jazz
improv masters. Jeff Williams has played with masters such as Stan
Getz, Dave Liebman and the late John Abercrombie and, while there’s
no guitarist on Bloom, the interaction between these three
fine players borders on telepathy. According to Jeff, “I grew
up listening to many piano trios, especially Ahmad Jamal’s from
around 1958 to 1962, so that influenced my playing. But there’s
no fixed concept, and this was simply a case of ‘let’s see
what we can do with it’, so I hope Bloom will allow us to flourish
in pursuing this trio further.” Fans of mainstream 21st century
jazz will dig Jeff Williams and his Bloom album. Also extra
points for the dazzling CD cover art and packaging. www.willfulmusic.com
/ www.whirlwindrecordings.com
REISSUES
& RETROSPECTIVES
BGO
RECORDS – Jazz-fusion buffs know the name of guitarist Steve
Khan thanks to a series of solo albums he has released over the
past 40+ years. U.K. based BGO Records keeps Steve’s name flying
high in 2019 thanks to the label’s latest Steve Khan reissues,
this one a double CD combining Public Access, Headline
(three tracks only) and Crossings—three
albums he recorded in 1989, 1992 and 1994. As far as mainstream jazz
fusion goes, Steve Khan was right up there with the finest guitarists
and all three albums feature a wealth of musical talent including
major jazzers like Anthony Jackson (bass), Dave Weckl (drums),
Manolo Badrena (percussion), Dennis Chambers (drums),
Michael Brecker (sax) and more. Liner notes by Bill Milkowski
puts a fresh spin on these classics from an earlier era in music
history. Steve Khan’s recent album releases have been filled
with jazzy Latin rhythms and Afro-Cuban grooves, the seeds of which
were planted on these early Steve Khan album classics collected on
this double CD BGO retrospective. www.stevekhan.com
BGO
RECORDS – The magic that was the year 1965 also included
the introduction of musical duo Sonny & Cher thanks to
their huge number one debut hit single “I Got You Babe”.
The reissue kings of England, BGO Records has a 3 CD set out in early
2019 that recaptures the heyday of the ATCO Records era Sonny &
Cher—1965, ’66 and ’67. The follow up to “I Got
You Babe” was “The Beat Goes On”, the song by Sonny
& Cher that must have inspired the name of BGO Records! (Mike
Gott, let me know!) Capturing the heyday of the early Byrds era, when
AM radio was first really acknowledging the huge amount of Beatles
era bands, it’s safe to say that Sonny & Cher were a big
part of it. Inspired by the productions of Phil Spector, Brian Wilson
and of course the British Invasion groups, the 33 songs featured on
the first three Sonny & Cher albums—Look At Us,
The Wondrous World Of Sonny & Cher and In Case
You’re In Love—are merged on this historic BGO set,
along with a third CD with 17 rare ATCO era singles tracks. Liner
notes by John O’Regan are excellent and tells you all
you need to know about the unique history these two pop heroes especially
Cher, who went on to even further greatness as well has sad ending
of Sonny that followed his deadly skiing accident in 1998. This tastefully
put together Sonny & Cher box set on BGO is like a trip back to
the heyday of 1965. www.bgo-records.com
BGO
RECORDS – BGO takes us down memory lane with West, Bruce
& Laing with the reissue of Why Dontcha?,
long considered the power trio’s shining hour. Released on
black vinyl LP by Columbia Records at the end of 1972, the ten-track
album was notable for the unique mix of songs and sounds that these
master players brought into the studio, serving up a mix of Cream
and Mountain with Jack Bruce, Leslie West and drummer
Corky Laing. The mix of Jack and Leslie on vocals, sometimes
on the same track remains great and production by Andy Johns was
stellar for its time. Strangely absent from the picture was Cream
producer and Mountain cofounder Felix Pappalardi, although
the ill-fated Felix is mentioned in liner notes by Neil Daniels
that are quite informative, featuring Corky and Leslie interviewed
by various scribes, the high point being Leslie’s memories of
seeing Cream at the Fillmore with his brother Larry. Short-lived,
like a shooting star, it was a sign of the times as WBL split up not
long after the July ‘73 release of a second album called Whatever
Turns You On. www.bgo-records.com
FAT
POSSUM RECORDS - Mississippi-based Fat Possum is making waves
in the music world with their 2018 CD reissues of the first four albums
by the famous L.A. punk rock band called X. The four piece
X features the music and lyrics of singers John X. Doe and
Exene Cervenka. Not to everyone's taste at the time, X kind
of reflected the angst of the country during the early Reagan years
and, that was especially true of the band's fourth album More
Fun In The New World. Back in 1983, the new world wasn't
all it was cracked up to be although it was surely going to be a wild
history-changing decade and X were right at the forefront of it. Produced
by Ray Manzarek of The Doors, the band's fourth album 1983's
More Fun In The New World is considered the most polished X
album and was the last X album produced by Manzarek. More Fun In
The New World mixed the band’s usual punk-rock elements yet
also found them moving into the realms of rockabilly, funk and even
folk music. The title track "The New World" is a still a
great anthem of its era and was the perfect track to show off the
talents of X guitarist Billy Zoom and drummer D.J. Bonebreak.
In addition to the group's vinyl remasters, Fat Possum also have 2018
CD remasters of the bands first three early albums Los Angeles
(1980), Wild Gift (1981), Under The Black Sun
(1982). At least on the CDs, no frills packaging of the original albums
minus any liner notes, but these albums will rock your sox off. www.fatpossum.com
/ www.xtheband.com
MIG
RECORDS – Living in an apartment and working just a few city
blocks away, I remember being shattered by the murder of John Lennon,
and to my own amazement, a few months afterward I found myself living
in Sweden, still in shock from the life-changing events that would
mostly mark that fateful decade. While living in Sweden in 1981, I
bought a ticket for a concert in Stockholm by Jack Bruce and
his then band Jack Bruce & Friends, featuring Clem Clempson
(guitar), Billy Cobham (drums), David Sancious (keys,
guitar) and of course Jack on bass and vocals. Several years after,
in 1983, Jack released his historic Automatic album, which
was his first major studio album of the 1980s. Which brings us well
into the 
future
times, all the way, in fact, to the 2019 CD/DVD box set called Jack
Bruce: Live At Rockpalast. Encompassing 5 CDs and 2
DVDs, the live box set recaptures Jack’s 3 Rockpalast concerts
from October 19th, 1980, (with Jack Bruce & Friends), then a truly
revealing November 1st, 1983 concert with Jack Bruce Band, featuring
Jack on bass, keys and vocals with David Sancious (keys, guitar) and
the late, great Bruce Gary (drums) playing a range of tracks
from Jack's rare and totally overlooked Automatic album. The
third and final concert is from October 16th, 1990, featuring Jack
performing his best-known solo hits in true solo mode on vocals, harmonica
and keyboards. The CDs sound good but have a rather live feel to them
but the DVD shows, especially the 1980 show, is a superbly filmed
sequence of great music by a topnotch band that will live on forever.
Cream fans will love this box set as it features Jack in the company
of some brilliant musicians, a career trend he put into motion, all
those years ago, way back in 1966. The 5CD and 2DVD box set on MIG
is packaged in the usual black and white fashion with in-depth liner
notes many photos of Jack. Two CDs for each the 1980 and ’83
shows and one for the 1990 solo show, and with all the superbly filmed
in color video performances spread over a pair of DVDs, makes Jack
Bruce: Live At Rockpalast an essential box set for fans of the
late, great Jack Bruce. www.jackbruce.com / www.mig-music.de
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