|
EL KAPITAN
on EK Music
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THE NEW YORK ROCK & ROLL ENSEMBLE
on Collectables Records
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RIDING SHOTGUN
on Random Chance Records
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SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER 2005
MUSIC & RECORD LABEL SPOTLIGHT
215
RECORDS - Montgomery, Davis, Nascimento, Jobim...these were the
sounds that Sandro Albert heard while growing up in his native
Brazil. That early ‘60s bossa nova groove mixes well with some
modern guitar jazz on Albert’s 2005 CD, The Color Of Things.
Exploring his nuevo bossa nova jazz, Albert also echoes ‘70s
fusion guitar pioneers like Pat Metheny and France’s Jean Pierre
Llabador. Masterful at combining a wide range of jazz, pop and Brazilian
guitar styles, Albert was caught early on by jazz bassist Jimmy
Haslip, who receives executive producer credits here, with another
strong shout out going to album producer Tim Yalda. Topping
off Albert’s fine acoustic and electric guitar instrumentals,
The Color Of Things also features guest appearances by Brazilian
percussionist Airto and guitarist Robben Ford. www.sandroalbert.com
30YRSL8 - Canada is well known for bringing us the power rock
trio sound of Rush but the country also spawned a wonderful, though
unheralded instrumental art-rock group called Maneige, that seemingly
vanished over twenty years ago. Now in 2005, a new Canadian group
called 30YRSL8 have taken the more accessible power trio rock elements
of Rush and merged it with the prog-rock stylings of the late, lamented
Maneige. Add in a touch of Steve Morse & Dixie Dregs and 30YRSL8
comes up with a superbly textured instrumental fusion sound that’s
all over the musical map at times. On the group’s 2005 Elemental
CD, the electric guitars of Rob Rose and synth keyboards
of Marc Bélanger work magic and are tastefully propelled
by the tight rhythm section of Armand Vienneau (drums) and
Mike Raymond (bass). Better 30 years late than never, 30YRSL8
makes a cutting edge instrumental rock statement with Elemental.
www.30yrsl8.com
498 PRODUCTIONS - Possibly the most knowledgeable Beatles
expert, Bruce Spizer and his 498 Productions released
two more huge coffee table size hardcover editions on two distinct
aspect of Fab Four history. The Beatles Are Coming! The Birth
Of Beatlemania In America chronicles a brilliant snapshot
of just how The Beatles rode in on top of one of the biggest musical
movements ever to occur in music history. Complete with over 450 key
color and b&w shots, and 2003 forward by Walter Cronkite,
Spizer’s 250 page book opens up with a look at the history of
their times on Vee Jay and Swan Records, all of which miraculously
lead to the birth of the greatest musical dynasty of the 20th century.
Also out in 2004 on 498, The Beatles Solo On Apple Records is
another brilliant expose by Spizer, this time a colorful and packed
with pics 360 page hardcover expose detailing the solo releases on
Apple Records by John, Paul, George & Ringo in the aftermath of
the breakup and subsequent early years, having hit after hit release
on the most influential indy label of all time. No doubt Spizer get
around to another book on the other artists The Beatles signed to
Apple and often produced themselves. email: www.beatle.net
ANGEL AIR - Actually a number one in Germany back in 1974, Dan
The Banjo Man was the idea of guitarist Phil Cordell.
No banjos and no guy named Dan but Cordell recorded some surprisingly
heavy guitar, self-produced instrumentals in the style of mid ‘70s
Shadows with even more overdubbing and glam-rock style effects. You
could almost describe it as if Marc Bolan or Gary Glitter (Roy Wood
or McCartney too for that matter) had an instrumental Ventures style
band. With some cool originals and instro covers, this 2005 Angel
Air CD features eight bonus tracks in addition to the original eleven
track album. Dan The Banjo Man is a instro rarity seeing release
for the first time from guitarist Cordell, who is also featured on
the Angel Air release of his early ‘70s pop vocal band Springwater,
an album which featured a top 5 vocal hit by Cordell, “I
Will Return”—a song that would be covered as an instrumental
by The Shadows in 1985. www.angelair.co.uk
ASTRALWERKS - Hailing from Sweden, Caesars sound influenced
as much from Lennon & McCartney as they do from punk pioneers
like 13th Floor Elevators and The Stooges. Released in 2005, Paper
Tigers is actually the group’s fourth album and
the band receives expert stewardship from their guitarist / producer
Joakim Åhlund and lead singer Cesar Vidal. Musically
the album rocks all over the map and should appeal to anyone who digs
essential modern pop band’s like Coldplay and Flaming Lips. Caesars
started out in 1998 with their album Youth Is Wasted On The Young,
and if they continue to make albums as great as Paper Tigers,
they’ve got a bright future ahead of them. www.astralwerks.com
BACKBEAT BOOKS - Backbeat continues to release all sort of amazing
hard cover and soft cover music related titles. Among their acclaimed
2004 / 2005 titles are 50 Years Of Gretsch Electrics,
written by author Tony Bacon. In the past, Bacon has covered
the history of the greatest guitars in his books, 50 Years Of Fender
and 50 Years Of The Gibson Les Paul. Now, in his 2005 Backbeat
edition on Gretsch electric guitars, Bacon explores the history of
the guitar that made such a huge impact on The Beatles, Chet Atkins,
Bo Diddley and Duane Eddy—all big names that made their mark
with Gretsch Jets, Gents and White Falcons, Filled with numerous color
spreads and a comprehensive specs section, 50 Years Of Gretsch
Electrics is a sumptuous expose on some of the most beautiful
electrics ever built. Also out on Backbeat in 2005 is The Art
Of Inlay: Design & Technique For Fine Woodworking by Larry
Robinson. Described as ‘without question the most complete
technical and aesthetic book in the field’, The Art Of Inlay
illustrates some of the most beautiful inlays in musical instruments
and assorted objects d’art, with loads of information and over
a hundred detailed color photos and drawings—all this and more
by the inlay artist for U2, Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac and more.
www.backbeatbooks.com
BARD HOFF - All around nice guy and guitar maven, Colorado based
Bard Hoff follows his first CD, Earthquake Weather with
the release of and then she said... Musically
Hoff is all over the map on the nine track instrumental CD. Hoff explains,
“I get that comment at gigs too. I didn’t want to lock myself
in. When I play live I am all over the place—any place from psychedelic
sambas to bop, except we’ve been accused of warping that a little
too far out too.” Commenting on the variety of influences that
shaped his talent, Hoff add, “I grew up listening to Hendrix
and having my mind totally screwed up by John McLaughlin. He does
this Indian stuff, this Flamenco stuff and he does his chamber guitar
quartets and then he puts out these ripping straight ahead albums
and fusion albums. I thought, well, hell if he’s doing that,
I might as well go ahead and do some of that too.” From hip,
mellow jazz to fiery fusion, Bard has it covered on and then she
said... which features a number of fine support players including
his son, Devin Hoff, who plays bass with The Nels Cline Singers.
Clear as a bell electric guitar playing and memorable tracks are a
couple indicators of and then she said...which also features
a mellow instrumental cover of the Beggar’s Banquet classic
“No Expectations.” Email contact: bardhoff@hotmail.com
BLACK HEN - Ranging from rustic roots rock to a more humid slack
key instrumental guitar sound, Vancouver, Canada based Steve Dawson
proves masterful at mixing guitar sounds, new and vintage on his 2005
CD. We Belong To The Gold Coast features fifteen track
of acoustic guitars, keyboards and light percussion with several tracks
featuring Dawson’s vocals, which remind of The Band’s Robbie
Robertson. Guitar wise, Dawson excels on slide and lap steel guitar
which masterfully merge at the crossroads of fingerstyle folk, Hawaiian,
blues, pop and hip-hop. A cool deal for guitar fans and folk music
enthusiasts, We Belong The Gold Coast follows Dawson’s
2001 set, Bug Parade. www.blackhenmusic.com
BLACK JONX RECORDS - Filled with bone-crunching rock, blues and
country, The Dragon is the third CD from Australian guitarist
Simon Gardner. Gardner’s been at the forefront of the
instrumental rock guitar scene in Australia and with The Dragon
he’s poised to carry his message far and wide. Although Gardner
cites classical influences like Holst and Debussy, his latest CD on
his own Black Jonx label packs a wallop making it a good bet
for fans of his big guitar influences like Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck and
Eric Johnson. With Gardner supplying all the music, guitar and bass,
The Dragon also features a strong support crew of players.
www.simongardner.net
BLUE NOTE RECORDS - Mention the Johnny Smith song “Walk,
Don’t Run” to guitar icon Les Paul and he’ll
tell you some history, ““Walk Don’t Run”...right.
He wrote that and he called me and said, ‘I’ve got a song
for you’...okay? And he played it for me on the phone and I says,
‘Johnny’, I says, ‘I’ve already got one of them
releasing.’ I says, ‘the sonofabitch is gonna take off.’
“Whispering”, you know? I says, ‘it’s so big-hit,
it’s so strong. And I can’t walk on my own records because
we got seven of the top ten.’ So I says, ‘I’m gonna
pass on it.’ And The Ventures got it.” Back in the early
‘50s, Les may have truly been before his time passing on recording
the song because as it turned out, most guitar instro fans know the
Ventures 1960 version of “Walk, Don’t Run”. To complicate
matters more, few have heard Johnny Smith’s original jazz version
of his own song, the track kicks off his 2005 Blue Note reissue called
Walk, Don’t Run! Commenting on his approach to
the guitar in the liner notes Smith states, “I never considered
myself a jazz player—just a guitar player who tried to supply
what was missing.” The now historic May and September 1954 dates
in NYC with Smith’s quartet that resulted in the legendary first
recording of what turned out to be possibly the most popular instrumental
rock song are well represented on Blue Note’s essential Walk,
Don’t Run reissue. www.bluenote.com
COLLECTABLES - In the late ‘60s, NYC was a hot bed of great
music. All sorts of underground things were happening at the major
labels like Columbia and Atlantic as well as independents like Buddah
who were releasing some great artists like Buzzy Linhardt. One way
overlooked NYC based group was the neoclassical art rock sound of
The New York Rock & Roll Ensemble. A great example of the
young and bright East Coast pop sound of NYC circa ‘69-70, the
group were well known for the fact that three of the original members—soon
to become famous movie music icon, the late, great Michael Kamen,
Marty Fulterman, and Dorian Rudnytsk—were Julliard
trained and their “Picasso with amplifiers” style was well
inflected throughout their self-titled 1968 debut on Atco/Cotillion,
The New York Rock & Roll Ensemble. In combination
with their classical rock influence—praised by Leonard Bernstein
at the time—one can hear also traces of paisley pop sounds of
The Zombies Odessey And Oracle and the pop-classical side of
Al Kooper. Excellent production from Shadow Morton is noted,
yet the mere arrival of this art-pop classic is a cause for celebration.
www.oldies.com
DGM - Since 1990, guitarist / composer Bert Lams has been
at the Vanguard of progressive acoustic guitar music as a member of
the acclaimed California Guitar Trio. On his 2005 solo CD,
Nascent: Bach Preludes On The Steel String Guitar
Lams gets back to his classical guitar roots—specifically
the music of J.S. Bach. According to Lams, “ at age seven, I
heard the C major of the well-tempered clavier by J.S. Bach on harpsichord.
I was drawn to the world of music at that moment and have been exploring
this wondrous art form ever since.” Interestingly, Lams performs
these time-honored Bach works on a steel string guitar with a pick
adding, “I felt the desire to break new ground and transcribe
several pieces that haven’t yet been played on guitar, let alone
on steel string guitar with plectrum.” Bert’s mesmerizing
guitar performance on Nascent is clearly up to the same levels
he brings to his work with The California Guitar Trio. Bach’s
violin and cello preludes have never sounded better than they do in
Bert’s worthy hands. www.cgtrio.com
EAGLE ROCK - The Godfather of British blues, John Mayall
returned with a fine blues rockin’ album in 2005. With Mayall
at the helm on vocals, piano, electric piano, harmonica, guitar and
synthesizer, Road Dogs features Mayall in fine form
rocking out alongside Road Dogs' Bluesbreakers Joe Yuele
(drums), Buddy Whittington (guitar), Hank Van Sickle
(bass) and Tom Canning (organ / piano). This was the same line-up,
along with Eric Clapton and Mick Taylor, that graced the stage for
Mayall’s impressive 70th Birthday Concert CD & DVD
(Eagle/2003). One of the tracks here, “Short Wave Radio”
take you to the days of Mayall’s teenage years when the Big Maceo,
Little Walter and Muddy Waters’ blues were already showing him
where to go. www.johnmayall.com
EL KAPITAN -Guitarist Kirk Bartholomew and keyboardist
Marc Soucy of El Kapitan scored big with last years Retroscape
CD and now they’ve dug back in the vaults for a 2005 CD reissue
of the first El Kapitan album from 1999 entitled Haywire.
Compared to the Pink Floyd prog-instro finesse of the Retroscape
set, Haywire positively rocks up a storm with several intense
Kraftwerk meets Gary Glitter sort of rock vocal tracks. Spotlighting
Bartholomew’s scathing guitar riffs, El Kapitan keeps things
interesting with compositional musical twists and turns that can be
described as the instrumental rock version of shock and awe. Obviously
each one a gifted player, these guys can do anything musically imaginable.
The duo’s musical progression and recording improvements made
a leap forward with 2004’s Retroscape, yet one can get
a clear sense of El Kapitan’s initial enthusiasm and musical
strengths on Haywire. www.elkapitan.nu
GEOMAGNETIC RECORDS - On his 2005 solo album, guitarist Phi
Yaan-Zek ponders the question: what if Zappa had written the music
on Jeff Beck’s Blow By Blow or if Steve Vai had jammed
with The Beatles in their most experimental, psychedelic moments?
Actually guitar fans who dig masters like Jeff Beck and John McLaughlin
as well as Shawn Lane and Steve Vai are encouraged to check out Phi’s
third CD Solar Flare. Recording over in the U.K.
Phi has enlisted top support from a number of gifted jazz-rockers,
including Marco Minnemann (drums) and Fabio Trentini (bass)
as well as ex-Gryphon bassoonist Brian Gulland. Much like Yaan-Zek’s
electrifying music, the colorful CD booklet on Solar Flare is
filled with fantastic graphics, session details and track by track
notes from Phi. If you like your instrumental jazz rock taken to the
extremes of the sonic universe, the guitar fusion sound of Phi Yaan-Zek
may be perfect for you. www.phiyaan-zek.com
HAPI-SKRATCH - Mixing elements of rock, jazz, blues and reggae
into his fresh approach to instrumental music, guitarist Kenny
Kilgore scores a hit with his 2005 CD Bluetopia.
Released through Colorado-based Hapi-Skratch, the eleven
track CD features Kilgore armed with his ‘68 Strat, backed by
a tight group that echoes the spirit of guitar heroes like Clapton
and also the soundtracks of Mark Knopfler. With four solo albums to
his credit, Kilgore has earned a fine reputation as an opening act
for the late Danny Gatton, Buddy Guy and B.B. King and he furthers
his stance as a forerunner of instrumental guitar sounds with Bluetopia.
www.kennygilgore.com / www.hapiskratch.com
HEP JAZZ - Echoing some of the jazzier, straight ahead sounds
of Metheny, Holdsworth and McLaughlin, The John Hart Trio take
a journey deep into guitarland on Indivisible. The
eleven track CD was recorded in New Jersey in 2003, featuring Hart’s
excellent guitar work driven by the rhythm section of Tim Horner
(drums) and Bill Moring (bass). In his lengthy liner notes
from 2004, Hart cites a number of influences on his playing and writing
including Ahmad Jamal, Bill Evans and guitar icon Jim Hall. The mostly
original set also features Hart’s jazz trio adaptation of the
Duke Ellington classic, “A Single Petal Of A Rose.”
www.hepjazz.com
JJ RECORDS - Based in Birmingham, England, guitarist John Gerighty
brings the classical guitar back into the limelight with a brilliantly
recorded and performed CD from 2004 entitled Guitarra! Having
studied at Trinity College of Music in London, Gerighty released several
albums of his own music during the early 2000’s and with the
release of Guitarra! he focuses on the classical guitar repertoires
of legends like Christian G. Scheidler, Fernando Sor,
Francisco Tarrega and more. From his intriguing liner notes,
Gerighty adds, “Thirty years ago, the classical guitar was ‘all
the rage’, and guitarists such as John Williams and Julian Bream
were household names. These days, the guitar has slipped out of the
limelight a little, and many people don’t really know anything
of the beauty of this quiet, unobtrusive sounding instrument.”
In a valiant endeavor to bring the classical guitar back into the
limelight, Gerighty covers music from a wide range of composers—from
Sor to Bach—on Guitarra! www.johngerighty.com
JAZZHEADS - Flutist Mark Weinstein has impeccable credentials
when it comes to merging Cuban Roots music and Latin jazz. On his
2004 CD on the NYC based Jazzhead label, Algo Más he
showcases his contemporary flute improvisations and the electric guitar
sound of Jean-Paul Bourelly and the Cuban folkloric drums and
voices of Pedrito Martinez. Regarding the recording of Algo
Más, Weinstein adds, “The date was completely unrehearsed
without a note of music. Pedrito taught Jean-Paul the songs and we
went for it.” Weinstein has worked with some top guitarists over
the years and further commenting on working with guitarist Jean-Paul
Bourelly, Weinstein adds, “The thing about JP is the breadth
of his conception, the best time and amazing musicality. I have known
him since he first came to NY.” Throughout the album Weinstein
proves himself to be a flute master and his combination of flute,
báta drums, bass, electric guitar makes for a jazzy, groove-based
world beat album that’s both swinging and lyrical, spiritual
and funky. www.jazzheads.com
KALO RECORDS - Guitarist Michael Coppola made guitar lovers
happy with his 2004 CD, Monster Guitar. In 2005 he follows
up with his latest CD, the humorously titled On The Atkins Diet!
This is one diet that won’t kill you as the fare is strictly
musical and inspired no doubt by the late great Chet Atkins. According
to Coppola, ‘An Atkins diet is not unlike what a Segovia diet
would be to a classical guitarist; Chet was incredibly prolific, leaving
a wide array of tunes and styles to choose from.’ Coppola has
mastered Chet’s trademark Travis picking style and puts his incredible
technique to great use on his covers of classics like “Caravan”,
“I Got Rhythm”, “Sleepwalk”, “Classical Gas”,
“Walk Don’t Run” and more including a fine cover of
Jerry Reed’s “Jerry’s Breakdown.” On The Atkins
Diet is a super mix of country, swing, gypsy and classical fingerstyle
guitar sounds. www.9string.com
MIDLANTIC RECORDS - Described as “A dynamic synthesis of
organic grooves, improvisation and wild sonic soundscapes,” Naked
Movies, by The Coalition finds guitarist Glenn
Alexander playing alongside Scott Healy (keys) and
Mike Merritt (bass), both of The Max Weinberg 7. Over the years,
Alexander has earned his reputation by releasing first rate guitar
instrumental records as well as recording and performing with top
names like Dylan, Paul Simon, Phoebe Snow and he’s in rare form
on this first album from The Coalition. Featuring track titles like
“Tuna Whiskey” and “Beatnik Bob”, the Coaltion’s
‘sonically ambitious’ blend of jazz, improvisation, rock,
R&B, funk and avant gard sounds is right on the cutting edge of
modern instrumental music. www.coalitiongroove.com
OMOM MUSIC - Based over in Italy, OmOm Music have been releasing
some great tribute albums including their great double disc tributes
American Graffiti Revisited, That's New Pussycat! A surf tribute to
Burt Bacharach and one of their recent 2005 releases, a tribute
to Biker / Surf rock king Davie Allan called Evil Fuzz.
Now the label reaches another milestone with their 2005 release
of Hair - A Surf Tribal Love-Rock Musical. With
fantastic music written by Galt McDermott, Hair spawned
a number of classic pop melodies such as the title track, “Aquarius”
and “Good Morning Starshine.” For their rockin’ Hair
tribute, OmOm have assembled some of today’s top guitar instrumental
groups to perform on this mostly instrumental 24 track CD. Kicking
off the The Atlantics serving up a surf-rock treatment of “Aquarius,”
the CD moves on with fine performances from notable groups like The
Weisstronauts, The Atomic Mosquitoes, Urban Surf Kings,
Seks Bomba and much more. A cool deal for surf-rock fans and
those who enjoyed all the great music of Hair, OmOm’s
surf-musical version of Hair also features some way-cool
psychedelic ‘60s cover art! www.omomworld.com
PEAK / CONCORD - Derived from the live in the studio DVD concert
film of the same name, the CD release of Overtime finds
jazz guitar legend Lee Ritenour in the company of artists he’s
worked so well with over the years. Kicking off with a Ritenour cover
of the Wes Montgomery classic “Boss City”, Overtime features
a top performance from Ritenour as well as players like Dave Grusin
and Patrice Rushen (Fender Rhodes), Harvey Mason (drums),
Chris Botti (trumpet) and vocalist Kenya Hathaway, who
tears it up on the Overtime cover of “Papa Was A Rolling
Stone.” Commenting on reuniting with some of his legendary accomplices,
Ritenour adds, “We haven’t played some of these songs for
25 years, so we were overdue.” A watershed moment of Ritenour’s
guitar career, Overtime spotlights a fine mix of Brazilian
music, acoustic jazz and fusion and is a masterful live in the studio
set from one of the founders of the smooth guitar jazz genre. In addition
to the CD on Peak / Concord Records, Overtime is also available
on DVD from Eagle Rock Entertainment. www.leeritenour.com
POINT STUDIOS -Classical guitarist Marc Friedlander has
played before thousands of people out on the street in front of the
Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan. Commenting further he adds,
“Out on the street, I use an electric/classical and a little
portable amp. I love it out there, and the people sit on the steps
and listen. Others ebb and flow past me in and out of the museum.”
A master of the nylon string classical guitar, Freidlander has no
doubt entertained many guitar fans for free and he makes the most
of his deft fretboard skills on his albums Classical Guitar, of
which he’s recorded three volumes. On Classical Guitar
Volume II, Friedlander offers sublime version of the
six part “Suite For Cello #3” by J.S. Bach, in addition
to various classical masterpieces by S.L. Weiss (“Passacaille”,)
Albeniz (“Granada”) and more. www.marcfriedlander.com
RANDOM CHANCE - Instrumental
guitar music that borders on both minimalist and progressive, Riding
Shotgun possess a rare quality that captures the place where rock
and art meet. Based in Boston and Rhode Island, the group break all
the rules and that’s just what makes their guitar driven trance
so appealing. Essentially a power trio fueled by the cool rhythm section
of drummer Chris Anton and Tom Stepsis (bass), the group’s
center piece is the multi-faceted guitar sound of Joseph DePasquale.
Other influences like Adrian Belew in King Crimson, Weather Report
(without the sax) and say, Tortoise, come shining through. With its
myriad of musical complexity, the music on NIGHT Falls makes
a great imaginary soundtrack. www.ridingshotgun.com
RAVEN RECORDS - In addition to making some of the best top 40
hits of the ‘60s, Paul Revere & The Raiders were also
among the sharpest dressed bands of that magical decade that pop fans
still can’t seem to get enough about. Although many of their
albums and singles are well documented on various CD reissues on both
Sundazed and Sony Legacy, Australian reissue giant Raven Records
has done a splendid job on their 2005 Raiders compilation entitled:
Kicks! 1963-1972 The Anthology. Kicking off with
the group’s first charting single from 1963, “Louie, Louie”,
Raven’s 30 track, 77+ minute Raiders compilation compiles tracks
from a wealth of studio albums including their early classics Just
Like Us! (1965), Midnight Ride (1966), Spirit
Of ‘67 (1966), Revolution (1967) and much
more. In addition to featuring the group’s all-time biggest hits
like “Kicks”, “Just Like Me” and “Hungry”,
Kicks! 1963-1972 adds in lesser known, yet equally compelling
cuts written by Raiders’ producer Terry Melcher and group
members Mark Lindsay, Paul Revere, Drake Levin and
Phil “Fang” Volk. Splendid cover art and 12 pages
of in depth liner notes by Raven Records musicologist Ian McFarlane
make Kicks! 1963-1972 an essential Paul Revere & The
Raiders compilation. www.ravenrecords.co.au
RHINO RECORDS - A 29 track, two DVD set featuring two new songs,
some of the greatest classic FM radio hits of all time and behind
the scenes bonus footage, Farewell 1 Tour - Live From Melbourne
captures a three hour concert with The Eagles from November
2004. The core lineup of Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Joe
Walsh, and Timothy B. Schmit, Farewell 1 proves
that not only have their songs withstood the test of time, but as
entertainers and musicians, The Eagles are still held in high regard
all over the world. The first Eagles DVD, a 1994 concert video called
Hell Freezes Over remains the best-selling music video release
of all time (eight-times platinum) and with the 2005 release of Farewell
1 Tour - Live From Melbourne, the group shows no signs of giving
up their reputation of America’s greatest country-rock group.
Long time fans can catch the band on their current world tour, which
picks up again in August stretching into October 2005. www.eaglesband.com
SANCTUARY - Gadget guitarist Adrian Belew ‘guits’
back to where he twice belonged on his 2005 Sanctuary Records CD release
of Side Two, which follows last years release
of Side One. Concerning his approach here Belew adds, “For
this record the idea has been terse haiku-like lyrics,” while
he promises a final album in the series, Side Three where he
“returns to the more eclectic approach of previous solo efforts
including surprise guests.” Belew handles all the instruments
on Side Two, conjuring indescribable sounds and all things
programmed electronica save for the occasional guest spot on balalaika,
theremin, cello or whispering voice. In this wild mix you can marvel
at Belew’s incredible fretboard and otherwise electrifying guitar
work, stirring the pot with an indescribable mix of trance and dance
art-rock and World Beat pop in its place. Belew’s paintings on
the cover art portray a musician bursting with artistic freedom in
an ever increasing world of constriction. www.adrianbelew.net
SCI FIDELITY - Having played with everybody from The Dead, Jorma
Kaukonen, Steve Winwood and Bonnie Raitt over the past 25 years, Steve
Kimock released his 2005 studio album, Eudemonic,
on the SCI-Fidelity label. The label was founded by String Cheese
Incident and the progressive instrumental jazz rock sound of Kimock
and company is a refreshing addition to their roster. Assisted by
fine players including drummer Rodney Holmes, Kimock proves
masterful in a number of electric guitar settings. Kimock and Holmes
weave a fine balance between earthy, almost funky fusion and the spatial
vibe of the String Cheese sound while also echoing the spirit of Grateful
Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia, who would have loved Kimock’s album.
Hailed by Jerry Garcia as his favorite unknown guitarist more than
15 years ago, Kimock has admitted being influenced by a variety of
guitar styles—from blues to folk, jazz to Indian, African to
psychedelic rock—and he puts them all in play on the wildly entertaining
Eudemonic. www.kimock.com
SHIRO MUSIC PRODUCTIONS - A fine guitar instrumental album brimming
with all kind of diverse solo guitar styles, Crossroads Of Solitude
from California-based Shiro Tomita makes a good case
for the guitar as the ultimate translator of musical genres. Highlights
of this 12 track CD feature solo sonic electric guitar instrumentals
of classics like “Hotel California,” “Dust In The Wind,”
“Needle And The Damage Done,” and “California Dreamin’”,
while others offer excellent classical rock covers of “Concerto
de Aranjuez” and “Lagrima”. As Tomita aptly depicts—whether
playing instrumental rock standards or classical favorites from centuries
past, the venerable guitar—both electric and classical—just
can’t be beat! www.cdbaby.com/cd/tomita
SHOUT! FACTORY - Back in the ‘60s Herb Alpert & The
Tijuana Brass offered an amazing cross section of instrumental
pop fused with a Latin and Mexican music edge that was years ahead
of it’s time. Early in 2005, Alpert teamed with the reissue masters
at L.A.-based Shout! Factory to create The Herb Alpert
Signature Series. Alpert’s first album with the
Tijuana Brass was his 1962 album, The Lonely Bull,
followed by South Of The Border and his all time
most popular album from 1965, Whipped Cream & Other Delights,
an album which maintained it’s number one status for eight
weeks straight. Shout! Factory’s Herb Alpert signature series
features excellent remastered CD reissues of nine of Alpert’s
instrumental albums from the ‘60s, all featuring eye-catching
digi-pak design and 20+ page booklets that serve as a history lesson
on Alpert’s chart-topping instrumental pop sound. The latest
2005 Alpert remasters on Shout! Factory include three later period
Tijuana Brass releases the prodigious trumpet master recorded and
released in 1967 alone—the brilliant, instro, orch-pop Sounds
Like (number one in Billboard before Sgt. Pepper’s
knocked it out), Herb Alpert’s Ninth (with
a cover of “With A Little Help From My Friends”) and his
fifth and final number one album, Beat Of The Brass (released
early ‘68). Herb Alpert went on to sell over 75 million records,
start A&M Records and since then, he’s released over 30 albums
as a solo artist. Shout! Factory shines a light on Alpert’s early
vital contributions to the music biz with The Herb Alpert Signature
Series. www.shoutfactory.com
SIGNATURE SOUNDS - The 2005 CD release of Little Fugitive,
by singer-songwriter and guitarist Amy Rigby is a fine
reintroduction to one of the most gifted pop artists of the day. Backed
up by a key band with co-producer / guitarist Jon Graboff and
Smithereens’ drummer Dennis Diken, Rigby deftly combines
intelligent, lyrics-based folk music sounds with a ‘60s paisley
pop groove. Little Fugitive features a gutsy, clever Top 40
sound filled with toe-tapping melodies and colorful arrangements.
www.signaturesounds.com
SIX STRING RECORDS - Guitarist Steve Glotzer has it covered
on his 2004 album, Lately... One minute, he’s doing
his best Paul Simon semblance on one of the album’s four vocals.
The next he’s got a upbeat smooth jazz sound going on the CD’s
nine instrumentals. Described as “a folk/jazz melange featuring
breezy sambas, jazz influenced sophisticated urban blues, and compelling
folk/rock songs”, the thirteen track Lately... makes for
some breezy, easy going guitar sounds and should go far to introduce
Glotzer to a wider audience. www.sixstringrecords.com
SOLID AIR - Solid Air Records won a Grammy award for their Henry
Mancini instrumental guitar tribute CD, Pink Guitar.
Produced by James Jensen, the CD featured a number of great
Mancini covers by gifted acoustic guitarists such as Ed Gerhard,
Doug Smith, Wayne Johnson and Al Petteway. Another
guitarist featured was Lawrence Juber, who’s cover of
“Pink Panther Theme” kicked off the 13 track set. Juber,
of course was Paul McCartney’s guitarist of choice on several
Wings albums including his ‘79 set Back To The Egg.
25+ years later Juber returns with a new tribute to his old band
entitled One Wing. Solo acoustic guitar arrangements
of classic Wings songs, the CD features a bounty of guitar-centric
instrumentals that were just as often remembered for Paul’s voice.
Transcribing them for instrumental acoustic guitar, Juber makes the
most of his keen insight into Macca’s musical mind and right
down the line, he keeps the melody deeply woven into the guitar fabric.
Juber has recorded numerous solo guitar albums for Solid Air—including
his Beatles tribute, LJ Plays The Beatles—and One Wing
carries on his ingenious ability to transcribe classic rock for
nylon and steel acoustic guitar. www.solidairrecords.com
SOUL CITY RECORDS - Back in the ‘60s, singer-songwriter Johnny
Rivers made huge breakthroughs with his big hit “Secret Agent
Man” and ballads like “Poor Side Of Town.” Rivers’
own Soul City Records is still active and have reissued several
key Rivers CD titles including his 1968 Imperial Records album classic
Realization, and a pair of recent titles—Back
At The Whisky Live and Johnny’s latest studio album from
2004, Reinvention Highway. Featuring Rivers live
in L.A. 1999 w/ guitarist Waddy Wachtel and keyboardist Larry
Knectel, Back At The Whisky is a timely follow up to his
1964 album Johnny Rivers Live AT The Whisky A Go Go with
up to date versions of “Secret Agent Man”, “Baby I
Need Your Lovin” and a Rivers cover of the Blind Faith classic
“Can’t Find My Way Home.” The 2004 Soul City CD release
of Reinvention Highway kicks off with “Midnight Special”
and features a number of Rivers classics and covers of the Beatles-related
chestnuts “I’ll Be Back” and McCartney’s “Every
Night” and the ‘60s Byrds classic “Feel A Whole Lot
Better.” Featuring Rivers on guitar backed by key players like
Waddy Wachtel, Chris Hillman and Terry Reid, the fourteen
track Reinvention Highway is dedicated to both George
Harrison and Andy Rooney. All three CDs combine for an inspiring overview
of a leading musical figure from the ‘60s. www.johnnyrivers.com
UNIVERSAL CHRONICLES - Universal continues to plow through their
vaults for their acclaimed Gold series. Among
the 2004-2005 Gold titles released are Traffic Gold (a
double CD 30 tracks spanning 1967-1974), Velvet Underground
Gold (a 30 track double CD), Rod Stewart Gold (35
track double CD) and Joan Armatrading Gold (43 track
double CD set). Another valuable Universal Gold set released
on their Hip-O Records imprint in 2005, Classic Rock
Gold compiles an array of 33 FM radio classics from rock legends
like Steppenwolf (“Born To Be Wild”), Santana
(“Evil Ways”), Guess Who (“American Woman”),
Jethro Tull (“Locomotive Breath”) and Peter Frampton
(“Show Me The Way”) here along with a variety of smashes
from The Hollies, Elton John, Cheap Trick, The
Doobie Brothers, The James Gang, Foghat, Grand
Funk, Billy Idol, Foreigner, Free, Bad
Company and more topped off by noteworthy liner notes by
rock historian Dave Thompson. www.universalchronicles.com
/ www.hip-o.com
WHALING CITY SOUND - On Romanza, Connecticut-based
guitarist Ron Murray takes his classical / Flamenco training
to the next level, injecting his guitar sound with echoes of heroes
like Paco de Lucia, Django Reinhardt, Wes Montgomery and Joe Pass.
In fact, Murray in the past studied with both classical master John
Williams and Paco Peña. Backed by a crew of fine players including
Arti Dixson (drums) and Marty Ballou (bass), Murray
also underscores his fascination with the jazz samba and Brazilian
Bossa Nova sound on his Jobim covers of “Corcovado” and
“Vivo Sonhando”. Further Flamenco / bossa guitar style covers
of Django’s “Nuages”, “Besame Mucho”, “While
My Guitar Gently Weeps” and Henry Mancini’s “Charade”
are interspersed with several Murray originals. Capped off with illuminating
liner notes by Murray (who also credits his Dad’s harmonica on
the Jobim covers), Romanza is a fleet-fingered CD that demonstrates
the elegance and passion of the nylon string guitar. www.ronguitar.com
Attention Artists and Record Companies: Have your CD reviewed
in www.mwe3.com and 20th Century Guitar. Send to CD Reviews Editor
Robert Silverstein, P.O. Box 630249, Little Neck, N.Y. 11363-0249
e-mail: rss54@mwe3.com
