Vertú is a jazz fusion band consisting of bassist Stanley Clarke and drummer Lenny White (both of Return to Forever fame), keyboardist Rachel Z, violinist Karen Briggs and guitarist Richie Kotzen. The band released one eponymous album in 1999.
Vertu is undeniably an ambitious project, certainly more so than most
contemporary fusion projects. At the core of the collective are Stanley Clarke and Lenny White, the renowned rhythm section of Return to Forever; they're augmented by violinist Karn Briggs, keyboardist Rachel Z, and former Poison guitarist Richie Kotzen,
of all people. It's a wildly eclectic group of musicians, and they
appropriately tackle all sorts of music, from straight-ahead fusion and
post-bop to worldbeat and classical-tinged rock. Thanks to the fine
musicianship of all involved, it's not nearly the mess that it could
have been, but it's hardly an unqualified success, either. The main
problem is the weird blend of songs and compositions. Vertu is basically
divided between songs (only a handful of which feature Kotzen's
strained bluesy vocals), which have one simple melody, and flowing,
multi-layered, multi-sectioned compositions. In each case, they're
graced by some truly extraordinary playing (laugh you may, but Kotzen is
a gifted guitarist and it's a pleasure to hear him stretch out, instead
of being confined to pop-metal), but the songs often are built around
lame themes that feel like excuses for improvisations; even worse, those
themes are often delivered with the tone and grace of a television
commercial. Vertu is much better with "Topasio Es Puro Corazon" and
"Danse of the Harlequin" -- opportunities to build fascinating contrasts
in sound, both through themes and improvisations. These pieces, along
with the plentiful solo sections in the flawed songs, have some great
interplay that will certainly be of interest to fans of all the involved
musicians. And if they're longtime fans of any of the members
(especially Clarke, White, and Return to Forever),
they'll realize that creative risks are often successful and flawed in
equal measure, so they won't be discouraged by the awkward moments on
Vertu.
VERTU is a fusion "superband" made only for one record. Stanley Clarke
(basses), Lenny White (drums) still are the best rhythm section of all
times. Rachel Z (keyboards) is great (waiting to work with Peter
GABRIEL). Richie Kotzen isn't only a hard guitar player, just listen and
you'll understand. Karen Briggs (violin) is as good as Jean-Luc Ponty
or John Goodman themselves.
"We're trying to bring virtuosic playing back to the forefront in
music," says drummer Lenny White about his new band Vertú, a musical
collective that features bassist Stanley Clarke, keyboardist Rachel Z,
violinist Karen Briggs, and guitarist Richie Kotzen. "I haven't had an
opportunity to play like this in a long time - where everybody is really
stretching out on their instruments and playing up to their full
potential." White is talking about playing fusion again, music that
begged its participants to go for broke and show the audience everything
they had in them. But will today's jazz audience be down with the "F"
word? White thinks so. "I'm convinced that there is a whole new audience
out there that will respond enthusiastically to this music, just as
people did 30 years ago."
Tracklist:
01. V-Wave (5:09)
02. On Top Of The Rain (7:42)
03. Anoche (5:30)
04. The Call (7:23)
05. Topasio Es Puro Corazon, Part One (4:47)
06. Topsaio, Part Two (5:02)
07. Danse Of The Harlequin (6:38)
08. Start It Again (5:38)
09. Marakesh (4:12)
10. Toys (7:55)
Personnel:
Richie Kotzen (vocals, guitar)
Karen Briggs (violin)
Rachel Z (keyboards)
Stanley Clarke (bass)
Lenny White (drums).
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