Chick Corea Elektric Band II - 1993 "Paint The World"

Chick assembled a brand-new lineup for his Elektric Band to record Paint the World, and the results are phenomenal: Chick’s ambitious compositions meet with virtuosic, energized performances from this band of masters. With Eric Marienthal on saxophone, Mike Miller on guitar, Jimmy Earl on bass and Gary Novak on drums, Paint the World explores both acoustic and electric territory, resulting in another entry in the stellar Elektric Band discography.

Chick Corea's Elektric Band II found bassist John Patitucci, drummer Dave Weckl and guitarist Frank Gambale going out on their own and being replaced by Jimmy Earl, Gary Novak and Mike Miller. Saxophonist Eric Marienthal was the only sideman from the first Elektric Band to stick with Corea. Although the new members are not as distinctive as their predecessors, the high-quality material played on this release (which includes Jimmy Heath's "CTA," "Blue Miles" and a variety of Corea originals) is very jazz-oriented and occasionally there are straightahead sections. This set is recommended even to listeners who have not yet acquired a taste for fusion.

Here, Chick took a very different approach to the Elektric Band paradigm, namely he left more open space for improvisation as opposed to mapping out nearly every last note or being overly concerned about airplay potential. There was also a major lineup change, Chick and saxophonist Eric Marienthal being the only holdovers from the first EB. The new participants were guitarist Mike Miller, drummer Gary Novak and bassist Jimmy Earl.

And did the change help? Mostly, YES!

The band overall ahs a much looser feel to it, thanks in no small part to drummer Gary Novak who brings an entirely different attitude and approach than Dave Weckl's, not a slam, just a contrast. Gary has a wonderfully loose funky creative style of drumming that is a good fit for Chick's music.

Bassist Jimmy Earl comes into the equation taking the unusual approach of NOT soloing at all, but preferring to concentrate on making the music groove, and groove he does! Not everyone can do what his predecessor John Patitucci did so beautifully (namely play lead bass and NOT come off like a show-offy wanker) and Jimmy wisely keeps that in mind, but his playing is FAR beyond anonymous thumping P-Bass minimalism too.

Guitarist Mike Miller is a real treat too, bringing a tart, biting sound and an angular melodic sense to the table yet playing with a lot more soul than uber-chopsmeister Frank Gambale could ever hope to. His biting solo on "Ritual" is especially fun to dig into.

But that said, I dare say, the songs themselves are a LOT more fun to listen to here, as opposed the the uptight and overly fussed with and mind-numbingly predictable predecsssor "Beneath The Mask". There's far more breathing room for each musician and a much looser organic sound in general. Chick actually goes rather sparing on the synths here, preferring to hit mainly pianos. One of the discs high points is "Ritual" a more biting electrified version of a piece that originally appeared on his excellent 1981 release "Three Quartets". "Tumba Island" is a rather odd yet endearing piece based on some dance music that Chick hear while on vacation on a particular island. Elsewhere, the twisty melodies fly and everyone sounds like they're having a ball playing, which is VERY important.

It's a shame this version of the EB didn't stay together very long, at least judging by what was on here, it could've evolved into a VERY exciting electric-jazz outift. Definitely recommended, gripes about EM notwithstanding.

This is simply a top notch Jazz fusion effort from Chick Corea and the Elektric band II. What attracted me to this project was the generous helpings of Fender Rhodes keyboard and electric guitar.The songs draw more from Jazz than Rock, but rely on both to create a set of mostly uptempo groove oriented tunes excluding the ethereal Silhouette. What can you say about Corea'a skill? In my opinion his fusion chops have never sounded better and the musicians he employs are extraordinarily complimentary. If you enjoy Jazz Fusion from the mid 70's through early 80's as I do you'll love "Paint the world".

Track listing:

1. Paint The World (3:56)
2. Blue Miles (5:30)
3. Tone Poem (6:47)
4. CTA (5:47)
5. Silhouette (1:43)
6. Space (6:03)
7. The Ant & The Elephant (7:31)
8. Tumba Island (5:57)
9. Ritual (7:34)
10. Ished (7:14)
11. Spanish Sketch (8:06)
12. Reprise (2:50)

Total Time 68:58

Personnel:

- Chick Corea / piano, keyboards, synth programming, producer
- Mike Miller / electric & acoustic guitars
- Eric Marienthal / sax
- Jimmy Earl / bass
- Gary Novak / drums

Vital Information - 2001 "Live from Mars"

Steve Smith and Vital Information is an American jazz-fusion group led by drummer Steve Smith.

The core members of the original line-up of Vital Information — Steve Smith (drums), Tim Landers (bass) and Dave Wilczewski (sax) — met in 1971 during their high school years while playing together in the Bridgewater State College Big Band, a Boston area college band that also featured outstanding high school students, the band was under the direction of Vincent Gannon. By 1977 Smith was touring with Jean-Luc Ponty, Landers with Al Di Meola and Wilczewski with Freddie Hubbard. They met in Boston once a year for a “reunion” gig using various guitarists such as Dean Brown, Daryl Stuermer or Barry Finnerty to complete the band. From 1977–1982 the three principlal band members wrote many compositions, played a number of gigs and developed the sound and concept that became the first edition of Vital Information.

After Smith was in Journey for a few years he was able to secure a Columbia record deal for his first solo album. The group recorded Vital Information (1983), which featured Landers, Wilczewski and Smith along with guitarists Dean Brown and Mike Stern. The album was recorded in Warren, Rhode Island in January 1983 and released that summer. In September 1983 the band toured the USA with the Dutch guitarist Eef Albers replacing Mike Stern, who was on the road with both Miles Davis and Jaco Pastorius. At the end of the tour the group returned to RI and recorded Orion (1984), their second album.

After leaving Journey in 1985 Steve Smith continued on as the bandleader of Vital Information with Tim Landers and Dave Wilczewski eventually leaving the group to pursue their own careers. Landers is a successful studio musician in Los Angeles and Wilczewski moved to Stockholm, Sweden, where he was a key player in the European music scene until his untimely death on August 22, 2009.

Tom Coster (keyboards), formerly of Santana, joined Vital Information in 1986 and first appeared on Global Beat (1987), which integrated hand percussion and steel drums into the direction of the music. Kai Eckhardt (bass), later with John McLaughlin, and Torsten de Winkel (guitar), later with the Pat Metheny Group, joined Vital Information in 1986 and 1987 for tours in the United States and Europe and appeared on and composed for the group's next album, Fiafiaga (1988), which generally continued with the Global Beat direction but added computer-based and funkier sounds to the stylistic mix.

A more straight-ahead jazz version of the group, with Larry Grenadier (acoustic bass), Larry Schneider (sax), Tom Coster (keys), Frank Gambale (guitar), Steve Smith (drums), recorded Vitalive! (1990). The album has recently been re-mastered and rereleased. Jeff Andrews (bass) joined the band in the early 1990s recording Easier Done Than Said (1992) and Ray of Hope (1996).

Vital Information re-invented themselves as a more organic groove-oriented band with the direction of Where We Come from (1998). Baron Browne (bass) joined the band in 1998, which further solidified their more funk-oriented approach. With the line-up of Smith (drums) Tom Coster (keys), Frank Gambale (guitar) and Browne (bass) they recorded Live Around the World (2000), Show ‘Em Where You Live (2001) and Live from Mars (2002). With the recording Come on in (2004) Smith started introducing Indian rhythms into the music. On Vitalization (2007) Vinny Valentino joined Vital Information on guitar and Smith featured himself on his recently developed konnakol chops along with integrating more Indian rhythms into the music.

Live! One Great Night is Vital Information’s latest release and is the first of a number of releases to commemorate their 30th Anniversary.

Steve Smith has been recently been touring with a version of the band called “Vital Information NYC Edition” that features Valentino and Browne along with Mark Soskin on keyboards and Andy Fusco on alto sax. Fusco and Soskin are two musicians from Smith’s other bands Buddy’s Buddies and Jazz Legacy. With VI NYC Edition the band plays the classic Vital Information songs along with the music of Jazz Legacy and Buddy’s Buddies. In November 2012 VI NYC Edition recorded a live album and new studio album. The Vital Information NYC Edition recordings will be released in 2013 as part of the group's 30th Anniversary Celebration.

Been following this group for years, Fantastic musicians all. Steve Smith what can u say,not of this world.Listen to Barron Browm on 'Soul Principle" what a fantastic funky player. Tom Coster's tune Listen up higlights his great playing. And not to be outdone,Frank Gambale on Over and Out, car speakers are white hot, not to metion the amp!!! These guys are the greatest players from mars ever!! If you are a fusion,funk,and a little soul fan get this cd now! No regrets!!

Recorded at Mars Music, Somerville, MA 2000-11-18

https://jazz-rock-fusion-guitar.blogspot.com/search?q=Vital+Information

Track listing:

1 Mr. T.C. 6:18
2 Swamp Stomp 7:31
3 Cranial Jam 8:40
4 Listen Up! 7:44
5 Drum Improv. 2:57
6 Happy House 7:46
7 Soul Principle 8:58
8 Over And Out 7:45

Personnel:

Bass – Baron Browne
Drums – Steve Smith
Guitar – Frank Gambale
Keyboards – Tom Coster

Pink Floyd - 1995 "Pulse"

Pulse (stylised as p·u·l·s·e) is a live album by the English progressive rock band Pink Floyd. It was released on 29 May 1995 by EMI in the United Kingdom and on 6 June 1995 by Columbia in the United States. The album was recorded during the European leg of Pink Floyd's Division Bell Tour in 1994.

When Pink Floyd began their expansive world tour behind 1994's The Division Bell, David Gilmour and company had no intention of documenting the jaunt with a live LP. But a series of logistical moves resulted in their double-disc concert set Pulse, which was released on May 29, 1995.
The Division Bell set list was structured with a logical mix of old staples ("Shine On You Crazy Diamond") and recent, post-Roger Waters tracks ("Learning to Fly"). As usual, the band was playing almost the entire Dark Side of the Moon LP onstage, and Gilmour decided to restructure the set into two distinct halves, with the second part comprising the full Dark Side experience.

Without that move, Pulse wouldn't exist.
"The reason for Pulse is Dark Side of the Moon, obviously," Gilmour told Guitar magazine in 1995. "We weren't going to do a live album for this tour; it seemed a bit superfluous having just done one [1988's The Delicate Sound of Thunder] a few years ago. But, as we started out on the tour, we were looking for ways to change the show around and make ourselves a little more flexible and have a little fun, and Dark Side of the Moon was one of the ideas that came across. We thought, 'That'll be easy, we're already playing half the songs.' But it took us about three months to put all the bits of sound-effect tape into it, besides getting all the old film and making one or two new bits of the ones that were too ancient or damaged.

"So we did it on the end of our American tour, and then when we carried it over to Europe, we started thinking, 'Well, it would be nice for us – and for posterity – to have a live version of Dark Side of the Moon, which I always particularly wanted," Gilmour continued. "We, in fact, discussed it years ago – even when Roger was still in the band – about putting a live version of Dark Side of the Moon back together and recording it, because we don't have a record of it ourselves. So, I thought that would be a very nice idea. Of course, discussing it, we finally thought it was daft to just put out Dark Side of the Moon. We might as well put out the whole thing."

Ironically, even though the Dark Side material is Pulse's main selling point, it's also the weaker of the two discs, with the band churning out professional if perfunctory takes on their 1973 masterpiece. The core trio – Gilmour, drummer Nick Mason and keyboardist Richard Wright – are supplemented by a militia of guest players, and the most interesting moments harness those extra colors, like the more percussive groove in "Time" (featuring percussion from Gary Wallis) and the sleek jazz-funk take on "Any Colour You Like" (propelled by session man Guy Pratt's nimble slap-bass).

Luckily, disc one is loaded with highlights. The set opens with a surging take on "Shine On You Crazy Diamond," anchored by Pratt's funky bass and Dick Parry's reliably stunning sax solo. Hands down, the album's centerpiece is a stratospheric take on the Syd Barrett epic "Astronomy Domine," with Gilmour and Wright sharing lead vocals.
The disc's soggiest stretches, perhaps inevitably, focus on Floyd's two most recent LPs, The Division Bell and 1987's A Momentary Lapse of Reason – both filled with expertly crafted but sometimes forgettable material. One exception is the sultry "Coming Back to Life," which features one of Gilmour's most expressive vocals. Unlike the other late-era Floyd material on Pulse, "Life" feels more alive onstage, the grittiness of Gilmour's vocal adding an emotional dimension lacking in its slick studio counterpart.
Pulse marks the end of an era for Pink Floyd, documenting the band's final full tour. (In 2005, they reunited – with Waters – for a brief set at the Live 8 concert in London.) And that sense of finality gives the album an importance its performances probably don't earn. No, Pulse isn't a revelation, but it still remains an essential piece of any Floyd fan's collection.

Pink Floyd claim they had no intention of recording another live album when they began the Division Bell tour, but performing The Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety convinced the group to release another double-live set, called Pulse. There's no question that the group is comprised of talented musicians, including the number of studio professionals that augmented the trio on tour. Whether they're inspired musicians is up to debate. A large part of Pink Floyd's live show is based on the always impressive visuals; on the Division Bell tour, they closed each show with an unprecedented laser extravaganza. In order for the visuals and the music to coincide, the group needed to play the sets as tightly as possible, with little improvisation.

https://jazz-rock-fusion-guitar.blogspot.com/search?q=pink+floyd

Track Listing:

CD 1:
1. Shine On You Crazy Diamond (13:30)
2. Astronomy Domine (5:25)
3. What Do You Want From Me (4:10)
4. Learning to Fly (5:06)
5. Keep Talking (6:56)
6. Coming Back to Life (6:31)
7. Hey You (4:50)
8. A Great Day for Freedom (4:20)
9. Sorrow (10:30)
10. High Hopes (7:48)
11. Another Brick in the Wall: Part Two (6:50)
12. One of These Days (only on LP)

CD 2:
1. Speak to Me (2:28)
2. Breathe (2:40)
3. On The Run (3:41)
4. Time / Breathe (reprise) (6:48)
5. The Great Gig in the Sky (5:51)
6. Money (8:46)
7. Us and Them (7:08)
8. Any Colour You Like (3:19)
9. Brain Damage (4:02)
10. Eclipse (1:38)
11. Wish You Were Here (5:40)
12. Comfortably Numb (9:10)
13. Run Like Hell (7:58)

Total Time: 146:05

Personnel:

- David Gilmour / guitars, vocals
- Nick Mason / drums, percussion
- Richard Wright / keyboards, vocals

With:
- Jon Carin / keyboards, vocals
- Dick Parry / barritone & tenor saxes
- Guy Pratt / bass, vocals
- Tim Renwick / guitars, vocals
- Dick Wallis / percussion
- Sam Brown, Claudia Fontaine & Durga McBroom / backing vocals

Jimi Hendrix - 1968 [1987] "Live At Winterland"

Live at Winterland is a live album by English-American rock band The Jimi Hendrix Experience. It compiles performances from the band's three concerts at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, where they played two shows each night on October 10, 11 and 12, 1968. The album was released posthumously by Rykodisc in 1987 and was the first Hendrix release to be specifically conceived for the Compact Disc format.

Live at Winterland was released by Rykodisc in 1987 and became the best-selling album from an independent label that year. With sales of over 200,000 copies, it sold more than any other Jimi Hendrix recording had in years. In a contemporary review for The Village Voice, music critic Robert Christgau was highly impressed by the performances compiled for the album, which he said is ideal for the emerging CD format and surpasses previous live recordings of Hendrix: "The sound is bigger and better in every way for an artist whose sound was his music". He named Live at Winterland the tenth best album of 1987 in his year-end list for The Village Voice. Christgau remarked on its significance to Hendrix's discography in a retrospective review for Blender magazine:

"It's been eclipsed sonically (Berkeley) and conceptually (Woodstock). But this pioneering digitalization, piecing together songs from three San Francisco nights in October 1968 to simulate one uninterrupted concert, redefined posthumous Hendrix and remains a surpassingly realistic live keepsake."

In 1992, Live at Winterland was re-released with a bonus disc, which contained three additional songs from the same concerts. A 4 disc box set (titled Winterland) drawn from all 6 performances was released on September 12, 2011. A limited edition sold exclusively on Amazon.com includes a 5th bonus disc containing a bootleg soundboard recording of a performance at the Fillmore Auditorium on February 4, 1968.

Jimi Hendrix's sonic assaults and attacks hypnotized, frightened, and amazed audiences in the late '60s. His studio recordings helped him attain his reputation, but his live works validated it. That's the case on the 13 songs from a 1968 Winterland concert that made their way onto CD in 1987. Whether he was doing short, biting songs like "Fire" or stretching out for sprawling blues statements like "Red House" and "Killing Floor," Jimi Hendrix turned the guitar into a battering ram, forcing everyone to notice and making every solo and note a memorable one.

No questions asked, if you like Jimi Hendrix, buy this album. The concerts are from a series of live recorded performances at the Winterland concert hall in San Francisco, just before Jimi went to work in New York City at the sessions destined to produce Electric Ladyland, one of the finest albums of the rock era, and one of the greatest works in music history (up there with Mozart, Beethoven etc.)

I consider many of Jimi versions of the songs here definitive versions, because after a while Jimi became disillusioned with playing "Fire" and "Hey Joe" and other songs that made him a star. If you listen closely with headphones you can hear why.
Before one of the songs, you can hear some [person] yell out, "Burn the guitar!!." Jimi hated the reputation he carried with him since the infamous performance ( and inferior recording) at the Monterey Pop festival (Monterey California 1966).
Jimi started to get weirder in his playing of his so-called famous songs after this time (check out recording Live at the LA Forum 1969, if you dont believe me).

Fortunately, his guitar playing on "Fire," Hey Joe," and "Foxy Lady" is revelatory. Wow, no one can produce the sound that Jimi was able to produce. Listen to his amazing solo on "Hey Joe." "Sunshine of your Love" (insturmental) is terrific ...P>If you want to hear why Jimi Hendrix is remembered fondly by so many people, buy this album as an example of his live performances, you will be very happy. However, I believe any serious rock fan would have this album along with the three albums Jimi produced in his lifetime - The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Axis - Bold as Love, and Electric Ladyland. If you want other albums, the other Rykodisc album Radio One is interesting for the things it includes, such as "Burning of the Midnight Lamp"

https://jazz-rock-fusion-guitar.blogspot.com/search?q=Jimi+Hendrix

Tracks Listing:

1. Prologue - 0:57
2. Fire - 3:12
3. Manic Depression - 4:46
4. Sunshine of Your Love - (Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, Pete Brown) - 6:25
5. Spanish Castle Magic - 5:32
6. Red House - 10:58
7. Killing Floor (Chester Arthur Burnett) - 8:05
8. Tax Free (Bo Hansson, Janne Karlsson) - 8:00
9. Foxy Lady - 4:50
10. Hey Joe (Billy Roberts) - 6:44
11. Purple Haze - 4:34
12. Wild Thing (Chip Taylor) - 3:05
13. Epilogue - 0:30

Personnel:

* Jimi Hendrix - guitar, vocals
* Mitch Mitchell - drums
* Noel Redding - bass guitar, backing vocals on track 11
* Jack Casady - bass guitar on track 7

Grant Green - 1969 [2004] "Goin' West"

Goin' West is an album by American jazz guitarist Grant Green featuring performances recorded in 1962 but not released on the Blue Note label until 1969. It is a loose concept album inspired by Western music.

A Blue Note album finally reissued on CD in early 2004, Grant Green's Goin' West -- like Feelin' the Spirit -- includes Herbie Hancock on piano, Reggie Workman on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. Includes tunes like (can you believe?) "On Top of Old Smokey" and "Tumbling Tumbleweeds." Only Green could carry this off, but he is the man when it comes to standards.

Tempting as it is to dismiss this Grant Green album as the sixties' slant on lite jazz, overriding talent, as one would expect, has a tendency to compensate for a decided lack of risk taking, the very virtue, considering the quality of these players, that could have elevated Goin' West to a minor classic. Recorded in November of 1962 and shelved until 1969, possibly because of its brevity or the glut of Green releases on the market, Goin' West , if one wanted to labor the point, is actually a third of a cycle of would-be concept albums cut by the guitarist over an eight month period after Born To Be Blue and nearly a year prior to Idle Moments —or, as they could be co-billed, the infallible Grant Green recordings as a leader. While The Latin Bit focused on samba styles and Feelin' the Spirit drew from the old Southern hymnals, Goin' West , though nominally a country and western recording, moves us into the realm of folk music—bluegrass folk music and clippity-clappity cowboy tunes— not the stuff of the Bear Family Bonanza box set, mind, but not altogether dissimilar in spirit. Considering drummer Billy Higgins had played on Ornette Coleman's first Atlantic sessions, bassist Reggie Workman with John Coltrane, and pianist Herbie Hancock would soon become a part of Miles Davis' most adventurous and best band, the playing could not be more "in." Having said that, it would be hard to imagine Goin' West being a greater delight, a straight forward, unencumbered jazz delight—finesse jazz is a readily applicable moniker. As much as you may resent "On Top of Old Smokey" from your grammar school days, and its proliferate versions in all manner and mode of musical genre, the version here, with that killer, pulse to the fore sound of Rudy Van Gelder, has what could well make the shortlist of classic Grant Green solos, a brisk, bluesy, construction that unfurls economically and incisively with the manner and shape of a narrative, albeit one shot through with triplets. A masterpiece, no—Billy Higgins may even be the real star of this record—but Goin' West is an intriguing release nonetheless—I often find it to be a daily favorite—and current day MOR fetishists may well have their minds blown.

Goin' West has a slow ramblin' blues feel to it. Funky soul jazz master Grant Green has infused some down home soul groove into some classic cowboy tunes. Who would have thought you could make "On Top of old smokey" hip and cool, but Green found a way. Yes this is the "on top of old smokey, all covered with sorrow, I met my sweet ...." song. Joining Green on this album is a stellar group of blue note artists. Herbie Hancock plays piano, Billy Higgins plays the drums, and Reggie Workman plays bass. All four musicians make great contributions through out, but I just love crazy, hokie, out on the prarie percussion sounds drummer, Billy Higgins adds. Grant Green went through a short phase where he tried to infuse soul jazz into a variety of different styles. On the Latin Bit, Latin Jazz was the muse. In "feeling the spirit" gospel music was the inspiration. Here country/cowboy tunes is the theme. Of all of these projects, this one is the wildest and most original and interesting concept. The other genres aren't really that far from soul jazz to begin with. On the other hand there is a pretty big gap between country and soul jazz, and its bridged beautifully here. For certain this is a soul jazz album, not a country album. Country/western is just the inspiration, not the style of this music. This is my favorite Grant Green Album.

This was the first Grant Green album I ever bought and I still have the original on vinyl and since this is my very last review on amazon it is quite appropriate to review "Goin West"
This album was in fact recorded one month before the more wellknown "gospelalbum" called Feelin the Spirit and it was the very first time that Hancock and Green recorded together. Hancock shines on this recording like he did on"Feelin the Spirit"..he could only have been around 20 years old here..and still his playing is very mature.Green is playing all songs
with that fantastic blues feeling of his and at times he is very funky.The rythm section here is Billy Higgins on drums
and Reggie Workman on bass and they give a wonderful support to Green and Hancock...I always liked Workmans bassplaying.
"Smokey" and " I can t stop loving you" are played very groovy..but my very favourite is "Red River Valley" which is taken in an effortless latin groove.

Track listing:

1. "On Top of Old Smokey" (Traditional) – 7:05
2. "I Can't Stop Loving You" (Gibson) – 3:29
3. "Wagon Wheels" (DeRose, Hill) – 6:25
4. "Red River Valley" (Traditional) – 6:08
5. "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" (Nolan) – 11:05

Personnel:

Grant Green - guitar
Herbie Hancock - piano
Reggie Workman - bass
Billy Higgins - drums

Jack DeJohnette - 1970 [2015] "Have You Heard"

Have You Heard? is an album by Jack DeJohnette featuring Bennie Maupin, Gary Peacock and Hideo Ichikawa recorded in Tokyo in April 1970 and released on the Milestone label.

Devotees of free jazz will want to check out this 1970 release from DeJohnette, the great drummer, who was to go on to build a recording career as varied as the sounds you will find on this album.
"Have You Heard?" recorded in Japan, featured DeJohnette (who also contributes to one tune on piano) with reedman and flautist Bennie Maupin (who played with Miles during this period, as did Jack), bassist Gary Peacock and the Japanese pianist, Hideo Ichikawa. All three were fine players; Maupin and Ichikawa, unfortunately, for the most part slipped from sight in the years following this release.

The release, nearly an hour in length even in the original vinyl, courageously explored abstract sounds and broken rhythms, pushing the boundaries of improvisation in some cases about as far as they will go. For an example, check out the title cut, which features all four players freely exploring ideas suggested by a series of rhythms laid down by DeJohnette at the beginning of the piece. Near the end of the piece, we have sound dissolving into abstract forays and DeJohnette crying out. A harmonica seems to wander in for a few stretch. The 21-minute piece has the quality of a dream.

The 19-minute "Papa-Daddy," similarly takes the listeners through an aural landscape that is not immediately recognizable. Although the sound at times seems to wander aimlessly, there is a superb lengthy section in which all four improvise together. No, it doesn't "swing," but one feels that however disparate the paths the four are following, they are observing, thinking about and responding to the decisions of one another.

The other two cuts, "Neophilia" and "For Jane," are a bit more conventional, but still move closer to abstraction than to conventional form. The former has a fine dark, sonorous refrain from Maupin that forms the core of the tune; "For Jane" gives us a chance to hear DeJohnette at the piano, an instrument on which he has a fine touch. Check out his mid-'80s piano album on Milestone for a full album of his work at the keyboard.

Jack's drumming on this album, though, is the feature, and it is a marvel. Few drummers are more melodic, and he listens wonderfully, as do the best. He juggles rhythms incessantly behind his bandmates, who present very different voices. Maupin has some very fiery, discordant passages, particularly on "Have You Heard?"; Ichikawa offers stretches of melodicism that are a refreshing contrast, much in the same way that McCoy Tyner leavened the fury of Coltrane's last releases. Peacock moves in and out of the changing sounds expertly and offers some fine solo moments.

The audience for this is probably quite limited. However, if you are open to challenging sounds, it offers a very worthwhile listen. These recordings are necessary to keep alive the notion of what music can be.

Recorded live at Toshi Center Hall, Akasaka, Tokyo, April 7, 1970

https://jazz-rock-fusion-guitar.blogspot.com/search?q=Jack+Dejohnette

Track listing:

All compositions by Jack DeJohnette except as indicated

1. "Neophilia (Love of the New) (Bennie Maupin) - 9:52
2. "Papa-Daddy" - 19:53
3. "Have You Heard?" - 21:26
4. "For Jane" - 7:56

Personnel:

Jack DeJohnette – drums, electric piano, voice
Bennie Maupin – tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, flute
Hideo Ichikawa – piano
Gary Peacock – bass

Steve Tavaglione - 1990 [1994] "Blue Tav"

Steve Tavaglione is a woodwind and EWI musician most notable for his work as a co founder of the Latin fusion group Caldera with Jorge Strunz and Eduardo Del Barrio, his work with noted keyboard players Scott Kinsey and John Beasley, and work in the television and film industry.

Tavaglione lives in Southern California, and is a leading studio musician for television programs such as CSI, CSI: NY and Charmed, and films including Bridge of Spies, Alpha Dog, Wall-e, Finding Nemo, Road to Perdition, American Beauty.

Tavaglione also released the solo records Blue Tav in 1990 and Silent Singing in 1997. He has recorded and appeared with Dave Weckl, Sly & The Family Stone, Roger Waters, Jimmy Earl, Steve Winwood and numerous others.

Contemporary world beat fusion with sax, flute, and EWI (electric wind instrument) virtuoso. Features Alan Holdsworth, Jimmy Johnson, Vinnie Colaiuta, Michael Landau, and John Pena.

https://jazz-rock-fusion-guitar.blogspot.com/search?q=Steve+Tavaglione

Track listing:

01. Kenya Dig It
02. Catalina
03. Sue-She
04. Black Cadillac
05. The Burning
06. Uncle Oil
07. Rapture
08. Blue Tav
09. Tsunami
10. The Burning (Reprise)

Personnel:

Steve Tavaglione (EWI, soprano & alto saxophone);
David Garfield (Keyboards, drum and keyboard programing);
John Beasley (Acoustic piano);
Michael O'Neill (Guitar, nylon guitar);
Michael Landou, Kevin Chokan (Guitars);
John Peña (Bass, drum and keyboard programing);
Jimmy Johnson (Bass);
Vinnie Colaiuta (Drums, drum and keyboard programing);
Michael Fisher, Lenny Castro (Percussion);
Walter Fowler (Trumpet, flugelhorn);
David Goldblatt (Keyboards);
Allan Holdsworth (Synth Axxe & guitar pad).

John Abercrombie - 1984 "Night"

Night is an album by guitarist John Abercrombie recorded in 1984 and released on the ECM label.

This surprising 1984 effort from John Abercrombie finds the guitarist in conversation with Jan Hammer, Jack DeJohnette, and Mike Brecker. The lack of a bassist on this session is not felt; the spaciousness of the music and the masterful playing of all parties involved keep the focus clearly on the melodies, both scripted and improvised. This can best be heard on the title track, a lovely, tear-wrenching ballad. On some of the more up-tempo tracks, Hammer covers the bass end with his keyboards almost like he is taking part in an organ trio. Unlike the high-velocity fusion that Hammer is best known for in his work with the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Al DiMeola, and elsewhere, his work on Night is highly subdued. In fact, his playing is one of the most pleasant things about this record. It's nice to hear him doing something other than blaring away at a million miles a minute. He really is an excellent keyboardist, and his range is often underappreciated. However, the excellent compositions by Hammer and Abercrombie are the strongest thing about Night. One of the best is the opener, "Ethereggae," which features an incredible guitar solo over a sparse, haunting synth figure and DeJohnette's incomparable comping. When Brecker adds his pointed, searching tenor, the despair and loneliness of the music are almost too much to bear. This record is the kind of album that one would like to hear while enjoying a late-night cigarette on the roof of a Manhattan apartment. Moody, atmospheric, and beautiful.

As its cover indicates, Night gives us a colorful, collage-like portrait of John Abercrombie, who jumps here into the urban deep end with smoky club atmospheres and tight jams. It’s a joy to see the guitarist working with Jan Hammer again, and the inclusion of Mike Brecker on tenor and Jack DeJohnette on drums make for a winning formula. Hammer adds a particular spike to this sonic punch, competently filling the session’s lack of bass while also fleshing out the production with an evocative sweep. Between the idiomatic blend of “Ethereggae” and the Timeless heat distortion of “3 East,” his billowing keys give Brecker more than enough room to show off his chops (he has hardly sounded better). This date isn’t all fun and games, however, for the rain-slicked streets of “Look Around” give us pause for reflection. Hammer reignites things in “Believe You Me,” which despite being the most straightforward track compositionally sports Brecker’s most uninhibited solo yet. The band saves the best for last with “Four On One,” which draws another ring of fire in an enthralling closer. DeJohnette gets his moment in the sun here as well.

Great combination of musicians! The whole album has an interesting sound. The Hammond organ is a bit of a departure from the typical Jan Hammer sound. Amazing playing from Michael Brecker, (as always) and the compositions are interesting with Abercrombie and DeJohnette's distinct styles. All musicians a featured to a great extent. If you're a fan of any of these players, you won't be disappointed.

This is one of my favourite records of all time & the opener "Etherreggae" one of my favourite tracks of all time. This album also marks (I believe) only Abercrombie's second experimentation with an organ largely replacing other keyboards (the first being "Timeless" in 1974) & personally I think the results are inspired (& certainly induced Abercrombie to repeat the "experiment" on two future albums, with Dan Wall stepping in for Jan Hammer). The other musicians on this disc are Mike Brecker (ts) & Jack de Johnette (d).
Take the aforesaid opener - beginning with a great 6-time repeated augmented B Minor chord with reverb by Abercrombie this track develops into a wonderfully slow reggae rhythm in major scale(s) with overdubbed guitar, a nice Brecker saxophone solo in the middle & a wonderful, uplifting closing electric guitar solo (joined in a wonderful burning conclusion by Brecker) featured. The second track "Night" encapsulates the mood of a reflective late evening at home alone perfectly & features brilliant soulful sax from Brecker plus nice acoustic piano from Hammer. Finally on Track 3 (Three East") Hammer's organ gets a decent workout but again, despite more great guitar work from Abercrombie, it's Brecker who steals the piece - ditto on "Look Around" which also features brilliant work from de Johnette (hitherto a tad understated).
Throughout the album the organ plays mainly an underlying supporting role & really sets a largely reflective & occasionally melancholic tone (although the pace noticeably picks up on the last two tracks). The album also displays Abercrombie's versatility & willingness to experiment as well as what a brilliant saxophonist Brecker was. Enjoy!!

Though something of an blip in the Abercrombie back catalogue, Night is far from benign. Aside from the effusive music, what really distinguishes this album is its sound. Another slam-dunk for engineer Jan Erik Kongshaug.

https://jazz-rock-fusion-guitar.blogspot.com/search?q=John+Abercrombie

Track listing:

1. "Ethereggae" (Jan Hammer) - 8:28
2. "Night" - 5:02
3. "3 East" - 4:33
4. "Look Around" - 9:02
5. "Believe You Me" - 7:42
6. "Four On One" - 6:42

Personnel:

John Abercrombie – guitar
Michael Brecker – tenor saxophone
Jan Hammer – keyboards
Jack DeJohnette – drums

Eric Clapton - 1973 [1995] "Eric Clapton's Rainbow Concert"

Eric Clapton's Rainbow Concert is a live album by Eric Clapton, recorded at the Rainbow Theatre in London on 13 January 1973 and released in September that year. The concerts, two on the same evening, were organised by Pete Townshend of the Who and marked a comeback by Clapton after two years of inactivity, broken only by his performance at the Concert for Bangladesh in August 1971. Along with Townshend, the musicians supporting Clapton include Steve Winwood, Ronnie Wood and Jim Capaldi. In the year following the two shows at the Rainbow, Clapton recovered from his heroin addiction and recorded 461 Ocean Boulevard (1974).

The concert was held at the Rainbow Theatre in Finsbury Park, north London, on 13 January 1973. The venue was popular during the 1960s and early 1970s; musicians such as The Beatles, Deep Purple, Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull and Queen performed there. The concert was recorded using Ronnie Lane's Mobile Studio.

As 1972 came to a close, Eric Clapton had been musically inactive for nearly two years. The guitarist, singer and songwriter had enjoyed a burst of activity in 1969, a period during which he played live and in the studio with Blind Faith, John Lennon (documented on Live Peace in Toronto 1969) and Delaney & Bonnie and Friends (showcased on the duo’s On Tour with Eric Clapton). Near the end of that year, he took part in a one-off celebrity concert in London with Lennon, George Harrison and others to benefit UNICEF.

In 1970 Clapton played on sessions including Harrison’s All Things Must Pass triple-album. He continued his creative and productive streak with the landmark Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, crediting the release to Derek and the Dominos. That same year, the group, not including guest guitarist Duane Allman, toured and recorded a live album, In Concert; that double LP would eventually be released in 1973.

Clapton did surface briefly in the summer of 1971 in New York City to appear as a backing musician for George Harrison’s all-star benefit Concert for Bangladesh. But other than that admittedly high-profile project, Clapton was absent from the music scene for the better part of 1971 and 1972.

Ronnie Wood, Eric Clapton and Pete Townshend at the Rainbow Concert in 1973

The primary reason for Clapton’s disappearance was his descent into the throes of heroin addiction. His condition was partly the result of (or exacerbated by) his unrequited love for Pattie Boyd Harrison, wife of his friend George.

Another friend, Who guitarist Pete Townshend, knew of Clapton’s plight and urged him to return to active musical duty. To that end, Townshend organized a pair of concerts—a matinee and an evening performance—to be held January 13, 1973, at London’s Rainbow Theatre.

Townshend assembled an ad-hoc band to back Clapton for the two shows. Ronnie Wood of Faces (and later of the Rolling Stones) provided support on guitar and vocals, as did Townshend, with Clapton playing lead guitar and (mostly) singing lead.

Two recent associates of Clapton also came to his aid for the Rainbow Concert: singer and multi-instrumentalist Steve Winwood and bassist Ric Grech had only recently concluded their time as band mates with Clapton in Blind Faith. And Winwood brought along some of his Traffic band mates, drummer-vocalist Jim Capaldi and Ghanian percussionist Rebop Kwaku Baah (the latter is credited on the original Rainbow Concert LP simply as “Rebop”). Adding even more percussive foundation to the performances was Jimmy Karstein, late of Delaney & Bonnie and Friends as well as J.J. Cale’s 1972 album, Really.

In a form in which individual instrumental feats are often self-indulgent and superfluous, Eric Clapton’s music remains an anomaly. His greatest guitar playing has been as passionate as Otis Redding’s best singing and as articulate as Bob Dylan’s best songs. Clapton at his peak is as good as it gets.

His music has always been autobiographical, even when he was working off older approaches rather than creating new ones. His frequent modifications of styles and roles, alternately pushing him into the spotlight and moving him into the background, suggest a fragile, idealistic man, vacillating between hopefulness and disillusionment.

If Derek and the Dominos’ In Concert, recorded at the outset of the group’s lone American tour three years ago and released only this year, showed Clapton on the upswing, then Rainbow Concert explores the lower reaches of his psyche. The Rainbow performance was his attempt at starting all over again, but done without the exuberance that was the hallmark of the early Domino period (as a back-to-back listening to the two albums illustrates).

Rainbow Concert is a recording of monolithic melancholy. One might suppose that hard rock and despair are antithetical but Clapton, aided by Townshend, Winwood and Wood, as well as an able supporting cast, makes the union viable and compelling. But not fun.

Disregarding a few awkward moments in which the musicians betray their short rehearsal time, the music is rich in its make-up and sad in tone its mood remains exceptionally elusive. Townshend’s and Wood’s guitars and Winwood’s organ surround Clapton in a protective aural capsule. He, in turn, works cautiously, but caution isn’t Clapton’s way — his art is founded on risk-taking in its absolute form, spontaneity. The kid glove approach may have been necessary: Clapton is occasionally indecisive and confused. But he also cuts loose as much as his setting allows in “Badge,” and he’s solid, if not inspired, for most of the show.

The material contributes to the pervasive melancholy. The six songs chosen from the evening’s longer program are either moody, slow-paced or both. Even “Roll It Over” and “After Midnight” get moderate, deliberate treatments. The album’s excitement, such as it is, comes from the layered instrumental textures, the solemn measured movement into climaxes that are majestic if not explosive, and the nuances of Clapton’s restrained singing and playing. In these respects, the first and last tracks, “Badge” and Hendrix’ “Little Wing,” are most impressive.

A remastered expanded edition of the album was released on 13 January 1995, the 22nd anniversary of the concert.

Track listing:

01 "Layla" (Clapton, Jim Gordon) – 6:25
02 "Badge" (Clapton, Harrison) – 3:18
03 "Blues Power" (Clapton, Leon Russell) – 6:03
04 "Roll It Over" (Clapton, Whitlock) – 4:38
05 "Little Wing" (Hendrix) – 4:36
06 "Bottle of Red Wine" (Bonnie Bramlett, Clapton) – 3:51
07 "After Midnight" (Cale) – 4:25
08 "Bell Bottom Blues" (Clapton) – 6:25
09 "Presence of the Lord" (Clapton) – 5:18
10 "Tell the Truth" (Clapton, Whitlock) – 6:04
11 "Pearly Queen" (Capaldi, Winwood) – 4:55
12 "Key to the Highway" (Big Bill Broonzy, Charlie Segar) – 5:46
13 "Let It Rain" (Bramlett, Clapton) – 7:46
14 "Crossroads" (Robert Johnson) – 4:19

Personnel:

Eric Clapton – guitar (lead) & vocals
Pete Townshend – guitar (rhythm) & vocals
Ron Wood – guitar (rhythm and slide) & vocals
Ric Grech – bass guitar
Steve Winwood – keyboards & vocals
Jim Capaldi – drums & vocals
Jimmy Karstein – drums
Rebop Kwaku Baah – percussion

Eric Clapton - 1973 [1986] "Eric Clapton's Rainbow Concert"

Eric Clapton's Rainbow Concert is a live album by Eric Clapton, recorded at the Rainbow Theatre in London on 13 January 1973 and released in September that year. The concerts, two on the same evening, were organised by Pete Townshend of the Who and marked a comeback by Clapton after two years of inactivity, broken only by his performance at the Concert for Bangladesh in August 1971. Along with Townshend, the musicians supporting Clapton include Steve Winwood, Ronnie Wood and Jim Capaldi. In the year following the two shows at the Rainbow, Clapton recovered from his heroin addiction and recorded 461 Ocean Boulevard (1974).

The concert was held at the Rainbow Theatre in Finsbury Park, north London, on 13 January 1973. The venue was popular during the 1960s and early 1970s; musicians such as The Beatles, Deep Purple, Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull and Queen performed there. The concert was recorded using Ronnie Lane's Mobile Studio.

As 1972 came to a close, Eric Clapton had been musically inactive for nearly two years. The guitarist, singer and songwriter had enjoyed a burst of activity in 1969, a period during which he played live and in the studio with Blind Faith, John Lennon (documented on Live Peace in Toronto 1969) and Delaney & Bonnie and Friends (showcased on the duo’s On Tour with Eric Clapton). Near the end of that year, he took part in a one-off celebrity concert in London with Lennon, George Harrison and others to benefit UNICEF.

In 1970 Clapton played on sessions including Harrison’s All Things Must Pass triple-album. He continued his creative and productive streak with the landmark Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, crediting the release to Derek and the Dominos. That same year, the group, not including guest guitarist Duane Allman, toured and recorded a live album, In Concert; that double LP would eventually be released in 1973.

Clapton did surface briefly in the summer of 1971 in New York City to appear as a backing musician for George Harrison’s all-star benefit Concert for Bangladesh. But other than that admittedly high-profile project, Clapton was absent from the music scene for the better part of 1971 and 1972.

Ronnie Wood, Eric Clapton and Pete Townshend at the Rainbow Concert in 1973

The primary reason for Clapton’s disappearance was his descent into the throes of heroin addiction. His condition was partly the result of (or exacerbated by) his unrequited love for Pattie Boyd Harrison, wife of his friend George.

Another friend, Who guitarist Pete Townshend, knew of Clapton’s plight and urged him to return to active musical duty. To that end, Townshend organized a pair of concerts—a matinee and an evening performance—to be held January 13, 1973, at London’s Rainbow Theatre.

Townshend assembled an ad-hoc band to back Clapton for the two shows. Ronnie Wood of Faces (and later of the Rolling Stones) provided support on guitar and vocals, as did Townshend, with Clapton playing lead guitar and (mostly) singing lead.

Two recent associates of Clapton also came to his aid for the Rainbow Concert: singer and multi-instrumentalist Steve Winwood and bassist Ric Grech had only recently concluded their time as band mates with Clapton in Blind Faith. And Winwood brought along some of his Traffic band mates, drummer-vocalist Jim Capaldi and Ghanian percussionist Rebop Kwaku Baah (the latter is credited on the original Rainbow Concert LP simply as “Rebop”). Adding even more percussive foundation to the performances was Jimmy Karstein, late of Delaney & Bonnie and Friends as well as J.J. Cale’s 1972 album, Really.

In a form in which individual instrumental feats are often self-indulgent and superfluous, Eric Clapton’s music remains an anomaly. His greatest guitar playing has been as passionate as Otis Redding’s best singing and as articulate as Bob Dylan’s best songs. Clapton at his peak is as good as it gets.

His music has always been autobiographical, even when he was working off older approaches rather than creating new ones. His frequent modifications of styles and roles, alternately pushing him into the spotlight and moving him into the background, suggest a fragile, idealistic man, vacillating between hopefulness and disillusionment.

If Derek and the Dominos’ In Concert, recorded at the outset of the group’s lone American tour three years ago and released only this year, showed Clapton on the upswing, then Rainbow Concert explores the lower reaches of his psyche. The Rainbow performance was his attempt at starting all over again, but done without the exuberance that was the hallmark of the early Domino period (as a back-to-back listening to the two albums illustrates).

Rainbow Concert is a recording of monolithic melancholy. One might suppose that hard rock and despair are antithetical but Clapton, aided by Townshend, Winwood and Wood, as well as an able supporting cast, makes the union viable and compelling. But not fun.

Disregarding a few awkward moments in which the musicians betray their short rehearsal time, the music is rich in its make-up and sad in tone its mood remains exceptionally elusive. Townshend’s and Wood’s guitars and Winwood’s organ surround Clapton in a protective aural capsule. He, in turn, works cautiously, but caution isn’t Clapton’s way — his art is founded on risk-taking in its absolute form, spontaneity. The kid glove approach may have been necessary: Clapton is occasionally indecisive and confused. But he also cuts loose as much as his setting allows in “Badge,” and he’s solid, if not inspired, for most of the show.

The material contributes to the pervasive melancholy. The six songs chosen from the evening’s longer program are either moody, slow-paced or both. Even “Roll It Over” and “After Midnight” get moderate, deliberate treatments. The album’s excitement, such as it is, comes from the layered instrumental textures, the solemn measured movement into climaxes that are majestic if not explosive, and the nuances of Clapton’s restrained singing and playing. In these respects, the first and last tracks, “Badge” and Hendrix’ “Little Wing,” are most impressive.

A remastered expanded edition of the album was released on 13 January 1995, the 22nd anniversary of the concert.

Track listing:

1 Badge 3:29
2 Roll It Over 6:53
3 Presence Of The Lord 5:37
4 Pearly Queen 6:58
5 After Midnight 5:11
6 Little Wing 6:32

Personnel:

Eric Clapton – guitar (lead) & vocals
Pete Townshend – guitar (rhythm) & vocals
Ron Wood – guitar (rhythm and slide) & vocals
Ric Grech – bass guitar
Steve Winwood – keyboards & vocals
Jim Capaldi – drums & vocals
Jimmy Karstein – drums
Rebop Kwaku Baah – percussion

Adrian Belew - 2005 "Side One"

Side One is the thirteenth solo album by Adrian Belew, originally released in 2005. The album features Les Claypool (from Primus), and Danny Carey (from Tool) on its first three tracks. The track "Beat Box Guitar" was nominated for a Grammy under the "Best Rock Instrumental Performance" in 2005.

By 2005, it had been nearly eight years since Adrian Belew had unleashed an all-new solo studio effort. That's not to say he wasn't busy, though, as he toured/recorded with both King Crimson and the Bears during this time. And in the process, he became quite friendly with two of rock's top players -- Primus' Les Claypool and Tool's Danny Carey -- who happened to be major Belew fans. As a result, Belew invited the duo to play on several tracks on Side One. But be forewarned: they do not appear on the entire album, which is a shame, because the two best tracks -- "Ampersand" and "Writing on the Wall" (the latter of which is a fierce funk-rocker, quite reminiscent of early-'80s-era King Crimson) -- are the ones that contain this stellar lineup. But that's not to say the other tracks aren't worthwhile; other standouts include the noisy, repetitive epic "Madness" (which could have fit snugly on Crimson's 2003 effort, The Power to Believe) and a tribute to pachyderms everywhere, the appropriately titled "Elephants." At barely over 30 minutes in length, some fans who have patiently waited this long for a new Belew release may be disappointed initially, before finding out the good news -- the guitarist will be releasing two additional solo releases in 2005 (Side Two and Side Three).

Adrian has been around. Most well known as the vocalist and a guitarist for prog-rock's longest lasting band, King Crimson, since its 1980s incarnation, he's also worked with David Bowie, Frank Zappa, Peter Frampton, The Talking Heads, Nine Inch Nails, Porcupine Tree, and Tori Amos, among others. This is his 10th solo album.

This album is only 33 minutes long, which perfect, in my opinion, but it still costs the same as an LP. It's the first in a trilogy of albums to be released this year. The production is bright and open, verging on thin, but gives the instrumental seperation necessary for this type of record. Les Claypool of Primus and Danny Carey of Tool appear on the first three songs.

For guitarists and especially progressive rock fans, Adrian Belew needs little introduction. Having worked with the likes of Frank Zappa, David Bowie, The Talking Heads, Nine Inch Nails as well as being a member of the new "renaissance" version of King Crimson that re-emerged in the 80's, he's a wildly prolific musician who has also released many solo albums. Much of his time has been taken up by both King Crimson and his other project entitled The Bears with his solo material having to be recorded during the brief breaks between his other band commitments. His latest solo album, Side One, is the first of a three part project with parts two and three being aptly named Side Two and Side Three. Both of those albums will emerge later this year or early next year. Largely recorded and performed entirely by himself except for a couple of tracks, this album contains all the avante garde weirdness and quirky guitar playing that he's so noted for. Wanting to record for the first time as a classic power trio format, Adrian enlisted the services of Primus bassist Les Claypool and Tool drummer Danny Carey for a few tracks on this album.
The first three tracks (Ampersand, Writing On The Wall and Matchless Men) all feature Les Claypool and Danny Carey with Ampersand featuring Adrian's trebly guitar style over an abstract 60's psychedelic feel. Writing On The Wall is more of the classic King Crimson sound with the ultra fuzzy guitar tone and Adrian uses a "distant" vocal style to chant the only lyrics to the song "I see the writing on the wall". Both Ampersand and Writing On The Wall benefit from the pounding bass of Les Claypool and Danny Carey's intricate drumming style. The experimentation with the "power trio" format is a huge success with both of these tracks. Matchless Men again uses a 60's psychedelic vibe but with more of an eerie tone accentuated by Danny Carey's bongo stylings. The rest of the tracks feature all instrumentation by Adrian himself except for a couple of guest appearances and range from chaotic King Crimson styles with Madness to a Police influenced Walk Around The World. Adrian explores more ambient tones with the tracks Beat Box Guitar and Under The Radar and he even revisits the elephants (in reference to Elephant Talk) with a track simply entitled Elephants. It's a weird sort of track with spoken word vocals. The album ends with the track Pause which is essentially a minute and a half of sound effects.

Track listing:

1. Ampersand (4:23)
2. Writing On The Wall (3:53)
3. Matchless Man (2:32)
4. Madness (6:54)
5. Walk Around The World (4:58)
6. Beat Box Guitar (5:08)
7. Under The Radar (1:39)
8. Elephants (2:15)
9. Pause (1:20)

Total Time 33:03

Personnel:

- Adrian Belew / vocals and instruments, producer
- Les Claypool / bass guitar (1-3)
- Danny Carey / drums (1,2), tabla (3)
- Peter Hyrka / violin (4,9)
- Gary Tussing / cello (4)
- Ian Wallace / voice of BBC

David Garfield & Friends - 2005 "The State Of Things"

Unless you frequent Los Angeles clubs like The Baked Potato and La Ve Lee, chances are you haven't heard of keyboardist David Garfield. But you've heard him. Appearing on over a hundred albums, Garfield has worked with artists like trumpeter Freddie Hubbard and guitarist Larry Carlton. He's a co-founder of Los Lobotomys and Karizma, two fusion-based jam bands that have included drummers like Vinnie Colaiuta and Simon Phillips, as well as guitarists Steve Lukather and the perennially-underrated Michael Landau.
No recording dates are listed on The State of Things, but Garfield's clearly been working on it for years, given that a third of the tracks feature Carlos Vega—a versatile drummer who appeared on literally hundreds of albums before passing away tragically in 1998.

This fusion-centric effort features many of LA's best session players, but in many ways it's as much Landau's disc as it is Garfield's. He pays tribute to Jimi Hendrix on a version of "If Six Was Nine that—as blasphemous as this may sound—might actually be an improvement on the original. While his tone says rock, his lines say jazz as he demonstrates complete facility navigating changes on the swinging version of Miles Davis' "Milestones and a more delicate mainstream take on John Coltrane's "Naima. He exhibits his more textural side on "Me and kicks things into extreme high gear on the greasy funk of "Five Storks and the more overtly rocking "Black Cadillac.

Landau's so all over The State of Things that it's easy to overlook the strengths coming from every other corner. Garfield chooses the right drummer every time. John Guerin, another studio veteran who passed away in 2004 who may be best-remembered for his '70s work with Tom Scott's LA Express and Joni Mitchell, is featured here on three jazz standards—the aforementioned "Milestones and "Naima, as well as an all-acoustic version of Miles' "Nardis. Vinnie Colaiuta comes in for more powerhouse fusion tracks like "Tsunami, which also features a guest spot by iconic guitarist Allan Holdsworth, while Vega straddles the territory between the two and Phillips is the perfect choice for the Hendrix cover. And while Landau's voice is hard to ignore, Garfield's no slouch either, delivering a fleet-fingered solo on the ambling funk of "Aliens.

The energy level is high and the album is definitely about soloing, but Garfield is also a fine writer of ten pieces, collaborating with others including bassist Jimmy Johnson, EWI player Steve Tavaglione and Landau.

All too often fusion albums—especially session-based ones with no consistent core band—come across as nothing more than an opportunity for soloists to ply their wares, most times with minimal regard for the essence of the material. The State of Things is a welcome exception where the only thing as impressive as the many players' virtuosic yet meaningful facility is their respect for the writing and, despite their sometimes raw power, an avoidance of self-indulgence and excess. This is fusion as it should be.

Keyboard player David Garfield is one of the most popular session musicians on the west coast. The list of people that have used his talents includes George Benson, Quincy Jones, Freddie Hubbard, Michael McDonald, Jeff Porcaro, Joe Sample, Spinal Tap, Tom Scott, Clark Terry to name a few.

The album THE STATE OF THINGS finds David's contemporary band project experimenting with rhythms and harmonies to create a collection of adventurous, exploratory jams that emphasize the strong compositional sense and extraordinary musicianship. It is one startling, brilliantly realized idea after another. 13 energetic tracks, 10 Garfield-originals (some co-written with his co-musicians), a Michael Landau composition plus a John Coltrane and a Jimi Hendrix cover.

Track Listing:

01 Me;
02 Five Storks;
03 Miles (Milestones);
04 Black Cadillac;
05 Forrest for the Trees;
06 If Six Was Nine;
07 Aliens;
08 Naima;
09 Toast for Eli;
10 Nardis;
11 Chimo;
12 Tsunami.

Personnel:

David Garfield: piano, keyboards, synthesizers, spoken word (6);
Michael Landau: guitar (all tracks except 10), vocals (6);
Larry Klimas: saxophone on (2,3,5,7-9,11);
Steve Tavaglione: Akai EWI (2,4,5,9,11,12);
Brandon Fields: saxophone (10);
Walt Fowler: flugelhorn (2,8,10);
Eddie Van Halen: guitar (intro right side and high part on chorus on 6);
Terry Trotter: piano (10);
Allan Holdsworth: solo guitar, synthaxe and guitar pads (12);
Abraham Laboriel (3,8); John Pena (2,4): Bass
John Guerin (3,8,10); Carlos Vega (2,5,7,11,12); Vinnie Colaiuta (4,7,9,11); Simon Phillips (6): Drums
Lenny Castro (2,5,7,9,11) Michael Fisher (4): Percussion

David Garfield & Friends - 1997 "Tribute To Jeff"

Jones extravaganza, or perhaps "We Are The World." Seventy-seven musicians, most of whom are names well-known on the L.A. studio scene over the last twenty-five years, come together in various combinations to pay tribute to Jeff Porcaro. Porcaro, who died in 1992 from inhaling fumes from lawn chemicals, is perhaps best known as the drummer in Toto, but he has performed on countless albums running the gamut from rock to R&B to jazz.

The songs and the musicians on this album are similarly varied. In fact, it has led me to consider that the music that has emerged from Los Angeles since the seventies has defied genre pigeonholing - it's simply popular yet artistically valid music. The jazziest cut is "Bag's Groove." "Stuffy" and "Jeff's Strut" are modeled after the music of Stuff. The Steely Dan influence is felt on their tune "Babylon Sisters" and the opener "E Minor Shuffle," which at times comes so close to "Black Friday" as to suggest plagiarism. Tunes by Boz Scaggs, Bob Dylan, and Jimi Hendrix are also included, as are several originals penned specifically for this project. The most unique tune is "21 Drum Salute," which is a corps-type cadence performed by 21 drummers and percussionists ranging from Porcaro patriarch Joe to Jeff's three sons and a nephew, plus the likes of Steve Gadd, Peter Erskine, Dave Weckl and Vinnie Colaiuta.

Okay, now that I'm name-dropping, listen for Toto bandmates Steve Porcaro, David Paich, Steve Lukather, and David Hungate, as well as jazzers Joe Sample, Tom Scott, David Benoit, Jimmy Haslip, Larry Carlton, Nathan East, Abe Laboriel (Sr. and Jr.), and many, many other recognizable talents. In any event, this is a heart-felt labor of love for a drummer who obviously had many friends and influenced many people. Most important, it's a widely varied, yet consistently enjoyable CD. The genres may shift considerably, but it's all good music.

Jeff Porcaro was adored by fans all over the world, and sought out by the very best musicians and artists in the music business. He had a rich, full life cut short long before its time. Jeff not only achieved extraordinary success as a musician, but as a human being as well. Porcaro, drummer nonpareil, multiple Grammy winner with the band Toto and one of the Los Angeles music scene's brightest guiding spirits for two decades, passed away thirteen years ago, but his extraordinary musical soul is alive and in full groove thanks to all of his friends and fans, colleagues and protégés.

Covering an amazingly wide ranging cross section of the genres and styles that inspired, shaped and defined Porcaro's career, Tribute to Jeff by David Garfield and Friends is a grand statement in the Quincy Jones "cast of thousands" tradition and an incredible feat both musically and logistically. Not to mention, great entertainment. But at the core of its diversity and passion lies a labor of love for all the musicians involved, an opportunity for them to laugh and cry and remember the man who set the standard and enriched all of their lives.

The tragic death of Princess Diana reminded everyone of the impact a single person can have, and in turn, Elton John's moving tribute at her funeral reflected the great role music can play as emotional catharsis. Tribute to Jeff by David Garfield & Friends achieves that for all those who participated, but is in many ways the antithesis of the rewritten "Candle in the Wind," vigorously celebrating the life of multiple Grammy-winning drummer and first-call L.A. session cat Jeff Porcaro rather than choosing to mourn the tragedy of his early death in 1992 at age 38. Though best known for his skinwork in the pop supergroup Toto, Porcaro's influence on the music scene ranged beyond the light pop/rock the band was known for; he grew up on jazz and his diverse timekeeping skills were tapped by everyone from Boz Scaggs, Bruce Springsteen, and Don Henley to Stan Getz and Larry Carlton. He was also the backbone of the longstanding L.A. club-hopping band Los Lobotomys, the fusion-oriented '80s and early-'90s answer to Tom Scott & the L.A. Express featuring pianist Garfield and Toto member Steve Lukather on guitar (Joe Sample would occasionally sit in on second keyboard). In his two decades on the scene, Porcaro made a wealth of friends from all genres, ranging from hard rock to soul, blues, and straight-ahead jazz. Garfield, a veteran of the L.A. scene known for his long-term stint as George Benson's musical director, recalls his late friend as "the ultimate team player, never a forefront kind of guy, with a special camaraderie with musicians." As ringleader, arranger, and producer of the project, as well as lead performer, Garfield succeeds in capturing that sort of ensemble spirit. With 75 musicians participating, the pianist faced a four-month logistical nightmare of studio schedule-crunching in L.A., Nashville, and New York, but, using Porcaro as a muse (by virtue of lighting candles and occasionally playing cassettes of the guest of honor's interviews), Garfield & Friends pull off the ultimate wake, a remarkably all-encompassing, frequently unpredictable overview that, well, Porcaro would have doubtless killed to play on.

The liner story is worth the price of the CD alone. Jeff Porcaro was a much sought after studio session drummer and his generosity with pro artists as well as those who were just putting together a homemade demo is pretty amazing, considering how in demand he was. But he really separated his studio and family life. The impressive lineup of musicians and artists such as David Pack from Ambrosia, Don Henley from the Eagles and Michael MacDonald from the Doobies/ Steely Dan just proves the heady arena that Jeff played in and the vacancy left by his untimely death is still very much felt by these artists as evidenced from their "sometimes over-the top" performances. He was the benchmark of drummers after Buddy Rich, in that he read, performed and comprehended musical notation. A statement about "Time and Groove" being what matters still echo in my ears. A well produced CD, even if not a Jeff Porcaro fan.

The list of artists invited on this collection is impressive and too long to mention. Basically, you will find the most representative of "west coast", or "Californian" music, great jazzmen, all paying a homage to the great Jeff.
You will find more than one cover version and more than one instrumental here : Lowdown, E-minor shuffle (remake of S. Dan's "Black Friday"), Babylon sisters, and Let's stay together (remember that one ? you will also find that tune on a Tina Turner album, as well as on a sax player's called Bobby Militello), with M. McDonald on vocals, among others. You will also hear more aggressive tunes : If six was nine (very Hendrix-like), Stuffy (a high rythm Gospel tune), or Big Bone (already on the Lobotomys cd). Right in the middle you have a beautiful My heart wants to know...
This is a concept album, great for collectors, lovers of this type of music, and people who are interested in knowing more about one of the greatest drummers of the 20th Century (the booklet has lots of pictures and stories about J.P.). We all know things haven't been the same since he left. Not only for his band, Toto, but for music in general.
Finally, to complete the other reviewer's advice, check out an album called (Forever in the arms) of love, by a band called Karizma. It's hard to find but a ten star.

Track listing:

E Minor Shuffle (Men With Keyboards) 5:53
Let's Stay Together 6:02
Twenty-one Drum Salute (So Many Drummers, So Little Time) 2:34
Lowdown 6:26
If Six Was Nine 7:04
Bag's Groove 5:37
My Heart Wants To Know 5:31
It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry 6:23
Babylon Sisters
Stuffy 1:30
Jeff's Strut 5:50
Big Bone 6:57
Long Time No Groove 2:07

Personnel:

Acoustic Guitar – Steve Lukather (tracks: 2)
Alto Saxophone – Brandon Fields (tracks: 7), Michael Paulo (tracks: 4), Tom Scott (tracks: 6, 11)
Backing Vocals – Bill Champlin (tracks: 2, 7), David Pack (tracks: 2), Don Henley (tracks: 2), Jason Scheff (tracks: 4, 7), Joseph Williams (tracks: 4, 7), Richard Marx (tracks: 2)
Baritone Saxophone – Tom Scott (tracks: 10, 11)
Bass – Abe Laboriel Sr.* (tracks: 10, 11), Chuck Domanico (tracks: 6), Jimmy Haslip (tracks: 13), John Peña (tracks: 7), Lee Sklar* (tracks: 9), Mike Porcaro (tracks: 12), Nathan East (tracks: 2), Neil Stubenhaus (tracks: 8), Will Lee (tracks: 5)
Bass [P] – "Ready" Freddy Washington* (tracks: 4)
Bass Drum – Ralph Humphrey (tracks: 3)
Bass, Electric Bass [Fretless] – Jimmy Johnson (5) (tracks: 1)
Bata – Luis Conte (tracks: 1)
Chorus – Bill Champlin (tracks: 2), Don Henley (tracks: 2), Richard Marx (tracks: 2)
Claves – John Peña (tracks: 1)
Clavinet [Funky Clav, Sampled] – James Newton Howard (tracks: 1)
Congas – Chris Trujillo (tracks: 4), Lenny Castro (tracks: 1, 2, 7, 12), Luis Conte (tracks: 1, 10, 11), Luis Enrique (tracks: 1)
Cowbell – Chris Trujillo (tracks: 1), John Peña (tracks: 1), Luis Enrique (tracks: 1), Michito Sanchez (tracks: 10)
Cymbal – Vinnie Colaiuta (tracks: 13)
Cymbal [Zildjian Trash Hats] – Mike Porcaro (tracks: 3)
Djembe – Michito Sanchez (tracks: 1)
Drums – Abraham Laboriel Jr. (tracks: 4), Bernard "Pretty" Purdie* (tracks: 9), Carlos Vega (tracks: 1), Gregg Bissonette (tracks: 12), Jim Keltner (tracks: 3, 8), Joe Porcaro (tracks: 6), Richie Hayward (tracks: 3, 8), Simon Phillips (tracks: 5), Steve Ferrone (tracks: 2), Steve Gadd (tracks: 10, 11), Tris Imboden (tracks: 7), Vinnie Colaiuta (tracks: 13)
Drums [Cocktail] – Steve Jordan (tracks: 3)
Drums [Gong Drum] – Simon Phillips (tracks: 3)
Drums [Kit] – Dave Weckl (tracks: 3), Gregg Bissonette (tracks: 3), Steve Gadd (tracks: 3), Vinnie Colaiuta (tracks: 3)
Drums [Marching Field Drums] – Lenny Castro (tracks: 3)
Drums [Pods, Crashers] – Joe Porcaro (tracks: 1)
Drums [Toms] – Joe Porcaro (tracks: 3)
Electric Bass [Fretless] – David Hungate (tracks: 13), Jimmy Haslip (tracks: 7)
Electric Guitar – Steve Lukather (tracks: 2)
Electric Guitar [Wah Wah] – David Williams (4) (tracks: 4), Mike Landau* (tracks: 2)
Electric Piano – David Garfield (tracks: 1, 4), Greg Phillinganes (tracks: 9), Joe Sample (tracks: 2)
Electric Piano [Leslie Fender Rhodes] – David Paich (tracks: 4)
Flugelhorn – Jerry Hey (tracks: 10), Walt Fowler (tracks: 12)
Grand Piano – David Benoit (tracks: 13)
Guitar – Denny Dias (tracks: 6), Eddie Van Halen (tracks: 5), Fred Tackett (tracks: 8), Jay Graydon (tracks: 7), Larry Carlton (tracks: 10, 11), Mike Landau* (tracks: 7), Steve Lukather (tracks: 12)
Horns – Steve Porcaro (tracks: 1)
Keyboards – David Garfield (tracks: 12)
Lead Guitar – Eddie Van Halen (tracks: 8), Michael Landau (tracks: 5)
Lead Vocals – Boz Scaggs (tracks: 8), David Pack (tracks: 2), Jason Scheff (tracks: 7), Michael Landau (tracks: 5), Michael McDonald (tracks: 2), Paulette Browne* (tracks: 2), Will Lee (tracks: 5)
Organ – Benmont Tench (tracks: 2), David Paich (tracks: 1), Mike Finnigan (tracks: 8)
Organ [Hammond B3] – Greg Mathieson (tracks: 10, 11)
Percussion – Lenny Castro (tracks: 2, 12), Luis Conte (tracks: 11), Michito Sanchez (tracks: 7)
Piano – David Garfield (tracks: 2, 4 to 6, 8, 10)
Read By [Spoken Word] – David Garfield (tracks: 5), Simon Phillips (tracks: 5)
Rhythm Guitar – David T. Walker (tracks: 2), Michael Landau (tracks: 9), Paul Jackson Jr. (tracks: 4)
Shaker – Chris Trujillo (tracks: 10)
Shekere [Chekere] – Lenny Castro (tracks: 1), Michito Sanchez (tracks: 1)
Slide Guitar – Paul Barrere (tracks: 8)
Snare – Chris Porcaro (tracks: 3), John Ferraro (tracks: 3), John Guerin (tracks: 3), Miles Porcaro (tracks: 3), Nico Porcaro (tracks: 3), Ralph Humphrey (tracks: 3), Steve Ferrone (tracks: 3)
Snare [Piatti, Sopranino] – Peter Erskine (tracks: 3)
Soprano Saxophone – Brandon Fields (tracks: 12)
Strings – Steve Porcaro (tracks: 4)
Synthesizer – David Garfield (tracks: 1, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11), Michael "The Cleaner" Boddicker* (tracks: 9), Steve Porcaro (tracks: 1, 4)
Synthesizer [Midi Grand Piano] – David Garfield (tracks: 7, 9 to 11), David Paich (tracks: 1)
Synthesizer [Pads] – David Garfield (tracks: 13)
Talking Drum – Michito Sanchez (tracks: 1)
Tambourine – Jim Keltner (tracks: 8), Lenny Castro (tracks: 10), Luis Conte (tracks: 1)
Tenor Saxophone – Bob Sheppard (tracks: 9), Larry Klimas (tracks: 2, 8), Tom Scott (tracks: 6, 10, 11)
Tom Tom – John Guerin (tracks: 3)
Tom Tom [Floor] – Abe Laboriel Jr.* (tracks: 3)
Tom Tom [With Mallets] – Chase Porcaro Duddy (tracks: 3)
Trumpet – Jerry Hey (tracks: 10, 11), Walt Fowler (tracks: 6, 12)
Vibraphone – Emil Richards (tracks: 6)
Voice – Joe Porcaro (tracks: 9)

Blue Cheer - 1968 "Vincebus Eruptum"

Vincebus Eruptum is the debut album of American rock band Blue Cheer. Released on January 16, 1968, the album features a heavy-thunderous blues sound, which would later be known as heavy metal. It also contains elements of acid rock, grunge, experimental rock, blues rock, stoner rock, and garage rock. A commercial and critical success, Vincebus Eruptum peaked at number 11 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and spawned the top-20 hit cover of Eddie Cochran's "Summertime Blues". Being an example of hard rock, it is also lauded as one of the first heavy metal albums.

Blue Cheer's debut album was recorded in 1967 at Amigo Studios in North Hollywood, California. In an interview with StonerRock.com, frontman Dickie Peterson explained that "Some songs I wrote have taken 20 years to really complete. And there are other songs like 'Doctor Please' or 'Out of Focus' that I wrote in ten minutes." On "Doctor Please" in particular, Peterson explained that "when I wrote the song (in 1967), it was a glorification of drugs. I was going through a lot of 'Should I take this drug or should I not take this drug? Blah, blah, blah.' There was a lot of soul searching at the time when I wrote that song, and I actually decided to take it. That’s what that song was about and that’s what I sang it about, sort of a drug anthem for me." On the band's cover of Eddie Cochran's "Summertime Blues", Peterson noted that "We kept changing it around and adding/taking bits away. It also has to do with large doses of LSD.

Rock & roll had grown louder and wilder by leaps and bounds during the '60s, but when Blue Cheer emerged from San Francisco onto the national rock scene in 1968 with their debut album, Vincebus Eruptum, they crossed a line which most musicians and fans hadn't even thought to draw yet.

Vincebus Eruptum sounds monolithically loud and primal today, but it must have seemed like some sort of frontal assault upon first release; Blue Cheer are often cited as the first genuine heavy metal band, but that in itself doesn't quite sum up the true impact of this music, which even at a low volume sounds crushingly forceful. Though Blue Cheer's songs were primarily rooted in the blues, what set them apart from blues-rock progenitors such as the Rolling Stones and the Yardbirds was the massive physical force of their musical attack. Jimi Hendrix, the Who, and the MC5 may have anticipated the sound and fury of this music, but Blue Cheer's secret was not just being louder than anyone else, but staying simple enough to give each member the space to do damage both as individuals and as a group.

Paul Whaley's drumming combined a crashing dustbin tone with a constant, rolling pummel that suggested Ginger Baker with less finesse and more bludgeoning velocity. Dickie Peterson's basslines were as thick as tar and bubbled like primordial ooze as he bellowed out his lyrics with a fire and attitude that compensated for his lack of vocal range. And guitarist Leigh Stephens may have been the first genius of noise rock; Lester Bangs once wrote that Stephens' "sub-sub-sub-sub-Hendrix guitar overdubs stumbled around each other so ineptly they verged on a truly bracing atonality," and though that doesn't sound like a compliment, the lumbering chaos of his roaring, feedback-laden leads birthed a more glorious monster than many more skillful players could conjure.

Put them together, and Blue Cheer's primal din was an ideal corrective for anyone who wondered if full-on rock & roll was going to have a place in the psychedelic revolution. From the opening rampage through Eddie Cochran's "Summertime Blues" (which miraculously became a hit single), to the final one-two punch of "Parchment Farm" and "Second Time Around," Vincebus Eruptum is a glorious celebration of rock & roll primitivism run through enough Marshall amps to deafen an army; only a few of Blue Cheer's peers could come up with anything remotely this heavy (the MC5's Kick Out the Jams and side two of the Velvet Underground's White Light/White Heat were its closest rivals back in the day), and no one could summon so much thunder with just three people. If you want to wake the neighbors, this is still the album to get, and it was Blue Cheer's simplest and most forceful musical statement.

To describe Blue Cheer, the first word that comes to mind is ... loud! It was said that the band's sonic blast could "turn the air into cottage cheese." The classic "power trio" lineup of guitar, bass and drums is more than capable of knocking down a house, as we easily find out on Blue Cheer's debut LP, Vincebus Eruptum, released in January 1968.

Blue Cheer have been cited as being the world's first heavy metal band. That's true to some extent, perhaps. Iron Butterfly were already on the scene, while Grand Funk Railroad and Led Zeppelin were right around the corner, but none of them were as single (or simple) minded as the bludgeoning attack that was Blue Cheer. In a blur of Roger Corman films, amphetamines, LSD, long hair, loud guitars and teen lust, the roots of metal, grunge and stoner rock can all be found on this one album.

In a 2009 essay in Rolling Stone, lifelong Blue Cheer fan and Rush drummer Neil Peart remembered seeing his heroes on television. "I had our family TV turned down low, trying not to disturb Mom and Dad, but the speaker was still overwhelmed with static and distortion," he recalled. "Drummer Paul Whaley thrashed at the cymbals with both arms, Leigh Stephens was a dark-haired menace grinding out thick guitar riffs, and Dickie Peterson wailed through a pyramid of blond hair with his bass guitar hanging low." Rush would later cover the Cheer's rendition of "Summertime Blues" on their 2004 Feedback EP.

https://jazz-rock-fusion-guitar.blogspot.com/2014/09/blue-cheer-1968-outsideinside-httpsdrive.html

Track listing:

1. Summertime Blues 3:43
2. Rock Me Baby 4:18
3. Doctor Please 8:50
4. Out Of Focus 3:52
5. Parchment Farm 5:48
6. Second Time Around 6:18

Personnel:

Dickie Peterson – vocals, bass
Leigh Stephens – guitar
Paul Whaley – drums

Various Artists - 1994 "Rock Instrumental Classics Vol. 5 Surf"

Rhino closes its five-volume rock instrumentals series with an 18-track outing devoted to surf guitar. This fast-paced, prickly, and frequently exciting form may not be among the most diversified structurally, but if does offer some surging playing from its practitioners. They range from founding father Dick Dale to its most popular bands, the Surfaris, Belairs, Ventures, and Chantays. While not particularly a hardcore surf collection, this disc certainly outlines its virtues, and the tunes were long enough to display guitar proficiency, but short enough to prevent self-indulgence and repetition.

For a long time this was one of the few surf music collections out there and it still rates a high recommendation among the other contenders out there. For one thing it obviously includes only the instrumental form of surf music, the form the surfing crowd liked and acknowledged. The vocal music of the Beach Boys and Jan & Dean was less well-received, partially because they weren't all surfers and also because they helped popularize the scene enough to bring huge crowds to the beaches and surfing spots. As surf instrumentals go, all the national hits are here as well as a good number of the bands who had regional hits like Dick Dale, The Belairs, Tornadoes, Challengers and Lively Ones. This CD sticks with the actual surf music hits and does not get into the roots of surf in the instrumental hits of bands like the Ventures, Johnny & the hurricanes, Duane eddy, Link Wray or The Fireballs. For that there is the excellent "Birth of Surf" CD by Ace which also has a lot of the same tracks as are on here, though it's still worth having both.

The track order is a little odd in that it's not chronological as most collections would be. I imagine the producers felt some songs went better after certain others. It plays well, though a really early track like Dick Dale's Let's Go Surfin' sounds a little old with its un-reverbed guitar sandwiched between Point Panic and Surf Rider. The producers also include a number of tunes that aren't considered true surf music by purists and I'm glad they did because the public perceived them as surf music, so it presents a fair portrait of the times. These are: Surfer's Stomp by The Mar-Kets because there was no real Mar-Kets band; they were just studio musicians. But Surfer's Stomp was the first song to have "Surf" in the title in January, 1962. Jack Nitzsche was a producer and engineer working with Phil Spector at Gold Star, and his "The Lonely Surfer" is really an orchestral tone poem about surfing but not really surf music. It's great to see it here though because not only is it ultra-rare but also clearly an inspired piece of music.

Everything else is what you'd expect: great surf music by great surf bands. I'm happy they included The Challengers and Eddie & the Showmen, both split-offs from The Belairs( and also chose Mr. Rebel and not Squad Car which gets tiresome on repeated listenings). You won't go wrong with this surf music collection.

This is an excellent collection of surf classics. Great album to get if you want to get the 'standards' without buying all the various original albums they came on. Quite a few of the really great pieces are here, in one set. Really took me back to my childhood in southern California!

Sticker on outside of CD promises all lyrics included (in an INSTRUMENTAL album) -- all in all, good fun.

Track listing:

1 –Chantays - Pipeline 2:23
2 –The Belairs - Mr. Moto 2:12
3 –The Surfaris - Wipe Out 2:41
4 –The Frogmen - Underwater 2:08
5 –Dick Dale & The Del-Tones - Miserlou 2:16
6 –The Ventures - Diamond Head 2:04
7 –The Astronauts - Baja 2:28
8 –The Mar-Kets - Surfer's Stomp 1:59
9 –The Tornadoes - Bustin' Surfboards 2:30
10 –The Pyramids - Penetration 2:05
11 –Eddie & The Showmen - Mr. Rebel 1:59
12 –The Crossfires - Fiberglass Jungle 2:14
13 –The Challengers - K39 2:14
14 –The Surfaris - Point Panic 2:19
15 –Dick Dale & The Del-Tones - Let's Go Trippin' 2:09
16 –The Lively Ones - Surf Rider 3:22
17 –Johnny Fortune - Soul Surfer 2:34
18 –Jack Nitzsche - The Lonely Surfer 2:35