Richie Kotzen - Greg Howe Project - 1997 "Richie Kotzen - Greg Howe Project"

Once again, "Project" teams up Richie Kotzen with Greg Howe for another set of crazy guitar. Recorded in a 90's kind of way, Kotzen and Howe sent their ADAT tapes same studio at the same time. A somewhat darker album than their first collaboration, "Tilt" (a notable exception - the lively "Present-Moment"), the songs on "Project" exude more creativity, while delivering the expected intensity and virtuosity. Kozten has stated, "Making these records with Greg is always a musical challenge."

Great jazz rock fusion from two masters of the guitar. Listen to Howe and Kotzen's "Tilt" album, Richie Kotzen’s “Acoustic Cuts” album and Greg Howe’s “Howe 2: High Gear” album. Buy The Aristocrat’s “Culture Clash” album featuring the unbelievable guitarist, Guthrie Govan who has an unparalleled technical ability with a mastery of almost all styles

This and Tilt I think are Greg's best work, although the new. Soundproof album is really great too. Greg and Kotzen are just fantastic on this album, one guy panned left and the other right.

Greg is like a mixture of Alan holdsworth, George Benson and Eddie all rolled into one. Kotzen is more 70's Rock/bluesy with a twist of fusion and mind boggling lines also.

If you play guitar you should own this album, the Tilt album also.

Track listing:

01     One Function    
02     Retro Show    
03     Present-Moment    
04     Trench    
05     Groove Epidemic    
06     Space    
07     Led Boots    
08     Crush    
09     Accessed    
10     Noise    

Personnel:

    Guitar, Bass Guitar, Engineer, Drum Programming, Mixed By – Greg Howe
    Guitar, Keyboards, Bass Guitar – Richie Kotzen
    Bass Guitar – Kevin Vecchione (tracks: 5, 7)
    Drums – Atma Anur (tracks: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10)

John Abercrombie - 1994 "Speak of the Devil"

Speak of the Devil is an album by jazz guitarist John Abercrombie with organist Dan Wall and drummer Adam Nussbaum that was recorded in 1993 and released by ECM in 1994.

The follow-up to While We're Young has a less melodic, more loosely structured feel, as if it were all kinetically inspired and freely improvised within various structures. The intuition or trust level of electric guitarist John Abercrombie, organist Dan Wall, and drummer Adam Nussbaum is clearly evident: They are listening, reacting, and responding to each other from measure to measure, and that is the basis for their music making.

It's a fusion of feelings, and those moods -- many times dark -- lie beneath the surface only to rise at their behest. The snarly, stealth, and swirling sound is evident on the introductory cut "Angel Food," courtesy of Abercrombie, Wall, and Nussbaum, respectively, going to a tick-tock beat that is positively blackened on the closer "Hell's Gate." In between you get two free, seemingly unstructured pieces: the unhurried "Now & Again" and the more reverent but interactive "Farewell." "Dreamland" is like "Angel Food" in attitude, while the collective improvisation "Mahat" has hopping 2/4 tom tom beats from Nussbaum moving into full drum kit swing.

The melodies are either nonexistent or harder to grasp; Abercrombie's searing or lilting guitar sound requires close attention. Skating around a melody for "Chorale," you actually get the impression the leader is building disparate, multiple, chameleonic changes within a more definite swing. A true melodic motif, albeit slight, informs "BT-U" in a more rock/R&B beat, while the waltz "Early to Bed" suggests a lovely, extrapolated Bill Evans line, perhaps from "Very Early." Though "While We're Young" was a definitive recording for Abercrombie's vaunted trio, this CD simply offers a different slant. It's the sign of a group either in transition of evolution, and whatever the case, it's an intriguing step for these three uncanny sonic explorers.

Despite all of this, it's an album of deep grooves, a searching and mysterious atmosphere, and above all some fabulous playing. Dan Wall and Adam Nussbaum play really great, but then they always do. In fact I really dig Adam Nussbaum's drumming in this music. He's the one lighting fires under this trio; and yes, I deliberately borrow that line from Miles. What he said of Tony Williams' amazing playing in his fabulous 60's quintet really comes to mind when I hear Adam Nussbaum's drumming bringing life to this particular music. It is inspired playing, and is probably the highlight of the album for me.

What's significant about the playing of John Abercrombie is that in my opinion his playing here is way ahead of anything he's done since. Purely on a guitar-playing level this one is right up there. There's some great solos from JA, and his rhythmic, chordal playing is also absolutely superb. For just one example, check out the wonderful comping behind Dan Wall's solo on 'Early to Bed'. It's an absolute master class! I don't think he's ever played better, but if he has someone please let me know!

On the down side, 'Speak of the Devil' does not contain many memorable compositions, if any; even though there are four JA originals. In fact the weak link, if there is one, is that none of these tunes really stick in your memory for long - I can't hum or recall any of the tunes beyond the time of actually listening to it. It's probably more a case of the abstract treatment than any inherant weaknesses in the compositions though, and this music, though not pretty, is absolutely engaging and totally captivating nonetheless. Though it may not be to everyone's tastes, it is absolutely great Jazz.

Guitarist John Abercrombie is joined by Adam Nussbaum on drums and Dan Wall on the Hammond B-3 organ in a trio recording that really does sound like three musicians making music together rather than a soloist and rhythm section. As always, Abercrombie plays with fluid grace, while Wall alternately simmers and flat-out burns on the B-3, with Nussbaum propelling things right along with his imaginative drumming, all captured with ECM's traditional attention to sound quality. This is a CD that will put your mind in a deep groove for 68 minutes, and as soon as it is over, you just might find yourself hitting the play button for another 68 addictive minutes, and then another...

Track listing:

1. Angel Food (7:55)
2. Now And Again (6:16)
3. Mahat (8:27)
4. Chorale (8:21)
5. Farewell (6:16)
6. BT-U (6:22)
7. Early To Bed (8:20)
8. Dreamland (9:12)
9. Hell's Gate (7:07)

Total time 68:16

Personnel:

    John Abercrombie – guitar
    Dan Wall – Hammond organ
    Adam Nussbaum – drums

Captain Beyond - 1972 [1997] "Captain Beyond" [Remastered]

Captain Beyond is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1971.

Captain Beyond is the self-titled debut album by Captain Beyond, released in 1972, featuring former members of Iron Butterfly, Deep Purple, Johnny Winter, and Rick Derringer. The album cover for the U.S. release included 3-D artwork (using lenticular printing). The album was dedicated to the memory of Duane Allman, who Captain Beyond drummer Bobby Caldwell had played with in an informal capacity.

Captain Beyond is unique among guitar-driven hard rock albums in that it contains a wide range of influences, including Latin and jazz, often with various time signatures and a broad range of dynamics within the same song. Most of the album consists of three medleys of tightly arranged interconnected songs. The first starts with "Dancing Madly Backwards (on a Sea of Air)" and ends with "Myopic Void". The second starts with "Thousand Days of Yesterdays (Intro)" and ends with "Thousand Days of Yesterdays (Time Since Come and Gone)". The third starts with "I Can't Feel Nothin' (Part 1)" and finishes the album. Songs flow directly into each other without any lag time between selections, a feature that is shared with other more progressive bands of the era such as Moody Blues and Jethro Tull.

All of the songwriting was credited to lead vocalist Rod Evans and drummer Bobby Caldwell. However, the songs were in fact written by the group as a whole. Due to their still binding contracts with Iron Butterfly, guitarist Larry "Rhino" Reinhardt and bassist Lee Dorman could not be listed as songwriters on this record for legal reasons.

What is it about Rod Evans ? He gets slated left, right and centre for the Tom Jones limitations in his voice, yet two of my favourite albums involve him, "Shades of Deep Purple" and this one. Perhaps he was just one of those guys that knew how to start something but couldn't sustain it because he was involved in two of heavy rock's greatest debut albums in my view.
This is a sizzling album, also featuring the mighty Bobby Caldwell {who later went on to do sterling drum work on Armageddon's first and only LP} knocking out some of the funkiest, jerkiest, heaviest most dynamic drumming in heavy rock. The two guys from Iron Butterfly that made up the group on guitar and bass {Rhino Reinhardt and Lee Dorman} are two hugely under rated players in the heavy rock ouvre.
As a unit Captain Beyond were pretty dynamic and wrote a series of superb songs. The songs on this album are packed with melody, loud guitars, wild yet controlled drums and sympathetic booming bass.

Captain Beyond is a one-of-a-kind progressive album with rock, heavy metal, and jazz influences with a "space rock" lyrical bend. Formed by former members of Deep Purple (Rod Evans, vocals), Iron Butterfly (Rhino, lead guitar, and Lee Dorman, bass), and Johnny Winter (Bobby Caldwell, drums) Captain Beyond is an album that flows from riff to riff, drumbeat to drumbeat, often with various time signatures within the same song. Taking a tip from the Moody Blues, songs flow directly into each other without benefit of any lag time between selections. Taken as a whole, the album is kind of a rush, as quick, riff-laden guitar lines predominate for a few songs before slowing down temporarily into a lull until the next takeoff. Lyrically, the album differentiates itself by exploring themes of the outer world and meanings of existence, often with references to the moon, sea, sun, and so on. Listeners may get the feeling of taking a journey to space in a rocket ship headed for destination unknown. Musically, the album is superior in all aspects. Rod Evans has a strong rock voice, Rhino plays an enormous amount of hook-laden guitar lines, and Lee Dorman plays complex basslines (for example, at the end of "As the Moon Speaks-Return") that lead to typically rhythmic, nimble Bobby Caldwell drumming. The tightness between musicians is enormous, never lets up for long, and leaves the listener feeling like the ride should continue for the indefinite future.

Track listing:

01.    "Dancing Madly Backwards (on a Sea of Air)"    4:02
02.    "Armworth"    1:48
03.    "Myopic Void"    3:31
04.    "Mesmerization Eclipse"    3:48
05.    "Raging River of Fear"    3:47
06.    "Thousand Days of Yesterdays (Intro)"    1:16
07.    "Frozen Over"    3:46
08.    "Thousand Days of Yesterdays (Time Since Come and Gone)"    3:57
09.    "I Can't Feel Nothin' (Part 1)"    3:06
10.    "As the Moon Speaks (to the Waves of the Sea)"    1:27
11.    "Astral Lady"    0:58
12.    "As the Moon Speaks (Return)"    1:57
13.    "I Can't Feel Nothin' (Part 2)"    1:46

Personnel:

    Rod Evans – lead vocals
    Larry "Rhino" Reinhardt – guitars
    Lee Dorman – bass guitar, backing vocals, piano
    Bobby Caldwell – drums, all percussion instruments (including bells and vibraphone), backing vocals, piano

Bob Mintzer John Abercrombie Marc Johnson Peter Erskine - 1990 "Hymn"

Robert Alan Mintzer (born January 27, 1953) is an American jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, and big band leader.

Better known as a big band and session player, tenor saxophonist and bass clarinetist Bob Mintzer expanded his playing and his repertoire on this '90 quartet date. Working with guitarist John Abercrombie, bassist Marc Johnson, and drummer Peter Erskine, Mintzer moved into more probing, unpredictable, and challenging areas and played with more fire and conviction. Abercrombie, Johnson, and Erskine each fulfilled their reputations; the results were both enlightening and surprising.

Track listing:

1     Duo     2:50
2     Hymn     8:24
3     Re-Re     5:45
4     Modern Day Tuba     4:34
5     Children's Song     6:19
6     Little Motif     4:47
7     Weird Blues     5:32
8     Improvisation     7:27
9     The Dark Side     7:16

Personnel:

    Tenor Saxophone, Bass Clarinet, Liner Notes – Bob Mintzer
    Bass – Marc Johnson (2)
    Drums – Peter Erskine
    Guitar – John Abercrombie