Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Visions of an Inner Mounting Apocalypse: 'A Fusion Guitar Tribute' (2005)



Tone Center, Mike Varney’s fusion-only label, is not only helping to keep the genre in good shape—it’s pumping it full of steroids. Last year the label released A Guitar Supreme: Giant Steps in Fusion Guitar. Such guitarists as Mike Stern, Larry Coryell, Eric Johnson, Steve Lukather, Greg Howe, Jeff Richman, Frank Gambale and others paid stringed tribute to the spirit of John Coltrane.

This time around John McLaughlin and the legendary Mahavishnu Orchestra receive the treatment. Many of the same guitarists appear on this very impressive and important release. The music of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, first played over thirty years ago, provides the perfect material for some of today's greatest guitarists to test their mettle.

Guitarist Jeff Richman was put in charge. He produced the album, arranged the tunes and even played. He hired an incredible backing band to support and augment the soloists, who recorded their parts later, consisting of drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, bassist Kai Eckhardt and keyboardist Mitch Forman. All three have the advantage of having played with John McLaughlin before—so they have some idea of his sensibilities.

To have such superb musicians tackle McLaughlin’s advanced compositions is major news. But, the fact that Jerry Goodman, the original Mahavishnu Orchestra violinist, agreed to appear on four tracks is mind-blowing! No other violinist sounds quite like him and his presence gives the album an extra shot of credibility. Mahavishnu fans will be thrilled to hear Jerry’s violin on two pieces from the second Mahavishnu Orchestra.

The CD covers eight McLaughlin compositions spread through the first five Mahavishnu Orchestra albums. There are two additional pieces not officially associated with the Mahavishnu Orchestra of the seventies. Richman himself plays on “Jazz,” which is from the 1984 Mahavishnu album. John Abercrombie stars on McLaughlin’s “Follow Your Heart,” which appeared pre-Mahavishnu Orchestra on McLaughlin’s classic My Goal’s Beyond.

Steve Lukather opens up the tribute with a rollicking “Birds of Fire.” Propelled by the power of Colaiuta’s drumming and Eckhardt’s throbbing bassline, Lukather lets nothing hold him back. He is followed by an angular Mike Stern on “Can’t Stand Your Funk” and Steve Morse’s energetic romp on “Celestial Terrestrial Commuters.” Jimmy Herring’s take on “Meeting of the Spirits” features a lighter intro before the theme kicks in. Richman’s skittering solo on “Jazz” gives it a more rockish feel than the original.

Perhaps closest in spirit to the original Orchestra is Frank Gambale’s turn on “Dawn.” Gambale captures the building drama of the composition in his use of tension and release. He is aided in a fantastic way by the appearance of Goodman, who played on the original.

Warren Haynes and Jerry Goodman perform “Lila’s Dance” from Visions of the Emerald Beyond. The son of the Mahavishnu Orchestra’s Inner Mounting Flame’s “Dance of Maya,” “Dance” is noteworthy enough for Hayne’s performance, but to hear Goodman play the Jean Luc Ponty part will be very significant to MO aficionados.

“Faith” is handled rather ably by Dave Fiuczynski while Gregg Howe also answers the bell on the rave-up “Dance of Maya.”

Tacked onto the end of this compilation is John Abercrombie’s performance of the classic “Follow Your Heart.” This is a beautifully executed version. Abercrombie’s playing is absolutely stunning. Richman’s arrangement changes the character of the piece in a new and exciting way building to a pleasing climax. Kai Eckhardt also contributes one of the most impressive melodic bass solos one is ever going to hear.

Mitch Forman’s contributions to this tribute are not to be overlooked. He is one of the most important keyboard players in jazz in the last twenty years. Yet, he remains relatively unsung. His solo opportunities are full of invention.

While not every moment in every tune captures the original fire of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Visions of an Inner Mounting Apocalypse: A Fusion Guitar Tribute is quite worthy of its honoree. John McLaughlin’s compositions combined with the musical power of the musicians of the Mahavishnu Orchestra present a true test for any musician- and especially guitar players. All those involved with this production should take pride in their effort and the results.

Mahavishnu_Orchestra

Track listing:

1. Birds Of Fire - Steve Lukather (6:47)
2. Can't Stand Your Funk - Mike Stern (6:43)
3. Celestial Terrestrial Commuters - Steve Morse (4:46)
4. Meeting Of The Spirits - Jimmy Herring (6:51)
5. Jazz - Jeff Richman (4:53)
6. Dawn - Frank Gambale/Jerry Goodman (6:34)
7. Lila's Dance - Warren Haynes/Jerry Goodman (5:22)
8. Faith - David Fiuczynski (5:47)
9. Dance Of Maya - Greg Howe (6:16)
10. Follow Your Heart - John Abercrombie (7:46)


Personnel: Jeff Richman: guitar; Mitch Forman: keyboards; Kai Eckhardt: bass; Vinnie Colaiuta: drums; Steve Lukather, Mike Stern, Steve Morse, Jimmy Herring, Frank Gambale, Greg Howe, David Fiuczynski, Warren Haynes, John Abercrombie: guitar; Special Guest Star Jerry Goodman: violin.

Download: 1 2

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Originally posted at Jazz-Rock-Fusion-Guitar

Fusion For Miles - A Tribute In Guitar, 'A Bitchin' Brew' (2005)



Fusion for Miles features some of the greatest names in progressive jazz/ fusion guitar, each paying tribute to master musician and jazz legend Miles Davis, a pioneer of modern jazz and fusion. A gifted composer and powerful band leader, Miles left this world with a legacy of phenomenal compositions, a universal reputation for introducing the world to many important jazz artists who first apprenticed under him, and a vast number of people who were touched by and learned from his stylized harmonic genius. Those musicians, whose music he influenced, were not just trumpet players but nearly all students of jazz and among them are the incredible guitarists who have come together to lift up their guitars as their voices in this unique tribute. FEATURING GUEST GUITARISTS: Eric Johnson, Bill Frisell, Pat Martino, Warren Haynes, Jimmy Herring, Mike Stern, Bill Connors, Steve Kimmock, Bireli Lagrene and Jeff Richman.

Trumpeter Miles Davis shifted gears so many times during his forty-year career that doing a proper tribute which covers the entire time frame represents a distinct challenge. Perhaps that’s why many artists have focused on specific periods in their Miles tributes. Producer Gary Guthrie put a new spin on Kind of Blue with A New Kind of Blue, while trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith and guitarist Henry Kaiser’s Yo Miles! project has released three sets inspired by Miles’ ‘70s electric period. Even trumpeter Wallace Roney, while not recording a tribute album per se, has taken one of Miles’ mid-‘60s albums, Nefertiti, and used it, along with other sources, as the foundation for his own work.

In the past year, guitarist Jeff Richman has released tributes to saxophonist John Coltrane (A Guitar Supreme) and guitarist John McLaughlin and the Mahavishnu Orchestra (Visions of an Inner Mounting Apocalypse). He's probably the first to try and put the departed trumpeter’s greater career arc into perspective. The problem is that there’s little to tie together Miles’ various periods. One reason for this is that whenever he moved into a new musical space, he often alienated much of his existing fan base. Fans of Kind of Blue are not inherently going to be disposed towards Bitches Brew, and many who discovered Miles with the pop-funk of his last decade may find his more abstract mid-‘60s quintet completely unfathomable.

Consequently Fusion for Miles starts with an immediate handicap. The bad news is that Richman’s arrangements featuring a core band of keyboardist Larry Goldings, bassist Alphonso Johnson, and drummer Vinnie Colaiuta don’t go very far in finding the elusive common link. In fact, Richman often takes tunes that were the barest of sketches for example, Miles’ funk vamp of Jean-Pierre and the equally harmonically static jungle funk of his early-‘70s Black Satin and writes new passages to give them greater interest. While these radically altered and stricter arrangements give the guest guitarists more to work with, by its very virtuosity Fusion for Miles loses sight of one of Miles’ core musical goals: creating specific vibes and particular feelings.

The good news is that Fusion for Miles is one heck of a great fusion record when taken on its own merits. It features a varied bunch of guitarists who range from the post bop sensibility of Pat Martino and Bill Connors, to more clear fusion from Jimmy Herring and Mike Stern, and the rock-centric approach of Warren Haynes and Steve Kimmock. Covering material from the late ‘50s (So What) through the mid-‘80s (Splatch), every guitarist digs into the solid foundation laid by the rhythm section. Unlike Richman’s Mahavishnu Orchestra tribute, none of the core band members actually played with Miles, but the inclusion of one early-'70s Miles veteran, saxophonist Dave Liebman, on some tracks provides linkage. And while the individual tunes come from a multitude of spaces, Richman’s arrangements bring them together for an album that is sure to please fans of pedal-to-the-floor fusion to no end.

Visit Jeff Richman on the web.

Track listing:
1. Black Satin
2. Splatch
3. So What
4. Nefertiti
5. Eighty One
6. Serpents Tooth
7. It's About That Time
8. Back Seat Betty
9. Spanish Key

Personnel: Vinnie Colaiuta: drums; Alphonso Johnson: bass; Larry Goldings: keyboards; Jeff Richman: guitars. With Dave Liebman: saxophone. Featured guitarists: Jimmy Herring (1); Jeff Richman (2); Eric Johnson (3); Mike Stern (4); Bill Frisell (5); Bill Connors (6); Pat Martino (7); Warren Haynes (8); Steve Kimmock (9); Bireli Lagrene (10).

Download: 1 2

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Originally posted at Jazz-Rock-Fusion-Guitar

Friday, July 17, 2009

Bill Evans - "Starfish & The Moon" (1997)



fter providing an abundance of hard-edged, aggressive jazz-funk and jazz-rap on Live and Escape, Bill Evans surprised his followers by being so relaxed on Starfish and the Moon. This excellent, highly melodic CD was hailed as "Bill Evans' acoustic album," which was misleading because Starfish has its share of keyboards and synthesizers as well as electric bass and electric guitar. But it is accurate to say that the rap-free Starfish uses more acoustic instruments and less amplification than one had come to expect from the soprano and tenor saxophonist, who favors subtlety on such introspective, lyrical jazz-pop as "The Last Goodbye," "Something In the Rose" and "I'll Miss You." Even when he gets into a funk-minded groove on "Whiskey Talk" and "Shady Lady," Evans is moody and evocative rather than intense. Though the Chicago native had often played lyrically in the past, he was never as consistently restrained as he is on Starfish, a curve ball that was the last thing one would have expected to follow Escape.


Tracks

01. Something in the Rose
02. Starfish & The Moon
03. Little Slow Poke
04. I'll Miss You
05. Whiskey Talk
06. The Last Goodbye
07. Red Dog
08. It's Only History
09. Big Blue Hat
10. Shady Lady


Featuring

Bill Evans: Saxophones
Arto Tuncboyacian: Vocals,Percussion
David Blamires: Vocals
Caroline Leonhart: Vocals
Jim Beard: Piano,Hammond Organ,Synthesizer
Henry Hey: Keyboards
Adam Rogers: Acoustic & Electric Guitars,Mandolin
Jon Herrington: Acoustic & Electric Guitars,Acoustic Bass
James Genus: Acoustic Bass
Vinnie Colaiuta: Drums

Link: 1 2

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Originally Posted at: Fusion Jazz..

Jeff Berlin & Scott Henderson - "Live At Landmark Jazz Club Vancouver" (1985)



Live recorded at Landmark jazz club Vancouver in 1985.

* Sorry no scans


Tracks

01. Manos De Piedra
02. Three Nighter
03. Dixie
04. ???
05. Marabi
06. ???
07. Bach
08. Freight Train Schuffle
09. Motherlode
10. What I Know Now


Featuring

Jeff Berlin: Bass
Scott Henderson: Guitar
Vinnie Colaiuta: Drums
Larry Williams: Keyboards

Link: 1 2

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Originally Posted at: Fusion Jazz..

John McLaughlin and Chick Corea - "Five Peace Band-Live" (2009)



Though their paths crossed on the Miles Davis classic IN A SILENT WAY and on Larry Coryell's SPACES, this disc is the first actual collaboration between pianist Chick Corea and guitarist John McLaughlin. The Five Peace Band truly is a super-group,the other members being the versatile bassist Christian McBride (acoustic and electric), saxophonist Kenny Garrett (a Miles alumnus too), and fusion drumming ace Vinnie Colaiuta. LIVE features cozy, intimate Corea-McLaughlin duets, sizzling electric playing, and enchanting acoustic passages. They pay tribute to Miles with a medley of "In A Silent Way" and "It's about That Time," with yet another Miles grad Herbie Hancock guesting on keyboards. And there's even a tasty rendition of a bebop classic, Jackie McLean's "Dr. Jackle." Aside from a righteous meeting-of-the-minds, LIVE proves that fusion as a concept is not played out.

Tracks



Cd 1

01. Raju
02. The Disguise
03. New Blues, Old Bruise
04. Hymn To Andromeda



Cd 2

01. Dr. Jackle
02. Senor C.S.
03. In A Silent Way/It's About That Time
04. Someday My Prince Will Come



Featuring

John McLaughlin: Guitar, Electric Guitar
Chick Corea: Piano, Keyboards
Kenny Garrett: Saxophone
Christian McBride: Acoustic Bass, Electric Bass
Vinnie Colaiuta: Drums
Herbie Hancock: Piano [cd 2 (4)]

Link: 1 2 3

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Originally Posted at: Fusion Jazz..

Tom Saviano - Crossings (2000)



Crossings is Tom Saviano's second solo album after the 1996's Making Up Lost Time. Known for his soulful and passionate play on the saxophone he's also a composer and plays the keyboard. He is also known to be the musical director for Melissa Manchester in the late 70's during which time he played and arranged her Grammy nominated album "Don't Cry Out Loud".

Personnel include:
Tom Saviano (alto saxophone)
Tom Rotella, Jeff Golub (guitar)
Brian Bromberg, Scott Cannady, Stanley Sargeant (bass)
Bill Champlin (vocals, guitar)
Randy Waldman (piano)
Vinnie Colaiuta, Stephen Saviano, Land Richards, Tony Moore (drums)
Arno Lucas, Lenny Castro (percussion)
Lee Thornburg, Steve Madaio (trumpet)

Track List:
1. You Move Me
2. A Leap Of Faith
3. One More Chance
4. Twist Of Fate
5. Don't Doubt My Love
6. That Was Then, This Is Now
7. All For You
8. Night Moves
9. Time Zone
10. Crossings

Download

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Originally Posted at: BeeQ

Doug Cameron - Rendezvous (1996)



Doug’s third release featuring guitarist Lee Ritenour, drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, trumpetist Ramón Flores, Jerry Hey and his horn section, percussionist Luís Conte, guitarist Dan Huff, Jimmy Johnson on bass and others. Also featuring Doug’s composition, “Magía Española”.

Track List:

1. Magía Española (Spanish Magic)
2. St. Tropez
3. The Time Is Now
4. Mil Amores (1000 Loves)
5. Cuban Spice
6. The Journey
7. Forever Friends
8. I Want To Be With You
9. The Gypsy's Tear

Download

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Originally Posted at: BeeQ


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