Greg Meckes Band

Greg Meckes Band - Mission - 1995 - Meatshake Music

The Greg Meckes Band 1995 fusion release is entitled "Mission", and is a refreshing contrast to the dynamite hard rock sound found on Meckes' solo album "Square One". "Mission" showcases Meckes' versatility, as clean jazz chords and Scott Henderson / Tony Scozzaro style solong keep the fusion white-hot. A writer with Notes On Call has stated, "Meckes is a scary player who places most importance on the ensemble. His band plays with incredible abandon. A couple of tracks remind you of a thoroughbred coming into the backstrech. Greg's sound is very much his own; he's integrated his influences superbly. He may not be trying, but he's a natural in the spotlight." "Mission" is a superb release featuring a commitment to full-band compositions and an attention to nuance. © 1996-2008 Guitar Nine Records All Rights Reserved http://www.guitar9.com/mission.html

An outstanding jazz fusion album by the great jazz rock guitarist Greg Meckes, from Buffalo, NY, and HR by A.O.O.F.C. Buy Greg's great "Square One" album, and promote this talented guitarist and his band. For music in the same genre, check out albums by Steve Morse, Scott Henderson, and Wayne Krantz

TRACKS

1 - Wheat Dust (5:36)
2 - Fingerpaint (5:22)
3 - Step It Up (4:50)
4 - Speak To Me (6:44)
5 - Yard Woman (5:18)
6 - Nitpick Blues (7:40)
7 - Freeloader (5:24)
8 - Northeastern Lights (5:38)

Tracks 1-7 composed by Greg Meckes & Pat Georger: Track 8 composed by Greg Meckes, Pat Georger, & Jack Kulp

BAND

Greg Meckes - Guitar
Pat Georger - Keyboards
Jim Linsner - Drums
Jack Kulp - Bass

REVIEWS

This 1995 recording is Greg Meckes' second solo cd. This time recording as the Greg Meckes Band. I must say, that after hearing is first cd, Square One his style of playing and writing made enough of an impression on me. But not once did I get an inkling of what I would be expecting on this cd. Here on Mission, Greg has stepped completely out of the rock instrumental mode, and firmly into the heavy, progressive fusion realm. And for my tastes, this hits my ears in just the right way. Backed by some outstanding musicians, none of which I have heard before, Greg Meckes has created a fantastic cd of dazzling musicianship displayed in the context of intriguing writing concepts. Tight, funky, technical, and addictive, are a few terms I can apply freely to describe his music. I cannot stress enough to fusion readers that this is the very music that they are looking for. It has everything that best defines the essence of what makes fusion music what it's fan like best about the genre. First, the songs are always in flux, building themes upon themes, engaging the musicians in a very disciplined approach to musical creativity. Secondly, the melodic accompaniment to these very themes provides imagery, and memorable familiarity, something that very few artists are able to convey in this style of music. Thirdly, and of equal importance, is the high level of musicianship, this a key ingredient to any fusion fans delight, hearing a team of masterful players constructing art from a palette of staffs, notes, and rests. I find it hard to believe that I have not had the pleasure of hearing Gregs music earlier, he certainly merits the attention of the fusion audiences at large, it is my hope that people will check his page out at the Guitar Nine site, and check for yourself, this cd is a winner, and I hope to hear more from Greg Meckes soon. It is my understanding that he has a 2003 release of flatpicking, instrumental acoustic music, this I would certainly like the hear, he also has a recording with drummer Todd Mazurek called Mazurek's Maze, which if it happens to be anything like this, should also prove to be a must have. On this cd, I am reminded that there are some great musicians that need to get more exposure, and music fans that need to find the very music that they enjoy, which has been a large part of my intentions since the beginning of the Prognosis project. Greg Meckes has delivered a very nice package full of great music, here is a musician that is poised to greatness as a writer that also happens to be a great guitarist as well. His music is very original sounding, as is his approach to playing, yes he shows many influences in his music, but they are all culminated into what can only be described as his own thing. Recommended! © MJ Brady Proggnosis 2003, Published on: 27 Jun 2003 © http://www.proggnosis.com/PGRelease.asp?RID=8144#RI 2000 - 2010 - Progressive Rock & Fusion

When I first listened to this fusionistic album by the Greg Meckes Band, I thought to myself "hmmm, this is pretty good." After listening to Mission a few more times, I thought to myself "hmmm, nope, I was wrong... this is really good!" After listening to Mission for a while longer, I am now thinking that this album is simply awesome. This is because it embraces everything I want to hear when I listen to progressive instrumental music. My excitement for learning of an artist that I was unaware was only compromised by the disappointment I felt when I discovered that this album has been looming in existence without my awareness since 1995, thereby depriving me of the enjoyment of listening to it for eight long years. And, I now think out loud how typical this is of the music industry that musicians of this caliber commonly go unrecognized, how listeners such as myself are forced to search for great musicians like those in the Greg Meckes Band, and sometimes miss out on great music because of this situation. But, now I am here to set the record straight. This CD by the GMB, Mission, is a daunting technical effort with superb musical vision and flawless execution. But, where to start in describing what it sounds like? It just has it all: the aggressive, speedy fretwork; the soulful, accessible themes and melodies; the involved, complex yet coherent arrangements; the awesome balance of tones and instrumentation; and the crystaline production. The style strikes a balance that moves between the aggressive fusion styles of Greg Howe and Alessandro Benvenuti, and the melodic intensive styles of Frank Gambale and Steve Morse. Fans of these disciplines of instrumental music will baste in the savory stylisms and the impressive instrumental proficiency of Greg Meckes, et al. And, et al in this case is not to be overlooked because this effort is solid through and through. The guitar work, keyboards of Pat Georger, bass by Jack Kulp, and percussionry of Jim Linsner are all impressive, each in their own right, making this an extremely well-rounded effort. These boys can play! The range of musical styles that the music covers is very pleasing, including blues, jazz, fusion, aggressive fusion, and progressive rock stylisms. And, Meckes maturation from his earlier, progressive rock effort, Square One, demonstrates impressive growth and versatility. Of the many CDs that I receive to review, there are few that I listen that are of this caliber. In terms of musicality, this effort is approaching world class caliber. Fans of aggressive guitar and instrumentally intensive music should check out this album from GMB. This CD is highly entertaining and offers the audience a good, enjoyable listen. This CD comes to you highly recommended. © Chris Ruel- EER-MUSIC.COM - March 2003 http://eer-music.com/EER_MUSIC_REVIEWS_03/Greg_Meckes.html

BIO

Greg Meckes was born in Buffalo, NY in 1968 and actually started his musical endeavors on drums. Being influenced by a musical family, he was exposed to a variety of music growing up including Frank Zappa, King Crimson, and Buddy Rich. However, after hearing Dixie Dregs, his taste changed to guitar thanks to Steve Morse. "I was overwhelmed by him. Not only his playing, but his compositions. I immediately recognized the importance of being a composer over being a player." While looking up to several players along the way including Scott Henderson and Michael Hedges, Greg never really tried to analyze or play any of their music. "I always respected them tremendously. Whenever I would try to learn some of their material, I couldn't do it justice even if I could play it. But they all seeped into my playing in other ways." First taking lessons with guitar transcriber Dave Whitehill at age 16, and then with other teachers including Tony Scozzaro, Greg made the most of his direction and influences. Having a musical family, it was easy to find an unattended guitar around the house. Right from the beginning, Greg was concerned about composing music. "I was always trying to write music as I still do. I think being able to write good music is more important than being a good player. It's always been easier for me to think of it as playing music instead of playing the guitar." Greg was featured in "Guitar for the Practicing Musician" magazine in August of 1993. Editor in chief John Stix wrote . . . "Call him Mr. Melody." He also won an "Outstanding Guitarist of the Year" award at the Buffalo Music Awards that same year - the same year he released his first CD Square One. "That was quite a year. I recorded some songs that I wrote a few years earlier, played with great musicians, and had tremendous feedback about my first release Square One. It was much more than I hoped for. I wanted to record an album for years but never had the money." With the warm local reception both from musicians and media in Buffalo, Greg played as many shows with the band as he could. From there, he recorded another instrumental rock fusion album with Mazureks Maze and drummer Todd Mazurek in 1995. "That was fun. I got to work with Jim Wynne (bassist) again. Todd was nice enough to let me offer input in the production." Shortly after that he spawned his second release: Mission. Teaming up with keyboardist Pat Georger, the music took a new direction. "I wanted to collaborate with Pat on this recording. The music had more of jazz-funk element. Although, we still tried to keep it rocking". Mission achieved a more mature and cleaner sound than Square One. Even though the first two recordings were guitar driven instrumentals, there were songs that revealed a different musical side. With songs like 'Missing You" and "Falcon's Flight", it was an example of the diversity in his music. "I've always written songs that were quite a bit different than most of my other material. I would always try to find a home for them and sometimes get lucky with it." It's no surprise that with Greg's third release: Moments of Clarity - Part I, that he decided to go all acoustic and provide a home for his other musical directions. Moments of Clarity is a solo fingerstyle acoustic CD, and features pieces that have various influences. "It's actually a demo..." he laughs. "I have a large number of songs that I've recorded at home over the years - mostly to keep the ideas archived. But when I played some of the songs for some friends and family, they inspired me to release them. I left the songs alone - even though I wanted to 'fix' them. But I thought it might be a better view of the music in a raw form." Moments of Clarity - Part I is part of a series of projects to come says Greg. "It's actually Part One of Four. I have so many songs, and they all fit into the concept of the title. I hope to release them over the next 2 years". With a new direction and finding a home for his new music, Greg truly demonstrates a gifted diversity and melodic simplicity. Greg still composes music and plays whenever he can around the Buffalo area. [In partnership with CDbaby & © 2004 - 2010 Tradebit Inc http://www.tradebit.com/filedetail.php/5793098-greg-meckes]