Gambale & Colonna

Gambale & Colonna - Imagery Suite - 2000 - Wombat

Fusion star guitarist Frank Gambale and Italian classical guitarist Maurizio Colonna team up for some beautiful mostly acoustic playing on this duo effort. The two complement each other very well with Gambale handling the bulk of the soloing in his inimitable fashion; Gambale's sweep picking is unimpeded by the acoustic and his playing takes on an earthy, Mediterranean quality here. Colonna is sympathetic throughout and an able interlocutor for Gambale. Recommended. © Dave Dorkin / Fuse Magazine

"Imagery Suite" was recorded live at Spav Studios, Rome in 1999. Frank Gambale, the great jazz rock/fusion guitarist, and the brilliant modern classical guitarist Maurizio Colonna together prove that the "fusion" of different musical genres can work when it is handled properly. "Imagery Suite" is a wonderful guitar duet CD and HR by A.O.O.F.C. See if you can find Maurizio Colonna's "Rock Waves" album in which he covers many rock and pop classics including "Stairway To Heaven", "Englishman In New York", "Smoke on the Water" and more. Frank Gambale's "Absolutely Live: in Poland" album @ FRAGAMB/ABLIVPOL Buy Frank's "Coming To Your Senses" album [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 105 Mb]

STEELY DAN TRIVIA: Frank Gambale played electric guitar on The Dan's "FM" song. Ann Wickstrom of vintageguitar.com has said that Frank is "a Steely Dan freak! He can sit down at the piano and sing all the lyrics to almost every Steely Dan song!"

 TRACKS

1 El Prado 4:06
2 Villa Borghese 4:38
3 Maracana 5:16
4 Pacific Palisades 5:00
5 Beachwood Breeze 4:19
6 Camaiore 3:26
7 Fortaleza 5:25
8 L.A.X. 4:00
9 Shake A Tower 2:15
10 The Long and Short Of It 2:09
11 Aria Mediterranea No. 5 2:10
12 Incantation 3:46

All tracks composed by Frank Gambale & Maurizio Colonna except Tracks 9 & 10 by Frank Gambale, and Tracks 11 & 12 by Maurizio Colonna

MUSICIANS

Frank Gambale - Acoustic & Electric Guitar
Maurizio Colonna - Classical Guitar

FRANK GAMBALE BIO

Frank began playing guitar at age 7 in Canberra, Australia where he was born and raised. He was influenced by the blues playing of Jimi Hendrix , John Mayall / Eric Clapton, and Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia and the music of the Beatles just to name a few. In his mid-teens he discovered Steely Dan, The Brecker Brothers and Chick Corea, which pointed him in a jazzy direction. When he was 15 years old in 1974, influenced and inspired by the improvisations of Chick Corea and Michael Brecker, began developing his Sweep Picking Technique which today is considered a standard technique which didn't exist, or was thought to be an impossible pursuit before Gambale proved otherwise. The Sweep Picking Technique is a landmark in the history of guitar and Frank Gambale is the undisputed Master of Sweep Picking. In 1982 at 23 he decided to leave his home to study at the Guitar Institute of Technology (GIT) in Hollywood. He graduated with the highest honor, Student of the Year and was offered a teaching position which he kept for 4 years. During his year as a student, he was constantly bombarded with questions and curiosities from other students marvelling at how he was playing the guitar because no-one had ever seen the guitar played this way. His Sweep Picking Technique was already developed to a very high level and as a result of the constant question by fellow students and instructors, he penned his first book called "Speed Picking" ( Hal Leonard Publ. ). Gambale wanted to call the book "Sweep Picking" but the publisher didn't know what it meant since there was no precedent, and they believed the guitar public wouldn't know what the book was about either. Everyone now knows the what Sweep Picking is thanks to Gambale and his pioneering achievement. In 1986 he signed a 3 album contract with a small label called Legato and began his recording career. The same year he was recruited by Jean-luc Ponty to tour in the summer. Shortly after that tour, he auditioned for Chick Corea and began a 6 year stint which culminated in 5 albums, a Grammy award and two Grammy Nominations. Chick helped expose Frank to the world, for which he is very grateful, "playing with Chick was like a dream come true" says Frank.The band reunited in 2002 for the album "To The Stars" and more world tours which continue to the present. Also in 1986 Ibanez guitars approached him to endorse their guitar which culminated in a 13 year relationship and spawned the Frank Gambale model guitar which was first on sale worldwide in 1987. They made 4 versions of the guitar, the FGM100, FGM200, FGM300 and FGM400. In 1987 Frank signed a 3-video deal with DCI / Warner Brothers/ now all under the Alfred Publishing banner, for instructional videos. His first video "Monster Licks and Speed Picking" cemented Gambale's claim as the Grand Master of Sweep Picking. Again, he fought and lost with the publisher to have the word "sweep" not "speed" in the title but the fact remains that the subject matter was Sweep Picking. Gambale had given to the world, in these two instructional publications, the very nuts and bolts of Sweep Picking and the majority of his work outlined the accepted method of the Sweep Picking technique. In 1988, Frank signed a major label deal with JVC. In 1990 he released "Thunder From Down Under" which sold well all over the world and at one point it was #1 on the Japanese Jazz charts along with all his three Legato releases in the top 10 at the same time.In the same year he produced a landmark album with Allan Holdsworth called Truth In Shredding featuring songs from The Brecker Brothers, Chick Corea and Wayne Shorter and one original composition.In 1992, Frank decided it was time to go out there on his own and has been touring with his group ever since. He has toured in many countries with his own band including Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Australia, Germany, Switzerland, Japan and the U.S. He has done countless seminars and master classes worldwide to countries as far away as South Africa and Uruguay since the late 80's demonstrating his phenomenal Sweep Picking Technique and unique brand of music. In 1996 Frank was offered a position of Head of the Guitar Department of a new musical school in the Los Angeles area called the L.A. Music Academy (LAMA). He wrote most of the core curriculum/ study program for this one year vocational school including Harmony and Theory, Improvisation, Technique and Composition courses. He has recently resigned from the school and is in talks with other schools to license his curriculum. In the late 90's Frank began his own record label called Wombat Records on which he re-released his early Legato catalog along with other releases including a double live CD called Resident Alien - Live Bootlegs, and a duet CD with Maurizio Colonna, the famous Italian Classical guitarist called Imagery Suite, a live album recorded in Poland in 1996 where Frank plays lives versions of music from the Passages and Thinking Out Loud period, an album by his long-time friend and bassist Tony Muschamp called More Bass Please. In 2000 Gambale recorded a wonderful guitar album called Coming To Your Senses, the first release on the new Steve Vai owned label, Favored Nations. In 2005 Gambale released another album called Raison D'Etre. This marked another groundbreaking invention on the guitar, his "Gambale Tuning".This tuning, really a re-stringing of the guitar enabled close-voicing chords previously only the domain of piano players. Sweep Picking and the Gambale Tuning method will go down as two major contributions in guitar history books. In 2007 Gambale released Natural High, an all acoustic album featuring reworkings of jazz standards with his own melodies. In the same year he release three compilations of his music spanning his entire recording history, Best Of Jazz and Rock Fusion, Best Of The Smoothe Side, and Best Of The Acoustic Side. Frank has also played and contributed songs to seven Vital Information albums and three trio recordings on Mike Varney's Tone Center records. The first released in 1999 called Show Me What You Can Do was well received, and the second called The Light Beyond came out in July 2000 and the third one is simply called GHS 3. Frank left Ibanez for a deal with Yamaha guitars and a new Frank Gambale model called AES-FG soon followed. A second model is being designed currently for a future release. Frank worked with Carvin to design a guitar preamp called the Tone Navigator which was released at the January 2004 NAMM in Los Angeles. This is an opportunity granted to very few people. Gambale's most recent releases for Alfred Publishing are a concert DVD called Concert With Class, 90 min. concert and 90 min. instructional material related to the performance part and an acoustic concert/ instructional called Acoustic Improvisation which is a 60 minute concert with his Natural High Trio plus 60 minutes of melodic development ideas. Late in 2002 the celebration of Chick Corea's 60th birthday reunited the Elektric Band after a 10 year hiatus with a sold-out performance to 18,000 at the Hollywood Bowl Aug 28th. The band received a GRAMMY Award and two NOMINATIONS in the late 80's and early 90s. The show kicked off a wave of reunion tours. The group recorded an album the same year called To The Stars and a live DVD at the famous Montreux Jazz Festival. Gambale keeps a busy schedule for sure either writing for an album, book or video, touring or helping design a new guitar model with Yamaha, or giving seminars in Asia, or doing a session for an Italian pop record. Frank loves his work to say the least." I can't believe I get paid to do what I do, I wouldn't trade it for the world". © HDtracks 2007 - 2012 https://www.hdtracks.com/index.php?file=artistdetail&id=4729

FRANK GAMBALE BIO (WIKI)

Frank Gambale (born 22 December 1958), is an Australian jazz fusion guitarist. He has released eleven studio albums over a period of more than two decades, and is renowned for his use of the sweep picking and economy picking techniques. Gambale graduated from GIT in Hollywood, with Student of the Year honors. He also taught there from 1984 to 1986. After graduation, he played the jazz club circuit with his own band and in 1985 released his first studio album, Brave New Guitar, through Legato Records (owned by Mark Varney, brother of Shrapnel Records founder Mike Varney) in what was to be a three-album contract. In that same year, he toured with Jean-Luc Ponty and shortly afterwards began a six-year stint with the Chick Corea Elektric Band in 1987. During his time with the latter, he has participated in five albums and shared a Grammy Award (with two nominations). In the 1980s, he released two studio albums and a live album. In 1988, he released Monster Licks & Speed Picking, the first of many instructional videos. An endorsement deal with Ibanez guitars resulted in the 1987 debut of the Frank Gambale Model (FGM) signature series, modeled after the Ibanez Saber. Yamaha also manufactured a signature guitar after he left Ibanez later in the 1990s. In 2011, he endorsed the Carvin FG1, a thin hollow body guitar made in the US. He signed with Victor Entertainment in 1989 as part of a five-album agreement, and released Thunder from Down Under the following year. The 1990s began for Gambale with a pair of albums—Truth in Shredding (1990) and Centrifugal Funk (1991)—as part of The Mark Varney Project. These were collaborations with fellow guitarists Allan Holdsworth, Brett Garsed and Shawn Lane, in a jazz fusion supergroup concept put together by Mark Varney. Around this time, he served as head of the guitar department of the Los Angeles Music Academy. In the 2000s, having parted ways with Victor, Gambale started his own record label named Wombat Records after purchasing his entire Legato discography with the intention of reissuing it himself. A live double album, Resident Alien – Live Bootlegs, was released in 2001, along with Imagery Suite; a duet featuring classical guitarist Maurizio Colonna. He also released a studio album, Coming to Your Senses, on guitarist Steve Vai's Favored Nations label in 2000. Gambale has also been a member of the jazz fusion band Vital Information since 1988, with the group consisting of keyboardist Tom Coster, drummer Steve Smith and bassist Baron Browne. Furthermore, in a group known as GHS, he has released three collaborative albums with Steve Smith and bassist Stu Hamm through Mike Varney's jazz-orientated label, Tone Center Records. In addition to concert recordings, he released an instructional DVD called Concert with Class in 2003. A reunion with Chick Corea came about in 2004, and Gambale subsequently toured with the Chick Corea Elektric Band. In 2006 and 2010, he released two all-jazz studio albums in the form of Natural High and Natural Selection, respectively.

MAURIZIO COLONNA BIO

Maurizio Colonna was born in Turin in 1959, and is universally considered to be one of the greatest classical guitar players of our day. He began playing the guitar at the age of five and at the age of seven, he made his debut in the theatre as a soloist, playing soloist guitar in Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez (a concert for guitar and orchestra) accompained by the Angelicum Chamber Orchestra of Milan in the presence of the Concierto's composer Joaquin Rodrigo. One of today’s most representative and eclectic guitar players and composers, he is the author of numerous books on music history and guitar technique (F. Muzzio Editore), that can be found in the libraries of the most important European and American universities, and of compositions for guitar (published by Bèrben, Kramer-Emi, Panarecord, Playgame-Carisch) and for guitar and piano, composed together with pianist and composer Luciana Bigazzi (Bèrben). He has numerous discs and film soundtracks to his name, as composer and principal interpreter, produced in Rome, Turin, Milan, Los Angeles, Pasadena and Hollywood (Panarecord, Palladium-Ricordi, Sarx-Ducale, Playgame-Carisch, Nìccolò-Stradivarius), accompanied both by orchestras and by international soloists such as Alex Acuña, formerly of Weather Report, Paulinho Da Costa, Abraham Laboriel and the wind section of Heart, Wind & Fire. He is co-editorial manager of the Christmas Songs Collection (Ed. Bèrben), a collection of Christmas carols from all over the world, proposed by well-known musicians in highly personal versions. He has also recorded a number of CDs and videos, both as a soloist and together with Australian guitarist Frank Gambale (Playgame-Carisch, Libera-Egea, Libera-Edel), creating a significant niche for himself in the field of education and new guitar languages. He has been a guest several times on television programmes broadcast by RAI, the Italian broadcasting authority (even on Eurovision, playing the Adagio from the Concierto de Aranjez for guitar and orchestra, at the Venice Festival of 1981) and on other television networks, and at numerous international festivals. He has won several prizes, including the Special Prize from the Ente Nazionale dello Spettacolo, at the 9th Soundtrack Festival (Rome, July 23, 1991) and the International Show Business Prize – Fiuggi 1991 (Music section) at the Fiuggi Platea Europa Festival. His unique role in the contemporary music scene is confirmed by a number of performances that have become real cultural events: - he played the classical guitar in the Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano, performing his own Nocturne arranged for guitar and orchestra, accompanied by members of the Orchestra Sinfonica di Santa Cecilia, on the occasion of the First Christmas Concert in the Vatican, (December 13, 1992); - in 1995 he played for the President of Italy in the Council Room of the Quirinale Palace in Rome; - on June 21 of the same year, in Piazza del Quirinale, he was a soloist at the Concerto per un Amico, a concert for humanitarian causes transmitted by Rai Due, which drew together international artists accompanied by the AMIT Symphony Orchestra of Rome, conducted by Renato Serio; - he was the first classical guitarist to be a guest of the San Remo Festival on February 19, 1996, introducing his spectacular guitar playing to millions of viewers (performing Panarea, a virtuoso piece he composed for solo guitar); - In September 1997 he was invited to take part in the celebrations for the 23rd Eucharistic Congress, and he performed in the Municipal Stadium in Bologna (broadcast live on Rai Uno); On January 5, 2000, he performed in a duo with Luciana Bigazzi at the Monastery of Santa Chiara in Naples, at the Concert of the Epiphany (televised on January 6, 2000 on Rai Uno and Rai International), performing two pieces for guitar, piano and orchestra. He returned to the same event the following year, playing in a duo with Frank Gambale. In 1997 BMG-Recordi published a book on him and his work, in which author Lorenza Cristina Sianesi not only tackled musical topics, but also explored Colonna’s views on contemporary classical music from a sociological viewpoint. Since 2000 he has increased significantly his composing, and he also teaches specialist master classes at prestigious Italian academies. In March 2005, he was invited again to the San Remo Festival, this time with singer Antonella Ruggiero and Frank Gambale. The CD “Colonna & Gambale live” (Libera-Egea) was released in May 2005, and was presented during the 2005 Summer Tour at well-known international festivals. In 2006, he contributed to found the NCM-New Classic Music label, which brought out an anthology of his work, “Guardando il mare” (Egea Distribution), and produced the CDs “Lacoste-Works for Piano” (2006) and “Passages-Works for Piano” (2008) by Luciana Bigazzi (Egea Distribution).
The CD “Bon Voyage”, recorded in duo with Frank Gambale, was released in May 2007 as part of the “Colonna & Gambale” artistic project (Libera/Edel).The “Colonna & Gambale” project was presented in India, in a series of concerts and on the television, in October 2007. In December 2008 he published the live album “Rock Waves-Electric Dreams of a Classical Guitar Player” (NCM – PKP Music inc.) in which he reinterprets his own version of some of the most famous pieces of world rock music. Il CD “The Secrets Of The Soul” (NCM–EGEA Distribution), issued in 2011, the guitar is the principal instrument in the recording accompained by an acoustic and electric ensemble, is the result of a long period of creative research, marked also by reflections which transcend the musical dimension. He is the official testimonial of both the American La Bella brand (with a set of strings known as the “Maurizio Colonna Professional Series”), and the Spanish guitar-maker Ramirez. - Italian Cultural Institute of London (UK) © 2008-2011 Maurizio Colonna http://www.mauriziocolonna.com/index_b.html

Gambale, Donati, Fierabracci

Gambale, Donati, Fierabracci - Made In Australia - 2007 - Wombat

All instrumental jazz fusion from the brilliant power trio of Frank Gambale, Ric Fierabracci, and Virgil Donati recorded on June 20th 2003 during a very successful Australian tour at the Evelyn Hotel, Melbourne. This is high calibre jazz fusion from three of the best musicians in the business. Dag Fjellby on cdbaby.com said that "Frank’s unbelievable guitar playing is a 100% backed up by Virgil's insane drum licks and Ric's pure mastery of the bass guitars. A Highly recommended 5 stars, and remember to check out Gambale, Donati and Fierabracci’s other work!" Check out Frank Gambale's "Resident Alien Live Bootlegs" album, and Virgil Donati, Scott Henderson, & Ric Fierabracci's "Just Add Water" album [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 170 Mb]

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1 The User - Donati 6:19
2 Little Charmer - Gambale 8:08
3 Joey's Waltz - Fierabracci 8:02
4 Yang - Gambale 11:06
5 Sphere of Influence - Fierabracci 6:37
6 Mind Over - Donati 6:11
7 Alien Hip-Hop - Donati 11:33
8 A Little Something - Gambale 16:59

MUSICIANS

Frank Gambale - Guitar
Ric Fierabracci - Bass Guitar
Virgil Donati - Drums

ABOUT FRANK GAMBALE (WIKI)

Frank Gambale (born 22 December 1958), is an Australian jazz fusion guitarist. He has released eleven studio albums over a period of more than two decades, and is renowned for his use of the sweep picking and economy picking techniques. Gambale graduated from GIT in Hollywood, with Student of the Year honors. He also taught there from 1984 to 1986. After graduation, he played the jazz club circuit with his own band and in 1985 released his first studio album, Brave New Guitar, through Legato Records (owned by Mark Varney, brother of Shrapnel Records founder Mike Varney) in what was to be a three-album contract. In that same year, he toured with Jean-Luc Ponty and shortly afterwards began a six-year stint with the Chick Corea Elektric Band in 1987. During his time with the latter, he has participated in five albums and shared a Grammy Award (with two nominations). In the 1980s, he released two studio albums and a live album. In 1988, he released Monster Licks & Speed Picking, the first of many instructional videos. An endorsement deal with Ibanez guitars resulted in the 1987 debut of the Frank Gambale Model (FGM) signature series, modeled after the Ibanez Saber. Yamaha also manufactured a signature guitar after he left Ibanez later in the 1990s. In 2011, he endorsed the Carvin FG1, a thin hollow body guitar made in the US. He signed with Victor Entertainment in 1989 as part of a five-album agreement, and released Thunder from Down Under the following year. The 1990s began for Gambale with a pair of albums—Truth in Shredding (1990) and Centrifugal Funk (1991)—as part of The Mark Varney Project. These were collaborations with fellow guitarists Allan Holdsworth, Brett Garsed and Shawn Lane, in a jazz fusion supergroup concept put together by Mark Varney. Around this time, he served as head of the guitar department of the Los Angeles Music Academy. In the 2000s, having parted ways with Victor, Gambale started his own record label named Wombat Records after purchasing his entire Legato discography with the intention of reissuing it himself. A live double album, Resident Alien – Live Bootlegs, was released in 2001, along with Imagery Suite; a duet featuring classical guitarist Maurizio Colonna. He also released a studio album, Coming to Your Senses, on guitarist Steve Vai's Favored Nations label in 2000. Gambale has also been a member of the jazz fusion band Vital Information since 1988, with the group consisting of keyboardist Tom Coster, drummer Steve Smith and bassist Baron Browne. Furthermore, in a group known as GHS, he has released three collaborative albums with Steve Smith and bassist Stu Hamm through Mike Varney's jazz-orientated label, Tone Center Records. In addition to concert recordings, he released an instructional DVD called Concert with Class in 2003. A reunion with Chick Corea came about in 2004, and Gambale subsequently toured with the Chick Corea Elektric Band. In 2006 and 2010, he released two all-jazz studio albums in the form of Natural High and Natural Selection, respectively.

ABOUT RIC FIERABRACCI

Bassist Ric Fierabracci was born in Queens, New York and grew up in Bethpage Long Island. He moved to the diverse musical environment of Miami, Florida when he was twelve years old. Two years later, at age fourteen, Ric heard a friend of his from high school play bass in a neighborhood band. He was inspired by the sound of the bass and from this time on he has been dedicated to playing bass and composing music. The first two years of Ric’s playing consisted of transcribing bass lines from records and playing at High School parties in various bands. One of his first bands included a guitarist who later became a famous American actor by the name of Johnny Depp. When Ric turned sixteen, he accompanied a friend to visit the University of Miami School of Music. His friend was auditioning to be accepted in the Jazz guitar program. Still in High School, Ric knocked on the Bass Principal’s office to introduce himself but ended up auditioning for the experience anyway. The University of Miami ended up offering a four-year scholarship in their world-renowned “Studio Music and Jazz” program, a program that many great Jazz musicians had studied. Ric finished High School two years early to attend the University. It was there that he studied hard and took advantage of his opportunity. After graduation Ric stayed in Miami to play around town and to tour in the United States and Europe. In 1989 he moved to Los Angeles and has played on many recordings with many great musicians. In 2003 Ric moved to New York for a change and immediately started playing with “The Chick Corea Electrik Band”, Billy Cobham Spectrum Band, Bill Evans Soulgrass, Dave Weckl Band and others. In 2008, his debut band’s CD called “Hemispheres” was nominated for a Grammy in the 51st Grammy's as "Best Contemporary Jazz Album." That same year Ric was also nominated twice for "best Instrumental Jazz Solo" on other recordings. Ric now lives in Simi Valley ,California, outside L.A., where he records, teaches and writes. © http://www.ricfierabracci.com/ric/About_Ric.html

ABOUT VIRGIL DONATI

Virgil was born and raised in Melbourne Australia. From the time he could barely utter a word, he keenly observed the regular band rehearsals his father held in the house. Virgil’s interest in music and instinct for rhythm had been apparent to his parents for some time. They began considering a musical path for him, and one month prior to turning 3, he found himself sitting behind his first real drumset. Joining his first rock band and signing with his first major label at age 15 was surely the right choice for the young drummer. The band was called `Taste’. This was to give Virgil his early experiences in the studio, with three releases by the band. The relentless touring also allowed him to cultivate and improve his skills where it counts – on stage.At the age of 16, Virgil turned pro to enable him to tour and focus on music, and has since devoted his whole life and soul to his art. The motivation has been his endless and restless pursuit to express himself through his playing. At age 19 Virgil traveled to the U.S. to further study drumming, and also took classes in composition and arranging. Returning to Australia at age 21 his career was alight. He was in demand playing many genres of music, including jazz, rock, pop, theatre and studio work. He also worked with many visiting artists, including jazz pianist George Cables, vocalist Mark Murphy, Branford Marsalis and Kenny Kirkland, Melissa Etheridge. His next taste of commercial success came in the early 90’s with Southern Sons. The band reached double platinum with their debut album. At the same time, throughout the mid 80’s and 90’s, Virgil’s interest in progressive music was exploited with several bands he initiated, most notably Loose Change, and later, On The Virg. In 1996 Virgil uprooted and relocated in the U.S.A., in an attempt to expand onto the world stage. It has since proved to be a very rewarding and productive time. Recording and touring with the likes of Planet X, Steve Vai, CAB, Scott Henderson, Steve Walsh, Tribal Tech, Frank Gambale, Derek Sherinian, Mark Boals, Dave Stewart, Mick Jagger, Josh Stone, and many others, he continues to push the limits of the instrument to astonishing new levels. © 1997 - 2011 Drummerworld.com - Bernhard Castiglioni - Switzerland - all rights reserved http://www.drummerworld.com/drummers/Virgil_Donati.html

Rebecka Törnqvist

Rebecka Törnqvist - Good Thing - 1995 - EMI

If you are not familiar with Rebecka Törnqvist , you really should check out her music. She is a very talented Swedish jazz/pop vocalist with some good albums to her credit, including the two she did with Sara Isaksson as part of the group Gloria. In the late '90s when Swedish jazz-pop became marketable and too commercial, much of the music was watered down, and lost much of it's originality, but Rebecka stood out as a skilled songwriter. Even if "Good Thing" is not as strong as her "A Night Like This" album her talent for songwriting is still obvious. "Good Thing" is a mature, smooth (NOT smooth jazz) and cool combination of jazz and jazz pop with Grade A musicianship by a big part of the Swedish jazz elite. Check out her "Tremble My Heart" album @ REBTORN/TMH Have you heard her magnificent album of Steely Dan cover songs, "Fire In The Hole," which Rebecka recorded with Sara Isaksson. Check it out @ REBTORN/SARISAK/FITH/STDAN Buy her "A Night Like This" album and support good uncommercial jazz pop music. Rebecka's website is @ Rebecka Törnqvist [Tracks @ 224-320 Kbps: File size = 81.2 Mb]

TRACKS

1 Good Thing 3:45
2 Just As Long 4:27
3 Sleep Tight 3:27
4 Julio's Rainbow 4:37
5 You And Your Great Love 4:10
6 Forever More 4:38
7 I Do 4:34
8 Monster Walk 5:13
9 Love Song 3:07
10 Larger Than Life 5:35
11 I Don't Know Why 5:28

All songs composed by Pål Svenre, & Rebecka Törnqvist except "I Do" by Rebecka Törnqvist, "Julio's Rainbow" by Rebecka Törnqvist & Esbjörn Svensson, " Larger Than Life" by Pål Svenre, Rebecka Törnqvist & Marcus Wikström, and "I Don't Know Why" by Shawn Colvin

MUSICIANS

Rebecka Törnqvist - vocals, background vocals
Max Schultz - electric guitar, 6-string acoustic guitar, slide guitar
Lars (Halapi) - electric guitar, 12-string & 6-string acoustic guitar
Henrik Janson - 12-string & 6-string acoustic guitar
Hans Backenroth, Dan Berglund - bass
Urban Werner - double bass [THE SNYKO STRINGS]
Pål Svenre - piano, synthesizer, Fender Rhodes, keyboards, Wurlitzer, vocals, background vocals
Esbjörn Svensson - piano, synthesizer
Mats Asplén - Hammond organ
Christer Wallin, Magnus Öhrström - drums
Jan Robertson - drums, cymbals
René Martinez - percussion
Frederick Ljungqvist - sax
Per "Texas" Johansson - baritone & tenor sax
Per "Ruskträsk" Johansson - alto sax, flute
Leif Lindvall, Peter Asplund - trumpet
Anders Wiborg, Mikael Råberg, Bertil Strandberg - trombone
Bo Eriksson - English horn
Goran Gunnarsson, Håkan Nyqvist - French Horn
Christian Bergqvist, Christos Andered, Ulf Forsberg, Hanna Göran, Mira Malik, Urban Svensson, Paul Waltman, Patrik Swedrup - violin [THE SNYKO STRINGS]
His Åkeson, Elisabeth Arnberg, Mikael Sjöberg - viola [THE SNYKO STRINGS]
Asa Forsberg, Johan Stern - cello [THE SNYKO STRINGS]
Magnus Rongedal, André de Lange, Greta folkesson - background vocals

BIO

Rebecka Törnqvist was probably the most important artist in raising the interest in young female jazz vocalists in Sweden in the '90s, though her solo albums weren't pure jazz, but rather pop with heavy jazz influences. Apart from getting a number of followers in this style, she also revitalized the interest for the whole genre. This was not only her work, but artists like Per "Texas" Johansson have her to thank for increasing the commercial potential for Swedish jazz. Törnqvist's debut album, A Night Like This, was released the same year as Bo Kaspers Orkester released their successful jazzy debut. The albums were similar in some aspects, but where Bo Kaspers Orkester took a witty, ironic stand in jazz music and stretched out towards R&B, Törnqvist lacked the irony and her approach was serious, mature, and smooth. In 1993, Törnqvist made her debut with the album A Night Like This. Backing her was a big part of the Swedish jazz elite, including names like Esbjörn Svensson, Anders Widmark, and Per "Texas" Johansson, and the combination of jazz and pop proved very successful, not least commercially. Törnqvist's next album, Good Thing, was definitely pop, but also showed influences from slick soul and blues. In 1996, she released her first pure jazz album, Stockholm Kaza Session, together with saxophonist Per Texas Johansson and two years later, Tremble My Heart, which was a return to the mix of pop and jazz. The next year she was one of the members in the supergroup Gloria, formed by Lars Halapi, where Törnqvist sang together with singer/songwriter Sara Isaksson. The group released a self-titled album in 1999. In 2001, Törnqvist released a new solo album, this time produced by Halapi, who had also produced Gloria. Vad Jag Vill was her first album in Swedish and was also a step further away from the laid-back jazz-pop that had made her well-known. © Lars Lovén © 2012 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/rebecka-trnqvist-p203541/biography

BIO (WIKI)

Rebecka Törnqvist (born 26 April 1964 in Uppsala, Sweden) is a Swedish jazz and pop vocalist. Her debut album A Night like This was released in 1993 and sold over 100,000 copies. She was nominated for five Swedish Grammys in 1993. This was followed by Good Thing in 1995, which got a platinum record and got her a Swedish Grammy Best Female Pop/Rock Artist of the Year in 1996. Most of the albums by Rebecka Törnqvist are sung in English, with the exception of Vad Jag Vill (2001). She also appears on the Swedish compilation Jul i folkton (BAM, 2005) in the song Det Är En Ros Utsprungen (III), and on another Swedish compilation Dubbel Trubbel (EMI, 2005) with Resan Hem (together with Eldkvarn) and Vad Tänker Han På. Rebecka Törnqvist was probably the most important artist in raising the interest in young female jazz vocalists in Sweden in the '90s, though her solo albums weren't pure jazz, but rather pop with heavy jazz influences. Apart from getting a number of followers in this style, she also revitalized the interest for the whole genre. In 1996 she was awarded Ulla Billquist Stipendiet (Swedish). Rebecka Törnqvist grew up in Africa where her father worked for the Swedish foreign aid organisation Sida.

Brian Knight

Brian Knight - Good Time Down the Road - 1988 - PRT Records

The late Brian Knight was one of the most respected and important figures in British blues history. He was an influential vocalist, slide guitarist, harmonica player and founding member of The Rolling Stones. In the early '60's Brian met Brian Jones on West London's blues circuit. Jones was forming a band, and asked Knight to sing. Geoff Bradford joined the line-up on guitar along with pianist Ian Stewart, bassist Dick Taylor (later of The Pretty Things) and a succession of drummers. It was the beginning of The Rolling Stones. Knight wanted to pursue the Muddy Waters school of blues, while Brian Jones favoured Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry styles. Brian Knight left, and Mick Jagger and Keith Richards later teamed up with Brian Jones, and the rest is history. Brian Knight formed a new band, Blues By Six with Charlie Watts on drums. They gained prestigious London residencies at the Marquee and 100 Club, often supported by "The Rollin' Stones Group". In 1966, exhausted from constant touring, Brian Knight quit making music until the early 70's when he was reunited with Geoff Bradford in a band called The Bradford - Knight Blues Band. A high profile act on the blues circuit, they often welcomed Rick Wakeman and other assorted luminaries onstage for impromptu lunacy! Brian had a unique 'attacking' style of slide and harmonica playing, and from the 70's - 90's he shone as a blues star, performing with Fairport Convention's Bruce Rowland, Ian Stewart (the sixth Stone), Charlie Watts, Peter Green, Dana Gillespie, Paul Jones, Ronnie Lane, Georgie Fame, Zoot Money, Chris Farlowe, Micky Moody, and many more. The gigs he generally played were good venues / festivals in the UK and Europe including a great gig with BB King at The Gosport Festival in the South of England. Even though he played mostly on numerous sessions by other artists, he released a few solo albums. Brian died on September 25th 2001 and should be remembered and celebrated as one of Britain's blues legends. "Good Time Down The Road" was Brian's first solo album, recorded after he'd spent several years away from the UK Blues/R&B circuit. He teamed up with a strong studio band for the album including session guitarist Jon McLoughlin, bassist Ray Bailey and drummer Steve Bray. "Good Time Down the Road" features original material mixed with some "no frills" cover versions of standard blues tracks like "High Heel Sneakers," "Hoochie Coochie Man," "My Babe," and "Meet Me at the Bottom." Despite receiving good reviews the album only made a minor impact due to bad timing problems by record distributors. It is sad that Brian never got the credit he deserved. On his trademark copper topped guitars, he was innovative in his guitar technique, and was one of Britain's greatest slide players. The 2003 CD re-issue includes four live tracks recorded with guitarist Toni Vines, at the 1995 Buxton Alexis Korner Memorial Concert. Try and listen to Brian's "A Dark Horse" album [All tracks @ 160 Kbps: File size = 68.8 Mb]

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1 Hi-Heel Sneakers - Higginbotham
2 Hoochie Coochie Man - Dixon
3 99 Years - Fuller
4 My Babe - Jacobs
5 Good Times Down the Road - Knight
6 Meet Me at the Bottom - Weaver
7 Honey Bee - Waters
8 She Caught the Katy - Mahal
9 Any Way You Want Me to Do - Reed
10 Tired, Broke and Busted - Davis, Dixon

MUSICIANS

Brian Knight - Guitar, Slide Guitar, Harmonica, Vocals
Jon McLoughlin - Guitar
Toni Vines - Guitar on Bonus Tracks
Ray Bailey - Bass
Steve Bray - Drums

BIO

Brian Knight, who has died of cancer aged 61, was a wonderful guitarist who came from that late-1950s repertory company of musicians who provided the cast for the 60s British rhythm and blues boom, but achieved little fame - or money - from it. At the beginning of the 60s, he met Brian Jones at an Ealing r 'n' b club. Jones was forming a band, and Brian became its vocalist; but Brian was a devotee of Muddy Waters, while Jones favoured Chuck Berry, and down such sectarian divisions the band plunged. Jones departed for what became the Rolling Stones while Brian created Blues By Six (BBS). Electric blues was supplanting the "trad" jazz craze, and in clubs BBS - featuring drummer Charlie Watts - became immensely popular, and also backed touring American bluesmen. Overworked Watts, still holding down a day job, moved on, to Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated. Brian was working class, born in north-west London. In the early 1950s, a radio era dominated by crooners, what impressed him was the black American blues singer Josh White, and interest had been sparked. In the mid-1950s, he got his first job as a panel beater in a London garage. Also employed there was the pioneer British blues harmonica player, Cyril Davies. Davies invited Brian to visit the Wardour Street Roundhouse pub - the venue for Davies and Korner's London Skiffle Club and the London Blues and Barrelhouse Club. It was there that Brian heard Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, and Muddy Waters. He was there the night that Big Bill Broonzy had to be extricated from a passionate, if over-enthusiastic, Margaret Mead, the anthropologist, and he helped cart Bill off to my Waterloo flat. In those days, aficionados of American music headed to its source by the cheapest route, by signing up on a merchant ship. So, like the jazzman Ken Colyer, a New Orleans enthusiast, Brian headed west. He spent two years in the US coastal trade, from the Gulf of Mexico to Maine, learning guitar and absorbing the music, visiting black clubs and gospel halls. Back home in 1957 he played his first gig, at the White Hart in Southall. He turned down an invitation from Korner to join Blues Incorporated, as a vocalist. But then came Brian Jones and BBS. The times did not treat Brian kindly. In 1964 Cyril Davies died of leukaemia. Two years later an exhausted Brian quit the music business and bought a garage. In 1967 he married Davies's widow, Marie. He continued to work with bands, perfecting a slide guitar technique that earned the respect of musicians like Ronnie Wood, Peter Green and Eric Clapton - who recorded with him. And then there was Terry and McGhee. Brian had the habit of showing up on their tours - and at their after-show jam sessions. One night, at the Half Moon pub in Putney in 1975, the two Americans were playing when in walked Brian. McGhee put down his guitar, and switched to piano. He was not playing, he announced, when "there was a proper guitarist" around. In his later years he played acoustic guitar and harmonica in East Anglian pubs, inviting local musicians to join him on stage. Brian was an outstanding musician, and if his life history was closer to those of the black Americans who were his inspiration than those of the rock stars who admired him, well, that is perhaps the way he would have preferred it. He is survived by Marie, their two daughters and his stepdaughter and stepson. Brian Knight by & © John Pilgrim - Thursday December 6, 2001 © Guardian News and Media Limited 2008 © 2011, all rights reserved

Larry Coryell

Larry Coryell - Fallen Angel - 1993 - CTI Records

On Fallen Angel, Larry Coryell teams up with arranger Don Sebesky to produce a wide-ranging album full of sampled sounds and programmed tracks in an attempt to mix the old CTI sound of the '70s with the production techniques and rhythms of the '90s. "Inner City Blues" kicks things off with great promise, as Coryell jams over a pre-programmed rhythm track with background vocalists. On "(Angel on Sunset) Bumpin' on Sunset," he improvises along with a sampled Wes Montgomery, then turns Erroll Garner's classic "Misty" into a mid-tempo reggae jaunt through which he and pianist Mulgrew Miller travel lightly. The CTI connection is brought to the forefront with a remake of Deodato's "2001" hit called "Thus Spoke Z," on which the famous theme is implied but never stated. Other highlights include a funky, angular tribute called "Monk's Corner," Sebesky's attractive "I Remember Bill" and the solo "Westerly Wind." There are also two pleasant smooth jazz vocal pieces at the front of the album, the beautiful ballad, "Fallen," a duet between vocalists Klyde Jones and Jeanie Bryson, and the funky made-for-radio "Never Never," featuring saxophonist Richard Elliot and a vocal from Ms. Jones. Fallen Angel was obviously an attempt to find Larry Coryell a place on the smooth jazz playlist, a task it didn't really accomplish. While it is not likely to appease those who bemoan the guitarist's failure to live up to his initial promise, it can be enjoyed if taken on its own terms. © Jim Newsom © 2012 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/album/fallen-angel-r193718/review

"Fallen Angel" is a mix of standards like Stardust, Misty, Stella By Starlight plus two original Coryell compositions.You will notice the absence of a rhythm section and in most cases bass, drums and chords are all programmed by CTI house arranger Don Sebesky. Jim Newsom of allmusic.com noted that this album was an attempt to help Larry Coryell achieve a higher profile in commercial mainstream smooth jazz. There are a few guest musicians and vocalists on the album including Jeanie Bryson who sings duet with Klyde Jones on "Fallen". Jeanie notes that "Don Sebesky, who produced and arranged this record, heard me on our New York area jazz station (WBGO), and recruited me to sing the title tune, "Fallen", as a duet with Klyde Jones. The band did several fun gigs around New York City , and Larry was a gas to work with. Don would later involve me in another wonderful , high-profile project". This album has been criticized in many quarters for being too commercial, too "studio manufactured", and lacking the more "serious" jazz guitar side of Larry Coryell that can be heard in albums like "Fairyland" or "Spaces". It's a mistake to be too orthodox in one's views on jazz. "Fallen Angel" was a successful attempt by Larry Coryell to do something "different". It definitely does not fall into the often bland, elevator style smooth jazz genre, and the album is HR by A.O.O.F.C. A review on Amazon says that "Larry Coryell is one of those talented jazz guitarists who can doze on with MOR smooth jazz material for whole albums - truly lazy playing - but then send a shiver down your spine with one blistering track out of the blue, displaying the man's true heritage with the greats and showing just what he's capable of. So it is with Fallen Angel. Although there are a number of prime examples of Coryell's craft on this collection (Angel on Sunset, Pieta, Thus Spoke Z, Stella by Starlight), the best by miles is Monk's Corner. This is a true original - the master extracting a range of grunts, groans, vibratos and impossible notes from his instrument while dueting with Ted Rosenthal's fractured piano melody, while the rhythm section plays an insistent beat to perfection. Glorious playing to extend the art, and a haunting riff to boot. 4.0 out of 5 stars Worth buying for Monk's Corner alone, 4 Feb 2004 By & © Andy Millward (Tiptree, Essex, UK) © 1996-2012, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fallen-Angel-Larry-Coryell/dp/B00003L2CN" Listen to Larry's incredible playing on his "Monk, 'Trane, Miles & Me" album

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1 Inner City Blues - James Nyx, Marvin Gaye 3:31
2 Fallen - Lauren Wood 3:45
3 Never Never - Lyrics by Klyde Jones & Music by Don Sebesky 3:34
4 Angel On Sunset - Don Sebesky, Wes Montgomery 5:40
5 Stardust - Hoagy Carmichael, Mitchell Parish 5:55
6 Misty - Erroll Garner 4:32
7 I Remember Bill - Don Sebesky 3:07
8 Pieta - Sergei Rachmaninoff 5:53
9 Thus Spoke Z - Richard Strauss 4:49
10 Stella By Starlight - Ned Washington, Victor Young 4:31
11 Monk's Corner - Don Sebesky, Larry Coryell 6:26
12 Westerly Wind - Larry Coryell 2:04
13 The Moors - Larry Coryell 2:53

MUSICIANS

Larry Coryell - Electric & Acoustic Guitar
Romero Lubambo - Electric & Acoustic Guitar
Wes Montgomery - Electric Guitar (Sampled) on "Angel On Sunset"
Dori Caymmi - Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
Nico Assumpção - Bass
Luiz Avellar - Keyboards
Don Sebesky, Jamie Lawrence - Synthesizer
Mulgrew Miller - Piano on "Stardust", "Misty", & "Thus Spoke Z"
Ted Rosenthal - Piano on "Pieta", & "Monk's Corner"
Billy Cobham - Drums
Tiao Oliveira, Monica Millet - Percussion
Donald Harrison Alto & Soprano Sax.
Richard Elliot - Tenor Sax. on "Fallen", & "Never Never"
Chris Hunter - Alto Sax. on "Thus Spoke Z"
Márcio Montarroyos - Trumpet
Klyde Jones - Vocals on "Inner City Blues", "Fallen", & "Never Never"
Jeanie Bryson - Vocals on "Fallen"

ABOUT LARRY CORYELL

As one of the pioneers of jazz-rock -- perhaps the pioneer in the ears of some -- Larry Coryell deserves a special place in the history books. He brought what amounted to a nearly alien sensibility to jazz electric guitar playing in the 1960s, a hard-edged, cutting tone, phrasing and note-bending that owed as much to blues, rock and even country as it did to earlier, smoother bop influences. Yet as a true eclectic, armed with a brilliant technique, he is comfortable in almost every style, covering almost every base from the most decibel-heavy, distortion-laden electric work to the most delicate, soothing, intricate lines on acoustic guitar. Unfortunately, a lot of his most crucial electric work from the '60s and '70s is missing on CD, tied up by the erratic reissue schemes of Vanguard, RCA and other labels, and by jazz-rock's myopically low level of status in the CD era (although that mindset is slowly changing). According to Coryell, his interest in jazz took hold at the age of four, and after his family moved from Galveston to the state of Washington three years later, he began to learn the guitar, studying records by Tal Farlow, Barney Kessel and Johnny Smith. As a teenager, he played in a band led by pianist Mike Mandel, and by 1965, he gave up his journalism studies at the University of Washington in order to try his luck in New York as a musician. Before the year was out, he attracted much attention jamming in Greenwich Village and replaced Gabor Szabo in Chico Hamilton's band. In 1966, he made a startling recorded debut on Hamilton's The Dealer album, where his blues and rock ideas came to the fore, and that year, he also played with a proto-jazz-rock band, the Free Spirits. Coryell's name spread even further in 1967-68 when he played with Gary Burton's combo, and he was one of the most prominent solo voices on Herbie Mann's popular Memphis Underground album (recorded in 1968). He, Mandel and Steve Marcus formed a group called Foreplay in 1969 (no relation to today's Fourplay), and by 1973, this became the core of the jazz-rock band Eleventh House, which after a promising start ran aground with a string of albums of variable quality. In 1975, Coryell pulled the plug, concentrating on acoustic guitar and turning in a prolific series of duo and trio sessions with the likes of Philip Catherine, Emily Remler, John Scofield, Joe Beck, Steve Khan and John McLaughlin. In the mid-'80s, Coryell toured with McLaughlin and Paco DeLucia, and in 1986 participated in a five-way guitar session with his old idol Farlow, Scofield, Larry Carlton and John Abercrombie for the Jazzvisions series. Coryell has also recorded with Stephane Grappelli, Charles Mingus, Sonny Rollins and Kenny Barron, and has taped Brazilian music with Dori Caymmi for CTI, mainstream jazz for Muse, solo guitar for Shanachie and Acoustic Music, and (for Nippon Phonogram in Japan) an album of classical transcriptions of music by Stravinsky and Rimsky-Korsakov. In other words, Coryell will probably remain as eclectic as ever throughout his career, which will no doubt make life difficult for musicologists with a yen for pigeonholing. Coryell's career in the 21st century has been just as active. 2004 saw the release of Tricycles, an excellent trio date with drummer Paul Wertico and bassist Mark Egan. Electric from 2005 found Coryell playing jazz standards and rock anthems with Lenny White on drums and Victor Bailey on electric bass. In 2006, he released the performance album Laid Back & Blues: Live at the Sky Church in Seattle. © Richard S. Ginell © 2011 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/larry-coryell-p6340/biography

Stephen Bennett

Stephen Bennett - Alert the Authorities - 2008 - Cimirron/Rainbird

Nine covers of old standards and three originals by the master of the harp guitar, Stephen Bennett. This guy is talented beyond belief. That talent doesn't include his vocals! Stephen has said that "I am delighted to proclaim that no pitch altering technology was used for this project. To make it still sound ok, I have intentionally de-tuned the guitars so that you don't notice now bad the vocals really are...one does what what one must...". We believe you Stephen. Thousands wouldn't! Listen to Stephen's "Reflections" album, and check out his sensational "Beatles Acoustic Guitar Solos" For more great acoustic guitar, check out Laurence Juber on this blog

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1. The Garden Song - Tray Eppes 2:48
2. Tuxedo Junction - Hawkins & Feyne 2:49
3. It's Only A Paper Moon - Arlen & Harburg 2:38
4. I'm Beginning To See The Light - George, Hodges, Ellington, James 2:19
5. What A Wonderful World - Thiele & Weiss 4:43
6. Hernando's Hideaway - Adler & Ross 3:03
7. It's You I Like - Fred Rogers 2:42
8. Mind's All Troubled Blues - Reverend Gary Davis 3:38
9. Dumpster Love - Stephen Bennett & Steve Taylor (some lyrics) 3:22
10. On The Occasion Of Our Anniversary - Stephen Bennett 3:11
11. Just Like You - Pete Wernick 3:30
12. Thanks - Stephen Bennett 4:32

MUSICIANS

Stephen Bennett - Acoustic, Harp, Slide, & National Guitar: Clarinet on "I'm Beginning To See The Light"
Jimmy Masters - Upright Bass on "I'm Beginning To See The Light"

BIO

Stephen Bennett is an extraordinary musician, an acknowledged master of the harp guitar, a challenging teacher, a gifted composer, and a performer of astounding sensitivity. The Toronto Fingerstyle Guitar Association calls him “the Jedi Master of Fingerstyle Guitar”… Stephen has traveled the world and performed with the best. From California to Maine, Texas to Tennessee, as well as around Europe, Canada, Australia and Japan, Stephen has played all sorts of venues and events. He has released 20 recordings of music, along with a couple of DVDs, books and other instructional materials – and he’s always working on something new! The testimony of those who hear Stephen is that his work is the product of both mind and heart, intellectually challenging and emotionally satisfying – - and it is deeply personal, even as it is universal. Listeners have a feeling that they have stepped into the world of the musician, and for a short moment in time, there are only the two of them there. Says one reviewer: “With his ear near the body of the harp guitar, Mr. Bennett gave the impression of a father cradling a newborn baby . . . His performance was imbued with heart and grace.” The producer of a Texas music Festival writes, “Stephen’s music draws the listener in. He has the ability to make you feel as though you are a part of the music he is making. From France: “Stephen’s compositions are so beautiful, filled with great emotion and great sensitivity. He is one of those musicians who serve the music, and only the music.” “When I first heard him playing a few years ago in France, I felt like I had been pushed into a different world, where the lost emotions come back to your heart and make it beat in a different way. What Stephen can do, and few artists have this gift, is to speak directly to your heart and to move your best feelings!” Pierpaolo Adda, music journalist and festival promoter, Italy.“The image of Stephen Bennett embracing his harp guitar is the one that tends to linger. The fact that Stephen is only too happy to champion the cause of the harp guitar may inadvertently obscure his abilities on the six-string instrument. In what is becoming known as the Golden Age of Guitar Luthiery, it’s easy to overlook the fact that this is also the Golden Age of Guitar Playing. With six strings or more, as one of the most original and prolific composers and arrangers for the guitar on the current scene, Stephen Bennett is clearly a part of the latter heritage.” S. Rekas – Mel Bay Publications Stephen is also is the founder of the Harp Guitar Gathering, an event that celebrated its seventh season in October of 2009. The HGG seeks to celebrate all things harp guitar as it brings players, luthiers, scholars and fans together for a weekend of performances, workshops and camaraderie.Whether playing his great-grandfather’s harp guitar, slide on his National resonator guitar, or a standard six-string, Stephen Bennett is a musician to hear. His music has won awards and critical praise. In live performance and on record, his diverse musical influences and interests are joined in a life-long love affair with the sound of guitar strings. © 2009 Harp Guitar. Conforms to W3C Standard XHTML & CSS 2.8.6, http://truefiretv.net/sites/harpguitar2/?page_id=51

MORE ABOUT STEPHEN BENNETT

Stephen Bennett is one of the greatest performers and songwriters that we have ever had the pleasure of knowing. His music moves and inspires us to no end. Guitarist Stephen Bennett was born in Oregon, grew up in New York and has lived in Virginia for the last twenty-five years. Since his 1987 win at the National Flatpicking Championship, held in Winfield, Kansas, USA, he has come to be known as a guitar master, one who consistently garners critical praise and audience enthusiasm for his recordings and live performances. He is the only person to ever win awards in both flatpicking and fingerpicking styles in the nearly 30-year history of the National Guitar Championships. His arrangement and performance of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite has been played on radio stations around the United States and is regarded in some quarters as the alternative version. As one of the world's only performers on the too long neglected harp guitar, Stephen has created arrangements of classic tunes and composed new music as well. Three of his harp guitar compositions have been included in compilations on the Narada label, with the latest due out in March of 2001. Three other of his pieces have been licensed by the Bose Corporation. Stephen performs regularly around the US and recently in Europe as well, including a recent performance on Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion. Armed with a standard six-string, an old National steel resonator guitar, his harp guitar, a broad repertoire, and thirty-five years of guitar playing experience, Stephen Bennett engages his audiences with an entertaining show of first-rate musicianship. © http://www.pick-uptheworld.com/featuredartist.html

Isotope

Isotope - Illusion - 1974 - Gull

Gary Boyle formed the great jazz-rock band, Isotope in 1973 with three other experienced jazz musicians, Nigel Morris, Brian Miller & Jeff Clyne (ex Nucleus). The band released three good albums during the mid 70s, which were well received, with some reviews comparing the band to John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra. "Illusion" is a great album in the Canterbury influenced progressive jazz rock fusion mould. For music in the same vein, search this blog for albums by Ian Carr/Ian Carr's Nucleus. Three albums worth hearing are Gary Boyle's wonderful "Games" album, Brand X's "Moroccan Roll" album, and Nucleus' "Labyrinth" album. Check out Isotope & Gary Boyle's - "Live At The BBC" album on this blog. Also check out Hugh Hopper on this blog

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

A1 Illusion - Gary Boyle 3:54
A2 Rangoon Creeper - Laurence Scott 5:54
A3 Spanish Sun - Gary Boyle 7:45
A4 E-Dorian - Hugh Hopper 2:00

B1 Frog - Gary Boyle 2:30
B2 Sliding Dogs, Lion Sandwich - Hugh Hopper 5:59
B3 Golden Section - Hugh Hopper 5:13
B4 Marin County Girl - Gary Boyle 2:06
B5 Lily Kong - Hugh Hopper 2:33
B6 Temper Tantrum - Laurence Scott 3:42

BAND

Gary Boyle - Guitar
Hugh Hopper - Bass
Laurence Scott - Keyboards
Nigel Morris - Drums

BIO

The more-jazz-than-rock fusion band Isotope may have not had the longest career, but they played an integral part in the Canterbury Scene with some of its key players spending time in the band. Guitarist Gary Boyle had been playing in Dusty Springfield's band for a couple of years before he caught the prog rock bug. He got it while playing in Brian Auger & the Trinity and afterward decided to go back to school to further his musical studies. After leaving school he played with Keith Tippett and Mike Gibbs, but it was in Stomu Yamash'ta's East West band that he met drummer Nigel Morris. The two formed Isotope in 1973 and soon bassist Jeff Clyne was onboard. The band's self-titled debut appeared in 1974, followed soon after by Clyne's departure. Former East West bassist Hugh Hopper joined the band in March of 1974, the same year Boyle was to place third in the category of "Best British Guitarists" in Melody Maker's reader poll. Keyboardist Laurence Scott was added to the band for 1975's Illusion and the band gathered more fans on a U.K. tour supporting Gong. Hopper and Scott left the band and were replaced by bassist Dan K. Brown and two keyboardists — Frank Roberts and Zoe Kronberger — for 1976's Deep End. Management and record company struggles caused the band to break up in 1977. The See for Miles label reissued the band's albums in the mid-'90s and Hux unearthed two radio sessions for 2004's Live at the BBC. © David Jeffries, allmusic.com

BIO (WIKI)

Hugh Hopper and Laurence Scott (b. 7 Feb 1946) respectively. After touring, this new line-up recorded Illusion. Further touring followed and there were various personnel changes. Deep End was recorded in 1976 with two keyboardists, Zoe Kronberger and Frank Roberts. Hopper played on one track, but the bass was otherwise handled by Dan K. Brown. Boyle subsequently focused on a solo career.

MORE ABOUT ISOTOPE

This British jazz-rock group was founded in June 1972 by guitarist Gary Boyle, who had previously played with Dusty Springfield, Brian Auger and Eclection, as well as guesting on numerous jazz sessions. The original line-up of the band featured former Nucleus bassist Jeff Clyne, as well as two unknown young players he'd met on the jazz circuit : keyboardist/composer Brian Miller (who wrote almost all the tracks on the band's eponymous debut) and drummer Nigel Morris. The original line-up briefly featured Stan Sulzmann (sax) and Aureo De Souza (percussion°. The band soon signed with Gull Records in England and Motown (!) in the USA, and started touring colleges and clubs around Britain, as well as touring on the continent - France, Germany and Scandinavia. In March 1974, shortly after the release of the first album, a clash of egos led to Miller and Clyne suddenly leaving. They were replaced by Laurence Scott, a semi-pro keyboard player, and Hugh Hopper, whom Boyle had met while working with Stomu Yamash'ta. The new line-up embarked on a UK tour in June and July, followed by dates in Germany and the Netherlands in August. They then entered the studio, with Poli Palmer (ex-Eclection and Family) producing, to record Illusion. The writing was now shared equally between Boyle, Scott and Hopper. Intensive touring in Britain followed, and a US tour was undertaken in March and April 1975. Percussionist Aureo DeSouza was then added to the line-up for a European tour, and drummer Jeff Seopardie also reinforced the band for British dates later that year. In December 1975, Scott left and was replaced by Frank Roberts. At that point, management problems resulted in a very difficult financial situation and Hugh Hopper decided to leave. In March 1976, a third album, Deep End, was recorded (production duties were handled by Brand X's Robin Lumley), with Hopper playing on only his own composition "Fonebone". Bassist Dan K. Brown and second keyboardist Zoe Kronberger were added at that point, but gigs became sparser. There was one last line-up change in 1977, with only Boyle surviving from previous incarnations, alongside Geoff Downes on keyboards (later in Yes and Asia), Steve Shone on bass and Colin Wilkinson on drums, but this new Isotope never went beyond the rehearsal stage, only recording a couple of radio sessions. Gary Boyle subsequently embarked on a solo career. © http://calyx.perso.neuf.fr/bands/related.html

GARY BOYLE BIO

b. 24 November 1941, Patna, India. After learning to play the guitar during childhood, Boyle attended the Leeds College of Music in the north of England in the early 60s. He then joined Eclection, a folk rock band. His first high-profile engagement was a mid-60s spell with singer Dusty Springfield. He then made concert tours of the UK, Europe and the USA, and also sometimes recorded, backing artists such as Brian Auger and Julie Driscoll. In the early 70s he was a London-based session musician, appearing on numerous albums as well as playing on radio, television and on film scores, together with a stint composing jingles. Among artists with whom he recorded during this period are Mike Gibbs, Bert Jansch, Keith Tippett, Mike Westbrook, Norma Winstone and Stomu Yamash'ta. He also backed saxophonist Eddie Harris for a gig at Ronnie Scott's club. Despite all this activity, Boyle was eager to lead his own band and in 1973 he formed Isotope with, initially, Jeff Clyne (bass), Brian Miller (keyboards) and Nigel Norris (drums). During the two years of this jazz-fusion band's existence there were national and international tours and a number of albums. In the late 70s, now a solo artist, Boyle was voted New Star in the Melody Maker Poll and his first solo album, The Dancer, won the Pop/Jazz Award at the Montreux International Jazz Festival. In the early 80s Boyle was resident for a while in Denmark, where he recorded further albums. Back in the UK, he formed a trio he named Triple Echo with which group he featured the Roland Guitar Synthesizer. He also became deeply involved in education and has taught at several establishments, chiefly in the north west of England, including Wigan & Leigh College and the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts. In addition to jazz rock fusion, Boyle has also sustained an interest in traditional folk music. Other artists with whom Boyle appeared over the years are John Etheridge, Jim Mullen and Eberhard Weber. In the early 00s, in addition to leading his own trio, he was also co-leader of the Gary Boyle/Nat Birchall Quartet and sometimes worked in duo with singer Brigitte Escobar. © IPC MEDIA 1996-2009, All rights reserved

David Fiuczynski

David Fiuczynski - KiF Express - 2008 - Fuzelicious Morsels

Highly inventive jazz fusion from the virtuosic and amazing futuristic fusion/jazz-rock guitarist, David "Fuze" Fiuczynski. Phil DiPietro in All About Jazz said of this album that "Kif Express places Fuze beyond cutting-edge, as a conceptualist of daunting capabilities and unwavering vision and one of the instrument's continuously consistent innovators. It shows not only that no other guitarist can do all the things he does, it provides glaring, dazzling proof that they're not even attempting". This album is HR by A.O.O.F.C. Listen to Dave's "Black Cherry Acid Lab" and "Jazzpunk" albums. The "Screaming Headless Torsos" album is @ SCHETO [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 144 Mb]

TRACKS

1 Shiraz 5:01
2 Moonring Bacchanal 4:44
3 Sakura - Ying Hua 5:39
4 Cumin 7:25
5 Habibi Bounce 5:58
6 Fung Wah Express 6:04
7 Arcadia Finlandis 2:40
8 Phoenix Rising 6:47
9 Almond Pear 8:48
10 Ek Balaam 4:24
11 Sakalahachi 6:23

All tracks composed by David Fiuczynski except "Habibi Bounce" by David Fiuczynski & Lian Amber, and "Fung Wah Express" by David Fiuczynski & Mike Rivard

MUSICIANS

David "Fuze" Fiuczynski - Guitar, Guitar Overdubs, Programming, Additional Beat & Sound Programming
Steve Jenkins - Bass
Mike Rivard - Double Bass on Track 7
Jim Funnell - Keyboards on Tracks 4, 9
Skoota Warner - Drums, Bertram Lehmann - Drums on Track 7
Daniel Sadownick - Percussion on Tracks 2, 3, 4, 9, 10
Nikolay Moiseenko - Alto Saxophone on Tracks 4, 9
Geni Skendo - Shakuhachi Flute on Track 11

SHORT BIO

Guitarist David "Fuze" Fiuczynski came to prominence with the 1994 release, titled Lunar Crush. An outing that also featured the heavy-handed and sweeping sound and style of Hammond B-3 organ specialist John Medeski, of "Medeski, Martin & Wood" fame. Thus, Fiuczynski's angular and often unorthodox phrasing along with ferocious chops and an expansive jazz fusion/rock vernacular alerted more than just a few. The "Fuze" has also recorded with drummer Ronald Shannon Jackson's high-octane ensembles, trumpeter Jack Walrath, New York City "Downtown" composer/saxophonist John Zorn, the late modern jazz pianist Don Pullen, and may others of note. However, the guitarist's Screaming Headless Torsos quartet boasts world-beat rhythms integrated with complex jazz fusion time signatures and blaring psychedelic overtones atop the rhythm section's bone crushing backbeats. Fiuczynski's 1999 effort, Jazz Punk, also serves as an enticing glimpse into the artist's diverse repertoire and willingness to incorporate disparate art forms into his modernist approach. With this release, the "Fuze" demonstrates a tremendous faculty for melding Chopin, John Philip Sousa, Hendrix, and other composers of note, into jazzy, electrified themes and shrewd statements with raw, unaffected firepower. Fiuczynski's 2001 outing titled Amandala was produced and recorded for his FuzeLicious Morsels label, as the artist continues to seek out new terrain while also paralleling his signature mode of execution with forward-thinking methodologies and novel applications. © Glenn Astarita © 2011 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/david-fiuczynski-p76393/biography

Jay Hooks

Jay Hooks - Red Line - 2002 - Provogue

Julypm (houstonpress.com/2003-04-24/music/jay-hooks) said that "Blues musicians in the US don't get the recognition here that they deserve. It's not because we are 'spoiled by an excess of worthy talent', but rather exposed to an excess of worthless talent. Those of you with a Lady Gaga or Madonna collection will have no idea what I'm speaking of. Those with a Trower, Hendrix, Winter, Erickson or Gales collection know for sure what I mean".

Jesus himself said that no man is a prophet in his own hometown, and very often that proverb can be applied to musicians as well. Ask Jay Hooks. While the blues-rock shredder plays to audiences of hundreds and even thousands across Europe, it's mostly small clubs and sports bars once his boots hit the sizzling H-town concrete. Even his record label is Dutch. Hooks's third record finds him still exporting his driving brand of Texas blues, one that continues to improve with each release. This hugely talented guitarist's ringing tones and dirty sound recall his heroes Freddie King, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Albert Collins, but Red Line betrays his equal fondness for '70s boogie rockers like Savoy Brown and Humble Pie. The best material here -- "Last Stand," the hook-laden "Findin' My Way" and the danceable "Lowlands" -- affords him breathing room for lightning-fast fret workouts. Aided by the drumming of King's X skin thumper Jerry Gaskill and longtime bassist Maria Del Prete, Hooks's sweaty bar band is firmly grounded in its blue-collar, beer-swilling roots. It's music that doesn't just blow through stop signs -- it runs them down. Other aspects of the package, though, don't fare so well. Hooks's limited vocal skill restricts much of his singing to flat, unemotional tones, and the lyrics rarely stray from traditional blues-rock imagery: lots of being on the road, outlaw behavior, rainstorms and coldhearted women who still give ya fever. One could say that European audiences, in their love and appreciation for real American music played by real Americans, ignorantly make stars out of average talents. But had he never set foot on foreign soil, Jay Hooks would still be considered a top-notch axman in Houston, or any other Yank city. The only reason more people here don't go out to his shows is that we're spoiled by an excess of truly worthy talent. By & © Bob Ruggiero Thursday, Apr 24 2003 © 2012 Houston Press, LP, All rights reserved
http://www.houstonpress.com/2003-04-24/music/jay-hooks/

Jay Hooks has been playing around Houston area and Texas for a long time and this CD gives me the feel that his real element is the live setting. That's not saying that this CD is bad by any means, but the style of music just screams for a live club setting. Hooks started playing guitar when he was ten and was taken with Stevie Ray Vaughn, Johnny Winter and Jimi Hendrix. As a lot of other artists, Jay Hooks spent a few years performing as a sideman honing his chops. The last year before going solo was spent on a countrywide tour with Antone’s recording artist Miss Lavelle White. It always seems that artists who have spent time as a sideman seem to have a little more going for them as they understand the concept of what each member of a band is supposed to do. Bottom Line: Solid Texas rockin blues with lots of guitar work. If your a guitar freak, or you dig Texas style blues, then you should like this CD. the musicianship is good, the vocals work well within the setting, although they are not fantastic. If you like Texas blues, then you should like this CD. There's not a lot of new territory explored here, but Jay Hooks has explored and knows the territory well. These guys should be really good in a live setting based upon the CD. Lots of energy and blues rock attitude. I give it a solid three out of five stars. by & © Robert T. Murphy Review date: February 2004 "This review is copyright © 2004 by Robert T. Murphy, and Blues On Stage at: www.mnblues.com, all rights reserved. Copy, duplication or download prohibited without permission." http://www.mnblues.com/cdreview/2004/jayhook-redline-rm.html

This is the second full-length album of Houston native Jay Hooks for Provogue – Mascot Records. This youngster started his solo career in 1997, after having toured with Miss Lavelle White band, with his debut release “Hooked Up” for Sunburst Records. His first, self-titled, record for Provogue was released in 2000. Amongst his friends are Joe “Guitar” Hughes, Albert Collins and Billy Gibbons; and their influences surely can be heard. Traditional Texas blues (rock) reminding of S.R.V. and Rory Gallagher (“Burning Up”), ZZ Top (“Cold Natural Thang”), and sometimes close to BB King’s vibrato (“Strong Love”).As an extra, the listener gets a well-performed version of Hendrix’ ”Freedom”. Hooks is a well-educated, traditional guitarist, but his vocals could use a bit more fire at times. One of the best songs vocally is “Wicked Wayward Son”, where the voice is just supported by a slide-guitar. The pretty mainstream production by Hadden Sayers is all right, as it fits the music. Together with bass player Delprete, and drummer Gaskill (ex- Kings X), Hooks has managed to deliver a varied album within the borders of traditional blues-rock. © (Cor) Rating: 6.5/10 © Rockezine.com Sep 07, 2002 http://rockezine.com/asp/rez_areview.asp?ID=661&review=Jay%20Hooks%20-%20Red%20Line

The great state of Texas, USA has turned out some of the greatest blues/rock artists of all time. Legends like Albert Collins, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Johnny Winter, Bobby Mack, and many others have produced some phenomenal blues rock. In fact, Texas blues/rock has become a genre unto itself. Jay Hooks can be added to this list. He used to play to audiences of thousands across Europe, and yet when he hit Houston, it was mostly the small bars and club venues where he hung out. He is constantly overlooked as a great blues rock artist, even though he is an experienced and proven performer who has always preserved the great, traditional Texas blues/rock sound. Unlike many of his contemporaries who have "sold out" to playing mediocre "run-of-the mill" commercial blues rock, Jay stayed loyal to the classic roots blues rock sound of the past, the kind of sound that helped to make the incomparable Stevie Ray and others so great. Jay Hooks is one hell of a good axeman, and "Red Line" is a great example of the traditional Texas blues/rock sound with stellar guitar work and a kick ass groove. Jay can be a fiery and passionate guitarist, influenced by greats like Freddie King, SRV, Johnny Winter, and Jimi Hendrix. Jay has said, "I work real hard on perfecting my sound and have no plans of backing off the Hendrix/Vaughan style. I'm only interested in working on strictly guitar driven blues." Jay has had personal problems over the last few years and now only jams occasionally, sometimes with Maria Del Prete. "Red Line" is HR by A.O.O.F.C. Buy his great s/t album. You won't be disappointed. Support real musicians who play real music. Does anyone in the Houston area know if Jay is still playing? [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 106 Mb]

TRACKS

1 Burnin’’ Up 3.08
2 Last Stand 4.00
3 Once Around The Moon 4.33
4 Cold Natured Thang 2.54
5 Strong Love 4.56
6 Findin’’ My Way 5.14
7 Wicked Wayward Son 2.42
8 Across The Pond 3.11
9 Lowlands 3.13
10 Do Whatcha Gotta Do 4.24
11 Half Hell Half Voodoo 5.19
12 Freedom

BAND

Jay Hooks - Guitar, Vocals
Maria Del Prete - Bass, Vocals
Jerry Gaskill - Drums

SHORT BIO

Houston native Jay Hooks can stand shoulder to shoulder with the long list of Texas electric blues guitar legends he emulates. He grew up playing guitar on the Houston bar circuit throughout the late '70s and '80s, earning his stripes by playing in the shadow of local legends like Albert Collins and Billy Gibbons. Taking a nod from these sources, Hooks' was able to incorporate the highly typified electric blues/rock sound of Stevie Ray Vaughan with his affinity for more traditional blues influences. He received his first major exposure after he was asked to join Texas R&B die-hard "Miss" Lavelle White on a series of national tours. Hooks intermittently toured as White's guitarist for about a year before putting together a backing band and going solo in 1997. He went into the studio as a band leader and came out with his solo debut, Hooked Up. The album features a collection of gritty, rock-tinged electric blues numbers that didn't stray far outside the conventions that his aforementioned guitar heroes had brought into an international spotlight. That same spotlight also found Hooks at the end of the '90s when a European record executive by the name of Ed van Zyl heard the record and offered Hooks a contract with international marketing and distribution. The result of the contract was a self-titled sophomore effort that Hooks recorded under the guidance of producer Ben Elliot (whose resumé boasts the likes of Leslie West and Eric Clapton) for Provogue/Mascot Records. Jay Hooks' self-titled full-length recalled the strong regional traditions of Texas' super-charged blues and was released in the fall of 2000. © Nate Cavalieri © 2012 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/jay-hooks-p443197/biography

MORE

Texas, a place where history vibrates through the land and its images are compelling and timeless, especially for guitar driven blues. From Albert Collins to Johnny Winter to ZZ Top the best music from Texas has always featured a healthy dose of guitar. Now meet Jay Hooks with his powerful blend of slashing guitar and soulful vocals.Jay Hooks the, 30 year old Houston native who in his early years as a musician sought out and befriended a number of blues legends such as Joe "Guitar" Hughes, Albert Collins, and Billy Gibbons. As a teenager Jay hung out with an older crowd of people, and they would take him to see these great blues guitarists. Inevitably that early experience fueled his desire to become a soaring guitar player and vocalist. After a few years of playing guitar with local musicians, Antones recording artist, Miss Lavelle White, approached Jay, and hired him to go on the road throughout the U.S. and Canada in support of her new release; however after a year stint with Miss Lavelle, Jay knew it was time to start his own band. In early 1997, Jay went into Sugar Hills Studios (Houston) with his new band and recorded his debut release "Hooked Up" for Sunburst Records. The CD was released that summer and was well received. After successfully touring his trio throughout the Southwest, Sunburst Records decided to license "Hooked Up" in the European market. That effort caught the attention of Provogue-Mascot record executive, Ed van Zyl, who offered Jay a recording contract. Jay traveled to New York City to record with producer Ben Elliott at Showplace Studios which resulted in the self-titled CD for Provogue-mascot, Jay Hooks, that was released worldwide in the fall of 2000. Ben has recorded blues legends Peter Green, Leslie West and Eric Clapton to name a few. The CD features 12 originals that Jay co-wrote with David Whitehead, and as Jay Hooks so bluntly puts it, "I work real hard on perfecting my sound and have no plans of backing off the Hendrix/Vaughan style. I'm only interested in working on strictly guitar driven blues." This is Jay Hooks - deep-involved feelings with hard driving guitar. After all, when the house lights come up, it ain't what you play; it's how you play. © 2007 Hotburrito http://www.hotburrito.nl/ency/bluesrock/jayhooks.html

Jay Hooks

Jay Hooks - Hooked Up - 1997 - Sunburst

The great state of Texas, USA has turned out some of the greatest blues/rock artists of all time. Legends like Albert Collins, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Johnny Winter, Bobby Mack, and many others have produced some phenomenal blues rock. In fact, Texas blues/rock has become a genre unto itself. Jay Hooks can be added to this list. He used to play to audiences of thousands across Europe, and yet when he hit Houston, it was mostly the small bars and club venues where he hung out. He is constantly overlooked as a great blues rock artist, even though he is an experienced and proven performer who has always preserved the great, traditional Texas blues/rock sound. Unlike many of his contemporaries who have "sold out" to playing mediocre "run-of-the mill" commercial blues rock, Jay stayed loyal to the classic roots blues rock sound of the past, the kind of sound that helped to make the incomparable Stevie Ray and others so great. Jay Hooks is one hell of a good axeman, and "Hooked Up" is a great example of the traditional Texas blues/rock sound with stellar guitar work and kick ass groove. Jay can be a fiery and passionate guitarist, influenced by greats like Freddie King, SRV, Johnny Winter, and Jimi Hendrix. Jay has said, "I work real hard on perfecting my sound and have no plans of backing off the Hendrix/Vaughan style. I'm only interested in working on strictly guitar driven blues." Jay has had personal problems over the last few years and now only jams occasionally, sometimes with Maria Del Prete. Julypm (houstonpress.com/2003-04-24/music/jay-hooks) said that "Blues musicians in the US don't get the recognition here that they deserve. It's not because we are 'spoiled by an excess of worthy talent', but rather exposed to an excess of worthless talent. Those of you with a Lady Gaga or Madonna collection will have no idea what I'm speaking of. Those with a Trower, Hendrix, Winter, Erickson or Gales collection know for sure what I mean". "Hooked Up" is HR by A.O.O.F.C. Buy his great s/t album. You won't be disappointed. Support real musicians who play real music [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 80.5 Mb] N.B: Does anyone in the Houston area know if Jay is still playing?

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1. Greenlight (Ronnie Earl) [3'57'']
2. Ridin' The Blind (Mix Irving Music) [3'57'']
3. Strait Whiskey (J.Hooks, D. Whitehead) [3'31'']
4. All Your Lovin' (Otis Rush) [4'31'']
5. Ako's (Ronnie Earl) [4'09'']
6. I Don't Believe (Don Robey) [3'21'']
7. Right Place Wrong Time (Otis Rush) [5'02'']
8. Smothered (J.Hooks, D. Whitehead) [4'05'']
9. Villa Nova Junction (Jimi Hendrix) [2'48'']

BAND

Jay Hooks - Guitar, Vocals
Marie Del Prete - Bass, Vocals
Lil Joe Frenchwood - Drums

SHORT BIO

Houston native Jay Hooks can stand shoulder to shoulder with the long list of Texas electric blues guitar legends he emulates. He grew up playing guitar on the Houston bar circuit throughout the late '70s and '80s, earning his stripes by playing in the shadow of local legends like Albert Collins and Billy Gibbons. Taking a nod from these sources, Hooks' was able to incorporate the highly typified electric blues/rock sound of Stevie Ray Vaughan with his affinity for more traditional blues influences. He received his first major exposure after he was asked to join Texas R&B die-hard "Miss" Lavelle White on a series of national tours. Hooks intermittently toured as White's guitarist for about a year before putting together a backing band and going solo in 1997. He went into the studio as a band leader and came out with his solo debut, Hooked Up. The album features a collection of gritty, rock-tinged electric blues numbers that didn't stray far outside the conventions that his aforementioned guitar heroes had brought into an international spotlight. That same spotlight also found Hooks at the end of the '90s when a European record executive by the name of Ed van Zyl heard the record and offered Hooks a contract with international marketing and distribution. The result of the contract was a self-titled sophomore effort that Hooks recorded under the guidance of producer Ben Elliot (whose resumé boasts the likes of Leslie West and Eric Clapton) for Provogue/Mascot Records. Jay Hooks' self-titled full-length recalled the strong regional traditions of Texas' super-charged blues and was released in the fall of 2000. © Nate Cavalieri © 2012 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/jay-hooks-p443197/biography

Aged 18, bassist, Marie Del Prete was the youngest permanent employee of NASA Johnson Space Center, Awards/Astronaut Selection Office. After 6 years, tired of "pen pushing" she quit when she was offered a 2 year acting/modelling contract. She could have renewed her contract but accepted a job offer from Stubbs Cycles to be the first computer/service writer woman in Houston for a steadier income. Then, Jay Hooks asked her to play bass in his band and sign a 5 record deal. She dropped everything to follow that dream.

Terry Herman Trio (Beatles Related)

Terry Herman Trio - Blue Michelle - 1984 - Denon

A very early, and very hard to find jazz CD from 1984 of nine instrumental Beatles' covers by the obscure Terry Herman Trio on the Japanese Denon label. There is very little about this band on the net, except that they have released other albums under the name of Teru Sakamoto who seems to be the same "person" as Terry Herman. The album cover contains a hidden picture of The Beatles, with Paul McCartney on the far right. Can anybody please provide some info? The piano by Teru Sakamoto is superb, and there are good extended versions of songs including "And I Love Her", "If I Fell", and "P.S. I Love You". This is a really good jazz album of real interest [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 71.9 Mb]

TRACKS

1 Michelle 4:33
2 Can't Buy Me Love 4:22
3 If I Fell 6:09
4 And I Love Her 6:54
5 All My Loving 4:44
6 Yesterday 2:10
7 Girl 4:33
8 Here, There And Everywhere 4:47
9 P.S. I Love You 5:59

All songs composed by John Lennon & Paul McCartney

MUSICIANS

Terry Herman = Teru Sakamoto (p)
Kazuyo Yamaguchi (b)
Takahiro Suzuki (ds)

Steve Marriott

Steve Marriott - Packet Of Three - 1984 - Aura

This 1984 show was recorded on July 6th, 1984 at Dingwalls club in North London by the late Steve Marriott, (ex-leader of the Small Faces and Humble Pie), and his Packet of Three band, and was originally broadcast live on radio. This album has been released under various titles, including "Dingwalls", "Packet of Three: Live" and "Steve Marriott Voice of Humble Pie". Most of these later releases contain extra tracks from the gig. The album doesn't showcase Steve's guitar work, and it's worth listening to the bonus versions of the albums where Steve's guitar is more prominent. Listen to Steve's 1975 "Marriott" album, and Humble Pie's "Smokin'" album [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 105 Mb]

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1 What'cha Gonna Do About It? - Potter, Samwell 4:16
2 Bad Moon Rising - Fogerty 6:31
3 All Shook Up - Blackwell, Presley 3:17
4 The Fixer - Marriott, Ridley, Shirley 7:24
5 All or Nothing - Lane, Marriott 5:48
6 Five Long Years - Boyd 7:42
7 I Don't Need No Doctor - Armstead, Ashford, Simpson 12:46

BAND

Steve Marriott - Guitar, Vocals
Jim Leverton - Bass [Juicy Lucy, Fat Mattress, Savoy Brown]
Fallon Williams - Drums

BIO

The frontman for British hitmakers the Small Faces and Humble Pie, singer/guitarist Steve Marriott was born January 30, 1947 in London; a successful child actor, he played the role of the Artful Dodger in the musical Oliver! as a teen, but by the mid-'60s, he was working in a local music shop. There he met bassist Ronnie Lane, agreeing to jam with his band the Pioneers; Marriott soon joined the group full-time and, after adopting a sound influenced by American R&B and a look inspired by Mod fashions, they rechristened themselves the Small Faces. Though best-known in the U.S. for their hit "Itchycoo Park," at home, the Small Faces enjoyed much greater success, reeling off a series of smashes including "All or Nothing," "My Mind's Eye," and "Lazy Sunday" as well as the 1968 classic LP Ogden's Nut Gone Flake. The chart popularity of "Lazy Sunday" rankled Marriott, however -- he'd recorded the song as a joke and it was released despite his objections -- and when the more thoughtful "The Universal" failed to crack the Top 20, his dissatisfaction only increased. Marriott's tenure with the Small Faces ended after he stalked offstage during a New Year's Day 1969 performance; he soon recruited ex-Herd guitarist Peter Frampton to form the hard rock combo Humble Pie, and after months of woodshedding at Marriott's Essex cottage, the group issued its debut single, "Natural Born Boogie," cracking the U.K. Top Five. The LP As Safe as Yesterday Is followed, but again American success eluded Marriott until the release of the 1971 Humble Pie live album Performance: Rockin' the Fillmore, which went gold. Although Frampton left the band soon after, 1972's Smokin' was a smash, reaching the U.S. Top Ten; subsequent efforts failed to achieve the same heights, however, and Humble Pie disbanded in 1975. After the release of the solo Marriott, in 1976, he joined in a Small Faces reunion, then four years later re-formed Humble Pie with original drummer Jerry Shirley; after two LPs, the group again dissolved. Marriott spent the better part of the decade in seclusion, but was planning to reunite with Frampton when he lost his life in a house fire on April 20, 1991. © Jason Ankeny © 2012 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/steve-marriott-p19169/biography