Michael Landau

Michael Landau - Tales from the Bulge - 1989 - Sohbi Records

Michael Landau (1 June 1958, Los Angeles) is a prolific session musician and guitarist who has played on a large number of albums since the early 1980s with artists as varied as Seal, James Taylor, Helen Watson, Richard Marx, Steve Perry, Pink Floyd, and Miles Davis. Landau, along with fellow session guitarists Dean Parks, Steve Lukather and Dann Huff, played on many of the major label releases recorded in Los Angeles from the 1980s-1990s. In addition to his session work, Landau has also fronted several bands including Raging Honkies and Burning Water. In the early 1980s, he was also in the band Maxus that featured future Los Angeles session musicians Robbie Buchanan, Jay Gruska, and Doane Perry. Landau was also in competition with high school bandmate Steve Lukather to become the guitarist for Toto in the late 1970s.

"Tales from the Bulge" is a good rock and blues instrumental album from one of LA's top session guitarists. Michael has played with just about everyone, and released several solo guitar based albums of rock/jazz/blues. At his crankiest he could be placed in the same musical mould as artists like Adrian Belew and Mike Keneally. Some of the great players on this album include Steve Lukather on guitar, David Garfield on keyboards; Steve Tavaglione , Wayne Shorter and Larry Klimas on sax, Jimmy Johnson, John Pierce, Carlos Vega, Vinnie Colaiuta, John Keane on drums and Lenny Castro and Luis Conte on percussion. Buy his "Live 2000" album, and check out more related albums on this blog [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 113 Mb]

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1 I'm Buzzed - Michael Landau 5:49
2 Judy - Michael Landau 6:16
3 Chynna - Michael Landau 2:11
4 Johnny Swing - Michael Landau 6:59
5 Big Bulge - Michael Landau, Steve Tavaglione 6:08
6 Roodis Tones - Michael Landau, Steve Tavaglione 6:16
7 Eater - Michael Landau 4:32
8 I Don't Care - Michael Landau 6:15
9 My Bulbous Meathead - Michael Landau, Steve Lukather 5:01
10 I'm Hating - Michael Landau, Ted Landau, David Garfield, Alan Hirshberg 1:20

MUSICIANS

Michael Landau - Electric Guitar, Baritone Guitar, Drum Programming
Steve Lukather - Guitar, Keyboard Bass, Voices
Jimmy Johnson - Bass, Fretless Bass
Ted Landau - Bass, Voices
John Pierce - Bass
David Garfield - Keyboards
Vinnie Colaiuta, Carlos Vega, John Keane - Drums
Lenny Castro, Luis Conte - Percussion
Larry Klimas - Tenor Sax
Wayne Shorter - Soprano Sax
Steve Tavaglione - Soprano & Tenor Sax

BIO

To cover Michael Landau´s career takes a long time. He is one of the most used session players, and is a fantastic musician. Musician and composer Michael Landau was born and raised in Los Angeles California. He grew up with the music of The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Cream and The Band. His grandfather Ernani Bernardi arranged and played the alto sax and clarinet during the "swing era" with the Dorsey Brothers and Benny Goodman. Michael began playing the guitar at age 11. As a teenager he quickly became very interested in jazz and electric jazz music. Weather Report, Pat Martino and Jaco Pastorius were some of his early obsessions. In the mid '70s Michael played in the L.A. dance clubs with an R&B band and toured the west coast with The Robben Ford Band, which included members of the Yellow Jackets, Jimmy Haslip and Russell Ferrante. At age 19 he joined Boz Scaggs for a world tour and by the age of 20 he started to do session work with the help of Steve Lukather and Jeff Porcaro. Some session highlights over the coming years would include Pink Floyd, Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell, BB King, James Taylor, Seal, Ray Charles and Rod Stewart. There is a complete session discography at allmusic.com with over 500 records and soundtracks listed. In 1984 Michael toured again and recorded with Joni Mitchell. This tour was called "The Refuge Of The Roads" with Vinnie Colaiuta, Larry Klein and Russell Ferrante.In 1989 he released his first solo studio album "Tales from the Bulge", an instrumental record initially released in Japan and on "Creatchy" records in the states. Wayne Shorter, Steve Tavaglione, Vinnie Colaiuta, Carlos Vega, David Garfield and Jimmy Johnson were among some of the players on this release. In 1990 he formed the blues-rock band Burning Water with his brother Teddy Landau, David Frazee and Carlos Vega. They put out 4 discs of original material and played in Japan and locally in L.A. It was also around this time that he started to record and tour with James Taylor. In 1993 he won the readers poll for "Best Studio Guitarist" in "Guitar Player Magazine". In 1994 Michael formed The Raging Honkies, a spicy rowdy rock band with Teddy Landau and Abe Laboriel Jr. They released 2 discs and toured in Europe and the US. In 2001 he released a double live album of original material and a studio album "The Star Spangled Banner" on his own label "Unconscious Records". Michael has also produced and or mixed some selected artists and side projects including: Scott Henderson, The Jazz Ministry, Stolen Fish and Freak Juice. He currently tours and performs with The Michael Landau Group, The Wreckers, Robben Ford, The Jazz Ministry, Stolen Fish, Hazey Jane and James Taylor. His most recent project, a double live album will be released on "Tone Center" records in the states, "Mascot Records" in Europe, and "Vega Music" in Japan. - Words from Jazz Network http://www.bluedesert.dk/michaellandau.html