Susan Weinert Band

Susan Weinert Band - Crunch Time - 1994 - Verabra Records

Susan Weinert (b.24 June 1965 in Neunkirchen (Saar) is a German Jazz guitarist and composer. In the 1980s, she started her professional career as a jazz musician. Susan took lessons from the jazz musicians Dave Liebman, Richie Beirach and the brilliant John Abercrombie and Mike Stern. She is not only influenced by modern guitarists like Pat Metheny, Scott Henderson, and Allan Holdsworth, but also from traditional jazz musicians like Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Wes Montgomery and Sonny Rollins. Susan received an invitation to play in the band Steps Ahead by Mike Mainieri and was also asked to play with Chick Corea, bassist Jimmy Earl and Chaka Khan keyboardist Michael Ruff. In 1985 she founded the Susan Weinert Band with her husband Martin Weinert as bassist and the Cologne drummer Hardy Fischötter. The band, in it's early stages played mostly covers, but by 1990 Susan was writing and playing original material. Her first CD Mysterious Stories released in 1992 contains all Susan Weinert compositions and is strongly influenced by the use of an electric guitar synthesizer. Susan plays jazz, fusion, rock and funk and her compositions leave room for improvisation by her band members. Her guitar playing displays catchy melodies over complex harmonies backed by powerful, rhythmic lines. In Germany her work has been critically acclaimed. The popular WDR radio station chose Mysterious Stories as Jazz Production of the Year. Her second CD Crunch Time in 1994 is strongly reinforced by keyboardist Oliver Heuss and the album is more hard rock orientated than her first album. In contrast, the sound of Susan's third album, The Bottom Line (1996) is much calmer and warmer, mainly due to the piano playing of Rachel Z. Her 1999 CD Point Of View from 1999 is slightly jazzier and more experimental than previous albums and places a greater emphasis on using acoustic instruments. Susan wanted to experiment with a larger ensemble on this album, and make greater use of horn work. Originally the album was going to make extensive use of saxophone and trumpet. However, after meeting vocalist, Michael Schiefel the trumpet parts were replaced by his vocals. Pierre Bertrand played tenor saxophone and Jean Yves Jung played some beautiful rich and warm piano. However, throughout all her albums Susan's great guitar playing remains the dominant force. In 2002, Susan released the live acoustic duo album, Synergy with her husband Martin Weinert. The Susan Weinert Band is currently active recording and continually tour Europe. The band has also played in the U.S, Africa and Asia. The Weinert's are also engaged in managing workshops for young musicians - (Translated from Wiki)

I'm thrilled to have come across this truly gifted jazz guitarist:Susan Weinert!! She can flat-out crunch hard or mellow you away! (If you like S. Henderson, F. Gambale, M. Stern, W. Johnson, P. Metheny or B. Lagrene buy this lady's releases today! ) © http://www.eer-music.com/femmegtrs.html

"Susan Weinert has carved out her own niche in the cluttered world of guitarists. International recognition is at her doorstep." - Mike Mainieri

"Energy-laden power fusion that has reached the international level as they set a new standard for the otherwise moribund genre of fusion" - Frankfurter Zeitung

For rockin jazz fusion and passionate jazz guitar, Germany's Susan Weinert has my vote as the genre's reigning queen - Jane Getter being hot on her heels. Weinert is explosive, versatile, power-punching, inventive, brazen yet warmly soulful in a multitude of sensuous chops and furious licks. Be it phrasings, timing sense, instrument voicings, technical soundness, or overall song structure - Weinert is top notch. No argument with this statement is even remotely possible. Weinert on guitar and guitar synth is joined by Martin Weinert on killer bass. He plays a full, melodic, funked groove of tight bounch and supreme heaviness. Hardy Fischötter slays the drums in precise devastation. Oliver Heuss guests on great keys.
From the opening cut, "Don't try that again, M.F." to "Maybe", the ride of ten sonic treats never fails to satisfy. This is a 12+ on a 1-10 scale of Lame to Awesome . Yow! Crunch Time by the Susan Weinert Band pulls out all the stops! Weinert wails and lets "edge" be edge. She makes you sit up and take notice. Her riffs are mean and slick and will make a lot of jazz fusion fans say, "Whoa baby, this lady can flat out jam!" Fans of Tribal Tech and Hendersonic pyrotechnics will love this. This may be a 1994 release but hey - great music is ageless, so seek this one out today! Highest recommendations! © John W. Patterson, EER-MUSIC.com - from ***** Fusion Axe Lovers Take Note! July 10, 2002 By & © Samuel Clemens © 1996-2012, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates http://www.amazon.com/Crunch-Time-Susan-Band-Weinert/dp/B00000AVLO

Hey! Let's not get too carried away by reviews! However, this is a very good jazz rock album and this band deserves more exposure. Read more about the Susan Weinert Band @ http://jazzns.eunet.rs/weinerteng.htm Buy the band's "Mysterious Stories" album and support real music [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 113 Mb]

TRACKS

1 Don't Try That Again, M.F. 5:03
2 Hopeless Case 6:21
3 Don't You Guys Know Any Nice Songs? 3:19
4 One For George 6:11
5 Member Of The Syndicate 3:52
6 The Crown 4:29
7 He Knows 3:59
8 Pacific Palisades 5:14
9 Maybe 7:25
10 Guess Who Called 0:48

All tracks composed by Susan Weinert

BAND

Susan Weinert - Guitars, Guitar Synth
Martin Weinert - Bass
Oliver Heuss - Keyboards
Hardy Fischötter - Drums