Elewout De Raad

Elewout De Raad - The Cross - 2003 - EDR Music

Elewout De Raad was born in 1971 in Groningen, Holland. At the age of 6 he started taking classical guitar lessons. At the age of 8 he developed an interest for bluegrass music and got his first western guitar which he still uses today. At the age of 11 he started taking lessons from Teije Wijnterp, a rock and flamenco guitar player, who inspired him to figure out music from records by ear. The first song he figured out was Texas Flood by Stevie Ray Vaughan. Other records by different blues and rock players followed. At this time he started playing in different bands and picked up jazz/rock influences from a drummer he played with for a few years. In 1993 he went to a conservatory and studied jazz music. At the time that he played top-100 music in different bands he hooked up with Hendrik Mulder, a drummer with a lot of the same musical influences with whom he started the Elewout De Raad Project. In 2003 they recorded their first album "The Cross", an instrumental jazz-rock CD. © Daniel Cutali Average rating: (8) © www.movimentiprog.net/

Dutchman Elewout De Raad picked up guitar at the young age of six. Initially studying classical playing he developed a liking for bluegrass at age eleven before moving on to rock, blues and finally jazz after being introduced in the early 90's by a drummer he was then playing with. He went on to study at a Conservatory and has since spent his time playing in various bands, primarily gospel and at Christian festivals. It is instrumental, jazz-rock, fusion that Elewout showcases with The Cross and he must have paid particular attention to the playing style and technique of Allan Holdsworth (and to a lesser degree Jeff Beck) during his studies because the bulk of the CD sounds an awful lot like the virtuoso from Bradford, especially in the chord-voicings, arpeggios and overall tones. With the excellent Jorrit Godeke on bass and likewise talented Hendrik Mulder on drums Elewout has almost recreated the whole feel and sound of the mid to late 80's Holdsworth experience; think of the Road Games, Metal Fatigue and IOU and you are there or there abouts. Whether this is deliberate or just showing heavy influence I couldn't say but surely it's so close as to be no coincidence. That being said, anyone who's able to emulate the man from Yorkshire has to be a pretty good player in their own right, and Elewout certainly is. Although lacking the outright speed and liquid fluidity of Holdsworth himself, he plays some impressive stuff and one can't help but enjoy it. It's perhaps also a beneficial consequence that the music is eminently listenable - less complex and 'out there' than a lot of Holdworth's compositions that can take many years of listening, if ever, to penetrate. As one would expect, the CD is stuffed with solos which will appeal a lot to the guitarists amongst us although that's not to say it's purely an exercise in technique as the melodies are strong. The production is highly complementary to the players with the three instruments nicely filling the soundstage, very clear and precise. Perhaps the opening track, Mamaloe, is the best cut on the album with its busy drums, bubbling bass, smooth chords and melodic soloing. The rest of the CD never quite touches the same heights generally taking a more mellow approach except when the soloists pick-up from time to time. Overall a pleasant CD with some excellent compositions and top-class musicianship. Will certainly appeal to anyone who enjoys the music of Holdsworth/Beck and could well be an entry-point for those that are new to the genre, but not really likely to appeal to the bulk of prog fans. Conclusion: 7 out of 10 © DAVE BAIRD © 1995 - 2013 : Dutch Progressive Rock Page http://www.dprp.net/reviews/200617.php#elewout

Elewout De Raad is a virtuoso Dutch guitarist who founded the homonymous project with drummer Hendrik Mulder after many years devoted to the study of jazz guitar at the Conservatory. In 2003 they published with a private production this entirely instrumental album simply titled "The Cross" with the help of Jorrit Godeke to bottom. Obviously it's a guitar album mainly but not with the usual abundant metal and hard-rock style. This is an album entirely dedicated to jazz-rock and fusion. Right from the opening track, "Mamaloe," we can feel the skin convolutions adrenaline technical skills of De Raad and Mulder that focus on a great melody jazz-rock. But these feelings are spread throughout the album, consisting of five precious traces. Important landmarks can be Soft Machine by Allan Holdsworth, we quote again "Wired" by Jeff Beck, excellent record of jazz-rock guitarist of British Blues. Come to mind but also a kind of Arts & Crafts more jazzy and brainy, if only Gigi Venegoni had carried the historic Turin band towards more fusion, as it did then with its Venegoni & Co. joining ethnic mingling. Think also about a kind of Nucleus, Weather Report and Brand X more guitar-oriented. In the third song, "Inspiration", Godeke performs a great bass solo in which we can find some 'of the style of Mark Welsh of his latest solo album "Riff", just to stay in the family Arts & Crafts. Great tunes for a great Fusion played by great musicians”. © Daniel Cutali Average rating: (8) © www.movimentiprog.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=Recensioni&file=view&id=2086

Some reviewers’ notes about this album include .... a fresh synthesis of 50 years light music. (muziekwereld)....his guitar playing can be measured with that of Jeff Beck or Allan Holdsworth! (prog resiste) excellent compositions and top-class musicianship (Dutch progressive rock page). metalhaven.livejournal.com notes that “If Hollands’s own guitarist got comments on his report cards, they were probably along the lines of: “Plays well with others.” With The Cross, Elewout has proven that he has ‘big ears’. Jorrit and Hendrik afford ample room for dialogue, to which Elewout responds with running commentary, blurring and blending the traditional division of labour between bassist and drummer. Elewout is fiery in his solo spots, tipping the time to create forward momentum. On this debut the leader embodies fusion, a vision of collaboration and egalitarianism, where the whole becomes greater than the sum of the parts”. On first hearing, some of the tracks seem repetitive and mundane. After a few listens, the nuances and structures of the tracks become more evident. This is very good, uncomplicated, but still original jazz rock fusion full of class from a talented guitarist and his band. Find out more @ http://www.elewoutderaad.com/ [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 93 Mb]

TRACKS

1 Mamaloe 6:21
2 Precious 8:57
3 Inspiration 7:26
4 Down Deep 7:52
5 The Cross 8:11

All tracks composed by Elewout De Raad

MUSICIANS

Elewout De Raad - Guitar
Jorrit Godeke - Bass
Hendrik Mulder - Drums