Bruce Arnold

Bruce Arnold ‎- Heavy Mental - 2010 - Muse Eek

Guitarist Bruce Arnold has developed an extensive reputation as a composer educator and guitar virtuoso. He has created a unique signature sound that stems from his combination of jazz techniques and 20th Century compositional methods. He has played with such diverse musicians as Stuart Hamm, Peter Erskine, Joe Pass, Joe Lovano, Randy Brecker, Stanley Clarke, the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Arnold is also deeply devoted to music education and had written more than 60 music instruction. Mr. Arnold currently teaches at Princeton Univerisity. He has taught at some of the most prestigious music schools in America, including the New England Conservatory of Music, Dartmouth College, Berklee College of Music, New School University, City College of New York and NYU. – [This biography was provided by the artist or their representative.] © 1996-2013, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates http://www.amazon.com/Bruce-Arnold/e/B000AQ8WNG/ref=ac_dtp_sa_bio

“…torrents of white hot, blazing guitar shards that mix blues, rock, and fusion into one terrifying union.” - seaoftranquility.org

Bruce was always an avant garde purveyor of the guitar breaking down sonic walls with daredevil acumen but on Heavy Mental, the sound is more guitar-centric jazz-rock fusion ala Terje Rypdal, Satch and Allan Holdsworth.... amazing fully formed fusion outing. - mwe3.com

Arnold has the love of power shred to make the vibe his own reflecting his own passions. Guitar fans can feel free to rejoice. - midwestrecord.com

NYC based musician Bruce Arnold has got to be one of the most well-rounded guitarists currently recording in 2010. Following the passing of several years, mwe3.com caught up with Bruce only to find that he’s recently released no less than four quite different CDs in the past few years. First off among his latest albums is Heavy Mental by the Bruce Arnold Trio. Backed up by Andy Galore (bass) and Kirk Driscoll (drums), this is Bruce like you’ve never heard him. Who knew Bruce had such a hard hitting jazz-rock fusion instrumental side to his muse? Bruce was always an avant gard purveyor of the guitar—breaking down sonic walls with daredevil acumen—but on Heavy Mental, the sound is more guitar-centric jazz-rock fusion ala Terje Rypdal, Satch and Allan Holdsworth. The seven cut all instrumental Heavy Mental CD is superbly recorded, while in depth liner notes by noted jazz musicologist Bill Milkowski fills in the blanks on this amazing fully formed fusion outing. Nearly the same could be said about Arnold’s other 2010 release entitled The Art Of The Blues. Backed by Dean Johnson (bass) and Tony Moreno (drums), the twelve track CD is once again all instrumental but this is no easy on the ears blues based CD. With tracks written and recorded in time signatures like 7/4 and 9/4, Arnold’s Art Of The Blues combines to create a collection of tracks that—while sounding like a traditional jazz guitar set—actually presents a new approach for Arnold and clearly is a refreshing redirection for the blues. Fitting in perfectly with Arnold’s daring approach to the electric guitar is Secret Code—written and recorded by Bruce Arnold and guitarist Jane Getter. A true tour de force of electric guitar extrapolations, the twelve track instrumental CD is at once avant garde in scope yet it’s completely captivating. The all-instrumental Secret Code combines a wealth of musical styles—from the straight ahead jazz guitar duo sound to a more adventurous concept taking in electronic flavors, distortion and wah-wah with synthetically processed sounds and organic, mellower sounds. One of Bruce Arnold's finest and most adventurous albums is his truly pioneering release of Sonic Infestation—a pairing with the like minded guitarist / percussionist John Stowell. A 2008 release, the CD really takes you out there with free improv and abstract sound collages that bring to mind ‘70s guitar pioneers like Fred Frith for example. No sonic stuck in the mud himself, Fred would probably dig Bruce overall, but I would think, especially Bruce’s release with John Stowell. Acoustic guitars, electronics, off the wall percussion and more collide on a CD that is truly inventive. Perhaps the thing that holds each of these four albums together—besides the inventive guitar work and inquisitive guitar based approach—is the high quality studio sonics of these recordings, which when combined, offers a state of the art glimpse into Bruce Arnold’s multifaceted and complex musical mind. © www.Muse-Eek.com / www.BruceArnold.com © 2000-2010 MWE3.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved

In reviewing Bruce Arnold's "Heavy Mental," one first needs to clear the air a bit. Firstly, other than the clever pun in the title, there's actually not much that's conventionally "metal" here. This is essentially "heavy jazz fusion," with the rock elements played up. Nevertheless, if you're a fan of great guitar-playing — and power trios ala Cream and Primus — you're going to eat this one up. Granted, this is Arnold's 28th album, so the man obviously knows what he's doing. Still there's a freshness to tracks like "12 Tone Boogie," which meshes the freeform experimentation of jazz with the bluesy boogie of ZZ Top to excellent effect. Unlike a lot of guitar instrumental albums, there's not a lot of flash for flash's sake on "Heavy Mental," although the opening and ending to the funky "Lock And Key" border on Joe Satriani territory. When given the choice between a bluesy chord and blitzkrieg speed on the fretboard, most of the time, Arnold opts for the bluesy chord, adding quite a bit of grit to runes like "Dakota Gumbo," which almost feels in parts like a Jimmy Page outtake. As excellent as Arnold is, without a competent rhythm section backing him — and providing melodic heft when he's off in solo-land — the album would come off as sloppy. Fortunately, bassist Andy Galore and drummer Kirk Driscoll excel at every turn. Galore in particular gets plenty of chances to shine, particularly on "Multiplicity," in which his bass feels almost like its sharing the lead with Arnold's guitar. There's not much negative to report here, save that a couple tracks (the six-minute "Blues For Arnie" and the nearly eight-minute "Multiplicity") overstay their welcome just a little bit. Yes, at its heart, Bruce Arnold's "Heavy Mental" is a jazz album, but it's got more than enough rock heft behind it to make metalheads with a love for instrumental rock take notice. Highs: Excellent playing throughout, with "12 Tone Boogie" especially standing out: Lows: A couple tracks go on a bit long: Bottom line: Jazz-rock fusion that cranks up the volume enough to make metalheads take notice. [4/5 Excellent. (An excellent effort worth picking up)]Reviewed by & © EdgeoftheWorld on June 2, 2011 © 2000-2013 Metalunderground.com. All Rights Reserved http://www.metalunderground.com/reviews/details.cfm?releaseid=5153

Bruce Arnold’s guitar style has been compared to guitarists like Terje Rypdal and Allan Holdsworth. Allan and Terje are superb players and are capable of playing almost any style of music, not to mention their incredible abilities to play the most complex solos and incredible shredding. Bill Milkowski of jazztimes.com says, “The outcome of this inventive trio session is a fresh amalgam of visceral rock bombast, jazzy harmonies and cutting edge sonics, the likes of which haven’t been heard since Terje Rypdal’s wildly experimental mid ‘80s power trio, The Chasers. His 28th release overall, “Heavy Mental” is easily Arnold’s most hard-hitting and audacious outing to date. ” Bruce's soloing does not go “overboard” on this album, nor does he overplay, but he has a superb and unique guitar technique, and his playing is perfectly and deliberately adapted to his compositions here. This album is a marvellous example of innovative jazz blues rock fusion and HR by A.O.O.F.C. Get a taste of this album @ http://muse-eek.com/heavy-mental/ and listen to Bruce’s great “A Few Dozen” album. Read more about him @ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Arnold For music in a similar vein, check out Wayne Krantz’s “Greenwich Mean” album [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 88.3 Mb]

TRACKS

1. 12 Tone Boogie 5:03
2. Multiplicity 7:49
3. Lock And Key 3:46
4. Heard Instinct 6:39
5. Dakota Gumbo 4:43
6. Blues For Arnie 6:19
7. Numbers 4:30

All tracks composed by Bruce Arnold

MUSICIANS

Bruce Arnold - Guitar, Super Collider
Andy Galore - Bass
Kirk Driscoll - Drums

SHORT BIO

Guitarist, author, and educator Bruce Arnold was raised in South Dakota, where his first exposure to music as a child came with accordion lessons. When he saw the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show at the age of seven, however, he developed an interest in the guitar and eventually began playing blues music. His taste expanded into jazz in high school, and he went to the University of South Dakota to study music. He transferred to the Berklee College of Music in Boston in 1976. After graduating, he studied privately with Jerry Bergonzi and Charlie Banacos, focusing on the relationship between jazz and classical music. He taught at the New England Conservatory, Dartmouth College, and Berklee, then moved to New York and began to teach at Princeton University and New York University, and to write music instruction books. © William Ruhlmann © 2013 AllMusic, a division of All Media Network, LLC. | All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/bruce-arnold-mn0000064230/biography