Allen Hinds

Allen Hinds - Beyond It All - 2006 - Allen Hinds

Allen Hinds is one of the FINEST Guitarists/Composers on the music scene. Beautifully written and performed. If you are serious about GREAT music in general and FANTASTIC guitar playing/sound in particular… then you cannot go wrong with this nor Allen’s previous CD: “Fact of the Matter” -dmsdzinr

A really tasty combination of bluesy guitar with great harmonic surprises. Very melodic, but also soulful. Beautiful project. – TCZink

A native of Auburn, Alabama, Allen was exposed to blues and R&B at an early age. Moving into jazz and fusion in his teens, he attended Berklee College of Music and shortly after, moved to Los Angeles to attend Musician’s Institute. He has performed and/or recorded with jazz and R&B artists including Patti Austin, Mary J. Blige, Maya, Natalie Cole, Roberta Flack, Vince Gill and many others. Allen plays a musical blend of jazz, blues, and rock with a “grassroots” style. He is an in-demand LA studio session guitarist for many years now and an active live performer, and has written songs for Larry Carlton, Patti Austin and Jeff Kashiwa. Allen’s eclectic blends of blues/jazz/rock all mesh into a very distinct style of his own. Like a cross between Robben Ford, Alan Holdsworth and Jeff Beck, his music is intelligent, phrasing sophisticated and tone for days. Jimmy Haslip said “Beyond It All” "SMOKES", Will Kennedy said "his songs are not based around notey licks, he's all about strong melodies, great phrasing". "Beyond It All" features an all-star lineup, including Jimmy Haslip, Will Kennedy, Jeff Babco, Jimmy Earl, Larry Kimpel, and Tollak Ollestad. Randy Crawford sings on "Worn But Not Tattered". Allen said that, "It's more of a 'song' oriented CD, with a variety of instruments playing melodies and solos. I didn't want this to be a showcase of 'hot licks' - although a few sneak in from time to time!" This may be classified as “smooth jazz” by many, but this is not bland, monotonous, elevator music, rather an eclectic mix of tracks with great melodic blues, soul, and jazz. Check out Allen’s “Fact Of The Matter” album on this blog and listen to his “Falling Up” album of which the great guitarist Jon Herington said, "Anyone interested in the state of the art of contemporary guitar playing will be happy they checked out Allen Hinds' Falling Up. Everything's there: the tones; the technique; the talent; and the soul." Check out Akira Jimbo’s “Mindscope” album featuring Allen with Abraham Laboriel and Michael Landau. Support gifted guitarists and real music. This guy is a great player and really deserves more exposure [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 100 Mb]

TRACKS

1. Elegant Decadence 4:30
2. Redland Road 5:38
3. Worn But Not Tattered 5:19
4. Beyond It All 3:50
5. Kate And Dave's 4:45
6. March 28th 5:04
7. Now Really 4:38
8. Bad Baby 6:15
9. Closure 3:12

All tracks composed by Allen Hinds

MUSICIANS

Allen Hinds - Guitars
Jimmy Earl, Jimmy Haslip, Larry Kimpel, Melvin Davis, Dwayne (Smitty) Smith - Bass
David Hughes - Arco Bass
Jeff Babko, Brian Simpson - Keyboards
Renato Neto - Keyboards, Rhodes
Mark McMillen - Organ
Dave Hooper, Will Kennedy - Drums
Deborah Dobkin - Percussion
Ron King - Horns
Katisse Buckingham - Flute
Tollak Ollestad - Harmonica
Randy Crawford - Vocals