The Randy Coven Band

The Randy Coven Band - Sammy Says Ouch! - 1990 - Guitar Recordings

Sad news to report on one of rock and metal’s most talented and underrated bassists. Randy Coven, who toured, recorded and jammed with legendary musicians such as Yngwie Malmsteen, Zakk Wylde and Steve Vai, passed away on May 20 at the age of 54. As of this posting, Coven’s cause of death is undisclosed. You may be unfamiliar with Randy Coven, but the bassist’s resume was quite impressive. Specializing in neoclassical and heavy metal styles, Coven enjoyed a long career manning the four-string. While studying at the esteemed Berklee College of Music, Coven was roommates with iconic guitarist Steve Vai, leading to a lifelong friendship between the two. Randy Coven lent his talents to a multitude of bands, recording six studio albums with New York heavy metal act Holy Mother. Coven continued to juggle multiple bands, performing with Ark, MCM and the Randy Coven Band. The Randy Coven Band’s debut album, ‘Funk Me Tender’, features a guest appearance from Steve Vai, while Coven’s sophomore album, ‘Sammy Says Ouch!’, utilized the power of Alice Cooper/Megadeth guitarist Al Pitrelli. Guitar god Zakk Wylde also collaborated with Randy Coven, providing guest guitar on C.P.R.’s sole full length, ‘Coven • Pitrelli • Reilly’. Coven’s most high-profile position was with Yngwie Malmsteen, acting as the guitar virtuoso’s bassist from 1999-2000 and once again from 2000-2001. Coven’s playing can be heard in Malmsteen’s 2009 DVD ‘Live in Korea.’ The show was recorded in 2001, right at the tail end of the bassist’s tenure with Malmsteen. We’d like to send our condolences to the family and friends of Randy Coven. - By & © Graham 'Gruhamed' Hartmann May 22, 2014 10:37 AM © http://loudwire.com/bassist-randy-coven-passes-away-54/

It's important to know the difference between jazz-rock fusion and instrumental rock. Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, and Stuart Hamm are masters of instrumental rock; Chick Corea, Scott Henderson, Al DiMeola, Larry Coryell, and Joe Zawinul are masters of jazz-rock fusion. While a rock instrumentalist might appreciate jazz, his/her music ultimately sounds like an instrumental equivalent of Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, or Deep Purple -- a jazz-rock fusionist, however, might tell you that John Coltrane, Hendrix, and James Brown played equally important roles in his/her musical development. A fusionist could spend hours telling you, in great detail, why John Bonham and Art Blakey were equally magnificent drummers. So, which category does Sammy Says Ouch! fall into? For the most part, instrumental rock. While Randy Coven's amplified interpretation of Charlie Parker's "Au Privave" demonstrates that the electric bassist can handle jazz-rock fusion, Sammy Says Ouch! is, more often than not, aimed at the Steve Vai/Joe Satriani/Stuart Hamm crowd. Chops-obsessed, loud-and-proud instrumentals like "A Minor Disturbance" and "Dorian's Song" are appealing examples of instrumental hard rock -- they have a lot in common with Vai and Satriani but don't remind the listener of Return to Forever, Miles Davis, Weather Report, or John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra (artists who have defined jazz-rock fusion). And again, that isn't to say that Coven can't play fusion or handle jazz changes -- in fact, fusion is exactly what he plays on "Au Privave." But instrumental hard rock dominates this CD, which should have no problem appealing to those who have spent a lot of time listening to Vai, Satriani, and Stuart Hamm. © Alex Henderson © 2014 AllMusic, a division of All Media Network, LLC. | All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/album/sammy-says-ouch!-mw0000104634

The late Randy Coven from Long Island, New York was a rich soulful and jazzy musician, who played awe-inspiring bass solos. He played rock and fusion equally well and even though he collaborated in dozens of albums, he only had time to record four solo albums, all worth checking out. "Sammy Says Ouch" was recorded like the musicians were playing in a club. It was recorded and mixed in two weeks and gained global interest from many great musicians and instrumental fusion fans. Listen to his great “Funk Me Tender” album which was nominated for best independent instrumental record of the year at the 1985 New York Music Awards, and C.P.R.’s “Coven, Pitrelli, Reilly” album [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 85.7 Mb]

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1 Strange Cat - Randy Coven, Al Pitrelli 2:23
2 Dorian's Song - Randy Coven 3:48
3 Au Privave - Charlie Parker 3:13
4 Great Necks - Randy Coven, Al Pitrelli 3:12
5 Little Wing - Jimi Hendrix 4:59
6 A Minor Disturbance - Randy Coven, Jack Starr, Mark Wood 3:29
7 Ouch! - Randy Coven 2:20
8 10,000 Notes - Randy Coven 4:17
9 Ultra Twist - Randy Coven 2:26
10 Angry - Randy Coven, Hal Gold 3:58

MUSICIANS

Al Pitrelli - Electric Guitar
Blues Saraceno - Guitar Solo on Track 3
Randy Coven - Bass Guitar, Piccolo Bass Solo on Track 4
John O’Reilly - Drums, Percussion
Mark Wood - Violin on Tracks 6,9