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15.4.15

Good God


Good God - Good God - 1972 - Atlantic

"Perhaps the greatest of all "one-shot" progressive / fusion bands in the US (the Dallas-based Master Cylinder might give them a run for their money), Good God recorded a tremendous major label (Atlantic) album and then sunk without a trace. As far as I know, none of these guys (Zeno Sparkles, guitar & vocals; Cotton Kent, keys, sax & vocals; Greg Scott, saxes; John Ransome, bass; Hank Ransome, drums & vocals; plus various guests on additional horns and percussion) subsequently appeared on any later prog or fusion recordings, though Kent pops up as a session man on numerous local R&B dates. Given their instrumental virtuosity and imaginative approach to fusion and progressive rock this is hard to believe, but stranger things have happened. Stylistically, they are more a jazz-rock band (a bit like If or Zzebra, but with some Mahavishnu influence as well) rather than a Progressive rock band. The album contains 4 fine originals, and two covers: Zappa's "King Kong" and McLaughlin's "Dragon Song". One minor quibble: the rather weak vocals on 2 or 3 tracks" © Dave Wayne, GEPR © http://prognotfrog.blogspot.ie/2007/08/good-god-good-god-usa-1972-jazz-fusion.html

A short-lived Philly-based jazz-rock outfit, Good God featured the talents of lead guitarist Larry Cardarelli (billed as 'Zeno Sparkles'), singer/keyboardist Cotton Kent, former Elizabeth drummer Hank Ransome, bassist John Ransome, and sax player Greg Scott. (If you believe the story, they got their name courtesy of Captain Beefheart. Enormous Beefheart fans, the band supposedly called him up out of the blue, ask what they should call themselves. Beefheart's spontaneous response provided the name.) Signed by Atlantic, the band's self-titled 1972 debut teamed them with the production team of Skip Drinkwater, Jay Mark, and Dennis Wilen. Featuring a mixture of band originals and covers, "Good God" was quite different than your standard Philadelphia-based band. Exemplified by instrumental-heavy tracks like '' and ''. these guys were clearly influenced by early 1970s jazz-rock/progressive outfits like Beefheart, Miles Davis (okay jazz-rock may not be an apt description for Davis), King Crimson, John McLaughlin, and Frank Zappa (the album included covers of the latter two acts), set of jazz-rock. I'm not a big fan of the genre, so that clearly colors my appreciation for the collection..The early 1970's was a fertile period for the fusion of jazz and rock. Stanley Clarke, Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea along with "The Prince of Darkness" Miles Davis himself were making ground breaking albums. Good God certainly fits that description even though it did not get much attention at the time. Featuring the keyboards of Cotton Kent along with Zeno Sparkles, guitar and vocals, Greg Scott, saxophones, John Ransome, bass and Hank Ransome drums, this album really cooks with a selection of tracks that still sound fresh almost forty years later. Mainly instrumental with some vocal accents and one actual song the tight arrangements are inventive and hold your interest after repeated listening. Good God has a sound all their own. Standout tracks include "Glaorna Gavorna", featuring the British tenor man from John Mayall's band Johnny Almond, "King Kong", the Frank Zappa Classic, and a killer version of John McLaughlin's "Dragon Song" - Highly recommended......FULL ALBUM IN dailymotion...........http://www.dailymotion.com/playlist/x33anb_John_Dug_good-god/1#video=x1fgv77 © 2015 Discogs http://www.discogs.com/Good-God-Good-God/release/2110516

Obscure but outstanding album from Good God, an early 70's Philadelphia based jazz rock band with Canterbury Rock and instrumental Zappa influences. Essential listening if you like jazzy prog-rock bands like Soft Machine, King Crimson, Frank Zappa and many more. Progbear on rateyourmusic.com called this album "Superb fusion with a full brass section, like a more progressive-minded Blood, Sweat & Tears. Cover versions of Frank Zappa’s “King Kong” and John McLaughlin’s “Dragon Song” give you an idea where these guys’ heads were at, their originals are in a similar style. Johnny Almond of Mark-Almond makes a guest appearance on tenor sax." Superb musiciansip, great compositional skills, and tight arrangements make this an album HR by A.O.O.F.C [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 101 Mb]

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

A1 A Murder Of Crows - Larry Cardarelli 6:24
A2 Galorna Gavorna - Cotton Kent 5:11
A3 King Kong - Frank Zappa 8:53

B1 Dragon Song - John McLaughlin 4:20
B2 Zaragoza - Cotton Kent 6:31
B3 Fish Eye - Larry Cardarelli 8:37

MUSICIANS

Guitar, Vocals – Zeno Sparkles
Bass – John Ransome
Piano, Electric Piano, Clavinet, Soprano Saxophone, Marimba, Vocals – Cotton Kent
Drums, Vocals – Hank Ransome
Congas – Larry Washington
Soprano Saxophone, Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Greg Scott
Trumpet – Bob Shemenek
Tenor Saxophone – Johnny Almond on "Galorna Gavorna"
Trombone – Bruce Solomon on "Fish Eye"
French Horn – Bob Martin

14.4.15

Tetsuo Sakurai Featuring Greg Howe & Dennis Chambers


Tetsuo Sakurai Featuring Greg Howe & Dennis Chambers - Vital World - 2010 - King Records

In 2001, Japanese bass legend Tetsuo Sakurai (Casiopea, Jimsaku, solo artist) released Gentle Hearts (Victor Entertainment) - a critically acclaimed instrumental rock fusion album that featured the stellar combo of Greg Howe on guitar, and Dennis Chambers on drums. This energetic disc was loaded with heavy riffs, and killer guitar work from Howe. The band also took their act on the road, and subsequently released Gentle Hearts Tour 2004 (2005 - Victor Entertainment) on CD and DVD. Now for his latest album, Vital World (King Records), Sakurai has joined forces with Howe and Chambers once again, and the results are even heavier and more guitar-driven than the group’s previous outings. What’s striking about Vital World is its sheer heaviness. While it does include shades of jazz harmony here and there, the music is largely driven by heavy guitar riffs - Sakurai is definitely shooting for a rock vibe with this album (Some tunes could even be described as prog metal). From a guitar perspective, Greg Howe’s style makes him a great fit for the material on this disc. Unlike many other players who make the attempt, he sounds authentic when utilizing a jazz influenced vocabulary with a rock approach and tone.The album’s in-your-face opener “Critical Planet” sounds like a throwback to “Brain Storm” from the Gentle Hearts album. It’s a relentless, slap-bass tour de force that gives Sakurai a chance to show off his considerable chops. Up next is “Alien’s Feast” - an uber-heavy tune that would not sound out of place on a Planet X record. It also features Howe shredding over a harmonic minor tonality - something he rares does on his own albums. “A Tear Of The Clown” is a heavy tune as well, but in more of melodic “arena rock” vein. Howe’s solo near the end of this piece may be his best on the album. The V chord at the end of the progression gives him a chance to peel off some nice altered scale runs. Sakurai’s amazing bass work is showcased once again on “Are You Ready” - a fun, uptempo tune that may best be described as instrumental pop rock (if there is such a thing anymore). Following a killer Chambers drum break in the middle of the tune, Sakurai takes a wild solo chock-full of crazy slapping and fast runs. The following piece, “Another Kingdom,” is one of the only songs I’ve ever heard that successfully fuses the styles of neo-classical and jazz. The Yngwie-esque A section features long 32nd-note lines doubled between the guitar and bass (reminiscent of “Flight Of The Bumblebee”), while the double-time B section reminded me of a jazz orchestra on a film score session. This would seem to be a strange combination, but the two sides to this tune flow together nicely. Two more heavy riff-based tunes follow - “Triangle Square” which features some Eastern-influenced melodies and an off-the-rails drum solo courtesy of Chambers, and “Monster Parade,” one of the hardest-rocking tunes on the disc. This song also has Howe playing some amazing outside lines. In a total gear shift, the album closes with “Father” - a flowing melodic ballad that serves as a nice palette-cleanser after the onslaught you’ve just experienced for the previous 7 tunes. Vital World is certainly one of the best heavy fusion albums of the year. Sakurai obviously went into this project with the intention of laying down some aggressive music, and he delivered in a big way. He explores a wide-array of rock styles here, yet still leaves room for his jazz and improvisational side. And with Howe and Chambers, he has the perfect bandmates for this endeavor - Both are well-versed in the styles presented on Vital World, and have an obvious rapport with Sakurai from the trio’s previous projects. Highly recommended. © Rich Murray October 03, 2010 © 2004 - 2012 Rich Murray. All Rights Reserved. http://www.guitar-channel.com/rich_murray/2010/10/review-tetsuo-sakurai-vital-world.html

Another remarkable high energy, dynamic fusion album from the great Japanese bassist, Tetsuo Sakurai. Amazing musicianship throughout with plenty of soloing from Tetsuo, Greg Howe, Dennis Chambers, and Taiki Imaizumi on keyboards. Read more about Tetsuo @ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetsuo_Sakurai [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 112 Mb]

TRACKS

1. Critical Planet 2:28
2. Alien's Feast 6:11
3. A Tear Of The Clown 7:10
4. Are You Ready 6:15
5. Another Kingdom 5:12
6. Triangle Square 6:35
7. Monster Parade 6:51
8. Father 5:47

All tracks composed by Tetsuo Sakurai except "Are You Ready" composed by Mark Farner

MUSICIANS

Greg Howe: Guitars
Tetsuo Sakurai: Bass, Programming
Taiki Imaizumi: Keyboards
Dennis Chambers: Drums