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

7 For 4

7 For 4 - Diffusion - 2008 - MGI

The instrumental band 7for4 was founded in 1999 by guitarist Wolfgang Zenk. Since then 4 albums have been released. The 4 musicians stop for nothing: Whether Funk, Jazz, Metal or Country, they pack the best elements from most different styles into extraordinary but coherent compositions and perform their music with impressive virtuosity. Catchy melodies and spherical tunes alternate with full power passages, surprising the listener again and again with complex rhythms and virtuosic playing and soloing. © 2001-2014 | 7for4 http://www.7for4.de/about.html

Many of you may be familiar with Wolfgang Zenk’s work with the progressive metal band Sieges Even. While drawing a few similarities, 7for4 can best be described as fusion that borrows heavily from many other genres. As the booklet best describes it: "Whether Rock, Funk, Jazz or even Country and Latin 7for4 pack the best elements from different styles into extraordinary and progressive compositions." With a majority of the influences coming from the metal, jazz and even shred. The first thing that becomes apparent is that almost this entire album is driven solely by the Wolfgang’s guitar work. A few songs such as Emoctify and Cyclotron sound a lot like Premonition era Tony Macalpine with many harmonized guitar parts and even similar melodies. The amount of influences on this album was what really kept me coming back for more. Silent Flow is a slower, blues based song with excellent melody and very tasteful guitar playing. Spiral Dance has an initial flamenco vibe to it which then progresses nicely into a heavier section that retains the same feel. My favourite track by far is Mystic Mouse. There is a slow, syncopated, ominous feeling at first which then leads into a few Liquid Tension Experiment inspired riffs that wouldn’t really be out of place on Biaxident or When The Water Breaks. A good thing to keep in mind about Diffusion is that, as opposed to a lot of other fusion type bands that have many bass and keyboard based sections as well as guitar, this is almost all based around Wolfgang Zenk. Even as a guitarist I have some reservations about music strictly based around guitar because I enjoy what the other musicians can bring to the table when given adequate room to play. This is one of the few cases where an album such as this made a huge impression on me. Not only does the style of music shift from song to song, it does so seamlessly within songs while remaining largely coherent. As with all music such as this, it does require some time to begin to hear to subtleties in compositions as opposed to a jumbled mess that it first sounded like to me. Highly recommended for fans of fusion, world and metal based instrumental music.
Conclusion: 8.5 out of 10 © CHRIS JACKSON © DPRP

What a treat, when every few years guitarist Wolfgang Zenk, and his quartet of fusion explorers consisting of: Klaus Engl on drums, Marlkus Grutzner on bass and Markus Froschmeier on keyboards, take on a new challenge to deepen the 7 for 4 discography. 2008 sees the release of the band's newest addition, with their third recording with the aptly named Diffusion, which in physics means, an intermingling of molecules, and yet another definition:To become widely dispersed; spread out. Which in regards to musical genres is very fitting of the bands' overall sound. Start with the vibe that is 7 for 4, they are all musicians that have spent a lifetime of dedication to their instruments, each player shares in the musical direction by injecting their personal touch to these elegantly written compositions. Granted, Wolfgang Zenk's guitar is at times the voice of the band so to speak, but each players is important to what the band achieves compositionally. Unlike many fusion bands that set up grooves or progressions for the sake of showcasing individuals' solo skills, these songs are much more intricate and cinematic in style. What they are creating are graceful songs that set a perfect backing for imaginary scenarios and would be cinema soundtracks. It's that rare marriage of talent and writing where progressive music meets fusion's high standard of musicianship, no ideas or styles are excluded, as this music can be soft or heavy, calm or stormy, contemplative or extravagant. It is the music of extremes, yet never dull or dispassionate. What I hear with 7 for 4 is the same feelings I had when hearing Return to Forever's - Romantic Warrior for the first time, not that the bands sound at all alike, but having four greatly skilled musicians creating composed music that mixes rock, jazz, metal, latin, etc, yet with such a natural chemistry that it all comes out sounding like only something 7 for 4 would do. That is what I love about the band so much. They have a personality, no cloning, no derivative comparisons really, but a band that has a gift that exists between them that allows the magic to sort of manifest without pretensions or formulas. My understanding is that this cd was over two years in the making, and as intricate as this music is, that is very understandable, as any great production should be, taking the time to perfect one's craft typically produces a desired result. 7 for 4 have yet to produce anything short of excellent, each of their cds is an adventure into the future of instrumental progressive fusion, this being the latest cd, I can hear some familiar sounds, and some new ideas, yet as always, launching the band boldly forward from where they were in 2004 with the release of Time. In this day and age of what seems like an endless array of musical clones, we have a band that has taken on an identity all of their own, the power of metal, the elegance of jazz, the sophistication of progressive music, and the flavor of various ethno rhythms, and a great presentation of these themes, paired with a fantastic production quality, and what you have is what is proving to be a frontrunner for my favorite cd of 2008, it will certainly be a hard one to beat. © MJBrady © ProGGnosis 2000 - 2015 where appropriate - All rights reserved. http://www.proggnosis.com/RELEASE_Detail.aspx?RID=25394

Wonderful instrumental prog metal and jazz fusion from this great German group. This band play a terrific blend of fusion with jazz rock, Canterbury, classical, and even Latin touches. The individual musicians are all virtuosos. The album is not a masterpiece by any means but the fabulous musicianship carries this album over the line. HR by A.O.O.F.C Check out the band's amazing "Contact" and "Time" albums on this blog and consider buying the band's "Splash" album released in 2014. [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 121 Mb]

TRACKS

1 Diffusion 5:54
2 Indigo Dunes 5:55
3 Emoctify 4:50
4 The Winding Path 6:45
5 Silent Flow 7:43
6 Cyclotron 4:24
7 Spiral Dance 6:24
8 Hidden Depths 5:32
9 Mystic Mouse 5:11

All songs composed by Wolfgang Zenk

MUSICIANS

Wolfgang Zenk - Guitar
Markus Grutzner - Bass
Markus Froschmeier - Keyboards
Thomas Streck - Additional Keyboards
Klaus Engl - Drums

BIO

7FOR4 are four very talented guys from Munich/Germany. Maybe talented is not the right term here because all four dispose of experience and know-how. Wolfgang Zenk who impresses with his virtuos guitar playing was a member of the German prog metal band SIEGES EVEN (which can also be found in the Prog Archives) as well as leader and lecturer of MGI München (Munich), Germany's best known institute for professional guitar education. Markus Grützner played bass for several Jazz/Fusion bands and did so on several European tours of the well known Broadway musical "Hair". Klaus Engl also is a lecturer, he works for the drum-institute "Drummer's Focus" and played together with Markus Grützner in a Heavy-Rock band. The keyboard player Markus Froschmeier has his roots in the classical genre and adds some of his influences to the general sound of the band. Speaking about general sound I have to mention that it is quite difficult to find a term describing the style applicatively. Besides the fact that the music is all instrumental, you can say that it is a mixture of Prog Metal and Jazz Rock/Fusion, sounding as if LTE and the MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA get together. But nearly every song seems to have different influences so you can find tunes with a country, "gypsy music" or Brazilian samba flavour, most of it played incredibly fast. The band released two albums so far. The first one called "Contact" was released in 2001. Their current album is called "Time" and was released in 2004. Both albums are incredible and feature the quite unique sound I described above as well as awesome cover artwork. You can't say which of them is the better one. My suggestion is that you purchase both. With that said I can end with mentioning that I really recommend checking out this terrific band. If you have the chance to get one of their albums, don't wait and grape it. If you even have the chance to see them live, don't falter, I can tell you that it's really worth the effort, I've seen them and they really blew me away. © Martin Dietrich, GERMANY © Prog Archives, All rights reserved http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=1279

Wayne Krantz

Wayne Krantz - Good Piranha / Bad Piranha - 2014 - Abstract Logix

Wayne Krantz, the muscular, funky New York guitarist, might be approximately parcelled into a John Scofield category – except that this exciting artist goes further than Scofield, and loves nothing more than hell-for-leather jams with mates. Krantz’s trio, with bassist Nate Wood and drummer Keith Carlock, display a relish for ferociously loose covers of leftfield pop. Along with long-time bassist Tim Lefebvre and the ethereal, contrasting background singer, Gabriela Anders, they rocket through four themes – including Thom Yorke’s Black Swan and MC Hammer’s U Can’t Touch This – and then play them all again, totally differently. Anders’s fragile lilt prefaces the splintering chordwork and pounding funk on Black Swan, and Comprachicos swerves and skids on Krantz’s taut, whippy phrasing. U Can’t Touch This, meanwhile, has a vivacious, bouncing groove, fresh and long-lined guitar phrasing, and wacky, Ed Wood flying saucer-like whirrs. It’s all uncompromisingly raw, and maybe something of a guitar buff’s set, but it never stops rocking. © John Fordham Thursday 6 November 2014 20.00 GMT © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/nov/06/wayne-krantz-good-piranha-bad-piranha-review

Since the late 1980's, guitarist Wayne Krantz has been regarded as one of the world’s great musicians. He has worked with artists that include the exalted Steely Dan (both as a band member and on solo albums by Donald Fagen), the legendary jazz saxophonists Michael Brecker, Chris Potter and David Binney, composer Carla Bley and the incomparable drummer Billy Cobham. As well as Wayne's incredible inventive studio albums, he has released several influential recordings of his amazing live trio performances, mostly recorded at the 55 Bar in Greenwich Village, New York. Wayne has also played major global concert events attracting many lovers of powerful, innovative and amazingly skilled improvised music. It has been said that Wayne Krantz "has invented a guitar genre of his own". G. T. Gusdorf reviewing this album on amazon.com said that, "I like jazz fusion, and this album is great. It makes me realize that the question "is jazz dead?" debate is for people who don't like jazz, and don't know how to say it". This album is HR by A.O.O.F.C. Check out Wayne's "Howie 61" album [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 99.9 Mb]

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1. Black Swan - Thom Yorke 6:04
2. My Skin Is My Sin - Ice Cube 5:05
3. Comprachicos - Gareth McGrillen 7:42
4. U Can't Touch This - MC Hammer 4:22
5. Black Swan - Thom Yorke 6:56
6. My Skin Is My Sin - Ice Cube 3:47
7. Comprachicos - Gareth McGrillen 2:43
8. U Can't Touch This - MC Hammer 4:54

MUSICIANS

Wayne Krantz - Guitar
Tim Lefebvre - Bass
Nate Wood - Bass, Drums
Keith Carlock - Drums
Gabriela Anders - Occasional Vocals

ABOUT WAYNE KRANTZ

Born 26th July 26 1956, WAYNE KRANTZ was raised in Corvalis, Oregon, Krantz. He discovered the Beatles at 14, and soon after started playing guitar. Having previously been subjected to piano tuition and hated it, KRANTZ found with the guitar he enjoyed not being told to practice. Early musical development included playing in rock and country groups. Shortly before leaving high school he discovered jazz in his father's record collection, in particular guitarist BARNEY KESSEL: this music became his main interest. To quote from KRANTZ's own web biography: "My first musically important job was with a band in Boston, the D SHARP GROUP - which also had guitarist BILL FRISELL. Afterwards I went on the road with CARL BLEY and that's where I really learned how to play chord changes. LENI STERN heard me playing at a club with CARLA and started hiring me to play gigs around town and later I went to Europe with LENI for several tours, clubs and festivals. Guitar-wise I guess I have been influenced one way or another by all the guys I respect. In that long list have to be TERRY HAGGERTY (The SONS OF CHAMPLIN), MICK GOODRICK, PAT METHENY, MIKE STERN, BILL FRISELL, KEVIN EUBANKS and JOHN SCOFIELD. Way off in the distance, the mountains that inspire all of us are JOHN MCLAUGHLIN and GEORGE BENSON; those are the guys that have taken their own the farthest. The immediate goal for me is to fulfill the promise of making my own music". In 1991 WAYNE KRANTZ released his first solo album, 'Signals', which included a number of well known session jazz musicians. He then formed his own trio with LINCOLN GOINES (bass) and ZACH DANZIGER (drums), recording 'Long To Be Loose' (1993), and the first of several live albums the excellent '2 Drink Minimum', (1995). During this period through to the mid noughties, WAYNE KRANTZ gained the reputation of being a New York guitar-fusionist, playing periodically at the 55 Bar jazz club in New York City. In 1996, KRANTZ released an acoustic album with LENI STERN, 'Separate Cages' (1996). WAYNE KRANTZ formed a new trio in 1997, which further demonstrated his outstanding guitar abilities complimented with a huge bag of jazz and rock riffs, allowing attractive improv to be played live night after night. In fact to use the term 'riffs' is far from precise when KRANTZ has outlined in his book, 'An Improviser's Operating System', his approach to improvisation, which relies not on licks or memorised fretboard patterns but an awareness of 'musical formulae' using the guitar. In doing so KRANTZ was producing new sounds that have changed his musical style drastically. His electric bass-player and drummer, respectively TIM LEFEBVRE and KEITH CARLOCK, contributed well the immediate inspiration and fluidity so that such live improv to be generated in many of KRANTZ's later albums well illustrate this type of jazz fusion. (It should be noted that TIM LEFEBVRE and ZACH DANZIGER, formed the innovative jazz drum'n'bass group BOOMISH as a side project in the late 90's - their second album 'Clearance Sale' includes contributions from KRANTZ and FRISELL. With some growing disillusionment and impatience with the mainstream record industry, KRANTZ's next three albums were produced and sold independently: 'Greenwich Mean' (1999), 'Your Basic Live' (2003), and 'Your Basic Live '06' (2007), being only available for sale at gigs or mail order via KRANTZ's website. During this time WAYNE KRANTZ cemented a well earned reputation worldwide, through tours (for instance appearing several times at Wales' Brecon Jazz Festival. In addition he has been in demand as a touring sidesman and session guitarist, working with STEELY DAN, MICHAEL BRECKER, DONALD FAGEN ('Morph The Cat', released 2006), CHRIS POTTER ('Underground', also in 2006), TAL WILKENFELD ('Tranformation' 2007) with perhaps the earliest session appearance on JASPER VAN'T HOF's 'Blue Corner'(1993). In June, 2007, KRANTZ played his last regular gig at the 55 Bar (at least for the time being), announcing ?he had a desire to move towards a louder thing requiring bigger rooms, with stages and sound systems to pull it off.?? However, the most recent announcement tells us of a August 2009 release 'Krantz, Lefevbre, Carlock', the first studio album recording in 13 years. (Biography compiled from various sources, quotes from Wayne Krantz). © Prog Archives, All rights reserved http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=4613

Terry Silverlight

Terry Silverlight - Wild - 2004 - www.terrysilverlight.com

The versatile studio session drummer Terry Silverlight, a pioneer from fusion's heyday, returns to his fusion roots while also embracing shuffles, funk grooves and bebop on Wild!! (TerrySilverlight.com). Joining him is an all-star cast of New York ringers including guitarists Hiram Bullock and Chuck Loeb, bassist Will Lee, keyboardists Paul Shaffer and Charles Blenzig, tenor saxophonist David Mann and special guest Edgar Winter, who contributes nasty vocals and alto sax on the funky "Brown 'N Serve." They groove in party-time mode on the shuffle blues opener "Sparkey J's," sparked by Bullock's stinging guitar solo, while "Yo" is a surging, uptempo swinger paced by Silverlight's brisk ride cymbal work and highlighted by Lew Soloff's bristling high note trumpet solo. "Insane" is classic, hard-hitting old school fusion-full of challenging heads, stop-time unison lines, daredevil trading of eights and lots of thunderous double bass drum thumping in the tradition of Billy Cobham's early '70s work. Loeb's sizzling, distortion-laced guitar solo on this throbbing drum-heavy number is far more aggressive and dissonant than fans of his recent smooth jazz offerings may be accustomed to, though Will Lee ups the sickness factor here with his own ugly fuzz-bass solo. The title track shifts nimbly back and forth from intense fusion to relaxed swing, as Silverlight adeptly straddles those two worlds. But for all-out drumming bravura, nothing tops "Phantom of Bebopera," which is basically one long drum solo surrounded by orchestral punctuation. Silverlight traverses the kit in muscular fashion on this one, with double bass drum pedal flailing away madly. By © & Bill Milkowski © 1999–2014 JazzTimes, Inc. All rights reserved. http://jazztimes.com/articles/15134-wild-terry-silverlightl

Great fusion with terrific compositions and uptempo grooves by the very underrated composer and drummer Terry Silverlight. Outstanding musicianship on this album from artists including Edgar Winter, Hiram Bullock, Chuck Loeb, Lew Soloff and more. HR by A.O.O.F.C Check out Terry’s “Diamond in the Riff” album [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 133 Mb]

TRACKS

1 Sparkey J's 5:51
2 Pugnacious 5:04
3 Brown 'n Serve 6:46
4 Windsurfing 7:04
5 Wild 6:20
6 Phantom of Bebopera 4:47
7 Yo 6:23
8 WTC 6:16
9 Insane 6:25
10 Closing 4:38

All tracks composed by Terry Silverlight

MUSICIANS

Edgar Winter - Alto Saxophone, Vocals
Paul Shaffer - Organ
Hiram Bullock, Chuck Loeb - Guitar
Will Lee - Bass
Terry Silverlight - Keyboards, Drums, Percussion
Charles Blenzig, Mike Ricchiuti - Keyboards
David Mann - Tenor & Soprano Saxophone
Lew Soloff - Trumpet
John Clark - French Horn

BIO (WIKI)

Terry Silverlight is a jazz, pop, rock and R&B drummer, composer, producer, arranger and author.Silverlight was born in Newark, New Jersey and grew up in North Plainfield, New Jersey. He made his debut as a drummer on Barry Miles' White Heat album, recorded in 1971 when Silverlight was fourteen years old.That early jazz/fusion album featured Barry Miles's compositions along with performances by guitarists Pat Martino, John Abercrombie (guitarist), and saxophonist/flutistLew Tabackin. Silverlight drummed on several more Barry Miles recordings throughout the 1970s performing alongside Al Di Meola, Vic Juris, Eric Kloss, andRichard Davis. After attending Princeton University, Silverlight moved to Manhattan and embarked upon a studio session career, playing drums on recordings for artists including Billy Ocean, George Benson, Laura Nyro, Stephanie Mills, Freddie Jackson, Anne Murray, Natalie Merchant, Jonathan Butler, Stephen Stills, Mel Tormé, Phil Woods, Tom Jones, Change, Odyssey, jingles, and film scores including You've Got Mail, One Fine Day, My Blue Heaven, Titus, What Planet Are You From? and Frida. Silverlight has authored three drum books; The Featured Drummer, The Stick Bag of Jazz, Funk, Fusion and Gig Bag Series for Drummers: Rhythm & Percussion. All are published by Music Sales Corporation. He has been an educator appearing at clinics including PASIC (Percussive Arts Society), Sam Ash, and Brooklyn College. He taught drums at the Drummers Collective (DCI) in Manhattan from 1981-1985. Silverlight toured worldwide as a member of Roberta Flack's band from 1986–1988, and has toured Japan yearly as a member of David Matthews's Manhattan Jazz Orchestra (MJO) since 1996, having recorded several albums with that group. Simultaneous to his drumming career, Silverlight has written songs, composed, produced, and arranged music for network TV shows including One Life to Live, The Young and the Restless, The Sopranos, All My Children, Beverly Hills, 90210, Melrose Place, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, NCIS, Smallville, Ghost Whisperer, Strong Medicine, The District, Las Vegas, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, 7th Heaven, The Shield, Burn Notice, South Beach, jingle products Reebok, Nicorette, Pantene, Crisco, the films Invincible with Mark Wahlberg, Head over Heels with Monica Potter/Freddie Prinze, Jr., Marci X with Lisa Kudrow,Sunshine Cleaning with Alan Arkin/Emily Blunt/Amy Adams, Mad About Mambo with Keri Russell, and songs recorded byNancy Wilson, Les McCann, Carl Anderson, Phillip Ingram (Switch V), Louise Redknapp and Judy Torres. Silverlight has seven solo artist recordings featuring his drumming and original compositions.Four are in the jazz genre:Terry Silverlight,Wild!!,Diamond in the Riff,and Live!, showcasing performances by Barry Miles, Will Lee, Paul Shaffer,Edgar Winter, Hiram Bullock, Chuck Loeb, Lew Soloff, and Bill Evans, among others. Three of the albums are in the pop genre featuring Silverlight's work as a songwriter, producer and arranger: Songwriter Producer: Volumes I & II, Collaborations: Volumes I & II, and Music To Picture.

Alex Machacek, Jeff Sipe, Neal Fountain

Alex Machacek, Jeff Sipe, Neal Fountain - The Official Triangle Sessions (Live) - 2008 - AbstractLogix

2008 Release. This was a special weekend of music. Alex Machacek, Jeff Sipe and Neal Fountain performed three nights of music during the last weekend of June in North Carolina. It was the very first time that Alex and Neal met. Neal Fountain hails from the musical hotbed of Athens, GA, and has been playing professionally from the age of 14. Best known as a sideman to Col. Bruce Hampton and the Fiji Mariners (a post-A.R.U. project of Hamptons) and drumming phenom Jeff Sipe. Neals name is on the short list of greater Atlanta's finest musicians.Matt Garrison was originally scheduled to play with Alex and Jeff as part of the Improvision DVD Shoot. However we had to postpone the DVD shoot because of scheduling conflicts. Neal came on a very short notice and played just great with Alex and Sipe. It got better with every night. So this music is from the final performance from Raleigh. Beautiful moments throughout the entire evening. © http://www.abstractlogix.com/xcart/product.php?productid=23864&cat=0&page=1

Austrian-born electric guitarist Alex Machacek is one of the young post-John Scofield/John McLaughlin/Allan Holdsworth performers whose melodic sense is in a phase of being developed. While he's beyond the noodling stage on this, his fourth album, one gets a sense that he's still a work in progress to find his clear and present voice, preferring to toy with sounds, voicings, and techniques that will serve his ideas better down the road. This live performance in Raleigh, NC, at the Lincoln Theatre is an exercise in that searching process, the guitarist teamed with drummer Jeff Sipe and electric bassist Neal Fountain. While certainly in the jam band area, one could mistake them for a quintessential power trio, but they are not there yet. Instead, Machacek and his mates are satisfied with elongating linear single lines stretched out over a ten-minute average until they slightly change up the mood. The more toned-down and prettier tracks seem to suit them, as the electrified improvisations simmer and at times explode, but rarely boil. The most interesting idea the group espouses collectively is during "Yoga for Cats 1," a spacy and soupy, deep and dark mood, followed by the pleasant "Neal's Fountain" in a traipse pulse, as Machacek's processed guitar is switched off on an alternate passage in shades of McLaughlin. The straight rock-funk of "Gem1" has noisy repeat phrases that meld into a jam, then mold the experiments into various sounds that are not necessarily musical. Synthesized sighing and a faux waltz identify "Pinchproof," while the end of the set has the band in a more sedate and even laid-back mood during "Along Came a Spider," crossing bar lines and offering a more melodic sense. "Put Me Back to Sleep" is an off-putting title that concludes the concert in lighter, acoustic modes with synthesizers as window dressing. The young bassist and drummer recall an embryonic Stanley Clarke and Tony Williams, respectively, minus over the top brashness and showy pyrotechnics, competent but undistinguished. Machacek is an interesting player whose music will advance over time into something distinctive; it's just not there yet. © Michael G. Nastos © 2014 AllMusic, a division of All Media Network, LLC. | All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/album/official-triangle-sessions-mw0000806614

The great Austrian-born electric guitarist Alex Machacek is joined by drummer Jeff Sipe and bass player Neal Fountain. Great Holdsworthian style fusion recorded live in concert in 2008 in N.Carolina, US. Not a shredfest but nice, at times subtle, with well structured compositions brilliantly played by three masters of the genre [All tracks @ 192 Kbps: File size = 98.2 Mb]

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1 Pinchproof - Fountain, Machacek, Sipe
2 Strafe - Machacek
3 Very Sad - Machacek
4 Gem1 - Fountain, Machacek, Sipe
5 Yoga for Cats1/Neil's Fountain - Fountain, Machacek, Sipe
6 Along came a Spider - Machacek
7 Put me back to Sleep - Machacek

MUSICIANS

Alex Machacek - Guitar
Neal Fountain - Bass
Jeff Sipe - Drums

Liquid Tension Experiment

Liquid Tension Experiment - Live 2008 - Limited Edition Boxset (LTE Bonus Disc 1 CD) - 2009 - Ytsejam Records

Liquid Tension Experiment is an instrumental supergroup formed by Mike Portnoy at a request from Magna Carta records. It consists of four members: Mike Portnoy, John Petrucci, Jordan Rudess, and Tony Levin. Three of these members have been members of Dream Theater, although when he joined Liquid Tension Experiment, Jordan Rudess had not yet joined Dream Theater, and Mike Portnoy left Dream Theater during 2010. Liquid Tension Experiment has released two albums, Liquid Tension Experiment and Liquid Tension Experiment 2. They have also released two albums as Liquid Trio Experiment, Spontaneous Combustion and When the Keyboard Breaks: Live in Chicago. Spontaneous Combustion was the result of jam sessions by the other three members of the band while Petrucci was with his wife, who was giving birth. When the Keyboard Breaks: Live in Chicago is a live recording of a concert in Chicago when Rudess' keyboard malfunctioned, and the other members of the band jammed while Rudess was on the phone with Roland. Additional Liquid Tension Experiment live recordings are available through Portnoy's Ytsejam label and website, www.ytsejamrecords.com. - http://dreamtheater.wikia.com/wiki/Liquid_Tension_Experiment_(band)

Liquid Tension Experiment's music could be described as the meeting of jazz fusion, heavy metal, latin music, funk, progressive rock and enormous doses of improvisation delivered by some of the best musicians the worlds of progressive rock, progressive metal and jazz have to offer. This bonus disc is part of a DVD/CD Limited Edition Boxset by LTE. The disc includes seven fantastic improvised jams from four of the greatest musicians in the jazz fusion business taken from various gigs played in June 2008 in Bethlehem, PA, NYC, Chicago, IL, and San Francisco, CA. Read more details on this album @ http://ytsejamrecords.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=32 These guys are masters of their respective instruments, and if you like sporadic, improvised progressive jazz rock/fusion of the highest calibre, then this album may appeal to you. Listen to LTE's "Liquid Tension Experiment 2" album [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 130.6 Mb]

LTE BONUS DISC [TRACKS]

1. NYC (Early Show) Improv Jam #1 (6:54)
2. NYC (Early Show) Improv Jam #2 (7:41)
3. NEARfest Improv Jam #1 (3:42)
4. NEARfest Improv Jam #2 (5:43)
5. Chicago Improv Jam #1 (7:58)
6. San Francisco Improv Jam #1 (10:41)
7. San Francisco Improv Jam #2 (13:17)

All tracks composed by Levin, Portnoy, Petrucci, Rudess

MUSICIANS

John Petrucci - Guitar
Tony Levin - Bass, Bass [Chapman Stick]
Jordan Rudess - Keyboards
Mike Portnoy - Drums

Kai Eckhardt, Fareed Haque, Alan Hertz, Kit Walker (Garaj Mahal)

Kai Eckhardt, Fareed Haque, Alan Hertz, Kit Walker (Garaj Mahal) - Gasoline Angel - 2000 - X-group

The masterful San Francisco's fusion band, Garaj Mahal fused the concept of jazz with a unique, original and eclectic mix of world rhythms encompassing pop, soul, progressive rock, studied jazz and modern jazz fusion, Indian music, focused funk, and jam-band styles. The highly obscure "Gasoline Angel " proved at the turn of the millennium that the future of good, spontaneous, innovative, eclectic and original jazz fusion was alive and well. Bassist Kai Eckhardt, speaking about "Gasoline Angel" said, "That was our own bootleg. It was produced in a split second. Suddenly there was this CD. Someone backed it financially, and we quickly went into the studio for one day—a very spontaneous decision. You're not going to see many of those. It's a collector's item. It's got a great sleeve—all of these people in the back of a truck". “Gasoline Angel” is definitely not for the snobby progressive fusion purists, but great music just the same and HR by A.O.O.F.C. Check out the band’s “Blueberry Cave” album on this blog. Buy Garaj Mahal's outstanding "w00t" CD and support great modern fusion and real music. Read a lot more about the band @ http://www.garajmahal.us/ and read a brilliant interview with the highly intelligent and great musician Kai Eckhardt @ http://innerviews.org/inner/eckhardt.html [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 114 Mb] N.B: This official album never seems to be included in Garaj Mahal’s discography. Has anybody out there got the artwork and sleeve notes for the album? TVM

TRACKS

1 Alap
2 Ivory Tower
3 Make a Hippy Happy
4 D-Tuned
5 Sudan
6 Kai-ma Sutra
7 Little Rascals
8 Sore Loser

All tracks composed by band members, individually and collectively

MUSICIANS

Fareed Haque - Guitar
Kai Eckhardt - Bass
Kit Walker - Keyboards
Alan Hertz - Drums

BIO (WIKI)

Garaj Mahal is a four piece band, based in the United States, playing a fusion of jazz, Indian music, rock, and especially funk: Kai Eckhardt (bass), Fareed Haque (guitars), Alan Hertz (drums), Sean Rickman (drums) and Eric Levy (keys). The band was formed in 2000 with the largely fulfilled expectation that the technical virtuosity each band member has been known for would bring about great music. They are one of the modern low- to mid-profile bands that allow their music to be recorded live at shows, and distributed in torrents, and musical archives. In early 2007, Mahal's "Blueberry Cave" won in The 6th Annual Independent Music Awards for Best Jam Album. According to Bassist Kai Eckhardt the band has disbanded with no plans to play again. After 11 years of touring, nine albums recorded and roughly 1000 shows played, the East/West Coast band Garaj Mahal has put an end to its appearances. There are currently no plans for future shows. Kai Eckhardt, August 14, 2011

John McLaughlin and the 4th Dimension

John McLaughlin and the 4th Dimension - Official Pirate: Best of the American Tour 2007 - 2007 - Mediastarz Monaco / Abstract Logix

With guitar icon John McLaughlin's Fall, 2007 North American tour with his new group, The 4th Dimension, a thing of the past, Official Pirate: The Best of the American Tour 2007 gives those lucky enough to catch the tour a chance to revisit and reassess. The digital download-only release also provides an opportunity for those who didn't make it to the shows to hear what they missed. While excerpts from the group's first show in Durham, North Carolina on September 13 were made available on CD-R the next day as Official Bootleg (Abstract Logix, 2007), capturing the energy of a group still discovering itself, Official Pirate provides a more balanced view of the group, culled from board recordings made throughout its seventeen-date tour. Early into the tour, McLaughlin had settled on a consistent set list, with material dating as far back as the gospel-tinged "The Unknown Dissident," from Electric Dreams (Columbia, 1978) and as recent as the more energetic "Senor CS," from Industrial Zen (Verve, 2006). Potent versions are included, along with "Raju" and "5 Peace Band" from the Shakti catalog, both reinvented here with more expansive harmonies that were implied but never fully realized by McLaughlin's East-meets-West explorations. While tunes like the balladic "Nostalgia," the thematically mind-blowing "Hijacked" and the episodic closer, "Mother Tongues" have been performed on other tours with other groups, the intensity and outstanding interplay between McLaughlin, keyboardist/percussionist Gary Husband, bassist Hadrien Feraud and drummer Mark Mondesir make them as good as any already available. "Mother Tongues," a thirteen-minute tour de force for the entire group, may well be the definitive version. McLaughlin and Husband both get individual solos up front that push the limits of virtuosity, but it's when the group heads into a middle section of fiery trade-offs that things really ratchet up. With Husband switching to his quirky jungle kit—highly tuned bass drum, snare and tom, along with two of the clangiest, industrial-sounding cymbals you'll ever hear—the power of two percussionists and the unmistakable fun they had working both off each other and in stunning synchronicity is something that doesn't need to be seen; it's clearly heard. While the playing is largely fierce throughout, the group does know how to pace a set, with "Nostalgia" and the equally lyrical "Maharina"—featuring a particularly lyrical piano solo from Husband—providing brief respites. Still, even on the up-tempo tunes technical fortitude is never a substitute for focus, construction and attention to detail; it's simply a means to a very musical end. There may be plenty of high velocity playing, and at times Husband's synth is clearly more textural than thematic, but this is a group that burns in a way that manages to retain a surprising melodism. Available only through Abstract Logix, the nearly eighty-minute Official Pirate captures some of the finest moments of McLaughlin on his first North American fusion tour in nearly a decade. On the strength of this release, hopefully another ten years won't have to pass before he returns. By & © JOHN KELMAN, Published: January 4, 2008 © 2014 All About Jazz http://www.allaboutjazz.com/official-pirate-the-best-of-the-american-tour-2007-john-mclaughlin-abstract-logix-review-by-john-kelman.php#.U96i__ldXQo

John McLaughlin, who originally rose to fame in the 1970s as a leading member of the jazz fusion band the Mahavishnu Orchestra, has achieved almost mythical status in music history. Jeff Beck of the Yardbirds has considered McLaughlin "the best guitarist alive", due to his unconventional, revolutionary method of playing and the starkly original music he has produced for decades. “Official Pirate” is comprised of board recordings made by the legendary guitarist and his awesome electric fusion band The 4th Dimension throughout their seventeen-date 2007 North American tour. Read
more about John @ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_McLaughlin_(musician) and listen to Al di Meola, Paco de Lucía, & John McLaughlin’ s superb “Friday Night in San Francisco” album [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 172 Mb]

TRACKS

1 Raju 10:58
2 Nostalgia 7:21
3 Hijacked 10:01
4 The Unknown Dissident 6:52
5 5 Peace Band 11:11
6 Senor CS 10:00
7 Maharina 6:22
8 Mother Tongues 13:35

All tracks composed by John McLaughlin

MUSICIANS

John McLaughlin - Guitar
Hadrien Feraud - Bass
Gary Husband - Keyboards, Jungle Kit
Mark Mondesir - Drums

BIO

One of fusion's most virtuosic guitar soloists, John McLaughlin placed his blazing speed in the service of a searching spiritual passion that has kept his music evolving and open to new influences. Whether shredding on electric or simmering quietly on acoustic, McLaughlin's intensity and underappreciated versatility have nearly always kept his playing vital, and his best moments -- whether as a solo artist or bandmember -- represent some of fusion's greatest recordings. McLaughlin was born January 4, 1942, in Yorkshire, England, and began playing guitar at age 11. Initially attracted to blues and swing, he worked with British artists like Georgie Fame, Graham Bond, Brian Auger, and Ginger Baker. McLaughlin formed his own band in 1968, and recorded the excellent debut Extrapolation in early 1969. Later that year he moved to New York to join Tony Williams' groundbreaking fusion band Lifetime, and appeared on the classic Emergency! Through Williams, McLaughlin was invited to join Miles Davis' band, and became an important part of fusion landmarks like In a Silent Way, Bitches Brew, and A Tribute to Jack Johnson. In 1970, wanting to explore acoustic and Eastern music, McLaughlin recorded the classic My Goal's Beyond; he soon left Davis, and after one further solo album, Devotion, McLaughlin spent some time woodshedding. He re-emerged in 1971 as leader of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, a seminal band that did much to define and popularize early jazz-rock fusion, as evidenced by the albums The Inner Mounting Flame, Birds of Fire, and Visions of the Emerald Beyond. Pausing to record Love Devotion Surrender with Carlos Santana in 1972, McLaughlin led Mahavishnu until 1975. Returning to spiritual preoccupations on My Goal's Beyond, he then formed Shakti, which fused acoustic jazz with Indian music over the course of three albums. McLaughlin returned to his solo career in the late '70s, forming a backing outfit called the One Truth Band, and also recording the guitar trio albums Friday Night in San Francisco and Passion, Grace & Fire with fellow fusion burner Al di Meola and flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucia. As the '80s went along, McLaughlin experimented with classical-jazz hybrid composing; there was also a short-lived Mahavishnu reunion in the mid-'80s. In the 1990s McLaughlin continued to record steadily in both electric and acoustic groups. He signed to Verve, where he would remain for 13 years. Some of the more notable albums from that period include the acoustic Time Remembered: John McLaughlin Plays Bill Evans in 1993; After the Rain with Elvin Jones and Joey DeFrancesco in 1995; and 1996's The Promise, which featured the guitarist in a number of settings, including a reunion with his acoustic trio partners di Meola and de Lucia, and a trio with DeFrancesco and drummer Dennis Chambers. The drummer was also a part of McLaughlin's final album of the decade, Heart of Things, a furious bout of electric jazz. The 21st century found McLaughlin in another nostalgic mood, releasing Remember Shakti: The Believer, a live set featuring the guitarist (playing electric guitar) with electric mandolinist U. Shrinivas, kanjira and ghatam player V. Selvaganesh, and legendary tabla player Zakir Hussain. While it wasn't a Shakti album proper, it nonetheless echoed that group's intricate and amazing rhythmic and harmonic breakthroughs. The group toured and released Saturday Night in Bombay a year later. McLaughlin's Euro-classical-leaning Thieves and Poets appeared in 2003. In 2004, WEA in Germany issued the massive 17-CD box set of McLaughlin's Montreux Concerts, which featured performances recorded between 1974 and 1996. Industrial Zen, released in 2006, was a mixed-bag recording where the guitarist's ambitions ran wild. It was his final album for Verve. In 2008 McLaughlin issued Floating Point, an extension of many of the concepts on Industrial Zen, on the Abstract Logix imprint. The final track on that album was entitled "Five Peace Band"; it served as the name for a supergroup assembled by McLaughlin and Chick Corea for a one-off world tour. The other members were saxophonist Kenny Garrett, drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, and bassist Christian McBride; an album of the same name was released in 2009 on Concord. To the One, a studio album with his 4th Dimension band, was released on Abstract Logix in the spring of 2010. McLaughlin resurfaced two years later with Now Here This, featuring new 4th Dimension drummer, Ranjit Barot. © Steve Huey © 2014 AllMusic, a division of All Media Network, LLC. | All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/john-mclaughlin-mn0000223701/biography

Scott Henderson

Scott Henderson - Live - 2005 - Mascot

This double-CD features consistently ferocious electric guitar from Scott Henderson. Recorded live at La Ve Lee (a small club near Los Angeles), the extended program has Henderson mostly in the spotlight with electric bassist John Humphrey offering strong support and drummer Kirk Covington sometimes contributing rockish vocals that are as much shouting as they are singing. Henderson plays some jazz on Wayne Shorter's "Fee Fi Fo Fum," digs into blues now and then, and displays some country roots on "Hillbilly in the Band" but mostly plays high-intensity fusion, tearing into the pieces and showing that he could hold his own with any rock/fusion guitarist. Invigorating playing. © Scott Yanow © 2014 AllMusic, a division of All Media Network, LLC. | All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/album/release/live%21-mr0003568919

Live! is a 2005 double CD album by fusion / jazz guitarist Scott Henderson recorded at the La Vee club in Los Angeles. The album features live-versions of songs from some of Scott's previous solo work and also tracks by his fusion band Tribal Tech Tribal Tech, one of the most highly-regarded fusion bands of the 1990s. In 1991 Scott was named '#1 Jazz Guitarist' by Guitar World magazine, and in January 1992 he was voted best jazz guitarist by Guitar Player magazine's Annual Reader's Poll. Brilliant jazz fusion from a legendary guitarist. This album was produced by the great Michael Landau and is HR by A.O.O.F.C. Scott has released a lot of stuff, both solo and with Tribal Tech, but check out Rob Whitlock's great "Sketchin'" and "Sketchin' 2" albums featuring Scott engaging in some amazing guitar wizardry. [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: CD 1 & CD 2 are on one rar file: File size = 220 Mb]

CD ONE

Slidin' 7:27
Well To The Bone 4:08
Sultan's Boogie 7:26
Xanax 6:25
Lady P 7:55
Jakarta 7:26
Tacos Are Good 5:38

CD TWO

Dog Party 9:20
Fee Fi Fo Fum 8:58
Meter Maid 4:52
Nairobe Express 12:27
Devil Boy 7:51
Hillbilly In The Band 6:17

All tracks composed by Scott Henderson except "Fee Fi Fo Fum" by Wayne Shorter, and "Nairobe Express" by Scott Henderson & Victor Wooten

MUSICIANS

Scott Henderson - Guitars
John Humphrey - Bass
Kirk Covington - Drums, Vocals

SHORT BIO

One of the finest fusion (as opposed to crossover) guitarists of the 1980s and '90s, Scott Henderson's explosive playing is often teamed up with electric bassist Gary Willis in their group Tribal Tech. Originally most influenced by rock, Henderson (who grew up in West Palm Beach, FL) played in local funk and rock bands. In 1980, he moved to Los Angeles to attend the Guitar Institute of Technology, studying with Joe Diorio. After graduating, he became a teacher himself at GIT. Henderson played with Jeff Berlin and Jean-Luc Ponty, and in 1985 toured with the original version of Chick Corea's Elektric Band. During 1987-1989, he worked on and off with Joe Zawinul's Syndicate, later focusing on Tribal Tech as his main band. As a leader, Scott Henderson has recorded for Passport, Relativity, Bluemoon, Atlantic, and Zebra. Starting with 1994's Dog Party, the guitarist made a transition from the world of jazz to the blues world, where his blues-rock fusion became the primary focus of his music career. But unlike many of his blues-rock contemporaries, his music was filled with the sort of odd time signatures and unique touches that are cornerstones of his jazz work. © Scott Yanow © 2014 AllMusic, a division of All Media Network, LLC. | All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/scott-henderson-mn0000254833/biography

Vinnie Colaiuta, Robben Ford, Jimmy Haslip - Jing Chi

Vinnie Colaiuta, Robben Ford, Jimmy Haslip - Jing Chi - 2001- Tone Center

No, this isn't a sister project to Wang Chung, it's actually a blistering and very trippy jazz fusion blast by three old vets who've been shedding over the years in Robben Ford's band. The cover of the disc features psychedelic art and the trio's names -- drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, guitarist Ford, and bassist Jimmy Haslip -- in alphabetical order so that listeners don't mistake any one of them for the leader. It's just an intense ensemble disc that draws from feisty blues-rock (dig the blistering free-for-all opener, "The Hong Kong Incident") to cooler atmospheric experiments (the seductive, laid-back "Stan Key.") There are a lot of influences from '60s rock, cult music, Miles Davis' Bitches Brew, down-home funky Delta blues, and a little James Brown kickin' soul as well. The wah-wah-driven, floating atmospheres of "Tengoku" lets listeners know that while these cats can blow heavy, they're happy at times just to kick back and get deep into nostalgia. Ford's balance of intense playing and strong melodicism is effective in keeping people who like good songwriting in the loop at times when it would be just as easy to just jam and forget about any structure. He also adds a decent vocal to "Going Nowhere," which is anchored in Haslip's hypnotic lines. Less effective is Haslip's robotic attempt to be like Sting on the vocal part of the all-atmospheric "In My Dream." That tune is the only real drawback to a very inventive disc of so many moods and such powerful playing. - By & © Jonathan Widran © 2014 AllMusic, a division of All Media Network, LLC. | All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/album/jing-chi-mw0000657997

Robben Ford comes to fusion by way of the blues, which partially explains why Ford, Vinnie Colaiuta and Jimmy Haslip's Jing Chi (Tone Center) is easier on the ears than a lot of guitar-led fusion efforts. Ford walks a tasteful line between the two spheres: blues-bred phrasing without the blockheaded post-Vaughan blooze cliches and uncrowded, fusion-inspired runs across the fretboard. Then again, with the formidable Haslip on bass and the equally staggering Colaiuta on drums, the space between Ford's notes is in extremely good hands. His playing on tunes like the nudgingly funky "Stan Key," the airy "Tengoku" and the organ-cushioned "Man in the Ring" are a reminder that fewer notes is often better. By & © Tony Green © 1999–2014 JazzTimes, Inc. All rights reserved. http://jazztimes.com/articles/13254-jing-chi-vinnie-colaiuta-robben-ford-jimmy-haslip

Another Tone Center supergroup strikes gold. Ex-Zappa drummer Colaiuta joins Yellowjackets bassist Haslip and blues-jazz guitar god Ford for a pretty damned satisfactory fusion foray. The big ears and fleet fingers required to pull off music like this are present in spades, and Ford's pedigree revives the blues feeling that's been so often absent in jazz-rock outings. This is actually a fairly relaxed set compared to some of the barn-burners Tone Center has released of late. The impression is that of three friends who decided to sit down and jam on a hot August night, aware of their chops but more interested in a tempered musical conversation. For the most part the strategy works well, keeping Jing Chi from falling into the usual trap of "sound and fury signifying nothing" that tends to plague fusion albums. Like many jazz combos, this bunch seems most at home with the blues, evidenced by Ford's rapturous wailing on tracks like "Crazy House." There are some nice diversions here, particularly Ford's crystalline acoustic playing on a tense "Train Song" and his head-smashing metallicity on the opening of Colaiuta's "Aurora." Haslip takes a heavily synthesized vocal on the ethereal "In My Dream," a big change of pace. Colaiuta reminds us that he's a master of all kinds of grooves, his polyrhythms setting up obstacle courses for the strings to playfully navigate. Jazz-rock pioneer Brian Auger adds some hot organ to the cool drive of "Man in the Ring," and his interaction with Haslip at solo time is priceless. Steve Tavaglione's EWI synth and programming are present here and there for atmospheric support, buoyant but unobtrusive. This disc is yet another triumph for Tone Center and the great fusion revival. By & © TODD S. JENKINS, Published: April 12, 2002 © 2014 All About Jazz http://www.allaboutjazz.com/jing-chi-vinnie-colaiuta-tone-center-review-by-todd-s-jenkins.php#.U87-pPldUvA

Jing Chi was a fusion trio composed of three legends of rock, jazz, and fusion: Guitarist Robben Ford, drummer Vinnie Colaiuta (Sting, Frank Zappa, Steely Dan) and bassist Jimmy Haslip (Steely Dan, Yellow Jackets). Between 2001 and 2004, the trio recorded three great fusion albums. The album posted here is the trio's first release and it’s a really impressive example of just how good and important the jazz fusion genre is. The musicianship is sensational here with the great Brian Auger , Steve Tavaglione, and Dan Morris lending their skills to a few tracks. This album is HR by A.O.O.F.C. Buy the trio’s great “3D” album and listen to their “Live” album on this blog @ http://overdoseoffingalcocoa.blogspot.com/2013/08/jing-chi.html [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 153 Mb]

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1. The Hong Kong Incident - Ford, Haslip 8:06
2. Stan Key - Colaiuta, Haslip, Ford 5:26
3. Tengoku - Ford, Haslip 9:50
4. Crazy House - Colaiuta, Haslip, Ford 5:00
5. Going Nowhere - Ford 6:18
6. Go Figure - Colaiuta, Haslip, Ford 7:24
7. Man in the Ring - Colaiuta, Haslip, Ford 8:49
8. In My Dream - Haslip, Provost 5:34
9. Train Song - Ford, Haslip 7:54
10. Aurora - Colaiuta 4:28

MUSICIANS

Robben Ford - Guitar: Vocals on "Going Nowhere"
Jimmy Haslip - Bass, Keyboards: Vocals on "In My Dream"
Brian Auger - Organ on "Man In The Ring"
Vinnie Colaiuta - Drums, Programming
Dan Morris - Tablas on "Going Nowhere"
Steve Tavaglione - EWI, Wind Synth., Synth Programming, Additional Keyboards, Computer Programming

BIO

The brainchild of bassist/composer Jimmy Haslip, Jing Chi was conceived as a forum for musical expression and interaction between Haslip and fellow music icons, Robben Ford and Vinnie Colaiuta. They played together in Robben Ford's group and shared a level of confidence and trust in each other as people and as musical voices that made their collaboration in Jing Chi a natural evolution, rather than a pre-fab super group. Their shared interests in different styles of music comes out in Jing Chi's cohesive, yet diverse, musical compositions which are as much about expressing a mood as they are about letting it out and playing without commercial restriction. They each bring to the studio a vast amount of experience and knowledge to draw from, yet they continually push each other and learn from each other, which results in a rare musical exchange. Influences as diverse as Cream and the early Tony Williams Lifetime can be heard in addition to funk and delta blues influences, but the final result is "Jing Chi" When asked about the prospect of doing some live dates, Haslip said "I am extremely excited to make this happen for us. We are all psyched to do a tour and play out live and there are some opportunities for us to put a tour together for 2002. We are organizing some dates and hope to announce a cool tour sometime next year. I believe it will be happening". Vinnie Colaiuta: One of the most respected and revered drummers of all time, Vinnie Colaiuta headed for the Berklee College of music after high school in Pennsylvania. At Berklee he honed his chops and forged a friendship with fellow drum icon Steve Smith that resulted in them rooming and studying together. After Berklee Vinnie did his first professional studio session under veteran producer Al Kooper before heading for L.A. where he learned about an audition Frank Zappa was holding for a new drummer. After putting Vinnie through the paces at a grueling audition, Vinnie was hired and began forging a long and important relationship which resulted in Vinnie's appearance on over 15 of Zappa's albums. His work with Joni Mitchell and many others in the 80's created a demand for Vinnie as a "first-call" drummer on the highly competitive L.A. session scene. Although his work with Zappa and the majority of the contemporary jazz and fusion legends caused a strong demand for his playing in the industry and his work with pop legend "Sting" for much of the 90's exposed him to mainstream audiences around the world and contributed to his current status as one of the world's most legendary drummers. Vinnie has worked with top rock and jazz artists including Celine Dion, Jewel, The Temptations, Steely Dan Duran Duran, Gino Vannelli, Weather Report, George Benson, Allan Holdsworth and many, many others.Weather ReportVinnie has worked with K Zildjian. Robben Ford: A guitarist from the age of 13, Robben Ford began playing with Charlie Musslewhite at age 18. A year or so later, Robben and his brothers, formed the Charles Ford band, named after their father and recorded an album for Northern California based Arhoolie records which is still a favorite among blues aficionados. After moving to Los Angeles, began working with hall of fame blues singer Jimmy Witherspoon and toured U.S. and Europe before being asked by Tom Scott's group the L.A. Express to back-up Joni Mitchell on the road. As opening act for Joni Mitchell, Tom Scott and the L.A. Express quickly gained notoriety and Robben along with them. On a trip to England he was asked to play with George Harrison on his Dark Horse album and subsequent tour in 1974. Robben's album, entitled "The Inside Story" was recorded mostly with the band that became the Yellow Jackets which was the start of a musical bond with Jing Chi bassist Jimmy Haslip. An offer to play with Miles Davis resulted in Robben hitting the road with Miles for half a year. His next big career milestone occurred when Warner Brother's release of Robben's solo album "Talk to Your Daughter" in 1988 resulted in a Grammy nomination. This gave rise to his most well known solo group, Robben Ford and The Blue Line. Robben Ford and the Blue Line recorded three well-received records and the group toured the world for the next few years. Robben's next record, "Tiger Walk" contained the song "In The Beginning" which was also nominated for a Grammy. His last studio album "The Supernatural" was critically acclaimed and further cemented Robben Ford's status as a true guitar hero. Jimmy Haslip: Jimmy Haslip began forging a career as one of the industry's most in demand bassists back in the early '70's. Playing with guitar legends such as Buzzy Feiten and Tommy Bolin gave rise to a demand for his services that has carried him into the new millennium. Artists such as Crosby Stills and Nash, Blackjack with Michael Bolton, Lee Ritenour, Robben Ford and Tom Scott utilized his talents on recordings throughout the latter part of the '70's. The 80's saw the development of Jimmy's group the Yellowjackets in which Jimmy expanded his writing and composing chops, recording nearly a record a year over the past two decades. Also during the '80's his demand as a session player continued to grow as he recorded with Cher , Kenny G, Bobby McFerrin, The Rippingtons. Rod Stewart and Steely Dan. Haslip continues to thrive with the Yellowjackets and holds onto the status of one of the industry's most working bassists. © 1999 db Management © http://www.robbenford.com/jingchi.htm

The Steve Saluto's

The Steve Saluto's - Fuzzy House - 2004 - Levei’s Productions

The guitar of Steve Saluto is able to show all the artist’s taste and heart having in the impact and in the freshness of the sound its winning card“ in this way Guitar Club Magazine introduced Steve Saluto in the Nov. 2000 issue. Residing in Treviso (Italy), Steve Saluto began playing guitar at the age of fifteen. At the beginning they were jazz guitar lessons then, inspired by the Van Halen solo in "Beat It", Steve took up playing rock. From Jazz to Funk to Rock and Pop, Steve has played and or recorded with a diverse many such as The Venice Gospel Ensemble, Buddy Miles, Phil Palmer, and many more. He has written and produced 11 solo and band recordings featuring his diverse guitar virtuosity. "Melodic Rock" described him as "the amazing new Italian guitar hero and a recording studio genius" ... besides his guitar player and band leader status, Steve is an in demand writer and producer for up and coming young bands and he also own a recording commercial studio. © https://myspace.com/stevesaluto/bio

Steve Saluto's Fuzzy House was recorded partly at Steve's studio The Kitchen, partly at the Level Recording Studio and a track has been recorded at the Headroom Recording Studio in L.A. during Saluto's last vacation there. Three live tracks recorded at the Teatro Accademia in Conegliano (including a jazzy cover arrangement of Sting's "King Of Pain") also close out the album of fusion and jazz instrumentals. In addition to the guitar work of Saluto, musicians playing on this project include Paolo Vianello (piano), Charlie Waymire (drums), Giorgio Zanier (drums), Paolo Prizzon (drums), Danny Gottlieb (drums), Miky Minniti (bass), Jeff Berlin (bass) and Lello Gnesutta (bass). Steve Saluto's Fuzzy House interjects a rocker's energy into the jazz/fusion fans have come to love. - © Guitar9

“Fuzzy House” is a totally instrumental jazz fusion release featuring Danny Gottlieb on drums and Jeff Berlin on bass. “Melodic Rock” described Steve Saluto as “the amazing new Italian guitar hero and a recording studio genius ”. Steve Saluto is most definitely one hell of a great guitarist, and this album deserves much wider exposure. Listen to Steve’s “A Different Fire” album [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 118 Mb]

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1. Fuzzy Boy - Saluto (3:43)
2. Hooked - Saluto (4:31)
3. The Club - Saluto (5:43)
4. Come Dimenticare - Vianello (6:21)
5. Radio Vamp - Saluto (00:51)
6. Tonic - Saluto (4:43)
7. I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face - Lerner & Loewe (3:24)
8. Hooked (Live) - Saluto (8:06)*
9. Paolo's Piano Intro (Live) - Vianello (1:20)*
10. King Of Pain (Live) - Sting (7:32)*

* Recorded live at the “Teatro Accademia”, Conegliano, Italy, on Feb. 13th, 2004

MUSICIANS

Steve Saluto - Guitar, Bass, Vocals, Noises
Miki Minniti, Jeff Berlin, Lello Gnesutta - Bass
Paolo Vianello - Keyboards
Danny Gottlieb, Giorgio Zanier, Charlie Waymire, Paolo Prizzon - Drums

BIO

My name is Steve Saluto and I am a producer, musician/songwriter, audio engineer and avid music fan. As a musician i’ve written and produced 12 solo and band recordings featuring my diverse guitar styles ranging from jazz to rock and playing and recording with musicians such as Buddy Miles, Darryl Jones (Sting/Rolling Stones), Danny Gottlieb (Pat Metheny Group), Jeff Berlin, Doug Wimbish (Living Colours), Brian Tichy (Billy Idol/Foreigner), Richie Kotzen (Poison/Mr Big), Oni Logan (Lynch Mob) just to name a few. I’ve been a member, in 2008, of the acclaimed band called “La Famiglia Superstar” with Terry Ilous (Great White), Marco Mendoza (Whitesnake/Thin Lizzy) and Atma Anur. With this band i did tour and a well selling record called “La Famiglia Superstar”. Working with these musicians has provided me with a great deal of in-studio experience, as well as the opportunity to play around the world introducing me to an international audience. I graced national TV and RADIO shows (RAI, Video Music, Roxy bar) and the pages of several guitar and music pubblications including GUITAR PLAYER, GUITAR CLUB, AXE, METAL SHOCK, FLASH and BASIMEDIA MAGAZINE. “Melodic Rock” described me as “… the amazing new Italian guitar hero and a recording studio genius … ” … well… I don’t think to be a recording studio genius … but aside my guitar player status I’m an in demand writer and producer for up and coming young bands. Actually I’m a member of the Pensado Academy hosted by the Grammy Winning mix master Dave Pensado. I’ve just released my 12th solo album called “12” and a song I’ve written/recorded with Danny Bullman, Richard Fortus (Guns’n Roses), Marco Mendoza and Tim McCarver (Murder FM) is part of the “WILDSTYLE & TATTOO MUSIC – The Ultimate Tattoo Sound – The 3 CD box of Europes’ most successful show “Wildstyle & Tattoo Messe”. © http://www.stevesaluto.com/2011/index.asp?pag=1

Karcius

Karcius - Episodes - 2008 - Unicorn Digital

Karcius is (mainly) an instrumental group from Montreal, Canada who play a mix of progressive rock and fusion jazz music. Four instrumentalists created the band at spring 2001: Dominique Blouin on bass/vocals, Thomas Brodeur on drums, Simon L'Espérance on guitars and Mingan Sauriol on keyboards. The group objective is to develop different musical ideas and explore styles to generate a surprising and diversified music. The improvisation and written music stand side by side generating a unique and particular musical concept. - ProgArchives

Always restlessly approaching their interests in an eclectic sort of prog rock that mixes jazz-rock, psychedelia, fusion and symphonic textures, the guys of Karcius have released yet another gem in their repertoire by the end of 2008: "Episodes" is a marvelous exhibition of how much creatity these guys carry in their minds and souls in order o keep their artistic proposal fresh and renewed. As always, this band's sonic framework is loose enough as to fluidly incorporate sources of musical power that somehow relate their essence to the standards of prog-metal. You can also notice some bizarre progressions and ornaments that feel quite close to the challenging pace of avant-prog. This album doesn't fall short concerning these assets, but as I said before, Karcius does not replicate itself. "Episodes" comprises some new explorations related to space-rock, which in turn serves as a motive to emphasize the psychedelic factor that had already been present in preceding albums. The three sections of 'Elements' open up the album in a most revealing fashion. 'Submersion', the autonomous title of the first section, openly flirts with he dense flow of your regular spacey psychedelic rock. At first, Suriol's piano keeps things on a level of dreamy majesty, but it is only when l? Esperánce's lead guitar comes to the fore that the track meets its main body and crucial development. Things pretty much get heavy-prog, featuring an incendiary guitar lead augmented by an ominous choir mellotron. The opening motif then returns, partially capturing the increased energy. The last two minutes get very spacey, with a bass guitar riff that paves the way for the emergence of 'Sol', the second section. This one is more celebratory, elaborating a jazz-funk groove that might as well remind us of Weather Report-meets-Brand-X. Near the end, things get hardened, linked to the current era of jazz-rock. 'Combustion', the suite's third section, benefits from this particularly explicit momentum, with a first part that combines metallish riffs and Floydian environments: there is something grayish, subtly sinister about it. After the 6 minute mark, things get tighter up to the point of arriving at LTE-like territory. The epic conclusion provides a reprise of the bridge between sections 1 and 2. This suite has been simply lovely, a manifestation of the album's main virtues as a whole. 'Incident' is more patently fusion-oriented, clearly influenced by good old Return to Forever (mostly due to the Flamenco-like atmospheres), but there is also that aura of musical extravagance that sounds closer to bands such as The Lonely Bears. The piano sonata entitled 'Levant' is only 2 ½ minutes long, but that's OK since its Gershwin moods are developed in a most efficient manner. A lovely piece, indeed. In this way, the listener is prepared to listen to 'Purple King', a solid rocker in which the lead guitarist seems o pay homage to Allan Holdsworth and Jeff Beck. The progressive ornaments that go settling in allow the band to teach a lesson of prog metal even if it is not a prog metal group. There is also an organ solo very worthy of a special mention, in which we find traces of Lord's exquisiteness and Emerson's vibration. 'Purple King' can be fairly regarded as the album's zenith. 'Racine' occupies the album's last 9- minutes. This one is very much like Ozric Tentacles: starting with a white reggae vibe, later on the track shifts towards a space-rock momentum augmented with fusion touches. This is very similar to Ozric Tentacles at their most sophisticated. Ultimately, the first motive is reinstated in order to provide a cosmic relaxation with agile spacey textures. All in all, this albums doesn't equal the robustness of 2kaleidoscope", but it is not to say that this album is soft or lacking stamina. It has lots of stamina, indeed, but the band has put it in a more subtle level. Karcius still rules! - Review by & © Cesar Inca SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator ****/5 © Prog Archives, All rights reserved http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=20742

It is difficult to classify their music. It is more rock than anything else, perhaps slightly reminding of King Crimson, the Flower Kings and Greenslade, at least in this CD, which is superb. There are obvious jazz influences but the end result has nothing improvisational about it. Their previous two CDs ("Kaleidoscope" and "Sphere") were just as brilliant as this one. They deserve to be much better known than they are. All titles are instrumental while Levant is a beautiful piano piece. – from ***** Progressive jazz rock from Karcius, October 23, 2010 By & © N. Aggelopoulos © 1996-2014, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates

Karcius is an instrumental progressive rock band that has some jazz-fusion moments throughout. There’s even a nod to reggae on the ending track, “Racines”. Their third album entitled, Episodes, such a mixture of styles which are executed with ease by these amazing musicians. Episodes as with their first two albums, is on the Unicorn Digital record label. A perfect home for the band as well as something for the label to be proud of. From the opening track, “Submersion”, the band has a familiar sound while keeping things fresh. This sets the mood for the rest of the album. Another that shows off their skills as musicians is, “Purple King” which treads ground with label mates Spaced Out but more on the melodic side. The rest of the album follows suit and provides the listener with a wonderful “soundtrack”. This definitely one of my favorite instrumental releases of 2008 and fans of Spaced Out, Kopecky, Planet X and others will find Episodes to be a perfect addition to their collection. - Reviewed by & © Ron Fuchs on July 24th, 2009 © 1998-2009, ProgNaut.com, All Rights Reserved. http://prognaut.com/reviews/karcius2.html

“Episodes” contains a myriad of styles that brings out a unique and surprising personality to their music. Karcius will never stop evolving: these musicians constantly seek perfection and professionalism. A must have for all ART ROCK fans! If you love Pink Floyd, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Radiohead, Porcupine Tree, Spock's Beard, old school Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea; this album is for you!” © http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/karcius

Outstanding, instrumental progressive jazz rock/fusion from a great Canadian band. Listen to the band’s "Sphere" album [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 153 Mb]

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1. Elements I : Submersion (9:45)- L'Espérance, Blouin, Sauriol, Brodeur
2. Elements II : Sol (8:38)- L'Espérance, Blouin, Sauriol, Brodeur
3. Elements III : Combustion (12:23)- L'Espérance, Blouin, Sauriol, Brodeur
4. Incident (8:39)- Simon L'Esperance
5. Levant (2:26)- Mingan Sauriol
6. Purple King (7:35)- L'Espérance, Blouin, Sauriol, Brodeur
7. Racines (8:54)- L'Espérance, Blouin, Sauriol, Brodeur

MUSICIANS

Simon L'Espérance - Guitars, Additional Synths, Strings Arrangement on Track 4
Dominique Blouin - Bass
Mingan Sauriol - Keyboards, Strings Arrangement on Track 3
Thomas Brodeur - Drums, Percussion

BIO

Karcius is a band from Montreal, Canada with a twist. Their adventurous musical vision sets them apart from the rest. Together they create a unique blend of Rock, Pop, African, Classical, Jazz, and ambient music. The group came to life in spring 2001 when Simon L’Espérance on guitars, Thomas Brodeur on drums and Mingan Sauriol on Keyboard shared a common interest in writing adventurous music together. Sylvain Auclair on bass and vocals joined the group in 2009. Each of these solid musicians are constantly active in the local and international music scene, especially in Europe. Their experience and maturity has enabled them to diversify their sound and explore boundless opportunities within this vehicle that is Karcius. With all of their album distributed internationally, the band broke into new markets and gained global recognition in the art-rock music scene. They performed in some of the most important progressive music festivals in North America, South America and Europe and left quite an impact, creating a growing interest and fan base. Their dynamic personality, the energy they have on stage and their driving force leaves no one indifferent. Karcius’s sense of unity and cohesion makes them hard- hitting and determined. On “Episodes” the band redefined and brought new colors and complexity to their sound, authenticating their need to re-invent themselves musically and professionally. The future holds many surprises as the band increases their presence internationally. The recent addition of vocals is very exciting for the band and will surely allow them to reach larger audiences. © 2012 KARCIUS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. http://www.karcius.com/us.html

Gongzilla

Gongzilla - Jazz Club, Minden, Germany - February 23rd, 2002 - Unoff.

Another branch in the Gong family tree, Gongzilla was a reassembly of several of the members of early Pierre Moerlin's Gong and played a similar style jazz-rock fusion. Formed in 1994 by guitarist Ben Lozaga and bassist Hansford Rowe, the group was rounded out by guitarist Allan Holdsworth, percussionist Bobby Thomas Jr., and vibraphonist Beniot Moerlen. They released Suffer in 1995, which found the band exploring some more hard rock stylings than Piere Moerlin's Gong. The album was ranked the number three fusion album of the year by Pulse!. Thrive followed in 1996 which added drummer Gary Husband and guitarist David Torn to the mix while featuring Rowe on vocals. © Geoff Orens © 2010 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll

This is the second half of the show played by Gongzilla at the Jazz Club, Minden, Germany on February 23rd, 2002 as part of their European "Chronic Tour". It’s a well above average soundboard recording from a great jazz fusion band. Gongzilla features Bon Lozaga on guitar, Hansford Rowe on bass, Benoît Moerlen on vibraphone and marimba, and the late Pierre Moerlen on drums and percussion. The band (a spin-off of the British Canterbury Scene and sometimes fusion group Gong) create another great work of skilful grooves, deep rhythms, and wonderful masterful interplay between all instruments. There is no indication that the first half of this gig was ever recorded. If you know of such a disc, please contact this blog. Check out Gongzilla’s “East Village Sessions”, “Five Even”, “Live”, “Suffer”, and “Thrive”. Support great fusion music [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 140 Mb]

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1 Gongzilla's Dilemma - Hansford Rowe 6:04
2 Say No More - Pierre Moerlen 6:50
3 Expresso - Pierre Moerlen 6:45
4 My Doctor Told Me So - Pierre Moerlen 2:13
5 No Pennies Please - Pierre Moerlen 5:30
6 Downwind - Pierre Moerlen 8:21
7 Soli - Hansford Rowe 9:28
8 Gongzilla - Bon Lozaga 7:18
9 One World - Hansford Rowe 1:53
10 Image - Hansford Rowe 6:02

MUSICIANS

Bon Lozaga - Guitar, Effects
Hansford Rowe - Bass, Just Intonation Bass
Benoit Moerlen - Vibraphone, Marimba
Pierre Moerlen - Drums, Percussion

Glen Drover

Glen Drover - Metalusion - 2011 - Magna Carta

Glen Drover is better known to the metal community as the former member of King Diamond and Megadeth, and to a lesser extent as a member of Canadian power thrash metal band Eidolon which he formed with brother Shawn. And this year with the help of some illustrious names in the industry, he unleashed his solo debut "Metalusion", and as the name suggests, it's a combination of metal and jazz fusion. Five original tunes and five covers make up the 10-track album. The first of the original compositions is the album opener "Ground Zero", featuring Chris Poland of Megadeth and OHM fame along with Vinnie Moore from UFO. It's an immensely delightful track that nicely sets the tone for the rest of the album. It has quite a strong progressive jazzy feel to it, and with the presence of three jazz connoisseurs in Drover, Poland and Moore, I expected nothing less. Even though it is largely a jazz-speed bonanza, this song has a sufficiently prominent thrash element that should please fans of Megadeth's Poland-era albums. It actually has something for metal fans of all kind, with the guitar harmonies giving it a traditional metal touch as well. "Frozen Dream" is next, and features Steve Smyth from Forbidden. Another excellently composed track, this is highly enjoyable from start to finish, and what stands out here as much as the guitars obviously is Jim Gilmour's contribution on the keyboards which creates a musical trinity that's similar to that of track 1. Paul Yee's bass and Chris Sutherand's drums also add a lot of punch to this tune, thus proving that Metalusion is after all a band effort and not merely a solo album. The next original track is "Colors Of Infinity" which does not feature any guests and is composed by the Glen Drover band on its own. This being the debut album, the jury would be very much out on Glen's abilities as a composer and band leader, and after listening to this song no one would be left disappointed or dissatisfied, as the incredibly pristine guitar sound that's the focal point of this beautifully powerful tune rings through the listener's grateful ears. "Illusions Of Starlight" comes across as a brilliant follow-up. It offers much of the same guitar goodness but in a slightly more upbeat and up-tempo manner as compared to its predecessor. The last of the original tracks "Ascension" comes in at number 8 in the track listing, another slow, mesmerizingly beautiful piece of music that highlights the genius of Glen Drover. Other than these, the album includes five cover tunes that pay tribute to Glen's jazz heroes, namely Frank Zappa, Jean-Luc Ponty and Al DiMeola. While doing justice to the original versions of these songs, Glen has certainly given a more 'metal' twist to them, making it more suitable for metal fans. One of the JL Ponty covers features Opeth's Frederik Akesson as guest guitarist while the other boasts of contribution by Nevermore's Jeff Loomis, both musicians giving a lot of oomph to the already powerful music. I'm sufficiently glad listening to how Glen combines with these amazing guest musicians, but given the style and magnitude of this stellar effort, I'm only surprised that it doesn't feature the likes of Alex Skolnick and Devin Townsend. Food for thought for the next album may be? Overall, this album is more of the kind that progressive rock fans and connoisseurs of virtuosic guitar would appreciate more than your average Megadeth fan would. The fact that it's an instrumental album gives complete opportunity for Glen Drover to present himself in a way he has never been able to do in any of his previous bands. If you previously didn't think much of Glen's abilities as a guitar player and composer, you're in for a pleasant shock. Featuring some of the most wonderful virtuosic guitar you would have heard in a long time, this is a blissful hour of music which everyone should treat themselves to. To sum it up in one word, I would just say, "Wow!!" - My Rating: 9.5/10 © Jazz Explorer THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2011 © http://jazzexplorer.blogspot.ie/2011/07/glen-drover-metalusion-album-review.html

This album has been described as "Technically excellent jazz-metal that sometimes suffers from a lack of memorable melodies". It can easily be argued "memorable melodies" do not necessarily make a great album. In fact, this album contains five covers including two Frank Zappa tunes, two "Jean-Luc Ponty" compositions, and an Al di Meola tune. These three composers did not achieve fame through melodic compositions so "a lack of memorable melodies" does not make a bad album. However, artists like Zappa did create often manic, avant garde, and tuneless music that was also memorable, technically excellent, and also highly inventive. It is true that on many shred, metal, and fusion albums, compositional originality is sacrificed often to merely display the technical mastery of an instrument. This is fundamentally the main critics’ point in some of the poorer reviews of this album. Glen Drover certainly creates a potent blend of classic power jazz metal backed by great musicians that include Chris Poland, Vinnie Moore, and Jeff Loomis. Great musicianship here and definitely "A decent effort worth checking out if the style fits your tastes". Read more about this album at http://www.guitarplayer.com/miscellaneous/1139/glen-drovers-metalusion/13913 and check out Dave Martone & Glen Drover's "Live At Metalworks" album [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 115 Mb]

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1. Ground Zero - Glen Drover & Jim Gilmour
2. Frozen Dream - Jim Gilmour
3. Egyptian Danza - Al di Meola
4. Colors Of Infinity - Glen Drover
5. Illusions Of Starlight - Glen Drover & Paul Yee
6. Don't Let The World Pass You By - Jean-Luc Ponty
7. Mirage - Jean-Luc Ponty
8. Ascension - Glen Drover
9. The Purple Lagoon - Frank Zappa
10. Filthy Habits - Frank Zappa

MUSICIANS

Glen Drover - Guitars, Vocals
Chris Poland, Vinnie Moore - Guitar on Track 1
Steve Smyth - Guitar on Track 2
Fredrik Akesson - Guitar on Track 6
Jeff Loomis - Guitar on Track 7
Paul Yee - Bass
Jim Gilmour - Keyboards
Chris Sutherland – Drums

BIO (WIKI)

Glen Drover (born May 25, 1969) is a heavy metal guitarist from Missisauga, Ontario, Canada, where he currently resides. Drover is best known as the former lead guitarist in Megadeth and King Diamond, as well as his own band Eidolon, along with his brother Shawn Drover. Glen Drover began playing guitar as a child, and was joined at age 10 by his brother Shawn on drums. Influenced by Tony MacAlpine, Al Di Meola, Randy Rhoads, Greg Howe, Michael Romeo, George Lynch, Warren DeMartini and David Gilmour, the Drover brothers formed the thrash/power metal band Eidolon in 1996, releasing seven albums to date. Glen is currently teaching guitar lessons at Musicians Choice. In 1998, Drover joined King Diamond, and appeared on the House of God album. In October 2004, Drover joined thrash metal band Megadeth, bringing along his brother Shawn. Following an extensive world tour, Drover contributed to Megadeth's 2007 release, United Abominations as the lead guitarist and with co-writing credits for one song. In January 2008 Glen Drover left Megadeth to focus on family life; the constant touring was starting to have a negative effect on him. His last show with Megadeth was on November 18, 2007 in Brisbane, Australia. Commenting on leaving the band, Drover said "I am aware of the rumors that I left Megadeth to focus on family life and my family life has always been my priority. In the end, I was unhappy with the situation, which magnified me wanting to spend more time with my family and realizing that it's time for me to move on to the next chapter in my musical career, I have a lot of great memories and met a ton of great people along the way, both fans and people in the industry." Glen collaborated with Stéphan Forté of the band Adagio on a 10 track instrumental CD.[citation needed] The album, titled Metalusion, was recorded sporadically over a 2-plus-year period. It was released on April 5, 2011. The group decided to call the band/project Metalusion, which is the name of the first album. The next studio album, Between Sea And Sky is scheduled to be released in the summer of 2014. On October 22, 2008, Testament announced that they had recruited guitarist Glen Drover to fill in on their upcoming Mexican tour dates with Judas Priest, due to Alex Skolnick's prior commitment to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Also in March 2010, during the time of him trying to finally finish his album, Glen Drover played with Testament on the Megadeth, Testament, Exodus tour in the US and Canada, due to Alex Skolnick being away again during this time. After lead singer Geoff Tate was fired from the band Queensrÿche in June 2012, Tate announced his own lineup on September 1, 2012, which included Drover, but on November 23, 2012, Drover left the band, stating: "I was very excited about doing this gig initially, but learned in the past week or so that it's in my best interest not to do this right now. (...) I sincerely wish the Geoff and the band all the luck on what they do in the future." Drover would later explain that: “[t]he musical direction of where Geoff wanted to go wasn’t what I wanted to go forward with. I’m more into the first five Queensrÿche albums, the original template of the band. For me, when I think of the band, I think of those records.”On March 5, 2013, Drover surprised many, when he tweeted: "Going up onstage with the REAL Queensryche and play "Take Hold Of The Flame" this thursday at the Phoenix in Toronto. going to be fun stuff!" By this, he meant the version of Queensrÿche that had expelled Tate and replaced him with Todd La Torre. This performance was held on March 7, 2013, in which "Take Hold of the Flame" from Queensrÿche's 1984 album The Warning was played as an encore. Drover later stated that calling this version of Queensrÿche "the real Queensrÿche", "was poor wording on my part. (...) It wasn’t a slap at anyone in any way, shape or form. I have no problems with anybody on either side. It was the wrong choice of wording.” In April 2014, a settlement granted the sole rights to the Queensrÿche name to the band fronted by La Torre.