Fusion uber-group CAB will re-release their 2006 album Live at The Baked Potato next month. This excellent 2-CD set includes all of the bands staples, plus a killer version of Billy Cobham's "Stratus." The lineup on this release includes band mainstays Bunny Brunel on bass, Tony MacAlpine on guitar, and Virgil Donati on drums, with David Hirshfelder playing keyboards. I've had this one for awhile now; definitely worth picking up if you want to hear some great live jazz fusion.
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« May 2009 | Main | July 2009 »
June 2009
June 30, 2009
Al DiMeola tour dates
Here is an updated list of Al DiMeola's current tour dates:
07/01/2009 - MONTREAL, CANADA - MONTREAL JAZZ FESTIVAL - PDA SALLE-DUCEPPE
07/02/2009 - TORONTO, ONT. - TORONTO STAR STAGE @ NATHAN PHILLIPS SQUARE
07/03/2009 - ST. IRENEE, QUEBEC - SALLE FRANCOYS BERNIER
07/04/2009 - OTTAWA, CANADA - OTTAWA INTL JAZZ FESTIVAL - CONFEDERATION PARK
07/08/2009 - CORDOBA, SPAIN - GRAN TEATRO DE CORDOBA
07/10/2009 - GALAPAGAR, SPAIN - TEATRO de GALAPAGAR
07/11/2009 - LIMBURGERHOF, GERMANY - BASF LIMBURGER
07/12/2009 - TUNIS, TUNISIA - AMPHITHEATER TABARKA
07/15/2009 - CAIRO, EGYPT - CHEOPS AUDITORIUM
07/17/2009 - KLAGENFURT, AUSTRIA
07/22/2009 - GIJON, SPAIN - PLAZA DE TOROS DE GIJON
07/24/2009 - ALICANTE, SPAIN - LUCENTUM
07/25/2009 - LOULE, PORTUGAL - CERCA DO CONVENTO
08/13/2009 - LODZ, POLAND - TBA
08/15/2009 - BUDAPEST, HUNGARY - SZIGET FESTIVAL PECS AMFITEATRUM STAGE
08/16/2009 - ESZTERGOM, HUNGARY - CASTLE THEATER OF ESZTERGOM
Allan Holdsworth Canadian tour dates
Allan Holdsworth will be playing the following dates in Canada with Jimmy Johnson on bass, and Gary Husband on drums.
Sep 24 2009 JOLIETTE, QC, CANADA Salle Roland-Brunelle Joliette
Sep 25 2009 RIMOUSKI, QC, CANADA Theatre Desjardins-Telus Rimouski
Sep 26 2009 QUEBEC CITY, QC, CANADA Quebec City
Sep 27 2009 ST GEORGES DE BEAUCE, QC Canada QC
Sep 28 2009 GATINEAU, QC, CANADA Salle Odyssée Gatineau
Sep 29 2009 SHERBROOKE, QC, CANADA Vieux Clocher Sherbrooke
Sep 30 2009 MONTREAL, QC, CANADA Salle l’Astral Montreal
Oct 1 2009 MONTREAL, QC, CANADA Salle l’Astral Montreal
June 27, 2009
Review: Ed DeGenaro - Less Is Seldom More
Guitarist Ed DeGenaro's latest release, Less Is Seldom More (Unfretted Records), is a perfect follow-up to his 2007 disc Dog House. While the two albums share many of the same qualities (largely gapless playback, an eclectic mix of styles, etc), DeGenaro pushes the "avant-garde fusion" envelope a bit further with this new disc, and enlists an awe-inspiring lineup of musicians to help him do it.
Most people probably associate DeGenaro with fretless guitar, which is understandable; he is widely heralded for his great work on that instrument. But while there is plenty of fretless playing on Less Is Seldom More, DeGenaro doesn't beat you over the head with it; his approach with the fretless, at least on this recording, is usually subtle. In the hands of most players, the fretless guitar sounds like an untame-able beast. Even the simplest phrase with no slides will give it away, because they just don't have the touch to keep it in tune, and in control. In DeGenaro's hands, however, you usually can't tell it's a fretless until he wants you to. In other words, he uses the instrument for it's unique ability to extend your own inflections and dynamics, rather than exploiting it as a novelty.
Less Is Seldom More is largely a collaborative effort between DeGenaro and producer/composer Chris Taylor. Taylor wrote or co-wrote most of the songs, and also contributes keyboards, guitars, and some programming (Taylor was involved with Dog House as well, but to a lesser extent). The list of guest musicians on this disc is as impressive as it is extensive. Along for the ride are Dave Weckl, Joel Rosenblatt, and Marco Minnemann on drums, Ric Fierabracci and Trip Wamsley on bass, George Whitty on organ, Matte Henderson and fusion legend Ray Gomez on guitar, and several others. Similarly to Dog House, Less Is Seldom More feels like one continuous fusion piece that shifts through many moods and styles. Some of those moods are more traditional than others, but throughout the disc, DeGenaro's creativity and musicianship are loud and clear.
After a snappy blues guitar "Intro," things kick into high gear with "Avenue D" - a hard driving jazz fusion tune with great solos by Whitty, Fierabracci, and of course DeGenaro. Even though this piece is loaded with, effects and edits, it ends up being one of the more traditional-sounding songs on the album.
The next four tracks ("Monkey Bawls Utility," "Utilitarian Research Jam," "Matte's Bible Camp," and "Confirm Walk Forward") provide the first foray into what I would call "avant-garde" fusion. DeGenaro takes an "everything but the kitchen sink" approach with some of these pieces, throwing in lots of mood shifts, instrumentation changes, you name it. There are occasionally heavy riffs and sheets-of-sound shredding, but there's a lot of sonic experimentation as well. I particularly like "Utilitarian Research Jam," which has a Zappa-like quality in it's melodies. The slowly-building ballad "Matte's Bible Camp" (written by Matte Henderson) is a great piece as well. The vocals that comprise one of the main themes are almost creepy, especially when they are first introduced at the beginning. Talk about evoking a mood. These four songs illustrate what's great about the album as a whole - it's a refreshing change from a typical "fusion" album that will have a set instrumentation and band that varies little from the first song to the last.
"Prayer" and "Joe Z" both feature Ray Gomez guesting on guitar, but they are actually one continuous piece split into two tracks on the disc. DeGenaro recorded "Joe Z" (written by Taylor as an homage to Weather Report founder Joe Zawinul) on his Dog House album as well. This new version is a bit more guitar-centric, and has less of the Indian quality that was prevalent on the Dog House version. Gomez sounds great here. The guy is an old pro who's been around a long time; his lengthy list of recordings includes the 1976 Stanley Clarke album School Days - a fusion classic. What a great player.
DeGenaro loves to shift moods on you, as evidenced by the next track - the Buckethead-like "Yes Man." This heavy tune is an incredible chops showcase for both DeGenaro and guitarist Matte Henderson (who also wrote the song). It also features some nice fretless work during the outro. The proceedings turn on a dime again with the fast country tune "Neck Bone," which has DeGenaro showing off his prodigious picking skills.
DeGenaro also includes a version of the Robben Ford tune "The Brother (For Jimmie & Stevie)." Ford recorded the original in 1992 as a tribute to Jimmie and Stevie Ray Vaughan. DeGenaro's version adds a heavy intro with some spoken-word samples, but leaves the rest of the tune's structure largely intact (except for some hide-the-downbeat monkey business). It also has some of DeGenaro's best blues playing on the album.
After a quick Tribal Tech-style piece called "One," DeGenaro launches into "Southern Flyer." This in an instrumental rock tune written by John Czajkowski (Hectic Watermelon), and is clearly the most straightforward track on the disc. I love the wide interval melody on this song, and the solo section which has DeGenaro trading off with guitarist Dave Simpson. George Whitty's organ playing gives the song a Deep Purple sort of vibe as well.
Since the album opens with "Intro," it's only natural that it closes with "Outro" - a beautiful piece of acoustic blues improv. Less Is Seldom More is another illustration of DeGenaro's great strength: his ability to mix a wide variety of styles under the banner of instrumental fusion. Jazz, metal, country, blues, electronica, it's all here, done with an experimental adventurousness that few musicians posses. The common thread through it all is DeGenaro's great guitar work. Whether he's playing fretless or fretted guitars, guitar synth, acoustics, etc, DeGenaro's killer playing is well represented throughout the entire disc. Great stuff.
Ed DeGenaro - Less Is Seldom More
Personnel:
Ed DeGenaro (guitar/fretless guitar/guitar synth)
Ray Gomez (guitar) 7, 8
Chris Taylor (keys/guitar/programming) 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12
Dave Weckl (drums) 3, 4
Ric Fierabracci (bass) 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8
Marco Minnemann (drums) 9, 10, 11, 12, 13
George Whitty (organ) 2, 13
Joel Rosenblatt (drums) 7, 8
Matte Henderson (keys/guitar/programming) 5, 9
Trip Wamsley (bass) 11, 12, 13
Satish (trumpet) 2
Ezekiel Trosper (bass) 10
Dave Simpson (guitar) 13
Gwen Snyder (vocal) 5
Tracklisting:
1. Intro
2. Avenue D
3. Monkey Bawls Utility
4. Utilitarian Research Jam
5. Matte's Bible Camp
6. Confirm Walk Forward
7. Prayer
8. Joe Z
9. Yes Man
10. Neck Bone
11. The Brother (for Jimmie & Stevie)
12. One
13. Southern Flyer
14. Outro
Steve Lukather talks to CNN about Michael Jackson
Steve Lukather did a phone interview with CNN yesterday regarding Michael Jackson (Luke played on "Thriller"). The transcript is now available on Lukather's website.
June 25, 2009
New Prashant Aswani column for Guitar Jam Daily
Prashant Aswani has launched a new series of columns for Guitar Jam Daily. His first article lays the groundwork for what to expect in future installments, and provides an update on his forthcoming album (which will include guests Brett Garsed and Rob Caggiano among others).
June 24, 2009
June 22, 2009
Reviews and Pics of UKZ & Alex Machacek Trio Japan shows
Just found this Japanese site with reviews and pics from the recently completed UKZ and Alex Machacek shows. Here is a link to Google's translated version of the page (take the translation with a grain of salt):
June 20, 2009
New releases
Here's some new or upcoming stuff that popped up on my radar:
I really loved Theriot's last album The Grease Factor. His latest includes Sonny Landreth, Ritchie Hayward, and Adam Nitti among others.
Includes Brett Garsed, Tony Levin, Marco Minnemann, Chad Wackerman, and many others. Sadites has some serious chops.
Release date: 8/11/09. Guests include Steve Vai, Eric Johnson, Medeski Martin and Wood, and many others.
Release date: 8/11/09. Follow up to Truth. Has anyone seen the cover art for this yet?
