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Rod Sibley has an excellent interview up at Abstract Logix with drummer Ranjit Barot. Barot discusses has debut album Bada Boom, working with John McLaughlin, Wayne Krantz, and others, and a whole lot more.
Abstract Logix - Ranjit Barot: From Floating Point to Meeting Point
There's a great in-depth interview with Warr touch guitarist Trey Gunn at Guitar International. Gunn discusses his Modulator album, which consists of music he composed around a 51 minute Marco Minnemann drum solo.
Guitar International - Trey Gunn: The Trials of Modulator and Marco Minnemann
There's a cool video interview with Allan Holdsworth over at the official NAMM website. It's non-embeddable but you can view the video via the link below.
NAMM.org: Allan Holdsworth Interview
John McLaughlin gave a great interview recently for Monaco's Riviera Radio. McLaughlin discusses his upcoming appearance at the Nice Jazz Festival, his extensive career, and much more. An mp3 of the interview is available via the link below.
Riviera Radio: John McLaughlin Interview
Here's some of the new music I've been digging lately.
Abstract Logix Live! The New Universe Music Festival 2010
This 2-CD set will be released on July 19th but I have an early copy for review. An amazing album with killer performances by John McLaughlin (with guest Zakir Hussain), Jimmy Herring, Alex Machacek, Wayne Krantz, Lenny White (featuring Jimmy Herring), Human Element, and Ranjit Barot.
Gerald Gradwohl Group - ABQ Live and Raw
Gritty live album recorded in 2004. Great guitar work by Gradwohl. Includes Kirk Covington on drums, Thomas Kugi on sax and Harald Weinkum on bass.
Allen Hinds - Monkeys and Slides
Great writing and playing with a west coast fusion vibe. Includes Jimmy Johnson, Jeff Babko, Jimmy Earl and others. Hinds' guitar work on the live track "Rat Scat" is burning.
John Escreet - The Age We Live In
Fantastic jazz album from New York pianist Escreet. Includes Wayne Krantz on guitar and David Binney on sax. Krantz's contributions are integral to the overall mood of the disc.
Chris Taylor - Nocturnal (Review)
Still listening to this a lot lately. Very fresh and innovative with a killer line-up of players. Look for an interview with Taylor here soon.
I caught Charlie Hunter's gig with drummer Derrek Phillips at SPACE in Evanston IL last night. It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing for me, and I'm really glad I went. Such a cool show - Hunter was amazing, and the groove between these two guys was unreal. It was my first time seeing Hunter play, and there's no doubt he's one of the most talented guitarists I've ever seen live. Here are some pics from this great performance.
Great news! Guitarist Brett Garsed's latest album Dark Matter will be released in a couple of weeks. The disc features Ric Fierabracci and Craig Newman on bass, Gerry Pantazis and Virgil Donati on drums, and Phil Turcio on keyboards. Tracklisting is below. See Garsed's official website for sound clips and more info. I'll post further updates as details become available.
Brett Garsed - Dark Matter
1. Dark Matter
2. Android
3. If Only
4. Avoid the Void
5. James Bong (license to chill)
6. Closure
7. Poison Dwarf
8. Be Here Now
9. Enigma
Rick Landers has a nice interview up with guitarist Chris Taylor at Guitar International. Taylor discusses his fantastic debut album Nocturnal.
Guitar International - Interview With Chris Taylor: Jazz and Electronica
