The Guitar Channel

Current Listening

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.

Abstract Logix Live 2010 - The New Universe Music Festival Promo Video!

Promo video for the upcoming Abstract Logix Live 2010 New Universe Music Festival CD and DVD releases. The CD will be released on July 19th; the 2 DVD Set, with additional performances including an All Star Tribute to John McLaughlin, interviews, and other bonus features will be released on September 20, 2011.

Updated John McLaughlin and The 4th Dimension Summer Tour Dates

Here is an updated list of 2011 summer European tour dates for John McLaughlin and The 4th Dimension (McLaughlin - guitar, Gary Husband - keys and drums, Ranjit Barot - drums, Etienne Mbappé - bass).

July 8th Nice Jazz Festival, Nice, France
July 9th  North Sea Jazz Festival, Rotterdam, Holland
July 11th Ronnie Scott's, London, UK
July 12th Casino de Paris, Paris, France
July 14th Guitar Festival of Cordoba, Spain
July 16th Palais Moulay Hfid Tanger, Maroc
July 18th Roma, Italy
July 19th Kulturzentrum Tollhaus, Karlsruhe, Germany
July 21st Molde Jazz Molde, Norway
July 23rd Heineken Jazzaldia, San Sebastian, Spain
July 24th Teano, Italy
July 25th Fano, Italy
July 28th Jazz à Vannes, France
July 30th Jazz in Marciac, France
July 31st Cadaques Music Festival, Spain

Abstract Logix Live - The New Universe Music Festival 2010: CD to be Released July 19th

Abstract Logix will release a 2-CD set chronicling their 2010 New Universe Music Festival on July 19th. Featuring performances by John McLaughlin and the 4th Dimension (with special guest Zakir Hussain), Jimmy Herring, Alex Machacek, Wayne Krantz, Lenny White's band Anomaly (featuring Jimmy Herring), Human Element, and Ranjit Barot, I know this will be an incredible album since I was there for the amazing two-day event. No official word on the tracklisting yet, but I'll be sure to post more info as it becomes available. See tracklisting below!

NOTE: A 2 DVD Set of the festival, with additional performances including an All Star Tribute to John McLaughlin, interviews, and other bonus features will be released on September 20, 2011. See the promo video here.

Pre-order the 2-CD set now from Abstract Logix

 

UPDATE: Read my review of the 2-CD set here.

Sampler

Tracklisting:

CD 1 - Saturday November 20th

1. Alex Machacek/Neal Fountain/Jeff Sipe: Strafe
2. Alex Machacek/Neal Fountain/Jeff Sipe: Very Sad
3. Ranjit Barot/Bala Bhaskar: Vignesh Kirtanam
4. Ranjit Barot/Wayne Krantz/Scott Kinsey/Matt Garrison/Arto Tuncboyaciyan: Origin
5. Scott Kinsey/Matt Garrison/Arto Tuncboyaciyan/Ranjit Barot: Essaouira
6. Scott Kinsey/Matt Garrison/Arto Tuncboyaciyan/Ranjit Barot: Sometimes I
7. Jimmy Herring/Neal Fountain/Matt Slocum/Jeff Sipe: Rainbow
8. Jimmy Herring/Neal Fountain/Matt Slocum/Jeff Sipe: Gray Day
9. Jimmy Herring/Neal Fountain/Matt Slocum/Jeff Sipe: Within You Without You

CD 2 - Sunday November 21th

10. Wayne Krantz/Anthony Jackson/Cliff Almond: Why
11. Lenny White/Jimmy Herring/Tom Guarna/Richie Goods/Vince Evans: Door #3
12. Lenny White/Jimmy Herring/Tom Guarna/Richie Goods/Vince Evans: Gazelle
13. John McLaughlin/Etienne Mbappe/Gary Husband/Mark Mondesir: Recovery
14. John McLaughlin/Etienne Mbappe/Gary Husband/Mark Mondesir/Zakir Hussain: Mother Tongues

John McLaughlin and the 4th Dimension Tour Dates

The following summer tour dates have been posted for John McLaughlin and the 4th Dimension (McLaughlin - guitar, Gary Husband - keys and drums, Ranjit Barot - drums, Etienne Mbappé - bass). I'll post more dates as they are announced.

July 8th  Nice Jazz Festival   Nice France  www.nice.fr

July 12th  Casino de Paris   Paris France  funkumagazine.blogspot.com

July 23rd  Festival de San Sebastian  Spain  www.heinekenjazzaldia.com

July 28th  Festival de Vannes  Vannes France   www.vannes.maville.com

July 30th  Festival de Marciac  Marciac France  www.jazzinmarciac.com/

 

Drummer Ranjit Barot joins John McLaughlin's 4th Dimension

NEWS FLASH: Ranjit Barot is the new drummer for John McLaughlin's killer live band 'The 4th Dimension.' The group will be touring Europe this July (I'll post dates and locations as they are announced). Barot and McLaughlin have recorded together on McLaughlin's Floating Point album (2008), and Barot's fantastic debut solo release Bada Boom (2010). The 4th Dimension also features Gary Husband on keys and drums, Etienne Mbappé on bass, and of course, McLaughlin on guitar.

Favorite Albums of 2010

Looking back over this past year, I really believe 2010 has been the most incredible year in music I've ever experienced. It's certainly been the best year I've seen since I started The Guitar Channel in 2004. On one hand, I've never witnessed as much amazing live music as I have this year. There were the great Winter NAMM gigs (such as OHM w/ Mike Kenneally, Alex Machacek w/ Ric Fierabracci, the Bombastic Meatbats, and more), awesome Chicago gigs by Mike Stern, Allan Holdsworth, and others, and of course the festivals - starting with the incredible Baked Potato 40th Anniversary Jazz Festival in May, the legend-packed Crossroads Guitar Festival in June, and the capper: the amazing New Universe Music Festival last month.

Then of course, there were the great albums of 2010. And there were a lot of them. Here are my favorite albums that were released this year, in no particular order.

Alex Machacek featuring Marco Minnemann - 24 Tales (Review)

A remarkable disc featuring music Machacek composed over a 52-minute Minnemann drum solo.

Michael Landau, Robben Ford, Jimmy Haslip, Gary Novak - Renegade Creation (Review)

Awesome blues rock super group that brings together guitar legends Landau and Ford. Killer playing; amazing guitar tones.

Ray Riendeau - Atmospheres

This one came out of nowhere and really grabbed me. Great collection of fusion tunes with a killer guest list that includes Alex Machacek, Jeff Kollman, Greg Koch, Nat Janoff, and many others.

Lenny White - Anomaly

Fantastic old-school jazz rock album from the legendary drummer. Includes guests Jimmy Herring and David Gilmore.

Prashant Aswani - Sonically Speaking (Review)

Tasty, melodic instrumental rock disc with killer playing and writing. Includes guests Brett Garsed and Rob Caggiano.

Bombastic Meatbats featuring Chad Smith - More Meat

Awesome throwback fusion with great grooves. Features Jeff Kollman on guitar.

Charlie Hunter - Public Domain

This may seem like an out-of-left-field choice, but I can't get enough of this album. Features Hunter playing solo versions of old public domain classics chosen by his grandfather.

Other favorites from 2010:

Kirk Fletcher - My Turn
John McLaughlin - To The One (Review)
John Czajkowski and Marco Minnemann - West ZooOpolis
Steve Lukather - All's Well That Ends Well
Tetsuo Sakurai - Vital World (Review)
Ranjit Barot - Bada Boom
Michael Dolce - Everything Til Now
Jeff Richman - Like That (Interview)

See Also:

Favorite Albums of 2009
Favorite Albums of 2008
Favorite Albums of 2007
Favorite Albums of 2006

Photos: The New Universe Music Festival - Day One

Day One of the Abstract Logix New Universe Music Festival was unreal. Every single player was in top form. I'm so glad they are filming this; there were some amazing moments that just need to be seen. Alex Machacek's killer solos; Wayne Krantz sitting in with Ranjit Barot and Human Element; Herring's intense, emotional playing - particularly on "New Moon" and "Since I've Been Loving You"; the incredible Neal Fountain and Jeff Sipe pullng double-duty with Machacek and Herring. Great stuff. I can't wait for the DVD! It was great meeting some of my favorite players as well. Krantz in particular was super-cool. Check the link below for a sampling of my Day One pics. Day Two tonight!

Photos: The New Universe Music Festival - Day One

 

Heading to the Abstract Logix New Universe Music Festival!

I'm leaving for North Carolina tonight to attend the Abstract Logix New Universe Music Festival. All of the top artists from the Abstract Logix Label will be there - John McLaughlin, Jimmy Herring, Alex Machacek, Wayne Krantz, Lenny White, Scott Kinsey, Ranjit Barot; the lineup is amazing. Percussionist Zakir Hussain will be making a special appearance as well, sitting in with McLaughlin - his old bandmate from Shakti. In addition to taking in the festivites, I'll be onsite conducting video interviews with the players for use on the DVD they are filming of the event. Be sure to follow me on Twitter for updates throughout this incredible weekend. Stay tuned!

 

Current Listening (and Reading... and Viewing)

Here's what I've been listening to, and reading, and watching lately...

Bombastic Meatbats featuring Chad Smith - More Meat

Awesome funky throwback fusion. Killer version of "Moby Dick." With Jeff Kollman on guitar.

 

Gary Husband - Dirty & Beautiful Volume 1

Great writing and playing with an incredible guest list. Includes Allan Holdsworth, John McLaughlin, Jan Hammer, Jerry Goodman, Steve Topping, Steve Hackett, and many others.

Ranjit Barot - Bada Boom

Excellent fusion of Indian music and western jazz harmony. Guests include Wayne Krantz, John McLaughlin, Mattias IA Eklund, Matt Garrison, and others.

 

Prashant Aswani - Sonically Speaking (Review)

Highly melodic instrumental rock album with great playing from all involved. Includes guests Brett Garsed and Rob Caggiano.

 

Anil Prasad - Innerviews: Music Without Borders (Book)

Excellent collection of musician interviews from Innerviews founder Anil Prasad. The diverse list of featured artists includes John McLaughlin, Leo Kottke, Michael Hedges, Chuck D, McCoy Tyner, Bela Fleck, and many others. A great read.

 

Eric Clapton - Crossroads Guitar Festival 2010 (Blu-ray)

DVD release of this year's Crossroads Guitar Festival. Loaded with great performances and backstage footage.

Ranjit Barot's "Bada Boom" Reviewed at All About Jazz

John Kelman has reviewed Indian drummer Ranjit Barot's excellent east-meets-west fusion album Bada Boom for All About Jazz. The guests on this disc include John McLaughlin, Wayne Krantz, and Matt Garrison among others.

All About Jazz Review: Ranjit Barot - Bada Boom

Ranjit Barot's "Bada Boom" Reviewed at Abstract Logix

Rod Sibley has written a nice review of drummer Ranjit Barot's new album Bada Boom for Abstract Logix. The guest list on this disc includes John McLaughlin, Wayne Krantz, Matt Garrrison, and many others.

Abstract Logix: Review: Ranjit Barot - Bada Boom