PRESS RELEASE
Sept. 17, 2012 - Asheville,
NC – Much to the excitement of musicians and jazz aficiandos
worldwide, the highly anticipated CD release by jazz-fusion legends
Scott Henderson, Jeff Berlin and Dennis Chambers, will be released on
Tone Center Records (a division of Shrapnel Records) on October 16,
2012.
Considered
one of the most phenomenal trios in the history of jazz-fusion, HBC's debut CD delivers a full dose of virtuosic
performances guaranteed to thrill and inspire all who listen.
“The
trio is all about interplay,” explains guitarist Scott Henderson.
“Jeff and I have always had a very high level of communication when
we play together, and putting Dennis in the mix notches it up even
higher. He's an extremely musical drummer, but at the same time has
the ability to bring the energy up to scary levels.” Bassist Jeff
Berlin adds, “We pretty much have the same vision of how three
strong players should sound together. We function well on many
levels; we're friends and love to hang. We're also individually
dedicated to high standards of playing.”
The
music on the CD reflects the influences and spirit of HBC. Tracks
include covers by Weather Report, Herbie Hancock, Billy
Cobham and originals penned by Henderson and Berlin individually.
Says Jeff. “We all agreed to the repertoire but Scott picked most
of the songs.” Scott explains, “I thought it would be cool if a
guitar trio covered songs by keyboard players like Joe Zawinul and
Herbie Hancock, though we did some Wayne Shorter tunes as well.”
Before
recording their debut album, HBC hit the road first, refining their
repertoire in front of thousands of elated fans. “We try to find
new ways to play at every gig,” Jeff explains. “When we are
gigging our motor is always set to high.” Scott adds, “Because
the three of us have so much experience playing different styles
of music, we're able to go from graceful straight-ahead jazz to heavy
metal and just about everywhere in between, so it's an extremely
versatile band, which makes it a lot of fun.”
Scott
Henderson is considered one of the premier jazz-fusion guitarists
performing on the planet today. Although Henderson claims to be more
of a blues-rock player, with influences like Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck,
Jimi Hendrix and Ritchie Blackmore, it was the influence of jazz that
led him to the style of playing and composing he is now famous for.
Henderson has recorded and toured with such notable artists as Chick
Corea's Elektric Band, Jean-Luc Ponty, and a four year stint with
Weather Report legend Joe Zawinul. He formed the band Tribal Tech in
1984 with bassist Gary Willis, and recorded ten critically acclaimed
albums. In 1991 Scott Henderson was named by Guitar World as the #1
Jazz Guitarist, and in January 1992 he was named #1 Jazz Guitarist in
Guitar Player's Annual Reader's Poll. Henderson has also released
three well-received solo albums as well as two releases with Vital
Tech Tones, a trio collaboration with bassist Victor Wooten and
ex-Journey/Vital Information leader Steve Smith on drums. As is often
the case with a musician of Scott's caliber, the demand is great that
he share his knowledge with the current generation of guitarists. He
is on the faculty at Musician's Institute in Hollywood, and has
written columns for Guitar Player, Guitar World and Guitar School
magazines.
Jeff
Berlin is a legend of the electric bass, considered by many to be the
finest electric bass player in the world. A true master of the bass,
Jeff Berlin has played with the likes of Bill Bruford, Alan
Holdsworth, AWBH and George Benson. Jeff Berlin's resume reads like
the who's who of the higher echelon of music artists. Jeff Berlin was
even asked to join Van Halen, an invitation that he actually turned
down. Not only is Jeff Berlin a innovator in the jazz field, but rock
players are constantly siting him as their major influence. Carlos
Santana called Jeff the “best bassist in the world”, while Rush’s
Geddy Lee used the phrase “best bassist on the planet!” Jeff
Berlin's innovative bass playing has influenced a generation of bass
players world-wide. He
was voted #1 Jazz Bassist by the readers of Guitar Player Magazine.
Jeff also pioneered a technique called 'two handed tapping', when he
performed this style on the track "Motherlode" from his
1985 debut solo album called 'Champion'.
The founder of The Players School of Music in Clearwater, Florida,
Jeff has also been at the forefront of music education for almost 30
years. His columns in Guitar Player and Bass Player magazines were
the most read columns due to their controversial content of music
education. Jeff single-handedly has re-vamped music education by
dismissing popular methods of learning such as using electronic
tuners, metronomes, handgrips, tablature, or any study method that
does not include musical content.
Dennis
Chambers is a miracle in modern music; a formidable, ferocious and
ultra-funky presence behind the drum kit in such celebrated ensembles
as Parliament-Funkadelic, Steely Dan, Santana and the Brecker
Brothers, as well as incendiary fusion outfits led by guitarists John
Scofield, Steve Khan, Mike Stern and John McLaughlin. A remarkably
versatile drummer who has shown limitless abilities to swing on a
small kit in traditional jazz settings or flaunt his stylistic chops
in rock-fusion super sessions, Dennis Chambers is one of the most
recorded and sought after drummers in the world of Jazz-Fusion. In
2007, just before Led Zeppelin was scheduled to perform at the O2
Arena in London, John Bonham's son Jason was asked in an interview,
if he was to give up the drum seat for the reunited Zeppelin, who
would he recommend to fill the coveted drum throne. He replied, “I
would probably want a jazz drummer with a strong swing feel. Dennis
Chambers...I think he would 'get it', whereas other rock drummers
wouldn't.”
And
now, these three icons of jazz-fusion have come together to form a
supergroup that has recorded a ground breaking debut CD! “I'm happy
with it,” Scott says of the new CD, “and for me that's saying a
lot because I'm very self critical. Being a big fan of the musicians
we covered, I worked really hard to make the songs sound as huge and
textural as they are on the original recordings, which meant doing a
lot of layering.” Jeff concludes, “I coundn't be more pleased
with the results.”
'HBC
– Henderson, Berlin, Chambers' will be available on Amazon, iTunes,
Shrapnel Records and local record stores on October 16, 2012.
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more information:
