The Guitar Channel

Favorite Releases of 2011

While pondering my favorite music releases of 2011, I was struck by two things; the abundance of originality and depth in the "my cup of tea" genre, and Geez Louise were there a lot of live albums this year. There were also some great DVDs, which is why I'm referring to this as a favorite "releases" list instead of an "album" list as I have in the past. So here they are - my favorite releases of 2011 in no particular order:

 

Abstract Logix Live! - The New Universe Music Festival 2010 (CD / DVD) [CD Review]

Amazing live CD and DVD releases chronicling the 2010 New Universe Music Festival. Includes great performances by John McLaughlin, Wayne Krantz, Alex Machacek, Jimmy Herring, and others. I was honored to help contribute to the DVD by conducting the backstage interviews which appear on disc 2.

Brett Garsed - Dark Matter [Review]

Fantastic writing and playing. Shows a stronger prog influence than Garsed’s earlier work. Bassist Ric Fierabracci make a big impact here as well.

Chris Taylor - Nocturnal [Review / Interview]

Taylor’s remarkable debut seamlessly blends modern jazz and electronica influences in one of the year’s most original and engaging releases. The all-star line up includes Ric Fierabracci, Steve Tavaglione, Dave Weckl, and other heavyweights.

Oz Noy - Twisted Blues Volume 1

Noy’s latest showcases his quirky originality and tones in a context that’s more bluesy than his previous work. Love the writing on this one.

The Aristocrats [Guthrie Govan Interview]

Killer heavy fusion album with Guthrie Govan on guitar, Bryan Beller on bass, and Marco Minnemann on drums. A great platform for Govan’s overall talents.

Derek Sherinian - Oceana

Awesome prog-fusion disc that may be Sherinian’s best solo release yet. Has a throwback 70s Jeff Beck vibe at times. Guests include Steve Lukather, Tony MacAlpine, and Joe Bonamassa.

Allen Hinds - Monkeys and Slides

Great writing and lines from one of the west coast’s coolest fusion guitarists. Includes two burning live tracks. Features Jimmy Johnson, Jeff Babko, and Dennis Hamm among others.

Bryan Beller - Wednesday Night Live

Killer live disc featuring a single set recorded at the Baked Potato, plus two additional tracks from other performances. Includes great contributions from Mike Keneally.

Other favorites from 2011:

Gerald Gradwohl Group - ABQ Live and Raw
Jeff Richman & Chatterbox - The Line Up [Interview]
Bryan Baker, Bob van Luijt & Sebastiaan Cornelissen - 011 Amsterdam
John Escreet - The Age We Live In
Johnny Hiland - All Fired Up
CAB - Live on Sunset
Human Element
Gannin Arnold - Five World Class Drummers DVD
Rudder - Live at Rockwell Music Hall NYC DVD (Not one note of guitar on this, but the band and DVD are super cool.)

See Also:

Favorite Albums of 2010
Favorite Albums of 2009
Favorite Albums of 2008
Favorite Albums of 2007
Favorite Albums of 2006

Videos: Bryan Baker, Bob van Luijt and Sebastiaan Cornelissen - Live in Amsterdam

Some great videos of Bryan Baker, Bob van Luijt and Sebastiaan Cornelissen live in Amsterdam. These appear to be previews of their recent 011 Amsterdam live album release. Hopefully this means a DVD is on the way as well.

Video: Bryan Baker - More footage with Bob van Luijt and Sebastiaan Cornelissen

I'm on video overload lately! Here's more footage of Bryan Baker from 9/6/11 in the Netherlands. With Bob van Luijt on bass and Sebastiaan Cornelissen on drums.

Video: Bryan Baker - Live in The Netherlands "Actual Proof"

Fuzzy video but the playing is great. This is Bryan Baker on guitar, Bob van Luijt on bass and Sebastiaan Cornelissen on drums at De Singel in Zwolle, Netherlands on 9/6/11. Baker is killing it.

New Sebastiaan Cornelissen Album with Marc Guillermont Now Available

Drummer Sebastiaan Cornelissen has a new release entitled The Sebastiaan Cornelissen Group which features Marc Guillermont on guitar, Coen Molenaar on keys, and Frans Vollink on bass. See below for the full tracklisting and sampler.

The Sebastiaan Cornelissen Group

1.    Forum
2.    Unidentified Crawling Objects
3.    Loved You Before
4.    Paraquats
5.    Summer Rain
6.    Big Apple
7.    Wristkiller

CD Taster Sebastiaan Cornelissen Group by Frans Vollink

Review: Sebastiaan Cornelissen - U-Turn

Dutch drummer/composer Sebastiaan Cornelissen's latest album U-Turn (Abstract Logix) is a fantastic collection of modern jazz fusion songs, featuring some of the genre's best musicians. The music is at times reminiscent of Tribal Tech, or Secrets-era Allan Holdsworth, and is loaded with cutting edge musicianship. You may know Cornelissen as a member of the band One Spirit with guitarist Richard Hallebeek and bassist Frans Vollink, both of whom make appearances here. This trio of Dutchmen have collaborated on many projects in the past, and are responsible for some of the best jazz fusion to come out of Europe in recent years.

All of U-Turn's tracks were written by Cornelissen, except for "England Green" which is a Gary Husband song. In general, this album is more about Cornelissen the composer than Cornelissen the drummer. There's unquestionably some great drumming here, especially on tracks like "Fruits and Fibre," and the aforementioned "England Green." However, U-Turn is a fairly keyboard-heavy disc, and is largely devoid of the drum solos and odd time sections you'd expect from a typical drummer's solo album. It also happens to be one of the great guitar albums of the year, due to the inclusion of some top-notch players.

Richard Hallebeek provides some of the best guitar moments on the album with his solos on "Up There" and "Squash." With a style that falls somewhere between Scott Henderson and Allan Holdsworth, Hallebeek is always a treat to listen to, but he's particularly impressive here. He's a great improviser with a deep vocabulary, and his fast legato runs are always executed with a crystal-clear attack. There's some amazing straight-ahead(ish) jazz guitar on U-Turn as well, courtesy of Leonardo Amuedo on the track "Stevenage." Imagine a George Benson-meets-Mike Stern sort of approach, fueled by alarming amounts of Red Bull, and you'll get the idea.

Another standout track is "4 Hands" - a breezy jazz tune that is essentially a showcase for soloists Hadrien Feraud (bass) and Mike Outram (guitar). I found Outram's tone to be a bit tinny here, but he plays some of the wildest guitar on the album as he navigates the changes with ease. As an improviser, Feraud is about as exciting as they come on the bass guitar, and he just kills it on this track. He also appears on the song "Snox!," where guitarist Susan Weinert, and flugel horn player Gerard Presencer take impressive solos.

"All So Familiar" needs mentioning as well, as it features two ex-Tribal Tech members - Scott Kinsey on keys, and Gary Willis on bass (via loops). It should be no surprise then that this track has a vibe similar to that classic group's best band-improvised pieces.

The album closes out with the aptly-named "Last One," which features one of contemporary fusion's best guitar players - Alex Machacek. Machacek takes a typically great solo - lots of smooth phrases through the changes, with a few outside lines dropped in for good measure. Tom Kennedy turns in some great bass work on this track as well.

There's a lot of great writing on U-Turn - songs like "Fruits and Fibre" and "Squash" have melodies that will stick with you long after you hear them. Having said that, this album will also be heralded for how much playing there is on it. Cornelissen gives his perfect-choice guest soloists plenty of room to stretch out over his changes, while the man himself is mostly content to let his sophisticated compositions do the talking for him. U-Turn is a major accomplishment for Cornelissen, and it's one of the year's best jazz fusion releases.

Sebastiaan Cornelissen - U-Turn (Abstract Logix)

Personnel:

Sebastiaan Cornelissen (Drums, Guitar, Programming, Additional Keys)
Alex Machacek (Guitar Solo) 14
Susan Weinert (Guitar Solo) 13
Mike Outram (Guitar Solo) 5
Richard Hallebeek (Guitar Solo) 10, 12
Leonardo Amuedo (Guitar Solo) 9
Gary Husband (Keys) 2, 3, 7
Scott Kinsey (Keys) 8
Steve Hunt (Keys) 10, 11
Hadrien Feraud (Bass) 5, 13
Frans Vollink (Bass) 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 9, 10
Jimmy Earl (Bass) 12
Tom Kennedy (Bass) 14
Johnny Copland (Bass) 12
Gary Willis (Bass Loops) 8
Ruud Cornelissen (Bowed Acoustic Bass) 4
Gerard Presencer (Flugel Horn) 1, 6, 13

Tracklisting:

1. Can Do
2. Fruits and Fibre
3. UTurn
4. Caspar
5. 4 Hands
6. Stello
7. England Green
8. All So Familiar
9. Stevenage
10. Up There
11. Bread Maker
12. Squash
13. Snox!
14. Last One

Rich

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Current Listening

LOTS of great fusion stuff has come out recently. Here are some of my favorite recent acquisitions I'm currently working my way through. I'll be reviewing some or most of these as soon as I can...

Ed DeGenaro - Less Is Seldom More

Great follow-up to Dog House. Features tons of great players including Marco Minnemann, Dave Weckl, Ric Fierabracci, and Ray Gomez.

Adam Nitti - Liminal

Fantastic driving fusion... includes guitarists Shane Theriot, Marco Sfogli, Phil Keaggy, and Tom Quayle

One Spirit - Go For It!

Latest recording from guitarist Richard Hallebeek's band. Great jazz fusion with a Tribal Tech vibe.

Lyle Workman - Harmonic Crusader

Great guitar album from the L.A. studio veteran. Features a cavalcade of greats - Vinnie Colaiuta, Jimmy Johnson, Jeff Babko, Simon Phillps, Gary Novak, and on and on.

Simon C.F.Yu - Exotic Species (review)

Eccentric mash-up of eastern and western styles. Includes guest David "Fuze" Fiuczynski.

Sebastiaan Cornelissen - U-Turn

Just got an early copy of this new Abstract Logix Label release. Fantastic fusion recording from the drummer of the One Spirit band. The incredible lineup includes Alex Machacek, Richard Hallebeek, Gary Husband, Scott Kinsey, Gary Willis, Hadrien Feraud, Tom Kennedy, Jimmy Earl, and many others.