Year: 2008
Record Label: Independent
Style: Fusion
Review: Reared in Canada, guitar sharpshooter Bill Hart grew up on Hendrix, Page and the now customary rock-guitar heroes while subsequently attending the prestigious Guitar Institute of Technology in Hollywood. These days, the artist imparts his knowledge while serving as the head of the guitar program at the Atlanta Institute of Music. But he turns the tables a bit here, performing with modern day guitar god and former teacher Mike Stern, who appears on two tracks.
Hart largely generates a slam-dunk jazz fusion set within alternating bass and drums configurations here. Glisteningly recorded, the studio engineers abetted the project by judiciously capturing Hart’s jazz-fusion based sound amid thumping bass patterns and tight-knit, in-the-pocket grooves. Otherwise, some of his original compositions fare better than others. And I’ll go out on a short limb, stating that some song editing, 15 tracks in total, might have inadvertently added to the program’s impact and staying power, as some of these pieces fail to induce a lasting impression.
Stern looms as a strong foil for Hart as they go toe-to-toe while not engaging in superfluous technical gymnastics along the way. In addition, Hart is a colorist who shrewdly employs contrasting shades and knows when to turn up the heat. In summary, the shining moments largely compensate for several pieces that are merely engineered upon meaty grooves, sans any memorable hooks or passages.
Artist's Website: http://www.billhartmusic.com
Reviewed by:
Glenn Astarita
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