01 Feb
DVDs: Video Anthology Vol.1 & Vol .2 by Bill Bruford's Earthworks
Thursday, 01 February 2007
Published in
Fusion - CD Reviews
These separately packaged DVDs provide a glimpse of influential jazz & rock drummer Bill Bruford’s jazz-fusion outfit Earthworks and its transformation of style, sound a…
The initial concepts and strategy for this band was born in New Orleans. Then, of course, Hurricane Katrina threw a proverbial wrench in the works. Long story short, the…
I had the pleasure of reviewing Akinyele’s Black Magic - The Cyber Jazz Experience. I find that album to be a better production, although I suppose it can be sa…
15 Jan
Night School by Stanley Clarke & Friends
Monday, 15 January 2007
Published in
Fusion - CD Reviews
There are some musical structures in their purest forms that are just far too awesome for words. The total experience that is Stanley Clarke & friends is such a structur…
08 Jan
Richard Hart Quartet by Richard Hart
Monday, 08 January 2007
Published in
Fusion - CD Reviews
Richard Hart, veteran jazz guitarist, incorporates highly dynamic and innovative grooves for his latest studio album Fearless Shores. Hart’s musical style is diverse…
Of all the bands that made the news/broke the mold/made the biggest splashes in the heyday/glory days of the first wave of Fusion (1969-1974), the UK outfit Soft Machine…
Jazz guitarist Richard Hart has devised new concoctions for fusion buffs by developing dynamic interactions of cool jazz elements, hard-bop motifs, smooth funk grooves, …
Caution: Read this whole review before deciding whether to buy this CD. "The project 'Around Jaco’.... has a density of its own.... " Thus states the promotional materia…
18 Aug
Smoke Inside by Daniele Cavallanti Electric Unit
Friday, 18 August 2006
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Fusion - CD Reviews
Like many performers of the fusion/free jazz ilk, The Daniele Cavallanti Electric Unit composes music that enables them to indulge in their personalized idioms and indiv…
Veteran bass guitarist Daniel Lucca’s album Cruise Control is one of the best jazz fusion albums you will ever pick up. Lucca has fused jazz and rock so beautiful…
Hailing from the Pacific Northwest, Jam Camp is a heavy laden, guitar-driven, no nonsense, collective force. Their latest CD, Jam Camp Live!, is a brilliant showc…
I wasn’t quite sure what to make of David Wright’s Dajinosaurus CD. The cover art consists of a goofy canine mug shot, the credits are cluttered with production…
Revered Southern California session guitarist Michael Landau has performed with a who’s who of pop, rock and jazz musicians. He steps out on his own with other notable a…
18 Jun
Viva Carlos - A Supernatural Marathon Celebration by Various
Sunday, 18 June 2006
Published in
Fusion - CD Reviews
Fabled guitar hero and bandleader Carlos Santana was always in a class of his own. As a guitar stylist, his influence and singular technique warrants no additional elabo…
Franc O’Shea is a UK-based electric bassist and composer who has immersed himself in the diverse worlds of Flamenco, jazz and Middle Eastern/North African ethnic music. …
17 Jun
The Great American Road Trip by Hectic Watermelon
Saturday, 17 June 2006
Published in
Fusion - CD Reviews
Every so often, an album like Hectic Watermelon’s The Great American Road Trip comes along to give me hope that jazz-rock fusion hasn’t collapsed like a poorly-…
It should come as no surprise to any "Jazz Cat" that Canada has been producing tons of incredible new progressive jazz bands and Unicorn Records has been responsible for…
The biggest treat for a music reviewer is to receive a really good CD by a musician or group that you are not at all familiar with. Fabien Degryse’s CD titled, prosaical…
30 May
Homing: A Feeling in Nine Parts by J. A. Granelli and Mr. Lucky
Tuesday, 30 May 2006
Published in
Fusion - CD Reviews
Homing - A Feeling in Nine Parts is the latest collection of highly appealing, completely instrumental compositions of indeterminate genre from J. A. Granelli a…
This latest offering from one of jazz fusion’s most illustrious and accomplished guitarists is chock full of the style that has made him such a powerful and mesmerizing phe…
Strunz and Farah have proved time and again why they are widely regarded as pioneers and the epitome of world acoustic fusion and intriguing diversity. They have been toget…
Carlos Santana is most notably the most recognized name in rock history. His contributions to the genres of rock, R&B, pop, fusion jazz and Latin music are phenomenal. I…
During the early 90s and onward, the quartet Tribal Tech helped raise jazz-fusion from the ashes, given the musical climate and burn marks the genre often subjected itse…
There are people who are different just for the sake of being different and then there are those who stand out because they are so much more accomplished than most of th…
Baha Men, take notice. There are some cats joining your loosed dogs courtesy of Mike Stern, jazz guitarist extraordinaire. This CD is a diverse mix of some heavy straigh…
Jazz is one of America’s most indigenous art forms and can often be the most misunderstood. As one examines jazz's rich heritage and history as a medium of interpretive …
04 Apr
Back To The North by Apostolis Anthimos
Tuesday, 04 April 2006
Published in
Fusion - CD Reviews
A heavy metal jazz fusion hybrid that features a solid electric guitar player laying down some interesting tunes. Anthimos plays guitar, electronic keyboard and p…
Growing up in a musical family prepared David Boswell for his journey into eclectic mysticism through jazz. He began with a nylon-string acoustic guitar as a youngster, gra…
Every piece of music an artist writes has merit because of the level of creativity contained within its musical structure. Historically, jazz has always been about chang…
Jazz music as it stands today is not always a clearly defined line of communication. On one end, there is an overwhelming force called smooth jazz that attempts to defin…
07 Mar
The New Imperial by Julien Kasper Band
Tuesday, 07 March 2006
Published in
Fusion - CD Reviews
The CD The New Imperial blasts off from the very first track, a tune entitled "The JB Groove." A heavy sounding blues/rock, funk fireball featuring the wailing …
Within the wide world of jazz, there are many paths that one can take. Some may lead you to sunny streets, another will lead you to a smoke-filled nightclub. Other paths…
When reflecting upon the proverbial influence that the Hammond B3 electric organ has had on jazz, the first name that comes to mind is the incredible Jimmy Smith. Over t…
Guitarist Ray Russell has been hitting the strings for more than 35 years as a multi-faceted musician. Ray’s trademark bursts of improvisational imagery are the stuff of…
Bridge of Art by David Boswell is not the typical run-of-the-mill smooth jazz CD. Instead, the release is an eclectic blend of light-hearted guitar licks that ref…
This remarkable collection salutes the genius that is the jazz group Yellowjackets. It is their 25th anniversary and the CD collection, complete with a DVD, includes man…
Vancouver, Canada-based drummer/educator Alex McKechnie commandeers this jazz-fusion trio with a loose groove, jam band mindset. They swing and funk it up on occasion wh…
01 Feb
Thanks My Friends by Mauro Voconi
Wednesday, 01 February 2006
Published in
Fusion - CD Reviews
Lavoro Discografico frutto di un background di 25 anni di esperienza. Il genere musicale è tipicamente Fusion Progressive/DUB con evidenti contaminazioni Latin/Ja…
While this writer usually avoids writing about musical styles with which he is unfamiliar, an exception had to be made here. Unicorn Digital sent along a couple of n…
A-list session keyboardist Rob Whitlock’s second installment of his "Sketchin" solo series is enamored by the black & white/sepia-tinted sketches of Julius Pastorius: So…
18 Jan
Floating World Live by Soft Machine
Wednesday, 18 January 2006
Published in
Fusion - CD Reviews
This newly released live date culled from Germany’s Radio Bremen archives marked a nexus of sorts for the now historic band. Complete with reflective iterations by some …
Guitar Great Salutes Gil Evans Goodbye Svengali is the latest release from Ray Russell, the revered jazz guitarist and fusion pioneer. The project is dedic…
Balinese guitarist Dewa Budjana admittedly did not ascend through the ranks of music education, but his early interest in pop segued into a fascination with jazz. And ot…
14 Oct
Live At The Uptowner by Jack Grassel Kirk Tatnall and Ernie Adams
Friday, 14 October 2005
Published in
Fusion - CD Reviews
In my previous review of another Wisconsin jazz act Clamnation, I said that the biggest fatal flaw for any local act across the country is a lack of will to expand their…
The exploration of jazz comes in many unique flavors and styles, one of which is a phenomenon known as jazz funk. Over time, numerous artists and groups have either perf…
04 Oct
Live In Detroit by Global Jazz Trio
Tuesday, 04 October 2005
Published in
Fusion - CD Reviews
Saxophone, bass and drum trios have a rich history. While many have tried this format, few have succeeded. Notable exceptions to the previous statement include jazz lege…
Nima & Merge are a fusion outfit incorporating many styles, which include jazz, rock and world sounds from all over the globe, blending into their own signature sound. …
25 Sep
The My Fourteen Songs by Claudio Scolari
Sunday, 25 September 2005
Published in
Fusion - CD Reviews
Every once in a while, we as music listeners are blessed to have someone come along who is not like anyone else. A musician who finds the bar and proceeds to go beyond t…
21 Sep
Soleil 12 by Forgas Band Phenomena
Wednesday, 21 September 2005
Published in
Fusion - CD Reviews
The term "fusion" has come to (loosely) define many things over the years. Jazz fused with rock, funk, whatever (Weather Report, Yellowjackets), slickly produced easygoi…
Kwyjibo, but what does that mean? According to the band’s CD notes, Kwyjibo is, "the trance-like state of mind which one enters when listening to the music of the…