Fusion - CD Reviews (474)
Business executive for D'Addario & Company (strings) and drummer, Rick Drumm equates the album moniker and band name to his survival and ordeal with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. And 25% of all proceeds from the album will be donated to the "Strike A Chord" foundation: www.strikeachordforchildren.org. A largely upbeat album, featuring prominent…
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Business executive for D'Addario & Company (strings) and drummer, the album moniker and band name emanates from Rick Drumm's survival and ordeal with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. And 25% of all proceeds from the album will be donated to the "Strike A Chord" foundation: www.strikeachordforchildren.org. A largely upbeat album, featuring prominent jazz…
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Keyboardist, composer and arranger Art "Spike" Schloemer is most obviously influenced by musicians like Joe Zawinul and Jan Hammer. Schloemer is, like Zawinul, a true technical master, and like Hammer, has a lilt in his compositions that make them more than pleasing vehicles. Schloemer's incredibly nimble fingers fly throughout the…
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To jazz lovers the name of saxophonist and flutist Jeff Coffin should not be new. In addition to his 14 years spent as a member of Bela Fleck’s band, Coffin has worked with others like Dave Matthews and spent a lot of time working in studios for artists like Delbert…
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The Realm of the Guitar Gods continues to be inhabited long after its time had supposedly ended. However, a new wing has to be added to accommodate the electric violin of Susan Aquila. As virtuosos go, she’s right at the top, but sounding sometimes like Jean Luc Ponty but…
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During the numerous theoretical waves of music and its major influences, the annals of music's scrolls have recorded many activists of the art of sound which have risen to become the statesperson of their chosen pulpit. Rock and roll had the Beatles, Nirvana, and Elvis taking front stage; the classics…
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Planet Z poses an interesting contrast. For one, first-call session violinist and active concert performer Susan Aquila uses a Viper 6-string violin to diametrically oppose her classical roots, and performs material composed by symphonic conductor, guitarist, Dr. Robert Tomaro. Hence, the program is centered within the jazz-fusion realm and framed…
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This widely acclaimed band's sixth album furthers its plight of providing the listener with a gamut of compelling contrasts amid a unique stylization that offers additional credence to the pioneering efforts instituted by Cryptogramophone Records. Here, violinist Jeff Gauthier leads a prominent cast through jazz-fusion, bop, free improvisation and resonating…
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The album artwork offers insight into the sound and scope of trumpeter extraordinaire Tim Hagans' 2011 jazz-fusion release. The program is brushed with dark hues and spacey architectures, translating into an impressionistic journey towards the nearest galaxy. But there's plenty of oxygen and life here.
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Indeed, Abstract Logix has developed into a prominent record label, including iconic guitarist John McLaughlin among its roster. The record label has also evolved into prime distributor of jazz-rock, jazz-fusion and progressive-rock audio and visual product. And following up the 2011 2-CD release of these live performances recorded in 2010…
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Reflections on the meaning and significance of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, typically do not inspire a rockin' good time. That's precisely what's going on with Blasphemy and Other Serious Crimes, the sophomore CD from guitarist Yoshie Fruchter's great New York-based band Pitom. Fruchter and Pitom play a sort of advanced…
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Musical iconoclasts Wadada Leo Smith and Henry Kaiser were way ahead of the popular consciousness when it came to paying tribute to Miles Davis' pioneering electric bands of the early-to-mid 1970s. Kaiser's involvement in this project is no surprise. He's an avowed long-term fan of Davis' mid-1970s recordings and cites Pete…
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Extraordinarily talented bassist and composer Jimmy Haslip is no stranger to jazz aficionados. Longtime bassist with the supergroup Yellowjackets, he has appeared on an almost limitless number of recordings. While Nightfall is only his fourth release as a leader, he has worked with countless other artists including Steely Dan, Tom…
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Trumpeter and teacher Stanton Davis, Jr., originally from New Orleans, studied at the Berklee Collge of Music, New England Conservatory and Wesleyan University. As a teacher, he has taught at the New England Conservatory, Wellesley College, Bennington College and Jazzmobile. As a performer, he has been a member of Lester…
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Though the Danish multi-instrumentalist Robin Taylor has made a name for himself as a prolific and innovative composer in the progressive rock and jazz-rock fusion realms, many may not be aware of his considerable abilities as a free improvising musician. His free-jazz alter-ego manifests itself most frequently in a musical…
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Recorded in 1978, Fat Doggie is a genre-defying fusion of jazz, funk, disco, soul and Latin. Solid rhythm section, tight horns, great tunes. Imagine Average White Band, Santana, James Brown, Albert Ayler and Tower of Power all on one album! The Greg Alper Band featured the finest jazz players in…
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The word 'fusion' is a pretty good descriptor of a style of music only when you know what sorts of music are being fused. I suppose that one could describe Mercury Falls' impressive debut CD, Quadrangle, as 'fusion' – but that would only be 1/10th of the story (if that!).…
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While heavily derivative of Weather Report and Steps Ahead, Ron Van Stratum’s Swingin’ In The Swamp still satisfies. This should, however, be no surprise when one considers who this Netherlands born and raised drummer and percussionist has played with. Following studies on classical percussion at the conservatory in Tilburg and…
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Gary Husband is a musical renaissance man. A ferocious progressive-rock and jazz drummer, he also handles the keyboard duties here and for guitar titan, John McLaughlin’s 4th Dimension band. This outing provides a glimpse of prominent artists he has performed with over the years. Subsequently, the program signifies the first…
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Indonesian guitarist Tohpati, revered for his work with the ensemble simakDIALOG, tenders a captivating mission, pronouncing a rapidly-paced slant on Indo jazz-rock. The premise for this album underscores a positive aspect that communicates an upbeat outlook and musically diverse course of action. Here, the musicians engineer a poetic manifesto based…
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