Alain Caron is an impressive Canadian fretless bass virtuoso. A Berklee college alumnus and founder of the fusion super band UZEB, Caron has toured extensively throughou…
Italian, self-taught drummer and keyboardist Massimo’s third solo effort is centered upon his adherence to composition, where many of the various mini-motifs are framed …
18 Apr
Not Different But Not The Same by CCA: Cushma Cides Alexander
Friday, 18 April 2008
Published in
Fusion - CD Reviews
Notwithstanding illustrator Nuno Enriquez’ engaging Wild-West type freak-show depictions gracing the CD packaging foldouts, there’s some serious futuristic progressive r…
16 Apr
Toons Tunes From The Past by Morglbl
Wednesday, 16 April 2008
Published in
Fusion - CD Reviews
The hard-driving French trio might not be of the household name variety on these American shores, but have been gaining recognition among the global progressive-rock/jaz…
It just doesn’t get any better than this. It just doesn’t. No meteorologist could have predicted this phenomenon. There has been "rainmaker" folklore, and whether you be…
Boston-based guitarist Gustavo Assis-Brasil merges monstrous chops with a strong compositional pen, highlighted during this live footage recorded at a venue in his homet…
Aside from his work with Andy Milne, Prince is also known for his work with saxophonist Carlos Ward's group, the Broadway show 'Dreamgirls', and the great neo-soul-jazz gro…
A new John McLaughlin recording is, for me, a highly anticipated event. Floating Point even more so, as it is perhaps the first time that the guitar legend has mer…
Washington, D.C., reared drummer Mark Prince’s extensive sideman resume is firmly entrenched within jazz, pop and rock circles amid a six-year stint with ace modern jazz…
20 Feb
Beyond Standard by Hiromi's Sonicbloom
Wednesday, 20 February 2008
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Fusion - CD Reviews
Hiromi Uehara, the revered and renowned pianist/composer and mastermind of Hiromi’s Sonicbloom, comes to us again with her fiery, innovative, and electrifying brand of f…
Saxophonist Paul Shapiro has really out-done himself on his third album as a bandleader. Entitled Essen, the music is served up with elements of Yiddish swing, so…
12 Feb
Miles From India: A Celebration of the Music of Miles Davis by Miles From India
Tuesday, 12 February 2008
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Fusion - CD Reviews
I am rather circumspect when it comes to tribute recordings as they rarely seem to measure up to the real thing. However, my caution flies out the window where Bob Belden's…
Chamber music is like a floral display that can brighten up any room. It has been coupled with pop, rock, heavy metal, folk, country and every breed of jazz. Contemporar…
09 Feb
The Anthology by Return to Forever
Saturday, 09 February 2008
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Fusion - CD Reviews
Remixed, re-mastered and digitally sanitized, this 2008 issued two-CD set intimates the crème de la crème track selection of jazz-fusion’s inimitable "Return To Forever"…
So, what happens when you take an iconic group like the Yellowjackets and pair it with a guitar virtuoso like Mike Stern? Simply put, a robust and colorful project like …
Techy celestial synth, radio transmissions, and a touch of classical piano (and that’s just in the 2 ½ min. intro) actually coming in as "part 1" of the title and first …
30 Jan
The Heart of the Acoustic Guitar by Fabien Degryse
Wednesday, 30 January 2008
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Fusion - CD Reviews
Like the title suggests, guitarist Fabien Degryse takes audiences into the heart of the acoustic guitar on his trio’s latest CD The Heart of the Acoustic Guitar. …
Chicago-based bassist Bryan Doherty makes his debut on Origin Records with Rigamarole. The recording, while containing a number of different styles of music all s…
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 Ins…
Guitarist Torben Waldorff’s latest release Afterburn is a collection of cruising bop melodies with lively harmonies that seam the instrument layers as inlays of a…
15 Jan
The Nefertiti Xperience by Gemini Soul
Tuesday, 15 January 2008
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Fusion - CD Reviews
Smooth cyber jazz quartet Gemini Soul has released their fourth studio album The Nefertiti Xperience. Produced, arranged and composed by the band’s frontman and b…
Bassist Victor Wooten makes his strongest musical statement yet on his debut disc with Heads Up Palmystery. While he has already garnered the great critical prais…
Here is a refreshing group of musicians offering a very refreshing and innovative look at urban grooves heavily steeped in fusion jazz. The professionalism shines throug…
Anomalies is a real treat for those of you who’ve had some considerable exposure to the intricacies of classical rock (i.e., Kansas, Jethro Tull, early Rick Wak…
This is one of the few times where I have been more interested in the artist than his material, which is decent, I might add. Jamie Craig has quite an inte…
To grab a simple title from the lead track here, "Uh-huh." That says it all. Guitarist BD Lenz’s fifth album Straight Up is an energetic display of fusion, with…
05 Jul
Mysteries of the Revolution by Mystereis of the Revolution
Thursday, 05 July 2007
Published in
Fusion - CD Reviews
Mysteries of the Revolution has many moments that could serve as entry points to a good album: moments of untapped potential. But the eponymous trio obviously attemp…
"Liquid Soul" the new CD from Gemini Soul featuring Ajamu Akinyele is musically inspired by bassists Stanley Clarke, MeShell Ndegeocello, Marcus Mi...
Here you have a consortium of fabled session musicians/solo artists who seem to do everything just right. Yet unlike many projects of this ilk, these musicians inject a …
Several tracks on this exceptional outing were recorded for Danish Radio (1999) in front of the group’s friends and acquaintances, while others were recorded a year late…
Drummer Ken Serio has orchestrated an energetic array of fusion in real time with real success! Out of the Tripping Tree label will come an eclectic sound within a live …
David Liebman’s latest installment Back On The Corner is loaded with trippy jazz compositions that show signs of Miles Davis’ tutelage from working with the maste…
27 May
The Song Within by Asaf Sirkis & the Inner Noise
Sunday, 27 May 2007
Published in
Fusion - CD Reviews
When it comes to the Golden Age of fusion, let's get arbitrary: 1968-1974. Many speak with reverence of Miles, Gary Burton, Larry Coryell, the (original) Mahavishnu Orch…
Recorded in 1996 for the obscure Audioimage record label, now remastered and reissued by a prominent rock-fusion entity, this recording conveys master bassist and stick …
Dave Milne has an incredible story about how he practically willed himself back to good health from a debilitating illness to place himself back on the music scen…
Si Hayden is a one-man band, composing entire songs on an acoustic guitar playing both lead and rhythm parts. It never occurred to me that I would enjoy compositions wit…
Stanley Clarke has long been considered a musical genius and his new CD The Toys Of Men only serves to enhance that notion. The composer and musician extraordinai…
Innovative bassist Stanley Clarke’s much anticipated solo album is designed with the emotive aspects of war in mind. And it’s a multifaceted brew, spanning tidbits of hi…
19 Apr
Improvision by Alex Machacek - Jeff Sipe - Matthew Garrison
Thursday, 19 April 2007
Published in
Fusion - CD Reviews
Back in the late ‘70s, jazz-fusion and jazz-rock advocates would have greatly anticipated a recorded collaboration between Allan Holdsworth (gtr), Jaco Pastorius (b) and…
19 Apr
Secret Oyster (aka Furtive Pearl) by Secret Oyster
Thursday, 19 April 2007
Published in
Fusion - CD Reviews
In retrospect, the 1970s got a bad rap -- sure, there was Viet Nam, Nixon, disco, gas shortages, and really bad TV, but there was an awful lot of musical creativity goin…
Recorded live at a Jakarta, Indonesia venue, descriptors for this unique jazz-fusion outfit might sound something like; clever, impressionistic, artful and positively in…
Ausin-based The Chris Vestre Group delivers its second album with a regretfully apt title. Suburban Life. Suburban Life has 15 solid tunes and some excitin…
11 Mar
Some Wonderful Moment by Jason Steele Ensemble
Sunday, 11 March 2007
Published in
Fusion - CD Reviews
As a connoisseur of jazz and as an individual who critiques hundreds of albums per year, I have come to realize that jazz is a mosaic tapestry that is filled with artist…
Dr. Draw, a pop violinist, looks too young to actually be a doctor. Eugene Draw is a fine violinist. He has released a new CD, Adagio and with the mastery of a surge…
02 Mar
Slaughterhouse 3 by Gary Willis-Llibert Fortuny-Kirk Covington
Friday, 02 March 2007
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Fusion - CD Reviews
Co-founder of the jazz-fusion ensemble Tribal Tech, Gary Willis has blossomed into one of the finest post-Jaco bassists and has few peers in the business. On this…
David Joel, guitarist, songwriter and bandleader, has released a new CD Spiral Sky. A studio album that is produced by Joel and Derrick Graves, who is also the sound…
21 Feb
Vitalization by Steve Smith and Vital Information
Wednesday, 21 February 2007
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Fusion - CD Reviews
Steve Smith and Vital Information have been on the fusion scene now for over 20 years, serving up a different and diverse flavor of their creativity with each project. T…
Joe Zawinul, the keyboardist/composer and founder of the fusion supergroup, Weather Report, revisits some of the group’s great hits in a 15-piece big-band setting and do…
05 Feb
Bobo Bazinsky In The Bronx by 35 Days In May
Monday, 05 February 2007
Published in
Fusion - CD Reviews
35 Days in May is the brainchild of multi-instrumentalist and arranger Jeff Kaye, who garners the assistance of trumpeter Jim Kiser, saxophonist Paul Carr and oth…
05 Feb
Vitalization by Steve Smith and Vital Information
Monday, 05 February 2007
Published in
Fusion - CD Reviews
Led by all-universe drummer Steve Smith, this quartet has been a major force within jazz-fusion circles amid shifting personnel since the 80s. With the band’s latest eff…