14 Sep
A Bitchin Brew by Fusion for Miles: A Guitar Tribute
Wednesday, 14 September 2005
Published in
Fusion - CD Reviews
On the surface, how well Fusion for Miles: A Guitar Tribute succeeds or fails is determined by how much the listener enjoys the electric era of Miles Davis and …
I’m not sure how to pronounce it either, but this fellow Eyal Maoz is, to employ hackneyed critical phraseology, a talent to watch. Maoz is Israeli-born, New York City-r…
10 Sep
I” IS MEMORY by Yannick Yannick Rieu
Saturday, 10 September 2005
Published in
Fusion - CD Reviews
Yannick Rieu is an accomplished saxophonist; he approaches each song with a precise clarity that is so graceful it cannot be defined as such. He slows you down with such…
The Hammond B-3 is one of the most unique musical instruments in the world today. It can sound like an organ, guitar, or even a human voice. In the group Niacin’s Organi…
Textures fly as the milieu around the experience of Synergy’s current offering Later has a multi-dimensional effect on the listener. Separate the players are well…
Wavelength offers the listener many different styles from the palette of the jazz genre. Each member brings their own cultural experiences and musical preferences to the pr…
03 Sep
A Weekend In October by Philippe
Saturday, 03 September 2005
Published in
Fusion - CD Reviews
I’ve noticed that during actual rehearsals with bands, while warming up before starting with the actual repertoire, the most unexpected and beautiful things often happened …
Guitarist Adam Caine has gathered Ken Filiano and famous drummer Phil Haynes in a splendid CD. He also shares the stage with prominent musicians such as Paul Smoker, Daniel…
From the opening notes of "The Menace" to the closing notes of "The Brinx," Family Style has given us a good old American jazz album. Chris Neal playing Rhodes organ and…
Progressive guitarist/composer Harry Kapeliaris releases his debut CD titled Journey To Light. This CD features ten original tracks by this Greek-born (his real…
Unification is the first CD release for this band. Plan 9 is made up of Gordon Grdina, a well respected contributor to the jazz, independent rock, and world mus…
Blue Canoe Records is one of the pioneer independent digital jazz labels. While it isn’t our job to explain their novel project, we encourage listeners and artists to visit…
Progressive guitarist/composer Harry Kapeliaris releases his debut CD titled Journey To Light, which features ten original tracks by this Greek-born (his real f…
Born to famous opera singers Jerome Hines and Lucia Eyangelista, David Hines, a gifted cellist and pianist as a child, has pursued jazz, fusion, and the bass guitar sinc…
15 Jul
Life Before Midi: Naked by Carl Burnett
Friday, 15 July 2005
Published in
Fusion - CD Reviews
Guitarist-extraordinaire Carl Burnett has been around the block, with a list of credits that includes working with Branford Marsalis, Robben Ford, David Sanborn, stints …
In the fall of 2002 guitarist Peter Kienle felt that many of his musical involvements were either slowing down, fizzling out or just getting a litt...
28 Jun
arothymian by Nickos Kapilidis & The Jazz Utopia
Tuesday, 28 June 2005
Published in
Fusion - CD Reviews
Occasionally a CD will come along that will so impress it is literally impossible to take it out of the player. That is the case with arothymian by Nickos Kapilid…
I have a problem. There is so much good music on this CD I am perplexed where to start. I loved every track. Brent Magstadt is a multi-tasking musician in the stu…
I discovered one of the most beautiful and entrancing voices in progressive rock music a few weeks ago while listening to another out of this world Arjen Lucassen projec…
16 Jun
Transfusion by Lydia Pense & Cold Blood
Thursday, 16 June 2005
Published in
Fusion - CD Reviews
It's been a long, long time! Lydia Pense and Cold Blood return with some cool new material and a couple of oldies. Baby Boomers will recall this fine Bay Area funk-rock-blu…
12 Jun
Nullius in Verba by Nicholas D'Amato's Royal Society
Sunday, 12 June 2005
Published in
Fusion - CD Reviews
Nullius in Verba is a thought-provoking guitar trio date from bassist Nicholas D'Amato's Royal Society. The Society's geodesic improvisations draw from several diffe…
20 May
A Tribute to Weather Report by Various Artists
Friday, 20 May 2005
Published in
Fusion - CD Reviews
Weather Report left it's mark in the jazz/rock-fusion world. The group featured great talented musicians. It emerged from the unique Miles and his Bitches Brew generatio…
The mysterious genius, Miles Davis, first noticed Sam during Miles' funk-fusion period. All of the artists that Miles took out off block became famous cats. This also ha…
Tunisian vocalist Mounir Troudi offers just one element to this electrifying that circumvents the inevitable comparisons to a post-Miles Davis jazz-fusion based endeavor…
08 May
Live At Carnegie Hall Vol. 1-4 (Chicago IV) by Chicago
Sunday, 08 May 2005
Published in
Fusion - CD Reviews
I covered the Chicago box set a few years ago, bought all the remastered releases recently, and now the crowning glory of an implausible career is capped of with 4 CDs o…
06 May
Projekt Management by DJ Williams Projekt
Friday, 06 May 2005
Published in
Fusion - CD Reviews
Not all bands have a unified vision and that's not necessarily bad. Different influences thrown into the mix can result in interesting and novel music. Such is the result o…
Drumming hero, Bill Bruford’s insatiable quest for pursuing excellence in modern jazz is exemplified by his tremendously appealing and all acoustic, Earthworks ensemble.…
Nonsensical Nonet Releases Energetic US DebutAnd now for something completely different! Three European housemates form the nucleus of fusion ban…
26 Apr
The Alaska 12 Expeditions by Death & Taxes
Tuesday, 26 April 2005
Published in
Fusion - CD Reviews
There two things that are a guarantee in life-Death & Taxes. Oh yes, there is one more, Death & Taxes the band, is guaranteed to blow you away with their incred…
13 Apr
Gospel for J.F.P. III - Tribute to Jaco Pastorius by Various
Wednesday, 13 April 2005
Published in
Fusion - CD Reviews
This star-studded extravaganza features one time Weather Report drummer/percussionist Alex Acuna and a thirty-plus alignment of international artists paying tribute to t…
13 Apr
Blue Electric Cool by Curtis Fornadley
Wednesday, 13 April 2005
Published in
Fusion - CD Reviews
Curtis Fornadley, otherwise known as Curtis has released his third CD entitled Blue Electric Cool on the IF6WAS9 Record Label.…
04 Apr
Live At The Queen Elizabeth Hall-London (2 DVD Set) by Gary Husband’s Force Majeure
Monday, 04 April 2005
Published in
Fusion - CD Reviews
Gary Husband has been around the block and back again as a drummer, composer, and piano player. His Force Majeure is an awesome combination world of jazz-fusion talent. …
For many years, Scandinavian musicians/ensembles have brought ingenuity and modernist type aspects to the jazz-derived idiom. Check out the hordes of releases by Nordic …
26 Mar
Live!! In New York & Paris by DVD: Screaming Headless Torsos
Saturday, 26 March 2005
Published in
Fusion - CD Reviews
This 2-DVD offering highlights guitar god, David Fiuczynski (The Fuse) and his energetic, "Screaming Headless Torsos," unit performing live in New York (disc one) and Pa…
17 Mar
Refraction Mirage by Alcibiades Jones
Thursday, 17 March 2005
Published in
Fusion - CD Reviews
Three guys and a lot of creative noise is the best way to describe Alcibiades Jones (Pronounced Al-suh-by-dees). After giving their new CD Refraction Mirage sev…
Steve Howe is the master of diversity on the six-string. With his new CD he covers the entire musical Spectrum and beyond. The entire album is instrumental and …
Coffee is a big part of our culture as Americans and the genre of jazz seems to have an inexplicable link to the beverage. Stephanie Sante gives you a taste of many blen…
Mike Di Lorenzo plays the ivory keys with the passion and grace of modern day jazz magic man. He lets his fingers do the walking and all the talking on a beautiful instrume…
A lot of different flowers bloom in Jeff Coffin's garden...and not a weed among them. This CD is a collection of different styles and features a lot of different personnel …
Mike Di Lorenzo plays the ivory keys with the passion and grace of modern day jazz magic man. He lets his fingers do the walking and all the talking on a beautiful instrume…
Live! (Tone Center) is guitarist Scott Henderson’s newest album with his newly formed blues band. The blues/fusion guitarist whose work with Tribal Tech and collabor…
I have enjoyed listening to this album so much that I would rather continue the listening process than to write about it. I know it does not sound like something a journali…
I have discovered a drummer that will knock your socks off, his name is Carl Hupp. He has an incredible CD/DVD set entitled Hyper Statue, recently released to kick o…
31 Dec
The Groove by Emmett North Jr. and the Gallery of Groove
Friday, 31 December 2004
Published in
Fusion - CD Reviews
Middletown, Ohio, native Emmett North Jr. shares a bit of his music with his band The Gallery of Groove."The Groove" contains only three songs, but the tracks are…
Recorded over several days during the Summer Jazz on the Streets in London, England in July of 2003, Nima & Merge’s Live in London is dedicated to their loved o…
Frank Gambale has a tremendous effort with this album. By his side is the astounding Billy Cobham on drums, and two very admirable bassists: Ric Fierabracci and Steve Bi…
You have to love men like Paul Thomas Yoder. He goes to work every day just like you and me so he can support his other career, music. When I read about him and found th…
In the realm of smooth jazz ideology, the lines connecting the dots of where one style of music begins and the other drops off are not clearly defined. That is due in pa…
"Fresh Brew" sounds more like yesterday’s coffee grounds. This recording features primarily Gary Farr on keyboards and programming. It’s something that he’s tinkered …
There’s an early period of musical development for most jazz and rock players where things start to come together. They start making sense. You’re not making great (or even…