MWE3.COM
MUSIC NEWS & NOTES
FALL 2014 RECORD LABEL SPOTLIGHT
POP
& ROCK
AVALON RECORDS - The U.K. band Galahad adds to their
repertoire with a pair of CD EP titles, both released in 2014, featuring
various tracks, single versions and instrumentals. Both titles - Seize
The Day and Guardian Angel are solid examples
of a band rising through the ranks of the 21st century prog-rock world.
While Seize The Day clocks in around 43 minutes, Guardian
Angel coms in just under 30 minutes. Galahad’s music is professionally
played and the CD powerhouse prog-rock production is decent enough
to hope these guys can fly from here. www.GalahadOnline.com
BILL CURRERI MUSIC - Growing
up in the 1960's as a big music fan in the middle of the Greenwich
Village part of downtown Manhattan, Bill Curreri released his
second solo album Son Of An American Dream on September
2, 2014. Going back to his music following time spent in the business
world, Curreri does a fine job on an album that truly paves 
some
new roads for modern pop music. Mix in a little Steely Dan, some Gerry
Rafferty with a touch of Dylan and The Byrds and you come away with
an album that pops and rocks in all the right places. Commenting on
returning to pop music making later in his life Bill explains,
‘I've been told, it’s strange that you’re doing it
now, and to that I say I'm very fortunate that I’m doing it now
because I have so many stories to tell, so many life lessons to give,
so many mistakes I’ve made along the way, that I can now share
with others.’ There’s so many cool cuts here for pop
and rock fans to pick and choose from. It’s hard to single out
just a few but, of course the lead off title track and the second
cut here, “Son Of An American Dream” and “Fade Away”
packs a solid one, two pop-rock punch. Among the most unique tracks
here is the acoustic based “Captain Jack”. Curreri explains
that the song ‘looks back fondly at a time in one’s life
that is gone forever, never to be reclaimed.’ There’s
a range of catchy pop hooks in play here and Curreri’s band is
totally professional sounding, highlighted by the solid electric guitar
work of John Putnam, while the first rate production work of
Roger Fife also adds shine to the album’s sonic appeal.
State of the art 21st century jangle pop gets a solid transfusion
with Bill Curreri’s Son Of An American Dream. www.BillCurreri.com
BLEEDING
HEART RECORDINGS - The huge influence of Canterbury England circa
1968 can still be heard in recordings by younger artists all over
the world. In some ways those influences also hark back to Pink Floyd
during their historic 1969/70 Ummagumma / Atom Heart Mother era
and others cite Soft Machine, especially the Robert Wyatt and Hugh
Hopper eras. These influences and more can be heard in full force
on the 2013 CD by Crayola Lectern. The 2014 CD and Lp release
of The Fall And Rise Of Crayola Lectern mixes vocal
and instrumental music with varying results yet for the most part
it’s a very together sounding album of 21st century progressive
rock. At the core is Crayola himself on vocals, guitars, keyboards
and sax with Random Jon Poole (all things “tron”
including drumotron) and Alistair Strachan (horns). The future
of classic prog-rock is alive and well in The Fall And Rise Of
Crayola Lectern. Also on tap from U.K. based Bleeding Heart is
Tamatebako from the group known as Cuz. Even
more experimental than Crayola Lectern, there’s a a noted influence
from German art-rockers Faust meets a modern Lou Reed kind of influence.
An art-rock project by Mike Watt and Sam Dook, backed
by a large crew, this CUZ CD features loads of sonic surprises. Bleeding
Heart have both ends of the prog-rock spectrum covered with these
two albums. www.CrayolaLectern.com
BLUE COLORADO MUSIC - The 2014 CD release of What’ll
It Be?, the first ever solo album from singer-songwriter
Barry Ollman is a pleasant surprise. Although he’s been
involved in the US music scene for decades, it took the CD release
of What’ll It Be? to finally put Ollman on the map. Where
he’s been all our lives is a bit of a mystery but the ten track
CD makes up for lost time. Assisting Barry are notable musicians such
as Graham Nash, Garry Tallent (of Bruce Springsteen’s
band), David Amram, keyboardist James Raymond and renowned
guitarist David Beegle. As a guitarist himself, Ollman is no
slouch and he sets the scene perfectly with the CD opener “Imogen’s
Lament”, recorded with Nash. Amazingly, Ollman looks and sings
like David Crosby, so it's no coincidence that Crosby’s long
lost son James Raymond plays keyboards on the album. The album rocks
and rolls and also has a definite folk-rock influence. Ollman’s
voice is strong and clear and is also reminiscent of late great singer
Phil Ochs. Ochs would have loved What’ll It Be?, which
is filled with honest and open lyrics and musical subject matter and
can’t get it out of your head hooks. Every song has something
to offer but clearly the lead off track “Imogen’s Lament”
and the rocking “Banker’s Holiday” are standouts. Fans
of Phil Ochs and CSN will get a jolt out of Barry Ollman’s What’ll
It Be? www.BarryOllman.com
CHERRY RED RECORDS / A R GARDEN RECORDS - Without the
song writing genius and stage presence of the late great Syd Barrett
there would be no Pink Floyd. Those who still miss the excitement
during the genesis years of Pink Floyd will want to hear the 2014
CD by Garden Music Project and their music inspired by Syd
Barrett’s artwork. Many people don’t know Syd was also an
accomplished painter and Garden Music Project actually have written
twelve tracks of Syd influenced music inspired by his paintings. The
Garden Music Project's music is very Syd like and is far more interesting
than anything Pink Floyd have recorded for at least the past 45 years.
Project coordinator and composer Adriana Rubio gets solid support
from a range of musicians including vocalist, lyricist, guitarist
Alex Ditzend. Other musicians help flesh out the sound stage.
Even though Cherry Red has endorsed this far-reaching album, it’s
worth noting that these musicians are from Buenos Aires Argentina.
It just goes to show how influential Syd’s music was and still
is in far flung places on earth. Before prog went pomp is that place
where Syd Barrett’s ghost will always be and Garden Music Project
makes that point very clear on their superb sounding and superbly
packaged CD. www.GardenMusicProject.wix.com/garden
CLEOPATRA
RECORDS - Despite
being a mostly late 1960’s musical phenomenon, the legacy of
The Doors will never die. Although they stopped making recordings
in the early ‘70s—notwithstanding
a pair of overlooked post-Jim Morrison albums, Full Circle
and Other Voices—it’s
the band’s core 6 albums from 1967-1971 that remains the centerpiece
of their legacy. In 2014, music producer Billy Sherwood constructed
an excellent Doors’ tribute album entitled Light My Fire:
A Classic Rock Tribute To The Doors for Cleopatra's Purple
Pyramid imprint. Through the magic of recording and mixing tracks
over the internet, musicians living all over the world can be seamlessly
blended into any track and Billy has some big names to lend support
here, most notably Steve Howe and Rick Wakeman of YES
who appear on a cover of the most influential Doors track “Light
My Fire”, with vocals by Ian Gillan. Featuring some of
the biggest names in music history, Light My Fire: A Classic
Rock Tribute To The Doors reads like a who’s who in prog
and pop—from Todd Rundgren and David Johansnen to
Larry Coryell and Steve Cropper—from Mark Farner
and Leslie West to Thijs van Leer and Keith Emerson.
And that’s just the tip of the musical iceberg as you will see
when you check out the CD booklet filled with all the track by track
discography information. Hearing Edgar Winter singing “The Crystal
Ship”—backed by guitar great Chris Spedding and drummer
Scott Connor—is
just one of the many sonic revelations here. The musical genius who
brought YES back to life with phenomenal results in the late 1990’s,
Billy Sherwood rarely misses a beat as producer / musical contributor
on this 16 track tribute album that lights a new fire into the legacy
of The Doors. www.CleoRecs.com
CURVED AIR RECORDS - U.K. progressive rockers Curved Air
are legendary among the great early 1970’s bands and living
up to their legacy, the band is back in 2014 with their first album
of new studio material since 1976. The 2014 CD release of North
Star is a most welcome return from Curved Air. Original Curved
Air singer-songwriter Sonja Kristina is in fine form and she
gets excellent support from her band mates, including classic era
guitarist Kirby Gregory, who rejoined Curved Air in 2013, as
well as original Curved Air drummer Florian Pilkington-Miksa.
Although there’s been a number of Curved Air lineups since 1969,
this 2014 band lineup sounds as vibrant as ever and clearly the Curved
Air magic is in abundance on North Star. Commenting on North
Star, Sonja adds, ‘I am proud to release into the world
Curved Air’s North Star. The North Star album material reflects
on humanity, love, solutions, perspectives and staying human through
changing times and revolutions, virtual lives and delicate attractions,
love and shamanic sub atomic worlds.’ Topping off the superbly
recorded music—which features a mix of re-recordings, cover songs
and seven new originals—North Star is quite appealingly
packaged and features mind-blowing artwork and complete lyrics. Early
1970’s prog-rock legend Curved Air is back in a big way with
the most welcome appearance of North Star. www.CurvedAir.com
FO'
REEL RECORDS - Putting out a CD these days can be rewarding.
Get a spiffy concept for an album artwork, get the studio / mastering
sound right and have the tracks RTG (ready to go). Blues-rock fans
will note all the above are in gear on the 2014 CD release of Heavy
Water by the New Orleans based band known as Fo’ Reel.
The band adeptly merges a kind 
of
1960s R&B sound with a more rock-based Allman Brothers influenced
soul / jazz groove. Central to the band sound is legendary New Orleans
soul singer C.P. Love and the red hot guitar sound of Mark
Domizio, and they both receive solid backup from David Hyde
(bass), Johnny Neel (keys) and a number of musicians who
round out the Fo' Reel sound, including a full horn section. Commenting
on the band's origins, Domizio tells mwe3.com, "We’re
not a supergroup, just seasoned musicians having a good time. While
I was working on a solo project with David Hyde, Johnny Neel and C.P.
Love, I began talking to C.P. about forming a band. We talked to Johnny
and he said he was in, then C.P. came up with the name Fo’ Reel
the next day."
Domizio sounds influenced by guitar greats of the past including Duane
Allman, Kim Simmonds, Stevie Ray Vaughan among others, and the band
rocks its way through eleven modern day blues rock classics, including
a couple of horn driven R&B instrumentals. Imagine the soul sound
of the 1960s brought into the mid ‘70s and then into the 21st
century, with an added touch of funky grooves and you come close to
where Fo’ Reel is coming from. A relaxed spin from start to finish,
Fo’ Reel’s Heavy Water is essential listening for
fans of modern blues-rock www.CDBaby.com
GENTLE
ART OF MUSIC - Gentle might not be the world you want to use when
describing the 2014 CD by RPWL. The ten track release of Wanted
puts RPWL back to what they do best, which is to create highly
charged, memorable progressive rock. These young Germans really put
it together on Wanted. RPWL likes to deal with esoteric thinking
in their lyric writing but there’s usually a memorable hook or
guitar solo to carry the music across the sound stage. The net result
offers another great RPWL album filled with an all original mix of
21st century prog-rock filled with influences from early 1970’s
Pink floyd and Kraftwerk and mid ‘70s Bowie. Yogi Lang,
still on vocals and the guitars of Kalle Wallner continues
to drive the band sound forward with excellent results. Not bad for
a band that started in the 1990s as a Pink Floyd tribute band. In
addition to the CD and DVD, complete with 5.1 surround sound, there’s
also a double vinyl version of Wanted. RPWL continues to prove
that progressive rock definitely enjoys a wide fan base filled with
discerning ears and eyes. www.gaom.de
GOLDRAY MUSIC - The U.K. based band Goldray makes hard
hitting, post punk rock music. The band centers around the dynamic
vocals of Leah Rasmussen who is ably assisted by her Goldray
band mates, with the songs well written by Leah and guitarist Kenwyn
House. Their 4 song debut is well recorded and leaves the listener
wanting more. Goldray make near psychedelic rock music that is kind
of influenced by both The Velvet Underground and The Sex Pistols fronted
by an effective singer who sounds influenced by Grace Slick. Both
progressive rock and hard rock fans are lapping up the sound of Goldray.
One hears that Goldray are busying prepping their new full length
CD. If their planned full length is as good as their EP, rock fans
will have something to celebrate. www.GoldrayBand.com
HYPERTENSION
MUSIC - The music of Albert Hammond has been played for
decades. Even those who never heard his name have heard and enjoyed
his songs such as the Hollies’ classic “The Air That I Breathe”
and Whitney Houston’s smash “One Moment In Time”. Although
he’s 70 now, Hammond is still in the game and fans can appreciate
a fine 2014 career retrospective called Songbook 2013,
a double live CD set, recorded live in Germany and released on
the German Hypertension label. The double CD set is beautifully packaged,
sounds great and features Hammond performing some of his greatest,
although not only his best known compositions, before a faithful group
of fans in May 2013. Accompanying him on the double CD set, Hammond’s
band also sounds great and totally in tune on this sonic trip down
memory lane. Long time fans will enjoy this and overall, Songbook
2013, is a great way to re-experience many of the memorable songs
that Albert Hammond has brought to the music world over the past 40
years. www.hypertension-music.de
/ www.AlbertHammond.com
IBF RECORDS - Chicago based guitarist / vocalist Guy King
demonstrates a solid grasp of a wide range of instrumental and
blues-pop sounds on two recent CD titles released on the IBF Records
label. First off is a double set entitled, I Am Who I Am And
It Is What It Is. Featuring 30 tracks, the double
CD set veers from bluesy pop ala BB King to jazzy, instrumental organ
trio sounds and covers a wealth of musical moods and moves. The central
focus on I Am Who I Am And It Is What It Is is versatility,
with King covering music written by just about every major soul /
jazz legend on the map including Wes Montgomery, Stevie Wonder, Percy
Mayfield, Kenny Burrell, A.C. Jobim, Ray Charles and many others.
With his deep booming baritone voice and jazzy guitar styles, on I
Am Who I Am And It Is What It Is King exhibits a solid grasp of
both instrumental jazz and blues / rock vocal styles. On the double
CD set, King gets solid support from his trio featuring Ben Peterson
(organ) and Mike Schlick (drums). Also released with I
Am Who I Am And It Is What It Is is another single CD called By
Myself. The 15 track By Myself album is pretty
much a blues based affair featuring King performing blues classics
from the pens of Robert Johnson, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Eden Ahbez
and others including a pair of Guy King originals. All in all both
I Am Who I Am And It Is What It Is and By Myself introduces
King as a major player on 21st century blues and jazz guitar scene.
www.GuyKing.net
INTI PRODUCTIONS - Having released Los Angeles Blues a
couple years back, guitarist Ciro Hurtado released Ayahuasca
Dreams in 2014. Ciro’s best album yet, the eleven cut
CD beautifully merges instrumental guitar music and Spanish vocal
music and the entire album coalesces into a sumptuous mix of folk-jazz,
New Age and even smooth jazz. Compared to the all instrumental Los
Angeles Blues, the 2014 CD release of Ayahuasca Dreams comes
across like a colorful, sonic composite filled out with a wide range
of music. Sometimes the music even veers into Carlos Santana territory,
albeit in a more laid back manner. A wide range of musicians appear
on the album including Ciro’s wife Cindy Harding (vocals),
Charlie Bisharat (violin), Gary Johnson (keyboards)
and a many other fine players. Overall, Ayahuasca Dreams is
superbly recorded and the eye-popping CD cover art enhances this sonic
mosaic of lush sounding guitar music. www.CiroHurtado.com
IRL - Commenting on the 2014 CD by The Malawi Mouse Boys,
producer Ian Brennan explains, “It was the first time
they had been outside Malawi. To see them transform into full-blown
showmen, over the course of a mere 48 hours, was one of the most stunning
and beautiful acts of growth I’ve ever personally witnessed.’
Singing in their native Malawi lingo, called Chichewa, the sound is
rough and even ragged in places, but the group’s energy is quite
astounding. On their second album entitled Dirt Is Good,
Malawi Mouse Boys use home made musical instruments and percussion
made from bicycle parts, but that can’t stop them from making
a big impact on the World Music stage. Fans of World Music oriented
blues, reggae and gospel will get a buzz from this African music ensemble
and their second album. Some people have even described this South
African group of musicians like a cross between African gospel music
and the Ramones, although that might be pushing it. Commenting on
the band and their place in the music world of 2014, lead vocalist
Zondiwe Kachingwe explains ‘Although we are poor, we
understand that this is the way of the world. We know that we are
alive today because of His will. God keeps us alive for a reason.’
Still, if you’re into African music and are looking for something
truly unique and unusual, at least to Western ears, than Malawi Mouse
Boys might be right up your alley. www.IndependentRecordsLtd.co.uk
JETTY RECORDS - Based in uptown Manhattan in good old New York,
singer-songwriter Peter Galperin released Just Might Get
It Right in 2014. The follow up to his critically acclaimed 2013
album A Disposable Life, Galperin’s new five song EP takes
a left turn at the George Washington Bridge and heads south to Nashville.
With production assistance by Chip Hardy, Just 
Might
Get It Right features Peter backed up by a solid crew of seasoned
music city session guys including the well rounded guitars of Smith
Curry, keyboards by Dane Bryant, bassist Rod Lewis and
the rock solid drumming of Tim Grogan. Living up to the Nashville
name on the recording sessions, these new country-rock flavored Galperin
songs have a cutting edge pop sound in a similar realm as Roy Orbison’s
late period tracks. Compared to Galperin's socially satirical vision
on A Disposable Life, the five track Just Might Get It Right
takes a look into songs of lost love and renewed hope. With the
accent on memorable pop hooks, Just Might Get It Right combines
rock and country and comes up with a new kind of 21st century Urbane
Country sound. The songs are each memorable, the production first
rate and there’s plenty of listening pleasure on top for fans
of Galperin’s earlier releases, as well as those new to the man.
One can only wish him well as he builds upon the chance to bring his
music far and wide. A man with a plan, Peter Galperin tells mwe3.com,
‘Building my song catalog is my priority so I’m writing
new songs and trying to get better and better at it by always striving
for that old-time country song adage: “three chords and the truth”.
www.PeterGalperin.com
KINA GRANNIS RECORDS / ONE HAVEN MUSIC - The pop-rock
world is talking about singer-songwriter Kina Grannis, who
is making waves with her second solo album. The 12 track Elements
was written entirely by Kina and produced by Matt Hales,
who is also known as Aqualung. The music is not quite dance music
but there’s dance music elements mixed into the pop-rock mix.
Blessed with a fine voice and stage presence, Kina sounds influenced
by singers like Madonna and even Suzanne Vega. There’s enough
originality here to place her front and center among the rising new
pop stars of the 21st century. Kina Grannis is a singer-songwriter
to keep your eyes and ears on. www.KinaGrannis.com
JEM
RECORDINGS - Back in the late 1970’s JEM Records, under label
head Marty Scott, was releasing hundreds of albums. Jem were early
adopters in a number of music genres and most players from the late
‘70s 1980’s have a JEM Records story to tell. Marty Scottand
JEM is back and high on the list of cool JEM albums is the self-titled
2014 debut CD by Michigan rockers The Legal Matters. Music
may be a legal matter but this album will prevail in the high court
of rock. There’s a definite Badfinger meets Nilsson meets The
Turtles kind of pop and folk-rock groove in play here brought up to
date in 2014 with a renewed pop reverence. All three members—Chris
Richards, Andy Reed and Keith Klingensmith are each
fine singer-songwriters-guitarists and they get solid support from
drummer Cody Marecek and guitarist Nick Piunti. Retro-pop
fans give a listen to The Legal Matters. www.JemRecordings.com
MACHAIR RECORDS - World Music fans may want to give a listen
to Every Story by Scotland-based singer Julie Fowlis.
Her voice and music is kind of Enya-esque as well as sounding influenced
by U.K. folk-rock bands like Fairport Convention. Actually, the album
is called Gach Sgeul as every song is sung in an old
world Gaelic kind of dialect. Track by track liner notes in English
accompany the Gaelic text. Julie's band is quite on top of things
and with her voice front and center, the tracks feature a memorable
mix of guitar-bouzouki sounds with added flutes, pipes and fiddles.
Of course this is not everyone’s cup of tea but her voice is
just perfect for this or anything really. The 20 page booklet is very
extensive with lyrics and track notes and is a very well presented
offering. www.JulieFowlis.com
MAGNA
CARTA - There’s a whole new generation of musicians releasing
music on CD that clearly take cues from first generation rockers.
Case in point is Entropy Of The Century by progressive
rockers MoeTar. MoeTar stands for group leaders Moorea Dickason
(vocals) and Tarik Ragab (bass). Moorea has been described
as sounding like Adele in a prog-rock setting while the music composed
by Tarik is a highly unusual mix of the Swingle Singers meets Dave
Brubeck meets Bill Bruford. There’s a definite Zappa influence
but with Moorea’s multi-tracked female vocals you can also add
in groups such as Hatfield and the North and for some of the more
pop based derivatives here, XTC. Filling out the six piece band are
an number of fine musicians including Matthew Heulitt (guitar),
David M. Flores (drums), Jonathan Herrera (keys) and
Matt Lebofsky (keys). All in all, MoeTar is a great album of
21st century progressive rock and pop. www.MoeTar.com
MANTICORE RECORDS / CHERRY RED RECORDS - Fans of King
Crimson, The Nice and Emerson Lake & Palmer will want to hear
Live At Manticore Hall by prog-rock icons Keith Emerson
& Greg Lake. There’s no Carl Palmer here but there
is a drummer on a couple of these tracks filling in the gaps on this
mostly drummer-less set from Lake & Emerson. By now, prog-rock
fans know these songs by heart and highlights here include ELP faves
like "From The Beginning”, “Tarkus”, “Take
A Pebble” and “Lucky Man”. It’s really about time
these guys joined forces on a CD like this one. Lake’s voice
may be a little deeper but no less effective than it was 45 years
ago, while Emerson’s keyboard gymnastics just gets better sounding
in time. Another highlight here is an Emerson & Lake cover of
“I Talk To The Wind”—a sublime low key version of a
highlight from the first King Crimson album way back in 1969. Hard
to believe it’s been 45 years since then but the song continues
to be a real tear-jerker and Lake seals the deal again with this 2014
release. There’s a few surprises here, including a spry version
of “The Barbarian” featuring drums but there’s no mention
of the drummer in the booklet. No problem. Recorded from a live show
back in 2010 and presented on CD for the first time, Live At Manticore
Hall is a most welcome return to form from two guys who clearly
helped shape the vision of progressive rock. www.KeithEmerson.com
/ www.GregLake.com
METANOIA RECORDS - Rock fans looking for something new and
interesting should give a listen to One Aim - the debut
CD from Suke Cerulo. The NYC band features Suke on lead guitar
and vocals and he and his band mates rock up a storm on the nine track
CD. Suke Cerulo came to the attention of mwe3.com thanks to his excellent
soundtrack work on several science documentaries which blend instrumental
space music with electronics. The One Aim CD is very much rock
and roll with a bluesy and jazzy edge that sounds like some of Rory
Gallagher’s early solo work. The sound is upbeat throughout and
of note are two bluesy and jazzy flavored guitar instrumentals, with
a slight progressive edge that blend in towards the end of the CD.
The CD closing “Vee” is a smokin’, barn burning instrumental
workout. www.sukecerulo.com
METHEXIS PRODUCTIONS - The Greek band Methexis is reinventing
the future of prog-rock with their 2014 CD called The Fall Of
Bliss. Essentially the brainchild of multi-instrumentalist
Nikitas Kissonas and drummer Nikos Miras, the CD is
beautifully packaged and the music is equally jolting. Most people
may be familiar with Greek New Age music composer Vangelis but Methexis
is something else completely. Kissonas sounds like a one man Genesis
and while he does draw on some moods and musical inspirations from
Gabriel-era Genesis, there’s also some quite authentic music
and sounds on this Methexis CD. What’s very impressive here,
in addition to the very unusual CD packaging and pressing, is the
fact that Kissonas not only acquits himself as a fine singer-songwriter,
but he’s also dazzling on all manners of guitars and keyboards
creating a wall of prog-rock sound that will blow your mind. Music
fans looking to see what happened to the future of progressive rock,
check out Methexis. www.methexis.bandcamp.com
NCOMPASS MUSIC - Singer-songwriter Jeff Larson is one
of those rare breed of 21st century singer-songwriters who keeps on
releasing top quality pop albums year after year. Back in 2001, Jeff
released the critically acclaimed Day Trips, his collaboration
with Sandals guitar legend John Blakeley and since, and over time
the hits have just kept coming. In 2014, Jeff released yet another
solo album called Close Circle on his Ncompass Music label.
I suppose the hidden meaning of Close Circle is the close circle
of friends assisting Jeff this time, including California music heroes
like guitarist Jeff Pevar and backing singers Jeff Foskett
as well as Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell of the
group America. Also on board again is long time Larson guitarist Hank
Linderman and drummer Jim McCarty. With all these great
players on hand, thankfully the music and songs hold up nicely. If
you’ve never experienced Jeff Larson’s blend of breezy California
pop-rock, Close Circle is a good place to start. www.JeffLarson-music.com
PAINTED PONY MEDIA - For anyone who’s been sleeping under
a rock for the past 50+ years, Buddy Ebsen was one of the great actors
of the 20th century. Buddy’s greatness is carried on thanks to
his music making daughter, singer-songwriter Kiki Ebsen. In
2014, Kiki released Scarecrow Sessions. Buddy
always wanted his daughter to record and vocalize an album of jazz
standards and with Scarecrow Sessions she finally
fulfills her dad’s request. A number of talented jazz musicians
are on the 12 track CD including John Patitucci (bass), Chuck
Loeb (guitar), Clint de Ganon (drums) and others. The album
was tastefully produced by David Mann and the single off the
CD is a snazzy, upbeat jazz rendition of “If I Only Had A Brain”,
from The Wizard Of Oz. Her dad’s appearances in famous
movies, the music of which is prominently featured here, is well documented
in the in depth CD liner notes, which features Kiki discussing these
movies which featured legendary acting from her dad. Even though Buddy
was best known as Jed Clampett in the 1960's Beverly Hillbillies,
clearly his acting legacy will be further looked at with different
eyes thanks to his daughter’s excellent CD. Honoring her family
name on her sixth solo album, Kiki Ebsen honors and sheds new light
on the great American songbook with Scarecrow Sessions. www.KikiEbsen.com
PRUNETWANG MUSIC - Best known for their all time classic from
1966, "I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night", Electirc
Prunes are back again in 2014 with a new CD called WaS.
Still featuring lead singer James Lowe, the album also
features original group bassist / vocalist Mark Tulin, who
actually died in 2011. The album features relatively new music from
the band, who are considered legends of the 1960s in many music circles.
Although the lead off track a cover of “Smokestack Lightning”
is from 2000, many of the other tracks are circa 2014 although Lowe
explains, ‘The music here is from all layers of the band from
1966 to 2014.’ Although Tulin’s untimely death threatened
the album’s final completion, Lowe cites current Prunes guitarist
Steve Kara and the other EP members put it all together and
the final result is a most welcome addition to the band’s repertoire.
The studio sound has some of the hallmarks that made The Electric
Prunes such a trendsetter among mid to late 1960 music legends. The
CD packaging is brilliant and the classic release of WaS sounds
like it could have been made in 1966. Prunes fans will eat up the
classic psychedelic sound of WaS. www.ElectricPrunes.net
RESCORD
RECORDINGS - This one should win a grammy for best CD cover of
the year. We’re talking about Year Of The Woman,
the first album by the group called AAA Battery. As in triple
“a” and the group is onto something here. Cutting tracks
here are Canadian pop-rock legend Spookey Ruben joining forces
with Joe Maydak (bass) and Fred Jeske (guitar / drums).
The result borrows from progressive music as well as pop and even
punk to a certain degree, yet the album gels and gets better with
further listening. Fitting on their Facebook page, they claim influences
from YES and Sigur Ros. Buy it for the ultra cover art but listen
to it for the eclectic pop grooves in play on Year Of The Woman.
www.rescord.com
ROUND SKY MUSIC - In 2010, multi-instrumentalist Paul Avgerinos
released his album LOVE and in 2014 he’s back on the
music scene again with Bhakti. Paul’s 19th
solo album, Bhakti is dripping with positive, life-affirming
and ultra karmic New Age vibes that tastefully mix vocals and instrumental
Indian music with all kinds of healing, meditative New Age vibes.
A range of musicians appear on instruments like sitar, sarod, bansuri
flute, violin, nylon string guitar all accompanied by various hip-hop
electronics. Several of the same players from LOVE are also
on Bhakti, including EWI (electronic wind instrument) player
Kevin Braheny Fortune. In the liner notes of Bhakti, Paul
explains how he was raised in the Greek orthodox church but he gravitated
to a Bhakti yoga guru when he was 16. Paul also claims this album
is a must have for energizing any yoga practice and fittingly, Bhakti
is a joyful, uplifting feast for the ears where east meets west,
and christian meets hindu in a blissful New Age foray that calms and
inspires in the same breath. www.RoundSkyMusic.com
RT60
RECORDS / ATLANTIC RECORDS - For his first full length
CD, Paul Thomas Saunders pulls out all the stops. Interestingly
enough, Saunders cites U.K. music legend Joe Meek and Meek protégés
The Tornadoes among his big influences. However instead of making
instrumental guitar music, Saunders’ specialty is heavily synthesized,
panoramic rock in the spirit of 21st century favorites like Sigur
Ros and even traces of U2 and dare I say Springsteen. On his ten track
CD Beautiful Desolation, the sound is dreamlike
and quite large, a fact made all the more amazing when you consider
Saunders plays everything here, with the help of drummer Alastair
Thynne. The lyrics in Saunders’ songs come across as train
of thought and dreamy. Some have described his music as being somewhere
between space-rock and the soaring glacial soundscapes of New Age
maestro Vangelis. As cool as the music is, the CD packaging, complete
with trippy paintings and full color booklet and lyrics really enhances
the musical mood. With its accent on otherworldly lyrics and soaring
21st century psych-rock, perhaps the Joe Meek comparison isn’t
so out of place after all. If Joe was alive and kicking today, he’d
no doubt appreciate the superbly recorded cosmic rock of Paul Thomas
Saunders. www.PaulThomasSaunders.com
SCRD - With their blend of vintage and heavy rockabilly, rock
& roll and psychobilly, L.A. based So-Cal Rocket Dynamics are
gaining lots of attention for their 2014 CD Too Bad She Won’t
Live. The 12 track CD features the music and playing
of Rich Contadino (vocals, drums), Matt J. Britton (guitars,
vocals) and Robert Coddington (bass, vocals). Several other
artists appear, including producer Matt Thorne, but this is
mostly the work of a truly possessed power trio that definitely sounds
influenced by 1950’s American rock ‘n’ roll as well
as post modern rockabilly bands like The Stray Cats, Reverend Horton
Heat and countless other bands adept at this classic style. Recorded
in Burbank, the CD is very well played and the all original track
lineup clicks nicely. Matt Britton is already getting some well earned
press for his hard hitting electrifying guitar work and from start
to finish, So-Cal Rocket Dynamics smokes their way through this 21st
century rock & roll classic. www.facebook.com/SoCalRocketDynamics
SECRET CANDY ROCK RECORDS - There’s millions of under
50 types who are getting jazzed again at what their parents did. We’re
all sons of Beatles in some ways and on that front, you can count
in a new band called The Grand Undoing. On the ten track White
Space Flavors And Parties On TV, Grand
Undoing leader Seth Goodman seems to pull off the 
impossible
on a fantastic album that doubles as a 21st century retro pop flashback.
With Seth’s songs, guitars and vocals in full flight, The Grand
Undoing album is kind of reminiscent of early Split Enz, the version
with Tim Finn and Phil Judd. Like early Enz, there’s kind of
a manic, carnival type atmosphere on several tracks here. Commenting
about the amazing musical moods of The Grand Undoing, Seth tells mwe3.com
"I came up with the idea of The Grand Undoing amidst some
epic life changing events. I finally had to accept the notion that
decay and decline are really the rule. Watching your parents age pushes
you into an awareness of your own mortality like nothing else."
Based up in the Boston area, Goodman’s band also features first
rate players with excellent drumming from Dave Westner and
Andy Plaisted and the steel guitars of the legendary B.J.
Cole with pop maven Allen Devine adding in additional guitar
on a track here. Regarding working with B.J. Cole, Seth adds, "I
had been listening to a great record from 1972 called Bored Civilians
by Keith Cross and Peter Ross, when I realized that BJ was the pedal
steel player. I found him online and was thrilled to discover that
he did sessions remotely." Seth Goodman is armed with a strong
voice and tracks that a voice that strong and daring can make the
most of. Pop fans looking for new and interesting spins will catch
a sonic wave with White Space Flavors And Parties
On TV from The Grand Undoing. www.TheGrandUndoing.com
TIM BRAGG MUSIC - Rare is the drummer who not only keeps a
great beat but who is also a fine singer-songwriter. Ringo and even
Phil Collins comes to mind and you can add the name Tim Bragg to
that list. Living and working in France, 
by
way of his native England, Bragg furthers his standing in the pop
world with the 2014 CD release of Revamped 3. With a
range of albums to his credit, Bragg’s vocal and
song writing style should have appeal among fans of both Van Morrison
and Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy. Revisiting and remaking some of his
classic tunes, Bragg keeps the steady beat on the third volume in
the Revamped series. Featuring Tim on lead vocals and drum
kit—leading a solid rock band with some great guitar work from
Jules Reason and Stratobiker and Bragg himself on a
track here—these Revamped 3 songs have an appealing groove,
sometimes in the spirit of Van Morrison’s songs. There’s
also a track or two that could stand out as hit singles, most notably
track nine “What We’ll Miss” while, the Knopfler-esque
like “Private Time” is another standout. Bragg’s Revamped
series is up to three now and, hopefully in future editions, will
reveal other songs from Bragg’s prolific song catalog. Timeless
21st century sounds, Tim Bragg’s Revamped 3 features 14
tracks of soulful pop that packs a punch. www.CDBaby.com
TRAIL RECORDS - One of the most adventurous new music labels out
there these days is New York based Trail Records. There’s something
for everybody on this label. Specializing in exotic sounding psychedelic
World Music, the roster of Trail has some spectacular sounding artists.
If you can get a hold of their CD sampler called Space Travel
2007-2014, you’ll hear a number of Trail Music
artists. Case in point is Trail’s 2014 CD by Russian rockers
Polska Radio One. Their CD is called Cosmos Inside.
There’s a kind late 1960’s psychedelic rock element
in play and even Syd-era Pink Floyd. The CD was recorded in the Russian
city of Ekaterinberg and the band sings in English to maximize their
exposure. There’s also some raga-rock influences here as well.
The guitar work of the group’s lead singer Dmitry Kutnyakov is
quite arresting as well as he gets solid support from his band, which
also features a sitar player on a couple tracks. The band’s energy
is great and if you’re looking for some exotic sounding psychedelic
raga-rock from Russia, Polska Radio One is the way to go. PRO is just
one among the many fine bands on Trail. Check them all out on the
label web site. www.TrailRecords.us
TRODDDEN
BLACK ENTERTAINMENT - Country rock with a solid slice of Americana
sounds, Razor Wire establishes singer-songwriter Hannah
Aldridge as a force to be reckoned with. Based out of Nashville
by way of Alabama, on her CD debut Hannah has penned 11 tracks that
rock and roll in all the right places. Throughout Razor Wire she
gets solid support from a tight band, including guitarist Andrew
Sovine, keyboardist Andrew Higley and drummer Brad Pemberton,
among other fine players. Interestingly, Hannah is the daughter of
Walt Aldridge, who is regarded as one of the top country music songwriters
of all time, so clearly Hannah’s talent is genetically passed
down. Coming from Alabama originally, Hannah's album is fueled by
that musical Muscle Shoals sound. Superbly recorded, Razor Wire
is a solid choice for fans of 21st century Americana flavored
country rock. www.Hannah-Aldridge.com
TUM RECORDS - Back in 1975, Richard Branson, or should I say
Sir Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Records, did something very
unusual. Branson, together with Virgin's 
original
A&R genius, Simon Draper, joined forces with Finland’s Love
Records, releasing then new albums by Wigwam and Pekka Pohjola on
the then recently established U.K. based Virgin Records. Although
Pekka Pohjola had been the bassist / composer in the early Wigwam,
by 1975, the band mainly featured the music of Jim Pembroke
and group guitarist Pekka Rechardt. Having recorded in England, Finland
and Sweden, and now in his adopted homeland of America, Pembroke has
released a number of albums to his credit, solo and with Wigwam and
Blues Section, since leaving his native London in 1965 to move to
Finland. Looking back 45 years, it's safe to say that Pembroke was
a key figure at the dawn of the rock music scene in late 1960’s
Finland. Although Wigwam continued making albums in the 1990’s
and 2000’s, in fact Jim hasn’t made a solo album since 1981’s
Party Upstairs—the CD of which this writer wrote liner
notes for—so this new album is quite historical for his fans.
In a geographical twist of fate, Jim has remained a resident of Missouri
and more recently in the nearby state of Kansas for the past 20 years.
Recorded in Olathe, Kansas, the 2014 CD release of If The Rain
Comes reunites Jim with guitarist Jukka Orma, who has
played with Jim since the late 1970s and was a key component of Party
Upstairs. Also here is mid '70s period Wigwam keyboardist Pedro
Hietanen, the jazz rhythm section of Ulf Krokfors (double
bass) and Mika Kallio (drums), topped off by excellent studio
production from legendary Love Records founder / producer / arranger
Henrik Otto Donner, who tragically and unexpectedly
passed away 3 months after the recording sessions. TUM has done a
great job packaging If The Rain Comes with full lyrics, rare
pics and tribute liner notes by Jim for Otto. A legend and a veteran
of the progressive rock world, Jim Pembroke revives his legacy with
a truly inspiring 21st century rock album. www.TumRecords.com
WIDOW’S PEAK RECORDS - Not to be confused with Eric Stewart
of 10cc fame, Brooklyn native, singer-songwriter Eric Stuart released
Lipstick & Barbed Wire in 2014. The NYC native,
who was championed in the late 1990’s by Ringo Starr and Peter
Frampton, released In The Country Of Kings in 2007 and hard
to believe it’s been 7 years but Lipstick & Barbed Wire
is nothing less than totally rocking. Although by now he’s
certainly more cutting edge than Bruce Springsteen, Stuart also adds
in a definite pop edge in his rock & roll sound. On Lipstick
& Barbed Wire, Eric is joined by a solid band, including long
time guitarist Phil Nix, with Peter Frampton appearing
on a track here as well. In the spirit of Ringo, Springsteen and Fogerty
before him, Eric Stuart is simply riveting when he’s really on
and there’s plenty of sonic ammo on his 2014 release. www.EricStuart.com
INSTRUMENTAL
ADAM
ANDREWS MUSIC - One of 2014’s best albums of solo piano,
The Road To Ambo is a fine introduction to the music
of Adam Andrews. Although this music is all instrumental,
Adam says through notes what words can’t express. The album is
loosely based around the journey Adam and his family took by adopting
his son from Ambo Ethiopia. Adam describes the album as being “a
deeply personal collection of songs that reflects my stories about
the beauty of adoption, the love for my family and finding the courage
to follow my heart.” True the album is very emotional sounding
but Adam has both the chops and the compositional strengths to pull
off the sonic scope here. The Road To Ambo is one of 2014’s
most inspirational sounding albums of solo piano music. www.AdamAndrewsMusic.com
BLUJAZZ
PRODUCTIONS - New York bred / Chicago based guitarist Paul
Kogut is turning the heads of jazz fans with his 2014 jazz trio
CD Turn Of Phrase. The eleven track CD is filled
with a number of Kogut originals along with covers of music by Henry
Mancini, Ornette Coleman, Wayne Shorter, Miles Davis and more. Assisting
Paul on the CD are jazz greats George Mraz (bass) and Lewis
Nash (drums). The CD features in depth liner notes by music maven
Neil Tesser. Paul had studied with jazz guitar greats Pat Martino
and Mick Goodrick and you can hear that level of expression and experience
on Turn Of Phrase. Despite having left music around 2008 to
attend to family matters, Paul is back in a big way with Turn Of
Phrase. The CD is very much filled with a range of uptempo, instrumental
bop jazz that features Paul’s very mellow, spot on melodic lead
lines and the interplay between the guitarist and Mraz and Nash is
excellent. For jazz guitar fans it doesn’t get a lot better than
Paul Kogut’s Turn Of Phrase. www.PaulKogut.com
BURNING SHED - Burning Shed always struck me as a funny name for
a record label but the 2014 CD from the band known as Darkroom
is no laughing matter. Over the past several years, Burning Shed
has become synonymous with cutting edge prog by carrying a number
of albums associated with King Crimson and other well known prog rockers.
One such album, the Darkroom CD Gravity’s Dirty Work is
a work filled with spellbinding soundscapes that superbly 
spotlights
the guitar of Michael Bearpark and the keyboards / electronics
of Andrew Ostler. Very Crimson-esque in places, Gravity’s
Dirty Work features eight extended pieces of instrumental magic
that crosses borders between New Age atmospherics and avant gard suspense—although
unlike much New Age, this Darkroom CD is not meant to relax to. Commenting
on the wide ranging comparisons made of their music, Michael Bearpark
explains, 'We’re not aiming for a specific market. I don’t
have a big problem with the term New Age specifically... there’s
as much Suzanne Ciani as there is Delia Derbyshire in our music—also
ambient, Krautrock, progressive rock, discredited for some time, and
much else. People hear what they want in our music... We did set out
to make an ambient album, but that was just a starting point—what’s
left is something reflective, but quite different.' Darkroom have
a number of releases to their credit and their best yet, Gravity’s
Dirty Work is a splendid introduction to their sound. Plus, the
Gravity’s Dirty Work CD cover art is excellent for those
who still care about the packaging of art and music. Gravity’s
Dirty Work is very ambient and spacy, and Darkroom manages to
bring their sound into the 21st century with unique and successful
results. Adventurous New Age music fans with a bent for near psychedelic
Hendrix / Fripp like guitar-scapes and other sonic wizardry must give
Darkroom a listen. Gravity’s Dirty Work is well worth
the time for fans of prog-rock and ambient instrumental guitar-scapes.
www.DarkroomTheBand.net
CARELIA RECORDS- Sweden
continues its reputation as one of the world's leading hotspots of
guitar instrumental music with the release of the 2014 CD by the group
known as Guitar 60. Many of the 14 tracks on Guitar 60’s
Music Through 
The
Years are songs that guitar instrumental fans know by heart,
including a number of tracks first recorded by Hank Marvin and The
Shadows. Guitar 60 lead guitarist Tommy Karlsson is
joined by his band mates and the result is an hour of pure instrumental
guitar pop pleasure. Kicking off with the song “Chu Chi”—a
Shadows original—Music Through The Years features a number
of all time classic melodies including Max Steiner’s timeless
classic from the 1959 movie classic, “A Summer Place” and
Stanley Myer’s “Cavatina”, also know as the Theme From
The Dear Hunter. Fans of The Ventures, The Shadows and Sweden's own
guitar heroes The Spotnicks will enjoy spinnng Guitar 60 and their
timeless Music Through The Years. www.carelia.se
CRANKTONE
ENTERTAINMENT - Guitarist Carl Verheyen released his most
recent CD Mustang Run in early 2014 and it’s clearly
one of his best solo albums to date. For those unfamiliar with Carl
and his guitar-esque music, suffice to say: if you like powerful guitar
instrumental music that runs the gamut from jazz-rock fusion to pure
rock instrumental, then his music is for you. It’s hard to believe,
Carl has been playing guitar for 40 years and has released 11 CDs
and a pair of live DVD titles. Commenting on Mustang Run, Carl
explains, ‘My goal was to break out of the mold of Carl Verheyen
Band CDs and do a progressive instrumental album.’ As long
time fans will attest, Carl does break some new musical ground on
Mustang Run and accompanying him on the eleven track CD are
some legendary musicians including Simon Phillips, Chad
Wackerman, Walfredo Reyes Jr., Jerry Goodman, Stu Hamm,
Gregg Bissonette and more. As a side project over the past
couple decades, Carl also plays guitar in the current version of rock
legends Supertramp and as if to honor that fact, there’s even
a cover (the only vocal track here) of their 1974 Crime Of The
Century classic “Bloody Well Right” featuring Carl on
lead vocals. Explaining his mission on Mustang Run, Carl adds,
‘So my main goal: make a record that bears repeated listening.
If you discover new things with each play, I’ve done my job!’.
www.CarlVerheyen.com
DAN
CHADBURN MUSIC - In 2013, piano guru Dan Chadburn released
his critically acclaimed Nocturnes CD. Another recent arrival
from Dan Chadburn is the 2014 CD release of Whispers The Falling
Snow. Ostensibly a Christmas album of inspiring 
solo
piano, the ten track CD features several Chadburn originals along
with new versions of Christmas holiday favorites such as “What
Child Is This” and “Silent Night”. Even if you think
you know these songs, the beauty of Whispers The Falling Snow
is that Chadburn has recorded these well known melodies and improvises
on them in such a way as to render them anew. Commenting on the concept
of the Whispers album, Dan told mwe3.com, “As for the
motivation of the album, I wanted the music to serve as a reflection
and celebration of wintertime and all the imagery and emotions that
go with that season. And while there are indeed some longtime favorite
Christmas carols on the CD, there are other songs which have been
associated with the winter solstice season for many generations.”
In the spirit of the finest classical pianists, Chadburn uses improvisation,
as he explains it "to get into the zone and allow my hands to
move freely on the keys as they will without my consciousness getting
in the way.” One of the the finest solo piano players / composers
in the world today, Dan Chadburn has always recorded his music as
a way to inspire, soothe and heal his audience. Whispers The Falling
Snow is the perfect album to celebrate the magical moods of the
Christmas holiday season. www.DanChadburn.com
DMG
- In an apparent label switch to the Demon Music Group, years
away from the Polydor Records era of the 1980's, rock icon Hank
B. Marvin returned in 2014 with HANK. Any
new album from the Shadows founder is welcomed, and Hank is
no exception. Most rock listeners don’t know the depth of Hank’s
song writing, spanning 55 years, so of course, the powers that be,
once again continue to obscure that fact. On Hank, they have
him doing guitar friendly instrumentals of classic 1960’s pop
jewels that everyone knows. No harm done and included among the fare
on the 14 track CD are Hank’s latest (last?) instrumentals of
originals by John Sebastian, Brian Wilson, Eddie Cochran, Johnny Nash,
The Beatles, The Kinks and other timeless guitar melodies brought
back to life as instrumentals and played by Hank and his band. On
second guitar, Ben Marvin continues to bounce off his dad,
both on tour and on record, and the two Marvins are joined here by
drummer Ben Vanderwal and a range of fine players. The memories
of swinging England back in the mid ‘60s is the mood here even
though Hank lives and recorded the CD in Australia. As great as the
music is, I would sure like to remaster this one myself for SACD as
the album mastering by Leon Zervos does a disservice to the CD sound,
at times pushing Hank’s sound into the red! (unthinkable 30 years
ago, lol) Even so, Hank’s version of “The Summer Of ‘42”,
a cover of another Marvin take on the famous French composer Michel
Legrand, is alone worth the price of the CD. Haunting and dynamic,
"The Summer Of 42" is without a doubt one of Hank's great
interpretations. Other highlights include Hank versions of
the Spoonful’s “Daydream” and a spot on instro cover
of the Kinks’ “Waterloo Sunset”, as well as the only
original here, the Gypsy Jazz styles of “Summer Guitar”.
Hank turned 73 on October 28, so one can only hope the Shadows guitar
master gets back to some deeper original fare next time round or at
least, can we agree to find a new mastering engineer next time? Either
way, Shadows fans, don’t miss Hank. www.DemonMusicGroup.co.uk
ECM
- The ECM Records label has been a mainstay on the jazz music
scene since the early 1970s. Six decades later, the label is still
going strong and one of their top releases for 2014 is Joy In
Spite Of Everything by Italian pianist Stefano Bollani.
Recorded in NYC, the album features Stefano joined by top jazzers
such as guitarist Bill Frisell, Mark Turner (sax), Jesper
Bodilsen (double bass) and Morten Lund (drums). Enhanced
by an excellent studio sound, this band attains a high level of expertise
throughout the eight cut album. Much like the title of the album,
Stefano exudes an upbeat kind of joyous jazz rapture, underscored
by the expert musical interplay on every track here. There’s
also a kind of sonic timelessness in this music. In other words, Joy
In Spite Of Everything sounds like it could have been made in
2014 or 1974 for that matter. Stefano Bollani’s Joy In Spite
Of Everything is sure to be rated among the top jazz instrumental
CDs of 2014. www.StefanoBollani.com
ENJA / YELLOWBIRD RECORDS - Finnish guitarist Kalle
Kalima is making waves with his latest album. The ten track Finn
Noir is actually dedicated to the film noir movies of Finland.
The album is credited to the band Klima Kalima, which features
Kalle’s guitar joined by the German rhythm section of Oliver
Steidle (drums) and Oliver Potratz (double bass). To say
the sound is dark on this album would be an understatement. Finland
can sometimes be seen as a dark place but one still filled with artistic
geniuses. Kalima’s guitar work echoes other guitar heroes—from
Bill Frisell to Terje Rypdal. Some of the darker jazz noir guitarists
come to mind, like Jim Campilongo, but Kalle’s eclectic guitar
work is still very jazz based. In the liner notes he goes into detail
on the way the album is inspired by Finnish films but the all instrumental
nature of the album means it can and does stand alone as a musical
statement in its own right. Although the CD came out in 2013, it’s
still very much well worth checking out. Borrowing from traditional
jazz, avant-gard and even jazz-fusion, Klima Kalima’s CD Finn
Noir is a very well rounded CD of instrumental guitar noir. Kalle
is also involved in another project that recently came out on the
German based Traumton Records label. The eleven track Il Purgatorio
features Kalle joined by a pair of other musicians in a band
called Johnny La Marama. This album is very much vocal based
rock and featuring Kalle’s blistering guitar work, Johnny La
Marama shows yet another side of Kalle’s multifaceted musical
personality. www.KalleKalima.com
ERIC KAMEN MUSIC - One of the best kept secrets of the Flamenco
guitar world, NYC based Eric Kamen sets the scene with a well
crafted all instrumental album. Well recorded with Kamen’s guitar
tastefully mixed throughout, the 15 track, 2014 
CD
release of Serenades sounds tailor made for fans of
21st century nouveau flamenco—every track featuring Kamen's dexterous
flamenco guitar played with light synth and rhythm machine backdrop.
Serenades is actually Kamen’s fourth album, and to be
more precise, the album is described as Urban Flamenco, a genre Kamen
has created by blending classic Spanish flamenco with hip-hop beats.
Speaking about the album’s lead off track “The Lost Tribe”,
Eric told mwe3.com, ‘I tend to compose tracks based upon the
mood I am in at the moment. I come up with a lot of ideas and select
and refine the best ones after the fact. I can't really explain how
or why I composed “The Lost Tribe”. It is an early Ska/Reggae
track and I suppose I was just in the mood to do a Caribbean track
which had a strong dance component.’ Kamen’s style superbly
blends a range of Flamenco techniques and motifs and the all original
track lineup bodes well to further establish Kamen as both a rising
guitar stylist and a modern composer. www.EricKamen.com
GUITAR
LABORATORY - The
country of Estonia continues to be a focal point for new guitar talent.
The 2013 CD release of the Toomas Vanem CD was great and equally excellent
is another 2013 rock instrumental CD, called Silver Lining
from 
Estonian
guitarist Kalle Vilpuu. Vanem’s CD was very fusion based,
and in a kindred way, Kalle Vilpuu’s all instrumental album is
also very rock fusion based but it's more spatial and soundtrack oriented
on several tracks. Kalle’s guitars ring out the chord changes
and his quite eclectic arrangements—influenced
by both jazz-rock as well as rock soundtracks—are
also quite impressive. Notably, on track six, “The Aliens Have
Landed”, Kalle merges fusion, hip-hop and neo space music all
on the same track. A number of players support Kalle on his 11 cut
CD, including the core rhythm section of Andrus Lillepea (drums)
and Henno Kelp (bass). Having played in a range of bands in
Estonia, Kalle is no newcomer to the Euro guitar scene and with some
proper exposure, his album will surely spark interest among instrumental
rock fans inside and outside of Estonia. Hard rock, jazz-rock and
a spacier type of 21st century progressive / soundtrack science of
sound successfully merges on Kalle Vilpuu’s Silver Lining.
Estonian guitarist Kalle Vilpuu rocks out loud and clear on Silver
Lining. www.KalleVilpuu.com
HUBRO MUSIC - Norway based Hubro is a great label because not
only do they incorporate ECM like atmospheres in their CD releases
but they also bend in a more avant garde type of rock like sound.
That comparison is prevalent in the 2014 CD release of Lush
Lament For Lazy Mammal from Norwegian multi-instrumentalist
Håkan Stene. Interestingly, Stene is a percussionist
who seems to excel on a manner of lesser known percussion instruments
like vibraphone and marimba as well as guitar and piano. Featuring
several compositions by English composer Laurence Crane, the sound
of the all instrumental Lush Lament For Lazy Mammal is kind
of lush in places but overall, it’s even more hypnotic in a meditative
New Age kind of way. Some tracks sound almost like Pink Floyd (from
their Ron Geesin era), especially the nearly 8 minute CD closing “Blue
Blue Blue”. Several guest players appear on piano, cello and
cimbalom but the intimate nature of the sound here indicates that
Lush Lament For Lazy Mammal is the brainchild of Håkan
Stene all the way. www.HubroMusic.com
IBF RECORDS - Chicago based guitarist / vocalist Guy King
demonstrates a solid grasp of a wide range of instrumental and
blues-pop sounds on two recent CD titles released on the IBF Records
label. First off is a double set entitled, I Am Who I Am And
It Is What It Is. Featuring 30 tracks, the double
CD set veers from bluesy pop ala BB King to jazzy, instrumental organ
trio sounds and covers a wealth of musical moods and moves. The central
focus on I Am Who I Am And It Is What It Is is versatility,
with King covering music written by just about every major soul /
jazz legend on the map including Wes Montgomery, Stevie Wonder, Percy
Mayfield, Kenny Burrell, A.C. Jobim, Ray Charles and many others.
With his deep booming baritone voice and jazzy guitar styles, on I
Am Who I Am And It Is What It Is King exhibits a solid grasp of
both instrumental jazz and blues / rock vocal styles. On the double
CD set, King gets solid support from his trio featuring Ben Peterson
(organ) and Mike Schlick (drums). Also released with I
Am Who I Am And It Is What It Is is another single CD called By
Myself. The 15 track By Myself album is pretty
much a blues based affair featuring King performing blues classics
from the pens of Robert Johnson, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Eden Ahbez
and others including a pair of Guy King originals. All in all both
I Am Who I Am And It Is What It Is and By Myself introduces
King as a major player on 21st century blues and jazz guitar scene.
www.GuyKing.net
INNER
ECHOES MUSIC - Guitarist Chris Fury hits the stage with
an album of hard-hitting and often eclectic instrumental rock called
From Darkness. The album veers through a lot
of sonic changes but the one constant here is Fury’s solid, hard
rock guitar work. Although the album is primarily near hard rock,
bordering on heavy metal instrumental rock, Chris takes a lot of sonic
chances on the CD and to his credit, his eclectic nature as a rock
instrumentalist actually betters the CD. Case in point is track seven,
called “Lost Transmission”, which blends in a hard rock
sound with a more spacey kind of New Age sentiment. Throughout the
13 track CD, the Long Island guitarist gets splendid sonic support
from key musicians like Ian Underwood (bass), Sebastian
Persini (drums) and Jason Roddin (keyboards). On different
tracks, Fury multi-layers his guitars to tastefully mix acoustic guitar
rhythms with electric lead work. All in all, Chris Fury’s From
Darkness is a well rounded and superbly recorded CD of all instrumental
rock and jazz-rock fusion. www.ChrisFury.com
INTI PRODUCTIONS - Having released Los Angeles Blues a
couple years back, guitarist Ciro Hurtado released Ayahuasca
Dreams in 2014. Ciro’s best album yet, the eleven cut
CD beautifully merges instrumental guitar music and Spanish vocal
music and the entire album coalesces into a sumptuous mix of folk-jazz,
New Age and even smooth jazz. Compared to the all instrumental Los
Angeles Blues, the 2014 CD release of Ayahuasca Dreams comes
across like a colorful, sonic composite filled out with a wide range
of music. Sometimes the music even veers into Carlos Santana territory,
albeit in a more laid back manner. A wide range of musicians appear
on the album including Ciro’s wife Cindy Harding (vocals),
Charlie Bisharat (violin), Gary Johnson (keyboards)
and a many other fine players. Overall, Ayahuasca Dreams is
superbly recorded and the eye-popping CD cover art enhances this sonic
mosaic of lush sounding guitar music. www.CiroHurtado.com
KUU RECORDS - Finland is known the world over for their often
majestic mix of rock, jazz and classical music. That Finnish instrumental
rock fusion sound was crafted at the dawn of the 1970’s by the
late great rock legend Pekka Pohjola who passed away on November 27,
2008. Since those early 1970’s years, the Pohjola legend has
grown and grown and in the process he has influenced generations of
younger Finns looking to carry the torch forward. They are growing
in numbers and you can add the name Juha Kujanpää
to the list. With the release of his album Kivenpyörittäjä
(English title - Tales And Travels), in 2013,
Juha joins an elite group of musicians responsible for creating some
wonderful music to be enjoyed by Pohjola’s many fans as well
as a new generation of music lovers keeping the spirit of instrumental
rock alive and well in 2014. Assisting Juha on his ten track masterpiece
are other gifted musicians including guitarist Timo Kämäräinen,
Jussi Miettola (drums), Tero Tuovinen (bass) and several
other musicians adding in horns, strings and other sounds. Calling
Juha’s music symphonic rock would be an understatement as the
sounds swirl around the sound spectrum in the finest Pohjola-esque
spirit. Commenting on the Pohjola-esque influence in his music, Juha
adds, ‘I used to listen to lot of Pekka Pohjola's albums when
I was younger. Still do. His music is definitely a big influence and
inspiration, and there's something that sounds deeply "Finnish"
for me. I never personally met Pekka, but I got to hear him play in
a few concerts. Pekka's son Verneri Pohjola is playing trumpet
on one of tracks in Kivenpyörittäjä called "Different
Polska"’. There’s also a definite Finnish folk
music influence running through the grooves of this CD, something
not often noted in Pohjola’s music. Either way, Juha’s all
instrumental sound is captivating, inspiring and completely authentic,
often in the course of just one track. Fans of the legendary sound
of Finnish symphonic instrumental rock should give a good listen to
Tales And Travels by Juha Kujanpää. www.JuhaKujanpaa.com
MOTEMA
- Drumming icon Ginger Baker was a founding member of Cream
and he’s back in 2014 with a new instrumental jazz album simply
called Why? For the 8 track CD, Ginger is joined by
a jazz group featuring Pee Wee Ellis (sax), Alec Dankworth
(bass) and Abass Dodoo (percussion). Produced by Ginger,
the sound of Why? is uncompromising, timeless sounding bop
jazz that is singularly marked by the rock legend’s formidable
drumming skills. Some have complained that Ginger is not a jazz drummer
but a rock drummer. From a rock history standpoint that might be true,
yet clearly rock fans with an open mind will love this CD. As is to
be expected, Ginger’s drumming is central to the sound of Why?
Cream isn’t coming back again and besides, Ginger’s
drumming was always adventurous, even in the 1960s and his love of
genius jazz drumming is all over Why? Not only is Why? timeless
jazz but it’s also imbued with a fantastic African drumming
vibe. The album features just three Baker originals with the rest
of the album fleshed out by cover tracks, including a Wayne Shorter
track called “Footprints” that clocks in just under seven
minutes and a famous Sonny Rollins cover of “St. Thomas”.
Why? might not be the album Cream and Blind Faith fans have
been longing for but for those who’ve been following his post
1960s career, Why? has all the ingredients for a solid instrumental
jazz album by one of the most revered drummers of the 20th century.
www.motema.com
/ www.GingerBaker.com
MESA / BLUEMOON - One of the top acoustic guitarists in the
world today, Peppino D’Agostino released his 2014 album,
Penumbra on California based MesaBluemoon Records. The
12 track, all instrumental CD is right up there with his best and
assisting the guitar virtuoso are other top guitar / composers such
as fellow guitarists guitarist Sergio Assad, Roland Dyens, Maurizio
Colonna and David Tanenbaum. Commenting on Peppino’s Penumbra
CD, guitarist Assad adds, ‘”The latest CD release
by Peppino D’Agostino brings us a repertoire typically associated
with nylon guitar players. The beautiful sound of Peppino’s steel
strings makes us hear this repertoire with renewed interest.’
In the liner notes, Peppino explains how Penumbra is ‘A
collection of original material and compositions written by some of
my favorite guitar composers,’ Throughout the Penumbra
CD, Peppino D’Agostino clearly does justice to the music
with a fascinating blend of fretboard wizardry by one of the finest
guitarists recording today. www.PeppinoDagostino.com
MICHELE MCLAUGHLIN MUSIC - Back in the mid to late
1980’s and early 1990’s, the Windham Hill sound was huge
in the music world. One artist carrying forth that spirit of acoustic
New Age instrumental music is Utah-based Michele McLaughlin.
In the spirit of great Windham Hill artists such as George Winston
and Liz Story, Michele McLaughlin’s albums offer an excellent
glimpse into her unique approach to solo piano music. Her music is
often described as being an example of “musical storytelling”
and her sound is quite relaxing yet very inspiring at the same time.
A good example of McLaughlin’s approach to solo piano can be
heard on her 2013 CD entitled Waking The Muse. In
her liner notes for the CD, Michele explains how the album was inspired
by her summer 2012 tour, from which she returned full of musical inspirations
and the results can be heard in all its glory on Waking The Muse.
While she may not be a household word in the same way George Winston
is, Ms. McLaughlin is quite prolific, having released fourteen solo
albums. In addition to Waking The Muse, other recent Michele
McLaughlin albums include Breathing In The Moment (2012),
Out Of The Darkness (2010) and A Celtic Dream
(2008). In addition to her superbly written and recorded piano
based compositions, each of Ms. McLaughlin’s CDs are packaged
with an appealing look and design, guaranteed to enhance her unique
approach to solo piano music. Fans of George Winston and Liz Story
and all the finest solo piano-based recording artists should give
a listen to Michele McLaughlin’s wonderful CD releases. www.MicheleMcLaughlin.com
MOONJUNE RECORDS - New on Moonjune in 2014 is Surya
Namaskar - the latest from Indonesian guitarist Dewa
Budjana. Dewa turned heads around with his 2012 CD Dewa In
Paradise and likewise, this new CD is fantastic. Dewa's band is
also crack, here featuring Jimmy Johnson (bass) and Vinnie
Colaiuta (drums). There’s some lengthy liner notes by musicologist
John Kelman that also incorporates interview parts from Dewa.
The CD also features a number of guest artists including drummer Gary
Husband, here on synth and guitarist Michael Landau in
addition to several Indonesian players who add in various colors.
If instrumental jazz-rock fusion along the lines of Mahavishnu Orchestra
and Allan Holdsworth is your thing, than by all means give a listen
to the exotic yet totally rocking sound of Indonesian guitarist Dewa.
On top of the international jazz-rock sound, Moonjune has a number
of other titles in mid 2014 including Tribal Dance,
a 2014 CD by Indonesian guitarist Tohpati. Not quite as sublime
as Dewa, yet quite good in his own right, Tohpati is joined by some
notable players here including drumming great Chad Wackerman and
bass ace Jimmy Haslip. Tohpati’s latest solo CD was recorded
in Los Angeles and Indonesia during 2013 and 2014. Also on Moonjune,
from Spain is Resolution, the 2014 CD from guitarist
Xavi Reija. On Resolution, Xavi gets solid backup from
his trio bandmates. Xavi cites influences from various sources, including
Eno and Weather Report and even though it’s instrumental music,
in the extensive liner notes, writer Dan Burke cites Bowie
as well. Moonjune also released Machine Mass, the
2014 CD from INTI - the trio of Tony Bianco, Michel
Delville and horn legend Dave Liebman. Backed up by the
drumming of Bianco and the sax / flute of Dave Liebman, Delville cuts
loose on electric guitar, Roland GR09 and various electronics. All
in all, these titles on Moonjune offer some excellent choices for
fans of world class instrumental jazz-rock fusion. www.moonjune.com
OA2 RECORDS - OA2 has a fine jazz CD out from NYC based sax
maven Craig Yaremko. Entitled appropriately CYO3,
and released in 2013, it’s a solid eleven cut mainstream
jazz affair that features Craig backed up by a bunch of fine jazz
players including Matt King (organ), Jonathon Peretz (drums)
and Vic Juris (guitar). As the CD is credited to the Craig
Yaremko Organ Trio, it’s clear Juris is only a guest but he adds
fretboard fire to a pair of tracks here. CYO3 originals are mixed
in with band covers of Monk, Strayhorn, Hubbard and Waller, as in
Fats Waller. The CYO3 instrumental sound is both cool and hot. These
guys can masterfully tackle any type of jazz sound and Yaremko’s
sax coupled with the groovy organ swirls makes for a solid sounding
bop jazz outing. www.craigyaremko.bandcamp.com
ORIGIN RECORDS - Back in 2012 Portland Oregon drummer Todd
Bishop released a tribute album to Ornette Coleman and in 2014
he is back with Travelogue by Todd Bishop Group.
The eight track Travelogue is 21st century bebop jazz at its
best. Recorded in March 2014, the CD features Bishop playing and recording
alongside Jasnam Daya Singh (piano, 
keyboards),
Chris Higgins (bass) and Richard Cole (sax, flute, clarinet).
The sound of the Travelogue album is quite mellifluous with
hardly a note out of place. Not quite smooth jazz and not hard bop
with dissonance, the album falls neatly between the two categories
but the one constant throughout is Bishop’s tasteful drumming.
Another plus here are the tracks which are all originals, mainly composed
by Bishop and keyboardist Singh. Amazingly, Bishop has produced six
CDs of original music for Origin Records and Travelogue is
a perfect place to start to experience Todd Bishop Group’s well
produced and flawlessly recorded instrumental jazz. www.OriginArts.com
ORIGIN RECORDS - Based in the Seattle area, Collier & Dean
have an excellent 2014 CD release on Origin. Their second release
on Origin, the ten track Sleek Buick feature some impressive
sounds from Tom Collier (vibraphone) and Dan Dean (bass,
keyboards, ukulele) and they are aided by top players suck as Ted
Poor (drums), Don Grusin (piano), Alex Acuña
(drums), John Morton (guitars), Ernie Watts (sax)
and a whole lot more. Tom Collier’s vibes add some fun syncopation
to the music which borders on Zappa-esque fusion, smooth jazz and
instrumental jazz-rock, often at the same time. The C&D sound
is upbeat and even smooth at some points yet the music retains its
cutting edge vision throughout. Can instrumental / smooth jazz-rock
be fun and edgy at the same time? The answer is yes and the sound
Collier & Dean get on Sleek Buick is proof. www.OriginArts.com
PEELER RECORDS - Back in the late 1970s, the band called Penguin
Cafe Orchestra turned heads around with their unique brand of cutting
edge chamber rock. There were no drums in the PCO sound which was
centered around a mini orchestra playing light symphonic music that
was geared to alternative rock music fans looking for something to
chill out with. In 2014, the group known as Collectress is
carrying forth the spirit of Penguin Cafe Orchestra their appealing
first album. The 13 cut Mondegreen is very much in the
spirit of PCO and features the talents of four gifted young ladies—Alice
Eldridge (cello, pump organ), Caroline Weeks (flute, keys,
guitar), Quinta (violin, recorder, piano) and Rebecca Waterworth
(cello, piano). The Collectress CD is superbly packaged and should
have infinite appeal among fans of Penguin Cafe Orchestra. Several
guest artists appear including Arthur Jeffes (prepared piano).
Arthur’s dad, Simon Jeffes was the leader of Penguin Cafe Orchestra
before his untimely passing in 1997. Rock fans who enjoy light classical
music with an adventurous, chill-out and slight avant-garde edge will
enjoy this first CD by London based Collectress. www.Collectress.co.uk
PIAZZA
RECORDINGS - Timestamps is the work of German guitarist
Hanz Platz. Assisted by a number of musicians, including two
top drummers - Marco Minnemann and Wolfgang Haffner,
Hans assumes the role of heavy metal guitar hero. More than
just a heavy rock guitarist, Hanz also sets things up nicely with
some fine original tracks that veer from hard rock instrumental to
jazz-rock and also encompasses prog instrumental. There’s some
nice atmospheric numbers too, like the superb CD closer “Alive”,
that are somewhat less of a sonic onslaught. With the first rate CD
packaging and track by track notes by the guitarist, fans of hard
rock instrumental will want to give a listen to the red hot guitar
pyrotechnics of Hans Platz. www.HansPlatz.de
REAL MUSIC - Having
released four albums on Real Music, France-based New Age maestro Thierry
David returns with his fifth for the venerable label. The 2014
CD release of Hypnosis marks the latest and greatest
Real Music release to date from 
Thierry
and, start to finish, it’s a real winner of an album. Although
clearly adept in a number of musical genres, for the 2014 CD release
of Hypnosis, Thierry puts his musical wisdom to work on an
album that can be described as one of the most adventurous New Age
instrumental albums of the year. The Hypnosis album is kind
of similar in scope to Group 87 founder Patrick O’Hearn’s
albums—cutting edge and atmospheric, complete with dreamlike
electronica blending with romantic melodies and a myriad of musical
moves. Thierry handles all the synths, sampling, percussion, piano
and all forms of programming, while additional percussion is handled
by Steve Shehan and there’s also guitar sounds here from
Claude Samard. Speakaing to mwe3.com about Hypnosis, Thierry
explains, "For
the Hypnosis project, most of the tunes were built on ancient percussion
sessions I did with Steve Shehan a few years ago. These rhythmic patterns
served as the basis of my work, adding on bass, synths layers, guitars
and atmospheres without forgetting some piano interventions. I did
the mixing like for the other albums but I did the final mastering
with Pierre Jacquot, a French engineer I am used to working with and
who has a long experience with many French artists and among them
Deep Forest". Although
Real Music excels in meditative and therapeutic sounding albums that
contain elements of healing music, Thierry’s Hypnosis album
sounds more like a soundtrack to an imaginary movie that also blends
in chill-out and groove sounds, complete with ambient music overtones.
In other words, Thierry David’s latest Real Music adventure is
literally all over the map and it’s all the better for being
so adventurous musically. Thierry David’s Hypnosis is
a masterful, progressive album of exotic sounding New Age listening
pleasure that gets better with each spin. www.ThierryDavid.com
RED
RIVER ENTERTAINMENT - A mainstay on the world wide smooth jazz
music scene, urban-jazz sax master Kim Waters returned in 2014
with Silver Soul. Hard to believe Silver Soul
is actually Kim’s 20th solo album. Mostly instrumental, the
11 track CD features a number of top jazz musicians and the CD is
further filled out with a few vocal tracks that blend smooth jazz
with urban grooves for a well rounded album. In addition to sax, the
Texas based Kim handles a number of instruments including keyboard
programming. Although the guitar isn’t prominent in the mix with
soaring leads, there is some tasty guitar fills courtesy of guitar
great Allen Hinds and Kim’s daughter Kayla Waters also
appears on piano on a track here. Kim’s wife Dana Pope turns
in an earthy vocal on “Anything You Need”. The CD features
a mix of all original music that is memorable and quiet easy on the
ears. If you’re looking for an album of sultry jazzy grooves,
that will put a smile on your face, look no further than Silver
Soul by Kim Waters. www.facebook.com/OfficialKimWaters
ROUND SKY MUSIC - In 2010, multi-instrumentalist Paul Avgerinos
released his album LOVE and in 2014 he’s back on the
music scene again with Bhakti. Paul’s 19th
solo album, Bhakti is dripping with positive, life-affirming
and ultra karmic New Age vibes that tastefully mix vocals and instrumental
Indian music with all kinds of healing, meditative New Age vibes.
A range of musicians appear on instruments like sitar, sarod, bansuri
flute, violin, nylon string guitar all accompanied by various hip-hop
electronics. Several of the same players from LOVE are also
on Bhakti, including EWI (electronic wind instrument) player
Kevin Braheny Fortune. In the liner notes of Bhakti, Paul
explains how he was raised in the Greek orthodox church but he gravitated
to a Bhakti yoga guru when he was 16. Paul also claims this album
is a must have for energizing any yoga practice and fittingly, Bhakti
is a joyful, uplifting feast for the ears where east meets west,
and christian meets hindu in a blissful New Age foray that calms and
inspires in the same breath. www.RoundSkyMusic.com
7d MEDIA - Commenting on the release of the 2014 CD by Santa Fe
based Pray For Brain on his 7d Media label, label found Trey
Gunn states, ‘I am very happy to have encountered their music
and we are psyched to have Pray For Brain joining the 7d family’.
Speaking of Gunn, there’s a definite King Crimson prog influence
on the 2014 CD release of None Of The Above. Avant
rock instrumental influences abound on the 11 cut album which features
the fretted and fretless guitar and oud playing of Mustafa Stefan
Dill, Christine Nelson on bass and the drumming of Jefferson
Voorhees. The group admits admits a fondness for World beat and
Led Zeppelin so guitar fans who like the acoustic instrumentals of
Jimmy Page will probably like the out-there stylings of Pray For Brain.
Many tracks are hard hitting and rock and others are more jazzy and
atmospheric so there’s plenty of musical ground covered here.
Somewhere between jazz and avant gard guitar-centric instrumental
prog, Pray For Brain takes you to the far reaches of the guitar galaxy.
www.pray4brain.com
/ www.7dmedia.com
SEQUOIA RECORDS - One of the top New Age record labels in the
U.S., Sequoia continues releasing high quality albums including the
2014 CD release of Drum Cargo - Rhythms Of Earth.
Although Sequoia founders David Gordon and Steve Gordon
are best known as modern day New Age music composers, on this
fourth Drum Cargo album, they put on 
their
drumming hats. Combining ethnic drums and the magical sound of Native
American flute, the album is filled with propelling drumming that
stirs the soul while providing a captivating sonic backdrop. One can
almost picture the scene at a native American powwow, the audience
mesmerized as tribal drummers pound out the big beat. Music listeners
who enjoy Native American drum and flute sounds fans will want to
spin this fourth release in Sequoia’s Drum Cargo series.
As is the case with all Sequoia releases, the sound is excellent and
the CD packaging is eye-catching. Also released on CD in 2014 on Sequoia
is KarmaCosmic, which is being described as an
album of new instrumental music from Europe. The KarmaCosmic
sound is filled with quite lush sounding synths and drifting waves
of electronics. The music was inspired by the sounds of India and,
as the CD liner notes point out, the album is filled with Indian melodies,
New Age sounds, percussive rhythms, grooves and meditative soundscapes.
Subtitled Music For Tantra & Meditation, the
ten track CD is sure to be among the top New Age instrumental albums
of 2014. www.SequoiaRecords.com
SINGULAR
RECORDINGS - Steve Hunter is an international guitar hero.
Renowned for his work as side man / guitarist for rock legends such
as the late great Lou Reed, Peter Gabriel and Alice Cooper, Steve
earned his stripes with the best of them but as far as his solo work
goes, he never got the full acclaim he clearly deserves. That could
be said about several other guitarists in famous bands. Steve's solo
albums like Hymns For Guitar (2008) and Short Stories (2009)
are good examples of his tireless devotion to his craft. Following
the success of his 2013 instrumental guitar homage to NYC, entitled
The Manhattan Blues Project, Steve is back again with Tone
Poems Live. For guitar fans who haven’t yet paid
attention to one of America’s best kept guitar secrets, Tone
Poems Live is a great introduction. For one thing, the band Steve
has assembled to play some his most memorable music is first rate.
Featured on both the CD and the DVD versions of Tone Poems Live
are Tony Levin (bass), Alvino Bennett (drums) and
Phil Aaberg (keyboards). Combining rock, blues, jazz and even
prog-rock style instrumentals, the sound of Tone Poems Live is
all over the musical map, but that’s the beauty of Hunter’s
diverse approach to guitar. The DVD of Tone Poems Live features
a few additional tracks while the CD sounds great and should please
the most demanding audiophile. Recorded live at Entourage Studios
in North Hollywood California on Augusts 24, 2013, Tone Poems Live
is Steve Hunter at his best and overall, the CD and DVD is essential
listening and viewing for guitar lovers and instrumental jazz-rock
fans of all generations. www.SteveHunter.com
SOFT SCIENCE RECORDS - The 12 track, 2014 CD release of Celeste
adds another intriguing chapter to an ongoing series of recordings
from Savannah, Georgia based Richard Leo Johnson. On Celeste,
Richard mixes a wide range of organic and non organic sounds by
performing, of all the wildly thought out ideas, a specially designed
Martin guitar designed with a built in Theremin. The 
legendary
Theremin—famous for helping to usher in the age of moog synths
and first enjoyed by pop audiences on the Beach Boys’ 1966 track
“Good Vibrations”—is given a new lease on life on Celeste.
The all instrumental tracks on Celeste are otherworldly and
with the Theremin trading sonic volleys with the guitar, the CD filled
with a myriad of musical moves. The concept of mixing acoustic steel
string sounds with E-bow and Theremin is nothing short of fascinating,
and as such, Celeste will appeal to acoustic guitar fans as
well as fans of vintage electronica. The sound of Celeste is
somewhere between the rural ambience of Leo Kottke and the intense
cosmic prog of Robert Fripp to name just a couple of the audio signposts.
Speaking to mwe3.com about Celeste and his performance on the
Martin “Theremin” guitar, Richard explains, ‘The
guitar is a one of a kind instrument. It is both interesting to look
at and complicated to play. I approached the guitar with the idea
of two converging and different sonic palettes. The acoustic guitar,
with its harmonic, percussive and physical properties and the Theremin
with the linear non incremental pitch and the purely electronic tone.’
Well worth the trip for guitar fans, Celeste is filled
with progressive ideas that further establishes Richard Leo
Johnson among the leading guitarists of the early 21st century. www.CelesteTheRecord.com
/ www.RichardLeoJohnson.com
/ www.SoftScienceRecords.com
WEBERWORKS
ENTERTAINMENT GROUP - Guitarist Marty Walsh rocks up a
storm on his solo album The Total Plan. Released
on the L.A. based Weber Works label, the ten track CD features Marty
joined by top players like former YES producer Billy Sherwood and
a host of other fine players including Marty’s son Ian Walsh
on keyboards. Commenting on the all instrumental nature of the
album, Marty explains, ‘Being an instrumental album is simply
about the music. The album is not a jazz album necessarily, it’s
really more of a pop record.’ There are ten songs on the album
and each song has different groupings of personnel.’ Although
Marty was first influenced by players like Clapton and Hendrix, clearly
fusion guitarists like Larry Carlton prove to be an influence on The
Total Plan. Fans of instrumental jazz-rock and rock instrumentals
will enjoy The Total Plan by guitar ace Marty Walsh. www.MartyWalsh.com
WILD RECORDS - England
is never at a loss to come up with some new music sound, even when
it comes to the time honored surf-rock instrumental genre. Case in
point is Schlock Singles by the trio known as The
Terrorsaurs. Wild is right word as these guys go primal on an
all instrumental CD that mixes punk angst with surf-rock and you get
something called punk-surf. Anyway the instro mags and web sites are
buzzing about The Terrorsaurs saying they must be on to a new sound
that revamps Link Wray and The Ventures while the results are an exciting
blend of 
nitro
instro. Speaking to mwe3.com about the Terrorsaurs’ sound, group
guitarist Carl Harris, alias El Guapo, confesses, “We'd describe
it as proto-surf. There’s an obvious rock/punk edge which cannot
be denied. We have no definite formula but it’s really based
around obscure garage rhythms and tracks of the early to mid 1960's.”
The way-out looking cover CD definitely puts this one in the goth-surf
instro realm. The Terrorsaurs are rough and ready and they get their
sound in focus on their appealing, self-produced set of "Schlock
& Roll". Caution: The Terrorsaurs make savage
rock & roll and is definitely not for squares. www.terrorsaurs.com
WORLD
CIRCUIT- As Africa gets more sophisticated, so does African music.
The proof behind that statement can be fully appreciated on the 2014
CD release of Toumani & Sidiki. The first
collaboration between father and son kora masters Toumani Diabaté
and his son Sidiki Diabaté, the ten track Toumani
& Sidiki is one of the most sonorous albums of African flavored
instrumental music you will ever hear. For those who’ve never
heard the stringed instrument known as the kora, it’s actually
a 21 string African harp. Toumani & Sidiki were actually
born into a 71 generation, spanning 700 years, of “griots”
carrying on the ancient traditions of West Africa’s Mandé
people. A little history: Toumani’s father recorded the first-ever
kora album entitled Mali: Ancient Strings in 1970. Expertly
produced and recorded by Nick Gold and Lucy Duran, Toumani
& Sidiki falls neatly into the place where West African music
meets, dare I say, New Age music, primarily because Toumani &
Sidiki is so relaxing with Toumani describing the music as being
the place where ‘the past meets the present for the future.’
If you think you know African music, think again becasue Toumani
& Sidiki brings West African music one giant step into the
future. www.ToumaniAndSidiki.com
ZANOV
MUSIC - The second half of the 1970’s was a golden time for
European rock music. In the post-Beatles daze, especially on the European
continent, rock had been surpassed by a new form of experimental instrumental
music that heavily featured synthesizers and all types of post ‘60s
electronic music technology. One French artist called Zanov
(his full name is Pierre Salkazanov), released three albums
of electronic music back in the late 1970s. In 1980, Zanov was about
to work on album number four when he stopped. Although not releasing
albums over the past 30 
years,
now in 2014 Zanov is back with his legendary fourth album, newly remixed
and remodeled. Featuring a dazzling display of electronic instrumental
music sounds, Virtual Future sounds like a throwback
to the late 1970s, a time when all seemed well with the music world,
and that’s a good thing. Speaking to mwe3.com about his musical
approach, Zanov explains, ‘The inspiration behind my music
is purely musical. Many times, days and nights, I have sounds, chains
of sounds, tunes coming in my head. I forget most of them, but when
I am composing, the strongest ones come back. I do not have to visualize
or think about anything else but sounds. In general, I have my mind
turned towards the future.’ The CD pressing of Virtual
Future features some eye-popping cover art that should raise a
few eyebrows. Fans of electronic music masters such as Jean Michel
Jarre and T. Dream will enjoy Zanov’s unique and intriguing approach
to dazzling electronic music.
www.zanov.net
REISSUES
& RETROSPECTIVES
BGO
RECORDS - Among the new for 2014 CD remasters on BGO is The
Complete Tom Paxton. A double CD set, the music was
recorded live in concert in 1970 at the world renowned Bitter End
nightclub in New York’s Greenwich Village. Released in 1971,
the double album was somewhat of a final release for Paxton on Elektra
Records as he was soon 
signed
to Reprise. The double CD set features a detailed booklet filled with
in depth liner notes by BGO’s own John O’Regan. Cofounder
of U.K. rock legends Traffic, singer-songwriter Dave Mason is
no newcomer to BGO. After his amazing 1970 release of Alone Together,
Dave went on to work with Mama Cass Elliot and in 1973 he switched
labels and signed to Columbia Records with the 1973 album release
of It’s Like You Never Left. The album was a huge success
and featured a number of guest artists like Graham Nash, Stevie
Wonder and George Harrison. The 2014 BGO remaster of It’s
Like You Never Left features in depth liner notes and lyrics and
a complete list of who plays what on the album. Also up and out on
on BGO in 2014 is a double CD set from NYC based rock and roll oldies
band Sha Na Na. Mixing oldies with several originals, the early
Sha Na Na albums were a huge success among the hippy generation, especially
after the band's historic performance at the Woodstock festival in
1969. Disc one of BGO’s 2014 Sha Na Na CD set combines The
Night Is Still Young (1972) on disc one with the double album,
The Golden Age Of Rock ‘n’ Roll from 1973
on disc 2. This latest set on BGO follows their 2 on 1 CD reissue
of the first two Sha Na Na albums, Rock & Roll Is Here To Stay
(1969) and the self-titled Sha Na Na (1971). Released
in July 2014 on BGO is a double CD set from country rock superstar
Linda Ronstadt. Featured on BGO’s 31 track, double CD
set from Ms. Rondstadt are Hand Sown... Home Grown (her
solo debut from 1969), Silk Purse (from 1970) and the
self-titled Linda Ronstadt (from 1972). Complete with
detailed liner notes, these albums feature some of the biggest names
in country rock history including members of The Eagles. Also out
on BGO in 2014 is a 20 track CD from country music legend Herb
Pedersen that combines his two late 1970’s albums on Epic
Records, Southwest (1976) and Sandman (1977).
Pedersen's albums read like a who’s who of country music, including
Dolly Parton, Lowell George and Johnny Rivers to name just a few.
www.BGO-records.com
CHERRY
RED RECORDS - Not much is known about the U.K. band Landmarq
here in the U.S. yet a 2014 CD compilation of their works is getting
some attention. The double CD set Origins: A Landmarq Anthology
1991-2014 features a collection of studio and live tracks
from the band’s nine album releases. The early Landmarq featured
singer Damian Wilson, whose voice is featured on disc 2 here
while disc one has an array of album tracks with Landmarq featuring
singer Tracy Hitchings. Carrying on from their 1990’s
era and now in their third decade, Landmarq have also chosen to feature
a new unreleased track “Origins”, which serves as the title
track. Hitchings sounds like a super energized version of Annie Haslam,
the band is tight and well rehearsed and a number of the songs have
memorable hooks and holds up really well for the most part. Progressive
rock with depth and intrigue, Origins is a good introduction
to an unheralded music legend from across the wide sea. www.landmarq.net
GONZO MULTIMEDIA - Over in London, Gonzo Multimedia continues
releasing and reissuing classic rock masters. High on the list of
2014 CD remasters on Gonzo is This Way Up by Joey
Molland. Of course, Molland was a key member of the early Badfinger
lineup and his classic guitar work and vocals on Badfinger album classics
like No Dice and Straight Up remains the stuff of legends.
Well, surprise surprise, This Way Up, with one killer track
after the next, is very much in the realm of a long lost Badfinger
album. The album, first released in 2001, features various members
of the Molland clan on various instruments in addition to other fine
musicians. The CD sounds great, no doubt due to the care and attention
Molland always put into his music with and without Badfinger. It might
have been overlooked back in 2001, but if there’s one Beatles-inspired,
Badfinger-esque album to pick up on in 2014, make it This Way Up.
Speaking of Joey, Gonzo have also released a CD of his demo tracks
called Demos Old And New. The 17 track Demos
Old And New gives a good insight into Molland’s song writing
abilities, although demos mean just that. These various tracks aren’t
finished studio gems, instead these are great songs in raw form that
long time fans will appreciate. Badfinger fans will enjoy both of
these Joey Molland classics on Gonzo Multimedia. Another fine Gonzo
past master out again is Live At The Rainbow 1977 by
English guitar legend Steve Hillage. Many Americans might not
know much about him, but Hillage was one of the key guitar heroes
of the mid 1970s progressive rock scene and a member of space rock
legend Gong. Although he made his name as the lead guitarist in space
rock legends Gong, Steve’s solo albums, are also highly regarded.
On Live At The Rainbow 1977, Hillage puts together a collection
of live covers from his solo albums including his solo album debut
Fish Rising and his now Beatles cover of “It’s All
Too Much” and his Donovan classic “Hurdy Gurdy Man”.
The CD is well presented. Long time Hillage and Gong fans will get
a nice retro-buzz off of Steve Hillage Live At The Rainbow. www.GonzoMultiMedia.co.uk
RAVEN
RECORDS - Australia based Raven Records are run by true musicologists.
The label is best known for their extensively researched reissue CDs.
With a vast number of titles already in the Raven catalog, a new for
2014 CD title sure to gain interest among guitar fans is a 43 track
double CD set entitled Chet Atkins With Les Paul, Mark Knopfler,
Jerry Reed And Tommy Emmanuel. Subtitled Four
Master Class Albums 1978-1997, Raven’s double
CD set is actually a collection of four albums that Chet Atkins
recorded and released with guitar heroes Les Paul, Mark
Knopfler and Tommy Emmanuel. One of two albums Chet recorded
with Les Paul for RCA Records in the 1970’s, Guitar Monsters
(1978) leads off the package on disc one, which
also features Neck And Neck, recorded with Knopfler
in 1990 for Columbia Records. Also on disc one, following the entirety
of both albums is a track with Jerry Reed. The remainder of
Sneakin’ Around, the 1992 album Chet made
with Jerry Reed continues on disc two, which is followed by
The Day The Finger Pickers Took Over The World, recorded
in 1997 with Australian guitarist Tommy Emmanuel. As far as
pure (mostly instrumental) guitar entertainment, it doesn’t get
much better than these albums and having them in their entirety on
one double CD set is a real case study in the guitar history of Chet
Atkins. Raven’s latest double CD set on Chet Atkins is almost
encyclopedic in scope with detailed liner notes by Terry Reilly
as well as discography information including names and dates as
to who played what and who wrote the tracks here. Chet Atkins might
have passed away in 2001 but his legacy lives on thanks to Raven’s
latest reissue masterpiece. Raven actually has a number of Chet Atkins
related reissue CDs and like the others, this one is well worth checking
out. www.RavenRecords.com.au
RHINO
RECORDS - During the height of the early ‘60s JFK era, Frankie
Valli & The Four Seasons burst onto AM radio with their first
three singles going straight to the top of the pop charts. Sort of
the East Coast version of The Beach Boys, The Four Seasons could do
no wrong in the early / mid 1960s. If Brian Wilson was the mentor
of his band, then Bob Gaudio, at least for that early 1960s
period, was the East Coast version of Wilson. Featuring the
out of sight falsetto of Frankie Valli, those great Four Seasons hits
never really went away and Gaudio is feted on a Rhino CD set simply
called Audio With A G: Sounds Of A Jersey Boy. Gaudio
was a major talent at 15 with his “Shorts Shorts” novelty
track going top 10 in 1957. With that track kicking off the 2 CD set,
Audio With A G takes the listener / reader through a track by
track history of pop music as it went down all those years ago. Gaudio
picked a very cool songwriting partner, Bob Crewe, for writing
a number of the early Four Seasons hits as well as their being the
songwriting team, writing for a number of artists, including Frank
Sinatra and Cher. Among the Gaudio rarities here, and proof
that he was relevant in the mid 1980’s, is a song called “For
A While”, sung and recorded in 1985 by Nina Simone. Starting
working with Crewe on the Seasons’ second number one, “Big
Girls Don’t Cry” in 1962, Gaudio finished the decade with
Crewe, and then began working with other co-writers, but it will be
his early smashes with the late great Bob Crewe that will seal his
legacy. Disc two focuses on Crewe’s lesser known works in the
1970’s through till the 2005 Jersey Boys soundtrack and
features key interpretations of Gaudio songs recorded by Four Seasons’
front man Frankie Valli, Diana Ross, The Temptations,
Lene Lovich, Roberta Flack and more. The double CD set
on Rhino, Audio with A G - Sounds Of A Jersey Boy is a must
for fans of The Four Seasons and Bob Gaudio’s work as part of
one of the classic pop song writing teams of the 1960s. www.Rhino.com
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