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SEPTEMBER /
OCTOBER 2004
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JOHN
JORGENSON
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FRIPP
& ENO
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JOE
SATRIANI |
MIKE
BREEN |
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DAN CRARY
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JOHN JORGENSON
Franco-American Swing
(FGM)
Widely
acknowledged as a guitarists guitarist, John Jorgenson earned
his stellar reputation playing with The Desert Rose Band, Elton Johns
band, Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt and of course on those great albums with
Jerry Donahue and Will Ray in The Hellecasters. A jazz-rock guitar innovator,
Jorgenson was exposed to jazz early on by his father James, who conducted
for Benny Goodman. On his 2004 instrumental album, Franco-Amercian
Swing, Jorgenson tastefully conjures up the 30s hot jazz sound
of Django Reinhardt and Benny Goodman. As a follow up, the guitarist
actually plays the part of Django in the upcoming film Head In The
Clouds, set for release in September 2004. He also transcribed two
Django cuts for the movies soundtrack. Commenting on the CD, Jorgenson
adds, My goal in making this CD was not only to be as true
to the style as an American can be, but also to expand the style by
adding new compositions and including orchestral arrangements which
are the result of an on-going creative collaboration with the Nashville
Chamber Orchestra. My background in classical music and my experience
playing rock and pop music can't help but color my compositions and
lend an accessibility that can be rare in jazz." The 15 track
Franco-Amercian Swing features a number of Jorgenson originals
and among the four covers is a gypsy jazz version of Man Of Mystery,
written by Michael Carr and brought into the top 10 in 1960 by The Shadows.
In the song, Jorgenson brilliantly extrapolates daredevil solos on both
guitar and clarinet (!), putting a new spin on a most interesting song
choice. Jorgensons grasp of Djangos 30s style gypsy
jazz is most impressive on Franco-Amercian Swingand is a fitting
reprise to his 1988 Curb release, After Youve Gone, the
guitarists prior foray into the realm of Reinhardt / Goodman style
jazz. www.johnjorgenson.com
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FRIPP
& ENO
The
Equatorial Stars
(Opal / DGM)
Brian
Eno may be currently recording a new solo album and Robert Fripp,
currently on tour as part of G3 with Vai and Satriani, yet in 2004 they
found time to release the most recent Fripp & Eno masterpiece. Harkening
back to their ground-breaking 70s miminalist instrumental works
like No Pussyfooting and Evening Star, The Equatorial
Stars is a remarkable work of meditative guitar / electronica. Decked
out in beguiling artwork, the seven track Eno production features a
number of oblique music strategies layered with cutting edge Frippertronics.
The Equatorial Stars may be a timely reminder of their 70s
albums, yet with its post modern edge, laced with a hypnotic palette
of sounds, the CD summons up a fascinating New Age texture for the new
millennium. www.enoshop.co.uk
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JOE
SATRIANI
Is
There Love In Space?
(Epic)
Playing
to packed houses on a G3 Euro tour with Steve Vai and Robert Fripp,
and returning to a late Summer 2004 touring bill with Deep Purple and
Thin Lizzy, Joe Satriani is a busy guy. With eleven solo albums over
his 20 year career, Satch hits another pinnacle with his 2004 CD Is
There Love In Space? One things for sure, theres ample
spacy metal-guitar riffs and atmospheric guitar dynamics at work on
the self-produced, 11 track CD. Armed with his blazing technique and
masterful grasp of the guitar fusion genre, Satriani still can blast
through the Stratosphere, yet on the title track, he also harnesses
a melodic execution that would impress a melodicist like Brian Wilson.
In Joes words, people have heard my bluesy side, my metal
side and my techno side, I guess this is my rockin side.
Hes always been right at the cutting edge of the high tech instro
guitar fusion scene and, eager to explore new boundaries, Joe features
his vocals on a couple tracks here, although hes quick to point
out, my fans know Im just using the vocals as an effect
to create an interesting song. What we arrive at is somewhat cathartic
for someone who doesnt sing. Featuring key contributions
from Matt Bissonette (bass) and John Cuniberti (drums),
Is There Love In Space? is the latest action packed instrumental
adventure from one of the most reputable guitarists rockin today.
www.satriani.com
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MIKE BREEN
Mescal
Mary
(Basilbonel)
A
consistent quality rolls right through the third solo album and instro
debut from singer-songwriter Mike Breen. On Mescal Mary &
Other B Bender Guitar Instrumentals, Breen performs masterfully
on the B and G bender guitar, a guitar device invented by one time Byrds
guitarists Clarence White and Gene Parsons to resemble the sounds of
the pedal steel guitar. Breen mixes his tasty electric work with his
added banjo, mandolin and flatpicking guitar sounds. Supported by drummer
Mickey McGee, the Phoenix-based guitarist revives a post-modern
Nashville / Bakersfield instro sound injected with some melodic and
progressive guitar touches and a vintage Les Paul style feel. Breen
never wears his influences out and with its wide ranging diversity,
the 12 track instrumental CD is just the ticket for twangy guitar and
country instro enthusiasts. Among his fine original tracks, Breen covers
of two certified instro classicsApache and Sleepwalkfurther
defines the focus and variety on Mescal Mary. Commenting on his
famous choice covers, Breen adds, I picked "Sleepwalk"
because Ed Black (Ronstadt, Yoakam, Tracy Chapman) used to play it beautifully
on his lap steel and forced me to learn to play the rhythm guitar part
the way Santo and Johnny did it. Ed was just a brilliant steel player,
lap steel player and guitar player and helped me learn more about music
than just about anyone else so its kind of a tribute to him.
Commenting on the Jerry Lordan classic, "Apache is a song Ive
loved ever since hearing Tommy "O" Oster play it in a band
called the Two Week Notice Band, which counted among its members
Russell and Ken Skaggs (Glen Campbell) and Matt Cartsonis (Warren Zevon,
Bryndle). Tommy "O" was amazing and really known to only a
few. www.mikebreen.net
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KEN
SASAKI
Dream
(Vintage Groove)
Recorded
during the first few months of 2004, and set for release in late September
2004, Dream is a most appropriate title for the second solo album
from Japanese bassist/guitarist and composer Ken Sasaki. Commenting
on the CDs instrumentation, Ken adds, I played basses and
guitars with spacy / ambient synth sequences. I wanted to mix opposite
elementsmachine sounds and acoustic human toneslike machine
drums and double bass, synth and acoustic guitar. Some tunes are very
abstract and some tunes are very simple and human. Those elements
are mixed in the album like seeing dreams. Kens 2002 solo
CD, Tiki Moon by Kenny Sasaki & The Tiki Boys, featured a
composite of tropical/exotic sounds with vintage instruments and on
Dream he takes a convincing musical step forward. Describing
his musical mission on Dream, Ken adds, I recorded and
mixed in my home studio by myself. The new album is a very private
work. I made tunes like dream paintings on white canvases
with musical instruments instead of brushes and a color box.
Eager to explain his most imaginative solo recording yet, Ken admits,
I like music that takes me to somewhere, some dimensions
I haven't visited or experienced. An enchanting album loaded with
atmospheric bass / keyboard based instrumental tracks, Dreams is
a sublime soundtrack for your imagination. www.kensasaki.com
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DAN
CRARY
Renaissance
Of The Steel String Guitar
(Thunderation)
Acoustic
steel string guitar wizard, Dan Crary has been described as the
fretboard equivalent of Fred Astaire dancing up, then down a staircase
and after hearing his latest solo CD on Thunderation, Renaissance
Of The Steel String Guitar, its hard to argue with that fact.
Based around Crarys theatrical concept of the history of the acoustic
guitar, the 13 track, 53+ minute CD encompasses a breathtaking range
of instrumental guitar lore, touching up various music styles such as
acoustic Americana, blues, country style flat top pickin, Spanish
flamenco, jazz as well as classical, best heard here on the adaptation
of the third act tenor aria from Puccinis Tosca and the
final cut, On The Fritz, which adapts and combines music
from violin legend Fritz Kreisler and a Hungarian dance by Brahms for
acoustic steel string. Equally impressive is the CD booklet, which features
voluminous notes on the history of the acoustic steel stringed guitar
described by Crary as the primary instrument in the development and
spread of American folk music, country music and the blues, as well
as detailed discography information and some truly eye-catching color
artwork. Crary is backed by various notable players on steel string
acoustic, resophonic guitars, mandolin, harmonica, piano, percussion
and strings, but the center spotlight here is on Crarys impeccable
and imaginative guitar craft. www.dancrary.com
Attention Artists and Record Companies: Have your CD reviewed
in mwe3.com and 20th Century Guitar. Send to P.O. Box 630249, Little
Neck, N.Y. 11363-0249
Contact: rss54@mwe3.com
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Attention
Artists and Record Companies: Have your CD reviewed by mwe3.com. Send to:
MWE3.com CD Reviews Editor Robert Silverstein,
P.O. Box 630249, Little Neck, N.Y. 11363-0249
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