June 2002

It’s hard to imagine, but after hearing Pieces Of The Sun, it really does sound like Tony Levin has ultimately transcended his best known work as the bassist in King Crimson. Levin signed with New Age label Narada for his critically acclaimed 2000 solo effort Waters Of Eden, and to his credit, he comes back stronger with a truly innovative instrumental album that surpasses just about anything he’s done before. Like his Narada debut, Pieces Of The Sun features stellar contributions from world-renowned keyboard synthesist Larry Fast and the multi-talented Jerry Marotta. Soundwise, Pieces Of The Sun is really comparable in style and content to some of the quite high quality sounds recorded by the recent King Crimson. Revealing another aspect of his musical talents, Levin digs into his deep into his musical pockets, appearing here as a gifted pop melodicist inspired no doubt by his 1980 sessions with John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Ranging from bass-driven torch song ballads to far out space age sounding King Crimson-inspired instrumental wonderment, Pieces Of The Sun really rocks. www.narada.com  

Since the first Pat Metheny Group album—way back in 1977—PMG have evolved into one of the most widely acclaimed international jazz-rock groups. Eleven albums later, Metheny’s guitar work is still breaking musical ground alongside long time keyboardist and co-composer Lyle Mays and co-producer/bassist Steve Rodby—now in his 20th year with PMG. Three years after their Imaginary Day tour, PMG regroup again with the recently released Speaking Of Now. With three new members in the lineup—Antonio Sanchez (drums), Richard Bona (vocals, percussion) and Cuong Vu (trumpet, vocals)—the group strive towards new musical heights on Speaking Of Now—recorded in NYC during the late spring and summer of 2001. Looking back on the creative process, Metheny reflects, "I am positive that these particular writing sessions will be remembered by both Lyle and myself for many years to come. This record includes some of the most fully co-written music we have ever come up with. This time however, the sheer speed at which this very ambitious music was able to get recorded kind of took us all by surprise. We have so many ideas in reserve now that we didn’t even get to this time—I almost can’t wait to get started on the next one already." Even since the days of the first Pat Metheny Group album on ECM, Metheny and Mays have more or less created a new musical language for fans of modern guitar-based, instrumental jazz-rock music to savor. That tradition of phenomenal musical excellence continues with the 2002 release of Speaking Of Now. www.patmethenygroup.com  

An album for serious fans of the classic guitar instrumental sound, the debut CD from The Vanduras covers tons of musical ground. Essentially the work of Blue Hawaiians’ steeler Gary Brandin (Hawaiian lap steel and pedal steel guitars) and his son Geof Brandin (guitar, percussion and keyboards), the masterfully performed guitar-driven In The Dark touches on everything from ‘50s mood music to Hawaiian steel guitar sounds as well as some really breezy Sandals / Shadows inspired sounds. Recorded in 2001 in South Pasadena, the atmospheric driven guitar scapes are well detailed and are consummated with a solid command of the melodic guitar art form. Various drummers help the Brandins fill out their sound stage. That whole retro surf and ‘60s lounge music craze of the mid to late ‘90s comes full circle with the release of In The Dark—the sound of which evokes the densely recorded, super processed sounds of the best ‘60s guitar albums. www.pascalrecords.com  

Since The Shadows broke up in 1991, it’s been getting harder to find authentic guitar-based instrumental music from England. Leave it to the son of long time Shadows drummer Brian Bennett to deliver the goods. Warren Bennett and long time Shadows and Roy Wood engineer Dick Plant have produced a cool new CD that rekindles the essence of The Shadows classic guitar sound. The first Vibratos CD—consisting of noteworthy originals and well chosen covers like "On The Wings Of A Nightingale" (a song Paul McCartney wrote for The Everly Bros. in ‘84), "Here Comes My Baby" (by Cat Stevens) and momentous numbers written by John Barry and Barry Gray—sounds like a trip back into the swinging London of the ‘60s. Both Bennett and Plant are outstanding guitarists and a glance at their guit-arsenal will amaze gearheads and instro fans alike. In addition to his prolific guitar chops, Bennett, like his father is also quite a drummer, so between the two of them, Dick and Warren sound like a complete band. Warren’s famous dad drums on a few tracks, bringing this 21st Century Shadows connection up to date. The Ghost Of Old Compton Street is a great tribute to the time honored U.K. guitar instrumental sound. www.vibratos.co.uk  / www.leosden.co.uk  

Fans of high-octane, guitar-based jazz-rock fusion are advised to pick up the latest album from Texas guitar slinger John Inman. Skies Wide Open picks up from where John’s last instrumental album, Modeous Eclectic, left off and then some. A solid improvement in both Inman’s compositions and the overall sonic atmosphere makes it a fine choice for anyone interested in guitar legends like Neil Schon, Greg Howe, Steve Vai and Alan Holdsworth. The album features some high profile guest artists, including guitarist Michael Harris and bassist James Martin, who help Inman round out the sound stage. Topping off a fine selection of original tracks—including the majestic sounding "New Frontier" and the album’s superb title track—is the CD’s state of the art sound quality which adds a streamlined effect to the overall listening experience. Drawing on a wealth of instrumental guitar styles—from hot fusion, smooth guitar jazz, progressive rock and even Latin jazz—the Dallas-based Inman covers a ton of musical ground here and will, no doubt, make a lot of guitar enthusiasts quite happy with the excellent Skies Wide Open. www.johninman.com  

Assisted by Terl Bryant (drums), Nick Beggs (Chapman stick), Adam Bomb (guitar) and King Crimson’s own Robert Fripp, John Paul Jones returns with a new album that rivals his solo debut Zooma. The Thunderchief is a mostly instrumental set that finds the Led Zeppelin legend turning in a solid performance on 4, 6, 10 and 12 string basses, bass steel guitar, acoustic / electric guitars, electric mandolin, vocals and a range of sundry acoustic and electric instruments. Guitar great Jimmy Page often took credit for much of Zeppelin’s success, but Jones was the man behind the scenes adding in the full spectrum of colors that made them so huge. That edge is easily discernible on The Thunderchief. Although mostly instrumental, Jones does unite with lyricist Peter Blegvad on a couple vocal tracks. Jones earned his musical stripes working with numerous pop legends way before Zeppelin including The Rolling Stones, Billy Nicholls, Herman’s Hermits, The Yardbirds and Donovan. Zeppelin fans are advised to hunt down The Thunderchief. www.johnpauljones.com