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Michel Camillo
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The master of latin-jazz piano !
There´s so much life in it - CARIBE, ON FIRE, and his nice interpretation of ST. THOMAS, such as other jazz-standards are quite refreshing after hearing mostly all the dudes out there trying to get as close to the originals - that are not be come near to at all ...
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Chick Corea - Acoustic Band
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This record stands for something old and new - standards, brushed out and packed into the same old clothes but played by perfect musicians of today.
Clearly a “must-have” in my collection for it has brought some old pieces to new life without forgetting where they came from ... musicians choice !
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Dave Weckl Band - Live (and very plugged in)
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Thinking “oh, he´s a drummer” must be clearly leading to Weckl ?!?
Well done, Mr. Weckl - but TOM KENNEDY is the chief on this album - the BASSPLAYER !
It turns out some kinda boring in the middle but gets a good end to it - breaking drums/bass-play on a ... drums/bass-track ! And with all due respect - Dave should only play live - but never without TOM ...
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Howe Wooten Chambers - Extraction
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Somehow I got this wrong - at first I thought “wow - unheard CAB ! ...” How mistaken I was ... Greg Howe (a fast genius on guitar !!!), Dennis Chambers (drums) and - hey! - Vic Wooten (bass) teamed up here not having it called a project but just their names.
Pure drive and power - such as only well educated musicians can produce - respect, guys ... FUSION, FUNK, BLUES - all in it ... waiting for a new album to come - pleaseeeee ...
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Hardin & York - Tomorrow, Today
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Just like AG&D I found Hardin & York on BEAT-CLUB - hell, that was the early 70´s and these guys played as great as any big name today ! ... as for my love with Hammond organs I instantly fell in love with them and their music ! TWO guys delivering a full band hence earning the name “The Smallest Bigband” - jazz-influenced rock and blues ... saw them live 2002 - catching and funny ! - don´t miss !
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Jethro Tull - Roots to Branches
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Jethro Tull features some well-educated musicians ever since - band founders Ian Anderson and Martin Barre are one-of-a-kind musicians, unquestionable ! Although “Broadsword and the Beast” earned some attention here in Germany for me “Roots to Branches” is the most remarkable Tull album out ! Eveything in it, although you cannot miss one of the now 31 ... 32 ... 33 ??? albums out ... J-Tull is great composing with a hint of Zappa (!), melodic, tradional, classic and some guy called Ian Anderson who still writes quite high-leveled lyrics with a second and third stage to what they seem to say - intelligent, somewhat nuts and fine music - “through the years” ...
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Keziah Jones
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Political lyrics combined with funk and blues - not very much likely to be interesting ?!
Check out his albums and consider yourself HOW to work in a grooving unit called a band, whereas the guitar is not the piece driving in FRONT only, but ... !
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The Lonely Bears
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Again TV brought me this modern/free-jazz band home - I switched channels and came upon a guy looking like Terry Bozzio whom I´d seen just a while ago back then in his Mapex clinic and shook hand with PERSONALLY.
Yes, quite something - truly innovating, not everybody´s taste but to one who would like to build up understanding in modern music without losing enjoyment, this is it ... not to mention the guy on TV WAS Terry ...
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Marcus Miller
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First I was embarassed to find Marcus´ music in “Black Music” department at my record store ... the album M SQUARED is somewhat like that anyway ... sad but true.
He should do another totally live-played thing, showing his great liveband and play out all his slaplicks, -stops, -breaks AND of course his working principle “sometimes to do less is more” !
Quality music, one of world´s best bassplayers (-slappers) - amazing!
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Rage against the Machine /w
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Now here´s a piece I need to say more about ! Lyrics should be of no interest - this Zach de la Rocha is not worth a thing to me as musician ! My interest here and ONLY on this RATM-album goes to the licks and tricks the string department does ! Crunchy clicking basslines and -patterns combined with nice guitar-tricks and -licks ... in evolving your way to play take some time and analyze them playing here, getting some smile to your face by how simple something exciting can be produced and how heavy sometimes doing something “easy” can be ...
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Spin Doctors - Pocket full of Kryptonite
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What time is it ?!? ... it was fresh and Cleopatra´s Cat (the second album) never came even close ... having this funky sound with guitar and bass in combination with this nice miked drumset of one tight drummer.
In fact some people started noticing the snare ghosts on this album as something musical, never knowing they´re there whenever you listen to nearly any drummer ;o) ... check out the live pieces at the end of the album - nice, how Mark White goes on soloing, showing he can also play fingers !
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Sting - The Dream of the Blue Turtles
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Sting - nothing more to say ... in deed there is. Sting put some well-sorted musicians together and created music with harmony, melody and still some technique in it, making sound easy and delightful what is hardly to play for anyone. Not only this but a nice feeling for lyrics and writing music has made him one of my favourites. This - his first album after The Police - to me is truly his best. There were superb pieces on other albums but never that much and good on one album again, I´d say. I am very sad he does only rubbish today, talking about his latest albums where you can hardly find real instruments instead of programmed MIDI-junk and unmentionable lyrics ...
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Tower of Power - all albums out
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Tower of Power ... “never heard ...” most people answer. They have been quite a bit out of track around here for people who aren´t musicians and often also to those - although it is a shame. If you started on TOP with a studio album there´s not much exciting to it, I admit - but my advise is to get all live albums out and you will find yourself constantly in a good mood, enjoying all these perfect musicians playing with so much fun and precision. The horn section is the best in the world (!) and bass and drums work great with each other, such as guitar and organ/keys filling up. Clearly total soul/funk power, leading to absolute grooooove ... bouncing, you can´t hold still !
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Vital Techtones
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Steve Smith (drums), Vic Wooten (bass) and Scott Henderson (guitar) very likely are best sorted out here for some ill fusion-thing ! Explosive and sometimes frightening you may have to check some pieces twice or even much more often to get the rythms counted out or find yourself asking over and over again “... what the hell was that .. how did he do it ?! ...” ... sure thing, this is MUSICIANS MUSIC ... !!!
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Bozzio Levin Stevens
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Terry Bozzio (drums), Tony Levin (bass) and Steve Stevens (guitar) were mixed together for some experimental studio project. Each one of them brought his own style into this album going from heavy rock over a slice of flamenco to some undescribable tracks - you should find out yourself. Astonishing, they only needed 4 days for SITUATION DANGEROUS in the studio, even more is the music. Experimental and - again - not to be heard on radio - musiscian´s choice without question.
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Living Colour - Stain
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First I got to know Living Colour through the SONOR advertisments featuring WILL CALHOUN on drums. Now (in 2006) I came across “STAIN”, released in 1993. These guys have some individual ideas about how to make a song groove and work ... also I like Doug Wimbish´s bassplaying and the FX all over the album on all instruments. If you have a more advanced thinking and more open approach towards modern music check this one out and let yourself go while listening. Not every track here is a winner but all over they made me move ... ;o)
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Level 42
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Level 42 - I got to know them without knowing it is them ! Since we (i.e people who grew up in the 80s) all know the 80s songs and sounds, LEVEL 42 was always present. Later, I figured out how interesting Mark King´s slap technique really is - he helped me buliding my bass playing the right way (see MEDIA). Retroglide - the band´s newest album (2006) shows they all still do their thing - and quite well I might add. Although the sound on this piece may be discussable the songs are all LEVEL 42, 100%.
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