Jeremy Green - Standing Eight - New Release Reviewx

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Standing Eight, by Jeremy Green and it's a cool jazz rock instrumental release with plenty of juice. Opening with No Jacket Required, Jeremy Green and Mike Stern on guitars lay in some great dialog over excellent drum work of Keith Carlock and featuring the excellent bass lines of Jimmy Haslip. Very cool. Will Lee lays down a funky bass line and fine soloing on Ain't No Chevy and Carlock is incredibly tight with Green and Robben Ford really working it on guitar and including the fine trumpet work of Mark Levron. Green and Michel Cusson really put on a great show on Close with a Jab and the solid bass work of Moto Fukushima sets a super framework for the highly articulate drumming of Carlock. Excellent. Wrapping the release is Car Rock with Oz Noy paired with Green on guitar and an aggressive bass line by Ian Da Souza. With bluesy yet adventurously jazzy guitar riffs, and the phenomonal drum work of Carlock, this is a solid closer for a solid release.  

  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

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Jeff Berlin - Jacksongs - New Release Review

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Jacksongs, by Jeff Berlin and it's a really nice tribute to Jack Bruce's music. Opening with Creamed, Berlin on bass and keys is joined by Ron Hembly on lead vocal, John Cowan on vocal, Gabriela Sinagra on backing vocals, Bruce Guttridge on drums and John McCracken on guitars with Alex Lifeson on solo guitar. The track begins with Politician and flows through White Room and Tales of Brave Ulysses  among others with strong guitar work and of course prominent bass work. Very nice opener. One of my favorite Mountain tracks, and another Bruce penned track, Theme From and Imaginary Western is up next and features Hemby on lead vocal who really does a strong job of covering Bruce's beautiful vocal melody with Pat Coil on Hammond and Berlin on keys and bass (including a real nice solo) with guest Eric Johnson on guitar solo and Gregg Bissonette on drums. Excellent. Another of Bruce's beautiful melodies, One Without a Word, again showcases Hemby on lead vocal and with the illustrious Bill Frisell on guitar and with super finesse by Mariano Agustoni on piano and Coil again on Hammond with firm drum work by Bruce Guttridge. Smiles Story and Morning Grins is a cool, rhythmic track and provides a vehicle for a string of bass solos by a who's who of today's music scene including Berlin, Tony Levin (stick), Billy Sheehan, Michael League, Mark King, Ron Carter, Marcus Miller, Nathan East, and Geddy Lee. Traintime Train was written by Berlin and is a really nice addition with a great bass lines, outstanding guitar soloing by Johnny Hiland, strong harmonica by Pat Bergeson and with Gumbi Ortiz on lead vocal and percussion. This is a really nice release with a lot of heavy bass work as well as great featured artists. 

  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

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Purple Pyramid artists: The Fusion Syndicate - New release review

Now here's something different! I just received the new release from The Fusion Syndicate. This band is made up of jazz, rock and blues superstars and the recording is all you could wish for in this format. Billy Sherwood, writer of all compositions and with a background of top bands as long as your arm played keys, guitars drums, synth and vocals throughout this recording. The opening track, Random Acts Of Science, has strong hints to the Mahavishnu Orchestra featuring Rick Wakeman (Yes) on keys, Jerry Goodman (Flock, Mahavishnu Orchestra) on violin, Nik Turner (Hawkwind) on sax and Jimmy Haslip (Yellowjackets)on bass. This is a terrific track and one that shows not only the virtuosity of all of the instrumentalists and excellent writing skills of Sherwood, but also brings back into the forefront one of my favorite fusion violin players. This is no lightweight composition and all instrumentation is first class. Next up is Stone Cold Infusion, a funky track featuring Steve Stevens ( Billy Idol, Michael Jackson) blistering guitar work, Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater) keys, Mel Collins (King Crimson, Camel, Alan Parsons) sax, Colin Edwin (Porcupine Tree)bass, and the unmistakable work of Billy Cobham (Mahavishnu Orchestra) on drums. There is a lot of hot playing on this track! Molecular Breakdown features David Sancious on keys, Jay Beckenstein (Spyro Gyra) sax, Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big, Steve Vai)on bass and Gavin Harrison (Porchpine Tree) on drums. Particle Accelerations features Mr. Larry Coryell with his unmistakable style on guitar, Derek Sherinian (Dream Theaterm Black Country Communion) on keys, Eric Marienthal (Chick Corea)sax and Chester Thompson (Zappa, Genesis, Steve Hackett)on drums. Coryell's playing alone on this track is worth the price of admission. At The Edge Of The Middle is a bit more laid back featuring Steve Morse (Dixie Dregs, Deep Purple) on guitars, Jimi Beard (Mahavishnu Orchestra) on piano, Randy Brecker (Brecker Brothers) on trumpet and Percy Jones (Brand X , Soft Machine)on bass. Morse and Brecker both play outstanding riffs on this track. Atom Smashing features John Etheridge (Soft Machine) on guitars, Tony Kaye (Circa, Badger, Yes) on Hammond and synth and Chad Wackerman (Zappa)drums. This is a fairly straightforward track but extremely tight musicianship. In The Spirit Of... features Steve Hillage (Gong, Khan) on guitars, Scott Kinsey (Tribal Tech) on keys, Theo Travis(soloist) sax, Justin Chancellor (Tool)on bass and Asaf Sirkis (soloist) who is a prime contributor on this track on drums. This is an excellent recording if you are at all interested in progressive J/R Fusion. The casual listener will enjoy smooth sax solos and the serious musician will feel the heat of hypnotic drums, tight bass riffs, ripping guitar solos and intricate key solos along with great composition. If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”