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I started a quest to find terrific blues music and incredible musicianship when I was just a little kid. I also have a tremendous appreciation of fine musical instruments and equipment. One of my greatest joys all of my life was sharing my finds with my friends. I'm now publishing my journey. I hope that you come along!


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Showing posts with label Vortex. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vortex. Show all posts

Friday, April 8, 2022

Wise Cat Records artist: Kenny Shanker - Vortex - New Release Review

 


I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Vortex, by Kenny Shanker and it's a cool bop filled ride. Opening with the title track, Vortex, Mike Eckroth sets the tone with a piano intro and progressive melody, dashed up with Yoshi Waki on bass and Brian Fishler on drums. Kenny Shanker takes the lead on sax with aggressive style taking the track quite a bit higher and then hands off to guitar man Daisuke Abe who crafts a really nice fluid lead line of his own, resolving with Bill Mobley on trumpet for a solid close. Lulu's Back In Town has a laid back feel with Shanker setting up the tune, and Abe and Eckroth each adding very nice solo blocks for a really nice track.  Hunter steps up the feel a bit with an aggressive rhythm and the over the top attack that I'm coming to expect from Shanker. Abe and Eckroth both stretch nicely before returning to Shanker for a solid conclusion. Dave Brubeck's classic, The Duke is in line and Shanker and Eckroth lay down the intro before Shanker really starts to groove over the solid bottom of Waki and Fishler. Accepting the challenge and continuing the feel, Eckroth and Abe each lay down really nice alt melody lines. This is a really super take on a terrific track. Abe really shines on Midnight Snack with a vibrant attack and clean fluid lines. Shanker on soprano rides the wave with intention and fierce riffs of his own before passing to Eckroth who finds a solid groove of his own. Strong. Wrapping the releases is Johnny Mercer's Autumn Leaves. Shanker sets a firm pace, establishing the traditional melody. Abe solos the first leg masterfully with a strong bass line by Waki. When Shanker rejoins, he starts the abstraction and propels the track to another level  with Abe holding the melody line tight. This is really a solid closer for a really nice release. 


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Thursday, January 7, 2021

Tim Woods - Vortex - New Release Review

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Vortex, by Tim Woods and it's a solid blues rocker. Opening with Ready, a cool straight up rocker with solid gritty vocals by Tim Woods who also plays some pretty serious lead guitar, backed by Bobby Lee Rodgers on guitar, bass, drums and keys. Very cool. Title track, Vortex, has an interesting sound along the lines of Wishbone Ash with an almost ethereal feel, crisp drum work and strong vocal backing by Derek Woods and Ryan Woods. Sage is an interesting self perpetuating, guitar lead, instrumental with full organ backing by Rodgers. This is my favorite track on the release. Light shuffle, I Don't Know Yet really has a crisp, jazzy feel with a great strutting rhythm. Woods' vocals are breezy and his guitar lead is fluid and resolved. Very nice. Wrapping the release is Water Is Life, a firm ballad with primarily rhythm guitar backing with cool undercurrents of key and drums. This is a solid closer to an enjoyable release. 


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Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Music Theories Recordings artist: Neal Schon - Vortex - New Release Review

I just received the newest release (June 23, 2015), Vortex, from Neal Schon and it's quite good! Opening with Miles Beyond it is immediately recognized that you are listening to something different. With it's heavy bottom, almost like a giant strolling, it has unusual time signatures mixed in with middle eastern sounds and maybe even traces of Led Zep, but what it is all about is clean instrumental guitar work joined by Steve Smith on drums and Jan Hammer on keys. Very nice! Awakening immediately puts you into the feel of the Mahavishnu Orchestra with its excellent sense of rhythm and timing. Schon is certainly not copying McLaughlin here with totally different lead guitar style but essential and fluid just the same. Excellent! Cuban Fly Zone is a much more evenly paced track with vocal like jazz guitar leads and Hammer creating nice tension on keys. Schon is certainly equipped to fill a frame with notes but restrains himself for the most part creating melodic quick runs that tie nicely into the melody. El Matador has a Spanish guitar break within the melody and a Spanish guitar bridge between searing electric guitar soloing and hot tight drums. Eternal Love is a sweet piano melody set down by Igor Len. In A Cloud is a simple transition piece from the full onslaught of the earlier opening and ultimate quiet of Eternal Love. Slowly building from an easy flow to a more and more dynamic piece, this track does it's job nicely with clean ballad like guitar work. Irish Cream has an airy almost soaring kind of guitar feel over simple keyboard tracings of melody giving the track it's name. Smith really nails it on this track as Schon rides the wave. Lady M (Our Love Remains) is a bluesy ballad along what I'd consider the Gary Moore line. Although I like much of what I'm hearing overall, this track would seem the most natural radio transitional track from disc one. Airliner NS910 is a straight up rocker with Schon laying it all out there. Super smoker for the closer.

 Opening disc 2 is Tortured Souls, the epic track for the release. I particularly like Schon's bass lines on this track but am not as enamored with the synth horns but overall this is a real nice track with a solid focus. Schon & Hammer Now is guitar extravaganza with nice duets between Schon and Hammer reminiscent of earlier instrumental banter with Beck. Schon plays some incredibly fast runs on guitar and the track actually dances at times. NS Vortex opens with ethereal guitar work and then breaking into a fast, drum driven funk with Schon soloing over the top. Minor nods to BxB as Schon carves his own path accompanied by excellent precision drumming. Unspoken Faith reminds me a bit of a Jerry Goodman release from many years ago. It has a very tasty melody and clean guitar delivery. Excellent! Twilight Spellbound is another cool track that kind of walks between rock and jazz. I really like the dark melody that repeats itself under the prime guitar soloing which is the icing on the cake! Nicely done. Triumph Of Love has a definite anthem feel to it with it's repetition of the theme and military like drums. Once broken, the main track sounds like the soundtrack of an action film. Polished and nicely executed. Another break in the searing guitar is the simple acoustic Mom. Schon takes every care to make each note count on this quiet but impactful tune. Talk To Me is a slowly building slick guitar over scaled bass line track with some smoking hot guitar riffs. I like the tracks simplicity giving Hammer freedom on keys and Smith the chance to really hammer it home. Light bongo percussion and acoustic Spanish guitar balances nicely against a refrain on very heavy driving rhythm guitar with searing electric guitar lead. The release is wrapped by White Light, a cleverly light electric guitar solo over an acoustic guitar sequence and light keys. A nice track to cool down from a hot ride.  
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Wednesday, April 29, 2015

NEAL SCHON AND MUSIC THEORIES RECORDINGS / MLG ANNOUNCE THE RELEASE OF VORTEX ON JUNE 23



Billboard Premieres Lead Track "El Matador" from Double Disc All-Instrumental Album Featuring Legendary Guitarist Schon With Keyboardists Jan Hammer And Igor Len, Alongside Journey's Steve Smith

New York, NY --- Mascot Label Group's Music Theories Recordings and Neal Schon have announced the release of Vortex on June 23.  The 2-CD all-instrumental album utilizes rock as its foundation, while also embracing elements of jazz, classical and world music in an 18-track stunning, sonically explosive collection of original compositions.  The release is dedicated to Schon's best friend and wife, who serves as his true inspiration every day (Both "Lady M" and "Triumph of Love" were written for her, the latter of which he performed at their wedding on December 15, 2013).  Schon shares, "This is an evolutionary album for me.  I’ve always aspired to be a better player and push musical boundaries. And sure, I’ve sold 80-million records with Journey, and I’m proud of that, but this album is really me — all based on my guitar, which is my ‘voice.’ It’s bold. There’s love, and there’s definitely fire and an element of danger. And the energy level is off the hook.”

That’s evident from the first, mysterious-sounding measures of “Miles Beyond,” the scalding tribute to jazz genius Miles Davis’ pioneering fusion recordings that opens the album. The tune blends Schon’s soaring leads, tectonic plates of grinding rhythm and brilliantly layered melodies within an arrangement that embraces Middle Eastern flourishes plus flashes of African drumming by Steve Smith. “Schon & Hammer Now” is a furious jam between the guitarist and his longtime friend and creative foil, Grammy-winning keyboardist Jan Hammer, whose many accomplishments include charter membership in the groundbreaking Mahavishnu Orchestra.  And the two match their brilliant technique and relentless invention throughout, sparring with the grace and speed of a young Mohammad Ali.  Schon reveals, "Jan is all over this album. I wrote the material to give Jan room to stretch.  There are not many three minute ditties. It’s all huge, epic, bombastic…futuristic.”  After hearing the completed album for the first time, Hammer made a succinct observation, “This is fucking amazing.”

“Airliner NS910” is further proof. It’s all speed and swagger, with Schon skywriting the song’s sweetly singing theme in the indelible vapor trail of the instantly recognizable operatic tones of his signature model Paul Reed Smith guitars. He reflects, "Since Vortex is a two-record set, it's both my ninth and tenth solo albums.  That’s where the ‘NS910’ comes from."

The music of Vortex originated in the hard drives that Schon is constantly filling with ideas for riffs, melodies and chord progressions at home. But they came to life at Berkeley’s Fantasy Studios, his preferred spot for recording since Journey cut the 10-times-platinum number-one album Escape there in 1981. Schon states, "It’s my home away from home.  I spend so much time there that they’ve given me my own locker.”

Schon produced and played bass on Vortex, too, and was joined in the studio by Smith and keyboardist Igor Len. Hammer and Len also appeared on Schon’s seventh solo album, The Calling, which was followed by the blues-inspired hard rock album So U.  He offers, "Igor and Jan complement each other, and me, beautifully."  And Vortex’s “Eternal Love” is a testament to Len’s creativity. The song, a richly emotional ballad, features Len alone on piano. The guitarist observes, “He sat down and played the tune spontaneously, and it was so gorgeous and deep that I had to have it on my album.” Schon offers his own reflective solo performance on Vortex with the sparsely arranged acoustic guitar meditation “Mom,” dedicated to his mother, Barbara Schon. He reveals, "Like most of the performances on this album, it wasn’t premeditated.  I’d just pick up a guitar and tell my engineer Jesse Nichols to hit ProTools.”

The intensely creative guitar giant has always had a seemingly innate ability to make glorious music. He began playing at age five and was inspired by soul vocalists like Aretha Franklin and Gladys Knight, and blues and jazz guitarists ranging from B.B. King Albert King, and Eric Clapton to Wes Montgomery. When Schon was just 15 years old, Carlos Santana invited him to join his band. Schon’s recording debut was on the classic 1971 album Santana III. He played the solo on the LP’s hit single “Everybody’s Everything.” Recently Schon has been working with Carlos Santana on a new album, co-writing songs and playing key performances including homecoming Santana concerts in Guadalajara and Mexico City that included Journey as the opening band.

Schon formed Journey in 1973 and has led the band through its astonishing 42-year history. Along the way Journey has sold well over 80 million albums, amongst which the band's Greatest Hits release was certified Diamond by the RIAA for sales in excess of 10 million copies.  To date sales now exceed 15 million copies.  Eight other Journey album releases have been certified multi-platinum.  Neal Schon co-wrote the timeless hit “Don’t Stop Believin,’" which now holds the title as the most digitally downloaded song in history.  Seventeen additional Journey singles were Top 40 hits,  Schon has received multiple Grammy award nominations for both his work with Journey and his solo recordings. And Journey has been nominated for the Rock ‘n’ Hall of Fame.

Besides solo albums and tours and his historic work with Journey, Schon has an extensive history of blue-ribbon collaborations. These include co-founding the supergroup Bad English and forming bands with vocalists Paul Rodgers and Sammy Hagar. He released two collaboration albums with Jan Hammer, Untold Passion and Here To Stay, while also performing on releases from Michael Bolton, Return to Forever’s Lenny White and many others. 

One thing he’s never done is considered resting on his laurels. Schon reflects, "I feel more aware and alive now than I've ever been.  Part of that is the sobriety I've had for the last seven years. I’ve also evolved as a person and a player though understanding the value of being in the moment – letting things happen and not thinking too much. There's an old blues saying: ‘If you’re thinkin’, you’re stinkin’.  When you stop thinking and just play from the heart, you discover your own voice. That’s the real thing, and that’s what Vortex is about for me.”

http://www.mascotlabelgroup.com/