| |
 |
|
| Hobby Forum Index » Music - Reviews » Triptych 3, Shulgin's Songbook: Exceeding Genre... |
|
Page 1 of 1 |
|
| Author |
Message |
| mixtapes23... |
 Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2009 2:17 pm |
|
|
|
Guest
|
Relative to jazz in general, the genre "smooth jazz" often entails
less complexity and more accessibility. However, Alexander Shulgin -
the famous Russian composer and former member of the band "The Cruise"
- succeeds in creating an album that is both complex, yet accessible,
and thus pleases both musicians and non-musicians alike. With an all-
star line-up that includes, John Patitucci, Billy Cobham, and Bob
Mintzer, Part 3 of Shulgin's songbook "Triptych" has plenty to offer.
One of the album's strength's is Shulgin's willingness to experiment
with different instrumentations, which keeps the album feeling fresh
throughout. On the tune "Winter," Gregoire Maret is featured on
harmonica, and it creates a totally different color than what the
listener is used to up until that point. In addition, sax player Snake
Davis often plays the flute instead of sax, and this also contributes
to making the album diverse in terms of color and sound.
The use of the stand-up bass also adds a welcomed new sound to the
album. On "Summer", John Patitucci plays stand-up, and it is a nice
change from the electric bass (even though Janek Gwizdala is fantastic
as well). Naturally, Shulgin gives Patitucci room to solo, and as
usual, Patitucci plays in a way that is appropriate for the song (the
sign of a talented studio musician). Meanwhile, drummer Gary Husband
provides subtle and tasty snare work in the beginning, and then
appropriately moves to brushes for Patitucci's solo.
Another admirable aspect of this album is that Shulgin gives his
musicians room to really show off their abilities. Towards the end of
"Winter", Maret displays his chops on the chromatic harmonica. It's
tough to name the great harmonica players that are around today. For
me, Stevie Wonder and Howard Levy (former member of Bela Fleck & The
Flecktones) are the first two that come to mind. However, after
hearing Maret on this track, I would certainly add his name to that
list, for his solo is nothing short of virtuosic. On "Brazilian
Summer", bassist Janek Gwizdala plays a blazing solo while singing
along to his improvised melody (ala bassist Richard Bona).
On the track "Airplane", Bob Mintzer is featured on saxophone. The
head is quite simple, but his solo is what makes the tune. He glides
over the changes with effortless ease and Shulgin gives him room to
show off those skills that made him famous in groups like The
Yellowjackets, and The Word of Mouth Big Band (led by the late, great
Jaco Pastorious). At times, with certain songs that feature some of
jazz's best, I feel that Alexander Shulgin was simply saying "Hey,
look who I got to play on my album!" Regardless, that's perfectly fine
with me.
Though the album definitely has the sound and often the feel of smooth
jazz, it has the musicianship of classical music or bebop. Alexander
Shulgin is a composer that clearly knew what he was doing when he was
putting together a band. Even the lesser-known musicians are still
excellent players and they add a lot to the album. For instance, on
the infectious "Catch" (appropriately titled), Richard Niles provides
great guitar work and a tasty solo, utilizing a clean jazz tone.
Although part 3 of "Triptych" has a lot going for it, it's the
musicians that really carry the load more than Shulgin himself. Though
several of the compositions are quite interesting and complex, it's
the players that really bring them to life. In the end, the genre
"smooth jazz" still might be the best classification for Part 3 of
"Triptych", for the overall sound is quite typical of smooth jazz.
However, because it is played at the highest level, by some of the
greatest musicians in the world, it stretches the genre beyond its
usual limitations.
http://www.myspace.com/shulginalexander
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Alexander-Shulgin/58197470874
Track Listing
1. Osen' (Autumn)
2. Lovi (Catch)
3. Samolet (Airplane)
4. Nebesa (Heavens)
5. Zima (Winter)
6. Noch' Nezhna (Night is Tender)
7. Polyot na Vozdushnom Share (Balloon Flight)
8. Nebo nad Piterom (Sky over St.Petersburg)
9. Riga-Moskva
10. Leto (Summer)
11. Pevitsa (Singer)
12. Posmotri vokrug sebya (Look around)
13. Vesna (Spring)
14. Brazil'skoe Leto (Brazilian Summer)
Performers
John Patitucci: double bass
Bob James: keyboards
Billy Cobham: drums
Bob Mintzer: sax
Richard Niles: guitar
Gregoire Maret: harmonica
Janek Gwizdala: electric bass
Kim Chandler: backing vocal
Richard Cottle: keyboards
Snake Davis: sax & flute
Gary Husband: drums |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
|
All times are GMT - 5 Hours
The time now is Mon Nov 23, 2009 9:20 am
|
|