Jazz fusion, Levin style

Tony Levin is well known as a bass virtuoso in progressive music. Whether it's his insane work with King Crimson, his great work with Peter Gabriel, or his genius contributions to the more recent supergroup Liquid Tension Experiment, Levin has certainly left his mark as one of the more influential bassists today. Another addition to his impressive resume is his prolific solo career, whether it is with his 'band,' his side project 'Stick Men,' or any of his other bass-heavy projects. On this album, Pieces of the Sun, Levin exemplifies the eclectic style he has shown throughout all of his various bands and projects, with each song featuring a different flair of his unique career. From the dark to the peppy to the jazzy to the funky, the album contains a huge blend of great features.

The most obvious characteristic that stands out about this album is the eclectic blend of styles Levin uses to craft his songs. Whether it's the almost metallic yet upbeat and jazzy opener 'Apollo' or the pop inspired but still dark 'Dog One' (which is taken from a Peter Gabriel session he played in), the album has a huge blend of styles to make this album truly unique. The album has an overall very jazzy feel, with his obvious fusion influence, inspired by his various jazzy projects such as Bruford Levin Upper Extremities and others, really shine through to give it a nice funky feel.

Musically, the album truly shows that Levin knows his stuff. His masterful control over melody, harmony and overall communicatory instrumentation is truly fantastic all over the album. His use of a wide variety of instruments, from an acoustic guitar trio to his numerous basses to numerous stringed and synthesized instruments really adds a nice harmonious touch to the music. I find it great how he incorporates so many of his influences into each individual track, from funk in 'Tequila' to eclectic rock like his days in King Crimson into 'Blue Nude Reclining' (which I believe is a reference to his side project BLUE as well). Overall, his mastery of the music he plays truly makes this album a gem, with cinematic touches adding an exciting flair and melodic grace truly accenting the album to make it a great progressive jazz showing.

My absolute favorite track on the album and probably one of my favorite jazz rock tracks is the title track of this album, which is actually how I found this album (thank you YouTube). Musically, this is easily the most genius track on the album. Highly syncopated, the rhythms compliment the melody in an almost dissonant way, as a tribal feel rotates around screeching guitar solos and pulsing bass lines (in which he uses his epic 'funk fingers,' which are essentials drumsticks he attaches to his fingers). The song is a slow build, and when it releases, it transforms into a LTE-esque funk marathon, with bass exploding forth from the speakers and the whole band conforming around him to make a truly amazing song.

Overall, this album is truly great. With fantastic instrumental performance (well, the whole thing is basically instrumental) and a superb mastery of an eclectic style, Levin has output a fine album, full of memorable tracks and wonderful moments. In the end, this is truly a gem of jazz rock music. 4 stars.

The way up into the beauty of sound

Pat Metheny is well known for being a master of jazz fusion. Through a career spanning nearly 40 years, he has written and released many albums, recorded with numerous groups of talented musicians, and released some of the tastiest and innovative fusion out there. The Way Up may be his most innovative, progressive, and delicious album yet. The album, comprised of a single, 68 minute long composition broken into four parts, is easily my favorite progressive jazz song out there, and its length only adds to my love of the music. The melodic quality, the crispness of the music, the incredible up-down feel of the flow of the song and so much more make this album (and song) just an incredible experience. Whether you are riding the waves of one of Metheny's many spectacular solos of or the incredible atmosphere the 'toy' instruments make throughout the song, this is truly a special release, and is well deservedly a masterpiece of jazz fusion.

Opening slowly and with an almost ambient feel, the song quickly accelerates into a swinging and sweeping bop-like song. With an incredible flow and superb communicative feeling about it, this music is truly sublime as you ride the sonic roller coaster of this man's composition. The song has a huge amount of improvisation, and the guys who make up this spectacular band have no trouble weaving in and out of chord progressions and sections like no one's business. The main theme, returned to once and a while, is a spectacularly beautiful passage, worthy of entrance in the famous fake books of jazz charts.

Whether you are experiencing the beauty of Metheny guitar tone, the nonchalant effortlessness of the piano, or the sweeping grandeur of a trumpet, this entire composition has some of the most beautiful moments in all of jazz fusion. The beauty associated with the flow of this albums almost breath-like flow, with a crescendo as the music breathes in and a sublime decrescendo and deceleration as the music exhales is absolutely spectacular. The incredible movement between the parts as the themes change and the music is revived as one might begin to get 'bored' is wonderful as well, with some wonderful instrumentation insinuated all throughout the album. Overall, this album is just supremely beautiful, in composition, in form, and in virtually every aspect of its being.

I've said pretty much everything. I love this album. It truly is spectacular. The whole way through, the composition never fails to impress me, even 67 minutes in. Knee deep in Metheny's musical genius, I really can't see how anyone could not love this music. I would highly recommend this album to any fan of jazz fusion. It truly is a pure masterpiece. 5 stars.

I am a pretty big jazz fan; my dad was the one who really initiated any spark within me, with his collection of over 200 jazz albums (not including his over 200 vinyl records). A friend of mine showed me the song Zickenterror, and I was determined to search them out . I got my hands on STARKE STÜCKE, perhaps one of the greatest jazz metal albums I have ever heard. Blasting off with Pink Panther , the band shows their great skill with saxophone and guitar mix. M.W.M.I.O.F.R. (don't ask me what that stands for) is great, with heavy guitar, raging saxophone, and in the end a great er- "vocal" part that accentuates the heaviness of the album. The band then does a great take on Smoke on the Water . Then Friede, Freude, Fußball (Peace, joy, football [soccer]) comes in with great melodies and funky elements. Wind of Change offers a soft jazz breather. My favorite track on the album is their take on the classic Birdland . A great more mainstream (ish) track is Dreamology with great fusion elements. A great take on AC/DC's Thunderstruck comes in with the telltale hammer-on/pull-off piece then with heavy guitar/sax duology. A funnier song with its ridiculous vocals is Zickenterror with an awesome funk part near the end. Paranoid ends the album on a softer note. My favorite tracks Are:

- Pink Panther - Friede, Freude, Fußball - Birdland - Dreamology - Thunderstruck - Zickenterror

I think I have a sore one

Little Women, which has no association with the popular children's novel by Louisa May Alcott, is a new noisecore/jazznoise/grindjazz/*insert other noise related sub-genre* band, composed of two saxophonists, a guitarist, and a drummer. In most cases, I would be ecstatic about listening to a wind-heavy prog band, even if they are classified as avant, as oftentimes the dynamic lent to a wind-oriented rock band can be truly magnificent. However, when I entered the land of Little Women, I encountered quite a different experience. The New York-based quintet released their debut album, Throat, a 41 minute long piece with seven movements (if you can call them that) in 2010, and let me say this album is truly abrasive.

The quintet's style can be described more accurately as noise than music, and although I'm no fan of the so called "noise music" phenomenon (I know a few people who will balk at that statement), this... this noise is just dissonant garbage - two sax men noodling around blindly while a guitarist plays the most random chords he can come with and the drummer spazes on his kit. There is no true melody to this album, despite the melodic nature of a saxophone. There is no true rhythm to this album, despite the rhythmic nature of a percussion instrument. This album is truly devoid of anything that anyone has ever called music (maybe except the noise-heads).

There is a very definitive line in the genre of avant garde music. On one side of the line, there is an incredible beauty to the "oddity" of the avant genre - bands such Kayo Dot, Samla Mammas Manna, and even Magma are perfect examples of this. On the other side of the line, there are the bands that have made it their lot to make the weirdest, most discordant, dissonant (the bad kind of dissonance), and horrid music I've heard in my life. I can easily say that Little Women has crossed that line and hasn't stopped delving into that "other side."

Although some may say this stuff is "2 deep 4 u" or some other excuse that this album is only made for hipsters, I cannot for the life of me understand how anyone would enjoy this. I painfully listened to this album through and through a number of times, and I discovered no redeeming quality of this atrocious album. By the time the seventh movement comes along, with each band member warbling like a dying pigeon, my ears have already been clamped shut in an attempt to shut out the noise. I beg of you reader - do not waste your money nor your time on this album unless you are: 1) a hipster who's lot in life is to go against the grain, or 2) a noise addict, or 3) don't actually have ears. Other than that, it's a no-go. 1- stars.

Turning up the chill

Romanian acid jazz/trip hop veterans Aieva have only released their second studio release with 2009's "Cinema," yet they have existed for nearly over a decade. The album, free for download over their bandcamp, shows the band's incredible talent, cool attitude, and general great compositional skills. The album's 13 tracks drip with chill trippy beats and jazzy jabs and atmospheres, making the album one of the more wondrous and relaxing discoveries I've made in the past year or so (thanks to the good Alex, more well known as Harmonium.ro). The music is bred upon a hybrid of the chill genre of trip hop mixed with an air of masterful relaxed jazz fusion wrapped in an acid jazz bundle, making for a truly delicious mix of modern jazz. Marta Hristea's mellow and melodious vocals give the beautifully produced instrumentals a chilling and incredible vibe, which truly accentuates this wonderful display of the band's talent. Overall, "Cinema" is truly a gem in the modern acid jazz repertoire, and the free download should be sought out by anyone looking for a smashing good listen. 4 stars.