Jimmy Herring – Subject to Change Without Notice

Subject to Change Without Notice (Abstract Logix, 2013)

If all you guitar fanatics haven’t gotten the memo, guitarist Jimmy Herring has a new recording, Subject to Change Without Notice, out on the Abstract Logix label. For those of you not in the know and might need a little convincing, Mr. Herring was a founding member of Col Bruce Hampton and The Aquarium Rescue Unit, Frogwings, did a stint with Jazz is Dead, collaborated with Phil Lesh, did another stint with The Other Ones, founded Project Z and later joined Widespread Panic after the death of guitarist Mike Houser.

With credits on such recordings as Col. Bruce Hampton & the Aquarium Rescue Unit, The Calling, Out of the Madness, Blue Light Rain, Croakin’ at Toad’s, Project Z, Endangered Species, Free Somehow, Dirty Side Down and the solo recording Lifeboat, Mr. Herring is perhaps best known for his career in rock music, but he’s equally enthusiastic about dipping into jazz, jazz fusion and instrumental rock. And, hey, he also plays the saxophone.

Subject to Change Without Notice is good…super-duper good…okay, I might have drooled a little. Guest artists like Bill Evans, Bela Fleck, Tyler Greenwell, Carter Herring, John Keane, Nicky Sanders and Ike Stubblefield just might clue listeners into the plummy fabulousness contained on Subject to Change Without Notice.

Opening with the Django Reinhardt inspired “Red Wing Special,” Mr. Herring and company dazzle with the up-tempo number with Etienne Mbapple and fiddler Nicky Sanders get a fair number of sassy licks in. Subject to Change just gets better with the wide open sky feel of “Kaleidoscope Carousel” that’s kicked up a notch by Mr. Herring on guitar and Matt Slocum on organ.

Other goodies include “Aberdeen” with Ike Stubblefield on organ, a twangy version George Harrison’s “Within You, Without You” with cello provided by Carter Herring and the deliciously funky “Miss Poopie” with Mr. Stubblefield on organ that is so good that even the most reluctant will be trying to find their smooth moves.

On “Emerald Garden” Mr. Herring pulls out the acoustic guitar to Mr. Keane’s lanky lines on the pedal steel. Listeners get a jazz fix with “12 Keys” and a healthy dose of Bill Evans on tenor saxophone, as well as Carter Herring on cello, John Keane on pedal steel, Etienne Mbapple on bass, Jeff Sipe on drums and Matt Slocum on keys in addition to Mr. Herring on “Hope.”

Perhaps my favorite is the kicky “Curfew” with Bela Fleck playing banjo. Subject to Change closes with the bluesy, jazzy, funk of “Bilgewater Blues” that positively reeks of kickass goodness.

Threaded through with Mr. Herring’s richly wrought guitar licks, Subject to Change Without Notice is smart, stylish and striking, effortlessly tugging the lines of rock, jazz, blues, funk and Americana and weaving the lot into something hopelessly delicious.

Citizen Cain – Somewhere But Yesterday

All five albums have been remastered from the original DAT recordings by Mike Varty at Gargoyle Studios, bringing back to life these releases that have been deleted and unavailable for a very long time.

The artwork is based on the original releases, and now includes full lyrics. ‘Serpents In Camouflage’ is now released with a bonus disc featuring the four studio tracks (all remastered) from the band’s 1991 demo tape, two of which are released for the very first time on CD.

Citizen Cain had a successful 2012 album titled ‘Skies Darken‘, its first in 10 years. The current lineup includes Stewart Bell (keyboards/drums), Cyrus (bass/lead vocals) and Phil Allen (guitars/backing vocals).

Robert Carty – Beautiful Depths

Beautiful Depths (Deep Sky Music, 2013)

I’ve been blessed with quite a few great new CDs to play lately on my show at stillstream. Robert Carty’s Beautiful Depths is one of his best, I think. He has so many good works it’s often hard to rank them. But this is a good one. He has been developing his style for 20 years now, and it has refined and deepened– as the name of his new CD suggests.

I especially like tracks 4, 5 and 8 (title track). Track 5, Down Into Space, is especially well crafted and transcends his usual sounds. This is music to relax with and explore your experience and memories. I also recommend his recent CD, “Ecoroots.”

Buy the album from deepskymusic.net

Acuña – Hoff – Mathisen – Barxeta

Barxeta (2012)

Barxeta is a beautiful fusion album performed by a trio of keyboards, bass and percussion that delivers an impeccable set of tracks. I was already familiar with percussion maestro Alex Acuña, who has performed with many of jazz music greats. In this occasion he teams up with two outstanding Norwegian musicians who certainly deserve more attention.

The album opens with ‘Belarus’, a delightful combination of grand piano and synthesizer. Jan Gunnar Hoff quickly demonstrates that he is a superb keyboardist by producing tasteful synthesizer sounds. Jan Gunnar Hoff combines the melodic sensibility and dexterity of Lyle Mays with the edginess of Chick Corea. The rhythm section provides the right balance with creative and ever changing patterns that make the music exciting and entertaining.

Track 2, ‘Grande Castelar’ is much more power-driven, with a potent mix of electric piano, electric bass and drums. Jan Gunnar Hoff and bassist Per Mathisen treat the listener to dazzling interactions. A while later Alex Acuña gives a master lesson of top of the line drumming with an exciting solo.

The trio goes acoustic on the high-spirited ‘Embrace.’ This is followed by a spectacular exhibition of Alex Acuña’s expertise with a rhythmic piece featuring various types of percussion.

Per Mathisen’s elegant fretless bass plays the leading role in the easy going ‘Barxeta. It’s followed by ‘Tu Amor, a piece that combines Latin inspired piano, hauntingly beautiful electronic harmonies and creative soft percussion.

As the title indicates, the fiery ‘Havana Drive’ is inspired by Cuban music. However, the Cuban connection is closer to Irakere’s high energy fusion than Cuban son.

‘Indochina’ is an album favorite with its brilliant mix of electric fusion, exciting tempo changes and world music elements. It features some of the finest synthesizer work in the album.

‘Winds of change’ brings the pace down to mesmerizing laid back mode with a graceful piano/synth, fretless bass and percussion arrangement.

The spirit of Joe Zawinul appears in ‘Abogat Funk’in this dynamic jazz-funk piece that brings together Per Mathisen’s attention-grabbing vocoder, splendid keyboards and jazz-funk beats.

The album ends with a straight ahead jazz trio piece showcasing the improvisatory edge of the band.

The album was recorded in a studio located in the town of Barcheta (Barxeta in the local Valencian dialect) in the Spanish Mediterranean province of Valencia. The liner notes make reference to the great food the musicians had while recording there, including paella. For those who don’t know, the famous rice dish paella originally came from the Valencia region of Spain.

Barxeta is first class fusion with a blend of passionate, high energy and gracefully elegant music performed by three world class musicians.

Buy Barxeta in North America

Buy Barxeta in Europe

Tim Bowness and Steven Wilson

Tim has released several studio albums and a documentary DVD with No-Man. He also worked with Robert Fripp, Hugh Hopper (Soft Machine), OSI and Roger Eno, and popular Italian artist Alice, amongst many others. He is currently in the band Memories Of Machines, and the Anglo-Estonian ensemble Slow Electric.

Tim also recorded the album Flame with Richard Barbieri (Porcupine Tree/ex-Japan) and co-produced and co-wrote the acclaimed Talking With Strangers (2009) for Judy Dyble (ex Fairport Convention).

In 2001, he created an online record label and store called Burning Shed along with Peter Chilvers and Pete Morga. Tim has also been involved in various other projects that are of interest to our readers.

Henry Fool – Men Singing

We’ve written about five album’s worth of material between 2001 and 2013. The difficulty has been making coherent albums out of what is a pretty diverse body of work.

Men Singing began in 2006 when we went into the studio for a weekend of recording various things live straight to tape. We produced several hours worth of music, which took us years to edit down into usable chunks (partly, because we were all so daunted by the task!). It was completed in late 2012 with further edits and overdubs from Jarrod Gosling and Phil Manzanera.

Tell us a little about the musicians involved in Men Singing.

In various line-ups, most of us have worked with one another for years. Michael Bearpark, Peter Chilvers. Andrew Booker and me have known each other since the early 1990s (though I’ve worked with Michael since 1985). I met Stephen Bennett in 2000 and we immediately got on well, so making music together became an inevitably.

Michael, Stephen and Andrew are also in the No-Man live band. Peter is someone I’ve worked with on various projects (Slow Electric, Samuel Smiles). Jarrod is in an electronic band I Monster who had a huge ‘trip-hop’ hit in Europe in 2002. Phil Manzanera is very well known for his work with Roxy Music, Robert Wyatt, 801, David Gilmour and many others.

Jarrod Gosling got in touch with me last year regarding his band Regal Worm. I liked his music a lot and accepted an invitation from him to sing on his new album. In return, I asked him to contribute to Men Singing.

Phil Manzanera, who I’ve been dealing with via Burning Shed, got involved very late on, but added some really nice guitar parts which subtly enhanced what was already there.

How would you describe the music in Men Singing?

Once completed, it sounded a little like we’d accidentally reinvented Jazz Rock!

The truth is that with the material on Men Singing we just went in and recorded music live in the studio with no preconceptions.

I guess the result has elements of 1960s/1970s Jazz Rock, Psychedelia, Progressive and Minimalist Classical music, but I think it’s filtered through the band member’s personalities and the forty years or so that have elapsed since the recognised heyday of some of aforementioned genres.

I noticed that the length of tracks in this album is considerable longer than the pieces on your previous recording. How did the band and its sound evolve?

Henry Fool debut album

With the new material the band took ideas I had into areas I couldn’t on my own. They also played a lot more with dynamic possibilities and mood. It was a real collective effort. Men Singing’s 14 minute tracks started off as 30 minute pieces, so there was a lot of editing done.

I hope that the album’s got a nice balance between live performance energy and post-production hindsight.

The songs Stephen Bennett and I have written since the first album are also more complex musically and more detailed in terms of sound. It’s partly come out of a desire to stretch ourselves, but it’s all come out naturally.

Your previous album was released in 2001. It’s taken 12 years for a new album. Why did it take so long?

There are three reasons mainly. The first is that we’ve all been involved with other projects (most of the Henry Fool band play live with No-Man, for example). The second is that although we’ve done a lot of writing over the years, for various reasons, we never found the right way to structure and release what had become a very diverse collection of material. The third and maybe most crucial reason was that we recorded so much music, it took months make our way through the files and edit the music down.

A fourth reason is that I’ve always felt that music like this works well in the classic 40 minute album format, so we took a lot of time over getting the sequencing and dynamics the way we wanted them to be.

Jarrod Gosling’s artwork, which came very late on in the process, was something that I also felt tied everything together nicely.

Is Henry Fool a studio collaboration or is there also a live version of the band?

We’re hoping to play live this year. We’ve been invited to play at the Kscope label 5th anniversary concert in July. Who’ll be on stage? I’m not sure!

Although you are described as singer-songwriter in some biographies, you play guitar in Henry Fool which is essential an instrumental music project. How was this experience without vocals?

Very enjoyable. By its very nature, my voice tends to dominate what I sing on in terms of mood and style. When I write on the guitar for No-Man, it’s in an unobtrusive songwriting way, whereas with Henry Fool I often write sequences that wouldn’t work as songs

I’m a more accomplished and confident singer than I am a guitarist, but it’s easier to be more flexible and more a part of a collective experience as a guitarist.

I think I’m a more original singer than I am a guitarist, but for better or worse, I feel more of a sense of surprise at what comes out of my guitar playing.

Judy Dyble – Talking with Strangers

Judy asked me to produce an album for her in 2008. As I was busy with No-Man at the time, I asked Alistair Murphy to help out.

We co-wrote most of the material with Judy and produced the album for her. The opening piece Neverknowing and the 20 minute epic Harpsong were musically wholly written by Alistair and I, and I heavily re-wrote Judy’s lyrics to fit my melodies. In other words, it was a major collaborative project.

It was a lovely experience and I’m very proud of the album. Judy’s voice was as sweet as it ever was and it was great working with the likes of Folk royalty, Simon Nicol and Jacqui McShee.

One of your best known aspects is as member of British band No-Man. Are you currently working on any No-Man projects?

Yes. We did a European tour last year, which was really enjoyable and energising and I’ve recently been in the studio with the No-Man live band and we’ve already recorded about half an hour’s worth of new music which will hopefully be considered for inclusion on whatever Steven and I come up with next for No-Man.

You are also involved in a business called Burning Shed? It’s been described as an online label and music store. What kind of music do you work with?

We’re an active label releasing albums by Daniel Cavanagh (Anathema), Lo-Fi Resistance, Hugh Hopper, Steve Jansen, Nick Beggs and others, and we also run the official online stores for Porcupine Tree, No-Man, Kscope records, Panegyric/King Crimson, Thomas Dolby, Jethro Tull and more.

Who can you cite as your main musical influences?

I think influences and what you like and listen to (inspirations?) can often be different things, although they can sometimes be the same thing.

For example, Joni Mitchell and John Coltrane are two of my favourite artists of all time, but I don’t hear any of their influence on what I do. Peter Gabriel, Kevin Godley and Paul Buchanan are three of my favourite singers, but I sound nothing like them.

I also really like artists such as John Martyn, Rickie Lee Jones, Steely Dan, Can, The Flaming Lips, Lonnie Liston Smith, Kevin Coyne, Mercury Rev, Randy Newman, Beach Boys, Frank Zappa, Yes, Talking Heads, The Beatles and Lindsey Buckingham who I don’t think have much (if any) bearing on my own music.

On the other hand, bands like U2 and The Doors aren’t particular favourites of mine, yet I can hear their influence in what I do.

People who I’d consider both inspirations and influences would be Nick Drake, Peter Hammill, Steve Reich, Tim Buckley, David Bowie, Talk Talk, Robert Fripp, Miles Davis, Sigur Ros, Pink Floyd, John Barry, Philip Glass, Scott Walker, Rain Tree Crow, Mark Eitzel/American Music Club and Kate Bush.

How does the composition process work?

In whatever way serves the final result. Ideas can come from anyone, anywhere and at anytime.

With No-Man, for example, I can bring in a complete song that Steven develops, Steven can give me an instrumental I write lyrics and a melody for, or we can write together in the studio.

If you could gather any musicians or musical groups to collaborate with whom would that be?

I’m lucky enough to have worked with some people whose music I loved when I was growing up – Robert Fripp, Peter Hammill, Phil Manzanera, Dave Stewart, Bruce Kaphan, Ian Carr and so on – and it’s still a thrill to think that I’ve worked with these people. That said, there are always musicians I’d like to work with.

Eberhard Weber, Philip Glass, Stephen Drozd, Jon Christensen, Brian Eno, Kate Bush, Joni Mitchell, Vudi, Brian Blade, John Cale, David Bowie, Peter Gabriel and many more people I’ll probably never even meet would be on my fantasy list.

It would also be really exciting to work on full collaborative projects with people I’ve already dealt with like Phil Manzanera, Robert Fripp and Peter Hammill.

What guitar types and models are you playing now?

I have a Line 6 Variax and a PRS SE EG, which I usually process through a Line 6 Pod 2.0 or a Line 6 PodFarm.

What music are you currently listening to?

I listen to a lot of music a lot of the time and my passions vary massively.

At the moment, I’m going through a phase of listening to early 1970s and very recent British Jazz such as Mike Westbrook, Michael Gibbs, Troyka, Dave Stapleton and others. I’m also listening to new albums by The Flaming Lips, Mark Kozelek, David Bowie and Todd Rundgren.

What do you like to do during your free time?

Between making music,being involved with Burning Shed and having a two year old child, free time is scarce. I try and keep up my interest in music, films and literature, which leaves little time for much else.

What country would you like to visit?

Too many to mention! Out of the countries I’ve visited, I retain a fascination for the US. Partly because of its vastness and its phenomenal diversity of landscape and culture. I’m also very fond of Greek islands such as Skopelos and Ithaka, which have a real sense of calm and provide an ideal escape from the modern world. The ancient medinas I’ve visited in Morocco are fascinating in an altogether more frantic way.

When gigging abroad, former Eastern Bloc countries such as Poland, Estonia and Kiev have been great to visit due to the enthusiasm of the audiences.

What other musical projects are you involved with?

Slow Electric – A collaboration with Peter Chilvers and two Estonian Jazz musicians. We’re working on a second album, which features Porcupine Tree’s Colin Edwin on bass and as a co-writer.

Postcards From Space – A project with Alistair Murphy featuring Pat Mastelotto on drums and Steve Bingham on violin.

I’ve also written a couple of songs with James Matheos from Fates Warning/OSI and co-written some acoustic songs with White Willow’s Jacob and Andrew Keeling.

Selected discography:

With Henry Fool

• Henry Fool (2001)
• Men Singing (2013)

With no-man – Studio Albums

• Loveblows & Lovecries – A Confession (1993)
• Flowermouth (1994)
• Wild Opera (1996)
• Returning Jesus (2001)
• Together We’re Stranger (2003)
• Schoolyard Ghosts (2008)

no-man Compilations / Other

• Lovesighs – An Entertainment (1992)
• Dry Cleaning Ray (1997)
• Speak (1988/1999)
• All The Blue Changes – An Anthology 1988-2003 (2006)
• Love And And Endings (2012)

Solo albums & collaborations

• Flame, with Richard Barbieri (1994)
• World Of Bright Futures, with Samuel Smiles (1999)
• California, Norfolk, with Peter Chilvers (2002)
• My Hotel Year (2004)
• Never Trust The Way You Are, with Centrozoon (2004)
• Daylight, with Darkroom (1998)
• Talking with Strangers, with Judy Dyble (FixIt, 2009)
• Slow Electric, with Slow Electric (2011)

Links:

• Official Tim Bowness site
• Henry Fool
• no-man
• Burning Shed
• Slow Electric

Saturday, May 25

15:00 – 15:40 – Flower Flesh
16:00 – 16:40 – La Coscienza Di Zeno
17:00 – 17:45 – Goad
18:00 – Orchestra Sinfonica di Sanremo
19:15 – 20:15 – Biglietto Per L’inferno
20:30 – 21:30 – Delirium
21:45 – 22:45 – The Trip
23:00 – 24:00 – Claudio Simonetti feat. Horror Project

Sunday, May 26

15:00 – 15:40 – Le Porte Non Aperte
15:55 – 16:35 – G.C. Neri Band
16:50 – 17:30 – Il Cerchio Dell’oro
17:50 – 18:40 – Il Tempio Delle Clessidre
18:55 – 19:45 – Garybaldi
20:00 – 21:00 – Latte E Miele

More at: http://www.fimfiera.it/riviera_prog_concerto.htm

Ray Russell – Now, More Than Ever

Now, More Than Ever is his first solo album in seven years, after his last studio recording, Goodbye, Svengali, a tribute to the late Gil Evans. The album combines jazz fusion, rock power, funk and blues.

The creator of such pioneering and seminal jazz-rock works as 1968’s Turn Circle and 1969’s Dragon Hill, guitarist and composer Russell emerged on a fertile 1960s London music scene as a reputable session musician, along with fellow guitarists John McLaughlin and Jimmy Page.

Russell has numerous recordings to his credit, from small group sessions to soundtrack recordings for movies and TV.

Buy Now, More Than Ever

Nektar – Remember the Future

Remember the Future (Purple Pyramid Records CLP 0274, 2013)

This version of the classic Nektar album Remember the Future (originally released in 2013) is a lavishly packaged double CD 40th Anniversary set that contains the original album along with a bonus disc. The second CD features radio edits and an album titled The 1970 Boston Tapes.

Nektar is a British band that is frequently labeled as a progressive rock act. The music on their early 1970s albums had progressive rock elements, including some engaging guitar and organ passages and their attention-grabbing colorful artwork. While the essential prog bands of the 1970s incorporated classical, jazz, folk and other elements, 1970s Nektar was characterized by blues rock, sometimes with a hard edge, and psychedelia.

The original album, on disc 1, is where you will find the most interesting material. Disc 1 is basically two long pieces, Remember the future Part I and Remember the Future Part II. The second part is where the progressive rock-oriented material appears, with tasty guitar solos by Roye Albrighton that recall the work of Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour, which create great interactions with Allan “Taff” Freeman’s electric organ.

The 1970 Boston Tapes is a collection of early Nektar material, where the band played shorter songs in blues and hard rock vein.

The lineup at the time included Allan “Taff” Freeman on keyboards, backing vocals; Roye Albrighton on guitars, lead vocals; Derek “Mo” Moore on bass guitar, backing vocals; and Ron Howden on drums, percussion, backing vocals

The liner notes by journalist Dave Thompson provide interesting details about the band’s history.

Buy Remember the Future

Although it’s being advertised as a progressive rock festival, it’s heavily slanted towards heavy metal/hard rock bands with a handful of progressive rock bands thrown in. The acts worth checking out for progressive rock fans include IOEarth (UK), Haken (UK), Alan Reed (UK) and District 97 (USA).

The rest of the performers are Threshold, Arena, Frost, Mystery and Harvest. Arena was a well-known progressive rock band that morphed into a hard rock/metal band in recent years.

For more information go to: celebr8prog.com

Wednesday 8th:

- Eclat (France)
- Alex Carpani Band (Italy)
Feat. David Jackson (Van Der Graaf Generator, (UK) / Guest: Joe Sal

Thursday 9th:

- Telescope Road (USA, Finland, France)
- Yuka & Chronoship (Japan)
- Lazuli (France)

Friday 10th:

- Elora (France)
- Children In Paradise (France)
- Profusion (Italy)

Saturday 11th:

- Weend’ô (France)
- Herba D’hameli (Spain)
- Mangala Vallis (Italy)

More at Prog’ Sud