Vibe Station (Scott Henderson, 2015)
Get ready to enjoy a succulent electric guitar fest with Scott Henderson’s new album titled Vibe Station, scheduled for release tomorrow, May 1st. On this occasion he uses a trio format, featuring Henderson on guitars, Travis Carlton on bass and Alan Hertz on drums.
Scott Henderson crosses multiple musical boundaries with total ease, presenting a fabulous mix of rock, electric blues, jazz and funk. He uses a wide range of guitar styles, from fiery solos to captivating funk and rhythm guitar grooves. Henderson also utilizes a wide range of pedals and presents various overdubbed guitar sounds. One of the highlights of the album is his exquisite call and response guitar technique on the opening track, an outstanding blues-based piece titled ‘Church of Xotic Dance.’
“I’m really excited about this record because our trio has been touring a lot and that energy came through on all the performances,” reveals Henderson. “The music is still blues-based, but also has a lot of harmonic content. The big change is no vocals, which challenged me as a guitarist to write material which can be played in a vocal way on the guitar, while incorporating my own chord-melody style. I think fans will enjoy the scope of this record because it has elements of blues, rock, jazz and funk. There’s something for everyone here.”
Another high point is track 5, ‘Calhoun,” a jazz-rock composition where he delivers one of the best solo guitar performances on the album and some of the best interplay with the bass and drums.
Equally great is track 7, ‘Festival of Ghosts.’ Here, Henderson provides a masterful guitar lesson, combining creative rhythm and slide guitar techniques that gradually build in intensity leading to an epic conclusion (a very welcome nod to progressive rock).
Scott Henderson has had an impressive career. He’s performed for years as co-leader of renowned fusion group Tribal Tech, leader of his own celebrated trio, and sideman to some of the best jazz artists of their generation, including the great keyboardist Joe Zawinul.
Vibe Station is undoubtedly, one of the fusion albums of the year.