The album is incredibly broad in its breadth and scope. Tracks include ‘Pens to the Foal Mode’ which is a completely free group improvisation; ‘Open Road’ a rocky track which sees the band soaring on all burners with fiery solos by both Etheridge. and Travis; the ballad ‘Disappear’ which starts with ethereal looped flutes and develops into a beautiful piano led and drum less miniature and ‘Turmoil’ penned by bassist Fred Baker which brims with deranged fuzz bass, manic solos and an almost unhinged clamor. ‘Daevid’s Special Cuppa’ sees a cameo by founder member Daevid Allen (his guitar part being recorded years earlier, and the track built around it) in a psychedelic tribal set piece with soprano sax, guitar and duduk (a haunting Armenian traditional wooden flute like instrument) floating over hypnotic rhythms.Media/Samples
This album seamlessly bridges prog, fusion, and ethio jazz, shaping them into a cohesive and thoughtfully crafted whole. From the very first moments, the band’s careful attention to sound placement, dynamics, and variation is evident, creating an immersive and deeply engaging listening experience.Read the full review by Goran Čabrajić at facebook.com
This album is a delight from beginning to end, with Meier travelling many different roads, showing there is so much which can be gleaned from an electric guitar and while he has been influenced by Beck, one can also hear Steve Vai in what he performs, along with Allan Holdsworth and John McLaughlin. It is a very melodic release, and the duet with Lizzie Ball on “Yemen” is nothing short of beautiful. What makes this album such a delight is the way Meier blends in so many different styles, from fusion to rock, from Eastern music to progressive, and while he can shred when the need arises this album is all about musicality and using skills to get the right sonic results as opposed to just showing off technique.Read the full review by Kev Rowland at progressor-net.blogspot.com
Today more than ever, Ujig stand out for a unique fusion of progressive jazz, electronic contaminations and bold improvisations. Each song is a sound journey that reflects the group's philosophy: breaking the mold, exploring new dimensions and challenging conventions. And above all, valorizing differences, the band claims: «The Delta is the symbol of difference in mathematics. Difference is the uniqueness of every human being, Difference and one's uniqueness are a wealth and a treasure that must be preserved and defended in a world that tends more and more towards homologation».
Snakes of Albuquerque is the debut recording from the rock and jazz, free improvising, classically informed, adventurously rhythmic, and memorably tuneful power cello trio Skullcap.
This is not a band that is easy to pigeonhole. The song titles offer a kind of road map through its unpredictable terrain. ‘Journey to the Sunset’, ‘Snakes of Albuquerque’: these suggest Gothy darkness, jumper cable skronk, and an internationalist mindset, all qualities apparent in Skullcap’s sound. But tying those attributes to a single genre? Not going to happen.
Snakes of Albuquerque is a record of instrumental rock that doesn't sound like anyone else. With this instrumentation, how could it?
Their previous album Arrival of The New Elders presented a more varied and reflective trio, still as groovy as ever, but more structured and less jam oriented... We´re delighted to confirm that Mythical River is moulded much in the same way and a natural follow-up, with six stellar new compositions by keyboard maestro Ståle Storløkken, bookended by two cosmic snippets. From the hypnotic and magical to the razor sharp and polyrhythmic, this is yet another very strong group effort from a trio on top of their game. Comparisons have been made with bands dating as far back as the sixties, but with Arrival of The New Elders and Mythical River Elephant9 appear as a thoroughly contemporary, timeless and even futuristic sounding band.
The result is a seamless blend of compositions and collective improvisation that roves way beyond the usual generic categorisations making the album hard to pin down as either jazz or rock. Perhaps that’s as it should be for a sound that hovers somewhere between these and other more diverse stylistic influences.Read more by Sid Smith at bandcamp
Genre tags include, but are not limited to, Rock in Opposition, Jazz Fusion, Jazz Metal and even Jazz Punk. The raw punk-y spirit reminds me a bit of the dearly missed fellow Frenchies of Taal, albeit decidedly less folky. Kind of like a less oriental, jazz based instrumental version of the mysterious Aussies of BAK. Equal parts deeply philosophical as the album title suggests, yet very much tongue-in-cheek musically, the trio concocted an exhilaratingly fun album and I can’t wait to witness this musical madness live. (Dario at theprogspace.com)
Instrumental Prog fusion #2: turning up both the jazz and the metal factor by a good measure is this next EP from Turin based trio Asymmetric Universe. “The Sun Would Disappear As I Imagined The Stars” is 30 minutes of pure musical ecstasy for anyone susceptible to the wonders of jazz and fusion. If you were still grinning from ear to ear courtesy of Loam, your jaw is bound to drop below floor level within the first few bars of the opening track ‘Extrospection’, right after the soothing piano intro. Brothers Federico and Nicolò Vese on guitars and bass respectively together with drummer Gabriele Bullita are joined by a real string quartet plus trumpet and saxophone on occasion and the EP just keeps on giving musical perfection throughout its entire runtime of 30 and a half minutes. (Dario at theprogspace.com)
ZZAJ: Jazz from the 23rd Century, is a thrilling new collection of music featuring 34 new songs – all previously unreleased – from artists from all over the world. The brainchild of producers/multi-instrumentalists Jerry King (Cloud Over Jupiter, Moon X, John Shirley & Jerry King) and Dave Newhouse (The Muffins, Manna Mirage, Moon X), ZZAJ asked musicians to interpret jazz from various conceptual viewpoints, particularly avoiding traditional jazz sounds.Media/Samples
Media/SamplesThe album, “Dream Suite” defines Robeone’s style that grows from dynamic musical genres as wide-ranging a mix of progressive rock, new age, jazz fusion, and cinematic genres. “Hollow,” with its Keith Emerson soaring synth, was inspired by “great film scores.” “All That Razz” sounds like Gershwin fell in love with artsy electric string players, and was influenced by both Robert’s father (who loved jazz) and his favorite contemporary electric violinist Joe Deninzon. The late Swedish Hammond organist/guitarist Bo Hansson inspired the flowing “Levels.”“M is for Moog” is Robert’s “tribute to Moog and all Bob Moog gave to the world. The composition is all Moog synthesizer,” Robeone says, and he cites the late Japanese synthesist Isao Tomita, a Moog devotee, for influence on the recording. Brian Auger and Keith Emerson influence the frisky “Jazzmorphis.” The album ends with an epic musical journey, “Dream Suite,” with moving symphonic organ parts inspired by Deep Purple’s Jon Lord.