Issue #19 Extra!: New Releases

Atlantis - "Group Therapy"
Fred Thelonius Baker - “Missing Link”
Adrian Belew - "Coming Attractions"
The Big Wu - "Tracking Buffaloes Through The Bathtub"
Foxtrot Zulu - "Frozen In Time"
Cheryl Gunn - "The Sun at Midnight"
Michael Hoppe, Martin Tillman, Tim Wheather - "Afterglow"
Adam Lane - "Hollywood Wedding"
Garrett List - “The New York Takes”
Coyote Oldman - "House Made of Dawn"
Michael Ray & The Cosmic Krewe - "Funk If I Know"
Smokstik - "Bugs"
Sugarwood - "Catch a Breeze and Fly"
Sugarwood - "Love, Loss and Carparks"
Tempest - "10th Anniversary Compilation"
Richard Thompson - "Mock Tudor"
Various Artists - "Vae Victis"
Various Artists - "Vae Victis II"

Garrett List - “The New York Takes”

 (Carbon 7 C7-042, 1999, CD)

You may be aware of Carbon 7 for their new Present release (“No. 6”), Cro-Magnon, and a few others. But with Garrett List we and they step into a different dimension altogether. “The New York Takes” is one wild ride. Vocal songs form the basis of the recording, sung in a bluesy or soul music-inflected idiom (by both male and female singers) that is—as you probably would guess—not my forte! But it is in the backup music where things really go “out there” so to speak.. Instead of the typical and simple strains of funky musical backing one would expect, what List leads is an all-star improvisation-hungry jazz/avant garde assembly; a sort of small big band (if you’ll pardon the oxymoron), whose most famous member is drummer Ronald Shannon Jackson. Everyone here, especially sax and drums, tear it up over the course of the CD, covering bases that include everything from amorphous textural chamber collages, to free-wheeling jazz interplay, to skewed popular sounds like blues and R&B—all well outside the normal jazz boundaries. The delivery is impeccable, done to almost big band proportions at one end, but with an acute sensitivity to lighter sides of delicacy as well. List is a master in shaping and forming his orchestration, how he uses extemporaneous musical substance to create the illusion of strict composition is formidable. And all the members deserve credit for serving these ends splendidly. The vocal styles are not up my alley, and while List’s work is really not Expose territory, I know professionalism when I hear it. – Mike Ezzo
[Dist: Wayside Music, PO Box 8427, Silver Spring MD 20907-8427]

Fred Thelonius Baker - “Missing Link”

 (Blueprint, BP245CD, 1989/1994, CD)

For those of you wondering who in the world is Fred Baker with the famous middle name, please allow me to provide background on the educated virtuoso. He’s a Birmingham College of Music graduate, and the man has performed with various artists, from Harry Beckett to John Etheridge and several relevant musicians residing in Canterbury. Having been a key member of Phil Miller’s In-Cahoots quintet was where Baker first came to my attention by replacing Hugh Hopper. His bass prowess is phenomenal along with his guitar playing (also spotlighted on the duet album with Miller: “Double Up”). “Missing Link” is a sound document of some of his early solo bass work which brought Baker into prominence in the UK jazz community. The selections run the gamut from the classical (including the famous opener, Bach’s “Toccata in D Minor” to a Thelonious Monk tribute arrangement of “Blue Monk/Round Midnight”. Baker can also strut his stuff like Michael Manring as indicated on “Bonneville Blues” or in Dixie Dregs style on “ Hen Hoedown “Chickin’ pickin’” good”. Baker shines on aggressive pieces, such as “Popcorn” or “Basically Speakin’ “The Groove”” where he sets up a rhythm akin to any modern punkmeister. Or he can get moody with slow transitional effects laden pieces, “Space Bass” or “The Damage Factor”. Although most of the tracks were recorded in the studio in 1989, the last three pieces come from live recordings at the Nottingham Guitar Festival. Included is a solo extract from the In-Cahoots piece, “Loggerheads” where he shows his chops. Regardless of the man’s pedigree, Baker is a man in need of wider recognition and worth your time to investigate. – Jeff Melton
[Website: link here]

Atlantis - “Group Therapy”

 (Mellow Records MMP 356, 1998, CD)

No this isn’t the California band Atlantis. This Atlantis hails from Japan and is a 7-piece all-instrumental band: two guitarists, a flute player, drummer, bassist, soprano saxophonist, and a trombone player. Their music has a mellow Zappa-style jazz groove in a lot of places. In some sections, the sax and trombone are so far out of tune (to each other and to the other instruments!) that you wonder if they’re doing it on purpose! Seriously! It gets better on some of the later tracks, but listening to the album’s first two tracks “New Song No. 2” and “Queens Of Ansett” will make you swear Atlantis is doing some microtonal experiments. The sections where only one horn player is performing at a time are much better. All the songs are written by guitarist Hiroyuki Kitada and primarily feature the horns and guitar as solo instruments. The bass and drums are mostly pedestrian. It’s too bad the flute doesn’t get showcased more. Overall, the songs have a David-Sanborn-Sunday-morning-jazz-radio-show quality about them. The tunes are more platforms for the soloists than groundbreaking compositions in their own right. If you can get over the routinely-out-of-tune horn players (obviously I can’t) and you like more mellow jazz fusion, this might be for you. - Mike Grimes

Michael Hoppé, Martin Tillmann, Tim Wheater – “Afterglow”

 (Hearts of Space 11091-2, CD)

Afterglow is the combined musical energies of cellist Martin Tillman, flautist Tim Wheater, and keys player Michael Hoppé. For the most part, the music is a spacious and somber affair, synthesizer chords and environmental effects setting up a background for the mournful sound of the cello. When it’s just Tillman and Hoppé, the pieces are closer to a new age chamber music, but with the added sonics of Tim Wheater’s flutes, the sound approaches a Native American-influenced music closer to that of Coyote Oldman. While the music never gets as ambient as that flute duo, the musicians’ combined restraint gives it plenty of dynamics, easily receding from a majestic flute or cello line to the low environmental effects or synth patches. Of the 13 songs, most are quite beautiful, although many are in a melancholic and plaintive mood. The music approaches a sweetness that this reviewer occasionally finds cloying, yet overall, this set of improvisations is nicely done, recommended to those with the taste for more contemporary instrumental sounds. – Mike McLatchey

Cheryl Gunn - “The Sun at Midnight”

 (Earthtone, ETD-7904 1999, CD)

Liner notes which throw phrases around like “an immensely personal journey towards self-discovery” and “this powerful message of personal redemption” are all warning signs: Danger! New Age Bullshit Ahead! Look, I know there’s an audience for new-age music. I even like Enya, for crissakes. But for every Enya or Patrick O’Hearn, there are a dozen Cheryl Gunns and John Teshes around, peddling what are essentially sonic tranquilizers. This music is meant largely for a female audience as a means of striking an emotional chord while providing a calming and relaxing presence. Songs like “Au Par Au Belum” and Rab-Un-Naw” waltz along gently on tides of acoustic guitar, percussion, and Gunn’s willowy piano and drifting string synths, but there’s not a memorable melody to be found, nor any excitement or drama. The closest thing to any heat comes during the pipes and percussion display on “Venus over Skye,” but it is an isolated surge of life amongst a largely somnolent collection. Fans of Yanni or Secret Garden may find these pieces to their liking, but it’s all a bit too wrapped up in sweet sentimentality and “personal redemption” for me. Your mileage may vary. – Paul Hightower

Coyote Oldman – “House Made of Dawn”

 (Hearts of Space 11093-2, 1999, CD)

This duo of flautists, Michael Graham Allen and Barry Stramp, creates a music far beyond that of the acoustic instrument. Processed through a myriad of effects, the tones of the flute create music of a highly spacious and meditative nature, bringing in influences of Native American music and that of modern ambient styles. This fusion has been successful for the duo, through several albums on Hearts of Space; their newest, “House Made of Dawn,” holding a similar feel to early albums like Thunder Chord. There are 16 tracks here, just about all of them pretty short, each one some measure of balance between traditional flute playing with light reverb and heavily atmospheric, treated music (analogous to Jeff Pearce’s approach to guitar). The effect is peaceful and relaxing - not a groundbreaking release, but a further refinement of an already comfortable niche. It’s still undeniably pleasant. – Mike McLatchey

Tone Bearer - “Millennium”

 (Fookstick, 1999, CD)

Tone Bearer is a San Jose six-piece cut squarely from the Marillion and Pendragon mold of neo-prog. The lineup is your standard 5-piece with an additional percussionist and the vocalist doubling on guitars. Bassist Mike Underwood’s name is all over the packaging and his twangy bass is extremely high in the mix. So much so that I would guess that he’s the driving force in the group. With that much instrumentation, you’d expect a lot more than what the songs here actually deliver. Part of the problem may be an extremely thin and B-grade production job, but I have to suspect that it’s mostly due to inexperience in the studio as well as with arranging. The eight tracks on Millennium cling to well-trodden musical pathways with little in the way of innovation or originality though an undeniable sheer determination manages to pound the material through somewhat. The group churns along throughout the disc, only coming into focus on the track “The Rite,” which displays a toughness and spit that suits this ensemble best. Overall, Millennium is not a bad first effort though there’s little here to distinguish this group from many before them. A little maturity and experience should help them to rise above the mediocre. – Paul Hightower
[Tone Bearer: michaelwoods@earthlink.net]

VA - “Vae Victis”

 (Brennus, BR 8020.AR, 1997, CD)

VA - “Vae Victis II”

 (Brennus, BR 8040.AR, 1998, CD)

So here are two samplers chock full of French hard rock and heavy metal. Why should you care? Well, I guess cuz it comes from Musea’s hard rock offshoot label, Brennus. But then again, a quick listen to some of the tracks on these two discs and the question becomes again: why should you care? With few exceptions, most of these songs represent all that progressive and experimental music fans detest about biker-rock and heavy metal: the relentless boom-bash percussion, the screeching singers, the gratuitously flashy guitarists- it’s all here in droves along with bad French singing and poor production values to top it off! Other than solid guitar instrumentals from Cyrille Achard and Chris Savourey, “Vae Victis” fails to inspire the slightest bit of interest and is in many places downright humorous in a Spinal Tap sorta way. Song titles like “We love gas,” “L’hôtesse de l’air” (a song about stewardesses I think), “Roll the dice,” and “Spleen city” ought to give you a clue about what I mean. “Vae Victis II” actually redeems the pair to some degree with a higher level of quality overall and a much more honest and genuinely energetic stable of songs. Unfortunately, though, what few good hard rock bands there are here will still find little space in my CD collection. There may indeed be a sizeable audience in Europe for metal in the Quiet Riot, Scorpions, and Iron Maiden mold, but for the general readers of Exposé, my advice is to steer very clear of these discs. – Paul Hightower

Adrian Belew - "Coming Attractions"

 (Adrian Belew Presents, ABP-06199, CD, 1999)

Adrian Belew has been very busy in the imposed break from King Crimson. With multiple projects in various stages, it makes sense to market a sampler to highlight each of his works. Obviously, Belew’s axe can easily shriek in the zoo of his muse as heard on “Predator Forest”. But then why would any fool merely pigeonhole the composer to one genre? The main project Belew has been assembling is his long awaited box set of which seven tracks are included here, mostly of which are early versions of known songs. For example “People” was the funky piece on ‘Thrak’ and is shown here with a relaxed, looser groove. There is also a twelve minute snippet from volume two of the experimental guitar series: “Animal Kingdom” which is especially trippy. In addition, Belew’s other group, the Bears have a third album mostly completed, represented by “117 Valley Drive” which reminds me of Utopia’s power pop era. Unfortunately, one set of recordings may not see the light of day: a live album from Beunos Aires 1997. Two pieces are excerpted from his set which are solo vocal and guitar renditions worthy of release in complete form including the ignored classic, “Time Waits”. The guitarist himself provides blow by blow liner notes to detail the nitty gritty from inside the nutshell. In summary, the man has not gone soft in the lay-off so to speak. But is he ready for the calling of the next Crimson King? – Jeff Melton
[www.murple.com/adrianbelew]

The Big Wu - “Tracking Buffalo Through the Bathtub”

 (Phoenix Rising, PR-2004, CD, 1993)

The Big Wu is a Midwest quintet who focuses on the amusing swing jazz groove vibes of Zappa or the Grateful Dead. This is the kind of group who can channel a happy vibe and break off into a heavy jamming section quite easily. Guitarist, Chris Castino emotes a clean Jerry Garcia tone on several pieces, with Jason Fladager spurring an edge with his overdriven blues leads. Together they evoke the best assets of a funky double edged, but smooth guitar attack. “Kangaroo” could almost be a piece from an eighties Dead album with Bob Weir crooning his best down-home style. The song also features a whistled midsection along with a tasty vibes solo. “Bloodhound” taps into bluegrass territory with an amusing story offset by parallel acoustic guitar lines. Plus the band can slow things down a bit as on “Puerto Rico” or on the all-too familiar “Precious Hands”. The group is also making a serious dent in tape trader territory as indicated by extensive boot recordings by avid collectors. It’s not too hard to imagine the group stepping out on many of these pieces since winning an internet jam-band poll on www.Jambands.com earlier this year. Not bad for a seven year old local set of musical friends from Minneapolis making good on an accessible genre left void by the Dead across the nation. I’d love to hear a live tape before completely pegging the band, but if these studio sessions are any indication, this barely scratches the surface on their full capabilities. - Jeff Melton
[Website: The Big Wu]

Sugarwood – “Catch a Breeze and Fly”

 (Sweet Tree SW004, 1997, CD)

Sugarwood – “Love, Loss and Carparks”

 (Sweet Tree SW005, 1998, CD-EP)

Sugarwood have been kicking around parts of the UK for a few years now, and seem to have gathered a following (if internet activity is any indication). They fit in more or less with the current generation of “jamming” American bands – Phish, Blues Traveler, and the like, but with a British slant. They remind me of blues-pop keyboard-oriented bands of the 70s like Procol Harum, the Moody Blues, and Barclay James Harvest, a style not being done much these days. Keyboardist Mick Byrne uses piano, organ, and mellotron, with very little in the way of modern technology. The most noticeable feature of the band is vocalist Steve Percival, who has a very forceful and dramatic style, maybe a little much for some people’s taste. The songwriting is generally quite good (if not overly complicated), though the band do take themselves a bit seriously sometimes. The lyrical topics tend towards the spiritual or mystic, with a few concrete touches thrown in, especially in “Finchale Road” off Breeze. There are gospel touches on a number of cuts from the full-length release, used to good advantage on “The Day,” which has a repeated phrase I like a lot: “There is more to life than living out the day.” 1998’s EP shows a little variety is style, with “Home” picking up the tempo to a fast rock beat. The band shows potential – though I’d like to see them expand their songwriting beyond the confines of standard structures. That could get interesting. - Jon Davis
[Sugarwood, PO Box 204, Durham City, DH1 5XX UK sugarwood2@aol.com]

Smokstik – “Bugs”

 (Supergod Productions, 1998, CD)

Smokstik is the Massachusetts based duo of John Kiehne (Chapman Stick, vocals) and Hillary Koogler (drums, vocals). Although it sounds like a pretty lean arrangement on paper, these two get a very full sound from their respective instrumentation, producing their own brand of quirky rock and craziness, musically closer to mainstream gritty metal/funk/jazz-rock than Exposé generally treads, perhaps somewhere in the realm of bands like Phish. The poignant, bizarre, and often-Zappa like social commentary lyrics on tracks like “(You’re So) Alternative”, “My Fish (has Wings)”, “Fuck” and “Dinosaur” are definitely worthy of a listen, though may be disturbing for some. It’s a fun disc all around, with plenty of great solos and shredding stickwork; this writer digs it, though it’s probably safe to say this one’s not for everybody. – Peter Thelen
[POB 163, Allston MA 02134, www.supergod.net]

Richard Thompson - “Mock Tudor”

 (Capitol, CDP 7243-4-98860-2-5, CD, 1999)

Richard Thompson’s latest album for Capitol Records (his longest stay on any major label) follows a three-tiered study of songs: The first five on the disk follow a “Metroland” theme. Opening track, “Cooksferry Queen” is rockabilly piece about a wild object of desire from the city with the patented Thompson strat lines pounding away with catchy hooks galore. ‘Bathsheba Smiles” is a subtle song, which relates another femme fatale encounter with a control freak. The next four tracks are grouped under “Heroes in the Suburbs”. This batch includes “Uninhabited Man” is a clever piece about deception with a strong acoustic backing track with Richard’s best lead vocal on the disc. The album closes out with three strong vignettes which fall under the heading of “Street Cries and Stage Whispers”. “Sights and Sounds of London Town” is characteristic anthemic statement while, a shroud of doom and gloom descends on “That’s All, Amen and Close the Door”. Thompson’s semi-staple backing group calls upon former Fairport alumni, Dave Mattacks on drums and Danny Thompson (ex-Pentangle) on upright bass who are both steady and true. Thompson’s son, Teddy is being tutored (hence the pun with the album title) by the master by adding vocal and guitar accompaniment on several pieces as well. Overall, the album is a straightforward undertaking with crafted folk rock arrangements by a gifted writer continually breaking through. - Jeff Melton
[Link or Link]

Foxtrot Zulu - “Frozen in Time”

 (Phoenix Rising 2002, CD, 1999)

Foxtrot Zulu is a Rhode Island group whom should be finding a quick path onto the roots radio wave still prevalent across the US. One of the things that sets the seven piece apart from other roots bands is their additional brass arrangements which provides a suitable mat for the other players. Their guitarist, Neal Jones can flesh out a piece with Paul Miller’s additional percussion over chordal phrasing by Jeff Light on various trumpet, flugelhorn or trombone parts. Lyrically speaking, vocalist Nate Edmunds is amusing to the point of parody on statements such as on “The Day the Moon Crashed into the Ground” (a piece bemoaning the uses of technology) or “A Pretty Perfect God Damned Day”. The group has varied influences, which are merged into a clever combination of the electric and the acoustic. “Reply” features a cross section of mandolin and electric rhythm guitar accompanying a solid rhythm backing from drummer, Jeff Roberge and my choice as best piece on the disk. “Cop Cars and Credit Cards” is probably the funkiest groove, which the group gravitates to rather easily. At their most pedestrian, Foxtrot Zulu reminds me of the weaker points of Hootie and the Blowfish or Counting Crows. For a good time party band, this line-up would do well to open for either of these more established national acts. “Frozen in Time” should perform well in their chosen market given the national exposure from their aggressive label, Phoenix Rising. – Jeff Melton
[ Foxtrot Zulu Website]

Michael Ray and the Cosmic Krewe - "Funk if I Know"

 (Monkey Hill Records 8142-2, 1999, CD)
The Cosmic Krewe’s music is an almost perfect hybrid of trumpeter/keyboardist/vocalist Michael Ray’s two most significant former gigs. Here, as on the band’s 1994 debut, Ray’s Krewe swings effortlessly among the playful sing-song melodies and free jazz exotica of Sun Ra’s Arkestra, and the horn heavy, high-energy R&B funk of Kool and the Gang. It may not be fair to judge an album by what it isn’t, but in this case it is necessary for the proper perspective. The Cosmic Krewe’s live shows are a spectacle to behold, with dazzling costumery and lights to complement the delightfully unrestrained improvisations and free jazz journeys that can literally go on for hours. The pieces presented on the band’s albums are for the most part merely the song heads, used as the occasional anchor points during a live show. On “Funk if I Know” there are a few places where the live adventurousness breaks through, but for anyone who has experienced the real thing, the studio recordings can come across as a bit hollow and abrupt. That said, this album does feature some tight fusion grooves, numerous catchy themes, and copious amounts of dexterous soloing from the whole band. Unfortunately, the music tends to shy away a bit from the Sun Ra side of things, leaving this a somewhat mediocre and one-sided document of a tremendously talented and exciting ensemble. - Rob Walker

Adam Lane - “Hollywood Wedding”

 (Cadence Jazz CJR 1104, 1999, CD)

Adam Lane is an improvising artist local to the San Francisco who happens to use the upright four string as his medium to create with. On his 1999 Cadence release, “Hollywood Wedding”, the ramrod composer engages several disturbing, somewhat political modes across ten tracks. From the tribute opener to the deceased leader of Israel, Yitzhak Rabin (“Monolith”) to “Peace (Wadada Leo Smith), Lane’s spectrum of composition ranges from the tortured to the sublime. But it’s all under control with smooth transitions, which indicate subtlety and maturity for this initial outing as a leader from California. Despite various combinations of players, the ensemble playing is collectively inspired and cohesive. Lane’s own use of walky talkies, distortion (courtesy of guitarist, Ryan Francesconi) and sampled radio is an inventive, clever use of environmental elements (more prominent in the work of other artists such as Holger Czukay). But don’t pigeonhole the composer there, “Dedicated” or “Blues for Richard Davis” are more standard workouts (at least from the first few bars). Overall the release is not unlike the freer endeavors of Elton Dean’s quartets or Cuneiform’s acclaimed release from Paul Dunmall, “Bebop Stardust”. The album fits nicely in with the best of British jazz and beyond: the smell of Canterbury is all over the disc and it’s all the better for it. There are three prime cuts on the album including the ten minute opening piece, which contains a spirited blow from trumpeter, Todd M. Simon across a slow groove tempo. This album should appeal to big band aficionados as well as adventurous souls in search of vanguard recordings. - Jeff Melton

Tempest – “the 10th Anniversary Compilation”

 (Magna Carta MA-9034-2, 1998, CD)

When I think of hard working bands, Tempest immediately comes to mind. You can find this band at Celtic festivals, Highland Games and clubs across America. Tempest performs traditional and original folk music, with the source being England, Scotland and Ireland. Led by Lief Sorbye the band has earned a pretty solid following. Here on the occasion of the bands 10th anniversary we get some of their favorites. And I doubt you’ll find a stronger album by the band. Leading off with my favorite, “You Jacobites by Name”, you also get a decent cover of Silly Wizards “Queen of Argyll”, the beautiful original “Montara Bay”, the rockin’ “Jenny Nettles” and more. Where Tempest may lack compared to other folk bands, they do add a rocking punch to the music. This is helped by the manic fiddle/violin playing of Michael Mullen. The mark of a good folk band is how quickly they get you up and moving, and Tempest score quickly. Robert Berry produced this album, and he seems to have finally found a niche; Berry also guests on the album. This is a good album, but do yourself a favor, have a few beers and go see this band live, you won’t regret it. – Dane Carlson