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GuitarPlayer.com >> This Month >> Rants & Raves
Rants & Raves
Rants And Raves: May 2009
AUDIOJON HASSELLLast Night the Moon Came Dropping Its Clothes In the Street
Trumpeter and Fourth World Music composer Jon Hassell was already experimenting with digital sampling and ultra-sophisticated signal processing at the dawn of the ’80s, years before anyone imagined that they would become the foundations of popular music. In addition to recording truly visionary works—such as 1983’s Aka-Darbari-Java/Magic Realism, which brought “the actual sound of musics of various epochs and geographical origins all together in the same compositional frame” possibly for the first time via sampling—Hassell has released more than a dozen solo albums and worked with scores of artists ranging from Brian Eno to kd lang to Ry Cooder. The ten pieces presented here—several of which were recorded live in concert—feature an array of cutting-edge musicians that includes ambient guitarist Rick Cox and Norwegian nujazz guitarist Eivind Aarset. There are no flashy guitar solos, or, indeed, any guitar solos at all in the usual sense. Instead, the two extraordinary guitarists contribute subtle melodies, intriguing textures, and evocative atmospherics that blend brilliantly with the sounds of processed trumpet, bass, drums, percussion, violin, and other instruments, creating labyrinthine harmonic formations that are at once primal and ethereal. This is the music of the future now. ECM. —Barry Cleveland VARIOUSMurder Death and Prison
This stark, minimalist collection of rebellious acoustic troubadours singing about the travails of life on the wrong side of the tracks won’t exactly thrill GP readers looking for Kaki King- or Tommy Emmanuel-inspired flat-top histrionics. While the artists—which include Eric Wolfson, Ron Pubcrawler, Dave Dalton, Jeff Crane, and Lewis the Swan—have more in common with Woody Guthrie than Guthrie Govan, the atmospheres they conjure absolutely convey desperation, loss, and blind, angry craziness. Although I’m not typically a great fan of singer/songwriter fare, these tortured bastards really mean it, man, and they’ve tossed little quirks in each tune—distorted textures, moody keyboards, steel guitars, and so on—to keep your ears tingling. And don’t miss former GP editor Darrin Fox’s edgy slide performance on “Borstal Boys”—which he recorded direct into his Mac Powerbook’s lessthan- audiophile 1/8" input. It’s that kind of brutish, “make do” attitude that transforms this compilation into something beautifully flawed and disturbingly real. Rotten Eggs/ Lude Boy. —Michael Molenda JACKDAWGJackdawg
What do you get when you cross Creedence Clearwater Revival and the Doobie Brothers? It would probably sound a lot like Jackdawg. This record is a rocking collaboration between Doobie guitarist John McFee and drummer Keith Knudsen and Creedence bassist Stu Cook. McFee is best known for his work with les Frères Doobies, but he also played on Elvis Costello’s debut and worked with Van Morrison back in the day. These tunes are predominantly kick-ass classic rock, with honest tones and strong solos by McFee. He cranks out tasty delay-soaked harmonics in “Ghost Dance,” a tune that would be at home on a Frontiers-era Journey album. McFee’s resume also contains a stint in Clover with Huey Lewis, and that influence is apparent on “Kisses in the Rain,” with its ooh-aah harmonies and hummable guitar melody. Fans of Northern California pop and rock from the ’70s and ’80s (every band mentioned here with a little Night Ranger thrown in), will find plenty to dig about Jackdawg. Sonic Past. —Matt Blackett DVDVARIOUSStars and Their Guitars—A History of the Electric Guitar
This excellent DVD presents a good general overview of the “history of the electric guitar,” with a significant amount of rare historical footage and informative interviews with principals at Gibson, Fender, Rickenbacker, and other manufacturers—but its greatest strength lies in the contributions from more than 20 of the world’s most influential players. Interviews with old school legends such as Scotty Moore, Les Paul, Duane Eddy, B.B. King, Steve Cropper, Glenn Campbell, and James Burton are interspersed with those of classic rockers such as Roger McGuinn, Billy Gibbons, and Robbie Krieger, and more recent heroes such as Mick Jones, Elliot Easton, Slash, Joe Satriani, Steve Lukather, and Nancy Wilson. Bonus chapters include discussions of studio work and vintage guitar collecting, along with Beatles stories— including anecdotal remembrances by Beatle chauffeur Alf Bicknell—and a brief cameo by Bo Diddley. Passport. —Barry Clevelandg
Rants And Raves: Jan 2009
AUDIOERIC KURIMSKIRéplica A protégée of Afro-Peruvian innovator Carlos Hayre, Eric Kurimski has pushed the music further into jazz territory—with a major twist. Instead of the usual kit drums, his compositions are propelled by the cajon, a box-like percussion instrument that is popular throughout the Americas, particularly in Cuba, where it is associated with the rhumba. Here, Kurimski is joined on several tracks by fellow master guitarists Sergio Valdeos and Yuri Juárez, and Hayre himself on one. The spectacular playing and skillful blend of acoustic and electric tones bring authority to this brilliant co-mingling of traditions that are, after all, rooted in the same musical heritage. The eight pieces range from spirited covers of traditional songs with vocals (“Ronca Canalete” and “Toro Mata”) to Coltrane’s “Giant Steps” (set to the Afro-Peruvian landó rhythm) to two Kurimski originals. Buena! Lima Limón. —Barry Cleveland
RTX Jaimo Welch is bringing back the big rock riff in a big fat way on RTX’s fourth release. The tones are raw and in your face, especially if your face is in a loud-ass, beer-soaked warehouse. The tunes run the gamut from Stones-y attitude (with righteous Phase 90 swirls) on “Cheap Wine Time” to Sweet-meets-Kiss glamitude (with kick-ass pull-off licks) on “How’d You Do It” to full-blown Metallica speed chugs on “Hash.” Plenty of Welch’s solos sound like they were laid down on the basic tracks with the sort of first-take, do-ordie recklessness that is all too uncommon these days. If you dig Les Pauls into Marshalls, fingers on strings, and squealing feedback that no one bothered to take off the recording, give it a spin. Drag City. —Matt Blackett
WILL BERNARD Bernard’s latest release spotlights his cool improvisational style, in which jazz, funk, and lots of other things are blended into an instrumental stew that is deliciously fun to listen to. Texture and groove are the main things here, and, unlike a lot of cats who don’t like to venture out of the jazzbo “green” zone, Bernard has no problem in laying back on his Benson-esque picking (“Fast Fun” is a good example) to work in some bottleneck action on things like “Gen Pop” and “How Great Thou Art,” or to spice it up with echo freakouts and a pinch of fuzzy Octavia on “Awanna.” The beats delivered by this quartet are morbidly obese, the guitar playing is full of sly twists, and the net result is a jazz album with all the hipster élan of a ’66 Dodge Polara. Palmetto. —Art Thompson
DVDPARLIAMENT FUNKADELICLive 1976 Filmed in Houston on Halloween night, this amazing footage captures George Clinton and P-Funk at the top of their game. Fueled by a huge ensemble featuring former James Brown horn men Maceo Parker and Fred Wesley, keyboard genius Bernie Worrell, bassist Cordell “Boogie” Mosson, and guitarists Garry Shider and Glenn Goins— Clinton makes the Mothership Connection in high style. In fact, an actual “mothership,” reportedly costing $275,000, dramatically descends from the ceiling early in the show. Shider and Goins not only do justice to original guitarist Eddie Hazel (the James Brown alumnus was incarcerated at the time), they pump the funk up even further with nasty rock riffs and bluesy Hendrix-inspired solos. Included among the multitude of performers are several stellar vocalists, who trade off on killer versions of classics such as “Mothership Connection (Star Child),” “Dr. Funkenstein,” “P-Funk (Wants to Get Funked Up),” and “Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Sucker).” Original bassist Bootsy Collins, Sly Stone, and members of their bands join the party on the finale. Shout Factory. —Barry Cleveland
Rants And Raves: June 2009
By Andy Babiuk The names Adolf Rickenbacker, Leo Fender, and Les Paul loom large in the history of the solidbody electric guitar, but when it comes to who had the greatest influence on solidbody design, Paul Bigsby gets the nod. Documenting the life and times of this forward-thinking guitar builder, author Andy Babiuk takes us on a fascinating journey though Bigsby’s early days as a patternmaker, motorcycle racer, and chief engineer for the Crocker Motorcycle company, to his becoming the high priest of the country-guitar scene in the 1950s. The story begins with the double- and tripleneck steels that Bigsby built for Joaquin Murphy in 1946, and the very advanced solidbody guitar he crafted for Merle Travis in 1948—a neck-though design that featured such innovations as in-line tuners and through-body stringing. Babiuk details how Bigsby evolved his designs at his workshop (which was in the back of his home) in the Southern California town of Downey—a convenient location in the late ’40s and early ’50s, as country music was huge and stars like Merle Travis, Hank Thompson, Spade Cooley, Lefty Frizzell, and super-picker Joe Maphis regularly performed and made film and/or television appearances in Hollywood and the neighboring areas. Word spread quickly in the guitar community about these new guitars with their distinctive body shapes and headstocks (a design element that a certain Leo Fender obviously admired), innovative pickups, cast-metal bridges, and fast-playing necks. Bigsby’s neck shape became so popular, in fact, that many acoustic guitars were refitted with them. Bigsby also invented a vibrato unit that became one of his best selling products— thanks in no small part to Merle Travis and Hank Thompson having the first ones made installed on their Gibson Super 400 archtops. This was indeed the era of hot-rod guitar! The Story of Paul Bigsby contains a wealth of images of his guitars and steels—many of them portrayed in glorious detail on multipage fold outs. There are also photos of Bigsby’s motorcycles, machinery, templates, vibratos, correspondence, and drawings, as well as black-and-white snapshots of live gigs featuring prominent Bigsby players of the time. There’s even a CD of recorded “letters” that Bigsby made for his friend and former bandmate Jack Parsons, where you can hear him talking about his business dealings with a variety of well-known guitar companies. From reading this fantastic book it’s clear that Paul Bigsby had no interest in mass production, and that the only music he cared about was country and western. But in his messianic zeal to create the best guitars possible for the players he adored, he charted the course of solidbody evolution for the benefit of us all. FG Publishing. Andy Babiuk is also the author of Beatles Gear: All the Fab Four’s Equipment from Stage to Studio.
Sneak Peek Record Review: Rob Ickes Road Song
Blue Highway Dobro monster Rob Ickes is already legendary in bluegrass circles, having won the IBMA Dobro Player of the Year award an astounding ten times.
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