Alex Machacek '24 Tales' CD Review

Souvik Dutta over at fusion label Abstract Logix contacted me about doing a review for Alex Machacek's latest CD 24 Tales.

Alex Machacek 24 Tales

So here we go, the first CD review at The Guitar Column!

24 Tales is based on an interesting premise. All tracks were composed by Machacek around a one-take solo that drummer extraodinaire Marco Minnemann had previously laid down in the studio.

Recording without a click track, Minnemann's solo is chock-full of rhythmic twists and turns, and shifting time-signatures. Taking Minnemann's 51-minute solo, Machacek divided it into 24 mini-compositions that segue into one another.

24 Tales proves that Machacek is not just another fusion guitar virtuoso but also a composer of incredible imagination and amazing compositional chops as he navigates his writing around a virtual minefield of Minnemann's ever-changing rhythms.

The first track On Your Marks opens with an ostinato figure played on acoustic and overdriven guitars. After stating a very angular overdriven melody, Machacek launches into an ensemble section that reminds me of some of Return To Forever's finest moments. The highly compressed clean multi-finger tapped section of this piece is unique unto itself. Machacek's tone on the distorted sections is a little grainy with a slight digital 'fizz' -- no doubt due in part to amp simulation -- but it provides a nice crunchy texture nonetheless. On Your Marks indeed -- there are some incredible alternate picked sections that would have made a 20-something-year-old Al DiMeola sweat!

Sit Back And Chillax is a laid-back piece with acoustic slide guitar against a backdrop of fretless bass, synth pads and vocals by Machacek's wife Sumitra, a singer and artist in her own right. There are even some sections where Machacek sounds like he is about to venture into Indian slide guitar territory while the Chick Corea-inspired piano part here makes me wonder if Alex is as accomplished at keyboards as he is at guitar!

Anamika features a beautiful clean electric guitar before launching into a soaring overdriven legato melody -- an homage to fusion great Allan Holdsworth no doubt.  Pros And Cons of Depression yields a wrenching but again very brief solo while Tranquillo is right out of one of the pages of a young and hungry Return to Forever, replete with unison acoustic guitar and piano passages.

If there is one gripe I have about this album it would be that Machacek's solos are consistently too short -- just it seems as he is about to develop a solo idea to fruition, another ensemble section begins. Although this could also be due to the nature of the pre-recorded-drums format of this album. Or maybe, as a guitar fan, I just wanted to hear a great player like Machacek stretch out a bit more.

The longest track at 4:37 (most of the tracks on 24 Tales average out at under 2 minutes each), Sweet Torture features intricately picked acoustic guitar followed by a section of heavy-duty industrial guitar tones.  Somehow, in Machacek's compositional universe, it all makes sense!

Feel Me is a funky rock piece interjected with ensemble sections on acoustic guitar and another Holdsworth-inspired legato guitar solo. This solo I think has the best lead tone on the entire album and Machacek executes his lines flawlessly.

Guesting on trombone on three tracks is Martin Ptak. At The Club features a couple of very elegant and hip trombone solos; I really dig his tone and phrasing and Ptak adds a movie score texture with his trombone overdubs on See You There.

Marco Minnemann gives us an impromptu lesson in odd time by counting out the shifting rhythms on Minnemaus In Da House, while Sexy sees Machacek delivering his most gorgeous solo, in my opinion, on 24 Tales.

There are so many instrumental layers to this album. Distorted lead tones and acoustic guitars not only co-exist but complement each other seamlessly in ways that I never before imagined.  And I had to remind myself over and over again that the instrumental parts were composed and layered after the fact -- that's how tightly Machacek manages to beautifully interlace his guitar, bass and keyboard parts with Minnemann's incredible improvisation!

John McLaughlin has said that "Machacek's music starts where other music ends...". 24 Tales more than lives up to that statement.

24 Tales is available from Abstract Logix.

Alex's website is at http://www.alexmachacek.com/

Stanley Clarke with Chick Corea and Lenny White -- Power Of Three Concert Review

What can I say? Stanley Clarke has always been one of my favorite bass players.

When I was listening to the pioneering fusion groups of the 70's, I realised that Return To Forever alone had that complete balance of forces. Each member was a virtuoso. And no wonder -- a lot of their music was hard.

And holding down the bottom-end with Return To Forever with amazing dexterity and clarity of tone from his Alembic basses was Stanley.

Jaco. Marcus. Stanley. There are not many bass players whose first names have become synonymous with their instrument.

It was as a Return To Forever fan that I checked out their sold-out concert in Singapore on December 5th. The Return To Forever reunion tour with Al Di Meola did not make it to my neck of the woods, so when Power Of Three was publicised, I could not miss the chance.

Having recently stepped off what was undoubtedly a high-volume, electric Return To Forever reunion tour, Power Of Three was all-acoustic. The setting on the concert stage was intimate with the Yamaha grand piano facing the drums, and the upright bass in between. The instruments were set-up in close proximity like how they would be in a small jazz club.

Now, a part of me was hoping that Stanley would play his Alembic electric bass. But watching him absolutely tear it up on the upright made me feel I was not missing anything. I was reminded of an excellent South Indian vegetarian meal I'd had 20 years ago -- didn't miss meat at all!

The trio brought a pretty varied set to the night's program. Their second tune, Waltz For Debby by jazz piano legend Bill Evans featured Stanley's first solo of the night. It was an education just watching the master at work. I realized about minute into his solo that it wasn't about his incredible chops, his impeccable intonation or the warm, clear tone he was getting from his instrument.

Everything he did hit at an emotional level. Whether it was ripping lightning fast pizzicato lines or executing a beautiful arco bowed passage, his technique was merely there to elicit an emotional response in the listener. Technique served the music and not the other way around.

The same could be said for Lenny White. From my vantage point in the first row (!), I really dug watching Lenny. A picture of concentration with his eyes closed, he was supremely alert and ready to interact and respond to any spontaneous rhythmic gesture from Chick and Stanley.
Lenny's solo on Corea's composition Bud Powell from his Remembering Bud Powell tribute concert was especially memorable. His ultra-taut snare, resonant, unmuffled kick drum and his unique touch on the cymbals bore the trademark early Return To Forever sound I'd become all too familiar with. Up close, I was surprised by how light his touch actually was, even on the heavier tunes.

Lenny plays with incredible freedom, and is a very instinctual player. And if he did make an almost imperceptible rhythmic error, he simply smiled, and played the 'mistake' again but with a different variation! In my humble opinion, any player who doesn't make a mistake when playing live is simply not reaching enough.

Chick brought the night through a few more jazz standards including Softly As In A Morning Sunrise and My One And Only Love. I especially enjoyed his extended piano intro on the the latter tune which was a study in his many reharmonization devices and Corea'isms.

The trio's revisit of the Return To Forever classic After The Cosmic Rain saw Corea losing nothing in translating his original synth and Rhodes keyboard parts to the grand piano. Lenny approached the first half of the tune in typical mainstream fashion before ramping it up toward the middle with his original heavy-hitting classic drum parts. If die-hard Return To Forever fans in the audience had been watching this concert with mouths open thus far, After The Cosmic Rain had their jaws touching the floor!

But the highlight of the evening for me was Corea's Concerto de Aranjuez piano intro to Spain, probably his most well-known composition. Impactful and introspective at the same time, there was a longingness in his playing. In those couple of minutes, he painted a musical picture of his entire life. Pure genius.

Interestingly, Corea chose not to play the main melody to Spain, letting Stanley's striding bassline dominate. Sometimes an artist needs to re-invent and play his composition a little differently, especially if it's a tune that's been played a million times at concerts, gigs and jam sessions around the world!

All in all it was a great night for music. I just hope that fans will not have to wait three decades for another reunion.

Bill Connors | Defining Jazz-Rock Guitar In Return To Forever

Like every teenaged guitar player of his generation, Bill Connors grew up listening to Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton. By his own admission he was a ‘Rolling Stones glutton', and was soon learning every Keith Richards solo note for note.

His musical tastes soon evolved and he began listening to jazz -- Miles Davis, Bill Evans and John Coltrane became a preoccupation. A momentous epiphany came when he happened to hear one of Django Reinhardt’s recordings. At that point he decided he didn’t want to be a rock guitarist anymore.

Starting out his music career in the San Francisco jazz scene in his early 20’s, Connors was soon playing in groups with bassist Steve Swallow and saxophonist John Handy.

And when Chick Corea decided to steer his group Return To Forever towards a decidedly electric jazz-rock direction, he chose 24-year old Bill Connors for the incendiary role of lead guitarist. Connors recorded one album with the group, the groundbreaking Hymn Of The Seventh Galaxy.

Citing creative differences with his bandleader, Connors remained with Return To Forever for only about a year. With Chick starting to direct Connors more and more, the young guitarist felt that he no longer had any control in the music -- even over the form and direction of his solos. A committed Scientologist, Corea was also in the habit of requiring the members of his band to fill out forms and chart out graphs to rate their own performances every night.

In many ways, Bill Connors has not received his due. His forays into classical guitar on the ECM label following his departure from Return To Forever and his subsequent return to electric fusion with his own Bill Connors Trio in the late 80’s somehow did not bring him the recognition he deserved.

Stanley Clarke once stated, “When you talk to guitar players that followed the jazz-rock movement, a lot of guys mention John McLaughlin first and Bill Connors second”.

I couldn’t agree more. In my opinion, Connors paved the way for his successor, Al DiMeola, in Return To Forever. Connors created a sound in the band where none existed before. In the process, he helped further define the role of the electric guitar in the world of jazz-rock and fusion.

Perhaps when Connors reunites with his former bandmates Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke and Lenny White on 2nd September 2009 for one show at the Hollywood Bowl things might start looking up.




Buy Bill Connors CDs Here!