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Al Garcia: Make It So
ByWith the exception of Bach’s short “Menuet”, delivered with respectful dignity on bass, Garcia wrote or co-wrote all the selections here. The enjoyable variety of the tunes testifies to big ears and a vivid imagination. The title track has all the expected elements of good fusion tight drums (courtesy of Dean Rohan’s MIDI set), hard accents, fleet technical execution, appropriate shifts in mood without sounding the least bit clichéd. Garcia proves himself perfectly capable of shred velocity, then moves on to judiciously use the Roland guitar synthesizer as a coloring tool; the keyboard sounds on “The Heart of the Matter”, vibes on “Communiqué”, and Methenyesque resonance of “On Cloud Ten” help round out the spirit of the tunes. On “The Unexpected Answer” the bass begins with almost a bagpipe-chord figure, then transforms into a cascade of prettiness. On “A Bird in the Hand” a Charlie Parker sample serves as a takeoff point for the bass, while “Natural Knowledge” has gorgeous fretless bass, crisp acoustic guitar, and bright Indian percussion. “Journey” is highly unusual in its long, flowing lines and tense undercurrent, an utterly fascinating performance. An excellent offering from an artist to watch.
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Track Listing
Make It So; On Cloud Ten; The Unexpected Answer; The Heart of the Matter; Menuet; Communique; Harmonic Sketch #1; Driving Through Krystal Town; Natural Knowledge; Journey to the Center of the Earth; A Bird in the Hand/Mosaic; Once Upon a Dream.
Personnel
Al Garcia
guitarGarcia, guitars, Roland GR-33 guitar synth, electric basses, percussion, drum programming; Dean Rohan, MIDI drums (#1,2,4,8,11); Chris Garcia, tabla, kanjira (#7).
Album information
Title: Make It So | Year Released: 2002 | Record Label: Independent Records