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California Guitar Trio: rocks the west
Lams, Richards, and Moriya are joined at times by prolific stick-man Tony Levin, and saxophonist Bill Janssen, and while Levin and Janssen certainly add to the weight of the tracks they contribute to, the guitarists are clearly (and deservedly) the stars of the show. These guys leave no musical stone unturned, going from classical to jazz to rockabilly and back in a dizzying display of 6-string versatility. Their incredible arranging capabilities are apparent in their adaptations of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony (arranged by Lams) and Yatsuhashi Kengyo’s Rokudan (arranged by Moriya); even when the results are less than stellar (Lams’ adaptation of “Bohemian Rhapsody” doesn’t come off too well), CGT must be admired for their adventurous spirit.
Actually, some of the strongest cuts on the album are not their interpretations of other’s work, but their own compositions. The opening cut “Scramble” – penned by all three guitarist – is an excellent example of their guitar playing abilities, and shows-off some nice interlocking guitar work reminiscent of 80’s-era Crimson. Lams’ “Punta Patri” is a very pleasant journey through a harmonics-filled soundscape accompanied by some beautiful low-end work from Mr. Levin. However, there are times when the group becomes too clever for their own good: Janssen’s “Blue-eyed Monkey” and the group-penned “Happy Time in Fun Town” are both a bit too chaotic – they’re either poor compositions or bad improvs. Fortunately, these trip-ups are few and far between, and songs like the Richards penned “Blockhead” more than make up for the occasional miss. “Blockhead” – which closes the album – features some fantastic chord structures and excellent soloing by saxophonist Janssen, and is a perfect way to finish up an impressive effort from CGT.
rocks the west is an excellent example of an instance where the total of a band is definitely more than the sum of its parts. The variety of sounds that come out of these three guitars is nothing short of amazing – these guys are constantly in musical motion, daring the listeners to guess what they’re going to try next. And even though most of the time your guesses will most likely be wrong, you’ll be glad at what you hear nonetheless. Simply put, if you are a fan of acoustic guitar your collection is incomplete without a CGT album, and rocks the west is a very good one to start with.
Track Listing
Scramble; Symphony No. 9.
Personnel
California Guitar Trio
band / ensemble / orchestraBert Lams
guitarPaul Richards
guitarHideyo Moriya
guitarTony Levin
bassBill Janssen
saxophoneAlbum information
Title: Rocks The West | Year Released: 2000 | Record Label: Discipline US
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About California Guitar Trio
Instrument: Band / ensemble / orchestra
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