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Jazz Articles about Barry Cleveland
About Barry Cleveland
Instrument: Guitar, electric
Related Articles | Concerts | Albums | Photos | Similar ToGayle Ellett & The Electromags: Friends
by Glenn Astarita
In their 2023 offering, “Friends, The Electromags deliver a smorgasbord of instrumental rock that is as rich in variety as it is in talent. Think of it as a musical potluck, where every guest brings their best dish to the table. The thirteen tracks on this album are like thirteen assorted flavors of rock, each with its unique twist. It is a bit like a rock 'n' roll buffet, and everyone's invited. Leading this eclectic ensemble ...
read moreStephan Thelen: Fractal Guitar 3
by Mark Sullivan
Guitarist/composer Stephan Thelen presents the third installment of his Fractal Guitar series. Like the previous albums, the emphasis is on multiple guitars, layered in kaleidoscopic arrangements based on his compositions and guitar playing, but significantly colored by the contributions of his collaborators. This edition was also influenced by the other albums that he was working on simultaneously: Transneptunian Planets with J. Peter Schwalm, Eivind Aarset, Tim Harries and Manuel Pasquinelli (RareNoiseRecords, 2022); Fractal Sextet with Jon Durant, Fabio Anile, Colin ...
read moreStephan Thelen: Fractal Guitar 2 - Remixes
by Mark Sullivan
Guitarist & composer Stephan Thelen's experimental guitar-fest Fractal Guitar (MoonJune Records, 2019) was followed by Fractal Guitar Remixes And Extra Tracks (MoonJune Records, 2019), a substantially fresh look at the material, as well as an expansion. For the sequel Fractal Guitar 2 (Moonjune Records, 2021) Thelen produced an even more radical approach to contemporary guitar-driven music. The remixes are also a step beyond. To start with, the album could just as well have been titled “Point Of Inflection ...
read moreStephan Thelen: Fractal Guitar 2
by Mark Sullivan
Guitarist and composer Stephan Thelen's Fractal Guitar (MoonJune Records, 2018) found him stepping outside of his role in the band Sonar in a big way. An absolute feast of multiple guitars with electronic effects, live looping and soundscaping, it also featured a star-studded group of guest guitarists (not to mention a grooving rhythm section). The good news is that almost all of them are back for the second installment, along with some new friends. The original album was largely created ...
read moreTake Five With Barry Cleveland
by AAJ Staff
Meet Barry Cleveland: Barry Cleveland's guitar playing is rooted in progressive and psychedelic rock, branching into ambient, experimental, funk, and various ethnic styles--enhanced by cutting-edge electronics and unorthodox playing techniques. He's also a deft engineer and producer with an iconoclastic approach to recording and mixing. Cleveland released his first commercial album--Mythos--on Larry Fast's Audion Recording Company label in 1986, followed by the more electronic Voluntary Dreaming in 1989. Most of the material on these two albums was ...
read moreBarry Cleveland: Hologramatron
by Mark Redlefsen
Hologramatron is an imaginative progressive rock-oriented release by guitarist Barry Cleveland. Proficient technique commands attention throughout the entire CD, alongside Cleveland's writing, and arranging of the entire set. The songs are rich in sonic texture, and with panoptic social political messages that require a close listen. Cleveland recruited a number of responsive talented players to communicate with the proper chops and phrases on Hologramatron. Robert Powell's pedal steel and lap-steel guitars play foil to--and yet also blend ...
read moreBarry Cleveland: Beyond Convention
by Anil Prasad
The personal is the political for guitarist and composer Barry Cleveland. That perspective is evident on Hologramatron (MoonJune, 2010), his new album featuring songs that serve as a response to the socio-political and religious narratives woven by the voices dominating today's 24-hour news cycles. Cleveland is unafraid of telling it exactly as he sees it, with lyrics that delve deep into the paradoxical viewpoints that inform the morass of modern partisan discourse.Hologramatron is only predictable in its unpredictability. ...
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