Jazz Articles

Next Order: Live-Refined

by John Kelman
September 24, 2009

Despite locating its releases in places requiring a journey off the beaten path, the music of Next Order has always been well worth the trip. Since emerging with the appropriately titled Live-2003 (Order Tone, 2003), this Japanese fusion outfit has been working an intriguing nexus point where high energy, metal-edged improvisation, hints of British Canterbury, touches of King Crimson, and trace elements of American jazz guitarists including John Scofield and Pat Metheny meet. Live-Refined represents a further honing of the ...

Next Order: Live-Roaring Colors

by John Kelman
April 5, 2008

Building on the successes of Live-Powered NexusM (Lolo Records, 2005), Next Order's Live-Roaring Colors features many of the same markers as its predecessor. With another couple years under its belt, however, this twin-guitar, bass and drums quartet provides plenty of grist for fans of fusion whose tastes run equally towards the metallic edge of progressive rock and even the more melodic contemporary jazz of artists like Pat Metheny.

As was the case on Nexus, guitarist Yuji ...

Next Order: Live-Powered Nexus

by John Kelman
June 29, 2006

With this US debut, the Japanese twin-guitar progressive/fusion band Next Order shows just how small the world has become. Reflecting influences from Jeff Beck and John Scofield to Canterbury bands like Phil Miller's In Cahoots, Next Order still retains its own voice, largely due to the divergent styles of guitarists Yuji Muto and Takumo Seino.

Of the two, Muto is the more raucous player, with a more overdriven tone, occasional reliance on a whammy bar, and a style that, along ...