Customer Reviews

Boston T Party

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Wow! What an incredible band! This is some of the best and most interesting fusion work I have heard in years. A band of pros. T Lavitz (ex-Dixie Dregs)and Jeff Berlin (ex-Bruford etc.) have joined forces with an amazing guitarist and the world's greatest drummer to revive the true fusion experience. I saw Jeff play in Clearwater with his three piece jazz group at an art gallery about 2 years ago. Only about 50 people in attendace! I sat on a folding chair only a few feet away from him watching him play and I was blown away. I only wished he was playing the music I've always loved so much - jazz/rock fusion! Not that the jazz was bad, it was great! But I have been a big fan of his especially from the old Bruford Band days. So it was quite surprising (and exciting) to me to hear him back playing this style of music. Not only that, he is working with Dennis Chambers, the most amazing drummer on the planet! Dennis is constantly working with a numerous musicians (Mike Stern, Santana, etc.) doing sessions as well as performing with bands like Niacin (By the way, Niacin will be performing at Nearfest 06!) featuring Billy Sheehan and John Novello. This is also one of the best T Lavitz performances on record! I just can't say enough good things about this band. I highly recommend this CD to anyone who is into playing and also to fans of jazz/rock fusion.

This is mostly in response to the review below asking why to involve Dennis Chambers when a drum machine will do. Upon first reading this my jaw fell to the ground and I let out an audible "gasp". Music is not about ego and always "playing to your fullest"...it's about the music and the song. That's like telling a painter that any and all of their work is no good without more brush strokes or more red.

It's OK to not be moved by this album, that's one's own perogative; but to suggest that Mr. Chambers wasn't trying hard enough to impress you seems a discredit to his musicality and breadth as a player. I feel that he (as always) was playing what was right for each piece within the context of the other musicians around him. Variety is the spice of life, and thank God for that because otherwise we'd all be listening to nothing but sine waves...

Anywho, as far as the album itself, tons of solid grooves exist and the group speaks with one solid, smooth and funky voice. If you want crazy, throw on a Frank Zappa album...

At first, it all sounded like the soundtrack of a video game. It was a little wacky for my taste. But further listening allowed me to really get into it, and I learned to like this CD very much. For starters, it is actually refreshing to hear great legendary musicians like Jeff Berlin and Dennis Chambers not overplaying, but making music for and with the rest of the ensemble. (Mr. Berlin contributes with a couple of originals, and in one of them he plays a lengthy solo, much like his own works, but that's about it, and Mr. Chambers gets to just groove most of the time).Mr. Fiuczynski and Mr. Lavitz are incredible, and the compositions are very interesting, also.
Highly recommended for fusion fans.

well, in response to the "Why Use Dennis Chambers When A Drum Machine will Do?" review, why go to a live show when you already own the CD? Because it's not the same! I have seen Dennis Chambers maybe 8 or 9 times and he puts out to the max every time. He is clearly one of the best (and busiest) drummers on this planet. There is nothing wrong or lacking with his playing on this CD. It may not be the balls-to-the-wall performance that reviewer was looking for but Dennis's playing compliments the music. Some songs simply don't require an all out onslaught from Dennis. Anything wrong with that? This may not be a great CD but it's pretty damn good and worth a go. Take it for what it is, not for what you want it to be.
[...]

An all star cast and some great tracks, but like most fusion albums, a bit of padding and "where do we go from here?" type fade-outs, as evidenced by the "I hate the Blues but here's one anyway" some of the later tracks.
D'funk'd is a great opener, with a tasty guitar solo from Dave on (what sounds like) his fretless guitar. In fact he seems to use this all the way through the album. T uses a wide ranging palette of patches and inserts the odd musical joke here and there (witness how he has the bottom drop out of the world just as things start to get grooving in D'funk'd).
4 stars instead of 5 because, like most fusion albums, it suffers a little from the lack of pre-thought out composition. But that's not necessarily what we buy fusion albums for though, is it? And it IS a joy to hear such a fine ensemble jamming.
(If you want to hear what T. can do with more composed material, I highly recommend the Jazz Is Dead albums)

What a great disc. A great lineup delivers. The sounds of classic fusion. From start to finish, great tunes. The disc ends on a burning note, Foxy Morons is a kick ass tune to finish this great piece of music. Hopefully more of this to come in the future from Jeff Berlin and crew.

I have other cd's by this artist, and I enjoyed this one as much as the others. Smart enough to pick musicians that can play up to his level.

This is a no-brainer... put these four musicians together, and you're going to come out with a great product! It's a great companion piece to your Niacin collection.

What's that you say? You don't have any Niacin yet? Shame on you- go get some now!

I love Jeff Berlin, Dennis Chambers, and T Lavitz, but I have to say in my opinion this is one of the worst CD's I ever heard! If I hadn't known who was playing on it I could never have guessed by the playing. I am a huge Jeff Berlin fan and also like Chambers and Lavitz, but this is nothing like I have heard. I have an open mind to new music but this is just not good. The guitarist sounded like he went to study with John McLaughlin and forgot his way to the lessons. Dennis Chambers could very well been replaced by a drum machine. T Lavitz sounded like random noise, and Berlin had a great bass tone, but played with absolutely no feeling. This music CD will be relagated to the back of my collection never to be played again. It should have never been released commercially. Being a musician myself I reiterate that I admire all of these players (except the guitarist, ehhhhh!) but if you enjoy these players don't buy this!

I've been playing drums for a long time, Buddy Rich is my mentor. Anyone who has listened to Buddy knows he played the drums with drive and energy always, right to the end of his career. This album, more than others, prompted me to write this review. Overall, it is a decent CD but, when I buy something with musicians of outstanding talent listed I expect to hear them play to their fullest. I've noticed this with many drummers, the futher along they get in their careers the energy level drops off, or maybe they become complacent. I know when I play I give it my all every time. With Dennis on this CD I can only imagine several situations:
1. The other muscians told him not to over play.
2. They only had enough time or money to reherse the tunes once or twice.
3. Dennis only brought a snare, bass drum, small tom and some cymbals to the session.
4. He recorded the tunes from over the phone.
Don't get me wrong, I think Dennis Chambers is a fantastic drummer, but had I never heard him before this CD I would have not been impressed. It seems everyone else on the CD is playing to the best of their ability. If you've been gifted with special chops and talent, use it. It's not always about the money. It's about the music!