Customer Reviews

Cg3+2

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Having seen CGT plus Levin and Mastelloto in concert, I was thrilled when I got this CD. I bought their Rocks The West CD from the concert and had all 5 members sign the disc. That's a keeper. I have to disagree with the first author on the page that said it was muzak. Far from it. Levin and Mastelloto are indeed at their best, but what's truly wonderful is the intricate playing from the CGT themselves. They seem to have really taken on their mantle as graduates from Robert Fripp's guitar craft and play incredibly nuanced pieces while having fun doing it.

There is such a spontaneous feel to so much of the music, even the cover of Yes's Heart of The Sunrise (one of that band's true Masterworks) feels fresh here. As with any good collection of virtuoso music, the listener is drawn in by some of the more accessible pieces so that by track 6 or 7, when the band whips up some more eclectic and noisy pieces, you feel like you've done the whole ride and loved it all.

If you're a musician, you'll never want to part with this collection. If you're an avid listener of rock, folk, progressive, jazz--you'll find something appealing on this CD.

Best played at over 60 miles an hour, alone--sound turned up...

After having the pleasure of seeing the California Guitar Trio (CGT) twice in concert, I continue to be amazed at their talent. When they originally teamed up with both Tony Levin (bass/chapman stick) and Pat Mastelotto (drums and such), I was very excited about the added textures this would provide.

The trio first released a "live in concert" independent disc, showcasing this 5 musician lineup. I found this first release to be fair, but lacked the full sound I had hoped for.

This studio release (CG3+2) exceeds that first release, and I dare say exceeds all other CGT releases.

The dedicated fan will find some previous CGT compositions appear, but with the added "drive" of solid drums and bass. The original compositions are equally on par with the other material. Highlights to me include the "cover" of Yes' "Heart Of The Sunrise", "Zundoko-Bushi", and "Melrose Avenue".

I believe this release will not only win the group new fans, but also should keep the existing fanbase happy. If you have any appreciation for inventive acoustic guitar instrumental work, you would be hard pressed to find anything even close to this quality.

This is one of the finest CDs I own. I enjoy a wide range of music - and it's all here. Track 4 is an exceptional cover of Yes's Heart of the Sunrise - with all parts done with string instruments - no keyboards - simply phenomenal! From the retro 60's surf boogie sound of track 6 - Zundoko-Bush to the absolutely pure and beautiful track - Eve. Dancing Ann (track 3) flows so nicely it's likely opening the windows on a beautiful day to take a deep breath of fresh air and feel the warm sun on your face. Track 11 - Train to Lamy is one of my favorites - it features a gritty, crazed slide guitar that drives into a frenzied scream which eventually breaks into a Nashville sounding pick fest - who would have ever thought to put these sounds together and melted them so absolutely COOL. Track 8 - Dance of Maya conveys a frenzied,wild, unrestrained dance that unfolds as if it was occurring right before your eyes. I don't know if I've ever used the word "Perfect" to describe a CD, but this CD is perfect. The talent here is truly unparalled, but beyond that is the depth of the compositions. The range of music covered has something for everyone. I loved this CD on the first listen and more with each succesive listen. I've even erected a shrine in my living room in front of the CD player to this selection (not really - but it's that good !) It is all instrumental, and if you enjoy the likes of Pat Methany, Jordan Rudess, or other musicians capable of reaching the peak of their genre, then I believe you will truly enjoy this very, very fine selection.

God this is a great album. Masterful instrumental guitar (in trio of course). Thunderous backing by Levin and Mastelotto. Heavier than previous CGT, but worth the lifting. Plus plenty of downright beautiful songwriting. A supreme cover of Heart of the Sunrise. CGT at their best. Get it. You'll love it.

I love these guys. I love these guys even better with Tony Levin and Pat Mastellato! I have seen them in concert a couple of times and they are simply amazing musicians that create great music. With this CD I can see what they might be like in a full band situation. Very powerful, indeed. This is one of the year's best CDs. Excellent work.

Can you imagine the vast number of electric guitar that were bought as a result of hearing Jimmy Hendrix in his early days? After pondering such a notion, it would be only logical to conclude that after an initial hearing of this fantastic album, people will rush out to buy acoustic guitars and tune them to C pentatonic.

After purchasing every official CGT official bootleg disk, it is refreshing to hear studio versions of these songs (and a few new ones). For those who complain that music of a progressive nature is difficult to listen to, here is a CD that will silence those critics.

Cg3+2 breathes new life into a few older tracks that have appeared on earlier CGT albums. "Melrose Avenue," "Blockhead" and "Train to Lamy" have all graced their 90's releases and were all great tunes but have been expanded with Pat and Tony. YES' "Heart Of The Sunrise" has been revamped with a life of it's own and Mahavishnu Orchestra's "Dance Of The Maya" never sounded so good.

Now the good news and bad news. Good news: CGT will be touring on this CD. The bad news: Tony will be touring with Peter Gabriel and may not be available. Which leads me to send a message via this review to Paul, Bert and Hideyo: hey guys, how about bringing Trey Gunn along on the tour!?

Not a whole lot to add to Paul Duffy's review, except to second it. Really masterful stuff. Higlights for me include Heart of the Sunrise, Levin's fabulous bass work on Eve (but throughout), and the hilarious Zundoko-Bushi, which welds 21st centuy schiziod man onto a traditional Japanese melody.

This is one of the strangest records I own, and I own albums from all types of bands.

The California Guitar Trio is a trio of three acoustic guitar players who (sometimes) use effects. In general, they have decent, creative arrangements, and each player is extremely technically skilled, which isn't a surprise given that they met at the Fripp breeding ground otherwise known as Guitar Craft. Their other records range from very good (Whitewater) to boring (Pathways).

This record, however, is something of an anomaly. Pairing up with two other Crimsonites (Levin on bass and Mastelotto on drums), they somehow managed to find a tremendous sense of... the only word I can think of is PROPULSION... on this record, and delivered something that is not only completely crazy, but ridiculously entertaining as well.

Zundoko-Bushi is a very good example of what I'm talking about. It opens with a phrase taken from the legendary 'Tutti' section of Crimson's "21st Schizoid Man", and then ambles off into what can only be described as a cross between a blues jam and Japanese(?) music, while a third guitar occasionally interjects with strange, off-kilter stabs of a lead line (all played on an acoustic, which for some reason is distorted via a sort of strange fuzz/wah pedal). They then burst into Schizoid again (the incredibly fast section in the middle), and then return to a strange exotic scale. Suddenly shimmery acoustics start playing over a conventional rhythm, and then the strange fuzz guitar returns, this time weaving parts from Schizoid into the crazy lead line from before. Repeat and then fade.

If this sounds like some messed up technical exercise that a bunch of bored musicians would do to entertain themselves when out of narcotics, you're probably correct. However, it holds amazingly well together (maybe I'm biased because I play the guitar myself, but whatever).

This strange quirkiness isn't just present on the aforementioned track. "Train to Lamy" begins with fuzz guitars while someone makes bizarre yelps in the background. An excellent, urgent figure starts playing on the acoustics while the rhythm section kicks in, and the fuzz player starts going crazy with atonal soloing, often with a slide. Then midway, everything drops out and suddenly we're in the middle of a chicken-picking face off (think the banjo duel in Deliverance). This slowly morphs into a slow, calm section with simple chords and some remarkably expressive, blues playing.

Other great tracks include the frenetic, brilliant opener "Melrose Avenue", the groovy "Blockhead", the deeply meditative "Eve", and two excellent covers ("Heart of the Sunrise" and "Dance of Maya"). The latter is even crazier than the Mahavishnu Orchestra version, which is saying something.

Not everything is good on the album, but more often than not, it simply knocks it out of the park. It's not going to appeal to everyone (if your tastes are generally vocal-oriented and have Kenny Loggins in there somewhere, I'd advise you to stay far, far away), but fans of Crimson, instrumental guitar and musicians should check it out.

This is a great album by CG3. It has nice melodies, weird stuff and interesting interpretations of songs. My favorite songs are definitely Melrose Avenue (a short but complex 7/8 song), Heart of the Sunrise (a great interpretation of Yes' classic song) and Blockhead (a complex rhythmic piece with very nice dreamy bits and some shifting (odd) time signatures). Some are less my taste (Swampy Space, Train to Lamy), but for the musicianship very listenable.
Of course the addition of Pat Mastelotto and Tony Levin (King Crimson, Peter Gabriel) give the songs something extra. For CG3 fans a must have. For progrock fans to. Also for other kinds of daring music lovers!!!

I guess it's no surprise that these guys are students of Robert Fripp, no wonder they insert little bits of "21st Century Schizoid Man" in one of the songs (I can't remember which one, but it's the part where on the original track the song has a time shift and then all you hear is the bass , horns and soft drums).

When I first listened to this CD I was driving to work and it has a great feel to it, I think this kind of instrumental music (especially when it is progressive-rock oriented) is very soothing and technically superb.

Their cover of "Heart of the Sunrise" is not meant to overshadow guitar-god Steve Howe, I believe it to be a wonderful rendition instead. "Whitewater" is another CGT album that I truly recommend.

This instrumental album will not dissapoint, especially if you wanna hear progressive music without all the spacey sounds. It kinda takes a new twist on these things. As far as having "tunes", well I'm no guitar expert but duh! it's progressive rock it's not supposed to be understood by a "commercial" listener and that's probably the last thing you'll find on with this kind of music.