Customer Reviews

Light Beyond

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

 

 

I bought this one enticed by the incredible acrobatics of Stu Hamm (I'm a bass player myself) and found an absolutely different thing from "Show me what you can do", the previous record by this same trio.

This one features more thorough composition, less jamming and more melody. And it is beautiful. At first I couldn't get into it, I wanted more acrobatics, but suddendly it clicked and now I can't stop it, I take it everywhere (maybe I should see the doctor :)

The guitar work is incredible, excellent work of playing melodies and keeping the chord structure at the same time. It is so good I'm looking at buying a Frank Gambale CD right now.

Steve Smith shows again that he is one of the top drummers. His drumming is powerful yet subtle, and he takes quite a number of solos in this album. Drummers should drool over this one.

Stu Hamm does an AMAZING work with the bass. It is not as flashy as the double-handed tapping solos in the previous record, but an incredible show of laying down the groove, locking air-tight with the drums and inspirational playing. The word "tasteful" comes to mind before "incredible" (although there ARE bass solos, but they are more melodic than flashy, and VERY emotional, especially his solo piece "Nostalgia")

I love this record. Amazing chops, incredibly tight, beautiful melodies, it has it all. This CD is worth every penny and then some more.

I originally purchased this disc as I have all the Vital Information c.d.s.I have always been a fan of Steve Smith's
drumming and Frank Gambale's guitar playing.Frank G. has some
nice solo efforts as well,but I enjoy this disc quite a bit as
the input of Stuart Hamm is so tight and it adds nice dimension
to two great players.I found this cd to be full of energy and
complex arrangements which carry the listener to far away places
and every time I listen there is something else to discover.I
would highly recommend this cd along with these sugguestions if
you enjoy this type of jazz/fusion:any of the Vital Information
body of work or c.d.s being produced out of the Tone Center in
Marin Ca..There is a c.d. from there called the Strangers Hand
with Steve Smith,Jerry Goodman,Howard Levy and Oteil Burbridge
which has some fun with some cajun/zydeco style tunes.I am also
a fan of Simon Phillips the drummer and he has a great c.d. very
similar in nature to The Light Beyond called Another Lifetime.
I would highly recommend it for those who like this type of music.

Made in USA in 2000, Serial# TC-40102, Playing Time 59:11

This is the trio's second collaboration, and has a fairly different approach than "Show Me What You Can Do...".

On the one hand, it's nicer: jazzier, softer, more structured and melodic. On the other hand, I said nicer, not better: once again composed and recorded in about 9 days, I found it to lack the energy and enthusiasm of the 1st effort: it's a LOT more subdued, and contains 3 "solo" performances of about 2 minutes each(tracks 5,7 and 9), 1 by each member of the trio.

There are still some great sections on this disc: you'll get hooked by the great musical lines of "The Throne Of Savitar", the longest (and my personal favorite) track here at over 9 minutes. I didn't like the slower tracks, "Yin" and "Fugitive Aspirations": even though they still overflow with talent, they simply didn't "touch" or captivate me as much as the rest.

Don't assume this is a follow-up to the first album: there are too many differences; but it still makes for an interesting hour of music.

This outing with Frank Gambale, Stewart Hamm, and Steve Smith is the followup to the 1998 album, "Show Me What You Can Do", both on Tone Center. And while the "Show Me" had fine musicianship, this album is more structured with far better material. In fact, this is a fine fusion album.

There is plenty of variety here, from hard fusion to delicate accoutic. Each of the players are outstanding, showing the full range of their talents.

My favroites are: the first track, Katahdin, which is a kind of anthem, allowing the whole band to let out the stops (Gambale plays a fine lead on this one); track four, The Throne of Saviata, sounding very much like Return to Forever from the 1970s (with a fine solo by Hamm); and Lumpy's Lament, sounding like a cross between Gentle Giant and Brand X.

If you had mixed feeling with "Show Me", give this one a try. You won't be dissapointed.

When you get anything from any of these 3 musicians, you would usually expect something worthy of your music collection. I was kinda dissapointed by this CD. I will buy a CD just for one track if it catches my ear. The rest usually take some time in getting some listening to appreciate. There is none of that on here. I have owned this cd for years now and have tried it on many times to see if there was something I wasn't hearing before...no luck. Sorry, but this only gets 2 stars from me and thats just because I find it hard to give these guys any less. There is just no focus here...get GHS3 instead.

As always I continue to look out for the newest stuff that these guys put out. This particular recording to me is simply boring and uneventful. A couple tunes are worthy but the rest is complete mush. I love Steve Smith to death but his bland plain drum tone is almost the same on all these newer recordings. Take a listen to the "Players" disc or Vitals "global beat" . Much warmer and fuller tone. Live its a different story. But im not impressed with the recordings that are being done at his home studio. If this was the first disc you heard by any of these guys, you might not ever buy one from them again.

Nice playing, but beware. The sound quality is nearly unacceptable. It sounds like the musicians are playing in a different room. The producer or someone involved in the mixing or mastering process must have slipped on the mixer board or something. The loss of midrange and treble energy makes the record kind of uninvolving. And I'm not talking about the sound through a super high-end system (my stereo setup is rather "modest", worth about $1500). Out of five stars I give the music four weak stars and the sound one strong star.

Tone Center presents another Jazz/Rock/Fusion all star band. Stu Hamm is the bassist that many have seen with Satriani. If you are wondering what he would sound like in a Fusion context here is your answer. Stu joins two parts of Vital Information and the results are very good. This is the sequel to "Show Me What You Can Do". It is different in nature than the first but I find it to be an improvement. The first disc was largely improvised and much more rock orientated. This disc is an improvement composition wise and the playing is still excellent. Each member is given a brief solo piece in addition to the full ensemble tunes. "The Spirit of Dundun" is the best of the three solo pieces and has Steve Smith showing why he is a poll winning drummer. As far as the ensemble tunes are concerned they are far mellower than on the previous release. The tunes show that the trio spent more time composing than on the first disc. "The Throne of Savitar" is a RTFesque mini-suite that is one of Frank Gambale's finest compositions. All three members display their talents on this one. "First Look" is a Stu composition. This is also a great advance compositionally for the band. All three members are featured at one time or another but this is a showcase for the amazing bass of Stu. The rest of the disc is also very good. The overall tone/volume/feel/mood is on par with the Vital Information discs. Mellower but still amazing playing throughout. If you like fusion then buy this one. Another victory for Tone Center.

This is a real Jazz-Rock/Fusion CD, a very carefully produced one. Besides fine songs performed by the band together, each of the 3 musicians has a solo track here. A record one has to listens severeral times to...

Generally, I find Gambale's playing/compositions to be cheesey and uninteresting. While technically proficient, they often lack substance. On the other hand, this album (along with his work w/ Chick Corea and his 1989 live album) stands out as a work of inspiration and passion. The entire mood of the album is thoughtful and intelligent, while remaining soulful and energetic. Steve Smith and Stu Hamm forge an unstoppable rythm machine and the interplay between the three is seemless. A great buy for jazz-rock fans.