Customer Reviews

A Love Surreal

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its hard to improve on the country gravy review above. it is a superb album that establishes the tricksters as one of the most versatile and talented bands going today. it is hard to classify them as they blend core elements of rock, jazz, psychedelic jam, and country. and the blend is organic, seamless, and inspired. the musicianship -- guitar, piano, bass and drums -- is first-rate and highly individualized. fans of jerry garcia, david grisman and django reinhardt will instantly recognize a kindred soul and talent in jeff mattson. rob baracco's keyboards are powerful and inspired, as are his vocals -- i love the hornsbeyesque intro to call of the wild. and klyph black on bass and joe chirco on sticks nail the rhythm section in classic dead tradition. and barry sless just rocks on the pedal steel. a virtuoso performance all in all. plus the cover art is pretty cool. cheers & enjoy, jsg

With their second cd (A Love Surreal), The Zen Tricksters, an amazingly talented quartet from New York, has shown the music world that their own original material stands on its own eight feet! Known internationally for their improvisational interpretations of the music of the Grateful Dead, this all-original 10 song cd showcases their songwriting skills across a diverse musical spectrum. Eilat and Down the Road are all-out toe-tapping rockers; That's All could be a top ten country ballad; Warm Heart is a bittersweet ballad with an incredible jam; Who Are You? is keyboardist Rob Barraco's tribute to Michael Curtiz' movie Casablanca; Calliope is another catchy tune with massive psychedelic overtones; Goin' Down Slow is a hypnotic powerful effort with an egyptian jam that will enthrall; Say That I Am is powerful, with crescendoes galore; Call of the Wild is extremely pleasing to the ear with harmonies that set this band apart from most others; and Where You Want To Be can only be described as a heavily jazz-influenced New Yorker kind of laid-back tune comparable to Joel's New York State of Mind! The thought-provoking lyrics and incredible musicianship displayed on this effort should send this band of talented New Yorkers to the next level! This is a keeper, folks! peace thru music, country gravy

Being a Trickster fan for many years and having seen numerous shows in NYC and Long Island, I was really pleased to see this talented quartet shine with the release of their new CD, A Love Surreal. All original material, Love's 10 songs encompass many moods which range from the very mystical and beautiful strains of Going Down Slow, featuring a long, spacey jam in which guitarist Jeff Mattson shows his considerable stuff, to the sheer smoking rock of the jumping Eilat. Keyboardist/vocalist Rob Barraco is outstanding on several of the CD's numbers, including Who Are You?, the intense and weighty Say That I Am, powerful Call of the Wild and a very jazzy Where You Want To Be, while bluesman/bassist Klyph Black really belts out the rocker Down the Road which also features drummer Joe Chirco on "the cardboard box." Other incredible Mattson tunes include the lamenting That's All and another long and gorgeous guitar-jammin' Warm Heart. The CD is rounded out with the ethereal Calliope. The production on Love is outstanding and goes beyond the boundaries of normal CD standards by including several songs over 11 minutes in length which feature long jams. If you've seen the Tricksters, or if you simply appreciate music which is well conceived, well written and incredibly well performed, then A Love Surreal is a must for your collection! R. McNally

Being from Oregon I have seen this band quiet a few times live, and they are killer live band.This being their only major studio album that I know of is great from start to finish.Definetly pick this one up and help support a growing fanbase you will not be disappointed. After you listen a few times check them out live.