Shadowhead

Joe Gallant | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 8, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Accurate Records
• ASIN: B00005B3AM
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #504,352 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Cinematic in scope and ambitiously sweeping in its breadth of styles and influences, Joe Gallant and Illuminati's Shadowhead stands out from the pack like a red balloon in a field of white poppies. Gallant, an electric bassist of virtuosic presence, has already filled two albums with radical interpretations of the Grateful Dead's Blues for Allah and Terrapin Station. Shadowhead, his first album of all-original compositions, proves that those previous successes were no fluke. Shadowhead is large-scale in several senses of the phrase, not least in its 10 ambitious compositions that range from danceable Afro-Caribbean grooves to psychedelic trip-hop interludes. It also boasts a huge ensemble that includes full string and horn sections, guitarists, vocalists, percussionists, and keyboardists, all of whom are utilized by Gallant as he creates eerie soundscapes out of tunes like the title track, which moves through Béla Bartók-sounding string passages and eerie drum loops, or the exhilarating big-band funk of "Scourge." As far-flung as the compositions are though, Gallant's commanding bass grooves act as the unifying thread on the album, impressively tying together tracks like the Afro-Cuban-tinged "Vivian" and the disco-inflected "Aurora" into a beautifully coherent whole. --Ezra Gale

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AT THE DEVIL'S JAZZ FROM HELL GET TO KNOW YOU PARTY ..., January 26, 2007

By 

t'amant (WA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Shadowhead (Audio CD)

YOU LOOK AROUND, and bump into Mingus ... Coltrane is sittin' in the corner with Miles and look, Frank Zappa features tonight, jamming with Jeff Lynne's Orchestra directed by Bartok, I thought they were joking! Glad to see The Dead are in attendance - AND YES, MahaVishnu have arrived. Jaco joined up with Captain Beefheart and they made it with his Beer Hall Polka Band (SHHH, Felonious Monk is convening the opening act, you knew he'd have to be here). I always thought I saw horns on Ray Charles, HEY JOE! Let's hear what you've got to say SHADOWHEAD (penny for your thoughts):

P.S. - I did notice it makes much more sense when you're playing along ... join the party ~