Customer Reviews

Uncle Moe's Space Ranch

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Let there be this type of music everywhere.These days there are so much MUZAK,or crap smooth jazz on the INTERNET RADIO.HARD CORE JAZZ FUSION FANS are willing to approove of this blast of furious sounds.The band members are killing me like a edge of the knife.This is another "TRIBAL TECH" sound.No more donkey smooth jazz,let there be aggressive hard core fusion.This CD never disappoints you,I bet.Blast off your frustration with this CD!!

The album's first tune, Colliding Chimps, picks up where Tribal Tech's Rocket Science left off with Astro Chimp, pounding the listener with Chambers's explosive drum fills leading to a soaring rock riff. From that point on, a gang of five fuzoid renegades at Uncle Moe's ushers the listener into a musical phantasmagoria never heard before. Many of the songs spiral with wonderfully twisted changes of styles and moods, keeping the listener riveted to the chair or making her shoot through the ceiling (depending on how she reacts to pumping adrenaline).

A slew of influences are apparent on this album: good ol' jazz-rock, rock-jazz, Eastern music, Middle-Eastern music, techno/electronica, hip-hop, kangaroos, southern rock, funk, Allan Holdsworth, New Orleans, Tribal Tech, Robocop, heavy metal, rattlesnakes, progressive rock, etc. Yet they skillfully and artfully melt them all in a kind of tongue-twisting rock-fusion stew that defies characterization, as good fusion should defy any attempt for characterization. I've been listening to fusion since the early '70s, but I've never heard anything quite like this.

Although each player is virtuosic and dazzling, I hear no gratuitous display of ego or pomposity. On the contrary, everyone does his own thing with passion and kinetic energy, at times with a sense of off-kilter humor, contributing to make an organic whole. This is not a "deep" piece of music, not in the sense of Mahavishnu; if you want self-contemplative music, look elsewhere. This is for the most part rave-up, balls-to-the-wall, jovial album full of twisted, mesmerizing complexity that needs to be heard with a devil-may-care attitude. Yet the music is strangely evocative. The album is an actual proof of the proverbial: sometimes the right combination of musicians engenders a fresh, magical result.

Dennis Chambers lays down his patented, continually thrilling drumming; he has a lot to do with the success of this album. What propels Uncle Moe's into high flight is his soulful drumming with sheer power, funk groove, and pyrotechnics.

Finally a band that dares to stretch the meaning of the word "Jazz Fusion". This is a CD that takes the listener on a musical journey packed with influences from many styles...but nothing direct. The term "Jazz" used to mean new..fresh..cutting edge. Teamed up with the term "Fusion" ...for rock influenced, one should expect some very interesting results. Uncle Moe's Space Ranch lives up to the challenge! Fresh ideas, beautiful playing, total interaction...Only a hand full of bands in the last 20 years have sparked my imagination like this one. I highly recomend this CD to anyone who longs for a breath of fresh air. Not only is UMSR groundbreaking musicaly, but the recording quality is exceptional, giving the listener with a good system a REAL treat! Turn it up and enjoy the trip!

Very inventive. Fast guitars. Synth. Crunchy bass. Great drums sounds. All interwoven. Somewhat similar to Pink Floyd. Listen to #3, Swarming Goblets. It has some really cool FX. #6 Minx has a fluttering vocal part that I like a lot. Very good production. An interesting CD. I think you'll like it a lot.

Having recorded two excellent CDs for Mark Varney's Legato label in the 90s, Brett Garsed and T.J. Helmerich make their debut on (brother of Mark) Mike Varney's Tone Center. They have assembled a top-flight backing band: Scott Kinsey on keys, Gary Willis on bass and Dennis Chambers on drums (Virgil Donati features on one track). The presence of Kinsey and Willis in particular appears to have influenced the song-writing process. The spectre of Tribal Tech and Weather Report looms large throughout this superb CD.

The compositions are strong, the playing spectacular. Garsed, the brilliant Australian musician best known for his work with John Farnham, is the stand-out performer. He is at the peak of his powers on this CD, displaying formidable technique and impeccable taste in equal measure. Kinsey, too, makes an impressive contribution, whether comping or soloing in a style that might be described as neo-Zawinul. He is a significant talent.

If there's been a better fusion release in 2001, I've not heard it. Highly recommended.

This is why people love fusion!!! This is progressive music at its best! These musicians are masters of their art and they let you know it! Their instuments unite into a living and breathing machine of sound. If you like simple, then this may not be for you. If that's the case, check the "elevator music" section of your local music store for the latest "prozac jazz" releases.
Highly recommended for fans of other progressive acts such as "Tribal Tech", "McGill/Manring/Stevens", "Hellborg/Lane/Sipe", "Vital Tech Tones", "MacAlpine/Brunel/Chambers" and "Liquid Tension Experiment".
If you think you are ready, crank it and blast off to the "Space Ranch"... the future of fusion!!

...Uncle Moe's is nothing less than increadible! One listen to these monsters will leave you wondering what planet they come from! This is one of the most original/ground breaking discs I've heard in years! If you love great playing and inventive song writing then pay a vist to the Space Ranch and get ready for take off!! Keep up the great work guys and know that there are REAL music fans out there who LOVE what your doing....

Tom

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Some reviews simply don't do justice to this great album. If you are open minded about music you will like this record. It's true... it has a lot of strange modern sounds... so what? This is music freedom in a way a lot of jazz pioneers would have done if they were alive today... Brett is a pioneer of modern electric guitar, so is T.J. I cannot wait to hear their next album !

I've been a Gased Helmerich fan since they started releasing albums back in '92. They've been setting new standards since then in what now is called "Rock Fusion". Many artists have tried to follow in their footsteps, dropping the NeoClassical / Satch Boogie thing, and claiming to be Rock Fusion....but just listen to there old releases and you'll hear how they changed after Garsed & Helmerich hit the scene! Now, with the release of "Uncle Moe's Space Ranch" the two have teamed up with the best in the biz! The result is nothing less than breath taking! Garsed plays his brand of finger picked legato with grace and fire! Helmerich, still the leader in 8-finger style guitar, brakes new ground again by using the studio as an instrument!( Helmerich engineers for such fusion greats as Tribal Tech, Vital Tech Tones ect) One song even has a solo that is recorded to vinyl, then "DJ" scratched into the song! SICK!!! Willis is and has been the best out there since Jaco, and he proves it again with his outstand tast and musicality! I think this is the most I've ever heard Willis stretch out...and I do mean out! Kinsey adds the perfect blend of deep pocket grooves and trippy "what's this guy on" sound scapes to make UMSR just another reason why he won Keyboards Mags "Best New Tallent" award! His influence on this album is a major part of the overall sound. As far as Chambers...what can one say? A legend already, he plays like there is no tomorrow on Uncle Moe's. I've heard him go off live, and I think this recording is as close as you get to that mind numbing experience! He is funky, tastfull, clever, explosive....the list goes on. As a group, Uncle Moe's Space Ranch is a true supergroup. The talents here are all original voices and the interaction sounds more like mind reading! UMSR will leave the listener wanting more...and they'll be finding more for months with this CD! Drummer Virgil Donati even makes a guest appearance, and if you know Donati, you know what that means! If you love new ground breaking music, this CD will never leave you player!!! FIVE STARS...NO, TEN!!!

garsed and helmerich are very talentend guitarists with a number #1 band behind them. This music is so different then other bands in this genre, it sounds great, with a super beat. You here influences of the Joe Zawinul syndicate, Uzeb and Pink Floyd.I think it's one of the best albums this year. I can hardly wait for the next one.