Improvision

Alex Machacek

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 18, 2007)
• Original Release Date: September 18, 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Abstract Logix
• ASIN: B000U716EM
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #47,000 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This formidable power trio of guitarist Alex Machacek, 5-string electric bassist Matthew Garrison and drummer Jeff Sipe is impossibly intense, dripping with staggering virtuosity and fertile ideas and seething with the kind of raucous improvisational abandon that we haven't seen since the heyday of Tribal Tech. The opening track of their new album says it all: There's A New Sheriff In Town. Machacek's mind-boggling technique is an obvious place to begin in singing the praises of this exciting new triumvirate. There is also a remarkable depth to the writing here, which comes across on harmonically sophisticated pieces like the atmospheric ballad Very Sad, the compelling Shona, the gentle, darkly alluring To Whom It May Concern and the gorgeous Put Me Back To Sleep.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Possibly the most significant fusion recording in the last decade, September 5, 2007

By	We No Speak "www.jazzrockworld.com" (San Francisco Bay Area) - See all my reviews

Fortunately, I'm able to obtain pre-release promo material from many sources and having heard this Cd before it's release date is a special treat for me.

In short - there hasn't been anything in fusion like this cd in many, many years. The sheer number of great things about this record would make any review far too long to read. Simply put - you have to own this cd if you are a fan of fusion, jazz, rock, improvised rock, jam bands, prog rock or any other highly creative music.

The production quality (having been engineered by Scott Kinsey, formerly with Tribal Tech), and post production by Alex Machacek, is absolutely superb. The quality of the compositions allow these elite players complete freedom to expand the boundaries of improvised music in a very accessable way.

This is NOT your average power trio. Jeff Sipe on drums comes from a background that includes several jam bands and the famous Hellborg, Lane, & Sipe collaborations. Mathew Garrison on bass (son of Jimmy Garrison, the bass player with John Coltrane), might be described as one of the world's most gifted bass players and should be included in that very small group of what people usually call 'the best there is'. Anyone that heard the John McLaughlin Heart of Things band will attest to his incredible talent. Alex Machacek on guitar is nothing short of spectacular from start to finish. Unlike his own releases, Alex shows himself to be the complete package here, and his playing will blow you away.

With the current state of affairs in fusion these days, be prepared for some serious activity to start brewing as a direct result of this Cd. It sets a new standard and takes us light years beyond what we've grown accustomed to in jazz, jazz rock, and fusion.

There is simply nothing like this Cd and it's precedent setting music will certainly affect the playing, composing, and future of the fusion genre.

"IN THE LATE 60'S AND EARLY 70'S, IT WAS B**CHES BREW AND BIRDS OF FIRE. BUT THIS IS FUSION ***NOW*** - JUST AS IT SHOULD - BE NEARLY 40 YEARS LATER"

Rick Calic
Jazz Rock World

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The More I Listen, the More I Love It, March 20, 2008

By	Mark A. Wellman (Plaucheville, LA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is true improvization of the highest order. The performence is outstanding, as is the sound quality of the recording. This is exploratory fusion at its best.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It's been done before, September 18, 2007

By	PGM (San Francisco Bay Area) - See all my reviews

Pretty much sounds like Bill Conners from Return to Forever's solo efforts (Assembler,Double Up).

Nothing earth shattering or revolutionary,more evolutionary.

But a nice job none the less.

Worth a listen, considering there ain't much coming down the pipe these days from the new garde.