Keyboard Magazine - March 2008 - (Page 12) REVIEWS UNSIGNED ARTIST OF THE MONTH GONZALO RUBALCABA Avatar Live at Lafayette Recorded live at the Lafayette Grill and Bar in New York City, this album of “New York Greek and Middle Eastern Dance Music” is energetic, skillfully performed, and full of meaty grooves. The ensemble musicians are multi-national to say the least — Syria, Greece, Lebanon, Turkey, Egypt, and Israel are among the countries represented — and disparate ethnic influences gel organically, thanks to outstanding musicianship from all parties. Akis Kalivas handles keys from behind a Korg Triton, playing everything from a multi-sampled kanun (complete with idiomatic quarter-tone tuning) to brass, strings, and synth leads. Stuck in a musical rut? Live at Lafayette will shake you out of it — and get you dancing in the process. Michael Gallant www.myspace.com/twangist Pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba has been creating increased buzz as of late, and with good reason. Equal parts hip and funky, sensitive and nuanced, Avatar shows that Gonzalo is a jazz force to be reckoned with. His fluid lines invigorate the opening track, “Looking in Retrospective,” and his percussive intro to “This Is It” concisely draws in the listener with compelling immediacy. Mixing Latin and swing influences, Gonzalo knows how to build strong solos, neither overwhelming them with too many notes, nor shying away from complexity and, where appropriate, rapid melodic fireworks. His ultra-sparse opening to “Aspiring to Normalcy” is atmospheric and wistful; Monk would be proud. Complex and exciting, Avatar is well worth a listen. Michael Gallant (Blue Note, www.bluenote.com) CARIBBEAN JAZZ PROJECT VANESSA CARLTON Heroes & Thieves Afro Bop Alliance AEREOGRAMME My Heart Has a Wish That You Would Not Go BOOK Making Records: The Scenes Behind the Music By Phil Ramone with Charles L. Granata If you aren’t currently under contract with a record company, you could be featured as an Unsigned Artist in Keyboard. Send your music on CD with a letter detailing your tools and process to: Keyboard Unsigned Artist, 1111 Bayhill Dr., Ste. 125, San Bruno, CA 94066. SPIN CYCLE Here’s what the KB staff is listening to. Michael Gallant Incubus Light Grenades Stephen Fortner Josh Nelson Let it Go Ernie Rideout T Lavitz School of the Arts 12 keyboard 03-2008 I wasn’t expecting to have a big band recording to crow about this month, much less an astonishingly great one. But here you go. Led by vibraphonist Dave Samuels, this first-call band rides on top of a well-oiled Afro-Cuban rhythm section and interprets his ultraclassy bop-Latin crossover arrangements with as much fire as precision. That the charts serve as vehicles for Samuel’s own instrumental virtuosity doesn’t make this CD self-indulgent at all; quite the opposite, all keyboardists should take a page out of his comping and soloing book. Speaking of which, there is a companion playalong book for this CD, available from Alfred. If you’re craving a dose of superb and energetic Latin jazz, here’s your poison. Ernie Rideout (Heads Up, www.headsup.com) Vanessa Carlton’s classical-arpeggio piano lines and clear, innocent voice combine into another volume of slick, wistful pop with Heroes & Thieves, her third solo album. While the mighty Linda Perry’s production lends fresh energy to tracks like “Hands On Me,” Vanessa’s lyrics, lead melodies, and delivery never quite gel with the album’s otherwise-considerable style, though, and occasionally come across as overly self-important; “My Best,” for example, builds nicely on EP and acoustic piano riffs, but falters when baby-doll vox and questionable lyrics convey a sense of pompousness that’s a definite turn-off. Preciousness aside, Vanessa’s piano lines often soar in an increasingly signature style, meshing well with string arrangements, synth backgrounds, and strong grooves. Michael Gallant (The INC Records, www.theincrecords.com) It’s time for a moment of silence: By the time you read this, the Scottish quartet Aereogramme will have been officially defunct for quite a few months. It’s a shame, too, since their engaging final album My Heart Has a Wish That You Would Not Go presents sensitive but powerful rock tunes, carefully sewn together with a Meatloaf-esque level of complexity and grandness. Fleshed out with acoustic piano and synth pads, some of the songs exhibit a tenderness and soul-searching quality that treads in emo territory, but the creative arrangements and dearth of musical or lyrical clichés elevate Aereogramme above nearly all entries in that genre; that, and these guys can consistently rock harder than most naval-gazing hipsters could ever hope to. Michael Gallant (Sonic Unyon, www. sonicunyon.com) 14-time Grammy-winning producer Phil Ramone has worked with everybody, including keyboard heroes Billy Joel, Ray Charles, Elton John, and Burt Bacharach. In this conversational, easy-to-read book, Phil discusses topics ranging from his overarching production philosophy to specific strategies he uses to create amazing recordings. His anecdotes are priceless — from Bono’s studio preferences to handling string recordings with Paul McCartney, the producer’s personal experiences hold a tremendous amount of wisdom. In fact, flip to any page, read a paragraph, and you’ll pick up something new. This book is essential reading for producers, both aspiring and established; who amongst us couldn’t learn a thing or two from a man who sculpted albums with Dylan and Sinatra? Michael Gallant (Hyperion, www. hyperionbooks.com; $24.95) UPCOMING RELEASES Ghostland Observatory Robotique Majestique (Trashy Moped Records) The Doors Live in Pittsburgh 1970 (Rhino Records) Ricky Peterson Prepostrophy (Celebration Records) Photo by Clay Patrick McBride http://www.bluenote.com http://www.myspace.com/twangist http://www.sonicunyon.com http://www.hyperionbooks.com http://www.headsup.com http://www.theincrecords.com http://www.sonicunyon.com http://www.hyperionbooks.com
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