Terry Silverlight - Wild

Terry Silverlight began his recording career at the age of 14 when he played drums on his brother Barry Miles’s album "White Heat", an innovative harbinger of the fusion movement. Since then he has been involved with many facets of the music business and has contributed his musical talents as a leader, composer, producer, arranger, drummer, author and educator to projects in almost every style of music. He has performed all over the world and has played drums on gold and platinum recordings, movie scores and countless jingles and TV shows. He has also toured extensively with many artists and he has written, produced and arranged hundreds of pieces for network TV shows and songs recorded by many artists. Terry has also released a drum instruction book entitled "The Featured Drummer" accompanied by an audio CD of Terry playing the exercises backed by Barry Miles and John Patitucci. His band is continuously touring at several New York jazz venues. For such a prolific career, he has only released a hand-full of solo recordings. “Wild” is one of the best, demonstrating an explosive jazz fusion style very much like the recordings with his brother Barry Miles. Most of the tracks are smoking so this is a great album. Musicians are: Terry Silverlighht on drums, Charles Blenzig and Mike Ricchiuti and Paul Shaffer on keyboards, Hiram Bullock and Chuck Loeb on guitar, Will Lee on bass, David Mann and Edgar Winter on sax, Lew Soloff on trumpet and John Clark on french horn. Produced by Will Lee and Silverlight.

Track Listing:

1. Sparkey J's

2. Pugnacious

3. Brown 'N Serve

4. Windsurfing

5. Wild (sampled above)
6. Phantom of Bebopera

7. Yo

8. WTC

9. Insane

10. Closing

Buy Wild at Amazon at the Artist Page, CD Baby or

Barry Miles - Scatbird

“Scatbird" was released in 1972. Barry Miles known in some circles as “The Father of Fusion” created on this release an early true fusion statement very much representative of the music movement he developed under the name of "Syncretic Music" between 1964 and 1965, which became a chilling influence for many artists of the 70’s such as Return To Forever, Mahavishnu Orchestra and Al DiMeola who made Miles an interactive part of his band for many years. This release was one of the pioneers of the Fusion movement that would follow. A couple of tracks "Scatbird" and "Latina" feature Miles vocalizing scatting wordlessly along with his keyboards, kind of allusive to the album title, but the real gems on this album are the fusion tracks "Suburban Shuffle", "Life-Cycle", "Arrows and Eagles" (sampled here) and "Skeleton Dance", which feature Miles at his best and a very young explosive drummer Terry Silverlight (Miles’ younger brother), who apparently was only 14 at the time of this recording. Musicians are: Barry Miles on keyboards, John Abercrombie on guitar, Frank Tusa on bass and Terry Silverlight on drums.

Track Listing:

1. Scatbird
2. Suburban Shuffle
3. Lyfe-Cycle
4. Arrows and Eagles (sampled here)
5. Skeleton Dance
6. Latina
7. First Love

Barry Miles - Fusion Is

In spite of its title, “Fusion Is”, released in 1979, is not as ‘fusionish” as its predecessors. Instead it is a bit mellower. But don’t underestimate the power of Miles playing. This is still a superb album full of fierce moments, but Miles incorporates more acoustic piano than before providing a different tone to these great compositions. Tracks "Tandoori" and "Country" remain truthful to Miles past fusion releases, while "Fllow Me", "Sunrise" and "Streams" are more acoustic, even incorporating acoustic guitar, kind of reminiscence of Return to Forever ‘s acoustic tracks. The album closes with the amazing be-bopish "Routes" containing great soloing from guitarist Vic Juris. Terry Silverlight’s drumming is as good as ever. Musicians are: Barry Miles on keyboards, drums and Vibraphone, Terry Silverlight on drums, John Burr on bass and Vic Juris on guitar.

Track Listing:

1. Tandoori

2. Follow Me

3. Country

4. Sunrise

5. Streams

6. Routes (sampled above)

But it at Amazon or

Barry Miles & Co. - Sky Train

“Sky Train” was released in 1977. This time Miles Fusion sound gets an uplift from the use of a full horn section, which complements Miles superb soloing on both the Moog synthesizer and on the Fender Rhodes electric piano. Miles also implements the clavinet on this release. Terry Silverlight’s drumming is explosive as it seems to be influenced by drummer Billy Cobham’s style. As with other Miles releases there’s a diverse set of compositional styles ranging from the superb Fusion tracks like “Sky Train” and “The Big A” to the amazing more be-bop oriented “Relay” ending with the incredibly crafted suite “Cityscape”. Personnel are: Barry Miles on piano, drums, keyboards and vibraphone, Terry Silverlight (his youngest brother) on drums, Vic Juris and Jeff Mironov on guitar, Anthony Jackson on electric bass, Eddie Gomez on acoustic bass, Rubens Bassini and Crusher Bennett percussion, Eric Kloss on alto sax, a brass section consisting of Randy Brecker, Tom Harrell, Burt Collins, Joe Shepley on trumpets, Tony Studd, Sam Burtis, David Taylor and Tom "Bones" Malone on trombones, Toni Price on tuba, Brooks Tillotson and James Buffington on french horn, Phil Woods as conductor. Finally this album was released in July 2009 thanks to the hard work of preservation by Wounded Bird Records.

Track Listing:

1. Sky Train (sampled above)

2. Old Man Jack

3. Relay

4. This Is Our Night

5. The Big A

6. A Waltz for You

7. Cityscape (The Fusion Suite)

Buy Sky Train at Amazon or

Barry Miles' Silverlight - Magic Theater

Barry Miles has been called "The Founder of Fusion Music", as he was developing the concept under the name of "Syncretic Music" between 1964 and 1965. His Fusion concept became a chilling influence for many artists of the 70’s such as Chick Corea and Al DiMeola who made Miles an interactive part of his band and recordings for many years. “Magic Theater” was released in July 1976. His astonishing soloing on the Moog and Fender Rhodes, combined with Terry Silverlight's (his younger brother) dynamic drumming make up a real dynamic duo, which became a unique sound. This album is a real explosive Fusion statement of the best kind. Musicians are: Barry Miles on drums, keyboards and vibraphone, Terry Silverlight on drums, Jeff Mironov and Bob Mann on guitar, Louis del Gatto on saxophone, Randy Brecker and Alan Rubin on trumpet and David Taylor and Michael Gibson trombone. “Magic Theater” has never seen the light of day on CD. Perhaps someone can shed the light, leave a comment and lead us to the vinyl.

Track Listing:

1. Rebate

2. Battle (sampled here)

3. Stargaze

4. Down to Mirth

5. Finger Ring

6. I've Touched Your Soul

7. Magic Theater

Barry Miles and Silverlight

Barry Miles began playing drums and piano at a very young age. As a teenager, he studied classical piano and soon switched instruments. His credits as a sidemen musician are countless but he’s probably most recognized for being called "The Founder of Fusion Music", as he was developing the concept under the name of "Syncretic Music" between 1964 and 1965. His Fusion concept became a chilling influence for many artists of the 70’s such as Return To Forever, Mahavishnu Orchestra and Al DiMeola who made Miles an interactive part of his band for many years. Miles leaned heavily towards fusion as he led his own band for a few years but he didn’t live up to the great expectations of an overly well known jazz improviser. Nonetheless his solo records are testament of his amazing playing and his great compositional skills. He improvises with impeccable timing and precision. “Barry Miles and Silverlight” was released in 1974 and it is classic 70’s fusion, although several tracks venture into other musical styles, including some singing, which distract from the amazing fusion classics. Personnel are: Barry Miles on piano, Terry Silverlight on drums, Harvie Swartz on bass and Bill Washer on guitar. This album has never been released on CD, so perhaps somebody might want to leave a comment instructing where to get a hold of the vinyl.

Track Listing:

1. Buck Rogers

2. Cat

3. Loved You So Long

4. Gypsy Dance (sampled above)

5. Top Belle

6. Big Mack

7. Time and Space

8. Los Viajeros (The Travelers)

9. Sweet Love and Devotion

10. Silver Lightning

Mingo Lewis - Flight Never Ending

Legendary Bay Area progressive jazz percussionist Mingo Lewis began performing with Santana in his teens. Lewis also worked with artists such as Al DiMeola, Chick Corea and Return to Forever, David Byrne, Jan Hammer and The Tubes. Many people got a first glance at Lewis’ extraordinary musicianship through Al DiMeola’s debut album from 1976 “Land of the Midnight Sun” where Lewis contributed one of the most memorable compositions, the opening track “The Wizard” (1st sample below), which has become a DiMeola classic. Lewis' debut album was also originally released in 1976 and it also contains a version of “The Wizard” (2nd sample below). DiMeola’s version of “The Wizard” is melodically stronger, which perhaps suggest that DiMeola might have heard Lewis’ version prior to him releasing his debut album. Nonetheless "Flight Never Ending" is classic 70's fusion much in the style of Return to Forever & Al DiMeola. The music combines the primitive Afro-Cuban rhythms with the newest dimension in progressive rock at the time. It only took 30 years for this recording to appear on CD as it was finally superbly digitally remastered in 2007. Musicians include: Mingo Lewis on percussion and keyboards, David Logeman on drums, Eric McCann on bass, Randy Sellgren on guitar, Michael Kapitan and Kincaid Miller on keyboards, and A. Louis Bramey on hand bells.

Track Listing:

1. Abacua

2. Frankincense

3. Heartsong

4. Wizard (2nd sample above)

5. Visions of Another Time

6. Trapezoid

7. Maginary Monsters

8. Flight Never Ending

Buy it at Audiophile Imports

Void (featuring Troy Roberts)

Troy Roberts’ amazing ascending career Troy also sustained a fruitful 3-year residency at The Llama Bar (Perth, West Australia) with his original project, "Void" (Winner’s of the PJS’s “Best Original Jazz Act Award” for 2005, and the “2007 West Australian Music Industry Award”). Void’s debut album was released on XenDen Music, the label owned by one Roberts’ closest friends, the late Alan Corbet (1964–2008). The result is a funk-based jazzy locomotive full speed ahead in a collision course with great compositions, virtuoso performances and an amazing integration within the group. Roberts’ unique voice and beautiful tone is complemented by the fierce finesse of the other members of the group. Although the mixing is a bit amateur and in a few instances the production could have incorporated more instrumentation, this release leaves the listener lingering with a feeling of having experienced something unique and expecting a new release. Personnel are: Troy Roberts on saxophones, Tom O'Halloran on keyboards, Dave Alderson on bass and Andrew Fisenden on drums.

Track Listing:

1. Intro: Say What? (sampled above)

2. London

3. Travel Bug

4. Conzuela

5. The Break-In

6. The 80's Cop Show

7. Interlude: The Eclipse

8. J-Lag

9. The Homecoming Song

10. Say When

11. In the Soul-jive

12. Finale: The Llama

Buy VOID it at CD Baby or

Troy Roberts Double Quartet - The XenDen Suite

Troy Roberts began playing saxophone at the age of 13 and his ascending career has been a productive one comprised of scholarships, honors, degrees, awards and extensive touring with some amazing musicians, but his beautiful tone, his amazing performances and his composing abilities are what ultimately reunite all these elements to put his talent in the forefront of the Jazz scene. His latest production is proof of that. The XenDen Suite is Troy Roberts’ dedication to celebrating the life of one of his closest friends, the late Alan Corbet (1964–2008), who was an amazing man with incredible vision and a driving force of the West Australian Jazz scene. Corbet created a label, XenDen Music, specifically designed for original and independent musicians. This suite is a fully extended performance in its entirety. Once you start listening to the warm and melancholic Part 1, the rest of the pieces fall into place as one. One can feel the sensitivity and longing for a lost friend through the creative yet fierce compositions and the performances, which display a kind of virtuosity rare to the jazz circles these days. The addition of a string quartet to conform this double quartet creates a texture not seen since the days of Chick Corea’s works for piano and strings, marvelously achieved by the grace of the arrangements. Personnel are: Troy Roberts on saxophones, Tom O'Halloran on piano, Peter Jeavons on bass, Daniel Susnjar on drums, Semra Lee and Stephanie Dean on violins, Alex Brogan on viola, Matthew Hoy on cello, Alex Millier on bass clarinet, Gary Keller on flute, alto flute and Libby Hammer on voice.

Track Listing:

1. Part 1: Tebrocnala

2. Part 2: Freebie (sampled above)

3. Part 3: Feb 19

4. Part 4: Memorialization

5. Part 5: Villa

6. Part 6: The Scotsman's Waltz

7. Part 7: La Brecaton Minute

8. Part 8: Finale

Buy it at CD Babyor

Troy Roberts - Soul Garbage

These days it is rare to find a new talent that shakes your inner music core but Australian saxophonist Troy Roberts does just that. His amazing playing, his beautiful tone and his incredible phrasing are coupled with his talent for writing fresh and exiting new compositions. You can hear traces of all his jazz influences brought together by the fierce power of his unique voice. His compositions are a balancing act between jazz-funk and standard-type genres. In this recording we find a heavier emphasis on straight ahead jazz with a tinge of funk. James Morrison writes on the CD liner notes: “Whilst it’s not common to display virtuosity, it’s even rarer to be wonderfully creative while doing so. But the rarest of all gifts is to have a unique voice; a sound that is unmistakably your own, Troy Roberts has that gift. On this recording he amply demonstrates that it’s possible to pay homage to the great tenor players of jazz and still create a fresh approach that leaves the listener always in anticipation of what he’ll come up with next. Having gathered an inspired group of musicians, written some great music and infused all involved with his determination to make it special. Troy gives us "Soul Garbage", a first recorded look at what will undoubtedly be a musical journey destined to be emulated by those who follow”. Personnel are: Troy Roberts on saxophone, Tom O’Hollaran on Piano, organ and keyboards, Paul Pooley on basses, Andrew Fisenden on drums and James Morrison on trumpet, flugelhorn and trombone.

Track Listing:

1. Soul Garbage
2. Stanley
3. Table Mountain
4. Up To No Good (sampled above)
5. Close To You
6. The 80’s Cop Show
7. Jagged Edge
8. J-Lag
Buy it at CD Baby or

Pages - Pages (3)

Pages released their third and last album simply entitled “Pages” in 1981. Richard Page and Steve George dig even deeper into the pop-rock territory but this time the influence of their work with producer and guitarist Jay Graydon is even stronger. On this release the beautifully crafted songs have reached maturity and this amazing work has established Pages as one of the most prominent exponents of the so called “West Coast” sound. The rhythm arrangements and the instrumental performances are stronger than ever making this production the pinnacle of the group. Personnel are: Richard Page on vocals and keyboards, Steve George on keyboards and backing vocals, Steve Khan, Charles "Icarus" Johnson and Jay Graydon on guitars, Neil Stubenhaus and Abraham Laboriel on bass, Jeff Porcaro, Ralph Humphrey, Vince Colaiuta and Mike Baird on drums, Paulinho Da Costa on percussion, Tom Scott on saxophone and Al Jarreau on vocal effects. Produced by Jay Graydon and Bobby Colomby.

 

Track Listing:

1. You Need a Hero

2. Tell Me (sampled above)

3. O.C.O.E. (Official Cat of the Eighties)

4. Come on Home

5. Sesatia

6. Only a Dreamer

7. Automatic

8. Fearless

9. Midnight Angel

Buy it at Amazon, CD Japan or

Pages - Future Streets

Pages second album “Future Streets” was released in 1979. Richard Page and Steve George dig deeper into the pop-rock territory influenced by their experiences working alongside most of the famous musicians of the time such as Al Jarreau and Kenny Loggins. Once again the result consist of beautifully crafted songs enhanced by the amazing work of their studio musician counterparts. Although the so called “West Coast” pop-rock sound is brilliantly portrayed, the rhythm arrangements and the instrumental performances are upgraded a notch to complement these great compositions. Personnel are: Richard Page vocals, bass and keyboards, Steve George on keyboards and vocals, Charles "Icarus" Johnson, Tim May and Joey Trujillo on guitars, Russell Battelene and George Lawrence on drums, Jai Winding on keyboards, Jerry Manfredi on bass, Don Alias and Claudio Slon Percussion, Michael Brecker on saxophone plus the horn section of Jerry Hey (arranger), Chuck Fidley, Lew McCreary, Bill Reichenbach Jr., Larry Williams and background vocals by Kenny Loggins and George Hawkins. Produced by Bobby Colomby.

Track Listing:

1. I Do Believe in You

2. The Sailor's Song

3. Take My Heart Away

4. Future Street

5. Who's Right, Who's Wrong

6. Chemistry (sampled above)

7. Two People

8. Keep on Movin'

Buy it at Amazon, CD Japan or

Pages - Pages

Richard Page and childhood friend from Phoenix, Arizona, Steve George are mostly known as the driving force of Mr. Mister (along with guitarist Steve Farris and drummer Pat Mastelotto) and for their number one hits "Broken Wings" and "Kyrie". But what a lot of people don’t know is that before Mr. Mister there was Pages. George and Page were a team of backup vocalists and songwriters, along with the likes of Bill Champlin (from “Chicago” fame) who provided their services for many artists from Al Jarreau to Kenny Loggins. Pages recorded their first self-titled album in 1978. Pages incorporated one beautifully crafted pop-rock compositions paired with amazing vocals, great musicianship and superb production as one of the best exponents of the so-called "West Coast" genre. Personnel are: Richard Page vocals, bass and keyboards, Steve George on keyboards and vocals, Jeff Porcaro, Michael Baird, Vinnie Colaiuta, Russell Battelene and Ralph Humphrey on drums, Larry Carlton, Jay Graydon, Paul Jackson, Jr., Charles "Icarus" Johnson, Steve Khan and Peter Leinheiser on guitars, Neil Stubenhaus, Abraham Laboriel and Jerry Manfredi on bass, Tom Scott on saxophone, Paulinho Da Costa, Chuck Silverman, Francisco Aguabella, Steve Forman, Tim Downs and Claudio Slon on percussion, Victor Feldman on vibraphone and background vocals by Philip Bailey, Al Jarreau, Bobby Colomby, Donna Fien, Lani Groves, Mary Hylan and Linda Mallah. Produced by Bobby Colomby and Jay Graydon.

Track Listing:
1. Clearly Kim

2. This Is for the Girls

3. Let It Go

4. Listen for the Love

5. Love Dance

6. If I Saw You Again

7. Interlude

8. It's Alright

9. Room at the Top

10. I Get It from You

Buy it at Amazon, CD Japan or

Richard Page - Shelter Me

Richard Page is mostly know in the music circles as probably the most sought after background vocalist in the LA studio music scene, during the seventies and eighties due to his excellent vocal skills and a voice, smooth as silk, yet fierce and appealing. But in the consumer music world he is well know as the former member of Mr. Mister, Pages and 3rd Matinee. As a singer and muti-instrumentalist Richard Page teamed up with his childhood friend from Phoenix, Arizona, Steve George in forming their group Pages and later Mr. Mister and they scored two consecutive Hot 100 #1 singles, "Broken Wings" and "Kyrie" before breaking up on September 1990. In 1994 Page became the successor to Kevin Gilbert from the earlier group “Toy Matinee” and re-grouped with Patrick Leonard under the name “3rd Matinee” to release their only amazing album “Meanwhile”. Page is also well-known for his composition skills. His songwriting clients include Kenny Loggins, Madonna, Josh Groban, Celine Dion, Chaka Khan, Donna Summer, Dionne Warwick, The Pointer Sisters, Meat Loaf, Patti LaBelle, Hall & Oates, Bill Champlin, Al Jarreau and many others. “Shelter Me’ was released in 1996 but it remains a strong contemporary release. It finds Page in the solo-driving seat accompanied by great musicians. It’s a natural follow-up to his days with Pages and it offers an array of emotions embedded on beautifully crafted pop-rock compositions paired with amazing performances and superb production. This is real music with real musicians that grows on you with every listen. Personnel are: Richard Page vocals, guitar, keyboard and piano, James Harrah, Michael Thompson and Steve Farris on guitars, Jimmy Johnson and John Pierce on bass, Denny Fongheiser and Jerry Marotta on drums, Luis Conte and Pat Mastelotto on percussion, Kim Bullard on keyboards, Tollak Ollestad on harmonica, Keith Mc Cabe on mandolin, Suzanne Teng on flute, Rick Sailon on violin and background vocals by Steve George, Arnold Mc Culler, Louis Price, Carmen Carter, Cecilia Bullard and Lance Eaton. Mixed by famous recording engineer Elliot Scheiner. Richard Page's website.

Track Listing:

1. The Best Thing

2. My Oxygen

3. Even the Pain

4. Shelter Me (sampled above)

5. Let Me Down Easy

6. A Simple Life

7. Dependence

8. Just to Love You

9. If All Else Fails

10. Heaven Is 10 Zillion Light Years Away

Buy it at Amazon or

Kevin Gilbert - The Shaming of the True

Prior to his untimely passing in 1996, Kevin Gilbert just finished the final touches on this fabulous concept album, which would become his posthumous rock opera entitled “The Shaming of the True”. An ambitious project, the tale of a fictional rock & roller named Johnny Virgil who gets signed and dropped by a soulless record company, “The Shaming of the True” is epic, cinematic, loaded with rock-solid performances, cynic, temperamental, sharp, dark, funny, frank and infectious enough to grow on you listen after listen. The protagonist's hopes and disillusionments become tangible through Gilbert’s complex lyrics, biting commentary, insightful and heartfelt observations about the record industry as they relate to human nature. All these elements are eloquently mixed with his amazing writing, instrumentation and productions skills, which had earned him the respect of his peers. Gilbert again makes you take a look at yourself through perhaps the autobiographical heartfelt story of Johnny Virgil. Gilbert’s cynical view of the record industry, which never diminished his love for the music he created or collaborated on, was probably enhanced after being out-cast by then girlfriend Sheryl Crow from her breakthrough success "Tuesday Night Music Club" and after his run-offs with the record company regarding the promotion of the Toy Matinee release. Crow’s "Tuesday Music Club" was crafted around the songs and spirit of a group of friends who would gather on Tuesday nights to drink beer, jam, and write songs at producer’s Bill Bottrell's studio. Gilbert and Bottrell were hired to re-shape Crow’s already finished production after the record company had spent half a million on it without favorable results (read San Francisco Chronicle article by Joel Selvin). Gilbert co-wrote and appears on many of the songs on that album, including 1995 Grammy Record of the Year "All I Wanna Do". After Crow broke through, she dumped the club’s collaborators. At the time of his death “The Shaming of the True” was an incomplete masterpiece with a pile of tapes and handwritten notes by Gilbert. A few months after Gilbert’s passing, recording engineer John Cuniberti and Spock’s Beard drummer and close friend of Gilbert's, Nick D'Virgilio, who had been working along with Gilbert on this production, were asked by manager and friend Jon Rubin, to archive and catalog all of Kevin's recordings for his estate and thus finish “The Shaming of the True” based on the existent tapes, Gilbert's album planning notes and rough mixes as kind of blueprints along with the constant question: what would have Kevin done? (Read John Cuniberti’s article). Thanks to their hard labor of love we can enjoy this masterpiece. Personnel are: Kevin Gilbert on vocals, keyboards, guitars, bass, drums and percussion, Nick D'Virgilio on drums, percussion, guitar, bass, keyboards and backing vocals, Brian MacLeod on drums, Robert Ferris, Jennifer Gross, Skyler Jett, Claytoven, Sandy Sawyer, Jon Rubin and Timothy Dumbar on backing vocals and Tommy Dumbar, Ross Parish, David Levita and Bill Bottrell on additional guitars plus horns by The Le Petomane Ensemble.

Track Listing:

1. Parade

2. The City of the Sun

3. Suit Fugue (Dance of the A&R Men)

4. Imagemaker

5. Water Under the Bridge

6. The Best Laid Plans

7. Certifiable #1 Smash

8. Staring into Nothing

9. Fun

10. From Here to There

11. Ghetto of Beautiful Things

12. A Long Day's Life (sampled above)

13. The Way Back Home

14. Johnny's Last Song

Buy it at Kevin Gilbert’s webpage (and help his state & family)

Kevin Gilbert - Thud

Kevin Gilbert (1966 – 1996) was an accomplished composer, singer and instrumentalist whose talents also extended to producing and engineering. He formed his own group Giraffe and later became the pivotal member of Toy Matinee along with producer Patrick Leonard. During his professional career he worked with several established pop musicians such as Madonna, Michael Jackson, Sheryl Crow, Eddie Money, David Berwald, Timothy B. Schmit, Marc Bonilla Linda Perry and Keith Emerson. He was part of the songwriting collective "The Tuesday Music Club" that met at producer Bill Bottrell's studio in Pasadena, California. The group would get together, drink beer, jam, and write songs. Crow became part of the Club and, within a few months, her debut album, released in 1993, was crafted around the songs and spirit of the collective. Gilbert co-wrote many of the songs on that album, including 1995 Grammy Record of the Year "All I Wanna Do". Then in March 1995 Kevin Gilbert released his first solo album. Thud is a troubled masterpiece simultaneously angry and outraged and full of the beauty and regret of this world. It's a work of pure art forged through bleak turmoil. It's the sound of someone sinking into a pit of despair and yet creating a timeless work of heart-rending beauty in the process. Talent, brilliance and raw emotion bring this production to life. Complex lyrics, biting commentary, insightful and heartfelt observations about relationships, human nature, politics, social concepts and commentary are mixed with thoughtful melody arrangements and instrumentation in a variety of musical styles, dry, witty, and emotional vocal performances all immaculately produced and beautifully recorded and mixed. It's pop rock that seemed unfortunately doomed to semi-obscurity from the start, too cerebral and literate to be radio-friendly, too downbeat to be catchy and too skewed and offbeat to be mainstream. Gilbert's real power lies in his ability to make you look at yourself and realize that you could be working a little bit harder at making yourself a better person without being moralized by him. Thud touches on some varied themes and thoughts universal to all of us, wrapped in wonderfully inspired simple and profound lyrics and still manages to make it all beautifully accessible without putting off those folks who're just looking for a memorable tune. And that just might prove to have been Gilbert's biggest talent of all. This album works on so many levels whether you want something to weird you out, make you laugh, make you think, make you dance, make your thoughts drift into space or give you some hope. The songs leave you in emotional shambles. Gilbert alternates between black humor, sarcasm and heartfelt honesty, delivered with conviction. "Goodness Gracious" and "Waiting" spit pure venom at our society while "All Fall Down" looks at it with more of a fatal resignation. "Tea for One" and "Tears of Audrey" are personal laments as simply honest and sadly beautiful as you're ever likely to hear. And still, after it all, there's "Song for a Dead Friend", which leaves the listener with the most haunting impression once the CD fades into silence. Kevin Gilbert is no longer with us. He died a death probably not fitting for someone who seemed to be such a broad and compassionate soul. He died on the verge of immense success two years after the release of Thud. His death makes several moments on Thud rather eerie but after listening to Thud you'll find yourself a little richer. Some distributions of the album were also co-packaged with a bonus CD including Gilbert’s cover of Led Zepelin's "Kashmir" rockingly reworked with Indian percussion, plus alternate versions of “Goodness Gracious”, "Waiting" and "Joytown”. Personnel are: Kevin Gilbert on vocals, keyboards, guitars, bass, drums and cello, Bill Bottrell on backing vocals, guitar, pedal steel guitar and engineering, Brian MacLeod on drums, percussion, Dan Schwartz on bass, Robert Ferris on backing vocals and Skip Waring, Toby Holmes, Jay Mueller and Bruce Friedman as the brass section. Thud was released by PRA [Patrick Rains & Associates] Records, an independent record label owned by Patrick Rains that has released records by artists such as Marcus Miller, John Waite, Charm Farm, Kevin Gilbert, Tim Pierce, and The Big Geraniums. Patrick Rains & Associates is also a music management company that manages the careers of David Sanborn, Joe Sample, Jonatha Brooke, Tower of Power, The Crusaders and Randy Crawford. This posting was created with the help of some Amazon reviewers, so thanks to wadrad, Reymond Peck and spiral mind.

Track Listing:

1. When You Give Your Love to Me

2. Goodness Gracious

3. Joytown

4. Waiting

5. Tea for One

6. Shadow Self

7. The Tears of Audrey

8. Shrug (Because of Me and You)

9. All Fall Down

10. Song for a Dead Friend

Buy it at PRA Records, Amazon (not for $154 !!) or

3rd Matinee - Meanwhile

After the short-lived span of the band Toy Matinee, founding members Kevin Gilbert (1966 – 1996) and Patrick Leonard were not contractually defined as owning the name “Toy Matinee”, according to Gilbert. So instead of battling it in court, neither of them used the name any longer. Leonard reformed the concept band under a similar name, Third Matinee, with former members of Toy Matinee Brian MacLeod, Tim Pierce, Guy Pratt and Marc Bonilla who had been a touring member of the group. “Meanwhile”, their only CD was released in 1994. This time singer and muti-instrumentalist Richard Page (formerly of Pages and Mr. Mister) became the successor to Kevin Gilbert from the earlier group. Leonard and Page had co-written songs that included Madonna’s hit "I'll Remember”. This wasn’t just a personnel change, since Gilbert was practically irreplaceable. Instead this was a different band, a different approach and a new musical direction. For fans of Toy Matinee this is a different project, but taken at face value it is an amazing production enriched by Page’s years of experience as probably the top background vocalist in the LA studio music scene, by his excellent writing skills and a voice, smooth as silk, yet fierce and appealing. Leonard production experience with the likes of Roger Waters also enriches the result, which is a top-notch sophisticated kind of rock/pop with great compositions, amazing vocals, incredible musicianship, odd time signatures and a bit of progressive elements. After this album the band disassembled. Leonard returned to producing and Page returned to his studio work and he later released a great solo album. Personnel are: Richard Page on vocals and guitars, Patrick Leonard on keyboards and vocals, Tim Pierce, Marc Bonilla and James Harrah on Guitars, Brian MacLeod and Vinnie Colaiuta on drums, Luis Conte on percussion, Guy Pratt and Jimmy Johnson on bass, Steve Porcaro (of Toto fame) on synthesizers and Julie Delgado, Dorian Holley, Jerry Jordan, Nick Laird-Clowes and Valerie Pinkston-Mayo on background vocals. The cover and the artwork are the amazing work of Mark Ryden.

Track Listing:

1. I Don't Care

2. Freedom Road (sampled above)

3. Holiday for Sweet Louise

4. She Dreams

5. Ordinary Day

6. Family Tree

7. Echo Hill

8. All the Way Home

9. Silver Cage

10. Trust Somebody

11. Meanwhile

Buy at Amazon or

Toy Matinee

Toy Matinee was the brain child of the assembly of multi-talented musicians Patrick Leonard on Keyboards, the late Kevin Gilbert (1966 - 1996) on vocals, guitars and keyboards, Brian MacLeod on drums, Tim Pierce on guitars, Guy Pratt on bass and producer Bill Bottrell. By the time the record was to be released, apparently Patrick Leonard who founded the group wanted control of it so by asking the rest of the band to sign under his company, he dismantled the very essence of the band he wanted to form. All that was left was this amazing record and Leonard and Gilbert legally entangled. So when the record was finally released in 1990 it mistakenly appeared as if it was the creation of Gilbert and Leonard. Leonard moved on to working with Roger Waters on his “Amused to Death” album and Gilbert was left to defend and promote this incredible creation. Amazingly Gilbert went on the road accompanied by different musicians such as Marc Bonilla and even Sheryl Crow so that he could promote the release. To date this album has become a favorite of avid record collectors and lovers of good rock and progressive music. Its mass appeal consists on great compositions, amazing vocals, incredible musicianship and a bit of Americana. The re-released version of this CD includes several unreleased material such as the song “Blank Page” and early versions of “Last Plane Out”, “Things She Said” and “There Was a Little Boy”.

Track Listing:

1. Last Plane Out

2. Turn It on Salvador

3. Things She Said

4. Remember My Name

5. The Toy Matinee

6. Queen of Misery

7. The Ballad of Jenny Ledge

8. There Was a Little Boy

9. We Always Come Home (sampled above)

Buy it at Amazon or

Michal Urbaniak - Serenade For The City (Serenada)

Serenade by Polish violinist Michal Urbaniak was originally released in 1980. For those who loved Urbaniak’s fusion this production is actually closer to the so-called “Smooth Jazz” than anything he had done, perhaps as an inevitable influence or perhaps as an effort to jump in the wagon of that genre’s radio exposure. If taken at face value this is a very enjoyable smooth sounding Urbaniak. Traces of his fusion days remain but overall the combined driving force of his electrified violin and his wife’s, Urszula Dudziak, vocal effects has diluted itself as she only appears on a couple of tracks with uneventful results. Personnel are: Michal Urbaniak on violin and lyricon, Barry Eastmond and the late Kenny Kirkland on keyboards, Rick Galloway on percussion, Yogi Horton and Buddy Williams on drums, a young Marcus Miller on bass, Doc Powell on guitar and Urszula Dudziak on vocals and percussion on “Circular Road” (sampled below) & "Serenade for the City”. This production has been re-issued by the artist himself on his label UBX but with a different cover, some of the compositions have undergone a title change and there are 3 extra tracks not available in the original release.


Track Listing:

1. Bad Times (not found on the original release)

2. Circular Road (sampled above)

3. Nanava

4. Sometimes

5. Serenada (entitled “Serenade for the City” on the original release)

6. Mika (entitled “Samba Miko” on the original release)

7. Fall

8. Kasia (entitled “Joy” on the original release)

9. Vanessa

10. North One (not found on the original release)

11. French Kiss (not found on the original release)

Buy it at CD Baby, Amazon or

Michal Urbaniak - Ecstasy

Ecstasy was released in 1978 on the Florida based label Marlin Records marks a strong departure by Urbaniak from the fusion genre and an incursion into R&B funk mixed with disco elements. The first striking factor of this departure is the absence of Urszula Dudziak’s daring vocal effects; the second is the immersion into songs with lyrics sang by R&B type singers. Although Urbaniak ventured this way in his “Funk Factory” release, this time the vocal compositions are much better. The album maintains its R&B funk flavor from the beginning until track #6 "A Day In The Park", which features Dudziak as the main vocalist in a sort of Flora Purim style song, then track #7 “French Kiss” is an instrumental with the alto sax as the main performer, which resembles Gato Barbieri and track #8 "Creation" (sampled below) is a slow instrumental, which could classify as the Urbaniak we were used to listen to. In spite the fact that this is not the fusion Urbaniak we expected, this is a very enjoyable album. Henry Stone Music has re-released this album, which is greatly appreciated but you should be cautioned that the packaging and the way this LP has been re-mastered is awful. The jewel case insert, the tray liner and the CD label are just printed on a home or office printer using Neato type CD labels and stickers. The CD is a CDR most likely burned on a computer with probably the wrong sample rate. This is really unacceptable for a company that wants to be in the record industry especially when even independent musicians can have their copies made at a reputable CD manufacturing facility such as Disc Makers, Ameridisc or any other. Even more surprising is the fact that the physical CD is not even available on Amazon or places like CD Baby but just on the Henry Stone Music webpage. Nonetheless, once you cross over such hurdles it is a pleasure to listen to this album once again. Personnel are: Michal Urbaniak on violin, lyricon, tenor sax, strings and synthesizer, the late Kenny Kirkland on keyboards and synthesizers, Pee Wee Ford and Anthony Jackson on bass, Bernard Pretty Purdie and Gary Mure on drums, Ralph MacDonald, Crusher Bennett and Arthur Jenkins on percussion, Othello on Steel drum, Zbigniew Namyslowski on alto sax, James Crab Robinson on guitar and Keith Keyboy Rose and Rickie Byars-Boger on background vocals. The main vocalists are Urszula Dudziak, Kenyatta (James Crab Robinson, Keith Keyboy Rose and Rickie Byars-Boger) and Calvin Brown. The musical arrangements are done by James Crab Robinson, Calvin Brown and Michal Urbaniak.

Track Listing:

1. Body Rub

2. Free

3. Ecstasy

4. Just A Funky Feeling

5. Want's Ta Make You Feel Good

6. A Day In The Park

7. French Kiss

8. Creation (sampled here)

Buy it at Henry Stone Music or