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

Michal Urbaniak - Body English

Released in 1976 on Arista Records, “Body English” followed the steps of the preceding amazing Fusion trilogy (“Fusion”, “Atma” and “Fusion III”) but at the same time it strayed away from it due to a softer tone in the compositions and the performances. Urbaniak’s sound is still present combining his electrified violin, Urszula Dudziak’s wide-range vocals effects and some elements of Eastern European music patterns and melodies. This is noticeable on tracks like “New York Polka” and “Sevenish”. Urbaniak complements this sound by using the lyricon (wind synthesizer) as the main performer instead of the violin on a few tracks (there’s even a track entitled “Lyricon”) and synthesizers and synthesizer solos are featured throughout. The funk factor provided by a great cast of New York musicians has softened up slightly. Personnel are: Michal Urbaniak on violin, violin synthetizers, lyricon, farfisa organ and polymoog, Urszula Dudziak on vocal, percussion and synthesizer, Harold Ivory Williams on keyboards, Basil Farrington on bass, Joe Caro on guitar, Steve Jordan on drums, Bernard Kafka on voice and Earl Crusher Bennet on percussion.

Buy it at

Michal Urbaniak - Urbaniak (feat. Zbigniew Namyslowski)

Michal Urbaniak states “This is a very special album recorded spontaneously on a surprised reunion with my dearest friend, my first big influence, fantastic musician, leader, composer and arranger Zbigniew Namyslowski.” That explains a lot about this release from 1977 on Inner City Records. Urbaniak’s fusion sound had turned funkier after his “Funk Factory” release in 1976 but somehow this album explores further into a type of jazz that seems truly influenced by Namyslowski’s playing and writing style. Namyslowski’s and Urbaniak’s compositions were probably written for this release and they display a sort of harmonic melody formed by Urbaniak’s violin and/or lyricon, Dudziak’s wordless vocals and Namyslowski’s alto sax. The funk factor is still present but there is an implied simplicity perhaps achieved by the spontaneity of the surprise reunion recording. Personnel are: Michal Urbaniak on violin and lyricon, Zbigniew Namyslowski on sax and flute, Urszula Dudziak on voice and percussion, the late Kenny Kirkland, whose contribution to this album is amazing, Tony Brown on bass and Lurenda Featherstone on drums. This album was a great recording to begin with and the re-issued CD by Inner City Records makes the quality of the music even better and more enjoyable. We hope they also re-release Zbigniew Namyslowski from around the same time. They already released Urszula Dudziak's album "Future Talk" from the same era.

Track Listing:

1. The Breaker

2. Strife

3. Mountaineers

4. Weird Creatures (sampled above)

5. Jasmine Lady

6. Always Ready

7. Stray Sheep

Buy it at CD Baby, Amazon or

Funk Factory (feat. Michal Urbaniak & Urszula Dudziak

Funk Factory was released in 1976 on Elektra Records is the creation of famous Polish violinist Michal Urbaniak and his wife Urszula Dudziak in collaboration with the main cast of musicians who collaborated on Urbaniak’s “Fusion III”. This production seems to be a preview of what Urbaniak had in mind for his musical concept and career for the remaining of the 70’s and part of the 80’s. The vocal tracks (with lyrics) mark a drastic departure not only from the Columbia label but from his musical concept of the Fusion trilogy and pave the way for later funky-vocal oriented albums such as “Body English” also from 1976 and “Ecstasy” from 1978. Urbaniak’s high-flying electrified and modified violin sound is still as present as before but Urszula Dudziak’s wide-range vocals and sound effects are less of a driving force as they have given way to the somehow uneventful singing with dull lyrics. There are even a couple of tracks where Urbaniak doesn’t even seem to play. Nonetheless, the rest of the album, which is mainly instrumental, maintains the concept of the Fusion trilogy since at times these instrumental compositions sound like outtakes from those sessions and could easily be paired against some of Urbaniak’s best fusion, thus proving the point that most of any production by any artist contains material, such as the song “Funk It” (sampled below), which is worth considering if taken out of context from their original releases. The cast of musicians continue to stretch and provide further boundaries into improvisation and rhythmic accompaniment in a funkified manner. Personnel are: Michal Urbaniak on violin, Vi-tar and saxes, Urszula Dudziak on vocals and percussion, Wlodek Gulgowski on keyboards, Anthony Jackson and Tony Levin on bass, Steve Gadd and Gerry Brown on drums, Bernard Kafka on vocals, and John Abercrombie and Barry Finnerty on guitars. This album has been reissued thanks to the re-issuing label Wounded Bird Records.

Track Listing:

1. Watusi Dance (Instrumental)

2. Horsing Around

3. Rien Ne Va Plus

4. After All the World Goes Home

5. Next Please (Instrumental)

6. The Music in Me

7. Funk It (Instrumental) (Sampled Above)

8. Lilliput (Instrumental)

9. Sinkin' Low (Instrumental)

Buy Funk Factory at Amazon or Wounded Bird Records, or

Michal Urbaniak-Fusion III

Michal Urbaniak's famous Fusion trilogy came to an end with his third recording for Columbia Records, “Fusion III” released in 1975. In a way it solidified Urbaniak’s sound combining his high-flying electrified and modified violin, his wife, Urszula Dudziak’s wide-range vocals and sound effects with compositions influenced by Eastern European ethnic music patterns and melodies. This time all these elements receive an amazing funkified dose of musicianship from Urbaniak’s American counterparts as the original Polish line-up has been replaced by an amazing cast of New York musicians who stretch even further Urbaniak’s boundaries into improvisation and rhythmic accompaniment. Personnel are Urbaniak on violin and violin synthesizer, Urszula Dudziak on vocals, percussion and synthesizer, Wlodek Gulgowski on piano, organ and moog, the funkified rhythm section of Anthony Jackson on bass and Steve Gadd on drums replaced by Gerry Brown on “Bloody Kishka” and “Roksana”, Bernard Kafka on voice on “Stretch” and the amazing guitars and solos of John Abercrombie, Larry Coryell and Joe Caro who add a twist to Urbaniak’s Fusion sound, which never incorporated guitars before. Probably frustrated awaiting for Sony/Columbia to reissue it, this fusion gem has been reissued by the artist himself on his label UBX by re-mastering it from vinyl. The album as sold on iTunes is also by UBX but I have no way of knowing if it is taken vrom vinyl. Wounded Bird Records did issue it on CD and it is from the original tape (see it on Amazon). Regardless of which one you choose, it's worth it!!

Track Listing:

1. Chinatown, Pt. 1

2. Kuyaviak Goes Funky

3. Roksana

4. Crazy Kid

5. Prehistoric Bird (sampled above)

6. Bloody Kishka

7. Cameo

8. Stretch

9. Metroliner

10. Chinatown, Pt. 2

Buy it at CD Baby or Amazon or

Michal Urbaniak's Fusion - Atma

Michal Urbaniak’s Fusion second release came about also in 1974 as this was a very prolific time for the Polish violin virtuoso. This classic of the fusion genre was also very much conceived around the elements that established Urbaniak’s group as pioneers. But this time the Eastern European folk music patterns and Urbaniak’s ethnic background have become embedded in the compositions themselves, which are centered more on concrete themes. The group continues to explore new boundaries into contemporary improvisational music by consolidation the creative mixture of Urbaniak’s high-flying electric violin and Urszula Dudziak’s wide-range voice as a non-verbal instrument. Her vocal sounds and effects are now featured as musical interludes. The interplay among the performers is enhanced by the use of synthesizers as solo instruments. In spite of the aggressiveness of the soloists, this album somehow has a smooth tone present throughout. Personnel are Michal Urbaniak on electric violin, vi-tar violin and soprano saxophone, Urszula Dudziak on voice and percussion, Wojciech Karolak on keyboards, Pavel Jarzevski on bass, Czeslav Bartkowski on drums and Ray Mantilla on Congas, Drums and percussion. Unfortunately this album has never been released on CD. Note: Blogger filed a complaint regarding the posting of the shared audio files thus the link has been removed.

Track Listing:

1. Mazurka

2. Butterfly

3. Largo

4. Ilex

5. New York Satsa (sampled above)

6. Kama, Pt. 1

7. Kama, Pt. 2

8. Atma-Yesterday

9. Atma-Today

10. Atma-Tomorrow

Michal Urbaniak Fusion

Polish violinist Michal Urbaniak is one of the most prominent jazz-rock musicians coming out of Poland. He moved permanently to the U.S. in 1973 where formed his group “Fusion” joined by his wife Urszula Dudziak as they recorded a series of somehow commercial releases for Columbia and Arista Records. This first U.S. release from 1974 was very much conceived in the mainstream fusion genre of the period but the playing explores new territories into contemporary improvisational music. Eastern European folk music patterns and Urbaniak’s ethnic background compose part of the sound which characterized Urbaniak’s music, but the creative mixture of his high-flying electric violin and the use of Dudziak’s wide-range voice as a non-verbal instrument (sometimes electronically treated) with a startling array of sounds and effects are the true innovative unique combination, which provided a canvas for an abundance of interplay among the performers. Personnel are Michal Urbaniak on violin and soprano saxophone, Urszula Dudziak on voice and effects, Adam Makowicz and Wojciech Karolak on keyboards and Czeslav Bartkowski on drums. Unfortunately the Remastered CD, which was a low budget item when it was released, is available quite expensive from 2nd hand users, but you can find it on iTunes or Amazon Download.

Track Listing:

1. Good Times Bad Times (sampled above)

2. Bahamian Harvest

3. Impromptu

4. Seresta

5. Fusion

6. Deep Mountain

7. Bengal

Buy Fusion at Amazon or

Colosseum II - War Dance

Colosseum II third and last album, “War Dance”, released in 1977, finally conceives a concrete band sound and identity to such extent that the only vocal track, “Castles” sounds out-of-context with the rest of the album. The cohesiveness of the band is at its peak by blending the same jazz-rock fusion and progressive elements augmented by the players’ virtuosity and animosity for stretching the boundaries of their individual musical styles. Personnel are Don Airey on organ, synthesizer, piano, keyboards, Clavinet, Tubular Bells, Jon Hiseman on drums and percussion, John Mole on bass and Gary Moore on guitars and vocals. This production sealed the legacy and testament left by this supergroup. After this album, Colosseum II called it a day. The One Way Records CD release from 1993 is also out-of-print. But now "War Dance" is available on iTunes.

Track Listing:

1. War Dance

2. Major Keys

3. Put It That Way

4. Castles

5. Fighting Talk

6. The Inquisition (sampled here)

7. Star Maiden/Mysterioso/Quasar

8. Last Exit

Colosseum II - Electric Savage

This second release by supergroup Colosseum II digs deeper into a journey of psychodelic jazz fusion mixed with progressive rock. The band proceeded to play with relentless passion blending their emerging distinctive individual styles with improved compositions always build-up around Moore’s guitar playing. Synthesizer solos are expanded as part of the band’s sound and Hiseman’s amazing drumming is superbly complemented by new bassist John Mole. This sophomore effort incorporates more instrumental passages and very few vocals. Moore’s singing on “Rivers” paths the way for what would be an illustrious solo career. Tracks like “Put It This Way”, “All Skin & Bone”, “The Scorch”, “Desperado” (heavily influenced by Return to Forever) and “Intergalactic Strut” lean towards the jazz rock fusion genre while “Rivers” and “Lament” reflect a hint of what the future held for Gary Moore’s solo career. The One Way Records CD release from 1993 is out-of-print. Now "Electric Savage" is available on iTunes.

Track Listing:

1. Put It This Way

2. All Skin & Bone

3. Rivers

4. The Scorch

5. Lament

6. Desperado (sampled above)

7. Am I

8. Intergalactic Strut

Colosseum ΙΙ - Strange New Flesh

After the dissolution of the rock supergroup Colosseum, founding member drummer Jon Hiseman decided to reform the group and call it Colosseum II, this time with the help of guitarist Gary Moore (coming out of Thin Lizzy), Don Airey on synthesizers and keyboards, Neil Murray on bass and Mike Starrs on vocals. In this eclectic debut “Strange New Flesh” the rock influenced by jazz and blues, which had characterized the original line-up, was replaced with a hard-hitting jazz fusion outing, which shows impressive musical abilities. The compositions "Dark Side of the Moog", the second half of Joni Mitchell's "Down to You” and “Winds” are very much inflected by the major fusion bands of the time, Chick Corea’s Return To Forever, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Brand X and Weather Report with an emphasis on Moore's soulful guitar leads, while the funky "Gemini and Leo" and “Secret Places” retain the original flavor of the first Colosseum. This combination of both genres is a bit awkward as far as a concept album is concerned. Nonetheless, the result confronted the players with a challenge that has endured the test of time as it has left testament of the legacy of this super group. Castle Music Ltd. released an expanded version of this debut album in October of 2005, now available at iTunes and Amazon downloads, and there was a One Way Records release from 1994, which is currently out-of-print.

Track Listing:

1. Dark Side of the Moog (sampled above)

2. Down to You

3. Gemini and Leo

4. Secret Places

5. On Second Thoughts

6. Winds

Buy Strange New Flesh: Upgraded at Amazon or

Thijs Van Leer - Introspection 4

The last collaboration between flutist and member of Dutch progressive rock group Focus, Thijs Van Leer and arranger/producer/composer Rogier Van Otterloo was released in 1980. Just like the first three installments of this series, it features Thijs Van Leer on Flute, the beautiful voice of Letty de Jong and the orchestra was arranged and conducted by Rogier Van Otterloo. Once again the result is astounishing as the arrangements and the performances make these classical pieces become standard versions and the original compositions make a superb match for the classical tone. This album has been remastered and it is now available as sold by the great re-issue company BGO Records.

Track Listing:

1. Arcangelo (gigue from sonata op.5 n.9 - Corelli)

2, Introspection 4 (Rogier Van Otterloo)

3. Rondeau Des Enfants (Thijs Van Leer)

4. Grave, Allegro, Adagio, Allegro (sonata en E minor - Handel)

5. Le Tango (Thijs Van Leer - Roselie Van Leer)

6. Air (Telemann)

7. Pastorale (Scarlatti)

8. Largo E Dolce (J.S.Bach)

9. Siciliano,Allegro (Handel)

10. Song For Eva (Theme from Exit 7) (Van Leer - Ruiter)

Buy Introspection 4 at Amazon or from BGO Records

Thijs Van Leer - Introspection 3

This third collaboration between flutist and member of Dutch progressive rock group Focus, Thijs Van Leer and arranger/producer/composer Rogier Van Otterloo was released in 1977. The concept remains the same as in the first two installments of this series and the result is just as beautiful. It features Thijs Van Leer on Flute, the beautiful voice of Letty de Jong and the orchestra arranged and conducted by Rogier Van Otterloo. The album was conceived and produced by Ruud Jacobs and John J. Vis and it was recorded at the famous Dureco Studios, in Holland. This album has been remastered and it is now available from the great re-issue company BGO Records.

Track Listing: 

1. Reigen Seliger Geister

2. Roundeau

3. Adagio

4. Brother

5. Sicilienne

6. Rondo III (sampled above)

7. He Shall Feed His Flock

8. Focus V

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Thijs Van Leer - Introspection 2

Flutist and member of Dutch progressive rock group Focus released the second partition of the "Introspection" series in 1975. This beautiful second collaboration with Dutch arranger/producer/composer Rogier Van Otterloo elaborates even further the concept of classical masterpieces mixed together with elements of pop music, including some originals by Van Leer himself, resulting in a beatifully crafted production. This production is available on CD paired with "Introspection 1". There is a remastered version on CD with a different cover, which is currently out of print.

Track Listing:

1. Goyescas No IV (Quejas - La Maja y el Ruiseñor) (sampled above)

2. Rondo II

3. Introduction

4. Siciliano

5. Focus III

6. Larghetto & Allegro

7. Introspection II

8. Sheep May Safely Graze

9. Mild Wild Rose

10. Bist Du Bei Mir

11. Carmen Elysium

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Thijs Van Leer - Introspection 1

During his years of playing with Dutch progressive rock super group Focus, founding member, flutist Thijs Van Leer ventured into the realm on semi-classical music by joining Dutch producer arranger Rogier Van Otterloo. This LP was the first of a stream of productions they did together before van Otterloo's passing in 1988. The result was magical. The covers of classical musical pieces were done to perfection blending elements of pop music with the integrity of the masterpieces and viceversa, the original compositions sound as part of the same repertoire. Although corny at times and bordering on muzak (sometimes called "Elevator Music"), these beautiful and superb orchestral arrangements by Van Otterloo create a concept, which is attractive to any music lover, even the hard core fans of the group Focus. This production is available on CD coupled with their second rendition. The remastered version is no longer available on CD.

Track Listing:

1. Pavanne (Fauré Op. 50) (sampled above)

2. Rondo

3. Agnus Dei (from Mass in B minor JS Bach)

4. Focus I

5. Erbarme Dich (from St. Matthew Passion JS Bach)

6. Focus II

7. Introspection

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