Rating:
Genre:
Jazz
Release Date: 09/28/2004
Given the label and roster here, one should have a good idea of what's in store for
Guitar Supreme: Giant Steps in Fusion Guitar:
fusion guitar giants performing well played, immaculately produced songs written or popularized by
John Coltrane. And that's what it delivers, but while some of the performances are impressive, the overall sound seems to place more emphasis on technique and production than the spiritual passion embodied by
Coltrane. Each player is backed by electric bass, drums, Hammond organ and rhythm guitar, giving each song an almost-funky
smooth jazz vibe. This works fairly well on songs like
"Mr. Syms" and
"Village Blues," but it's pretty inappropriate for
"Resolution" (part of the
"Love Supreme Suite"), where the solemn spirituality of the original is completely undermined by the upbeat backing. On most of the other songs, once the head of the tune is stated, they all begin to sound the same since every tune is given exactly the same treatment.
"Afro Blue" is one of the album highlights, with
Jeff Richman's distorted tone giving a bit of edge to the sound,
Mike Stern does a nice
"My Favorite Things," and
Greg Howe turns in a couple of fiery solos.
Robben Ford's take on
"Village Blues" is also well done, but the other tracks end up all blending together. None of this is bad, mind you, and the folks who are into the
Tone Center/
Shrapnel sound will be pleased and perhaps spurred to investigate more music from the
jazz spectrum. Keep in mind that this is an album geared for
fusion/guitar fans much more than
John Coltrane fans, and you shouldn't be disappointed.
~Sean Westergaard, All Music Guide
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