Bobby M another local treasure

So, as I've already mentioned, 1980 was a big year for me, tried it, became addicted, constantly looking for a fix - nothing cures the jones like a new release or a new find. I came across this album, not at school, but back at home in a local record store. It was locally produced and recorded, at the same studios that Spyro Gyra had used for their first album- so why not, I had $6 burning a hole in my pocket, besides, I needed the fix. Fadale - Festive Dancer, is without a doubt one of my all-time sentimental favorites; I can't even begin to count the number of times I listened to this album during my sophomore year of college, in the ratty shit-hole of an apartment I lived in, overlooking Walnut Park. I had been familiar with Bobby Militello, and his group RPM, along with guitarist Paul Viapiano. I was also aware of the Fadale brothers, Dick, Paul and Rick, who also performed on the vibrant local scene in Buffalo. In my opinion, this album is all about Militello and his strong, melodic flute work. One particular memory I have when listening to this music, is of my parents; they had brought me back to school, my mother was in my small apartment kitchen, cooking something, and my father, who, after he got back home, would have to go work the late shift on his job, was sprawled on the mattress that served as my bed, listening to this record, as I played it for him. There were a lot of good memories that year, I miss that apartment, and I really miss my Dad.

By 1981, I had changed schools, but not habits. I had read in the local arts paper that Bobby Militello and his band, RPM were going to release a record. Well, that record finally came out in 1982, but it really wasn't what I was expecting. Instead of featuring Militello's fusion band at that time, it was a fairly over produced affair, directed by Rick James, along with Lenny White and Bernard Wright. But, over the years, as I listen to this record, it's kind of worn on me, and it's actually pretty good. 'Redliner' definitely captures what RPM was all about; it would be nice to see Militello, after all these years, finally go back and revisit this music. Listen to 'Festive Dancer' by Fadale and Bobby Militello's 'Redliner'.

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Getting In The Zone

August 2001, we still had about a month of innocence left before our world, and our world-view was to change, forever, on September 11. I found myself on a  sunny and warm Sunday afternoon, sharing a blanket, a bottle of locally produced wine and and a picnic lunch with an attractive friend of mine, all the while looking forward to an afternoon of jazz and hopefully.......what might be coming my way afterwards! (....yes, the friend was female, yes the jazz was beyond my expectations, and no, there was no afterwards!!). The day started out perfectly, overlooking Seneca Lake; we were there to see the Yellowjackets perform, this was when they had just settled upon Marcus Baylor to take over the drum duties and they were between labels. It wasn't the Yellowjackets, or the way in which the sky opened up and drenched the two of us with torrential rain that stand out in my memory; rather, it was the opening act, The Zone, that I will forever link to this day. One of my greatest joys, is the discovery of a new group, especially when comprised of local or unknown, under discovered musicians, who turn out to be killer! Maybe readers of this blog have figured out by now, that at one time, I lived in Western New York, and so far, a lot of my writings have had a decidedly homegrown bent - true, for now. In any event, I was surprised to find out that afternoon, that The Zone hailed from Buffalo, NY; although I was familiar with most of the members of the group, as individuals, I had not heard of the group, until now. Excellent CD, and outstanding original compositions; my only criticism, where's the follow-up recording! I love these guys, Tony Scozzaro on guitar, I had picked up Tony's solo recording, No Brakes,  a few years earlier and was aware that he had joined up with Gamalon. The Fadale brothers, Paul and Rick, well I had been listening to them since 1980, and will address that in another post very soon on this blog. It was keyboardist Jay Willis that I was unfamiliar with; I could be wrong, but I think, Willis and Scozzaro continue to perform under the name Rush Hour- if anyone has any further info or is aware of any additional recordings, please let me know.

Well, here's to sunny afternoons, filled with hope and promise of things to come.........in the end, it all works out! Listen to 'Lake Erie' and 'I've Asked For Change'.

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Excitement and Sadness

Over the years, whenever there was a new Spyro Gyra release, one of the first things I'd do, is look for the Tom Schuman compositions and cue them up first. Not to take away from Jay or any of the other composers in the band, I've always been a fan of Tom's writing. So, in 1990, I was excited to learn, that in addition to the Spyro Gyra release, Fast Forward, Tom was to release his first solo recording, Extremities, produced by Jay Beckenstein. I remember a real cool ad that GRP was placing in Downbeat and Jazziz, where Fast Forward and Extremities were marketed together. So, I waited with anticipation for that Tuesday, when the new releases were put out at the local record store, and I was able to snatch up Extremities. Needless to say, I was not disappointed, an absolutely fantastic debut, with Dave Weckl, Will Lee, Bob Berg, Steve Love (who played guitar on SG's Incognito release), Jay Beckenstein and Jon Faddis helping out. To this day, this is one of my all time favorite CD's..........but it's very bittersweet; my grandmother passed later that day. I purchased 3 CD's that day, and each one, although very different, conjures up the same memory, that's why this blog truly represents significant music at significant times of my life, and I wouldn't want to have it any other way. Listen to 'Mood Swing'.
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The China Syndrome

It was March 28, 1979, I was a senior in high school, my parents were in Florida, must have been around Easter. I was in the process of deciding where to attend college, so on this day, my aunt took me to Syracuse University for a campus visit. I remember the day as if it was yesterday; the weather was clear, no precipitation, kind of crisp, as we bounded east on the New York State Thruway in her 1972 aqua Super Beetle. Although, this date preceded my eventual addiction to Jazz by a good 6 months or so, it is significant for what was taking place about 200 miles south east of Central New York that day; unbeknownst to us. There just happened to be what is known as a Partial Core Meltdown at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Facility, near Harrisburg, PA. - which stands as the most serious nuclear accident to have ever taken place on American soil. The movie, The China Syndrome, which dealt with just such a subject had opened in theaters a few weeks earlier. Thankfully, there were no casualties and the incident was confined. According to a story, told by guitarist Paul Asbell of the group Kilimanjaro, while I attended a concert of theirs in Buffalo,NY, some years later; the group had been performing in Harrisburg the night before this little nuclear mishap and found themselves stranded while the surrounding area had been locked down. During this 'time of reflection' Asbell wrote the song 'Meltdown', which appeared on their second release, Kilimanjaro Two. It was at this concert in Buffalo in 1982, that I first heard 'Meltdown' and purchased the album directly from the band. Unfortunately,it was the only time I ever had the opportunity of seeing this group, which was based out of Burlington, VT. I picked up their first album, simply titled, Kilimanjaro, around Easter of 1982 (wow an Easter story twice!); I remember, because it was snowing like a bitch (as it tends to in Western New York in Spring), and my parents were in Florida, again - I never noticed the pattern until now! Kilimanjaro immediately conjured up a comparison to the Pat Metheny Group of that time (American Garage), if for no other reason than the stellar guitar artistry of Asbell, the fretless bass work of Tony Markellis and Chas Eller's keyboards. I'm unaware of any other albums this excellent bunch of musicians has released other than these two, although, according to my internet research, they still get together and perform on occasion. Listen to 'Meltdown' from Two and 'Cold Flame' from the debut, Kilimanjaro.
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Jeff Lorber Fusion

Once again, I had no idea who Jeff Lorber was, but, Wizard Island was one cool album cover, the credits said he played a moog, and I had made a conscious decision to spend my my food money on record albums........now that's a diet more people ought to follow! Once again, it was 1980, that formative time of innocent discovery, early on, in my Jazz education. Very few artists have had that immediate affect upon me, the way Lorber and his group did that sunny fall afternoon, when I dropped the needle on that first track. JLF was tight, great acoustic piano complimented by cool synthesiser, funkified bass/guitar/drums, and some kid on saxes and flute- who would go to sell a gazillion albums under his own name and pretty much be vilified for doing so. Personally, I think Kenny G's best work was while he was with JLG, and as with most things in life, all the criticism he's taken isn't totally with merit.  As I'm known to do, once I stumble upon an artist I like, I have to go get the rest of the recordings by them, so that meant finding out what else Jeff lorber had out, at that time - which lead me to Water Sign. Over the years, listening and re-listening, making cassettes for my Walkman or the car; searching down the Japanese CD's, and ultimately transferring the music to my ipod, I think Water Sign is Lorber's best recording, out of a discography of strong albums. The only real difference in personnel between these two releases, which are just a year apart and both on Arista, is Kenny G, who didn't join the band until Wizard Island - don't get me wrong, I don't feel Water Sign is better because the G man isn't on it. I just feel that Lorber's synth work is more adventurous, and I'm a sucker for flute, which seems to be more prominent on this album. Over the years, Lorber has exhibited a knack for discovering and working with some very incredible reed players; and it's good to see him still going strong, some 28 years after first discovering that 'cool' album cover; by the way; later this month, a group by the name Afro Elements, which has ties to Down To The Bone, releases their debut album, It Remains To be Seen, look at the album cover - it's the exact same as Wizard Island, what's that saying about imitation and flattery! (www.afroelements.com). Listen to the title cuts, 'Wizard Island' and 'Water Sign'.
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The Spyro Gyra Connection

It was 1988, time was confusing, relationship ending, moved back in with the folks - spent a lot of time listening to my music - healing and thinking. If you can recall, pre-internet, you'd browse your favorite record store and stumble across new discoveries, which is how I found these three releases that bring back memories of sorrow, confusion, pain - and then the excitement and lust of things new and strange! I always loved the vibes of Dave Samuels and the color he brought to Spyro Gyra, so I was filled with great anticipation when I first came across Living Colors; not his first release as a leader, but his first disc, while a full fledged member of SG. This disc, produced by Jay Beckenstein is probably the most diverse of the releases that Samuels put out while with the boys from Buffalo, before he went out and started Caribbean Jazz Project. Future CJP partner, Andy Narell contributes in a big way on 'New Math', which I had the pleasure of seeing SG perform live.

At one time, during the genesis of SG, Ted Reinhardt held down the drum chair and Rick Strauss was the guitarist and also contributed compositionally (End of Romanticism on Morning Dance). I had no idea what Gamalon was about, except that they were on the same label as Spyro Gyra (Amherst Records) and that the cover art was kick-ass - so I bought the CD, which turned out to be kick-ass as well! 'Billy's Saloon', 'Ooh...Babe', and 'Cabin #14' - I still put the headphones on and crank the shit out of this music, 20 years later! Over the years the band has changed it's line up, the guitar duties have been passed on to others, but they're still playing live and are as intense as ever. Fusion doesn't get any better than this.....period.

Rick Strauss was an early member of Spyro Gyra and contributed one composition to their break out record, Morning Dance. In 1988 he release Jump Start, with a little help from a cadre of Buffalo's finest jazz musicians. The early SG connection was immediately evident in this disc of  Strauss' original compositions and flowing guitar sound. 'Honest Two Socks', 'Shanti', 'Toronto' - all three of these could have easily appeared on any of SG's first four releases. It's a tough one to find, but if you can, search this disc down. Listen to Dave Samuel's 'New Math', 'Cabin #14' from Gamalon and 'Toronto' by Rick Strauss.

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Funkin' For GRP

Tom Browne was the second artist, after Dave Grusin's Mountain Dance that I purchased on the GRP label. All summer long, between my freshman and sophomore year of college I heard 'Funkin' For Jamaica' on the radio. But it wasn't Browne's Love Approach album I first purchased, instead I picked up Browne Sugar; I soon found out what that GRP sound was all about. Browne's playing was strong the songs were funky, although not as funky as they would eventually get on his Magic release of 1991. Over the years, I've had these albums on vinyl, cassettes which I traded with classmates, and eventually CD. Personally, I think these four albums along with Tom Browne, himself, define what GRP was all about and eventually would become; until Dave Grusin and Larry Rosen left the company they founded in the mid to late nineties. It was from these Tom Browne recordings, that I was first introduced to Marcus Miller, Bobby Broom, Bernard Wright, and eventually Dave Valentin, along with a host of other incredible contemporary jazz artists. Over the course of this blog, I'll be referencing many classic GRP recordings, a company, that in my opinion defined what contemporary jazz is all about. Listen to 'I Never Was A Cowboy' from Browne Sugar, 'Dreams Of Lovin' You' from Love Approach, 'Night Wind' from Magic and 'Charisma' from Yours Truly.
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Gambling At The Casino

Al DiMeola's Casino was probably like the fourth jazz album I purchased; I bought it because I thought that the cover was cool. I had no idea what was in store for me! The speed, the electricity, Latin, rock, jazz.... it was unbelievable! Needless to say, I immediately became a fan of DiMeola's and he was the barometer by which I would judge all future jazz guitarists I purchased (at least for awhile).  'Chasin' The Voodoo' has to be one of my all time favorites - pure energy. In any event, over the years, I've been a faithful purchaser of Al's recordings, although I've never had the opportunity to see him perform live. It was from this single recording, that led me to the music of Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Return To Forever and so many more. The video is of 'Egyptian Danza' which is the first song of the album.

My First Exposure To Japan

It was in October of 1980, that a friend of mine, turned me onto Sadao Watanabe and Terumasa Hino. Specifically, Sadao's double live album, How's Everything, on Columbia and Hino's City Connection, which was released on the Inner City label. How's Everything blew mw away; Sadao's Sax and that flute, I loved it! I was just getting familiar with Dave Grusin, who was the keyboard player, and I had also started to notice Eric Gale's name popping up on many of the albums I was purchasing. This was the start of my appreciation for all things Sadao, and over the years, I've probably picked up everything he's released, and replaced most of my vinyl for cd's, where I've been able to find them.

Terumasa Hino's City Connection is by far my most favorite of his recordings that I've purchased; with the exception of City Collection and Daydream, he's mostly followed a more straight ahead, post-bop recording career. 'Hino's Reggae', 'Send Me Your Feelings' and 'Samba De-La Cruz' bring back many memories, and are just great contemporary jazz, that have held up well over the years. Listen to Sadao's 'Sundance' and Terumasa's 'Hino's Reggae'.
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This Is The One That Started It All

It was the fall of 1979, I was a freshman at Syracuse University, when I came across Spyro Gyra's self titled first release. Being from Buffalo, I was aware who they were, but never really heard any of their music, except 'Shaker Song' - it was in the cut-out bin, so I picked it up. Well, that was the beginning of the end for my popular music, rock purchases, after that - I was hooked, I tried it once, and became an addict - to Jazz! Needless to say, Spyro Gyra is my sentimental and personal favorite group; from that first purchase, I have amassed a Jazz collection that spans over 7000 recordings, the vast majority currently cd and digitally based; the Lp's have been replaced, where applicable and slowly been given away or sold to other collectors.

I've seen Spyro Gyra live more times than I can remember, the first being in 1981 in Buffalo at Kleinhans Music Hall. The concert was in support of their latest release at the time, Carnival, and keyboardist Jeremy Wall, who by this time was no longer part of the touring band, opened the show for them with a solo piano set of some of his compositions. After one particular concert at the Tralfamadore in Buffalo as well, Tom Schuman and I shared a few cocktails at a cigar bar next to Shea's Buffalo Theatre, I think that was in 1995. Three of my favorite songs from this release are: 'Opus D'Opus', 'Mallet Ballet', and 'Galadriel'. 'Mallet Ballet' shows up again, in 1991, on the Collection cd, as a rare live recording that was done as a promotion during a live radio broadcast in Cleveland. 

Listen to 'Opus D'Opus', 'Mallet Ballet' and 'Galadriel'.
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boomp3.com

Over the course of this blog, there will be more Spyro Gyra, along with numerous other recordings that span my 29 year odyssey of exploring and learning about this incredible art form and the extraordinary artists who create and perform it - along with short stories about what was happening at that time in my life, which makes that particular recording significant for me. I hope you enjoy and check back often.

-jzyjohn