This is one of the best CDs I have ever heard, and as
near-perfect a jazz/rock/new age/fusion album as you can get.
The disc is the debut release from keyboardist Stephen Savage,
who has taught music for over three decades at such prestigious institutions as
the Berklee College of Music and the New England Conservatory of Music. Savage
is obviously not only a master of music academia and theory, but he is also an
accomplished composer and performer as well.
The album primarily consists of Savage on keyboards,
synthesizers, guitars, and drum programming, with his student and producer
Michael O’Connell playing drums and percussion on several tracks. The numbers
with O’Connell have a fresh late 1970s/early 1980s jazz/rock fusion vibe, which
is refreshing in this current musical period of redundancy and regurgitation.
Even though these tunes only feature Savage and O’Connell, the duo sounds like
a full band, with Savage displaying great fusion guitar chops and O’Connell
unleashing a kinetic sound that reminds me very much of Stewart Copeland of The
Police. These are so good that Savage should seriously consider starting a trio
or quartet with O’Connell and going on tour.
The solo songs with just Savage are perfect examples of new age,
with broad, sweeping melodies and shimmering, ethereal textures, sounding very
much like a futuristic sci-fi soundtrack. This is the kind of music that would
be at home in a planetarium. It’s soothing and full of mystery, wonder, and
awe.
While each and every composition is unique, none sound out of
place.
This is both a winner and a keeper.
--Raj
Manoharan
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