Music – Debut Album from Andy Summers and Circa Zero Available at Amazon

Circus Hero, the debut album from Police guitarist Andy Summers' new rock band Circa Zero, is available for pre-order on Amazon.

Named after a radio DJ's mispronunciation of the band's name during an interview with Summers, the CD is scheduled for release by 429 Records on March 25, 2014.

In addition to Summers, Circa Zero features Los Angeles multi-instrumentalist and Rescues' leader Rob Giles and Canadian drummer Emmanuelle Caplette.

For more information on Circa Zero, visit www.circazero.com, www.andysummers.com, and www.emmanuellecaplette.com.

--Raj Manoharan

Congratulations to Laura Sullivan on Her Grammy Win!

Congratulations to Laura Sullivan on her album Love's River winning Best New Age Album of the Year at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards. In honor of this momentous occasion, I am reposting my March 31, 2013, review of Laura's winning album:

CD Review – Love’s River, by Laura Sullivan

Laura Sullivan’s sixth release is a study in subtlety, providing much-needed and welcome respite from the amplified noise of everyday life.

 

The eleven original piano compositions penned by Sullivan are elegant and gorgeous, profuse in the fluidity of passion suggested by the title.

 

In addition to Sullivan’s piano and synthesized orchestrations, the rich sound mix includes guitar by Will Ackerman (producer on four tracks), trumpet and flugelhorn by Jeff Oster, cello by Eugene Friesen, oboe and English horn by Nancy Rumbel, and oboe and English horn by Jill Haley.

 

This is a perfect CD to take along anytime you want to sojourn down love’s river.

 

--Raj Manoharan

CD Review – Reflections, by Danny Wright

Danny Wright reflects on his nearly three-decade career with this collection of 17 originals and one cover, each dedicated to an individual who was instrumental in the pianist's life and calling.

In his liner notes, Wright draws attention to Ann Nestler (to whom the cover song “Moonlight in Vermont” is dedicated) for playing his music exclusively in her Primrose Garden gift store in Vermont beginning in 1985.

The album represents the breadth and range of Wright's composing and performing capabilities, which are tremendous. All of the compositions are inspired (and not just by those to whom they're dedicated), showcasing Wright's musical creativity, sensitivity, and thoughtfulness. And the playing is top-notch, a result of Wright's masterful command of the keyboard.

Those who enjoy classy, elegant solo piano music will not be disappointed.

--Raj Manoharan

CD Review – The Reality of the Fantasy, by James Sera

On his debut disc, James Sera takes the art of solo acoustic fingerstyle guitar in bold new directions.

Sera is an accomplished player who is also a guitar instructor. However, he is also adept at spinning compelling six-string yarns.

The compositions are intricate and delicate, but they also have an edge that is often not found in this kind of recording. This is due to Sera's use of alternate tunings and his unique arrangement of intros, bridges, and chord progressions.

Often, Sera's smooth, effortless playing will draw you in and set you up to think you know what's coming up next. That's where Sera shakes things up, charting unexpected paths that are ultimately satisfying and thrilling.

 

This is definitely an acoustic excursion worth taking, especially for enthusiasts of solo acoustic fingerstyle guitar.

 

--Raj Manoharan

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

Best wishes to you and yours this season. New reviews will resume after the first full week of 2014.

Take Care!

Raj

Happy Birthday, Andy Summers!

On Tuesday, December 31, 2013, Andy Summers – my favorite guitarist and musician of all time – turns 71 years old.

 

I first became acquainted with the music of Summers in 1983 at the age of 10 in a Catholic elementary school classroom when I heard a hypnotic and futuristic-sounding pop/rock song emanating from the radio of Candy, my substitute teacher. When I asked what the song was and who recorded it, I was promptly informed that it was “Spirits in the Material World” by The Police. I was instantly hooked, so much so that that Christmas, my parents got me a vinyl copy of Synchronicity, The Police’s fifth and final studio album and one of the biggest hits of the year. The Police have since remained my favorite rock band of all time.

 

Summers was the guitarist for the mega-popular group, who were active in the late 1970s and early 1980s and reunited for a 30th anniversary tour in 2007 and 2008. Being a good decade older than his bandmates Sting and Stewart Copeland, Summers began his professional recording career in the early 1960s, playing for Zoot Money’s Big Roll Band (which later became the psychedelic but short-lived Dantalian’s Chariot), Eric Burdon’s New Animals, and Soft Machine. After formally studying guitar at Northridge University in California from the late 1960s to the early 1970s, Summers returned to England and plied his trade as a session guitarist for Joan Armatrading, Neil Sedaka, Kevin Coyne, and Deep Purple’s Jon Lord before achieving monumental success and international stardom with The Police.

 

After the dissolution of The Police in the early 1980s, Summers scored some Hollywood films (Down and Out in Beverly Hills, Weekend at Bernie’s) and recorded one rock vocal album before establishing himself as an acclaimed and accomplished contemporary instrumental guitarist across a variety of styles, including jazz, fusion, New Age, and world music.

 

I was privileged to interview Summers by telephone in Fall 2000 for the January 2001 issue of DirecTV: The Guide. I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered that Summers posted a notice of the interview in the news section of his Web site. Later, I met Summers in person during his book tour in Fall 2006, just a few months before The Police reunited for a 30th anniversary reunion tour, which I was fortunate to attend twice in August of 2007 and 2008.

 

For a good overview of Summers’ solo work, I highly recommend the following albums: Mysterious Barricades, A Windham Hill Retrospective, Synaesthesia, and The X Tracks. My personal favorite Summers albums are Mysterious Barricades, The Golden Wire, Charming Snakes, World Gone Strange, Synaesthesia, Earth and Sky, First You Build a Cloud, and Fundamental.

 

--Raj Manoharan

 

CD Retro (Fan) Review – World Gone Strange, by Andy Summers

Of all of Andy Summers’ albums, this one has really resonated with me over the years. In fact, as I get older, I find myself returning to it again and again. It's the most focused, consistent, and guitar-centric album of Summers’ entire solo discography.

 

There’s no flash or pizazz here – just classy, elegant electric guitar music, with hints of jazz, blues, and funk. There isn’t one lackluster tune on the CD. It is flawless from beginning to end.

 

Summers’ spot-on backing band includes Tony Levin on bass, Mitchell Forman on keyboards, and Chad Wackerman on drums, with guest performances by Eliane Elias on piano, Victor Bailey on bass, Nana Vasconcelos and Manola Badrena on percussion, producer Mike Manieri on marimba, and Bendik on soprano saxophone.

 

Andy Summers has a varied body of work, all of which is enjoyable, some more than others. I consider this to be his most timeless and universal. It’s my favorite.

 

--Raj Manoharan