Harmonics of the Night (2021), by Andy Summers

Delayed for nearly two years because of the pandemic, Andy Summers’ Harmonics of the Night finally sees the light of day, and it is a welcome musical postcard from the venerable veteran guitarist, especially in these unusual times.

 

The title is very appropriate as the overall feel of the album is very nocturnal. Unlike the previous two installments of Summers’ almost entirely self-performed trilogy (Metal Dog and Triboluminescence), drums, percussion, and synthesizers are minimal or nearly nonexistent, allowing Summers to use mostly his guitars to create quiet serenity out of the shadows.

 

“City of Crocodiles” and “Chronosthesia” percolate with darkly lyrical rhythms over which gradually ascending leads and solos twist and turn and reach and yearn. “Mirror in the Dirt” channels “Chocolate of the Desperate” from Synaesthesia and “If Anything” from Triboluminescence with its edgy guitar phrasing over synthesizers. “Prairie” and “Aphelion” revel in Summers’ classic otherworldly tones. The beautiful and tranquil “Inamorata,” one of two transcendental acoustic guitar pieces on the record, features traces of guitar synthesizer. (A whole solo album of tracks like “Prairie” and “Aphelion” would be awesome, as would a whole solo album of tracks like “Inamorata.”)

 

This is the closest any of Summers’ albums have come to resembling the sound and feel of his 1988 minimalist masterpiece, Mysterious Barricades. As a result, this is Summers’ most pensive, thoughtful, and sensitive effort since that stellar recording.

 

There are also sonic elements that recall Summers’ 1980s albums with Robert Fripp – I Advance Masked and Bewitched – as well as flashes here and there of Summers’ signature sound as found in both his work with The Police and his solo career. But then again, all of Summers’ albums, including this one, are his signature sound, aren’t they?

 

Harmonics of the Night is a cinematic musical journey well worth taking, courtesy of the always reliable and ever dependably unpredictable Andy Summers.

 

--Raj Manoharan

Triboluminescence (2017), by Andy Summers

Summers got his groove back.

For the longest time, I had held out hope that Andy Summers would create another album similar in vein to his first two solo instrumental efforts, Mysterious Barricades (1988) and The Golden Wire (1989), which feature his compositions and guitar playing at their most transcendental and sublime. Triboluminescence rekindles the spirit of those original records, but on a whole other level, and the result is absolutely delightful.

Expounding upon his explorations of self-sufficient sonic possibilities begun with the 2015 industrial tech whack offering Metal Dog, Summers exceeds that accomplishment, using his guitars and other instruments (and cheating slightly with the collusion of cellist Artyom Manukyan on one track) to create alien and otherworldly sounds that transport you into a wondrous dimension of exhilarating sensory perception.

Standout tunes include the haunting “If Anything,” “Elephant Bird” (classic Andy Summers), "Gigantopithecus" (psychedelic reggae rock), “Ricochet” (bluesy funk), the eerie and enigmatic "Sam and Janet" (with a special cameo by "Metal Dog" from the album of the same name), and “Help from Jupiter” (spacey shades of Barricades and Bewitched). (The latter three tracks are digital/vinyl exclusives.)

Summers described his personal musical direction in the late 1980s and early 1990s as “new fusion.” He calls his unique stylings on Triboluminescence “new exotic.” I myself like to think of it as “new mysterious.”

Without a doubt, Triboluminescence certainly ranks as one of Andy Summers’ best albums, right up there with his Private Music catalog, as well as Synaesthesia and Earth + Sky. It is also solid and demonstrable proof that at age 74, Andy Summers is still very much in his prime – and still very much in the top tier of guitar masters.

--Raj Manoharan

Metal Dog (2015), by Andy Summers

At long last, the much-anticipated follow-up to Andy Summers and Robert Fripp's seminal, iconic, progressive experimental albums I Advance Masked and Bewitched is here – except this time, it's all Andy.

As befits his first fully independent, self-released solo recording, Summers truly goes it alone, composing all the music and playing all the instruments himself, including bass, keyboards, drums, and percussion. Summers pulls it off so well that it's easy to forget that he's the only musician in the studio. Of course, as always, his guitars, as well as other stringed instruments, are the focal point of the proceedings, with Summers producing exquisite, elegant leads, rhythms, and solos, covering a range of styles from blues and funk to jazz and rock.

While the 10-track collection definitely has the spirit and elements of the previously mentioned Fripp collaborations, as well as Summers' solo instrumental albums Mysterious Barricades, The Golden Wire, and Synaesthesia, it is at the same time fresh and original.

This is unlike anything Summers has done before, with its variety of textures, tempos, and time signatures. But Andy's classic sounds pop up here and there, reassuring us that our guitar god is still present as ever.

Although every composition is stirring, my favorites are the title track, "Animal Chatter," “Ishango Bone,” “Bitter Honey,” and especially “Harmonograph,” with its slithery, electronic lead guitar. These are the most conventional sounding “songs” on the album, and even then they're unconventional. In a sense, Summers has come full circle from his eclectic musings on the track “Circe's Island” from David Bedford's 1976 album The Odyssey.

In its review of Summers' 1995/1996 release Synaesthesia, Entertainment Weekly wrote, “With Andy Summers, even if you expect the unexpected, you'll still be surprised.” This has been true of each and every project by Summers, and the epic, groundbreaking Metal Dog is certainly no exception.

--Raj Manoharan

Earth + Sky (2003), by Andy Summers

After four albums for RCA Victor featuring a mix of jazz covers and originals, acoustic guitar duets, and tributes to jazz icons Thelonious Monk and Charles Mingus, legendary guitarist Andy Summers goes independent with his Golden Wire label and returns to his own original jazz-rock fusion compositions, tapping into his Police and early solo sensibilities as well as some new sounds he picked up along the way.

While the euphoric “Above the World” recalls “Begin the Day” from the 1984 Andy Summers/Robert Fripp album Bewitched and the title track smacks favorably of Summers’ Police instrumentals, numbers like “Now I’m Free” and “Return” show Summers at the height of his jazz phrasing powers with smooth and seamless beauty and fluidity.

 

The stellar lineup of musicians backing Summers on this outing includes Vinnie Colaiuta on drums, Abraham Laboriel on bass, John Beasley and John Novello on keyboards, and Katisse Buckingham on saxophone.

 

This is one of Summers’ best albums and stands firmly alongside his finest work, including his Private Music catalog, Synaesthesia, and Triboluminescence.

 

--Raj Manoharan

Monk 'n' Mingus (2016), by Andy Summers

Okay, this isn’t actually an actual album by Andy Summers. Rather, it’s a playlist I made in 2016 for my iPod consisting of five tracks from Summers’ 1999 album, Green Chimneys: The Music of Thelonious Monk, and six tracks from Summers’ 2000 Charles Mingus tribute album, Peggy’s Blue Skylight.

What I found is that when I combined those eleven tracks together, the result was a record that is even better than either of those already solid albums. In fact, the collection sounds like it could almost be Synaesthesia II, just entirely composed by Monk ‘n’ Mingus. Which really wouldn’t be surprising at all, since Synaesthesia and many of Summers’ other albums sound like they also could have been composed by Monk ‘n’ Mingus, especially as Summers is heavily influenced by those two jazz icons, in addition to other great artists from the genre.

 

For optional add-ons, you can include the excellent vocal tracks: “Round Midnight” featuring Sting (Green Chimneys: The Music of Thelonious Monk) and the Peggy’s Blue Skylight songs “Weird Nightmare” (featuring Deborah Harry) and “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat/Where Can a Man Find Peace?” (featuring Q-Tip).

 

So, without further ado, here are the eleven tracks that make up Monk ‘n’ Mingus:

 

From Green Chimneys: The Music of Thelonious Monk:

 

1. Green Chimneys

2. Shuffle Boil

3. Evidence

4. Ugly Beauty

5. Think of One

 

From Peggy’s Blue Skylight:

 

6. Boogie Stop Shuffle

7. Tonight at Noon

8. Reincarnation of a Lovebird

9. Opus Three

10. Cumbia Jazz Fusion

11. Remember Rockefeller at Attica

 

--Raj Manoharan

Peggy's Blue Skylight (2000), by Andy Summers

After taking on the formidable task of tackling the songbook of Thelonious Monk, guitarist Andy Summers sets his sights on another jazz giant, bassist Charles Mingus.

While the Monk project is a musical curve ball in terms of Summers' usual style, this has more of the comfortable jazz-rock fusion feel that Summers' fans are familiar with. In fact, even though the songs are all Mingus tunes, they sound very much like Summers' compositions.

The lineup of supporting musicians is stellar as always. In addition to Dave Carpenter on bass and Joel Taylor on drums, the players include Randy Brecker on trumpet, Nick Ariondo on accordion, Hank Roberts on cello, John Novello on Hammond B-3 organ, Geetha Bennett on vocals, veena, and tamboura, Rob Thomas on violin, Michito Sanchez on percussion, Curtis Fowlkes on trombone, The Jazz Passengers, and The Kronos Quartet.

The album also features guest appearances by Blondie vocalist Deborah Harry on “Weird Nightmare” and rapper Q-Tip, who recites Mingus's poem “Where Can a Man Find Peace?” over Summers' stunning, stinging rendition of “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat.”

This is another fine showcase for Summers' patented brand of guitar wrangling.

--Raj Manoharan

Green Chimneys: The Music of Thelonious Monk (1999), by Andy Summers

Andy Summers takes on one of his greatest challenges yet – essaying the music of his idol, legendary jazz pianist Thelonious Monk.

This album is interesting on so many levels.

For one thing, it's quite something to hear the music of a piano-playing bebop pioneer from the perspective of a guitarist primarily known for rock music.

Also, considering that Monk is to music what Pablo Picasso is to art, the songs on this CD are vastly different from what Police and Andy Summers fans are used to.

In addition, Summers enlists the musical support of a veritable who's who of contemporary jazz players, including Dave Carpenter on bass, Peter Erskine and Bernie Dresel on drums, Joey de Francesco on Hammond B-3 organ, Hank Roberts on cello, Steve Tavaglione on saxophone and clarinet, and Walt Fowler on trumpet. Even Summers' former Police band mate Sting shows up to provide sultry, breathy vocals on “'Round Midnight.”

While this might be an atypically difficult listen for Police and Andy Summers fans, this is a great album with which to broaden their musical horizons.

--Raj Manoharan