Friday, April 23, 2021

Dreams Nightmares and Improvisations (2012), by Chad Wackerman

For his fifth solo album – his first since returning to America after ten years of living in Australia – powerhouse drummer Chad Wackerman reunites his stateside studio cohorts from two decades earlier for a collection of expansive and experimental jazz improvisations.

Returning to the fold are Jimmy Johnson on bass, Jim Cox on keyboards, and – in his last original studio recording before his passing five years later – fusion legend Allan Holdsworth on electric guitar, synthaxe, and keyboards.

 

As usual, Wackerman gives his band members the space to flaunt their musical chops, which they all do without overshadowing each other. In his final studio performance, the 65-year-old Holdsworth remains a revelation and a wonder to behold.

 

Wackerman keeps it all together with solid and consistent drumming throughout, cooking up a simmering cauldron of four unique virtuosos and serving a sumptuous feast for the ears.

 

--Raj Manoharan

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