Monday, August 23, 2021

Charming Snakes (1990), by Andy Summers

This is Andy Summers as he hadn't been heard before. Summers flexes his musical muscle with wild abandon, penning bombastic, over-the-top jazz-rock fusion pieces and unleashing searing and flashy guitar leads, proving once and for all that he is far more than a minimalist master of rhythm, atmosphere, and texture.

Summers' band here includes keyboardist David Hentschel, bassist Doug Lunn, and aptly named powerhouse drummer Chad Wackerman, with all-star assists by Summers' former Police band mate Sting and Darryl Jones on bass, jazz superstar Herbie Hancock and Brian Auger on keyboards, Ed Mann on percussion, Mark Isham on trumpet, and Bill Evans on saxophone.

This is Summers' most extroverted album and, as such, will keep your ears wide open.

--Raj Manoharan

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