“Elegant Gypsy” by Al Dimeola

Phew! Finally a review after quite SOME time.

The striking cover of the beautiful girl in the black gypsy attire and Al DiMeola in his attactive black vest and white shirt, sporting the lovely black Gibson (there’s another and better picture in the inner sleeve or backside of the CD) were the reason I picked up the CD at the MBH music store in Singapore but as I tried the CD out there was no way I was going to leave the store without buying it. The music on the CD was simply mind-blowing though it had just 6 songs on it.

Al was a prodiguous guitarist ever since he picked up the instrument. Too good for his age he had to leave his early band for want of more challenging music-playing. He later joined the reknowned Berkley School of Music where his extended hours of practicing were legendary. No wonder he was recruited at such a young age into Chick Corea’s “Return to forever” with whom he did two classic albums before beginning to record his own.

Released in 1977, “Elegant Gypsy” was Al’s second solo album and one that you musn’t miss. Typical of his guitaring, “Elegant Gypsy” featuring crisp, clear playing with Al producing a wide gamut of tunes on his guitar at varying speeds. I always thought Al had some of the strongest guitar playing hands. Though “Elegant Gypsy” won an annual award for the Best Guitar Album from Guitar Player Magazine and is also considered one of the largest selling guitar albums it is relatively unknown and less heard today.

Another reason why this CD is special is because of the talented musicians on the album besides Al DiMeola, particularly Jan Hammer on Synthesizer and Keyboards, Steve Gadd and Lenny White on drums and Paco De Lucia, the classical guitarist.

1. Flight over Rio – What a brilliant way to start the album. Filled with latino rythms, great licks and fantastic accompaniment from the supporting artistes this is a great opener.

2. Midnight Tango – By the time I heard this beautiful song I had already made up my mind that this CD would be mine. I also used this song while trying out my YAMAHA mini system at the Plaza Singapura in Singapore in early 1997. The reason I write this is because the sales guys were so moved with this song they were enquiring about the artiste on the CD. At 2.5 min the song changes pace and from the slow ballet opening but still very listenable. After 6 minutes there is a small yet beautiful drums/Bongos solo from the percussionists.

3. Midnight Tango – A duet with veteran classical great Paco De Lucia that’s out of this world. Al plays the acoustic guitar at blazing speeds where I was convinced that one could play acoustic guitar faster than the fingerpicking style of the classical guitarists. While speaking to Guitar Prassanna, a fine guitarist from Chennai (now living in Boston and who incidentally also went to Berklee School of Music) playing Carnatic, Jazz and Rock, I was told that even Carnatic music could be played faster on the electric guitar using a pick than the finger picking technique.

4. Race with the Devil on Spanish Highway – This song needs to be checked out for the sheer speed of guitar playing along with the melody that only Al can produce on the Gibson Le Paul. One of Al’s complex pieces and a concert fav, on “Race with Devil on Spanish Highway” Al plays the guitar at blazing speeds and yet not sacrificing the beauty of the tunes. Many think that Al was hugely responsible for the shred guitar genre. Wikipedia reports that Al is a big influence on Swedish guitar ace and super shredder Yngwie Malmsteen.

Here’s a video of Al playing “Egyptian Dance” and “Race with the Devil”. Watch it just for Al DiMeola because the supporting musicians are not the ones from this album and the ones in the video suck real bad, particularly the drummer.

5. Lady of Rome, Sister of Brazil – Small but sweet song, so short making it look like a 5 song album. But good song nevertheless.

6. Elegant Gypsy Suite – Beautiful tunes of the guitar, that varies from soft and smooth to fast and blisteringly furious. A classic with the instrumentalists taking things to the limit.

The personnel on the CD -
Al DiMeola: Electric guitars, Acoustic Guitars, Piano, Percussion.
Paco de Lucía: Acoustic Guitar (track 3).
Anthony Jackson: Bass guitar.
Jan Hammer: Keyboards, synthesizer (tracks 1, 6).
Mingo Lewis: Percussion, Keyboards, Synthesizer.
Barry Miles: Piano, keyboards (tracks 2, 4).
Steve Gadd: Drums (tracks 1, 6).
Lenny White: Drums (tracks 2, 4).

This post was somehow purged while doing the transfer and so here it is.

Around 1999 I used to work on contract for Medstat, in Ypsilanti, Michigan. I will never forget this person who also used to work on contract with them because when I befriended him he would tell me that though he was born a Christian only what was mentioned in the Upanishads meant anything to him. The other thing he would ask me was Sitar music. He would ask me if I had any good album that was sitar based. I wish I had recommended Ananda Shankar’s fusion debut album but I think the perfect one would have been this one from Prem Joshua titled “Sky Kisses Earth“.

Use it for your Yoga, meditation, relaxation or for pure enjoyment and this album will not disappoint. Sitar was the indian instrument that wooed the west and Prem Joshua takes it to another level with modern sounds and delivers one beautiful, sublime and smooth album.

Here’s a review of the songs.

1. Sky kisses earth – Long but smooth and not certainly boring but not the best song on the album. 13 minutes long. The vocal tune was lifted by Malayalam music director M Jayachandran for one of his songs. Vocals plays an important role in this song and comes with a nice flute solo.

2. Remember this – Lovely flute on the song with minimal percussion including marimba? Some stringed support is provided and at 2.41 min sitar blends in to create that real soft and relaxing feel.

3. Dakini – My No.1 song from the album and one that lasts over 13 min. Here is music for reflection, meditation and prayer. Starts with a mini intro solo on the sitar and then other instruments blend in. Lovely use of bass enhances the beauty of this number. Santoor is also used and so are vocals.

4. Night train – Soft and sad notes of the sitar, this beautiful song also uses the tabla (Indian percussion instrument) and at 1:45 min more modern percussion and flute are heard. Santoor joins in later

5. Seventh eclipse – Synthesized bass and tabla start the song, santoor plus another instrument that I am not able to recognize join in. Sitar then comes in and later flute and keyboards join in too to make a pleasing number.

6. Earth kisses sky – Song that is played more briskly then the rest of the songs on the album. The Piano is beautiful and santoor, flute and vocals compliment the song. Lovely flute solo in the song too. For the second sitar solo, only keyboards (strings) are used.

Worth every listen.

I still need to put Prem Joshua’s review back and more tweaking to be done.

Hoping to bring back the blog in all its new version soon. Keep watching this space.

I would not have imagined in my wildest dreams I would be listening to an album as this when I picked up Fleetwood Mac’s Future Games at the MBH store in Singapore in the late nineties. I am not sure if the store exists but it is one of the best in Singapore where they let you try a zillion CD’s before you can buy.

Future Games, released in 1971 is the album where Fleetwood Mac’s musical offering outlasts vocal performances. Though more acoustic singing and lyrics aren’t compromised. The entire album is beautiful and has a sometimes depressing, sometimes haunting, sometimes happy feel to it all through the album. Even the instruments are played that way. Mind you, this is Pre Lindsey Buckingam-Stevie Nicks – Fleetwood Mac.

The album is released at a time when two of the leading members Peter Green and Jeremy Spencer leave the band and newcomers Bob Welch and Christine McVie join the band. This gives Fleetwood Mac a new makeover in their sound and songs.

A review of the lovely songs

Woman of a Thousand Dreams – Lovely rythm guitar and lovely singing…the line Woman of a thousand years is sung so well by Danny Kirwan who also pens the lyrics. Lovely guitar solo parts from Danny and Bob.

Morning Rain – Time for the pianist of the band and Christine McVie to take over singing in that unmistakable and melancholy voice.

The nice lines of the song are:

..how can you know till you try…
…The futures new and the past is dead..
and
… Cause away from the darkness everything seems bright
Clear as the morning rain
Seeing it very plain
We’ve got to start again…

What a shame – A small bluesy instrumental featuring the saxophone.

Future Games – Bob Welch’s contribution and what stylish singing and guitar playing, “Simply too good” would be an understatement.

The lovely lines:

I did a thing last night
You know those future games
I turned off all the lights
Oh, the future came
You were by my side
Will you explain-oh yeah
Real rhyme or reason for those future games…

…But baby it’s alright and so have faith
Oh yeah, you invent the future that you want to face…

….How many people sit home at night
Wondering if they will be here tonight
Wondering if children will he bring to the light
Inherit the world, or inherit the night
Wondering if neighbors are thinking the same
All of the wild things tomorrow will tame
Talking of journeys that happen in vain
Well I know I’m not the only one
To ever spend my life sitting playing future games

The beautiful haunting guitar takes over giving the nostalgic feeling that only the typical Fleetwood Mac guitar is capable of. Check the lovely singing at …Well I know I’m not the only one….

More nice lines.

…You better take your time
You know there’s no escape
The future sends a sign
Of things we will create
Baby it’s alright
And so have faith
Oh yeah, you invent the future that you want to face..

Sands of time – Another Danny Kirwan beauty and my favorite song of the album. The way the music is played is so smooth and beautiful, no wonder it was an FM staple with lovely vocals.

The colourful lines:

The magic of a blackened night
Can go so far, but not seem right

Although my love, will drive away the sunshine
The magic of, a blackened night
And before you go show me

The song’s pace quickens.

More beautiful lines:

And the falling sands of time
Blow my wind and drifted by
To and fro the trees still bend
Wondering what the host will send
We will go right down to the sea
Bathing in light we will be free to wander…

The musicians take over and revel and entertain beautifully and softly with their instruments.

Sometime A love song from Danny Kirwan not very impressive but not boring either. Nice and sad guitar licks.

Let it all down Faster, heavy rocker with some fiery solos, the only song that seems out of place in mood on this album.

Show me a smile What a sweet song, its lyrics are worth reproducing here. Christine McVie shows you why she could make lovelier songs later on F.Mac’s later popular albums like Fleetwood Mac and Rumours. The mood lost in the previous song is re-generated by this one and a beautiful song to end the album with the signature Feetwood Mac melancholy guitar sound.

Take everything easy
Show me a smile
It doesn’t take much to please me
My little child
Shine me a light from your eyes dear
Don’t let me see a single tear
Take everything easy
Show me a smile
Soon you’ll be a man
My little one
So have fun while you can
Or there’ll be none
Everything’s going fast around you
There will be things to astound you
You’ll be a man in no time
My little one
So take everything easy
Show me a smile
It doesn’t take much to please me
My little child
Shine me a light from your eyes dear
Don’t let me see a single tear
Take everything easy
Show me a smile…

Personnel on the album – Christine McVie fulltime first time on Piano and vocals, Bob Welch on Guitars and vocals, Danny Kirwan on Guitars and Vocals, Mick Fleetwood on Drums and John McVie on Bass.

The lovely album cover of the two children, earlier had yellow instead of green.

Some more information about the band during the release of the album – Jeremy Spencer departed for Christ. He was in India during the 90’s and even confessed that he left Rock after just one reading of The Bible. The famous Santana hit “Black Magic Woman” is in fact a Fleetwood Mac song of the Peter Green Era.

Buy the CD, Future Games by Fleetwood Mac from Amazon.com.

Better still try and see if you can download the album for free at UnlimitedDownloadCenter.com.

More than a month ago Chennai’s popular newspaper “The Hindu”, had this album reviewed and I just couldn’t wait to get my own review out although I had planned mine a long time ago.

I am not sure how many of you lived in and around Atlanta, GA around the end of the previous milleneum (1999-2001) and used to watch Indian programmes on the NPR (I think it was that) and similar channels on T.V. Most of these (Indian Movies and other Indian programmes) were a weekend thing and not of consistent great quality but being nostalgic about life back home in India we would watch them anyway.

However I had another reason to watch these programs, the small 10 sec or so CRY (Child Relief and You) advertisement. It could have also been from CRY America. Anyway, it was an advertisment asking people to contribute to CRY and be aware of the sufferings and things happening to underpreviliged children in India. The ad didn’t carry any video but only black and white images including one of the founder the late Rippan Kapur. As the images would flash across the screen a very haunting guitar tune would play in the background. Only the guitar was heard with a little percussion as the advertisement concluded. The hauntingly beautiful tune was so soulful that I would wait every week to listen to this small 10 second ad. I was desperate to find which band or guitarist was playing that irresistable tune. Which was the album it came from? I was only groping in the dark thinking I may never find out.

Several months later I moved to Eagan, Minnesota. I used to frequent the Madras Cafe there. Over the music system they would play songs from popular Hindi and Tamil films. On one ocassion they were playing popular songs which I recognized as ones performed by the Pakistani band Junoon. After a couple of songs there was an interesting guitar and tabla instrumental. The sound of the guitar rang a bell in me but I was not able to find out why. At that time I was under the impression that song could have been a Junoon instrumental. I checked with the guy at the restaurant only to receive a blank reply saying someone had burnt an assorted CD for him.

But providence has other things in store for you when your yearning is strong. I started checking Indian guitarists and Indian fusion bands on Amazon.com but not with much luck. I then came across Sanjay Mishra, an India guitarist living in the U.S whose three albums Amazon was selling. A name like Sanjay Mishra would have hardly rung a bell but I decided to just check out the album “Blue Incantation” purely becuase Jerry Garcia of Grateful Dead had collaborated on the album. I first clicked on the Monsoon song and I instantly recognized it as the one they played at Madras Cafe. Something then told me that the tune I heard on the T.V ad in Athens, Georgia was almost there and that the wait was over. I then click on the song “For Julia” and I couldn’t believe my ears. I had finally stumbled upon the song, album and artist I was longing to find out for several months. How many times I heard the little sample on Amazon I cannot recall.

Honestly Jerry Garcia’s part is the one where the guitar playing distracts although there’s not much of him in this collaboration. Garcia’s electric guitar sometimes interjects unnecessarily when compared to Sanjay’s finger picked nylon classical (I am sure Sanjay’s classical guitar has been made electric too, I mean connected to an amp). Except for Noturne/Evening Chant I thought the rest of the songs could have done away with Garcia. Sanjay could have filled those Garcia-played parts with this own better compositions. Garcia collaborates only on three songs and that’s a reason to forgive his parts.

A review of the songs.

For Julia – Clearly the number one song of this album and one that you must listen to first. This is the song that has made Sanjay Mishra and his music famous. Once you listen to “For Julia”, you are going to keep getting back to it an incredible number of times. Extremely haunting, soulful and beautiful. Just two instruments, the guitar and Tabla do it all although I find traces of other instruments such as bass and percussion. For Julia also appears on two other albums one of which is the award winning soundtrack for the film Port Djema.

Monsoon – Not the second best song but a faster number, fastest on the album. Lovely playing reminding you of the wet rainy weather. Beautiful guitar playing though he sometimes settles in the background to let Garcia take the limelight.

Passage into Dawn – The longest song on the album and vocals are used. The tabla works in unision with the guitar tunes to produce a soft and beautiful effect. At 3:33 min the tunes of the guitar changes evoking an even deeper feeling of serenity. This song can be used for Meditation, relaxation, doing Hatha Yoga etc and it will compliment the activity perfectly.

Self Portrait – The smallest song but it so beautiful you could listen to it over and over again. It too has a haunting feel to it.

Bach in Time A variation of a Bach composition played melodiously on the guitar with the support of Tabla as percussion.

Allegro – Faster song, not as fast as Monsoon but moves beautifully. Sanjay plays beautiful tunes on his guitar against the steady Tabla rythm. Towards the end tabla and guitar combine well for some interesting moments.

My Meditation – A beautiful opener, a pleasant number indicating the style and sound that is to come.

Nocture/Evening Chant – Light vocals can be heard in the background as Sanjay weaves his majic for an evening chant a title befitting the relaxing sounds of the guitar and other instruments.

Clouds – Beautiful duet between Sanjay and Garcia. A longer song, slow, soft and lovely with Sanjay taking more of a support role and Garcia doing more of the solos. Tabla gradually join in. If not for Garcia’s guitar this could have been another good song in line with “Passage unto dawn”.

Before the summer rain – The concluding song on the album and one where the flute is also used. Sanjay provides the lovely support as the flautist does most of the solo. Soothing number to end the album.

In conclusion a great album. Blue Incantation is also a must-listen if you are a learning or practising guitarist.

Listen to MP3 clips of the songs here.

There are a couple of videos on Youtube though they aren’t the masterpieces. Here is one of them.

Sanjay has other gems from his earlier and new albums but “Blue Incantation” must be your place to start.

Sanjay’s site at www.mishra.net.

Buy the CD, Blue Incantation by Sanjay Mishra from Amazon.com.

Better still try and see if you can download the album for free at UnlimitedDownloadCenter.com.

Chicken Noodles II by Buckethead and Travis Dickerson

If you thought you didn’t get enough with their first offering of melody jam from their album “Chicken Noodles”, Buckethead and his friend Travis Dickerson offer you more of the jam in a sequel titled “Chicken Noodles II”. This time they have a longer album with more songs than the first.

A review of the songs:

1. The chicken or the egg – Sounds bluesy; nice intro jam

2. Ovum Prophecy – Good song, reminding you of chicken noodles 1; faster one but shorter.

3. Concentric Motion – Long song. Starts lovely and melodious and towards the end comes with and nice string arrangements (programmed into the Rhodes?). Sounds Mark Knopflerish but this one is from Buckethead. The soulful playing starts well then gets into a fast pace and then sounds like shredding but just when you think it is going out of control or boring both the instrumentalists come back to end beautifully.

4. Oyster Crackers – Rockier riffs, bluesy notes, long song but doesn’t get boring and you can just let it play.

5. Heat and Save – A song with guitar chords at the beginning and towards the end of the song. Good small song you wonder why it wasn’t accompanied by vocals but the instruments sing instead.

6. Let it cool – Keyboard doubles as bass – Lovely Mark Knopflerish and bluesy sounding guitar for this blues instrumental.

7. Chicken Nostrils – More chords played in this song than single notes but song has an intriguing feel, at 3.45 more single notes are played.

Buy Chicken Noodles II by Buckethead and Travis Dickerson from Amazon.com.

Better still download the album for free at UnlimitedDownloadCenter.com.