California Guitar Trio - Rocks The West


Year of Release: 2000
Label: Digital Global Mobile
Catalog Number: DGM003
Format: CD
Total Time: 49:31:00

Rocks The West is the year 2000 live release from the California Guitar Trio. Tony Levin is onstage to play the Chapman stick bass and a fretless bass, while Bill Janssen adds his saxophone to the mix to give the music an esoteric feel. The saxophone puts an entirely different slant on the trio's sound, giving it a more layered and complex progressive feel, albeit more free form.

The classic influences come through on Beethoven's "Symphony No. 9." The creator would have been delighted if he heard their version. The one song that just knocked my socks off was "Bohemian Rhapsody." I have never heard an instrumental version of this song, it's absolutely gorgeous, and so intricately played. The Ellington jazz classic "Caravan," which has several popular surf-instro interpretations, is heard in an entirely different musical dominion. The group does have the surf influences courtesy of Hideyo Moriya, but band mates Paul Richards and Bert Lams allow the song to take on a life of its own due to the cooperative spirit of each player, allowing all of their influences to meld into one big beautiful and stunning sound. Classical, jazz, rock, folk, progressive... it's all present and accounted for on each track. The liner notes are very cool, they track their dates and venues with insightful and humor filled commentary. There also some good snapshots of the band.

The entire world is a stage at a CGT concert. The players are the puppeteers and we are the puppets soaking up every note and letting it take us to another dimension that is free of worry and filled with happiness and wonderment. This music is so powerful; it's truly a righteous experience that you should allow yourself to have. You have to hear these guys play to feel the impact and importance of what they do.


Tracklisting:
Scramble (2:22) / Symphony N? 9 (8:58) / Bohemian Rhapsody (5:46) / Caravan (3:34) / Punta Patri (4:19) / Waters Of Eden (4:27) / Blue-Eyed Monkey (2:) / Pathways (4:58) / Pictures At An Exhibition (3:59) / Happy Time In Fun Town (3:16) / Misirlou (2:04) / Rokudan (1:50) / Blockhead (4:38)

Musicians:
Bert Lams - acoustic guitar
Paul Richards - acoustic guitar
Hideyo Moriya - acoustic guitar
Tony Levin - fretless bass, Chapman stick
Bill Janssen - saxophone

Discography:
The Robert Fripp String Quartet - The Bridge Between (1993)
Yamanashi Blues (1993)
Invitation (1995)
Pathways (1998)
An Opening Act: Live On Tour With King Crimson (1999)
Rocks The West (2000)
Monday Night In San Francisco (2000)
Live At The Key Club (2001)
CG3+2 (2002)
A Christmas Album (2002)
The First Decade (2003)
Whitewater (2004)
Echoes (2008)

Genre: Progressive Rock

Origin US

Added: February 8th 2002
Reviewer: Keith "Muzikman" Hannaleck

Artist website: www.cgtrio.com
Hits: 2566
Language: english

  

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