Fire of Unknown Origin

Raffaella Berry's progressive music journey

Feeds:
Posts
Comments
« Earthling Society – Stations of the Ghost (2012)
Ergo – If Not Inertia (2012) »

Chad Wackerman – Dreams, Nightmares and Improvisations (2012)

June 17, 2012 by progmistress

TRACKLISTING:
1. Glass Lullaby (2:32 )
2. A New Day (6:59)
3. Bent Bayou (4:00)
4. Star Gazing (2:41)
5. Edith Street (3:38)
6. The Fifth (6:38)
7. Waterways  (3:08)
8. The Billows (5:49)
9. Monsieur Vintage (3:38)
10. Rapid Eye Movement (2:33)
11. Brain Funk (3:28)
12. A Spontaneous Story (3:56)
13. Two for Ya (2:44)
14. Invisible (1:35)

LINEUP:
Chad Wackerman – drums, percussion
Allan Holdsworth – guitar, SynthAxe, Starr Z-board
Jim Cox – keyboards
Jimmy Johnson – bass

California-born drummer Chad Wackerman needs no introduction for fans of jazz-rock/fusion. After his 7-year stint with Frank Zappa in the Eighties – started when he was barely 20 years old – he embarked on a successful career as a session player. He also toured with such diverse artists as his former Zappa bandmate Steve Vai, former Police guitarist Andy Summers and famed singer-songwriter James Taylor. He is also known to fusion fans for his long-standing collaboration with Allan Holdsworth, which continues on Wackerman’s fifth solo release, titled Dreams, Nightmares and Improvisations.

As the title implies, Dreams, Nightmares and Improvisations presents a collection of musical sketches that may initially come across as quite similar to each other, though subtle differences will unfold at each successive listen. With a dream team of musicians on board – including, besides Holdsworth, two veterans of the jazz-rock scene such as keyboardist Jim Cox and bassist Jimmy Johnson – the album’s 14 tracks showcase the artists’ individual skills while maintaining a sense of cohesion. The smooth, effortless dynamics within the group reveals the ease born of a long familiarity with each other’s styles and quirks, almost uncanny in the light of the largely improvised nature of the music.

All of the tracks possess a laid-back, slightly loose quality, which is particularly true of the shorter numbers in the second half of the album. While Wackerman’s state-of-the-art drumming is often placed in the spotlight (more prominently than on the average jazz-fusion album, where the drumming tends to be somewhat understated), it does not overwhelm the other instruments. Jimmy Johnson’s equally dazzling bass lines often emerge in sudden bursts of sound, while Jim Cox’s majestic keyboard washes, supported by Holdsworth’s signature SynthAxe with its atmospheric, somewhat faraway sound, round out the whole.

The tinkling percussion and surging keyboards of opener “Glass Lullaby” immediately introduce an ambient note (later reinforced by pieces such as the aptly-titled “The Billows” and “Waterways); indeed, as a whole the album tends towards a slow, meditative atmosphere rather than the sleek dynamics of more tightly structured instances of the jazz-fusion genre. In “A New Day” – at almost 7 minutes the longest number on the album – the lazy, almost meandering SynthAxe and crashing cymbals suggest the steady movement of a waterfall; while the 6-minute “The Fifth” starts out briskly, then slows down towards the end, with the guitar stepping up in elegantly unhurried fashion. The two funky numbers towards the end at the album, “Brain Funk” and “Two for Ya”, sound vaguely out of place in the context of the album, and the slightly dissonant, distorted sound of the SynthAxe may feel somewhat grating. On the other hand, the short drum solo of “Rapid Eye Movement” offers a display of Wackerman’s skills without the pointless pyrotechnics usually associated with such items.

With brilliant performances all around, Dreams, Nightmares and Improvisations is highly recommended to jazz-fusion fans (and obviously drummers), though its impact may not necessarily be immediate. Listeners may also find that it works much more effectively if taken as a whole rather than as a collection of separate tracks. All in all, the album is a classy offering that can be appreciated by anyone who loves music performed with the right balance of skill and emotion.

Links:
http://www.chadwackerman.com/

Share this:

  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Posted in Fusion, Instrumental, Jazz-Rock, Review | Tagged Allan Holdsworth, Chad Wackerman, Jim Cox, Jimmy Johnson, SynthAxe | 2 Comments

2 Responses

  1. on June 20, 2012 at 9:09 am John M. McGuire

    You’re right on the money, as usual, Raffaella!

    After Holdsworth’s disappearance from the music scene, this was a refreshing reemergence. Full of unpredictable moments, “Dreams” is a really different outing for Chad Wackerman.

    Indeed, as you indicated, there is a genuine “looseness” (though certainly retaining cohesion) about both the material and the performances that add up to a wonderfully refreshing album. Being familiar with his previous solo output, this comes across as much less rehearsed and charted out … more about the magic of the moment being captured in a variety of different musical settings, as musical sketches (and spontaneous improvs) are given room to breathe and the necessary space to pursue their destinations — wherever that may happen to be!

    Thanks for the post and great review … you remain one of progressive music’s best friends and strongest allies.

    I hope everything is going well for you. You know what my capacities are … if I can ever assist you, please don’t hesitate to ask!

    Warmest regards,
    John M.


    • on June 20, 2012 at 11:40 am progmistress

      Thank you so much for the kind words, John! This is why I still keep doing this, even if sometimes my motivation flags badly – often because of outside circumstances.



Comments are closed.

  • Archives

  • Most Recent Posts

    • Romantic Warriors IV – Krautrock part 2
    • Romantic Warriors IV – Krautrock part 1
    • Not Your Father’s Prog – 2016 in Review
    • Zhongyu – Zhongyu (2016)
    • Deus Ex Machina – Devoto (2016)
  • Calendar

    June 2012
    M T W T F S S
     123
    45678910
    11121314151617
    18192021222324
    252627282930  
    « May   Jul »
  • Categories

    • Acoustic (5)
    • Alternative (5)
    • Ambient (16)
    • Announcement (15)
    • Art Rock (25)
    • Biography (11)
    • Blues (4)
    • Book (2)
    • Chamber Music (10)
    • Classic Rock (18)
    • Concert (21)
    • Contemporary Academic Music (4)
    • Crossover (14)
    • Essay (11)
    • Festival (29)
    • Film (5)
      • Documentary (5)
    • Folk (14)
    • Funk (1)
    • Hard Rock (11)
    • Heavy Metal (2)
    • Instrumental (58)
    • Interview (12)
    • Jazz (12)
    • Jazz-Rock (51)
      • Fusion (20)
    • Live Album (2)
    • Math Rock (4)
    • New Age (1)
    • New Wave (2)
    • Poetry (1)
    • Progressive (29)
      • Avant-garde (10)
      • Electronic (8)
    • Progressive Metal (15)
    • Progressive Rock (259)
      • Canterbury Scene (24)
      • Krautrock (2)
      • Neo-Progressive (5)
      • Post-Prog (4)
      • Post-Rock (5)
      • Psychedelic (15)
      • RIO/Avant (44)
      • Rock Progressivo Italiano (RPI) (28)
      • Symphonic (24)
      • Zeuhl (4)
    • Review (239)
    • Space Rock (5)
    • Statistics (4)
    • Uncategorized (3)
    • Website (1)
    • World Music (16)
  • Blogroll

    • Documentation
    • Plugins
    • ProgArchives
    • Suggest Ideas
    • Support Forum
    • Themes
    • WordPress Blog
    • WordPress Planet
  • Friends

    • Alison Says
    • Alison's Column
    • Astounded by Sound!
    • Athos
    • Autopoietican
    • Bill's Prog Blog
    • Brett W. McCoy
    • Chi Va con lo Zoppo… Ascolta Buona Musica!
    • Feeding the Silence
    • GFreedom's Spot
    • Gibraltar's Prog Blog
    • Hanging Sounds
    • Having My Bass and Eating It Too
    • Hunnibee Reviews
    • Italian Prog Map
    • JezSpace
    • La Luna di Alfonso
    • Lo Scrittore Progressivo
    • MB – Music Box
    • Mindofthemasses
    • Music From the Other Side of the Room
    • New Prog Releases
    • Notes from the Wilderness
    • Pen and Think
    • Prog Is Alive and Well in the 21st Century
    • Prog Lessons ovvero… Cosa si prova ad ascoltare il Progressive Rock
    • Progressive Rock Moments
    • Progshine
    • Rockateca
    • Romantic Warriors
    • Scott's Music Reviews
    • Something for the Weekend?
    • SONAR
    • Strongprogress
    • The Bearded Blog
    • The Bodhisattva Beat
    • The Echoes Blog
    • The Epileptic Gibbon Podcast Music Show
    • The Leviathan
    • the Prog Space
    • The Progressive Aspect
    • The Rickter Scale
    • The Semi-Constant Ravings of a Musical Madman
    • The Sound of Fighting Cats
    • The Totally Subjective Classical Music Blog
    • Tye-Dye Dad
    • Udi Koomran – Guidelines for the Recording Musician
    • Wand'ring Again
    • West Coast Metal
  • Music Websites

    • Arlequins
    • DPRP – Dutch Progressive Rock Pages
    • MovimentiPROG
    • ProgArchives
    • ProgMontreal
    • ProgressoR
    • ProgSphere
    • Rockprogressive.it
    • The Progressive Aspect
  • Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

    Join 139 other subscribers

Blog at WordPress.com.

WPThemes.


Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • Fire of Unknown Origin
    • Join 139 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Fire of Unknown Origin
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Copy shortlink
    • Report this content
    • View post in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d bloggers like this: