Jean Chaumont released “The Beauty Of Differences” in 2018, so this isn’t a newer release so to say. But, the artist is new to me….so I decided to dive into this jazzterpiece (yes I make up words and love it!). The sound on this album is great…..another great curveball in music. What do I mean by this? Jean uses an acoustic guitar, something not used as much in Jazz in comparison to the eclectic guitar (these days at least). Wanna know something even cooler? All the proceeds of the album are donated to the nonprofit organization Villages in Partnership for the excavation of wells in the Sakata region of Malawi, Africa. So if you love what you hear…..BUY IT jackwagons!
Lineup for “The Beauty Of Differences”: JEAN CHAUMONT – guitars MICHAEL BOND – piano & rhodes IKE STURM – upright bass RUDY ROYSTON – drums SAM SADIGURSKY – saxophones tenor & soprano
Guests TIERNEY SUTTON – vocals (Songs 1 & 4) VINOD GNANARAJ – vocals (6) JOHN HADFIELD – percussions (6) ENOCH SMITH JR. – hammond organ (Songs 3, 6 & 7)
“The Beauty Of Differences” is an extremely impressive culmination of music. What I really enjoy a lot is how wide the music is…..there aren’t too many instruments fighting for musical “space” in Chaumont’s songs. There is room to breathe (musically) but still enough to keep junkies like me who love heavily layered music. There’s different types of keyboards and organs, a few guest vocalists, upright instead of an electric bass, and a few different types of saxophones. The drums are pretty smooth, and even occasionally there’s some wild fills on some of his songs.
It’s a jazz album that totally stands on its own musically, and is very flavorful. The vocals were totally unexpected on those three tracks, but a nice surprise I have to admit. I’m personally used to instrumentalists in regards to the genre. Both singers did a pretty stellar job with their extremely smooth voices I must say. Are you already impressed with Jean’s writing and guitar playing? Fact: he produced the album, as well. These sorts of artists I have tremendous respect for, who dip their hands in several areas of the music realms.
This album is full of soul and emotion, and am so glad I stumbled upon this record. Chaumont and his plethora of guest musicians really kicked serious ass here. The melodies here (especially on vocals) were extremely pleasant. Give Jean a listen on the player below. Cheers to a great album!
Pennslyvania’s The Inner Urge released this album ironically almost a year ago, on March 25th of 2018. If I actually knew these guys a while ago, I’d have added this to my 2018 best of list. They’re not your typical instrumental band, which is something I think our followers will love. They blend a plethora of sounds that work extremely well. That laundry list include: jazz, ambience, psychedelic rock, fusion, prog rock, brass instruments, keyboard, violin, saxophone, vibraphone and random percussive instruments. There’s a lot more instrumental bands out there (especially in the jazz/fusion world, outside of instrumental metal and it’s many subgeneres) I think these guys stand out so much especially with a debut album.
They are super talented, nobody actually stands out and sure as heck don’t mean that in an insulting manner. This is what I respect about certain bands. Some are guitar heavy and written for guitar riffs, vocally focused, rhythmically focused or an instrumental band/guitarist (Vai/Satriani style) shred band. The Inner Urge has put out an album that is COHESIVE, nobody hogs the spotlight and their impressive sound layering again is key to it all. It’s super melodic whether its the saxophone taking a melodic lead, or guitar, or a cool xylophone the guys don’t overdo it with such a densely satisfying sound. Of course a killer rhythm is section is what you need, and that is what their big backbone is. If they didn’t click so well, I guarantee it’d be a mess of a sound. Again fellow guitarists, APPRECIATE A GREAT RHYTHM SECTION. I just admitted that, and I think you all can too.
Alex Price – Guitar/Violin Andrew Koss – Bass/Saxophone Jesse Griffith – Drums
Michael Garbett – Vibraphone/Percussion
Additional Live Musicians:
Nashwan Abdullah – Violin
Will King – Percussion
Josh Wertz – Tenor Saxophone
Matt Klumpp – Keyboard
The band has so many unique and unusual rhythms it’ll keep you grooving for years. Jesse and Andrew are such a good choice on rhythm they feed off each other so well. Drew’s fills on bass are so tasteful it’s like a perfectly cooked medium rare steak. Not hiding so far in the sound, but plays some great fills in the right spots that spice up their expansive sound. The drums aren’t reserved by any means, and perfectly fits The Inner Urge’s sound.
Mike’s percussion and vibraphone adds more layer to their sound, which helps their songs out a whole lot. It’s actually quite key (HAR, HAR) at some points in their songs and helps maintain the moods they aim for. And well, what can I say about Alex? He also represents PRS as proven by that picture…..high five my friend! The young guy has a great future as a player no questions asked. Playing on a clean channel (with some random added reverb, echo, delay and other slight additions) for a good part of the album is impressive. He doesn’t play outside of his means, and clearly annunciates his melodies on guitar even the more subtle ones. I think it also helps the 4 main members went to music schools. Hell two of the members play on cruise ships and their vibraphone player drums on the Pittsburgh Steelers drum line! These young whipper snappers are music, they live and breathe it.
Listen to the self titled album below, and then buy it because pimpin ain’t easy. If you live in the Northeast, check out their shows when they play. I’m sure it’s a hoot. I’ve heard this album about 8 times in the past week and have no shame in admitting that. Great job, especially for a debut it’s awfully eye opening. So excited for new music whenever their busy lives call for it. Absolutely FLAWLESS job gentlemen. Cheers!
If you’ve been with us for a while or see our description you’d see we do more than prog, tech metal and instrumental music…..I’ll admit I’ve bitten off a lot and generally get a lot of that submitted, let alone through e-mail mailing lists and I apologize….but this job isn’t easy. I’ve done a few jazz and fusion articles, but haven’t tried hard ENOUGH. So today, I’m going to try to change that…….and hopefully stick with it. I love the genres, it’s originality and insane talents that come with it. One big talent is the mighty jazz guitarist Frank Gambale who released this stellar album last year that went off my radar. So many releases, so much music…..only so much time. I heard it in full a couple months ago, and put it back on today.
There’s lots of great jazz guitarists and some that also cross into the wild world of fusion. Older players like Gamble influenced lots of the progressive subgeneres (there’s a billion). You have a lot of classic players like Holdsworth, McLaughlin and Al Di Meola that broke all sorts of genre barriers catapulting these insane compositions. Gamble though, is a more straightforward player who’s very melodic. Fusion brings the whackiest ideas and compositions out of many artists, but that’s one reason I’ve dug his music….Frank is a straight up jazz player with lots of melody and feel. He’s such a clean player he’s envied a lot of his fellow guitarists to the point they may want to chop his fingers off. That’s a joke, nobody sure as heck would want that to happen.
“Salve” is a wonderful album with a lot of distinct guitar playing. Gambale puts a lot of soul, heart and effort into his music. He is a master of emotion when it comes to music, for sure. 2018’s release sure shows (in my humble opinion at least) Gambale still has it musically, and sure as heck isn’t declining by any means. He had a female vocalist on some of these songs which adds a great texture in my opinion. This genre innovator keeps putting out great music influencing a countless number of guitarists with every breathtaking performance and album.
His straightforward songwriting is a lot more accessible and easier to digest than some of the wild fusion guitar players. There’s a lot of wild compositions out there that are totally whacky and out of the ordinary, but Gambale takes a simpler jazzy approach. His style is a much needed change in the jazz and it’s multiple subgenres when you want something different. “Salve” offers lots of cool synthesizer layers too, and some vocal harmonies here and there. Soulmine is a newer adventure of his with these vocalists singing over his music. I was initially interested in his tunes, and glad I stumbled across this new venture. It’s just one more great piece of art to the legacy he began building in the 1980’s.
Dark Matter Secret mastermind Denis Shvarts released his second solo effort “Dreamology”. It’s a pretty different sound compared to his wildly technical instrumental band, but still has that trademark sound he’s achieved. His first album “Through The Universe” came out in 2014, but the further I went into “Dreamology” the more I came to the realization it’s more polished. His debut album was raw, yet still very heavy. I feel his newer release is well written AND produced, his sound is wider and more melodic than the first album. This guy is so underrated its sickening, and not many people know of his wild talents on guitar.
Lineup for “Dreamology”: Denis Shvarts – Guitars & Music Pavel Semin – Fretless Bass(Dark Matter Secret, Irreversible Mechanism)
Here’s a playthrough from “Dreamology”. You’ll see another video below of how his projects differ in sound…..his own moniker is more melodic, a bit less wild and more diverse.
Shvarts’ playing has caught my eye since I heard his band’s full length “Perfect World Creation” 2 years ago. He has the talent where he makes music, not boring and annoying shred repeating the same pattern…..OVER, AND OVER. Denis will surprise you at every chance he gets, and then some. Give his second album a try, it’s extremely entertaining and a bit jazzy at times. There’s a rock sound in here, that isn’t obviously present in Dark Matter Secret. Pavel’s bass playing is absolutely flawless. The two of them have a great chemistry and understand each other PERFECTLY.
And here’s the mighty Dark Matter Secret. You can tell the total difference in sound right away…..much more technical, heavier, extreme and the rhythms are more complex and weirder than his solo project. Either band is a stellar choice, but both don’t necessarily sound the same.
“Dreamology” is out now and available on his bandcamp. It will eventually be on the Apple platforms sooner than later. Check out the album below! Enjoy this amazing piece of music!
The Last Of Lucy’s drummer Brandon Millan released a playthrough for the band’s song “Advertent Avidity” off their latest album “Ashvattha”. The band is working on recording new material, but that’s all we can find for now…..but at least we know the wild band is working on new music! His drum work is an absolute pleasure and got to see the band live last summer, and can confirm his insanity on the kit. Enjoy the playthrough and don’t forget to keep tabs on the band with their eventual new music!
Wow, well RealityFade Records has another serious banger…..and a weird band, at that. Heck, that’s what TMR strives for! This is a Russian Grindcore band….with yes, random jazz sections in between blast beats on their 15 minute album. And NO this is not that clowncore weird crap that’s been circulating on the internet for years now! But maybe, it’s the guys that are in Clowncore? Who knows? Either way, its exhilarating and insane. Short songs, fast tempos and random saxophone totally throw off any sense. And then, there’s jazzy breaks after some death/grindcore sections that totally mess with your brain and emotions some more for the heck of it!
ByoNoiseGenerator is just so weird, you need to take 15 to 16 minutes out of your day to just listen to it. The drums are insanely fun, fast, and ridiculous. The saxophone is so random, but fits in….most of the time….I…think? It’s such an obnoxious trip of oddities that you kinda crave more. BNG is a very unique and original band that I’m pretty sure nobody sounds like them at all. Your average metalhead will probably dismiss this band, but wow I was impressed. If you love Grindcore this is your baby! But if you don’t like the random jazz and sax, then that might turn you off. Check out this wildly entertaining album right here!
The weird Progressive/Funk/Metal/Experimental band Short Attention Span Theatre bring a much needed and fresh sound to our local Western New York music scene. Music is watered down these days, and it’s cool to see weirder and more artistic bands slowly come out of the woodworks. These cats draw heavy influence from classic and modern progressive bands. They’re very quirky like Protest The Hero and Dillinger Escape Plan….are they THAT good? That’s up for the listeners to decide, but I think they’re pretty good no matter what.
If you don’t know the band’s rhythm section (Gus on bass and Kenny of Avulsion on drums) make up a great instrumental band I absolutely love from our beloved Buffalo area Ish Kabibble. I’m a sucker for these bands, if you know me well enough….SAST is not a one trick pony and bring lots of versatility and talent to the drawing board.
SHORT ATTENTION SPAN THEATRE
Ryan Mis- Vocals Gordon Carlson- Guitar Augustin Brand- Bass Kenny Brand- Drums
Ryan’s voice is so pure, and can also fake you out with such a low guttural you wouldn’t think someone could get down that low for a guy that has a higher range. Its wildly impressive, to be honest. Gordon’s guitar work is all over the place, but is pretty sweet for the Primus fan in me. I think he has a lot of those weird ‘Ler guitar movements on his leads if you know what I mean. I don’t need to say anymore on the greatness of the Brand father and son combo, they’re aliens from another multiverse. It’s well documented in their band, and now in here with Short Attention Span Theatre. If you remember Avulsion from back in the day, Daddy Brand used to do some serious blasting for the Buffalo Death Metal heroes. You can check out the band’s wild musical adventures on their band camp and see when they will play out next by stalking their Facebook page.
Hot dang. I recently discovered this weird and very enjoyable band this past week. This instrumental jazz fusion metal trio just blows the roof off of everything. Either you have the talent to go with solid songwriting in the weird fusion realms……or you’re just flat out talented and can run a musical clinic, with terrible song structure. Fortunately, these guys can write great songs, and be as unusual as they want. Mörglbl released this album “Tea Time For Punks” a few years ago in 2015. The kooky french trio DOES have good news and is releasing ” The Story Of Scott Rötti” February 1st.
Here’s some sweet soulful weird shit for y’all.
Mörglbl:
Christophe Godin- Guitar Ivan Rougny- Bass Aurelien Ouzoulias- Drums
Mörglbl’s sound is so fresh and unique I can’t tell you all how excited I am for their upcoming album release. 2019 should be a wild ass year for new music as well. I can’t say enough about this cool band…..Chris’s guitar work is so intricate, smooth and clean. The band’s sound shifts so often, it’s absolutely tough to keep track of it all. One moment it’s jazzy, then the next section they unleash some instrumental prog metal insanity. He can’t do it all unless you have a killer rhythm section, which Ivan and Aurelien masterfully supply. Check out Mörglbl right now!
Dave here with one of my rare opinion pieces. First off, I want to welcome my friend Vick who is now working with me on here stopping in to write some articles. She’s very feisty, opinionated, and passionate for the music I strive to promote and is already a great addition to the website.
I have been thinking about this topic for a while, and decided today to blabber about it. I think its AMAZING seeing women/females getting into heavy metal and other genres artistically than the usual….you know, that female folk singer or pop or hip hop artist….you know, cultural gender stereotypes and expectations. One thing I absolutely cannot stand is the whole “female fronted” label, it’s stupid to me at least. Women are musicians too, you know. The fact there happens to be females in some bands shouldn’t be a surprise. And no, this is anything BUT a fad or trend.
Okay, on to the actual point of this article. As previously stated, I’m very infatuated with the growing number of women going against that artistic gender stereotype….and I’m going to promote some of them (well deserved artists that you may already know).
SARAH LONGFIELD
Yep. She’s my obsession, i’ll admit it. This young lady can not only shred and sing, but also can produce and record music. She has a really unique style now that can’t truly be categorized. Sarah was really metal at first with lots of shredly demos, heavily influenced by Swedish greats Meshuggah. The older she got, she experimented with electronics and some pop influence as well to throw in her music for good measure. If that isn’t enough of a mindfuck, she got into a more expeirmental and progressive style in her newer music. Her success as a Youtuber is only the beginning of an extremely promising, fulfilling and diverse musical career. She was also a member of The Fine Constant an instrumental band she had for a handful of years. Longfield is also a new artist of Season Of Mist, as well. What HASN’T she done already in her young musical career? Her latest album “Disparity” is a serious artistic step for her, yet trying more new things to add to her very impressive sound layering even deeper. There’s some saxophone, xylophone and even more singing. I’m gonna let her great music do the talking, and just let you make the decision yourself.
YVETTE YOUNG
Yvette is the guitarist in her 3 piece instrumental prog band Covet, who has a similar style to Sarah Longfield in some senses. She also has an acoustic project under her name and an equally beautiful voice on top of her guitar playing as well. Young is a melodic guitarist who also uses a lot of tapping in her style. She dabbles into some math rock and jazz as well in Covet. Both of these lovely young female guitarists are my two personal favorites in music right now and totally crushing it. It was the “Ares” play through that caught my attention over a year ago and has kept my interest in this great young artist. Check out some of her wild, melodic and inspiring guitar playing below.
Yep…..here it is….the almighty ARES.
SISTERS OF SUFFOCATION
Yep, time for the heavy shit now. Sisters of Suffocation is a death metal band consisted mainly of females, except the drummer. Why am I talking about SOS? Because they’re heavy, that’s why…..and love their death metal. And before you ask, no they have nothing to do with the legendary death metal band Suffocation. The gals are equally as crushing as most death metal bands, and don’t get enough recognition in their short existence as a band. Bang your heads along with the girls (and guy) to these heavy songs. Oh, and they’re releasing a new album next year I’M SO STOKED ABOUT. Fucking Death Metal!
YOUR CHANCE TO DIE
To SLIGHTLY change genres a bit, here’s a great Melodic Death Metal bands with TWO vocalists both females. A friend of mine turned be onto this band, and couldn’t be happier that I am familiar with them. The band released a great album “Ex Nihilo” last year that finds its way back in my rotation here and there. Their growls are utterly impressive, to say the least. Check out this great up and coming band right below.
ABNORMALITY
WOW! I’ve been into this band for a few years now since I saw their grotesque video “Mechanisms of Omniscience”. Their frontwoman Malika has such a low guttural that you would have never guessed it was a woman! The band is a great death metal band that means business, and full of groove and plenty of brutality. They’re a straightforward death metal band that doesn’t technically woo you, but their disgusting brutality and sheer power wins you over. And I have been a big fan ever since. I hope you feel the same about Abnormality. Oh, and they too are working on a new album set for a release date sometime next year in 2019.
Okay, so here’s a handful of my favorite bands/artists in the metal and prog scene involving women. I think it’s great to see more women breaking the trend of where they stereotypically are, but are doing what they want. I think it’s glorious, and pretty cool for a change in genres generally dominated by males. If there’s any other great bands I may have missed, don’t be afraid to chime in.
I got a great opportunity to get to know EDGARD a solo artist with a bluesy/prog/jazz style that isn’t technical but very emotion and feel based…..like Robin Trower. This guy is something else man, check out his music ASAP. Here’s a quick interview and attached are some of his tunes. Enjoy!
TMR: Explain the history of Edgard and what influenced the band name.
As I’m playing my own original music, naturally I decided that the project would be under my own name Edgard.
TMR: I understand you are working on a debut EP. How is recording going? Do you have any news you can share?
I’ve recorded my debut Live EP “EDGARD | Live at Bedrock” at Bedrock LA Studios in Echopark. It was an incredible experience to record 4 original songs of mine, live tracking simultaneously all the parts and capturing the moment’s energy. The EP was mixed and mastered by Arthur Luna and features alongside me Brian Singer on bass, Alex Frizzell on drums and Nathan Lorber on keys.
TMR: What made you want to blend so many sounds? I’ve recently listened to your live EP and it’s really cool! Kinda proggy, bluesy and jazzy…like a modern day Robin Trower.
I’ve always found to write songs in the most distinct styles and vibes. Through different sounds, portray certain emotions. I appreciate the kind words! Yeah.. my own blend of rock, blues and prog. Funny enough, I enjoy very much Robin Trower!
TMR: Who were your favorite artists growing up? And who are some of your favorite bands right now? Any great gems you can recommend?
I’ve alway been extremely inspired by Jimi Hendrix since I was a kid. Derek Trucks is another huge influence of mine. Jeff Beck, Eric Gales, Mark Lettieri, Eric Johnson, Stevie Ray Vaughan… Check out these amazing artists Marcus King Band and Artur Menezes!
TMR: Are you familiar with the Threatin scandal that’s been taking over the internet lately? That’s the guy that booked his own european tour and supposedly self funded it that has been all a lie. Any opinions on this insanity?
Yeah, I’ve heard about it. Unbelievable, I’d say. The whole story is messed up. It kind of reflects on nowadays industry demand on expressive numbers on social media and also practices of generating fake digital audiences being banalized. You never know what’s occurring on the other side, though…
TMR: Are there any upcoming shows for Edgard? I assume there has to be something soon to support your upcoming EP release.
I’ve just came back to Los Angeles from a short 3-week tour supporting my debut Live EP release. I’ve performed 3 shows in Rio de Janeiro, my hometown. First at Dumont Arte Bar in Gávea, then at Ganjah Lapa near downtown and finally at Bar Sobe in Jardim Botânico. I’m currently booking new dates and working on more material.
TMR: What is your favorite piece of gear you currently own? And something you are dying to have?
I believe it’s my electric guitar, LsL Custom Saticoy “Kaleo”. She was custom made for me and it’s a delight to play with.
TMR: How did you get into music? What factors influenced it and did you think you would be doing it as a living rather than just for fun?
I’ve always had music in my life. I’ve picked up the guitar when I was 7 years old and have been developing my own sound ever since. To make music is beyond me. Is my passion, it is who I am. I’d be doing anything different.
TMR: What has been your single most important highlight or event as an artist? And for your band Edgard, as well.
Releasing and performing my own music in my hometown to a packed house with dear friends, family and a warm crowd.
TMR: Your favorite or best show you played? And on the flip side, the worst or most embarrassing show you were a part of?
I’ve performed at a local blues bar called The Sand Dollar Lounge in Las Vegas. We’ve performed for 3h and we were on fire that night. The crowd was amazing, enthusiastic and just kept on buying us drinks onstage. And it wasn’t embarrassing, but a weird cancer it was during a show in Colorado on Christie Huff’s tour. There was a wind storm and everything started to fell apart mid-set. We carried on and finished the songs and kept moving with the set.
