Mike Stern is 1 of the to a greater extent than creative fusion guitarists, playing alongside the ability of stone but oftentimes taking sophisticated improvisations. On this passionate gear upwardly (which consists of nine of his originals), Stern is joined past times the keyboards of Jim Beard, bassist Will Lee, Dennis Chambers or Ben Perowsky on drums together with (on iii songs apiece) the tenors of Michael Brecker together with Bob Malach. Overall this is 1 of Mike Stern's ameliorate recordings.
Reviewer Ries van Schelven writes close guitarist Mike Stern's 1994 issue "Is What It Is", "This is, inward my opinion, Stern's best solo album. This album is amount of jewels. It has a definite jazz/rock audio to it, but has it's pure moments equally well. The album starts of alongside "Swunk", a typical Stern composition featuring Michael Brecker on tenor sax together with a kicking donkey solo. Next, "A Little Luck" which is bright guitar work. Then it's ballad fourth dimension again, "What I Meant To Say", 1 of my favorites on the album - a soaring melodic piece, showing Mike's brilliance. Then comes around funky materials on "Showbiz". Listen to the acoustic masterpiece "Wherever You Are", which features Harvie Swartz on the upright acoustic bass. The phrasing is breathtaking. The best slice is "Signs" - this is Mike Stern. The construction of the solo is incredible. It has Mike Stern's signature all over it. I similar when he uses his overdrive. It kicks ass! Definitely his best solo album."
At 1 fourth dimension swing was but around other sort of trip the lite fantastic music alongside a beat of utilitarian regularity. It was alone inward the hands of drummers similar Sid Catlett together with Sonny Greer that swing acquired plenty flexibility to last useful inward jazz. Baltimore's Dennis Chambers, a drummer for Parliament-Funkadelic together with John Scofield, is instantly bringing a similar flexibility to around other trip the lite fantastic music, funk. On Is What It Is, past times sometime Miles Davis guitarist Mike Stern, Chambers proves that funk tin last equally infinitely variable equally swing, together with the soloists response alongside a rhythmic liberty odd inward fusion.
This is what it is what is it... I mean, this actually IS Mike Stern's best work. All tunes are almost peachy to a greater extent than or less.
"Swunk" is a quite typical Mike Stern rock/fusion tune, "A niggling luck" is almost beautiful Stern-piece, 3rd vocal is e'er ballad "What I meant to say" is yet quite dull tune but Tracks 4-8 are but Greats! "Showbiz" is prissy funky humorsong together with "Believe it" is actually proficient bluestune alongside real beautiful together with tuff solo, "Wherever yous are" is ballad again, but much ameliorate than "What I meant to say". Nice basswork past times Harwie Swartz, "Ha ha hotel" is maybe Stern's best vocal of this kind. Crazy melody, high tempo, peachy basslines together with realy tuff guitarsolo together with saxsolo past times Bob Malach. "Signs" is maybe Mike's best vocal ever, all Mike's best elements could last heard together with guitarsolo is amazing! Melody together with bassline are but fine together with doesn't involve whatsoever "specialharmony", peachy composition! Last vocal "55 dive" is 1 time to a greater extent than to a greater extent typical jazzypiece but soundless quite proficient topic together with proficient solos past times Mike together with Bob. If yous haven't heard this CD yet, I give yous but 1 tip: Buy it today!
How would I propose yous to taste Is What It Is?... Well... Just relax inward an armchair, boost off-limits your fine-tuned stereo set... Program tracks #2, #6, together with #8... Close your eyes...
Then experience Mike's music lifting yous upwardly gently higher upwardly the clouds. Imagine you're riding a jet of around supersonic capabilities (but it's actually non the signal here). Imagine there's a push clit on the board yous may press.
So, facial expression for Mike's polish shifts towards pure crystal together with aerial sounds he's the alone 1 to arrive at alongside the distortion pedal this way... Wait for him to teach into the most delicate, the clearest, the richest, together with the most powerful solos you'll ever select listened to together with hence far...
Push the push clit at that time, equally Mike invites yous to... Lift off to the stratosphere, together with ride outer space...
If yous loved this journey, plough to Tell Me, together with Pages, on Mike's Between The Lines album, together with to If You Say So, on Odds Or Evens, together with honour what the best jazz-rock guitarist has to offer: the most beautiful aerial music ever.
Track listing:
07:53 Swunk
06:36 Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Little Luck
06:20 What I Meant To Say
05:43 Showbiz
04:32 Believe It
05:32 Wherever You Are
06:10 Ha Ha Hotel
07:48 Signs
05:44 55 Dive
Personnel:
Mike Stern - Guitar
Michael Brecker - Saxophone
Jim Beard - Synthesizers, Piano, Hammond Organ, Wurlitzer Piano, Production, Additional Engineering
Will Lee - Bass
Dennis Chambers - Drums
Ben Perowsky - Drums
Harvie Swartz - Acoustic Bass
Bob Malach - Saxophone
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