Exposé Online banner

Exposé Online

Not just outside the box, but denying the existence of boxes.
Covering music from the fringes since 1993.

Reviews

Chester Thompson — A Joyful Noise
(Camino CAMCD16, 1991/1999, CD)

by Jeff Melton, Published 1999-11-01

A Joyful Noise Cover art

Chester Thompson is a well-traveled drummer with a long list of high-profile bands. From Weather Report’s most fertile period (Black Market) to Frank Zappa (One Size Fits All) and finally with touring bands with Genesis and currently Phil Collins, the man has had plenty of exposure to the big time. In 1991, he first released this album on a small independent label, and the disc disappeared quickly without a trace. Fast forward to 1998, where Steve Hackett’s new label Camino was searching for additional work to release. Plus Hackett himself had enlisted Thompson in his Tokyo Tapes live project as well, performing classic material from both the Genesis and King Crimson catalog. It seems an appropriate time to revisit that jazz album of Chester’s and let it see the light of day again, albeit in a different context. For this project, Thompson had enlisted some sizeable talent including George Duke and the Fowler brothers (from his tenure with Zappa) and coveted saxophonist, Gerald Albright. The drummer composed and at least co-arranged all the material on the disc which is very brass-oriented with a modern fusion style. The tone is very upbeat and positive, but not the Kenny G happy jazz which unfortunately taints much of the genre. Probably the best tracks on the disc are the second piece, “So-Soka,” or the title track which have strong African rhythm bases. This album is a must for fans who like Phil Collins’ big band work or fundamentally light jazz that isn’t too busy.

Filed under: New releases, Issue 18, 1999 releases, 1991 recordings

Related artist(s): George Duke, Chester Thompson

 

What's new

These are the most recent changes made to artists, releases, and articles.