Exposé Online banner

Exposé Online

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

Reviews

Scott McGill / Michael Manring / Vic Stevens — Addition by Subtraction
(Free Electric Sound ES4001, 2001, CD)

Addition by Subtraction Cover art

McGill has assembled a fusion “dream team” on his third album by enlisting bassist Michael Manring and maintaining ace drummer Vic Stevens (Jordan Rudess also contributes keyboards to a few tracks). Scott has also given equal billing to his two collaborators, which is fair given the quality of their playing and improvisational contributions. Manring has become one of most in-demand bassists around, and he keeps working in more musically adventurous settings (check out his trio Attention Deficit for proof). His fluid fretless playing and soloing supports and challenges McGill and brings out the best of his prodigious guitar talents. As always, Scott is an absolute shredder with blazing Holdsworth-inspired flurries of notes as well as some heavier rock power chording. Stevens also has serious chops and his highly precise but powerful drumming is placed well up in the mix. The biggest changes from 1999’s Ripe are the addition of a distinct metallic edge to many of the tunes and also an improvised approach in places. The metal influence may be thanks to veteran producer Neil Kernon who worked with the likes of Mahavishnu and Brand X in the 70s but is better known for his work with heavy metal bands such as Judas Priest. Six of the fourteen tunes are group improvisations which, given the caliber of the players, are adventurous and quite successful. Addition by Subtraction is a major-league fusion chopfest that should also have some crossover appeal to rock and metal fans.

by David Ashcraft, Published 2001-07-01

Here’s a recipe for a massive fusion event: Add one dose of Hand Farm, a spoonful of Thonk, and a dash of Mistaken Identities and what have you concocted? The ecstatic result is a hard-hitting summit of chops, and “telepathic communication” from the Laser’s Edge new jazz label. For those of you unfamiliar with Scott McGill, he’s also an ex-member of Finneus Gauge. Michael Manring is an international bass pioneer extending from his days as a Windham Hill artist to the aggressive tendencies of Attention Deficit (with Testament guitarist, Alex Skolnick), while Vic Stevens led his own group with Percy Jones (ex-Brand X). These fourteen tracks are not an exclusive electric jaunt either, as McGill explains, ”I did two solo steel string pieces on Ripe (the last Hand Farm CD) and I wanted to do more on this CD by including it in a group setting and adding a nylon string sound as well as the steel string this time around.” The acoustic results are found in “The Voyage of St. Brendan - Abbot of Clonfert” and the solo piece, “Euzakadi.” The most balanced ensemble piece for the players is possibly on “Conflict Resolution” where guest keyboardist Jordan Rudess gets to paint the town red too. On the whole, album is a blaze of finesse and fury that compares favorably to Allan Holdsworth’s IOU era or the more recently the Bozzio Levin Stevens discs (without the flamenco sketches). Highly Recommended.

by Jeff Melton, Published 2001-07-01

Even though this is not listed as such, most of the elements of the last Hand Farm CD (Ripe, reviewed in issue #18) are present here: guitarist / leader / primary composer Scott McGill, drummer Vic Stevens, and a style that follows on from where that excellent disc left off. What’s new is bassist Michael Manring and his fretless pyrotechnic riffing, definitely one of the best players around, and some understated help from keyboardist Jordan Rudess. The material here generally falls in one of two categories: one is the hard-edged pyrotechnic guitar fusion that is typified by guys like Holdsworth and Scott Henderson’s Tribal Tech, the million-notes-per-measure soloing, and sparkling jazz chord riffing, although McGill’s style tends to favor a bit more distorted, grungy texture. Manring’s buoyant bass gives these pieces added riffery, and at times when both are soloing, it’s Stevens’ drumming alone that’s really holding it all together. The remaining material is more explorative, often jazzy, improv work and pieces that sometimes employs looping technology (by Neil Kernon). Tracks like “Four Fields,” “Silé,” “Euzkadi,” and the all-too-brief “Execution of Veit,” fall in this category, and their distinction from the hard fusion breaks the album up nicely, and keeps the program interesting from beginning to end. In all, a powerful and cohesive mixture of elements at work here that should go far to please fans of this style.

by Peter Thelen, Published 2001-07-01

Filed under: New releases, Issue 22, 2001 releases

Related artist(s): Michael Manring, Scott McGill, Vic Stevens

 

What's new

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