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| Give ’Em Some |
|
“The best records are those that provide you with multi-level, multi-sensory pleasure. What would the world be, after all, without all those Steely Dan records where you feel the music, engage in its complexity, smile at the words and taste small doses of heaven? Of course, at any given time, you can turn off one of those reactions. You don't have to think about wide intervals and altered chords and unusual harmonies all the time. And you shouldn't have to. Listening to music, after all, shouldn't be like Trigonometry. Give 'Em Some, from guitarist/composer Bruce Arnold, has all its egg-head sensibilities in check. Arnold, who composes 12-tone music (Crudely: You've got to use all twelve notes in the chromatic scale before you can repeat the first), music that, when done poorly, makes some scratch their heads and say, "Does he know how to play that thing?" and makes it listenable to nth degree. (Provided, of course, that you like fusion a la Jeff Beck during the Wired/Blow By Blow era, Larry Coryell and avant guardians Carla Bley and Michael Mantler exercising restraint.) Although the
average listener on the street (someone who, say, is enamored with
simple harmonic structures and bite-sized morsels of song — the
majority of music listeners, some might argue) will probably retract
from the more aggressive explorations here, those who have even a passing
acquaintance with jazz, fusion or balls-out progressive rock will love
Give 'Em Some. (And, if you're simply one who likes to explore new
styles, this might be a good gateway album to the frightening, dimly-lit
world
of experimental jazz ecstasy.) Get some.” |
| Guitar-led
jazz trios rarely excite me, but Arnold manages to be technically brilliant
and emotionally explosive all at once. Unlike guitar hero albums which
seem to do things the other way around. Arnold imbues this set with introspective
style. —Aiding & Abetting |
| With
Give ’Em Some, guitarist Bruce Arnold continues to wring surprisingly
varied and melodic results from 12-tone compositional methods, following
up on what he began with 2000’s A Few Dozen. The same lineup—bassist
Ratzo B. Harris, drummer Tony Moreno—appears here, but Arnold pointedly
goes for a more rock- and funk-oriented sound this time. He tends to set
up his alluringly dissonant harmonic patterns with a clean sound, only
to solo with all-out distortion, wah effects, and sui generis sounds called
forth from the synth pickup on his Fender Strat. Harris plays both acoustic
and electric bass with aplomb. The disc begins with the Schoenberg -dedicated
"Blues for Arnie" and rocks hard through the next two cuts before
relenting with the more ethereal "Techtonic" and "Timeline."
The latter segues into a funky breakdown toward the end, a groove based
on a five-bar phrase that the band reprises on the final track, aptly
titled "Foggy Timeline Breakdown." Moreno steps out front on
the abstract "Rush," setting rolling tom-toms and percussion
against Arnold’s harmonized, chorusy ruminations. This music demonstrates
something Schoenberg and his followers couldn’t have foreseen: that
serialism has applications beyond the concert hall and may even be of
use to a guitar power trio. —David R. Adler, AMG EXPERT REVIEW, |
| Bruce
Arnold - GIVE 'EM SOME:
A trio featuring Bruce's fantastic guitar works (along with Ratso B. Harris
on bass & Tony Moreno on drums/percz). Images of late '70's rockfests
come to (my) mind's ears, & it seems I am transported back to a (sorta')
golden era of music (tho' only us hippies remember how "golden"
it was, I s'pose). This is actually one of the better jazz/rock/fusion
albums I've listened to in (let's say) the last 10 years. Something interesting
occurs after you've listened through it for the 2nd or 3rd time, though...
it becomes clear that though much sounds familiar (as in McLaughlin/Mahavishnu),
this is new energy... no kopykat stuff, no rehash! Yummy stuff that sticks
to yer' ribs, a real musical treat! Arnold's solo work is a highlight,
to be sure, but all 3 players have the green light on, & are in high
gear (energy-wise) on all 7 compositions... even the ones that are slower
paced! From a "classification" standpoint, this is nearly impossible...
it doesn't fit neatly in any pigeonhole... elements of fusion, to be sure...
plenty of jazz/blues leanings... but what shines through is that it is
original playing! Anyone with a taste for well-crafted music will groove
with this - and agree with me when I declare it MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED...
as well as the "PICK" of this issue for "most enjoyable
music"! Contact at Muse Eek Recordings, 201 East 12th Street, Suite
102, New York, NY, via email to michal@muse-eek.com
or on the site at www.muse-eek.com
—Dick Metcalf, IMPROVIJAZZATION NATION |
| GIVE
'EM SOME!
features the guitar jazz expressions of Bruce Arnold with an infusion
of funk tempos, accompanied by the sounds Ratzo B. Harris on acoustic
and electric bass and Tony Moreno on drums and percussion. The song, "Give
'Em Some" is a nice jazz motif of sound and delivers a topnotch performance
from the trio in its running time of 7:28 minutes. "Funky Timeline
Breakdown" will surprise and delight listeners, as will "Rush."
Bruce Arnold uses his guitar to explore twelve-tone structures and he is a master of the art form. Six long and entertaining songs make up the CD collection. The jazz audience will find the jazz motifs unusual, and interesting. For a change of pace, give this gifted guitarist Bruce Arnold a listen, and discover some new guitar licks of an imaginative nature in GIVE 'EM SOME! Nice, solid, imaginative trio work. —Lee Prosser, JazzReview.com |
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