PROGRESSIVE ROCK & PROGRESSIVE JAZZ LABEL FROM NEW YORK
Added: (Fri Aug 31 2001)
Pressbox (Press Release) -
ELTON DEAN/MARK HEWINS
Bar Torque MJR001
Saxophonist Elton Dean has long been acknowledged as a supreme improviser in many musical contexts, starting with the Soft Machine in the early 1970s, through his large body of work with the cream of the British jazz scene (most notably with pianist Keith Tippett) as well as Carla Bley and most of the musicians associated with the famed 'Canterbury' scene. "Bar Torque" presents an improvised duo session with guitarist Mark Hewins, a longtime collaborator with a unique talent for atmospherics. The music on this release focuses on the most lyrical dimension of Dean's saxophone playing, his melodic outbursts inspired by Hewins' delicate, often abstract, harmonic base. The musical path treaded is unpredictable and utterly original. "Bar Torque" is improvisation at its most touching and universal.
FINISTERRE
Storybook MJR002
Finisterre is one of the most interesting bands to have emerged from the international 'progressive rock' scene in recent years. While drawing on the rich legacy of landmark 1970s Italian pioneers, Finisterre is a band keen to experiment and explore many different musical directions, while managing to establish a unique and recognizable identity. While their three studio albums to date have been critical and commercial successes, the band's forte lies above all in their breathtaking live performances. "Storybook" documents Finisterre's first American concert, in the Summer of 1997, at the Progfest. and the music here is as adventurous and gripping as we've been led to expect from the band. The repertoire consists of revisited and often extended versions of compositions from Finisterre's first two studio albums ("Finisterre" and "In Limine"), plus a superb cover of PFM's anthem "Altaloma".
DFA
Work In Progress Live MJR003
Over the last five years DFA has become a household name for fans of progressive/fusion music. This young quartet from Italy has so far released two studio albums, to growing critical acclaim, and a token of their international acceptance was the invitation they received to perform at the prestigious North-East Art-Rock Festival (NEARfest) in Pennsylvania, in June 2000, sharing the bill with the most famous representatives of the genre. DFA is a band best experienced in a live context, as demonstrated by "Work In Progress Live". The repertoire consists of an equal mix of tracks from the latest album "Duty Free Area" and from their 1997 debut "Lavori In Corso". Sophisticated, complex music served by supreme musicianship - this is a live album to judge others by.