Wednesday, 20 May 2020
The Lonely Bears 3 from 1991 to 1994 [limited time only]
This band features Tony Hymas and was mentioned by a commenter as recommended, again despite the late year. As per the discogs page, which provides quite a full description:
A very celebrated jazz-rock combo back in the early 90s, THE LONELY BEARS brought new airs of power and color to the genre. It was actually a super-group of renowned veterans - Terry BOZZIO on drums/percussion, Tony HYMAS on keyboards, Tony COE on saxes/clarinet and Hugh BURNS on guitars. The band's inception took place after the completion of JEFF BECK's "Guitar Shop" (recorded in 1989, eventually awarded with a 1990's Grammy for Best instrumental Rock Performance), where HYMAS and BOZZIO had served as support musicians. The two teamed up in early 1990 to create some music of their own. Soon after, they recruited their two fellow musicians, and so the ball got rolling. The result from this fruition of creative minds and accomplished performers turned into an eclectic approach to jazz-rock, combining fusion, ethnic, world beat and progressive undertones, with a high degree of improvisational expansions and a strong sense of originality.
The band released three albums, the namesake debut plus "Injustice" and "The Bears Are Running": the former is based on the first few sessions, while the latter two combine recordings from various sessions in different years. All three albums have been re-released between 1999 and 2000: there is also a "Best of", not too bad for a band that didn't become a real celebrity but was really celebrated.
I was disappointed with the Guitar Shop album, but others weren't I guess. Personally I find that the music here although clearly demonstrating continuity with the just posted Fortress and long ago Paragonne which only came a couple of years prior, lacks the punch of Hymas' solo material. Of course when all is said and done, it's a surprise that in the years of alternative, Nirvana, and the dying days of hair metal and the beginnings of that godawful club style of music, this kind of intellectual chamber jazz would even exist in any shape or form. Unfortunately after the first with a handful of enjoyable musical ideas, the good ideas seem to trail off in the other 2. There is quite a bit of the ethnic component as well which we saw in for example Danish Bazaar, and which drives me a little nuts myself having seen enough of it in old Sean Connery James Bond movies in which some minor villain or another gets killed while everyone standing around remains completely oblivious due to the migrainous percussion or belly-dancing or whatever.
The track called Canterbury:
I was disappointed that the angular composition called Alarums wasn't developed more fully before transitioning into the fully improvised and thus chaotic composition that follows.
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Thanks Julian. Was wondering if you have anything from Kevin Gilbert's band Giraffe? It's really just pop/rock, but it's interesting. Anything I've found is crazy expensive.
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot!
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