2004-09-21
It a pleasure to listen to three such veteran musicians get together and jam, it can never turn out too bad, and with Jing Chi's second album, it turns out great.
With Jimmy Haslip on bass, Robben Ford on guitar, and Vinnie Colaiuta on drums, you cant go wrong, all three are established solo and session musicians, that worked through the years with some of rock's greatest names.
Jimmy Haslip, best known for his work with the Yellowjackets, brings in his fusion tendencies, which mix well with the more blues oriented playing of Ruben Ford, who worked with such alumni as Miles Davis in the past, Colaiuta, one of the best drummers around, mainly known for his work with Sting, holds things together, even contributing some ethereal programming that add to the overall richness of the music.
Opener Colonel Panic is one of the album's loudest moments, free spirited, energetic drumming by Colaiuta starts up the piece, and doesn't let go, and Ford's distorted guitar displays some truly great moments.
Chi Town is a much mellower, fusion type track, based around some minimalist programming and synths, a mellow bass line, and some truly pleasant guitar passages by Ford.
Move On has a great harmony piece by Ford, held together by Hasip and Colaiuta's extremely tight rhythm section.
Hidden Treasure is a jazzier track, Haslip truly shines in his clear, well-defined bass passages, and Colaiuta does some stunning drum work, his cymbal work is one of the best.
The guys bring in blues legend Robert Cray to sing and play guitar on a cover of Blind Willie Nelson's blues classic-Nobody's Fault But Mine, with some fusion thrown in for good measure, the result is great, a song to pour on the bourbon, sit down, and enjoy…
It's always fun to listen to such talents indulge themselves in such ways, and you can but enjoy the ride.
Alon Miasnikov
