Bob Holz - Silverthorne

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:58
Size: 137,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:46)  1. Intervals
(5:52)  2. Less Is More
(7:29)  3. The Point
(6:15)  4. Riptide
(5:27)  5. Vince
(5:15)  6. Reasons
(6:22)  7. Silverthorne
(6:33)  8. Larry's Blues
(5:10)  9. Pick Myself Up
(6:46) 10. Subliminal Son

Here's a solid jazz fusion album sans the megalomaniacal soloing sprees and impossibly complex time signatures brought to us by highly regarded session drummer and bandleader Bob Holz, who reaps the benefits of A-listers such as guitarist Mike Stern, trumpeter Randy Brecker and other notables. And while drummers are not frequently heralded for their compositions and arrangements, Holz excels in these areas via his several originals that are enhanced with tuneful choruses and assertive soloing ventures. Moreover, the artists translucently morph the core elements of fusion with jazzy horns, dynamic soloing episodes and a presiding sense of camaraderie that underscores the entire production. Stern imparts stinging solos as he often zooms in for the kill on several tracks atop the drummer's pumping back beats. Yet Holz is a near flawless timekeeper amid concise accents, and snappy fills as he keeps the train a rollin' throughout. Pieces such as "The Joint" merge upbeat balladry and catchy melodies contrasted by Stern's ominous phrasings and Brecker's authoritative and twirling reformation of a given theme, often seasoned with harmonious choruses. From a holistic perspective, the ensemble's sense of the dynamic often spawns contrapuntal motifs to Holz' amenable harmonic content, and in this manner, they're able to maintain a firm grip on the jazz fusion aspects, although some of these works are outlined with contemporary jazz elements. Essentially, the musicians are afforded plenty of improvisational space. They also inject an airy samba groove into "Vince," where the trumpeter aims for the upper registers with his use of vibrato, joined by Austrian guitar hero Alex Machacek for silky unison lines and tuneful melodic intervals. The band integrates jazz-flavored R&B and funk into a memorable hook during "Silverthorne," and closes out the program with a radiant straight-four groove on "Subliminal Sun," amped by Stern and Brecker's lyrical lines and gritty outbreaks. Simply stated, Holz and associates dish out a rather wholesome embodiment of jazz fusion enough to satisfy hardcore fuzoid fans and for those who like their contempo jazz incorporated with a little more meat and less sugar. ~ Glenn Astarita https://www.allaboutjazz.com/silverthorne-bob-holz-mvd-audio-review-by-glenn-astarita.php

Personnel: Bob Holz: drums & percussion (1,2,6); Alex Acuna: percussion (3,4,5,9,10); Mike Stern: guitar (3,7,8,10); Ralphe Armstrong: bass (3,7,8,10); Jamie Glaser: guitar (2); Randy Brecker: trumpet (3,7,8,1); Brandon Fields: saxophone (1,2,4,5,6,9); Billy Steinway: keyboards; Alex Machacek: guitar (1,4,5,9); Andrew Ford: bass (1,4,5,9); Ada Rovatti: saxophone (3,7,8,10).

Silverthorne

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Bob Holz - Visions And Friends

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:48
Size: 137,5 MB
Art: Front

(6:32)  1. Flat Out
(5:15)  2. Take It From Maurice
(5:54)  3. Five Times The Winner
(4:34)  4. Last Stop
(3:21)  5. Eleven High
(5:56)  6. Jemin Eye'n
(4:55)  7. Rodrigo Reflections
(4:34)  8. Bob Blues
(5:52)  9. One Breath Two Hearts
(6:07) 10. For The One
(6:45) 11. Scattered

After scoring some success with A Vision Forward (2015), Bob Holz releases his sophomore effort, this time with some extra help. Visions & Friends (MVD Records, 2017) is a set of all-original music. The players are Holz, drums and percussion; Larry Coryell and Alex Machacek, guitars; Ralphe Armstrong and Mike Schoeffter, bass; Randy Brecker, trumpet on “Flat Out” and “For the One”; Billy Steinway, keyboards; David Goldberg, saxophones; Tori Higley, vocals on selected tracks; Rob Stathis, accompanying piano on “Eleven High”; Zoe Stathis-Sandor, vocals on “Take It From Maurice”; and Scott Gerling, percussion on “Take It From Maurice.” “Flat Out” sets the tone for this set. This lively groove crosses the bridge between funk, fusion and instrumental rock. Brecker and Machacek are the stars, fronting the main theme and enjoying invigorating solos. Steinway and Schoeffter get their licks in as well. Holz keeps it all together, adding just the right touch to whatever is happening in the moment. “Five Times the Winner” brings a laid-back, bluesy vibe. With Armstrong providing a cool bass line, the composer goes through multiple moods on guitar, shifting from a straight blues presentation to something out of a space travel movie. During one passage, two basses are playing at the same time, as Schoeffter injects a solo. The ensemble cranks up the heat during the final minute, increasing both the pace and the intensity for a climactic ending. Goldberg joins for the bossa nova “Last Stop.” The saxophone carries the melody, with the accompanists delivering a sound that’s for a romantic evening on the beach. It sets the image of a couple dancing in the moonlight with a cool breeze keeping things from getting too steamy. Holz began his career in Boston, while a student at Berklee College of Music. He studied with Billy Cobham in New York and went on to perform with such luminaries as Robben Ford, Less McCann, David “Fathead” Newman, Maria Muldaur, Dr. John and George Clinton / Parliament Funk. Also joining Holz on tour is former Spyro Gyra guitarist Chet Catallo. All 11 songs on Visions & Friends were written by members of the studio lineup. Holz contributed to six, including three he co-wrote with Steinway and one with Goldberg. Coryell composed three, and Steinway wrote two more. The second Holz / Steinway offering, “Take It From Maurice,” is a tribute to the late Maurice White, founding member of Earth, Wind & Fire. http://www.smooth-jazz.de/Woodrow/Holz/VisionsandFriends.htm

Visions And Friends

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Bob Holz - Visions: Coast To Coast Connection

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:07
Size: 135.3 MB
Styles: Fusion
Year: 2018
Art: Front

[4:24] 1. Split Decision
[4:59] 2. Espresso Addiction
[5:59] 3. Next In Line
[5:04] 4. Jammin Man
[5:40] 5. Richie's Trip
[7:15] 6. Pink Fur
[5:48] 7. West Coast Blues
[6:23] 8. Light & Dark
[4:32] 9. Spanish Plains
[8:58] 10. Flat Out

Bob Holz: drums; Stanley Clarke: bass (3, 4); Ralphe Armstrong: bass (3, 4, 6, 7, 10); Randy Brecker: trumpet (3, 4); Billy Steinway: keyboards; Alex Machacek: guitar (1, 8); Chet Catallo: guitar (10); Frank Stepanek: guitar, bass, keyboards; Dave Porter: vocals (2); Andrew Ford: bass (1, 2, 5, 7); Ada Rovatti: reeds (1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10); David Goldberg: reeds (1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10); Andrew Lippman: trombone: (1, 5, 6, 7); Louis Ludovic: trumpet (1, 5, 6, 7); Jeff Jarvis: trumpet (7, 10).

Jazz fusion drummer Bob Holz and longtime friend, bassist extraordinaire Stanley Clarke (Return to Forever) record together for the first time, namely on two tracks, also featuring bassist Ralphe Armstrong (Mahavishnu Orchestra) and a stellar cast of East and West Coast musicians. Nonetheless, Holz doesn't reinvent the wheel here, but conveys a cheerful vibe via his solid compositions and buoyant arrangements that equate to a contemporary slant on jazz fusion. With that notion in mind, Holz and associates have not relegated their craft to easy listening smooth jazz. Essentially, the artists' muscular and spiraling solo spots backed by the leader's in-the-pocket grooves help elevate matters into gutsy and brash musical statements, periodically streamlined by memorable hooks and alternating currents.

The opening track "Split Decision," tenders a congenial theme with tasteful melodic passages offset by blaring horns and Billy Steinway's sweeping Hammond B-3 organ clusters. However, Clarke and Armstrong muster a dual bass attack on "Next in Line" and "Jammin Man," where the former's signature style comes to the forefront as he executes flickering notes across his fretboard along with fluid chord progressions and soulful single note runs. Moreover, Armstrong appears on most of these works and lays down a pliant undercurrent throughout. At times the ensemble enlivens a 1970s fusion vista with sonorous horn arrangements, snappy pulses and forceful soloing by trumpet great Randy Brecker (tracks 3 & 4) and other passages where the frontline trades fours, often leading to climactic opuses.

Holz and Armstrong provide strong foundations for the soloists with punchy cadences along with guitar heroics by Austrian guitar whiz Alex Machacek on "Light and Dark." But "Espresso Addiction," surfaces as a soulful, yet nondescript and perhaps obligatory vocal track sung by Dave Porter that lacks a significant primary theme. Otherwise, Frank Stepanek's Spanish acoustic guitar work on the aptly titled "Spanish Plains," rides above a medium- tempo rhythmic pattern and features his fancy fretwork along with some Wes Montgomery style jazz phrasings. Therefore, Holz's third album as a leader transfers his personal vision into a broadly entertaining sojourn, underscored with congenial qualities and a distinct game-plan. ~Glenn Astarita

Visions: Coast To Coast Connection mc
Visions: Coast To Coast Connection zippy

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