PETE McCANN - Range
Whirlwind Recordings-WR4675
Pete McCaan (electric and acoustic guitars), John O’Gallagher (alto sax), Henry Hey (piano and organ), Matt Clohesy (bass) and Mark Ferber (drums).
This is an ambitious recording that pulls on a range of influences under the rubric of progressive jazz. However for me it is the ghost of John McLaughlin that haunts this album. McCann has previously played in a US tribute band called the Mahavishnu Project that was endorsed by the great man himself. Especially evident on some of the
heavier tracks like ‘Mustard’ is jazz music that has come under the sway of progressive rock. This is probably one of my least favourite genres within the jazz tradition so it came as a bit of a surprise when I found myself really enjoying this and other tracks.
This is Pete McCann’s fifth solo work giving him a seasoned experience perhaps missing on other recordings. It was only on ‘Rumble’ towards the end of the session that I felt somewhat left behind. This is probably the track that will divide the true jazz-rock fans from the rest of us. It is here the music it at its wildest and depending upon your point of view either heaviest or smacking in self-indulgence. However the recording ends with ‘Mine is Yours’ which skillfully pulls the guitar back into a conversation with the other instruments where it probably belongs.
It is a shame that British fans will not in the near future get to hear this album played live as most of the forthcoming gigs find Pete McCaan and his excellent band traveling around North America. If you find yourself revisiting the progressive jazz rock of the early 1970s then this album it probably for you, but even if this era is not your thing there is enough here to repay repeated listening.
Reviewed by Nick Stevenson
Whirlwind Recordings-WR4675
Pete McCaan (electric and acoustic guitars), John O’Gallagher (alto sax), Henry Hey (piano and organ), Matt Clohesy (bass) and Mark Ferber (drums).
This is an ambitious recording that pulls on a range of influences under the rubric of progressive jazz. However for me it is the ghost of John McLaughlin that haunts this album. McCann has previously played in a US tribute band called the Mahavishnu Project that was endorsed by the great man himself. Especially evident on some of the
heavier tracks like ‘Mustard’ is jazz music that has come under the sway of progressive rock. This is probably one of my least favourite genres within the jazz tradition so it came as a bit of a surprise when I found myself really enjoying this and other tracks.
This is Pete McCann’s fifth solo work giving him a seasoned experience perhaps missing on other recordings. It was only on ‘Rumble’ towards the end of the session that I felt somewhat left behind. This is probably the track that will divide the true jazz-rock fans from the rest of us. It is here the music it at its wildest and depending upon your point of view either heaviest or smacking in self-indulgence. However the recording ends with ‘Mine is Yours’ which skillfully pulls the guitar back into a conversation with the other instruments where it probably belongs.
It is a shame that British fans will not in the near future get to hear this album played live as most of the forthcoming gigs find Pete McCaan and his excellent band traveling around North America. If you find yourself revisiting the progressive jazz rock of the early 1970s then this album it probably for you, but even if this era is not your thing there is enough here to repay repeated listening.
Reviewed by Nick Stevenson
