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Frank Gambale - The Light Beyond

The Light Beyond Album Cover
 List Price: $16.98
Our Price: $16.98
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Manufacturer: Tone Center
Release Date: 2000-07-25
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Review
The second collective side project from a trio of jazz-rock veterans, The Light Beyond yields nothing revelatory but does serve up a fairly entertaining fusion variety pack. Frank Gambale, guitarist on past Chick Corea Elektric Band projects and a longtime mate of drummer Steve Smith in Vital Information, both rattles and hums on this disc. Most memorable is the complex, whipsawing mix of industrial shards and blues-rock textures he juxtaposes in "Lumpy's Lament," a daunting piece that is counterbalanced by stretches of handsome jazz riffing on "The Throne of Savitar" and the shimmering, desertlike atmospheres he concocts on "Fugitive Aspirations." Stu Hamm, who has logged time with Joe Satriani and Steve Vai, reliably sustains the group's challenging metric framework. While sometimes annoyingly light on melody, The Light Within is more structured and graceful than the trio's debut disc (Show Me What You Can Do), and, consistent with a group objective formed for this recording, reminiscent of the eclectic jazz-rock panache demonstrated in years past by Return to Forever. --Terry Wood
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Customer Reviews
Summary: Not the best from these 3
Overall Rating: Average rating of 2/5Average rating of 2/5Average rating of 2/5Average rating of 2/5Average rating of 2/5
Comment: When you get anything from any of these 3 musicians, you would usually expect something worthy of your music collection. I was kinda dissapointed by this CD. I will buy a CD just for one track if it catches my ear. The rest usually take some time in getting some listening to appreciate. There is none of that on here. I have owned this cd for years now and have tried it on many times to see if there was something I wasn't hearing before...no luck. Sorry, but this only gets 2 stars from me and thats just because I find it hard to give these guys any less. There is just no focus here...get GHS3 instead.
Summary: very light in my opinion
Overall Rating: Average rating of 2/5Average rating of 2/5Average rating of 2/5Average rating of 2/5Average rating of 2/5
Comment: As always I continue to look out for the newest stuff that these guys put out. This particular recording to me is simply boring and uneventful. A couple tunes are worthy but the rest is complete mush. I love Steve Smith to death but his bland plain drum tone is almost the same on all these newer recordings. Take a listen to the "Players" disc or Vitals "global beat" . Much warmer and fuller tone. Live its a different story. But im not impressed with the recordings that are being done at his home studio. If this was the first disc you heard by any of these guys, you might not ever buy one from them again.
Summary: Nice playing but poor sound.
Overall Rating: Average rating of 2/5Average rating of 2/5Average rating of 2/5Average rating of 2/5Average rating of 2/5
Comment: Nice playing, but beware. The sound quality is nearly unacceptable. It sounds like the musicians are playing in a different room. The producer or someone involved in the mixing or mastering process must have slipped on the mixer board or something. The loss of midrange and treble energy makes the record kind of uninvolving. And I'm not talking about the sound through a super high-end system (my stereo setup is rather "modest", worth about $1500). Out of five stars I give the music four weak stars and the sound one strong star.
Summary: Not beyond but reached fusion enlightenment
Overall Rating: Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5
Comment: Tone Center presents another Jazz/Rock/Fusion all star band. Stu Hamm is the bassist that many have seen with Satriani. If you are wondering what he would sound like in a Fusion context here is your answer. Stu joins two parts of Vital Information and the results are very good. This is the sequel to "Show Me What You Can Do". It is different in nature than the first but I find it to be an improvement. The first disc was largely improvised and much more rock orientated. This disc is an improvement composition wise and the playing is still excellent. Each member is given a brief solo piece in addition to the full ensemble tunes. "The Spirit of Dundun" is the best of the three solo pieces and has Steve Smith showing why he is a poll winning drummer. As far as the ensemble tunes are concerned they are far mellower than on the previous release. The tunes show that the trio spent more time composing than on the first disc. "The Throne of Savitar" is a RTFesque mini-suite that is one of Frank Gambale's finest compositions. All three members display their talents on this one. "First Look" is a Stu composition. This is also a great advance compositionally for the band. All three members are featured at one time or another but this is a showcase for the amazing bass of Stu. The rest of the disc is also very good. The overall tone/volume/feel/mood is on par with the Vital Information discs. Mellower but still amazing playing throughout. If you like fusion then buy this one. Another victory for Tone Center.
Summary: Gambale is always a gamble.
Overall Rating: Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5
Comment: Generally, I find Gambale's playing/compositions to be cheesey and uninteresting. While technically proficient, they often lack substance. On the other hand, this album (along with his work w/ Chick Corea and his 1989 live album) stands out as a work of inspiration and passion. The entire mood of the album is thoughtful and intelligent, while remaining soulful and energetic. Steve Smith and Stu Hamm forge an unstoppable rythm machine and the interplay between the three is seemless. A great buy for jazz-rock fans.
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