February is Henry Kaiser Month

February may be a short month but it is chock full of Henry Kaiser goodness. February 3rd sees the release of an amazing record Kaiser put together with British Avant-guitar pioneer Ray Russell. Along with drummers Weasel Walter and William Winant, bassists Michael Manring (electric) and Damon Smith (acoustic), and saxophonists Steve Adams, Joshua Allen, Phillip Greenlief, and Aram Shelton, Kaiser and Russell entered Berkeley, California’s Fantasy Studios for a daylong session that resulted in The Celestial Squid.

From the 3rd to the 8th, Kaiser will play a residency gig at The Stone in NYC (full schedule and participants below) that is not to be missed. He will also be releasing three other records that week. Kaiser was kind enough to give Guitar Moderne the low down on The Celestial Squid.

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Jeff Beck Live in Tokyo

Eagle Rock Entertainment has released Live In Tokyo by Jeff Beck on DVD, Blu-ray, and Digital Formats. The set includes Beck classics like “Stratus,” “Led Boots,” “Cause We Ended As Lovers,” “Big Block,” “A Day In The Life,” and “Rollin’ And Tumblin’,” along with an  amazing version of the Irish chestnut “Danny Boy.” It was gorgeously filmed at the Tokyo Dome City Hall in Japan in 2014, with excellent sound. This Japanese tour featured Beck’s latest backing band of Jonathan Joseph (drums), Nicolas Meier (guitars) and Rhonda Smith (bass). Like Jennifer Batten before him, Meier handles the synth parts on guitar synth, as well as rock rhythms. He also adds some new acoustic guitar textures. His compositon, “Yemin,” proves a beautiful vehicle for his boss. Meier performs all his parts on various multi-tasking Godin guitars.

At an age when most other artists are rehashing the hits, Beck continues to grow and reinvent himself, making this DVD a must have for any fan of the 70-year old perfect master.

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Pioneer: Fred Frith

Modern guitar pioneer, Fred Frith, was kind enough to contribute to the feature I did For Premier Guitar on extended guitar techniques.   His new record, a duo with saxophonist John Butcher, The Natural Order,  is an improvised tour-de-force, with both players using extended techniques in a musical conversation of the highest order.

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