Bozzio, Terry: Composer Series (4CD/DVD)

Imagine waiting in line for a drum addition when Terry Bozzio takes the kit. It's your turn but you decide to not even bother. That's exactly what happened in the '70s when Bozzio auditioned for Frank Zappa's band. It's one of those delightful stories that I love reading about.

Bozzio went on to become a world class drummer and has performed with an incredible range of artists including Debbie Harry, Mick Jagger, Steve Vai, Allan Holdsworth, Jeff Beck and many others. At the end of the '70s he played with the Brecker Brothers and UK after which he formed the new wave pop band Missing Persons in 1980. To this day he continues to tour and perform. He has been writing music since the '70s so what best way to get it out there than to perform a solo tour of Japan and Europe, a one man band showcasing his mind-bending approach on the drums. The sheer size of his kits I'm sure will become stuff of legends.

Bozzio compares the drums like other instruments such as keyboards and guitar, able to add melodic lines and chordal structures. In this set there are a whopping fifty-nine tracks spread over four CDs and one DVD. Describing the individual tracks would be rather pointless but let's just say his playing is a marvelous thing to behold. The first disc is labeled "Fusion 1" and the sounds he is able to achieve are simply unbelievable, like the otherworldly percussion in "Existential" demonstrating Bozzio's innovative approach to sound. "Arabia" is another masterful trip down the experimental lane as Bozzio plays with cool electronic-like sounds. "Cityscape" is another electronic heavy track and is another mindbender, especially on headphones.

Disc #4 features his ambient compositions and highlights some pretty wild percussive experiments like the opening track "Silenced" and the spacey exploits in "Self-Deceived".

On the "Classic" disc the sound is much more ethnic ranging from the Japanese melody in "Haiku" to the tribal rhythms and classical stylings in the dense "Afro-Industrial Fugue" to the pretty pastoral nature of "Sunday Morning".

The DVD features Bozzio and his drum kit at Landmark Studios where he gives an awe inspiring performance as only he could do. His percussion work is pretty cool to say the least.

For drum aficionados this will be a must purchase. As a non-musician I cannot say how much I will listen to this but I have to say there are some nice melodic moments and the drum work, of course, is excellent. Check it out at Ward Records.

Track Listing:
Disc 1: Fusion 1
1. North 101
2. Joe
3. Existential
4. Psychic Energy
5. Arabia
6. Cityscape
7. Offering
8. What Is A Memory?
9. Watched (Under Surveillance)
10. Me, Jeff & Tony
Disc 2: Fusion 2
1. Marked Man
2. Al & Doug
3. Blues For?
4. Miles
5. Fascist
6. Heavy Metal
7. Beast
8. Psychopath
9. Db Modal
10. OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)
Disc 3: Classic
1. Six Miniatures For Guitar & Piano
2. Far East
3. Music For Idiots
4. Ukiyoe (Full Version)
5. Matsuri (Festival)
6. Haiku (Go-Shichi-Go, 5-7-5)
7. The Courier
8. Sunday Morning
9. Wisteria
10. Mayumi
11. Afro-Industrial Fugue
12. Orchid
13. An Adventure In Modern Spain
14. Elegy
15. Drama
16. Herr Nordegg
17. What She Never Heard
18. Ukiyoe (String Quartet Version)
Disc 4: Ambient
1. Silenced
2. Self-Deceived
3. Anime
4. Liquid
5. Displaced
6. Conversion Process
7. Perception
8. Trees In Winter
9. Dream
10. Document 2.5
11. Siren
12. Dark Energy
13. Yon Wano Karasu (4 Crows)
14. Fractalization
15. Shrine
16. Cloud Chamber
17. In Memoriam 9-11
18. Alone

Added: April 27th 2016
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Artist's Official Site
Hits: 2110
Language: english

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