eric marienthal Archives - ContemporaryJazz.com

Chick Corea Elektric Band Box Set

John Hilderbrand — Thu, 21 Dec 2023 22:41:29 +0000

I didn’t know that Chick Corea Elektric Band members John Patitucci and Frank Gambale shared the same birthday (December 22)! Happy birthday, gentlemen!

This year has been an especially good year to celebrate this all-star band. The original five Elektric Band studio albums, from 1986-1991, have been released in a deluxe 10-LP box set and a new live recording of the band on the road has been issued.

The Elektric Band, led by the late legendary pianist and composer Chick Corea, emerged in the mid-1980s as a groundbreaking force in contemporary jazz. Corea, a 27-time Grammy winner and Jazz Master of the National Endowment for the Arts, assembled a lineup including John Patitucci, Dave Weckl, Eric Marienthal, and Frank Gambale. Each of those musicians, talented in their own right, would springboard to new career highs. It was truly a remarkable band.

I still haven’t quite forgiven myself for not seeing them when they were in town around 1991.

The 10-LP vinyl box set compiles the original five GRP studio albums, presented in gatefold jackets with printed inner sleeves and restored artwork in a deluxe slipcase. This limited-edition release, for the first time, reinstates the albums to their original full running order. Additionally, the set includes reproduced memorabilia from Chick’s private archive, offering a comprehensive tribute to the Elektric Band’s creativity, innovation, and musicianship.

The Future Is Now live recording was compiled by Chick before his passing. This 3-LP vinyl and 2-disc CD album captures the band on tour from 2016-2018. It features in depth liner notes from Corea and all of the Elektric Band members.

I’m a fan of things coming full circle and these serve as a fitting closing chapter for this memorable group.

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Review: Hemispheres

John Hilderbrand — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 02:55:45 +0000

Hemispheres is a new group recording from Joel Rosenblatt on drums (late of Spyro Gyra), Ric Fierabracci on bass (latest trio recording with Frank Gambale and Virgil Donati), and Australian keyboardist Phil Turcio. These three music veterans, along with a little help from friends like Eric Marienthal, Gary Meek, Bill Evans, Steve Tavaglione, Christian Howe, Joel Hoekstra, Brett Garsed, and others, deliver a tasteful blend of funk, fusion and jazz, on this, their debut recording. This collection of eleven compositions is well written and arranged, and unlike other fusion outings with so many hired guns, never gets monotonous or out of hand. There’s great improvisation and interplay between Turcio’s keyboards and whomever is taking the sax, guitar, or occasional violin lead on a particular tune. Rosenblatt is his steady self, reminding one of how big a part he was to Spyro Gyra’s sound for 12 years, and Fierabracci lays down some nice fat tasty bass. This is great music that may never be heard on traditional radio. If you’re a fan of the Yellowjackets, Steps Ahead, and the Elektric Band – you won’t be disappointed.

Buy the CD from Amazon.com!

Buy the download from iTunes!

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Review: Eric Marienthal – Just Around the Corner

John Hilderbrand — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 02:55:37 +0000

Eric Marienthal’s new Peak Records release, Just Around the Corner, opens strong with the composition, “Blue Water,” and never looks back! Immediately you recognize Marienthal’s distinctive voice, honed over the past 20 years; in fact, I can’t recall his sax sounding any stronger than on this, his eleventh solo release. Backed by a cadre of the usual smooth jazz suspects – Jeff Lorber, Ray Parker Jr, and Brian Culberson, just to name a few – Marienthal delivers his strongest recording since 1981’s Oasis. Two tracks which really stood out for me are; “Times Square” with a great saxophone chorus, and “Flower Child” which breaks into a really funky Motown feel halfway through the track, reminding me of something you’d hear in a Temptations song. It’s great to see an artist like Marienthal, who’s involved in so many different projects and bands, to deliver such a distinctively individual recording.

Buy the CD from Amazon.com!
Buy the download from iTunes!

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