Stone Alliance - Stone Alliance

Nov

14

Stone Alliance - Stone Alliance

≡ Category: 1970s, Fusion, Highly Recommended, Jazz Funk, Latin Jazz, Post Bop |
≅ Written by: Michael Kydonieus

Stone Alliance
JAZZBO NOTE HIGHLY RECOMMENDED RECORDING

Rating:

On a previous post, in which I reviewed Stone Alliance’s Live In Amsterdam, I wrote that the music felt incomplete, as if bassist Gene Perla was so busy outlining the chords and providing a groove that he couldn’t imply any outside harmonies for saxophonist Steve Grossman to play over.

I realize now that I was wrong. The problem with that live record is that the instruments weren’t properly balanced and the sound was distorted. That’s not an issue on Stone Alliance’s debut album.

With the instruments properly balanced and impeccably recorded (not to mention Perla’s bass being in tune), you can appreciate the beauty of each player’s tone and enjoy their intense interaction without any distractions.

It is true that it falls to Steve Grossman to imply the outside harmonies, but rather than the skeletal backdrop by Gene Perla and percussionist Don Alias sounding unfinished, it gives the music a weird sort of incantory, tribalistic power.

Don Alias and Steve Grossman are both monster players, but Grossman is out front pretty much the whole date, so he gets to show off more. Grossman practically sets fire to the CD on Duet, with burning pentatonic riffs over Alias’ churning drums.

Probably the weakest track on the album is an interpretation of Stevie Wonder’s Creepin’. I love the tune, but Stone Alliance doesn’t really have anything to add — the song cries out for Wonder’s velvet pipes. Grossman could have turned the tune inside out if he’d wanted to. I’m not sure it would have been in the best taste, but it would have been more interesting.

But don’t let that dissuade you from picking up this killer CD. Stone Alliance (which recorded on the PM Records label) has got the energy of the first Mahavishnu Orchestra, but coming from a Latin/post bop direction.

You’ll know what I mean if you listen to the samples here.

Unbelievably, you can only get this wonderful music from Gene Perla’s PM Records site.

Check it out.