n getting this recording from Chris Juergensen, I really had no idea of what his music reflected in the way of fusion. Reading the info that he kindly sent along with the music clued me into a few tidbits of information about himself. He is from the US, yet is located in Japan, which is where the cd was produced, he has been a steady gigging musician, and recently has gotten the itch to make a name for himself as a bandleader.
Prospects is his first release, it is entirely instrumental, and dwells in the mellower moods of jazz, he plays in a similar manner as the likes of Metheny, Stern, Krantz, & Scofield. That is to say, that his tone on the guitar is very clean, distortion free, with a heavy focus on improvisation. His technique is very clean, and he shows a versatile chord vocalbulary as he comps his way through the oft changing progressions in his music.
He has stated that this cd was recorded in studio, with a live feel, with minimal rehearsals, and hardly an overdub to be found. This is a surprising fact, to have created such a lush and expressive musical statement as this, seemingly would have required more than a couple rehearsals, yet the music sounds very refined, and the sound quality is very clear. He also made a note to tell me that this cd would represent his jazzier side of fusion, and he also has plans to create some rock influenced fusion cds in the near future, and in listening to his playing skills, I certainly look forward to hearing him doing that, as well as getting an opportunity to get a respectable amount of time in studio to complete it.
Prospects is a very relaxing listen, great late night music to kick back to, and Chris' playing soothes your mind, setting up solo spots with articulated melodies, and just the right amount of ambiance from his band members. It should be noted that this type of fusion is not anything like the style made famous by such guitarists as - John McLaughlin, Scott Henderson or Al DiMeola, where speed, volume, and technical arrangements are the focal points, this music is more in line with what players like Wayne Krantz, John Scofield, or Mike Stern have been doing, very east coast sounding with a huge jazz influence.