ome are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness
thrust upon them" said Winston Churchill. I wonder what he would have made
of someone like Bon Lozaga, who labours in comparative obscurity, when he
should be reaping the rewards of greatness? To this day I cannot fathom
why Lozaga is not a household name, lionized in the jazz press, accorded the
respect of axemen like John Scofield and Al Di Meola, since he possesses all
the dexterity and talent of these known guitarists, and frequently writes
more interesting and creative music than them. Still, despite everything,
the man continues to pursue a unique artistic vision, and lay down some
of the most molten jazz-rock guitar licks ever committed to tape.
I've not heard the first Gongzilla album ("Suffer") but I had a pretty good
idea what to expect from hearing Lozaga's work with Pierre Moerlen's Gong
and Bon. On this record there's a convergence of all things powerful and
explosive, as one of the best fusion lineups ever put together found a
common voice, and roared like the legendary sci-fi monster. Here Lozaga
has teamed-up once again with his old compadre from Gong, the top-notch
American bassist Hansford Rowe, and monster *play-any-style-you-like*
English drummer Gary Husband. Rounding out the lineup on some of the
tracks are another ex-Gong member, Benoit Moerlen, on vibes and marimba
-- giving the proceedings a very cool jazzy feel -- and legendary oddball,
killer guitarist and samplehead-hero David Torn.
This is not entirely an instrumental album, since Rowe sings on several
tracks, and Torn cleverly adds sampled voices and crowd sounds to other
cuts. I'm not a big fan of Rowe's voice, since it sounds rather thin to my
ears. Still, it works well within the context of the arrangements, since
he's not required to deliver any vocal gymnastics, and he's no worse a
singer than many other *vocalists* for prog bands! Anyway, since Rowe
had a large hand in the writing of the compositions on "Thrive" he should
have the right to push Gongzilla into exploring new territory with some
singing. Seven of the tracks are officially instrumentals (some have Torn's
samples in them), while two are Rowe's songs (which also contain some
sampled effects).
Like all of Lozaga's efforts, with the exception of his ambient excursions,
this one treads a fine line between cutting edge jazz stylings and heavy
guitar riffing music. Fortunately Lozaga never falls into the Vai, Satriani
and Johnson trap of walking the gratuitously flashy speed-merchant hard-
rock road. I'm sure that this is in no small measure a tribute to his agile
cohorts who push the concept of the jazz-rock power-trio to new heights,
while delving into the shimmering waters of late-night moody jazz meets
Allan Holdsworth "Sand"-style dreamscapes. It is hard for me to imagine
a more perfectly balanced fusion trio than the core three members of
Gongzilla.
I have found this album to be a wonderful gem to pop into the CD player
when writing programs, especially late in the evening. It has the sharp
angular face of heavy fusion, to keep me alert, and the subtle intricacies
of the best jazz, coupled with the *zone* inducing clear-headed effect of
superior ambient music. All done without ever sliding off the mountain
side in any one of those three directions, and without once resorting to
jazz-lite trivialities or happy-face noodlings.
Who might like it? Anyone who has a taste for any kind of modern guitar-led
jazz-rock fusion should grab this and put in into immediate rotation. If
you liked Jeff Beck's seminal fusion work in the mid-70s, run don't walk to
place an order for "Thrive".
Who might dislike it? Fusion fans who don't like vocals intruding into the
sound. Fusion fans who are mighty suspicious of sampling of any kind.
The best tracks: "Suffer", "Shaman" and "Console Warmer", narrowly beat out
the rest of these fine tunes.
The track that best represents Gongzilla's: "Suffer" (also the name of the
first album by Gongzilla).
Star rating: 4 out of 5. Simply one of the finest fusion albums I've heard
in ages. I can't believe it sat for months on the shelf before I was
bright enough to give it a spin.
ome are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness
thrust upon them" said Winston Churchill. I wonder what he would have made
of someone like Bon Lozaga, who labours in comparative obscurity, when he
should be reaping the rewards of greatness? To this day I cannot fathom
why Lozaga is not a household name, lionized in the jazz press, accorded the
respect of axemen like John Scofield and Al Di Meola, since he possesses all
the dexterity and talent of these known guitarists, and frequently writes
more interesting and creative music than them. Still, despite everything,
the man continues to pursue a unique artistic vision, and lay down some
of the most molten jazz-rock guitar licks ever committed to tape.