Jan Dumée - Rio on the Rocks
I’ve never heard Focus 8 or any of the post Akkerman albums for that matter, so I went straight to their new guitarist’s solo music due to a friend who suggested I listen to them. The first one I heard, whose title escapes me now, was definitely very fine Brazilian-styled music, if a little on the chilly side in terms of my connection with it. Rio on the Rocks, whether I’ve heard Focus or not, definitely sounds more like that band and not so much Brazilian music, which is strange considering the title. This is more of a rock album than the jazz one I remember and it did remind me of some of the mellower elements from Focus 2 in terms of melodic structure. This is definitely not a clone or anything and more instantly enjoyable from my angle.
Hellborg, Lane, Sipe - Starlight Club, Fort Collins, CO 6/14/97
Shawn Lane leaves his band in the wake on this one, which generally seems to be the case on a number of occasions, making up, at least for my tastes, for Hellborg, who isn’t. I was pretty surprise during the first half of this set because they start out free, almost Rypdal or Torn-esque in a way, atmospheric but free, with Lane being extraordinarily creative over the top. The sound quality is good and even if the intensity is let down a bit in the latter half, perhaps due to more focused compositions, I found the show pretty enjoyable, perhaps as much as anything I’ve heard from any of these musicians.
Buffalo Daughter - Captain Vapour Athletes
Buffalo Daughter - New Rock
Inventive and somewhat genre-crunching Japanese group, starting with some experimental techno work in Captain Vapour Athletes, but fortunately ending up in a new, somewhat indie, somewhat experimental pop/rock format. It sounded like quite a bit of this material could be pretty catchy given the chance, and I liked the slightly aggressive edge balances with a more smoother rock style. In fact I’d be hesitant to compare them to anyone, which hopefully will give both of these albums an extended lifetime.