“Mystical Garden” (cut 7) came in a close second… undercurrent rhythms with just a hint of guitar to enchant your ears. “El Dorado”, cut 5, made me feel like I was IN the jungle… one of those “choog-a-long” trax, it was my favorite cut on the CD. An even dozen tracks that will send those in search of high energy (in a worldbeat framework) to absolute nirvana. This outing features Jezzro’s enchanting acoustic guitars, but steps up the pace on the percussion side of things. Jezzro & Huff – WORLDBEAT BRAZIL: We reviewed (in issue # 40) these folks on an album called “Brazilian Nights”. Pony Trail, Tucson, AZ 85742, or via email to Rotcod Zzaj

Even if you have never heard this kind of cacophony before, it is MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED… in fact, it gets the PICK of this issue for “best musical insanity”! Contact at 3649 W. If we played it for ALL the pre-schoolers (each & every day), there WOULD be a true “third party” after 20 years, & all the political fat katz would check themselves (quickly) in to mental wards across the country (glorious, GLORIOUS day).

You might have guessed awready… I jus’ LOVE this CD. & proud, but more importantly, a jaded sense of musical humor that shoots him to thee TOP o’ th’ heap for this twisted set of aural appendages! Bass mix was a little much, but his guitars & grand interweave of various & sundry vox make up for it in a grand fashion! With titles like “Domestic Ammonia”, “Furnace Full of Marshmallows” & “Halfstep in the March of Progress”, it won’t take you long to figure out (in conjunction with actually LISTENING to the music, of course) that this music is for F-U-N!!! The obvious comparisons to Zappa & Beefheart can be made, but Chris’ goes further & further OUT. He’s been BIZ-ee in hiz’ (?de?)basement, volkz! D.I.Y. Contact through Creative Service Company, 4360 Emerald Dr., Colorado Springs, CO 80918… also via e-mail to Rotcod Zzajįrank O Pollizi Band – THE BASEMENT TAPES (Volume I): Chris Centuori, an old friend of Bret Hart’s, reestablished contact with me a couple of months ago. Anyway you listen, though, this is an extremely pleasurable sonic experience… gets a HIGHLY RECOMMENDED from us, especially for those who love piano as a feature instrument. The elements of percussion that are woven in & through each of the pieces provide another strange contrast, often sounding like African jungles in the midst of a community orchestra. What I found most interesting was the (rather heavy) Celtic influence (almost like an undercurrent), something difficult to achieve with instrumentation that focused primarily on keyboard compositions. The CD is an odd mix of styles… some would classify it as “new age”, others would peg it as sort of “semi-classical”. Scott Hartley – ANCESTRAL CROSSING: Though Scott’s compositions feature his (excellent) keyboard style, there are many complimentary instruments – violin, flutes, strings – that make this sound more like an orchestra than you’d have ever imagined. Contact via the label page at or email to Rotcod Zzaj Strong jazz compositional skills are clearly shown on “The Biszer”, a piece that will really MOVE you! If you are NOT a fan of music that pushes the limits, you may not agree with me when I declare this to be MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (of course, then, you probably wouldn’t be reading this ‘zine anyway, eh?). This is a different style of improv than I’m used to listening to, as string stuph usually seems to focus in on high-end ear breakers… NOT here… this is the kind of music your ears can munch on for hours! Jon Morgan (of Meniscus label) sent this to us in a HUGE package of other CD’s, & I’ll tell you, he’s got something exciting goin’ on here! There are also sections where the violin picking reminds me of LaDonna Smith’s frenetic style at the height of a piece, particularly on “After The Break”, my favorite track on this CD.

Michael Bisio/Eyvind Kang – DUOS: Kang’s violin penetrates to the deepest darkest parts of your being, thoroughly enhanced & joined by Bisio’s bass on this CD of heavy improvisation.

Los amigos invisibles acustico dvd