A bass institution unto himself and a stalwart of fusion scene, Jeff Berlin has always been vocal about to his creative and melodic influence, naming the great late Jack Bruce as an ultimate composer and performer. This is why Jeff’s “Jack Songs” that was issued on August 2nd as a CD and digital download must be considered a labor of love – especially given the album’s two-year gestation during which a certain crowdfunding platform went bankrupt. Such problems didn’t deter Berlin from soldiering on and inviting a stellar line-up of fellow players to take part in the project.
There are ten pieces on the platter, mostly culled from Bruce’s solo oeuvre – some forming suites: “One” and “Without A Word” becoming a musical portmanteau, while “Morning Story” and “Smiles And Grins” getting twisted into “Smile Story And Morning Grins” – alongside a couple of CREAM potpourris, and two Jeff’s originals, “Traintime Time” and “Fuimus,” the latter co-penned with Jack’s writing partner Pete Brown. Arranged by Berlin, the numbers have been laid down by a core group with the record’s producer John McCracken on guitar, with quite a few prominent guests, partially listed below and including the surviving members of RUSH and a former VAN HALEN frontman, adding their lines to all the cuts, bar finale, so one of the tracks features no less than nine bassists and one a brass section. The result is expectedly fantastic – read the review.
Jack Song
1. Creamed – feat. Alex Lifeson
2. Theme From An Imaginary Western –
feat. Eric Johnson and Gregg Bissonette
3. A Letter Of Thanks – feat. Alex Ligertwood
4. L’Angelo Misterioso –
feat. Sammy Hagar,
Scott Henderson and Gary Husband
5. Rope Ladder To The Moon –
feat. Alex Ligertwood and Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal
6. One Without A Word – feat. Bill Frisell
7. Smile Story And Morning Grins –
feat. Tony Levin, Billy Sheehan, Michael League,
Mark King, Ron Carter, Marcus Miller,
Nathan East and Geddy Lee
8. Folk Song – feat. Alex Ligertwood
9. Traintime Time – feat. Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal and Johnny Hiland
10. Fuimus (We Have Been)
