Unlike the intermittent timelines many of their contemporaries measure in jubilees, the circle of KANSAS’ existence remains unbroken for five decades now – a little hiccup in the mid-’80s can be discounted – and guitarist Richard Williams has been one of its guardians for all these years, his riffs and licks an integral part of the American ensemble’s unique sound.
Alice Cooper is no stranger to concept albums, be it a loose outline of two volumes of “Welcome To My Nightmare” to a tighter yarn of “From The Inside” to a gripping account of “Along Came A Spider” to mention but a few of the veteran’s excursions into musical storytelling. There’s no wonder, then, in his newest endeavor – titled “Road” and scheduled to hit the shelves on August 25th – detailing life on tour in quite a coherent manner. However, reading the tracklist is an arresting exercise in itself.
It’s been about a year since the great Barbara Thompson passed away, and European jazz world still feels this immense loss. The lady left behind an impressive legacy – as a soloist with UNITED JAZZ AND ROCK ENSEMBLE and the leader of PARAPHERNALIA, as contributor to COLOSSEUM‘s oeuvre and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s opuses, to mention just a few of her projects – but interest to the late saxophonist’s recordings doesn’t diminish. That’s why the “First Light” collection, out now to coincide with her memorial concert which took place at London’s Union Chapel on June 2nd, feels so alluring.
Now you see it, now you don’t: it’s a very viper-like behavior, and it’s no wonder that KING KOBRA adopted this modus operandi early on. Created by legendary drummer Carmine Appice four decades ago, in 1983, the American ensemble used to vanish from view and reappear further down the line, having left in their wake five albums, the last of which – confusingly titled “King Kobra II” – emerged in 2013. Now, though, the heavy hitters are back and ready to release a platter titled “We Are Warriors” on August 11th.
Best known for his work with THE BLOCKHEADS – and co-penning such perennials as “Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll” – whom he still leads, Chaz Jankel has quite a few solo albums to his name, platters for which the English guitarist wrote no less outstanding numbers, including “Ai No Corrida” that was covered by, among others, Quincy Jones – a fact speaking volumes for its composer’s talent. But while Jankel’s pieces used to ride high in the charts back in the day, “Glad To Know You” and “Number One” topping hit-parades in various countries, his popularity lost a bit of its impact over time – and still connoisseurs cherish every record Chaz issued.
