Jazz Fusion, Experi-delic and Horns!!!

by Doug MacRostie

This week on Centerstage MN (Thurs @6 on KAXE) I'll be talking with jazz fusion guitarist Cory Wong from Minneapolis about his debut release "Even, Uneven." Cory is a regular performer in the Twin Cities area, and he also does recording and production work, including with artists such as Bootsy Collins, Jimmie Vaughan, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Pat Donohue and more. "Even, Uneven" is one of those CDs where the longer the songs are, the better they seem to get ("Well You Needn't" for example - which takes you from one extreme to another before it's over). Sometime's the album's just rockin' (like halfway through the 9 minute song "Sea Journey", which also has some great spacy sections). But, that doesn't mean the short songs are lacking. The 2 minute "Ani" is a "sounds of the universe being born" kind of two minutes :) The musicians that Cory has with him on this CD each stand out and hold their own with great soloing and a great energy.

I'll also be playing from my current "favorite new MN CD" - The Brothers Burn Mountain "Wild Cat Road." I'm not sure how to describe it (experi-delic rock?)...it's like a new interpretation of the OLD-school Moody Blues style (I'm talking "Threshold of a Dream" type stuff...but with a modern and edgy feel) complete with harmonies (but, 2 part instead of 5 like MB) and creative stellar imagary. I'll definitely have this brother duo on Centerstage MN sometime.

New to the show will be St. Dominic's Trio, which is an offshoot of the nine-piece Van Morrison cover bandThe Belfast Cowboys. This 9+ piece "trio" recorded their latest CD "Switch" at Sparta Sound on the Iron Range and it even has MN legend Rich Mattson on guitar and back-up vocals! The CD is a great rock album complete with horns, keys and a cut-loose attitude which is a lot of fun to listen to.

That's just a snap shot of some of the new MN CDs that I've been enjoying - tune in to Centerstage MN every Thurs evenings @ 6; streaming at KAXE.org, or 91.7 Grand Rapids, 89.9 Brainerd, 105.3 Bemidji)